单选题
The Slowing Economy

When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn"t biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn"t cutting, filing or polishing as many nails as she"d like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. "I"m a good economic indicator," she says. "I provide a service that people can do without when they"re concerned about saving some dollars." So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillard"s department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. "I don"t know if other clients are going to abandon me, too," she says.
Even before Alan Greenspan"s admission that America"s red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year"s pace. But don"t sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only mildly concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy"s long-term prospects, even as they do some modest belt-tightening.
Consumers say they"re not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, "there"s a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses," says broker Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. "Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three," says John Tealdi, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job.
Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldn"t mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. Diners might see an upside, too. Getting a table at Manhattan"s hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant used to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.
单选题 By "Ellen Spero isn"t biting her nails just yet" (Line 1, Paragraph 1), the author means ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 语义题。解答本题需要结合上下文的意思,不能根据字面意思。第一段首句提到该句后,紧接着第二句讲到“但是这个47岁的美甲师修剪、锉磨、上油的指甲数量却难遂其愿”,这表明她的生意不如以前好了,情况变得糟糕了,放缓的经济影响到了她的生意状况。第二句中有一个表转折的连词but,说明前后两句意思形成对比,由此可见在第一句的“not bite one"s nails”是一个形象的比喻来说明Ellen Spero没有“处于非常糟糕的情况”。故D项符合此意。
单选题 How do the public feel about the current economic situation? ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。第二段后半部分开始谈论的是公众对目前经济形势的看法“But don"t sound any alarms just vet...modest belt-tightening.”(不过,目前还不必敲什么警钟。消费者看起来仅仅是适度关注(mildly concerned),没有恐慌(panicked),许多人说,虽然他们得稍微勒紧裤腰带,但是他们对经济的远景还是乐观的(optimistic)。”所以正确答案是A项。另外也可以采用排除法,排除B、C、D项。
单选题 When mentioning "the $4 million to $10 million range" (Line 3, Paragraph 3), the author is talking about ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 语义题。根据关键词“the $4 million to $10 million range”定位到第三段第三句,该句描述的是股票经纪人对曼哈顿经济状况的评论,该段第二句讲到“大部分地区房价保持稳定”,该段后面的内容也是围绕这一话题展开的,其中以曼哈顿和旧金山的情况作为例子,另外根据最后一句中的real-estate broker(房地产经纪人)也可知作者主要谈论的是房地产业。所以B项是正确答案。另外文中的gold rush指的是“投资房产的狂热”,而不是其字面意思“淘金热”,所以A项是捏造的干扰项。文中只是讲到“资金来源以华尔街股票红利为主”,这不是作者谈话的主要内容,所以C项“股市”不正确。文中没有提及D项内容。
单选题 Why can many people see "silver linings" to the economic slowdown?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 推断题。根据关键词“silver linings”定位到最后一段第一句话,随后作者列举具体事例进行说明:购房者会因低利率而高兴;雇主、投资者和就餐者也看到其中有利的一面。由此推知经济放缓也会带来一点好处,所以“silver linings”指的是他们从某种方式中也能够收益,所以A项为正确答案。另外,silver linings出自一句谚语Every cloud has a silver lining,意思是“黑暗中总有一线光明”或“情况总会好转”。silver linings在文中来表示“人们依然看得到希望”。
单选题 To which of the following is the author likely to agree?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 作者观点题。纵观全文,本文主要谈论的是美国经济,开篇用事例引出美国经济滑坡这一话题。然后第二段谈到,人们注意到经济放缓,只是轻度关注,并没有恐慌。第三段分析了为什么消费者没有处于绝境。最后一段指出他们在经济滑坡中还得到很多好处。由此可见C项“谨慎无碍,不要恐慌”最能反应出作者的态度。A的态度过于乐观,B项的态度过于悲观。文中没有提及D项的内容。