Section B
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.
Much of the language used to describe monetary policy, such as "steering the economy to a soft landing" or "a touch on the brakes", makes it sound like a precise science. Nothing could be further from the truth. The link between interest rates and inflation is uncertain. And there are long, variable lags before policy changes have any effect on the economy.
Given all these disadvantages, central bankers seem to have had much to boast of about late. Average inflation in the big seven industrial economies fell to a mere 2.3% last year, close to Its lowest level in 30 years, before rising slightly to 2.5% this July. This is a long way below the double-digit rates which many countries experienced in the 1970s and early 1980s.
It is also less than most forecasters had predicted. In late 1994 the panel of economists which The Economist polls each month said that America's inflation rate would average 3.5 % in 1995. In fact, it fell to 2.6% in August, and is expected to average only about 3% for the year as a whole. In Britain and Japan inflation is running half a percentage below the rate predicted at the end of the last year. This is no flash in the pan; over the past couple of years, inflation has been consistently lower than expected in Britain and America.
Economists have been particularly surprised by favorable inflation figures in Britain and the United States, since conventional measures suggest that both economies, esp. America's, have little productive slack. America's capacity utilization, for example, hit historically high levels earlier this year, and its jobless rate has fallen below most
Why has inflation proved so wild7 The most thrilling explanation is, unfortunately a little defective. Some economists argue that powerful structural changes in the world have up-ended the old economic models that were based upon the historical link between growth and inflation.
According to the passage, making monetary policy changes ______.
A. is comparable to driving a car
B. is similar to carrying out scientific work
C. will not influence the economy immediately
D. will have an immediate impact on the inflation rate
听力原文: Hidden passengers traveling in ships, trains, or even cars can be a terrible nuisance, especially when they are insects, in this respect, there is a great difference between human beings and insects, The former make every possible effort to avoid discovery, while the latter quickly draw attention to themselves.
We can only sympathize with the unfortunate man who had to stop his car soon after setting out from a country village to drive to London. Hearing a strange noise from the back of the ear. he naturally got out to have a look. He examined the wheels carefully but as he found nothing wrong, he continued on his way. The noise began almost immediately and now it was louder than ever. Quickly turning his head, the man saw what appeared to be a great black cloud following the car. When be stopped at a village further on, he was told that a queen bee must be hidden in his car as there were thousands of bees nearby.
On learning this, the man realized that the only way to escape would be to drive away as quickly as possible. After an hour's hard driving, he arrived in London where he parked his car outside a hotel and went in to have a drink. It was not long before a customer who had seen him arrive hurried in to inform. him that his car was covered with bees. The poor motorist telephoned the police and explained what had happened. The police decided that the best way to deal with the situation would be to call a bee-keeper. In a short time, the bee-keeper arrived. He found the unwelcome passenger hidden near the wheels at the back of the car. Very grateful to the motorist for his unexpected gift, the keeper took the queen and her thousands of followers home in a large box. Equally grateful the motorist drove away in peace, at last flee from the "black cloud" which had hung over his car.
(30)
A big noise.
B. A strange noise.
C. A stranger's noise.
D. A child's noise.
启迪金融意识是()的重要内容。
A. 知识维户
B. 顾问业务
C. 咨询维护
D. 交叉销售
Section B
Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D.
听力原文: The silence of the Reference Library was broken only by an occasional cough and now and then by the scarcely audible sound of pages being turned over. There were about twenty people in the room, most of them with their heads bent over their books, The assistant librarian who was in charge of the room sat at a desk in one comer. She glanced at Philip as he came in. and then went on with her work.
Philip has not been to this part of the library before. He walked around the room almost on tiptoe, afraid of disturbing the industrious readers with his heavy shoes. The shelves were filled with thick volumes: dictionaries in any languages, encyclopedias, atlases, biographies and other works of reference. He found nothing that was likely to interest him until he came to a small shelf out of his reach, so he had to fetch a small ladder in order to get one down. Unfortunately, as he was climbing down the ladder, the book he had chosen slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor with a loud crash. Twenty pairs of eyes looked up at him simultaneously, annoyed by his unaccustomed disturbance. Philip felt himself go red as he picked up his book. which did not seem to have been damaged by its fall.
He had just sat down when he found the young lady assistant standing alongside him. "You must be more careful when you are handling these books." she said severely. Satisfied that she had done her duty. she turned to go back to her desk. Then a sudden thought struck her. "By the way, how old are you?" she asked Philip. "Thirteen." He told her. "You are not allowed in here if you're under the age of fourteen, you know." the assistant said, "Didn't you see the notice on the door?" Philip shook his head. He expected the assistant m ask him to leave. Instead. in a more kindly rune, she said, "Well. never mind. But make sure that you don't disturb the other readers again, otherwise I shall have to ask you to leave."
(27)
A. Philip has not been to this part of the library before.
B. It was very quiet in the library.
C. Philip fell off the ladder and made a loud noise.
D. The librarian was very kind to readers.