单选题 {{B}}Directions:{{/B}} There are 4 reading passages in this part. Each passage
is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there
are four choices marked A, B, C, and D. You should decide on the best choice and
mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET by blackening the corresponding letter in
the brackets. {{B}}Passage 1{{/B}}
One phase of the business cycle is the
expansion phase. This phase is a two-fold one, including recovery and
prosperity. During the recovery period there is ever-growing expansion of
existing facilities, and new facilities for production are created. More
businesses are created and older ones expanded. Improvements of various kinds
are made. There is an ever increasing optimism about the future of economic
growth. Much capital is invested in machinery or "heavy" industry. More labor is
employed. More raw materials are required. As one part of the economy develops,
other parts are affected. For example, a great expansion in automobiles results
in an expansion of the steel, glass, and rubber industries. Roads are required.
Thus the cement and machinery industries are stimulated. Demand for labor and
materials results in greater prosperity for workers and suppliers of raw
materials, including farmers. This increases purchasing power and the volume of
goods bought and sold. Thus prosperity is diffused among the various segments of
the population. This prosperity period may continue to rise and rise
without an apparent end. However, a time comes when this phase reaches a peak
and stops spiraling upwards. This is the end of the expansion
phase.
单选题
We may assume that in the next paragraph the writer will discuss ______.