翻译题 What would you rather lose: your house or your car? 【F1】In America, where a car is usually essential to get to work, many borrowers would sooner lose their house, which explains why in the years after the crisis, mortgages were more likely to go bad than car loans. It also explains why auto loans, unlike mortgages, are booming. New loans reached 371 billion in the year to June, up 7.4% from the previous year and 64% since seven years ago. Auto loans, made to the riskiest borrowers, have grown even faster, by 93% since seven years ago.
【F2】This growth is due to rising car sales and ample credit as banks, finance companies and carmakers' financing arms compete to lend to consumers, either directly or via car dealers. Those loans are then packaged into securities for yield-hungry investors. Experian, a credit-scoring agency, reckons 85% of new and 54% of used cars are now bought with loans, compared to 79% and 52% nine years ago.
【F3】A car loan is a complex transaction that hinges not .just on the price of a car, but also on its trade-in value, extras such an extended guarantee or rust proofing, and most important, the interest rate. A dealer typically selects a quote from a bank or finance company via his computer and marks it up. The higher the markup, the greater the payment he receives from the lender.
【F4】Consumer advocates are bothered that this process leaves the unsophisticated—as customers with bad credit rating tend to be—at the mercy of unscrupulous dealers. They may be charged a higher rate despite qualifying for a lower one, sold unneeded or overpriced extras, or even told, a few days after they drive off with the car, that their loan was turned down and they must pay a higher rate. "None of the prices are fixed, and each unfixed price is a potentially offensive negotiating point," says Tom Domonoske, a lawyer who represents hurt buyers. Consumer advocates would like markups replaced with a flat fee.
【F5】The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a new watchdog agency set up after the financial crisis, is also worried that lots of borrowers get a raw deal. It considers dealers' discretion over markups an invitation to discrimination. Dealers are fuming at the CFPB's muscle-flexing. Competition, they say, ensures that customers get the best rate; dealers need discretion to compete. By raising costs, stricter regulation may actually reduce the amount of credit available.
问答题 6.【F1】
【正确答案】在美国，汽车往往是上班不可或缺的工具，所以很多借贷者宁愿失去房子(也不愿失去车子)，这便解释了为什么金融危机后的那几年房贷较车贷更容易形成烂账。
【答案解析】①本句为多重复合句，主句的主干是many borrowers would sooner lose their house。②句中where引导的定语从句修饰American，说明美国汽车的使用情况。③句中which引导的非限定性定语从句修饰前面的整个主句，解释说明出现前面情况的原因。此外，该从句中还包含why引导的宾语从句。宾语从句中比较结构A be more likely to do than B意思是“比起B，更容易发生A”。
问答题 7.【F2】
【正确答案】之所以有这个涨势，一方面是因为汽车销量提高了，另一方面是因为银行、金融公司和汽车制造商的财务部门以直接的或间接通过汽车经销商的方式，争先为消费者提供巨额贷款。
【答案解析】①本句为主从复合句，带有as引导的原因状语从句，说明出现大量贷款的原因。②主句中表语due to sth．指出造成这个涨势(This growth)的两个原因，分别是rising car sales和ample credit。③原因状语从句的主语是三个并列的名词，分别是banks、finance companies和carmakers’financing arms；句末的插入语either directly or via car dealers是补充说明他们为消费者提供贷款的方式，即“直接提供或通过汽车经销商提供”。
问答题 8.【F3】
【正确答案】汽车贷款是项复杂的交易，不仅取决于车价，还取决于汽车的折旧换购价值，以及延保或防锈费用，还有最重要的一点——利率。
【答案解析】①本句是复合句。主句是主系表结构，说明a car loan的性质。②that引导的定语从句修饰transaction，具体说明这是一种怎样的交易。该从句谓语hinge on sth．的结构表示“取决于……”，其后带有四个并列的宾语，分别由not just、but also和and连接，说明影响汽车贷款的四个因素。③the interest rate前的状语most important起强调作用，说明利率是最重要的因素。
问答题 9.【F4】
【正确答案】对此，消费者权益维护人士感到很苦恼，因为这个过程会让涉世不深的人——往往指信用级别低的客户，任由不良经销商摆布。
【答案解析】①本句是复合句。句子主干是Consumer advocates are bothered that…，意思是“消费者权益维护人士对……感到困扰”。that引导的宾语从句说明困扰的内容。②从句的谓语是leave sb．at the mercy of．．．结构，意思是“使某人受到……摆布”。③两个破折号中间的内容是插入语，补充说明the unsophisticated。“the+形容词”构成的短语，表示“有……特性的人群”，这里是指“涉世未深的人”。
问答题 10.【F5】
【正确答案】美国消费者金融保护局——金融危机后设立的一家新监察机构，同样担心很多贷款人吃亏。
【答案解析】①本句为复合句，包含一个宾语从句。两个逗号之间的内容是主语The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau的同位语，对CFPB机构作进一步说明；a new watchdog agency表明它的性质，set up是过去分词作后置定语修饰agency。after the financial crisis是时间状语，说明机构(agency)成立的时间，合起来整个同位语的意思是“金融危机后设立的一家新监察机构”。②句末的that引导从句作worried的宾语，说明CFPB机构担心的内容。