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  3. The Slowing Economy When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old m

The Slowing Economy When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old m

admin2011-05-15  55
问题                        The Slowing Economy
    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 long time 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 of 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(疯狂的) 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 used to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.
When mentioning "the $4 million to $ 10 million range" (Paragraph 3) the author is talking about______.
选项 A、gold market
B、real estate
C、stock exchange
D、venture investment
答案B
解析 本题也是细节题，难度不大。文章倒数第二段第二句提到了“Home prices”，第三句提到了“broker”，第五句提到了“real estate broker”，可以看出作者谈论的是房地产，B项是同义替换，因而是解。gold rush是“淘金热”，形容人们的购买热情，与黄金买卖无关，A项曲解文意，不是解。C、D两项都与文意不符，也不是解，答案是B。
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