Question

I want to talk about the economy．Not "the economy" we hear about endlessly in the news each day and in politicians' speeches．I want to talk about the real economy, the one we live in day by day．

         Most people aren't particularly interested in "the economy"．"Share prices are flying high; interest rates are soaring(令人伤心的）; the Dow Jones Index closed sixty-three points down on 8472．35．" We hear this and subconsciously switch off．

        Notice that "the economy" is not the same as the economy, "The economy" is what men in suits play with to make vast personal wealth．The economy is where the rest of us live on a daily basis, earning our living, paying our taxes, and purchasing the necessities of life．

        We are supposed to be benefiting from all the advantages of a well-off society．So why do we feel tired and stressed? We have no time for anything other than work, which is ridiculous given the number of labor-saving devices in our lives．Our towns become more and more crowded．We poison our air and seas, and our food is full of chemicals．There's something wrong here．If times were truly good, then you may think we'd all feel optimistic about the future．Yet the majority of us are deeply worried．More than 90 percent of us think we are too concerned about ourselves and not concerned enough about future generations．

    The term "economic expansion" suggests something desirable, but expansion simply means spending more money．More spending doesn't mean that life is getting better. We all know it often means the opposite - greed, crime, poverty, pollution. More spending merely feeds our whole economic system, which is based on production and consumption. Unless money keeps circulating, the economy breaks down. If we don't keep consuming, the whole system goes into stalemate（僵局）．

         How do we break the cycle and make some changes? We need to become far more aware of the results of our actions. We buy clothes that are made in sweat shops by virtual slaves in poor parts of the world. We create mountains of waste. We demand cheap food, mindless of the fact that it totally lacks taste and is produced using chemicals that poison the land．

    The consumption（消费） culture makes us unaware of the effect of our own behavior. Our main problem is not that we don't know what to do about it. It is gathering the desire to do it．

1.According to the author, which one belongs to the real economy?

A．The Dow Jones Index．       B．Increases in interest rates．

C．Shopping in a supermarket．      D．Skyrocketing share prices．

2.It can be concluded from Paragraph 4 that         ．

A．people are benefiting from a well-off society

B．the future generation is a big concern for most people

C．the majority of people are optimistic about the future

D．people still feel much pressure despite labor-saving devices

3.What is true about economic expansion?

A．It may lead to some social problems．

B．It guarantees a better life for us．

C．It will stop the circulation of money．

D．It has only brought desirable effects．

4.The author writes the passage mainly to        ．

A．suggest a solution for over-consumption

B．call on us to change our behavior

C．make a distinction between two economies        

D．inform us of the effects of economic expansion

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：本文作者讨论了我们日常生活中的经济并非所谓的经济学家们吹嘘的经济，作者写作这篇文章是在呼吁大家能够为我们的行为作出改变。

1.细节题：根据第三段中“The economy is where the rest of us live on a daily basis, earning our living, paying our taxes, and purchasing the necessities of life．”可知，在商场购物才是这里所说的真正的经济。故选C。

2.推理题：根据第四段中“We have no time for anything other than work, which is ridiculous given the number of labor-saving devices in our lives．”可知，尽管有了这些省力的设备，人们还是感觉到很大的压力。故选D。

3.细节题：从文章倒数第三自然段及“More spending doesn't mean that life is getting better．”可知这样会导致一些社会问题。故选A。

4.推理题：从文章最后两段“How do we break the cycle and make some changes?”及“The consumption culture makes us unaware of the effect of our own behavior．”可知，作者写作这篇文章的目的是在呼吁我们应该改变我们的行为。故选B。

考点：考查日常生活类阅读