Reading comprehension. Henry Ford , the famous U . S . inventor and car manufacturer , once said “ The business of America is business .” By this he meant that the U . S . way of life is based on the values of the business world . Few would argue with Ford ’ s statement . A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much peoplein the United States think about business . For example , nearly every newspaper has a business section , in which the deals and projects , finances and management , stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily . In addition , business news can appear in every other section . Most national news has an important financial aspect to it . Welfare , foreign aid , the federal budget , and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business . Moreover , business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places . The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as “ the entertainment industry ” or “ show business .” The positive side of Henry Ford ’ s statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U . S . life . One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job . Jobs are produced in abundance (大l量地) because the U . S . economic system is driven by competition . People believe that this system creates more wealth , more jobs , and a materially better way of life . The negative side of Henry Ford ’ s statement , however , can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business . And the term big business-referring to the biggest companies , is seen in opposition to labor . Throughout U . S . history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages , better working conditions , and the fight to form unions . Today , many of the old labor disputes are over , but there is still some employee anxiety . Downsizing — the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high-creates feelings of insecurity for many .