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  3. Americans have many reasons for gloom. The war in Iraq has yet to turn around, and we can t agree on a solution for illegal immi

Americans have many reasons for gloom. The war in Iraq has yet to turn around, and we can t agree on a solution for illegal immi

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问题     Americans have many reasons for gloom. The war in Iraq has yet to turn around, and we can t agree on a solution for illegal immigration. We also have one reason to be happy: the economy. But right now, we’re in the middle of a good funk, and we don’t want to let any sunshine spoil it.
    When it comes to the economy, the national mood is a combination of dissatisfaction and fear. A recent Gallup poll found that 66 percent of Americans think national economic conditions are "only fair" or "poor".
    In the midst of a recession, a depression or our morose outlook would make sense. But at the moment, it seems to have no basis in reality.
    Unemployment stands at 4. 5 percent, down from the peak rate of 6. 3 percent four years ago. The stock market is near record levels. Economic growth, which slowed in the first quarter, has since rebounded. Inflation is running below 3 percent.
    It’s true that not all the economic news is golden. Some people are out of work or drowning in debt. Gas prices are painfully high. People who expected their home values to keep climbing, no matter what, are learning the definition of the term "bubble". Health care and college costs, however, seem permanently immune to the law of gravity.
    But even in the best of times, some trends fall below average. Taken as a whole, the economy is plenty healthy. So why do we insist on seeing it as sickly?
    One reason is that we’ve gotten so accustomed to prosperity that we take it for granted. From 1971 through 1997, the unemployment rate never once fell to the level we now enjoy. In the 1970s, annual inflation was frequently in double-digits.
    Another reason for the pessimism is that we mistake the few bad indicators for a broad trend. When gas prices soar, it’s tempting to conclude that we’re on the verge of economic turmoil so awful that we will soon be eating tree bark to stay alive. Never mind that other prices are reasonably stable, and that the national economy has absorbed higher fuel costs without too much strain.
    In one sector where prices have been dropping, of course, the trend is taken as cause for panic: home sales. But what is bad for home sellers is good for home buyers. Most of us are both, which makes the whole phenomenon pretty much a wash.
    For a variety of reasons, we just can’t be happy with our current prosperity. When things eventually change, trust me: We will really miss the good times.
Which of the following may account for the depression of Americans at present?
选项 A、The fall of inflation rate.
B、Lower unemployment rate.
C、Record levels of stock market.
D、The prospect of the war in Iraq.
答案D
解析 根据第一段前两句“Americans have many reasons for gloom．The war in Iraq has yet to turnaround，…”，D应为答案。
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