原文初讀

P1

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 , 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 .

P2

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

.

P3

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 .

P4

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

.

重點(diǎn)單詞／短語理解

biting one's nails：手足無措

manicurist：n 指甲美容師

client：n 客戶

soften：v 放緩，疲軟

do without：沒有…也行

downscale：v 賣出／買進(jìn)（價(jià)廉質(zhì)次的商品）

middle-brow：adj 中檔的；品味一般的

suburban：adj 效區(qū)的

admission：n （尤指對過錯、罪行的）承認(rèn)，招認(rèn)，招供

folk：n 人們

dealership：n 專項(xiàng)商品經(jīng)銷店

outlet：n 專營店；折扣店

lag：v 發(fā)展緩慢，落后

temper：v 使緩和

retailer：n 零售商人

approach：n 方法

panicked：adj 受驚的

prospect：n 將來成功的機(jī)會；前途

modest：adj 不太大的，適度的

belt-tightening：n 縮減開支（勒緊褲腰帶）

dreadful：adj 可怕的

fortune：n（個人的）命運(yùn)

predominantly：adv 主要地，多數(shù)情況下

broker：n 經(jīng)濟(jì)人

frenzied：adj 狂熱的，瘋狂的

overbid：v 出價(jià)高于（某物）的價(jià)值；出價(jià)高于（別人）

offer：n 出價(jià)，報(bào)價(jià)

real-estate broker：房地產(chǎn)經(jīng)濟(jì)人

silver lining：（不幸或失望中的）一線希望

interest rate：利率

sustained：adj 持續(xù)的

upside：n （糟糕局面的）好的一面

真題再現(xiàn)

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 slowdown ? [ 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 .

答案速查：DABAC

真題解析：

31.正確理解 biting her nails 短語，同時結(jié)合下文句中But the?47-year-old

manicurist

isn ' t cutting , filing or polishing as many nails as she' d like to , either . 暗含的轉(zhuǎn)折關(guān)系可以推斷，Spero的處境并不是很絕望。鎖定選項(xiàng)D。從全文的中心基調(diào)也可以看出經(jīng)濟(jì)疲軟并不需要拉響警報(bào)，人們也并不絕望。 32.理解文章中心思想即可選出。 33.結(jié)合上文 Home prices are holding steady in most regions . 和下文says

broker

，可以看出這里講的是房地產(chǎn)市場。正確理解 gold rush：淘金熱，通?？捎脕碇复鷄?sudden?happening?that?brings?good?fortune?(as?a?sudden?opportunity?to?make?money) 34.后文列舉的事例都說明許多人從這當(dāng)中可以獲得好處。其余選項(xiàng)無中生有，文中并不能看出。 35.理解中心思想即可。

B：勒緊褲腰帶是唯一的補(bǔ)救方法。

remedy

:

n.

救濟(jì)；治療；處理方法；改進(jìn)措施；補(bǔ)償；療法；藥品；(通過法律程序的)解決方法;

vt.

糾正；改正；改進(jìn) 文中只描述了這一現(xiàn)象，并沒有講補(bǔ)救方法。主觀臆斷。 A，D文中也沒有提到。