1、专业英语四级（经济类阅读理解）模拟试卷 2及答案与解析 0 For all the struggles that Greece has gone through to satisfy its demanding lenders, Europes troubles are not going away. Because of the various, often incremental, steps European officials have taken during the nearly three-year debt difficulties that began in Greece,
2、the crisis fever has cooled considerably in recent months including fears that the euro currency union might suddenly fall apart. But crisis has given way to a grinding reality for Europe: economic stagnation and even, for much of the Continent, the specter of another downturn less than three years
3、after the last recession ended. Greek leaders on Thursday agreed to a new set of tough austerity measures, in hopes of receiving a new 130 billion-euro bailout package from the European Union and International Monetary Fund, aimed at avoiding a debt default in March. That agreement, though, is in so
4、me ways a microcosm of Europes broader quandary, as similar measures are being embraced by other debt-saddled countries in the euro currency union, including Portugal and Ireland. Many analysts say the belt-tightening can only push those and other nations further into recession, sap the economies of
5、 their European trading partners and do little to address the systemic weaknesses plaguing Europes banks. “We take one problem off the table for the moment,“ Carl B. Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics in Valhalla, N.Y., said. “That still leaves us having to deal with the dramatic
6、destruction of wealth that has taken place.“ Markets have recently taken a more optimistic view of Italy and Spain the nations where Greek “contagion“ has long been feared to strike next, with even more dire regional consequences. Lately, both governments borrowing costs have come down to more susta
7、inable levels. Under new political leadership, Rome and Madrid are proceeding with restructuring plans intended not just to reduce high debts and deficits but also to lay the foundation for eventually restoring economic growth. Investors have also been reassured by the European Central Banks moves t
8、o lower interest rates and open the money taps to protect banks from being pushed to the wall. For Nicolas Veron, senior fellow at the Breugel Economic Research Institute in Brussels, that means Europe may be able to breathe easier, at least for a while. “It doesnt mean the problems are solved,“ he
9、said. “But it removes some of the short-term pressure, and hopefully can create a virtuous circle.“ It all depends, though, on how the euro zones economy fares in the months and years ahead. Investors who once criticized countries for not embracing enough austerity to mend tattered balance sheets ha
10、ve recently started to acknowledge that too much austerity is squeezing growth making it harder, rather than easier, to pay back debts. From The New York Times, February 10, 2012 1 Which of the following is NOT true about Greek according to the passage? （ A） debt-saddled （ B） took various steps （ C）
11、 took similar measure as Ireland （ D） better off than Portugal 2 What does Carl B.Weinbergs comment imply? （ A） The trouble still stays. （ B） The problem can be solved. （ C） The problem is off the table. （ D） The trouble is ignored. 3 Which of the following words can best replace the underlined word
12、 “recession“ (Para 3)? （ A） sanitation （ B） contamination （ C） stagnancy （ D） conscientiousness 4 What view did investors adopt recently according to the passage? （ A） tough austerity measures （ B） too austerity doesnt work （ C） the same with before （ D） strict financial control 5 What is the passag
13、e mainly about? （ A） stagnation in Europe （ B） a new recession （ C） Greeks crisis （ D） confidence regained 5 Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group plans to take its Hong Kong-listed unit private, two sources familiar with the matter said, and is working with Yahoo on an asset-swap deal that may r
14、esult in Yahoo owning a direct stake in one of Alibaba Groups operating businesses. The sources told Reuters that taking A private was only one of the proposals being discussed and a final solution to the saga is still being hammered out. Alibaba Groups plans are part of an overall deal being discus
15、sed by the board of Yahoo, which has come under fire from investors impatient with the companys lackluster performance. The shareholders are also frustrated with the apparent indecisiveness of stakeholders over how to handle its investments in Alibaba and other prized Asian assets. The deal under di
16、scussion is that Alibaba would use borrowed money and internal cash as well as an asset swap to buy back most of a 40 percent stake that Yahoo owns in Alibaba Group, the sources said. “As share price has been quite bumpy since its listing. Probably taking it private will make it more flexible for th
17、e group to do the transformation that it is going through,“ said Wendy Huang, head of regional Internet and media research at RBS in Hong Kong. A shares were halted from trading on Thursday pending an announcement regarding its parent. Alibaba Group currently owns about 73 percent in A, which has a
