15.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;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 90percent 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 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.
63.According to the author,which one belongs to the real economy?D
A.The Dow Jones Index.
B.Increases in interest rates.
C.Skyrocketing share prices.
D.Shopping in a supermarket.
64.It can be concluded from Paragraph 4thatD.
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
65.What is true about economic expansion?B
A.It guarantees a better life for us.
B.It may lead to some social problems.
C.It will stop the circulation of money.
D.It has only brought desirable effects.
66.The author writes the passage mainly toA.
A.call on us to change our behavior
B.suggest a solution for over-consumption
C.make a distinction between two economies
D.inform us of the effects of economic expansion.
分析 本文通过介绍我们身边的经济,阐述了我们物质富足但是不快乐的原因,和经济膨胀的负面影响最后提出自己的看法.
解答 DDBA
63 D 推理判断题..根据第一段I want to talk about the real economy,the one we live in day by day.我想谈论真正的经济,和我们生活息息相关的经济.和第三段第三句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.经济是我们赖以为生的活动,挣钱谋生,交税,买必需品.可以推断出作者所说的经济是具体的经济活动.故选D.
64 D 细节题.由第四段We are supposed to be benefiting from all the advantages of a well-off society.So why do we feel tired and stressed?我们生活在一个物质生活极度丰富的社会,为什么还感到累和紧张呢?和the majority of us are deeply worried可知我们虽然物质富足但仍然比较忧虑,就是说在社会中有很大压力.所以答案应为D.
65 B 推理判断题..根据倒数第三段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.经济膨胀意味着多花钱,但是多花钱不一定意味着生活变好了,它往往意味着它的反面:贪婪,犯罪,贫穷,污染.可以推断出来,经济膨胀会导致一些社会问题.故选B.
66 A 主旨大意题.本文考查作者的写作目的.本文通过介绍我们身边的经济,阐述了我们物质富足但是不快乐的原因,和经济膨胀的负面影响最后提出自己的看法最后一段:The consumption 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.积极消费的文化使我们意识不到行为的影响,主要的问题不是不知道怎么做而是没有做这件事的欲望,所以作者写本文的目的就是呼吁人们重视自身行为,做出些改变.所以A比较合适.
点评 学生需要认真阅读原文,把握文章大意,对文章脉络有整体的了解,能仔细查找文中细节,并能根据文章内容进行合理的推测判断.