1、商志商志考研考研 祝你成功祝你成功考研英语基础讲义考研英语基础讲义 之之 难词长句难词长句微信公众号微信公众号：kaoyanyun或者微信里面中文搜索或者微信里面中文搜索：好给力好给力1NO.1(0403)When it comes to the slowing economy,Ellen Spero isnt biting her nails just yet.But the47-year-old manicurist isnt cutting,filing or polishing as many nails as shed like to,either.Mostof her client
2、s spend$12 to$50 weekly,but last month two longtime customers suddenly stoppedshowing up.Spero blames the softening economy.“Im a good economic indicator,”she says.“Iprovide a service that people can do without when theyre concerned about saving some dollars.”So Spero is downscaling,shopping at midd
3、le-brow Dillards department store near her suburbanCleveland home,instead of Neiman Marcus.“I dont know if other clients are going to abandonme,too”she says.Even before Alan Greenspans admission that Americas red-hot economy is cooling,lots ofworking folks had already seen signs of the slowdown them
4、selves.From car dealerships to Gapoutlets,sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending.For retailers,wholast year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas,the cautiousapproach is coming at a crucial time.Already,experts say,holiday sales are off
5、7 percent from lastyears pace.But dont sound any alarms just yet.Consumers seem mildly concerned,not panicked,and many say they remain optimistic about the economys long-term prospects,even as they dosome modest belt-tightening.Consumers say theyre not in despair because,despite the dreadful headlin
6、es,their ownfortunes still feel pretty good.Home prices are holding steady in most regions.In Manhattan,“theres a new gold rush happening in the$4 million to$10 million range,predominantly fed byWall Street bonuses,”says broker Barbara Corcoran.In San Francisco,prices are still rising evenas frenzie
7、d 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 abouttheir ability to find and keep a job.Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown.Potential home buyers would cheer
8、 for lowerinterest rates.Employers wouldnt mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market.Many consumersseem to have been influenced by stock-market swings,which investors now view as a necessaryingredient to a sustained boom.Diners might see an upside,too.Getting a table at Manhattans hotnew Alain D
9、ucasse restaurant used to be impossible.Not anymore.For that,Greenspan&Co.may still be worth toasting.商志商志考研考研 祝你成功祝你成功考研英语基础讲义考研英语基础讲义 之之 难词长句难词长句微信公众号微信公众号：kaoyanyun或者微信里面中文搜索或者微信里面中文搜索：好给力好给力251.By“Ellen Spero isnt biting her nails just yet”(Line 1,Paragraph 1),the author meansA Spero can hardly
10、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.52.How do the public feel about the current economic situation?A Optimistic.B Confused.C Carefree.D Panicked.53.When mentioning“the$4 million to$10 million ran
11、ge”(Lines 3-4,Paragraph 3)the author istalking about.A gold market.B real estate.C stock exchange.D venture investment.54.Why can many people see“silver linings”to the economic slowdown?A They would benefit in certain ways.B The stock market shows signs of recovery.C Such a slowdown usually precedes
12、 a boom.D The purchasing power would be enhanced.55.To which of the following is the author likely to agree?AAnew boom,on the horizon.B Tighten the belt,the single remedy.C Caution all right,panic not.D The more ventures,the more chances.商志商志考研考研 祝你成功祝你成功考研英语基础讲义考研英语基础讲义 之之 难词长句难词长句微信公众号微信公众号：kaoyan
13、yun或者微信里面中文搜索或者微信里面中文搜索：好给力好给力3NO.2(9705)Much of the language used to describe monetary policy,such as“steering the economy to asoft landing”or“a touch on the brakes”,makes it sound like a precise science.Nothing could befurther from the truth.The link between interest rates and inflation is uncerta
14、in.And there are long,variable lags before policy changes have any effect on the economy.Hence the analogy that likensthe conduct of monetary policy to driving a car with a blackened windscreen,a cracked rear viewmirror and a faulty steering wheel.Given all these disadvantages,central bankers seem t
15、o have had much to boast about of late.Average inflation in the big seven industrial economies fell to a mere 2.3%last year,close to itslowest level in 30 years,before rising slightly to 2.5%this July.This is a long way below thedouble-digit rates which many countries experienced in the 1970s and ea
16、rly 1980s.It is also less than most forecasters had predicted.In late 1994 the panel of economists whichThe Economist polls each month said that Americas inflation rate would average 3.5%in 1995.Infact,it fell to 2.6%in August,and expected to average only about 3%for the year as a whole.InBritain an
17、d Japan inflation is running half a percentage point below the rate predicted at the end oflast year.This is no flash in the pan;over the past couple of years,inflation has been consistentlylower than expected in Britain and America.Economists have been particularly surprised by favorable inflation