18、market value of nearly $6 billion. At the current market price, the remaining stake is valued at about $1.6 billion. Yahoos stake in Alibaba Group has an estimated value of $14 billion. Under the plans being discussed, Alibaba Group wants to buy back about 25 percent of its stake. Alibaba Group plan
19、s to pay a third of the consideration through a stake in one of its operating assets and the rest, or around $6 billion, in cash. A is the most likely operating unit in which Yahoo may be offered a stake, one of the sources said. Both parties have an understanding on this arrangement, but have not s
20、igned any formal deal yet, the source added. Alibaba Group, founded by former English teacher and now billionaire Jack Ma, is looking to raise a loan of about $3 billion, which will be partly used to fund the buyback and the privatization. Sources previously told Reuters that under a “cash rich spli
21、t“ plan being discussed, Yahoo would effectively transfer most of its 40 percent slice of Alibaba back to the Chinese company and all of its stake in Yahoo Japan to Softbank Corp. in return for cash and assets. Yahoo had also entertained separate proposals from private equity firms TPG and Silver La
22、ke about minority investments in the company, but those offers fell short of Yahoos expectations. From The Guardian, February 10, 2012 6 What is the deal between Alibaba and Yahoo like? （ A） To exchange assets. （ B） To cooperate in Asian market. （ C） To end the competition. （ D） To raise a new joint
23、 venture. 7 What do Yahoos shareholders complain about stakeholders according to the passage? （ A） They are not decisive in handling investments in Asia. （ B） They are not able to accomplish the deal with Alibaba. （ C） They are attacked constantly by investors. （ D） They were once discussed under a
24、fire. 8 Which of the following words can best replace the underlined word “lackluster“ (Para2)? （ A） frustrating （ B） fluttering （ C） splashing （ D） glittering 9 Why does Alibaba plan to take its Hong Kong-listed unit private according to the passage? （ A） To help its transformation. （ B） To get all
25、 its own shares. （ C） To get all their stakes. （ D） To help its performance abroad. 10 Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage? （ A） Yahoo Plans to Exchange Assets （ B） Alibaba Plans to Take Hong Kong Unit Private （ C） Alibaba Has Cash Rich Split （ D） Yahoo Entertained Prop
26、osals 10 As state and federal authorities announced the details of their $26 billion mortgage settlement with big banks on Thursday, millions of American homeowners were hoping that this time they would finally get relief. The bulk of the settlement, about $20 billion, would go to one million Americ
27、an homeowners who would have their mortgage debts reduced or their loans refinanced at a lower interest rate. It also includes $1.5 billion for roughly 750,000 people who lost their homes to foreclosure between 2008 and 2011, with each receiving between $1,500 and $2,000. Economists do not expect a
28、big boost for the economy, in part because the banks have three years to distribute the aid. Some experts questioned whether the accord would do much to stabilize the housing market and its glut of millions of foreclosed homes. Critics also pointed to the fact that millions of mortgages owned by the
29、 governments housing finance agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, would not be covered under the deal, excluding about half the nations mortgages. “The effect of this settlement will be catalytic,“ Shaun Donovan, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, said in an interview. He predicted it
30、would spur more loan modifications through existing government programs as well as principal reductions when loan debt is written down for borrowers who owe more than what their home is worth as well as additional mortgage relief provided by banks. Advocates for homeowners facing foreclosure express
31、ed cautious optimism after the settlement was announced on Thursday morning in Washington. “Were hopeful,“ said Joseph Sant, a lawyer at Staten Island Legal Services homeowner defense project. “But we had a lot of programs that are good on paper. What will make the difference is that its vigorously
32、enforced.“ President Obama declared the deal the largest federal-state settlement in the nations history. “No compensation, no amount of money, no measure of justice is enough to make it right for a family whos had their piece of the American dream wrongly taken from them,“ he said. “And no action,
33、no matter how meaningful, is going to by itself entirely heal the housing market. But this settlement is a start.“ Banks stocks were mixed in trading on Thursday, but shares of Bank of America rose 0.62 percent to $8.18, its highest level since September. Much of the money to pay for the settlement
