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.   (402 words)

    Notes：when it comes to … 当谈到…时。manicurist指甲修剪师。Gap outlets  Gap休闲装直销店。 temper n. 脾气，情绪；vt. 缓和，减少。real-estate broker 房地产经纪人。frenzied 狂乱的。overbidding 拍卖时出高价压倒别人。gold rush 淘金热。lining （衣服）衬里，里子。toast vt. 向…祝酒。

1. By “Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet” (Line 1, Paragraph 1), the author means

A. Spero can hardly maintain her business.               B. Spero is too much engaged in her work.
C. Spero has grown out of her bad habit.                 D. Spero is not in a desperate situation.

2. How do the public feel about the current economic situation?

A. Optimistic.       B. Confused.         C. Carefree.          D. Panicked.

3. When mentioning “the $4 million to $10 million range” (Paragraph 3) the author is talking about

A. gold market.      B. real estate.        C. stock exchange.    D. venture investment.

4. Why can many people see “silver linings” to the economic slowdown?

A. They would benefit in certain ways.                  B. The stock market shows signs of recover.
C. Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom.            D. The purchasing power would be enhanced

5. To which of the following is the author likely to agree?

A. A new boom, on the horizon.                     B. Tighten the belt, the single remedy.
C. Caution all right, panic not. D. The more ventures, the more chances.

Text  3

    Historians have only recently begun to note the increase in demand for luxury goods and services that took place in eighteenth-century England. McKendrick has explored the Wedgwood firm’s remarkable success in marketing luxury pottery; Plumb has written about the rapid increase of provincial theaters, musical festivals, and children’s toys and books. While the fact of this consumer revolution is hardly in doubt, three key questions remain: Who were the consumers? What were their motives? And what were the effects of the new demand for luxuries?