18、figures in Britain and theUnited States,since conventional measures suggest that both economies,and especially Americas,have little productive slack.Americas capacity utilization,for example,hit historically high levelsearlier this year,and its jobless rate(5.6%in August)has fallen below most estima
19、tes of thenatural rate of unemployment the rate below which inflation has taken off in the past.Why has inflation proved so mild?The most thrilling explanation is,unfortunately,a littledefective.Some economists argue that powerful structural changes in the world have up-ended theold economic models
20、that were based upon the historical link between growth and inflation.商志商志考研考研 祝你成功祝你成功考研英语基础讲义考研英语基础讲义 之之 难词长句难词长句微信公众号微信公众号：kaoyanyun或者微信里面中文搜索或者微信里面中文搜索：好给力好给力467.From the passage we learn that _.A)there is a definite relationship between inflation and interest ratesB)economy will always follow c
21、ertain modelsC)the economic situation is better than expectedD)economists had foreseen the present economic situation68.According to the passage,which of the following is TRUE?A)Making monetary policies is comparable to driving a carB)An extremely low jobless rate will lead to inflationC)A high unem
22、ployment rate will result from inflationD)Interest rates have an immediate effect on the economy69.The sentence“This is no flash in the pan”(Line 5,Paragraph 3)means that _.A)the low inflation rate will last for some timeB)the inflation rate will soon riseC)the inflation will disappear quicklyD)ther
23、e is no inflation at present70.The passage shows that the author is _ the present situation.A)critical ofB)puzzled byC)disappointed atD)amazed at商志商志考研考研 祝你成功祝你成功考研英语基础讲义考研英语基础讲义 之之 难词长句难词长句微信公众号微信公众号：kaoyanyun或者微信里面中文搜索或者微信里面中文搜索：好给力好给力5NO.3(0703)During the past generation,the American middle-class
24、 family that once could count on hardwork and fair play to keep itself financially secure had been transformed by economic risks andnew realities.Now a pink slip,a bad diagnosis,or a disappearing spouse can reduce a family fromsolidly middle class to newly poor in a few months.In just one generation
25、,millions of mothers have gone to work,transforming basic familyeconomics.Scholars,policymakers,and critics of all stripes have debated the social implicationsof these changes,but few have looked at the side effect:family risk has risen as well.Todaysfamilies have budgeted to the limits of their new
26、 two-paycheck status.As a result,they have lostthe parachute they once had in times of financial setback a back-up earner（usually Mom）whocould go into the workforce if the primary earner got laid off or fell sick.This“added-workereffect”could support the safety net offered by unemployment insurance
27、or disability insurance tohelp families weather bad times.But today,a disruption to family fortunes can no longer be madeup with extra income from an otherwise-stay-at-home partner.During the same period,families have been asked to absorb much more risk in theirretirement income.Steelworkers,airline
28、 employees,and now those in the auto industry are joiningmillions of families who must worry about interest rates,stock market fluctuation,and the harshreality that they may outlive their retirement money.For much of the past year,President Bushcampaigned to move Social Security to a saving-account
29、model,with retirees trading much or allof their guaranteed payments for payments depending on investment returns.For younger familiesthe picture is not any better.Both the absolute cost of healthcare and the share of it borne byfamilies have risen and newly fashionable health-saving plans are spread
30、ing from legislativehalls to Wal-Mart workers,with much higher deductibles and a large new dose of investment riskfor families future healthcare.Even demographics are working against the middle class family,asthe odds of having a weak elderly parent and all the attendant need for physical and financ
31、ialassistance have jumped eightfold in just one generation.From the middle-class family perspective,much of this,understandably,looks far less like anopportunity to exercise more financial responsibility,and a good deal more like a frighteningacceleration of the wholesale shift of financial risk ont
32、o their already overburdened shoulders.Thefinancial fallout has begun,and the political fallout may not be far behind.商志商志考研考研 祝你成功祝你成功考研英语基础讲义考研英语基础讲义 之之 难词长句难词长句微信公众号微信公众号：kaoyanyun或者微信里面中文搜索或者微信里面中文搜索：好给力好给力611.Todays double-income families are at greater financial risk in thatA the safety net th
33、ey used to enjoy has disappeared.B their chances of being laid off have greatly increased.C they are more vulnerable to changes in family economics.D they are deprived of unemployment or disability insurance.12.As a result of President Bushs reform,retired people may haveA a higher sense of security
34、.B less secured payments.C less chance to invest.D a guaranteed future.13.According to the author,health-savings plans willA help reduce the cost of healthcare.B popularize among the middle class.C compensate for the reduced pensions.D increase the families investment risk.14.It can be inferred from
