考研英語真題閱讀理解試題及名師解析(21)
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, 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 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 Tealdi, 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。
31. 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。
32. How do the public feel about the current economic situation？
[A] Optimistic. [B] Confused. [C] Carefree. [D] Panicked。
33. When mentioning “the $4 million to $10 million range” (Lines 3, Paragraph 3)， the author is talking about
[A] gold market. [B] real estate. [C] stock exchange. [D] venture investment。
34. 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。
35. To which of the following is the author likely to agree?
[A] A new boom, on the horizon。
[B] Tighten the belt, the single remedy。
[C] Caution all right, panic not。
[D] The more ventures, the more chances。
名師解析
31. By“Ellen Spero isn't biting her nails just yet”(Line 1, Paragraph 1)， the author means
通過說“艾倫·斯拜羅還不至于咬手指”(第一段第一行)，作者的意思是
[A] Spero can hardly maintain her business. 斯拜羅幾乎無法維持自己的生意。
[B] Spero is too much engaged in her work. 斯拜羅過分投入于自己的工作。
[C] Spero has grown out of her bad habit. 斯拜羅已經(jīng)戒掉了壞習慣。。
[D] Spero is not in a desperate situation. 斯拜羅沒有到絕望的境地。
【答案】 D
【考點】 詞義和句意題。
【分析】 此類題目一般會考超綱詞匯、熟詞僻義、特殊場合用法等，本題屬于考熟詞僻義�！癰iting one’s nails”是習語，但是絕大多數(shù)考生是不會知道的。這個時候就必須將其放在上下文中來考慮。文章第一句和第二句之間的轉(zhuǎn)折詞“but”是推斷出這個句子意思的關(guān)鍵“……斯拜羅還不至于‘biting her nails’，但是(她的生意已經(jīng)不如從前)這位四十七歲的指甲修飾師修剪、銼磨、上油的指甲數(shù)量卻難遂其愿了。她的大多數(shù)顧客每周花費十二至五十美元，可上月兩位長期客戶突然不來了；她本人也不再去高檔商場而去中檔商場了。”由此可以推斷出，第一句肯定是說她的境況還不至于糟糕到非常困難的地步。[B]、[C]肯定是可以排除的，而選項[A]“斯拜羅幾乎無法維持自己的生意”則很具有迷惑性，可是如果考生把[A]帶進原文讀一遍就會發(fā)現(xiàn)這個選項和“but”無法連用，“斯拜羅幾乎無法維持自己的生意，但是她的生意已經(jīng)大不如從前”在邏輯上是講不通的，所以只能選擇[D]，這樣一來，這句話的意思就是“(雖然)斯拜羅還沒有到絕望的境地，但是她的生意已經(jīng)大不如從前了”，語義上完全可以接受。
32. How do the public feel about the current economic situation?
公眾對目前的經(jīng)濟形勢怎么看？
[A] Optimistic. 樂觀的。
[B] Confused. 迷惑的。
[C] Carefree. 無憂無慮的。
[D] Panicked. 恐慌的。
【答案】 A
【考點】 事實細節(jié)題。
【分析】 本題屬于事實細節(jié)題，考查公眾對經(jīng)濟形勢的看法。文章中關(guān)于公眾的看法出現(xiàn)在第二段最后幾句“不過，目前還不必敲什么警鐘。消費者看起來只是適度關(guān)注，并沒有恐慌。許多人雖然稍微勒緊腰帶，但他們說對于經(jīng)濟的長期前景還是樂觀的�！庇纱丝梢耘卸ㄕ_答案是選項[A]。
33. When mentioning“the $4 million to $10 million range”(Lines 2—3, Paragraph 3) the author is talking about
當提及“400萬到1,000萬美元之間”(第三段第二、三行)時，作者在談論
[A] gold market. 黃金市場。
[B] real estate. 房地產(chǎn)。
[C] stock exchange. 證券交易所。
[D] venture investment 風險投資。
【答案】 B
【考點】 詞義和句意題。
【分析】 引用別人的話來證明自己的觀點叫引證，用例子來證明自己的觀點叫例證。我們來看看作者引用這句話是為了證明什么“在大多數(shù)地區(qū)房屋價格保持穩(wěn)定。經(jīng)紀人巴巴拉·考克蘭說，在曼哈頓‘出現(xiàn)了對400萬至1,000萬美元之間房子的淘金熱(搶購)，資金來源以華爾街股票紅利為主�！谂f金山，高價搶購現(xiàn)象雖然銷聲匿跡了，可價格依舊看漲。海灣地區(qū)房地產(chǎn)經(jīng)紀人約翰·梯爾迪說：‘以前總是有20到30個賣主，而現(xiàn)在也許只有兩三個�！弊x懂這句話，就會明白，作者是在證明有人在投資房地產(chǎn)。選項[A]是出題人故意利用“gold rush”這個短語的字面意思來迷惑考生的，“gold rush”指淘金熱，但是這里指的是“投資房產(chǎn)的狂熱”。選項[C] 股票市場是利用考生可能會被華爾街誤導而出的干擾項。至于選項[D]風險投資本章沒有提及。
34. Why can many people see“silver linings”to the economic showdown?
為什么許多人能夠在經(jīng)濟放緩中看到“銀色的邊”？
[A] They would benefit in certain ways. 他們可能以某些方式收益。。
[B] The stock market shows signs of recovery. 股票市場顯現(xiàn)了復蘇的跡象。
[C] Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom. 經(jīng)濟繁榮之前通常會有這樣的滑坡。
[D] The purchasing power would be enhanced. 購買力會增強。
【答案】 A
【考點】 推斷題。
【分析】 文章并沒有直接說“銀色的邊”是什么意思，但是這卻是理解的一個比較關(guān)鍵的地方。英語中有句諺語叫“Every cloud has a silver lining�！币馑际恰昂诎抵锌傆幸唤z光明。”英美人士常用“銀色的邊”來形容或者比喻困難時的希望。但是僅僅了解這個短語的意思顯然還是不夠的，問題的關(guān)鍵是為什么許多人能夠在經(jīng)濟放緩中看到希望？看原文“潛在的購房者會對利率下調(diào)歡天喜地。雇主們對就業(yè)市場少了些泡沫也并不在意。許多消費者似