34、has already been reserved, and investors expect the settlement to remove at least one legal worry for Bank of America. More than just an attempt to aid consumers and stabilize the housing market, government officials cast the settlement as an effort to finally hold banks accountable for their misdee
35、ds, more than three years after the mortgage collapse brought on a full-scale financial crisis. From The New York Times, February 12, 2012 11 Which of the following is NOT true about the mortgage settlement? （ A） To reduce mortgage debts of American homeowners. （ B） To reduce the interest rate of th
36、e American homeowners. （ C） To help boost the housing market of America. （ D） To help those who lost their homes to foreclosure. 12 What do economists think of the settlement according to the passage? （ A） not effective （ B） not important （ C） not useful （ D） not necessary 13 Which of the following
37、words can best replace the underlined word “accountable“ (last paragraph)? （ A） respected （ B） accounted （ C） crucial （ D） responsible 14 What is the authors attitude towards the settlement? （ A） hopeful （ B） skeptical （ C） optimistic （ D） not clear 15 What is the passage mainly about? （ A） bank mis
38、deeds （ B） housing market （ C） mortgage plan （ D） financial crisis 15 Google is developing a home entertainment device, according to people with knowledge of the companys plans, in a move that would bring it more broadly into consumer electronics. The device, which exists as a prototype and will eve
39、ntually be sold as a branded item to consumers, is the companys most significant venture into hardware. While the initial purpose of the device will be for streaming music, the eventual use could be much wider. Google still makes the vast majority of its money from Internet search. But as computing
40、detaches from the desktop and laptop, the company cannot afford to be marginalized. The new device is an effort to control the design, production and sale of an entertainment device, just as its competitors have done so successfully. Owning Motorola whose origins lie in a company that made an earlie
41、r generation of home entertainment systems before stumbling will put Google into direct competition with the phone makers that use its Android software as well as Apple and its iPhone. A Google spokesman declined to comment. While Google has talked openly about its designs on consumers living rooms,
42、 news that the device was becoming a reality surfaced last week in an application the search giant filed with the Federal Communications Commission. In the application, Google said it would begin testing a device it labeled simply an “entertainment device“. The device will have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi a
43、nd, as Google noted in the application, it will “connect to other home electronics equipment“. The application, which was first reported by the tech Web site GigaOM, said Google would test the device for stability in employees homes through the summer. Analysts are wary of Googles venture into the n
44、otoriously cutthroat hardware field. Apple has loyal, sometimes fanatical followers, and enviably rich profit margins. Amazon is willing to lose money on its devices and make it up on sales of content. Most other hardware makers have a much tougher slog. But Google is seen as having little choice. L
45、ast November, Google introduced its own streaming music service to compete with Apple and Amazon in the wars for digital media. The service lets users access music from various Internet connected devices. By manufacturing its own device, Google can tether those listeners back to its own product. Goo
46、gles larger goal, a person closely tied to the project said, was to connect everything in the home to the Internet, including light bulbs, speakers and TV sets. Google unveiled a “conceptual“ version of a multi-purpose device last year at a developer conference. The perils of not having full control
47、 of the design and manufacturing of a device became apparent with Google TV, which was co-developed in 2010 by Google, Sony, Intel and Logitech. Reviewers hated it and the public scorned it. Guerrino De Luca, chief executive of Logitech has acknowledged publicly that the Google TV was “a mistake of
48、implementation of a gigantic nature“. From The New York Times, February 10, 2012 16 Why did Google develop the entertainment device according to the passage? （ A） To better its search function. （ B） To control all the music material online. （ C） To strengthen its competitiveness. （ D） To make up for
49、 the loss of Google TV. 17 What is the purpose of Google to buy Motorola? （ A） To improve Motorolas market share. （ B） To enhance overseas phone sales. （ C） To better cooperate with phone makers. （ D） To better compete with phone makers. 18 Which of the following words can best replace the underlined word “fanatical“ (Para 1)1 （ A） passionate （ B） critical （ C） demanding （ D） hysterical 19 What is the lesson learned from Google TVs mistake according to the passage? （ A） the importance of full cont
