单选题 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, filling or polishing as many nails as she'd like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, hut 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 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 Deadly, 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 need 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 ______.
  • A. Spero can hardly maintain her business
  • B. Spero is too much engaged in her work
  • C. Spero has grown out of her bad habit
  • D. Spero is not in a desperate situation
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[考点] 句意理解题 [解析] 题干中短语的位置出现在原文第1自然段。该表达与该段发展句之间构成了“一般一解释”关系。此外，该表达与第3自然段的“not in despair”构成了照应关系，根据篇章的一致性，选项D“Spero尚未陷入绝境”与上文构成了较佳的衔接关系。而选项C“Spero已经摆脱了坏习惯”是该表达字面化的含义，非上下文含义。选项A“Spero几乎无法维持生意”，和选项B“Spero太忙碌于其工作”都无法构成这种最佳的概念性的重复和衔接关系，甚至是根据原文片语信息的断章取义。
单选题 How do the public feel about the current economic situation?
  • A. Optimistic
  • B. Confused
  • C. Carefree
  • D. Panicked
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[考点] 细节题 [解析] 文章第二段先列举了反映经济减速现象的例子，然后在后半段开始谈及公众对此的看法：“不过，目前还不必拉响警报。消费者似乎只是适度关注，没有恐慌，很多人说，即使当他们稍微勒紧裤腰带的时候，他们对经济的远景也仍然是乐观的。”故A符合文意。
单选题 When mentioning "the $4 million to $10 million range" (Lines 3-4, Paragraph 3) the author is talking about ______.
  • A. gold market
  • B. real estate
  • C. stock exchange
  • D. venture investment
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[考点] 理解题 [解析] 本题考查识别论点与论据的能力。The $4 million to $10 million range是第三段提到的曼哈顿股票经纪人的评论。其上文即第三段第二句提到了作者的观点是“大部分地区房价保持稳定”，接着文章开始分别介绍曼哈顿和旧金山的情况，并引用相关人士的评论，可见后面部分是例证和引证，都属于论据，应该是围绕房地产这个主题开展的论述。文中John Tealdi的同位语a Bay Area real-estate broker中也有暗示，因此正确选项为B。
单选题 Why can many people see "silver linings" to the economic showdown?
  • A. They would benefit in certain ways
  • B. The stock market shows signs of recovery
  • C. Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom
  • D. The purchasing power would be enhanced
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[考点] 推理题 [解析] 根据题干定位到文章最后一段的首句。该句之后，作者罗列了多个事例对其加以说明：买房人会因低利率而欢呼；雇主不介意人才市场少些泡沫；投资者把股市波动看做繁荣必不可少的一部分；就餐者也可以光顾以前上不起的餐厅。从这些事实中我们也可以引申出，“银色的衬里”的意思是他们得到了好处，因此A正确。silver linings来自一句谚语Every cloud has a silver lining，意思是“黑暗中总有一丝光明”或“情况总会好转”。
单选题 To which of the following is the author likely to agree?
  • A. A now boom, on the horizon
  • B. Tighten the belt, the single remedy
  • C. Caution all right, panic not
  • D. The more ventures, the more chances
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[考点] 观点题 [解析] 这篇文章主要涉及美国经济，开篇以一个事例引出讨论题目：美国经济滑坡。紧接着第二段谈到，人们已经感觉到了经济在滑坡。但消费者只是关注而没有恐慌。第三段延续第二段后半部分，分析消费者没有处于绝望境地的原因。最后一段指出，他们在经济滑坡中还得到很多的实惠。综合全文，C选项最能反映出作者的态度。A和B选项的态度分别过于乐观和悲观。D选项不合文意。