2009年考研英语冲刺阅读理解专项训练193考研

文章作者 100test 发表时间 2009:01:11 10:06:20
来源 100Test.Com百考试题网

　　 Forecasters who thought the economy might have turned the corner in January after a frighteningly bad December were hoping for more good news this month．They aren’t getting it．
　　 Barely halfway through February，the first few signs have some economists thinking that January’s modest good news was an aberration and that the economy remains on a downward slide．
　　 “January and December were so different that February’s going to tell you a lot．”says Ethan Harris，a senior economist at Lehman Bros．“The early signs are not good．”
　　 Retail sales，which rose in January，have fallen in February，according to Redbook numbers．So have car sales．Initial unemployment insurance claims，which fell in January，are rising again，despite a slight downtick Thursday．
　　 Prices for bellwether commodities such as lumber and computer chips have plummeted。a signal that demand continues to shrivel．And after roaring ahead earlier，the stock market has given up most of its gains for the year．
　　 Just Tuesday，Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told a Senate committee that the exceptional weakness that made December’s data so grim“apparently did not continue in January．” Among other things，consumers returned to malls and auto dealers in heartening numbers．
　　 “I’d never be so presumptuous as to second guess(Greenspan)，”says Jason Trennert,managing director of International Strategy＆Investment．“But our own data suggest that whatever modest acceleration in economic activity we saw in January has started to fade．”
　　 Trennert says what happened in January was probably just a temporary bounce sparked by milder weather and aggressive discounting by retailers．
　　 Harris says both December and January were exaggerations and that February looks more like reality．“Really， what you have is a manufacturing recession and moderate growth in the rest of the economy。”he says．Like most analysts，Lehman Bros．is forecasting very slow growth but no recession.But economists have been revising their views a lot lately，and the indicators have been unusually confusin9—typical of a period when the economy is at a turning point．。Despite February’s gloomfor example。a key gauge of manufacturing activity in the Philadelphia region improved slightly Thursday，as did a nadonal home builders survey．
　　 With consumer psychology crucial to what happens next，economists are eager to see today as University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey．Consumer confidence plunged from November’s 107．6 level to 94．7 in January，leading Greenspan to warn that continued erosion could open the door to recession．
　　 Though most economists expect just a slight 0drop for February，the downside is worrisome．Says lan Shepherdson of High Frequency Economics：“If the Michigan Survey 0drops 5 points(today)。we’ve got a real problem．”[438 words]
　　 1．Alan Greenspan thought that______．
　　 A．the economy might have somewhat revived in January
　　 B．the economy remained on a downward slide in January
　　 C．there would be no recession in February
　　 D．there would be a slight growth in February
　　 2．Few economists believe that______．
　　 A．there was an obvious economic growth in December
　　 B．there was a slight economic growth in January
　　 C．January’s economic growth was abnormaJ
　　 D．the early economic signs for February were discouraging
　　 3．Jason Trennert believes that what Alan Greenspan said about the economic situation______.
　　 A．in December was hardly credible
　　 B．in January was sensible
　　 C．in January turned out to be wrong
　　 D．in February was plausible
　　 4．The economistsprediction about the future economic situation is based to a large extent on______.
　　 A．the analysis of consumer confidence
　　 B．the present economic situation
　　 C．current prices for bellwether commodities
　　 D．what Alan Greenspan has warned
　　 5．From this passage，we learn that______．
　　 A．the economy is unlikely to 0drop in February
　　 B．the economy is likely to 0drop tremendously in February
　　 C．consumer confidence accounts for nothing at all
　　 D．the economy is at a turning point
　　 难句透析
　　 ①Barely halfway through February，the first few signs have some economists thinkin9”[that January’s modest good news was an aberration]and”[that the economy remains on a downward slide]．
　　【结构】本句谓语动词“have”的宾语是“some economists”；现在分词短语“thinking…”是宾语补语；方括号标示的两个“that”从句是“thinking”的宾语从句。
　　【释义】2月份刚过半个月，就有若干迹象令经济学家想到1月份经济有所好转的消息不太正常，经济仍在下滑。
　　 ②Initial unemployment insurance claims，which fell in January，are rising again，despite a slight downtick Thursday．
　　【结构】本句的主语是“claims”，谓语动词是“are rising”；非限制性定语从句“which…January”修饰“claims”。
　　【释义】尽管星期四股票交易略低于前盘，1月份有所下降的初始失业保险申领目前又在上升。
　　 ③Prices for bellwether commodities such as lumber and computer chips have plummeted，a signal[that demand continues to shrivel]．
　　【结构】本句的主语是“Prices”，谓语动词是“have plummeted”；“a signal…”是后置的名词短语，补充说明主句意思；方括号标示的“that…shrivel”是“signal”的同位语从句。
　　【释义】诸如木材和计算机芯片这些主导商品的价格已经大幅度下降，这是需求继续萎缩的迹象。
　　 ④“I’d never be so presumptuous as to second guess(Greenspan)，”says Jason Trennert，managing director of International Strategy＆Investment．“But our own data suggest[that(whatever modest acceleration in economic activity we saw in January)has started to fade]．
　　【结构】方括号标示的“that…fade”是“suggest”的宾语从句；圆括号标示的“whatever…January”是其中的主语从句。
　　【释义】国际策略和投资部的总经理耶逊·特伦耐说：“我绝对不会那么主观臆断，以至于怀疑格林斯潘的说法。但是，我们自己的资料表明，无论1月份我们见到经济有多少好转，现在已经开始回落。”
　　 ⑤But economists have been revising their views a lot lately，and the indicators have been unusually confusingtypical of a period[when the economy is at a turning point]．
　　【结构】本句是由“and”连接的两个分句组成的并列句；破折号后面的部分是对主句意思的补充说明；方括号标示的“when．．．point”用做后置定语从句，修饰“period”。
　　【释义】但是，最近经济学家一直在大幅度修正自己的观点，经济指标一直很令人困惑。这是经济转折阶段的典型特点。
　　 ⑥Consumer confidence plunged from November’s 107．6 level to 94．7 in January，leading Greenspan to warn[that continued erosion could open the door to recession]．
　　【结构】在本句中，现在分词短语“leading…recession”用做伴随情况状语；方括号标示的“that…recession”是动词不定式“to warn”的宾语从句。
　　【释义】 消费者的信心指数从11月份的107．6下滑到了1月份的94．7，以至格林斯潘警告说，持续信心下降可能会打开走向衰退之门。