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(令人傷心的）; 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（消費） 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】

試題分析：本文作者討論了我們日常生活中的經濟并非所謂的經濟學家們吹噓的經濟，作者寫作這篇文章是在呼吁大家能夠為我們的行為作出改變。

1.細節題：根據第三段中“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，在商場購物才是這里所說的真正的經濟。故選C。

2.推理題：根據第四段中“We have no time for anything other than work, which is ridiculous given the number of labor-saving devices in our lives．”可知，盡管有了這些省力的設備，人們還是感覺到很大的壓力。故選D。

3.細節題：從文章倒數第三自然段及“More spending doesn't mean that life is getting better．”可知這樣會導致一些社會問題。故選A。

4.推理題：從文章最后兩段“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，作者寫作這篇文章的目的是在呼吁我們應該改變我們的行為。故選B。

考點：考查日常生活類閱讀