The real-estate broker the author knows is talented in home redecoration. [Y] [N] [NG]

汉译英：“报关行；出口结关”，正确的翻译为()。

A．customs clearance；customs broker

B．customs broker；customs clearance

C．customs broker；customs entry

D．customs entry；customs clearance

The real-estate broker the author knows is talented in home redecoration.

A．Y

B．N

C．NG

汉译英：“报关行；出口结关”，正确的翻译为：()

A．customs clearance；customs broker

B．customs broker；customs clearance

C．customs broker；customs entry

D．customs entry；customs clearance

China's Ministry of Finance said it will introduce tax breaks for certain housing transactions from Nov.1, 2008 and relax mortgage （抵押）rates for first-time home buyers, the moves could help stabilize the country’s property market.

The ministry said the measures, which had been widely anticipated, are intended to help the general public, particularly the poor.But their effects could support housing purchases and help developers as well.

The government data showed that the growth of investments in real-estate development has slowed in recent months.Urban property prices slowed for the eighth month in a row in September to the lowest increase in more than three years.

Among the moves, China will suspend the stamp duty （印花税）on purchases and sales of individual homes, and the value-added tax on land for individual home sales.

It will also cut the deed tax （契税）rate to 1% for first-time homebuyers purchasing homes that are 90 square meters or smaller, lowering housing transaction costs.

The People’s Bank of China said it will lower the floor on mortgage rates to 0.7 times its benchmark （基准）lending rates for individuals buying their first ordinary homes for their own use, from 0.85 times now.It will also adjust the minimum down payment requirement to 20% of the purchase price on such transactions.

The National Development and Reform. Commission （NDRC）said property prices in 70 of China’s large and medium-sized cities rose 3.5% in September from a year earlier, down from August’s 5.3% rise.

However, the Chinese government has already been busy using fiscal （财政的）policy to drive economic growth.The state is making great efforts to tide over the current housing market downturn arising from the global financial crisis.

1.In Paragraph 1, the word “moves” could be replaced by which of the following？

A.Progress.B.Direction.C.Measures.D.Investments.

2.According to Paragraph 2, who will benefit from the measures？

A.Property developers.B.Low-income people.

C.Home buyers.D.All of the above.

3.The Chinese government’s main purpose in suspending several taxes is （）.

A.to reduce housing transaction costs

B.to disturb housing market

C.to improve building quality

D.to enhance the competitiveness of property developers

4.Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage？

A.The growth of property investments in China has slowed.

B.Second-home buyers can also enjoy these favorable policies.

C.Up to September, urban housing prices slowed down for 8 months in succession.

D.The tax breaks for certain housing transactions had been widely expected.

5.We may infer from the passage that the attitude of the Chinese government towards the depression in the housing market is （）.

A.not clear B.activeC.negative D.indifferent

47- year-old manicurist isn't cutting, filing or polishing as many nails as she'd like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. "I'm a good economic indicator," she says. "I provide a service that people can do without when they're concerned about saving some dollars." So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillard's department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. "I don't know if other clients are going to abandon me, too," she says.

Even before Alan Greenspan's admission that America's red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24% of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7% from last year's pace. But don't sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only mildly concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy's long-term prospects, even as they do some modest belt-tightening.

Consumers say they're not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, "there's a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses," says broker Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. "Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three," says John Tealdi, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job.

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.

By "Ellen Spero isn't biting her nails just yet" in 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

timately alone． But an increasing number of Europeans are choosing to be so at an ever earlier age． This isn’t the stuff of gloomy philosophical contemplations，but a fact of Europe’s new economic landscape，embraced by sociologists，real-estate developers and ad executives alike． The shift away from family life to solo lifestyle，observes a French sociologist，is part of the “irresistible momentum of individualism”over the last century． The communications revolution，the shift from a business culture of stability to one of mobility and the mass entry of women into the workforce have greatly wreaked havoc on （扰乱）Europeans’ private lives.．Europe’s new economic climate has largely fostered the trend toward independence．The current generation of home-aloners came of age during Europe’s shift from social democracy to the sharper，more individualistic climate of American style. capitalism．Raised in an era of privatization and increased consumer choice，today’s tech-savvy （精通技术的）workers have embraced a free market in love as well as economics．Modern Europeans are rich enough to afford to live alone，and temperamentally independent enough to want to do so．Once upon a time，people who lived alone tended to be those on either side of marriage-twenty something professionals or widowed senior citizens．While pensioners，particularly elderly women，make up a large proportion of those living alone，the newest crop of singles are high earners in their 30s and 40s who increasingly view living alone as a lifestyle. choice．Living alone was conceived to be negative-dark and cold，while being together suggested warmth and light.．But then came along the idea of singles．They were young，beautiful，strong! Now，young people want to live alone．The booming economy means people are working harder than ever．And that doesn’t leave much room for relationships．Pimpi Arroyo，a 35-year-old composer who lives alone in a house in Paris，says he hasn’t got time to get lonely because he has too much work．“I have deadlines which would make life with someone else fairly difficult.．Only an Ideal Woman would make him change his lifestyle，he says.．Kaufmann，author of a recent book called “The Single Woman and Prince Charming，”thinks this fierce new individualism means that people expect more and more of mates，so relationships don’t last long-if they start at all．Eppendorf，a blond Berliner with a deep tan，teaches grade school in the mornings．In the afternoon she sunbathes or sleeps，resting up for going dancing．Just shy of 50，she says she’d never have wanted to do what her mother did-give up a career to raise a family．Instead，“I’ve always done what I wanted to do： live a self-determined life．

第16题：More and more young Europeans remain single because （）．

A．they are driven by an overwhelming sense of individualism

B．they have entered the workforce at a much earlier age

C．they have embraced a business culture of stability

D．they are pessimistic about their economic future

Part A

Directions: Read the following texts and answer the questions which accompany them by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1.

When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn't biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn't cutting, filling or polishing as many nails as she'd like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. …I m a good economic indicator, ”she says, “I provide a service that people can do without when they're concerned about saving some dollars. ”So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillard's department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. “I don't know if other clients are going to abandon me, too. ”she says.

Even before Alan Greenspan's admission that America's red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year's pace. But don't sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy's long-term prospects, even as they do some modest belt-tightening.

Consumers say they're not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. In Manhattan, “there's a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses, ”says broker Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. “Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three, ”says John Deadly, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job.

Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential homebuyers 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 need to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan&Co. may still be worth toasting.

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