35、 the last paragraph thatA financial risks tend to outweigh political risks.B the middle class may face greater political challenges.C financial problems may bring about political problems.D financial responsibility is an indicator of political status.15.Which of the following is the best title for t
36、his text?A The Middle Class on the AlertB The Middle Class on the CliffC The Middle Class in ConflictD The Middle Class in Ruins商志商志考研考研 祝你成功祝你成功考研英语基础讲义考研英语基础讲义 之之 难词长句难词长句微信公众号微信公众号：kaoyanyun或者微信里面中文搜索或者微信里面中文搜索：好给力好给力7NO.4(0303)In recent years,railroads have been combining with each other,merging
37、 into supersystems,causing heightened concerns about monopoly.As recently as 1995,the top four railroadsaccounted for under 70 percent of the total ton-miles moved by rails.Next year,after a series ofmergers is completed,just four railroads will control well over 90 percent of all the freight movedb
38、y major rail carriers.Supporters of the new super systems argue that these mergers will allow for substantial costreductions and better coordinated service.Any threat of monopoly,they argue,is removed byfierce competition from trucks.But many shippers complain that for heavy bulk commoditiestravelin
39、g long distances,such as coal,chemicals,and grain,trucking is too costly and the railroadstherefore have them by the throat.The vast consolidation within the rail industry means that most shippers are served by onlyone rail company.Railroads typically charge such“captive”shippers 20 to 30 percent mo
40、re thanthey do when another railroad is competing for the business.Shippers who feel they are beingovercharged have the right to appeal to the federal governments Surface Transportation Board forrate relief,but the process is expensive,time consuming,and will work only in truly extremecases.Railroad
41、s justify rate discrimination against captive shippers on the grounds that in the longrun it reduces everyones cost.If railroads charged all customers the same average rate,they argue,shippers who have the option of switching to trucks or other forms of transportation would do so,leaving remaining c
42、ustomers to shoulder the cost of keeping up the line.Its a theory to whichmany economists subscribe,but in practice it often leaves railroads in the position of determiningwhich companies will flourish and which will fail.“Do we really want railroads to be the arbitersof who wins and who loses in th
43、e marketplace?”asks Martin Bercovici,a Washington lawyer whofrequently represents shipper.Many captive shippers also worry they will soon be hit with a round of huge rate increases.The railroad industry as a whole,despite its brightening fortunes,still does not earn enough tocover the cost of the ca
44、pital it must invest to keep up with its surging traffic.Yet railroadscontinue to borrow billions to acquire one another,with Wall Street cheering them on.Considerthe$10.2 billion bid by Norfolk Southern and CSX to acquire Conrail this year.Conrails netrailway operating income in 1996 was just$427 m
45、illion,less than half of the carrying costs of thetransaction.Whos going to pay for the rest of the bill?Many captive shippers fear that they will,as Norfolk Southern and CSX increase their grip on the market.商志商志考研考研 祝你成功祝你成功考研英语基础讲义考研英语基础讲义 之之 难词长句难词长句微信公众号微信公众号：kaoyanyun或者微信里面中文搜索或者微信里面中文搜索：好给力好给
46、力851.According to those who support mergers railway monopoly is unlikely becauseA.cost reduction is based on competition.B.services call for cross-trade coordination.C.outside competitors will continue to exist.D.shippers will have the railway by the throat.52.What is many captive shippers attitude
47、towards the consolidation in the rail industry?A.Indifferent.B.Supportive.C.Indignant.D.Apprehensive.53.It can be inferred from paragraph 3 thatA.shippers will be charged less without a rival railroad.B.there will soon be only one railroad company nationwide.C.overcharged shippers are unlikely to ap
48、peal for rate relief.D.a government board ensures fair play in railway business.54.The word“arbiters”(line 6,paragraph 4)most probably refers to thoseA.who work as coordinators.B.who function as judges.C.who supervise transactions.D.who determine the price.55.According to the text,the cost increase
49、in the rail industry is mainly caused byA.the continuing acquisition.B.the growing traffic.C.the cheering Wall Street.D.the shrinking market.商志商志考研考研 祝你成功祝你成功考研英语基础讲义考研英语基础讲义 之之 难词长句难词长句微信公众号微信公众号：kaoyanyun或者微信里面中文搜索或者微信里面中文搜索：好给力好给力9NO.5(0104)The world is going through the biggest wave of mergers a
50、nd acquisitions ever witnessed.Theprocess sweeps from hyperactive America to Europe and reaches the emerging countries withunsurpassed might.Many in these countries are looking at this process and worrying:Wont thewave of business concentration turn into an uncontrollable anti-competitive force?Ther
