2004年Text 3
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, filing or polishing as many nails as she'd like to. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but 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 a 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 mildly 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 used to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.
51. 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.
[答案] D
[解題思路]
本題的對(duì)應(yīng)信息在文章的第一段。從上下文看來(lái)，因?yàn)槊绹?guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展的放緩，Spero的美甲生意不如以前那么好做了，因?yàn)樗纳馐悄欠N人們想省錢(qián)的時(shí)候就可以不用做的。但是她的生意還沒(méi)到難以維持即將倒閉的程度，因此A選型錯(cuò)誤。B選型的表述顯然與原文無(wú)關(guān)。C選項(xiàng)有一定干擾性，題干中"biting her nails"可能會(huì)被誤解作一個(gè)"bad habit"，實(shí)際上一讀原文會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)該選項(xiàng)純屬無(wú)中生有，因而也是錯(cuò)誤的。經(jīng)過(guò)排除，即使不知道引文的含義，也可判斷D為正確選項(xiàng)。事實(shí)上題干中這句話的意思是"Spero還沒(méi)有到束手無(wú)策的時(shí)候"，與D選項(xiàng)的意思相符。
[題目譯文]
作者說(shuō)"Ellen Spero isn't biting her nails just yet"（第一段第一句）的意思是 。
[A] Spero幾乎維持不了她的生意了
[B] Spero工作太忙了
[C] Spero已經(jīng)改掉她的壞習(xí)慣了
[D] Spero還沒(méi)有陷入絕望
53. When mentioning "the $4 million to $10 million range" (Paragraph 3) the author is talking about
[A] gold market.
[B] real estate.
[C] stock exchange.
[D] venture investment.
[答案] B
[解題思路]
本文較為容易定位和選擇，因此從第三段從第二句話開(kāi)始一直在舉一個(gè)產(chǎn)業(yè)的例子，即房地產(chǎn)業(yè)，標(biāo)志性的詞匯有home price, real-estate broker等，而"the $4 million to $10 million range"談?wù)摰恼羌~約曼哈頓的房?jī)r(jià)，因此選項(xiàng)中只有B"real estate"是房地產(chǎn)的意思，因而是正確答案。
[題目譯文]
作者提及的"the $4 million to $10 million range"（第三段第三行）意思是 。
[A] 黃金市場(chǎng)
[B] 房地產(chǎn)
[C] 股票交易
[D] 風(fēng)險(xiǎn)投資
