单选题 America's economic recovery remains uncomfortably weak. The latest data show industrial production falling while the trade deficit soars to record levels. To round off a dismal week for economic statistics, the Fed (美联储) announced that industrial production fell by 0.2% in December compared with the previous month. That came as a disappointment to economists who had been expecting a small rise. Monthly data are always unreliable, of course; there is always a plausible explanation for unexpectedly bad (or good) news. But nearly all recent economic statistics point to the same conclusion--that America's recovery remains sluggish and erratic. It could put pressure on the Fed to consider cutting interest rates again when its policymaking committee meets at the end of the month.
The biggest obstacle to healthier economic performance, though, is political. As the Fed's chairman, Alan Greenspan, acknowledged in the closing months of 2002, uncertainty about the future is holding both investors and consumers back. The shadowy threat of international terrorism and the much more explicit prospect of a war with Iraq have made many Americans nervous about the future. For businesses still reeling from the speed at which the late-1990s boom turned to slump, the political climate is one more reason to put off investing in new plant and equipment or hiring new staff. For consumers, for so long the mainstay of the American economy, the thrill of the shopping mall seems, finally, to be on the wane.
It is hard to put a favorable interpretation on most of the data. But it is important to keep a sense of perspective. Some recent figures look disappointing partly because they fall short of over-optimistic forecasts -- a persistent weakness of those paid to predict the economic future, no matter how often they are proved wrong. The Fed will be watching carefully for further signs of weakness during the rest of the month. Mr. Greenspan is an avid, even obsessive, consumer of economic data. He has made it clear that the Fed stands ready to reduce interest rates again if it judges it necessary--even after 12 cuts in the past two years. At its last meeting, though, when it kept rates on hold, the Fed signaled that it did not expect to need to reduce rates any further.
Monetary policy still offers the best short-term policy response to weak economic activity, and with inflation low the Fed still has scope for further relaxation. President Bush's much-vaunted fiscal stimulus is unlikely to provide appropriate help, and certainly not in a timely way.

单选题 Which of the following best describes the America's economic situation?
A. It is recovering. B. It faces an uncertain future.
C. It remains depressing. D. It shows unreliable signs.

单选题 What does the figure 0.2% in Paragraph 1 indicate?
A. America's economic recovery is still shaky.
B. Economists are disappointed at the future economy.
C. It is a bad sign for America's economic recovery.
D. The biggest obstacle to healthier economic performance is political.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】这是一道推论题。题干中的信号词为Paragraph 1，也就是文章的第一段。文章第一段指出：与上个月相比，12月份的工业生产下降了0.2%，这使得那些一直期望经济会有些许增长的经济学家非常失望；当然，月度数据总是不可靠，但是，几乎所有的近期经济统计都表明，美国的经济复苏仍然处于萧条和不稳定状态。由此可知，0.2%的数据表明美国的经济复苏不稳定。A说“美国的经济复苏仍然不可靠”，这与文章的意思符合。B与第一段第四句话的意思不符合；C和D与该数据表明的问题没有关系。

单选题 What factor makes investors put off investing in new plant and equipment?
A. The sluggish economic situation.
B. The direct threat of international terrorism.
C. The possibility of a war with Iraq.
D. Investors' shortage of capital.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】这是一道细节题。题干中的信号词为put off investing in new plant and equipment，出自于文章第二段第四句话。文章第二段指出：对未来的不确定使得投资者和消费者都望而却步，国际恐怖主义的威胁以及同伊拉克开战的前景使得许多美国人对未来提心吊胆；政治气候是推迟投资新工厂和新设备或者雇用新员工的另一个重要原因。这说明，导致投资者推迟投资新工厂和新设备的原因是国际恐怖主义的威胁、同伊拉克开战的可能性以及政治气候。C说“同伊拉克开战的可能性”，这与文章的意思符合。A明显不是推迟的原因；B不准确，因为文中并没有提到国际恐怖主义的直接威胁；文中没有提到D。

单选题 What is the author's attitude toward some recent figures mentioned in Paragraph 3?
A. Optimistic. B. Skeptical. C. Worrisome. D. Critical.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】这是一道态度题。题干中的信号词为Paragraph 3，也就是文章的第三段。文章第三段指出：很难对大多数的数据作出满意的解释，但是，全面看待问题很重要；最近的一些数据令人沮丧，部分原因是它们缺乏过于乐观的预测，这是那些用来预测经济前景的数据的一贯弱点。这说明，作者对近期的一些数据不满意。 D“批评性的”，与作者的态度符合。A与作者的态度相反；B和C与作者的态度不符。

单选题 How does monetary policy offer help for weak economic activity?
A. It can stimulate investment in new plant and equipment.
B. It can reduce interest rates so as to stimulate weak economic activity.
C. The Fed tries to keep inflation low.
D. President Bush can offer appropriate monetary policy.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】这是一道细节题。题干中的信号词为monetary policy，出自于文章第四段第一句话。文章第三段指出：格林斯潘先生已经明确表示，如果美联储认为有必要，它随时准备再次降低利率。第四段指出：货币政策仍为疲软的经济活动提供最好的短期政策回应，并且由于通货膨胀率较低，美联储还有进一步减息的余地。这说明，货币政策可以通过减息来刺激经济。B说“它可以降低利率，以便刺激疲软的经济活动”，这与文章的意思符合。文中没有说货币政策可以激励投资者投资新厂房和新设备，所以A不对；文中没有提到C；D明显与题目的要求无关。