单选题 For each blank in the following passage, choose the best answer from the
four choices given below. Mark the corresponding letter of your choice with a
single bar across the square brackets on your Machine-scoring Answer Sheet.
America's Federal Reserve cut interest
rates by another quarter-point, to 3.75 %. Wall Street, which had been{{U}}
21 {{/U}}for a sixth half-point cut, was disappointed. The Dow fell by
2%{{U}} 22 {{/U}}the week. The past week's economic statistics gave
mixed signals. Exports dropped by 2% in both March and April,
largely {{U}} 23 {{/U}}a decline in high-tech investment{{U}}
24 {{/U}};the merchandise-trade{{U}} 25 {{/U}}widened to $ 458
billion in the 12 months{{U}} 26 {{/U}}April.{{U}} 27
{{/U}},the Conference Board's index of consumer confidence was higher than{{U}}
28 {{/U}}in June. Concerns{{U}} 29
{{/U}}inflation in the Euro area{{U}} 30 {{/U}}. Preliminary data{{U}}
31 {{/U}}that German consumer price inflation fell to 3. 1% in the
year to June, from 3.5 % in May; wage growth{{U}} 32 {{/U}}to 1.4% in
April, a real pay cut of 1.5%. Some economists fear that Germany is on the{{U}}
33 {{/U}}of recession. The IFO index of business confidence dropped
more{{U}} 34 {{/U}}than expected in May, and the institute has cut its
forecast of GDP{{U}} 35 {{/U}}this year to only 1.2% ,well below the
German government's forecast of 2%.