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.

1. 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.

2. How do the public feel about the current economic situation？
[A] Optimistic. [B] Confused. [C] Carefree. [D] Panicked.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

1. By“Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet”(Line 1, Paragraph 1), the author means
通过说“艾伦·斯拜罗还不至于咬手指”(第一段第一行)，作者的意思是
[A] Spero can hardly maintain her business. 斯拜罗几乎无法维持自己的生意。
[B] Spero is too much engaged in her work. 斯拜罗过分投入于自己的工作。
[C] Spero has grown out of her bad habit. 斯拜罗已经戒掉了坏习惯。.
[D] Spero is not in a desperate situation. 斯拜罗没有到绝望的境地。
【答案】 D
【考点】 词义和句意题。
【分析】 此类题目一般会考超纲词汇、熟词僻义、特殊场合用法等，本题属于考熟词僻义。“biting one’s nails”是习语，但是绝大多数考生是不会知道的。这个时候就必须将其放在上下文中来考虑。文章第一句和第二句之间的转折词“but”是推断出这个句子意思的关键“……斯拜罗还不至于‘biting her nails’，但是(她的生意已经不如从前)这位四十七岁的指甲修饰师修剪、锉磨、上油的指甲数量却难遂其愿了。她的大多数顾客每周花费十二至五十美元，可上月两位长期客户突然不来了;她本人也不再去高档商场而去中档商场了。”由此可以推断出，第一句肯定是说她的境况还不至于糟糕到非常困难的地步。[B]、[C]肯定是可以排除的，而选项[A]“斯拜罗几乎无法维持自己的生意”则很具有迷惑性，可是如果考生把[A]带进原文读一遍就会发现这个选项和“but”无法连用，“斯拜罗几乎无法维持自己的生意，但是她的生意已经大不如从前”在逻辑上是讲不通的，所以只能选择[D]，这样一来，这句话的意思就是“(虽然)斯拜罗还没有到绝望的境地，但是她的生意已经大不如从前了”，语义上完全可以接受。

2. How do the public feel about the current economic situation? 公众对目前的经济形势怎么看？
[A] Optimistic. 乐观的。 [B] Confused. 迷惑的。
[C] Carefree. 无忧无虑的。 [D] Panicked. 恐慌的。
【答案】 A
【考点】 事实细节题。
【分析】 本题属于事实细节题，考查公众对经济形势的看法。文章中关于公众的看法出现在第二段最后几句“不过，目前还不必敲什么警钟。消费者看起来只是适度关注，并没有恐慌。许多人虽然稍微勒紧腰带，但他们说对于经济的长期前景还是乐观的。”由此可以判定正确答案是选项[A]。

3. When mentioning“the $4 million to $10 million range”(Lines 2—3, Paragraph 3) the author is talking about
当提及“400万到1,000万美元之间”(第三段第二、三行)时，作者在谈论
[A] gold market. 黄金市场。 [B] real estate. 房地产。
[C] stock exchange. 证券交易所。 [D] venture investment 风险投资。
【答案】 B
【考点】 词义和句意题。
【分析】 引用别人的话来证明自己的观点叫引证，用例子来证明自己的观点叫例证。我们来看看作者引用这句话是为了证明什么“在大多数地区房屋价格保持稳定。经纪人巴巴拉·考克兰说，在曼哈顿‘出现了对400万至1,000万美元之间房子的淘金热(抢购)，资金来源以华尔街股票红利为主。’在旧金山，高价抢购现象虽然销声匿迹了，可价格依旧看涨。海湾地区房地产经纪人约翰·梯尔迪说：‘以前总是有20到30个卖主，而现在也许只有两三个。’”读懂这句话，就会明白，作者是在证明有人在投资房地产。选项[A]是出题人故意利用“gold rush”这个短语的字面意思来迷惑考生的，“gold rush”指淘金热，但是这里指的是“投资房产的狂热”。选项[C] 股票市场是利用考生可能会被华尔街误导而出的干扰项。至于选项[D]风险投资本章没有提及。

4. Why can many people see“silver linings”to the economic showdown?
为什么许多人能够在经济放缓中看到“银色的边”?
[A] They would benefit in certain ways. 他们可能以某些方式收益。.
[B] The stock market shows signs of recovery. 股票市场显现了复苏的迹象。
[C] Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom. 经济繁荣之前通常会有这样的滑坡。
[D] The purchasing power would be enhanced. 购买力会增强。
【答案】 A
【考点】 推断题。
【分析】 文章并没有直接说“银色的边”是什么意思，但是这却是理解的一个比较关键的地方。英语中有句谚语叫“Every cloud has a silver lining.”意思是“黑暗中总有一丝光明。”英美人士常用“银色的边”来形容或者比喻困难时的希望。但是仅仅了解这个短语的意思显然还是不够的，问题的关键是为什么许多人能够在经济放缓中看到希望？看原文“潜在的购房者会对利率下调欢天喜地。雇主们对就业市场少了些泡沫也并不在意。许多消费者似乎一直受股票市场波动的影响，投资者把这种波动视为持续繁荣的必要因素。就餐者可能也看到了有利的方面。在曼哈顿新开的火爆的阿兰·杜卡斯饭店找个餐位曾经是不可能的，现在可以了”。看懂这句话，考生就会明白经济放缓对大家来说还是有好处的。也就是说，考生必须从这几个例子中看出作者到底是要证明一个什么样的观点。而[B]、[C]、[D]选项都无法从这几个例子中推断出来。

5. To which of the following is the author likely to agree?
以下说法作者有可能会同意哪一个?
[A] A new boom, on the horizon. 新的繁荣，即将出现。 [B] Tighten the belt, the single remedy. 勒紧裤带，别无它法。
[C] Caution all right, panic not. 谨慎无碍，恐慌无需。 [D] The more ventures, the more chances. 风险越多，机会越多。
【答案】 C
【考点】 推断题。
【分析】 考查作者的态度与观点的题目必须在通篇读完后才能去回答，这也是为什么此类题目通常放在最后一道的原因。现在我们再来将原文通篇回顾一下，文章开篇用事例引出经济滑坡的话题，随后说人们虽然已经注意到这一点，但是只是适度关注，并没有恐慌；第三段说人们为什么会这样，最后指出，他们从中可以得到不少好处。[C]最能够反映作者的态度。选项[A]所表现出来的乐观似乎是过了一点，而选项[B]表现出来的悲观又显得过了一点。至于[D]“风险越多，机会越多”这种说法，作者在文中没有提及。