单选题
下面的短文有15处空白，请根据短文的内容为每处空白处确定一个最佳选项。
Inflation

Business and government leaders also consider the inflation rate to be an important general indicator. Inflation is a period of increased spending that causes rapid rises in prices. {{U}}(51) {{/U}} your money buys fewer goods so that you get {{U}}(52) {{/U}} for the same amount of money as before, inflation is the problem. There is a general rise {{U}}(53) {{/U}} the price of goods and services. Your money buys less. Sometimes people describe inflation as a time when "a dollar is not worth a dollar anymore".
Inflation is a problem for all consumers. People who live on a fixed income are hurt the {{U}}(54) {{/U}}. Retired people, for instance, cannot count on an increase in income as prices rise. Elderly people who do not work face serious problems in stretching their incomes to {{U}}(55) {{/U}} their needs in time of inflation. Retirement income {{U}}(56) {{/U}} any fixed income usually does not rise as fast as prices. Many retired people must cut their spending to {{U}}(57) {{/U}} rising prices. In many cases they must stop {{U}}(58) {{/U}} some necessary items, such as food and clothing. Even {{U}}(59) {{/U}} working people whose incomes are going up, inflation can be a problem. The {{U}}(60) {{/U}} of living goes up, too. People who work must have even more money to keep up their standard of living. Just buying the things they need costs more. When incomes do not keep {{U}}(61) {{/U}} with rising prices, the standard of living goes down. People may be earning the same amount of money, but they are not living as well because they are not able to buy as many goods and services.
Government units gather information about prices in our economy and publish it as price indexes {{U}}(62) {{/U}} the rate of change can be determined. A price index measures changes in prices u sing the price for a {{U}}(63) {{/U}} year as the base. The base price is set at 100, and the other prices are reported as a {{U}}(64) {{/U}} of the base price. A price index makes {{U}}(65) {{/U}} possible to compare current prices of typical consumer goods, for example, with prices of the same goods in previous years.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 由于上文说到通货膨胀是一个“阶段”，因此这里需要填写一个表示时间的关联词。本句意思是“当你用同样的钱数买到的东西比以前少的时候，通货膨胀就发生了”。因此选D。
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 根据句子关系和词语提示，本句上半句中的fewer可做提示词，less是little的比较形式，与fewer相配。下句中的your money buys less是更直接的提示。因此选D。
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据词语搭配和上下文线索提示。介词in与相应的名词搭配使用表示“在…方面增长或减少”。本段第二句有类似的表达that causes rapid rises in prices。
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 根据上下文意思和词语逻辑，这里需要一个表示“最大”含义的词。本句意思为“依赖固定收入的人受影响最大”。因此选C。
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据词语习惯搭配。Meet one's needs满足需要。本句意思是“不再工作的老年人在通货膨胀时期要将工资满足需求”。因此选A。
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据句子的逻辑。Retirement income属于fixed income，or连接两个前后表达属于同类范畴的词。本句意思是“退休金和其他固定的收入通常没有物价上涨的快”。因此选A。
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 根据上下文含义和句子逻辑，本句需要填一个表示“跟上”的词，因此要选keep up with。本句意思是“很多退休的人必须削减一些开支来跟上上涨的物价”。因此选D。
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 根据上下文意思和词语用法，stop后面接动名词表示“不再做某事”，这句话的意思是“很多情况下他们不再买一些生活必需品”，因此选B。
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据语法逻辑，本句是状语部分前置，正常语序是：Inflation can be a problem even for working people whose incomes are going up.For指“对于…来说”。本句意思是“甚至对于那些有工作，工资在上涨的人来说，通货膨胀也是一个问题”。
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 根据词语搭配和上下文意思，选cost成本，本句意思是“生活成本上升了，工作的人们必须花更多的钱保证自己的生活质量”。
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] Keep pace with指“跟上”，与keep up with同意。本句意思是“当工资和物价上涨不同步时，生活质量就下降”。因此选B。
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 此空填的是由from加which引导的定语从句，本句意思是“政府机构收集经济生活中的价格信息，将它发布成为消费指数，通过这样比率的变化就可以确定”。因此选B。
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] given在这里指“给定的，一定的”符合题目要求。本句意思是“通过特定一年的价格作为基数就可以衡量物价的变化”。
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 根据词语搭配和上下文线索选“百分比”percentage。本句意思是“其他物价按照这个基数成为一个百分比数字”。
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 根据语法原则选it，it在这里是形式宾语，代替不定式to compare current prices of typical consumer goods with prices of the same goods in previous years。本句意思是“消费指数能够将某种商品的目前价格与往年的做比较”。