The U.S.-CHINA trade gap.

After China's Communist revolution in 1949, the U.S. and China became bitter enemies. They fought on opposite sides during the 1950-1953 Korean War, and for the next two decades relations between the two nations were nonexistent.

Relations have improved significantly since the early 1970s, although American leaders continue to criticize the Chinese government's poor human-rights record.

As the graph shows, China, with its vast pool of low-wage workers, has become a vital source of inexpensive goods for the U.S., especially toys, clothing, furniture, and electronics.

The "trade gap"--the difference between Chinese exports to the U.S. and U.S. exports to China--has been widening because of Americans' appetite for cheap goods and the low value of China's currency compared with the U.S. dollar.

[GRAPHIC OMITTED]

ANALYZE THE GRAPH

1. About how many billions of dollars worth of goods did the U.S. sell China in 2000?

   (a) $10B

   (b) $9B

   (c) $12B

   (d) $16B

2. The difference between the value of goods China sold the U.S. in 1996 and the value in 2005 is about

   (a) $202B

   (b) $192B

   (c) $182B

   (d) $172B

3. If the value of U.S. exports to China rose by 15 percent a year from 2006 through 2010, what would exports total in 2010? About

   (a) $84.5B

   (b) $91B

   (c) $74.5B

   (d) $72B

4. In 2005, China sold $19 billion worth of toys and games to the U.S. About how much did the rest of China's exports total in that year?

   (a) $200B

   (b) $210B

   (c) $225B

   (d) $230B

5. About how much did the value of China's exports to the U.S. rise between 2000 and 2003?

   (a) 58%

   (b) 52%

   (c) 42%

   (d) 39%

6. Canada, America's biggest trade partner, sold about $256 billion worth of goods to the U.S. in 2004. What is the approximate difference between Canada's...