she is not only pretty（）smart.

ut 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. 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 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 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 need to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.

第51题：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.

A、He kicked the ball only several meters away.[Intended meaning: He didn’t kick the ball too far, only a few meters away.]

B、She talked too quietly

C、You had better express your options carefully in public

D、None of the above

A.neither; nor

B.both; and

C.either; or

D.not only; but also

A.so that

B.so as to

C.such that

D.that

. She【C2】______. incessantly and never used an ashtray. She【C3】______ me into the kitchen while I【C4】______tea or coffee or supper and helped【C5】______the children's orange juice. She was very successful【C6】______my two-year-old daughter Flora, who would【C7】______her for hours and refer to her lovingly【C8】______"Sofa," and she was always talking about my husband and asking me where he was.

I could not decide why she chose my【C9】______although I realized that nobody【C10】______paid her very much attention. Her situation was very difficult【C11】______ she was straight out of drama school and only nineteen, being required to play a leading part in a company of fairly【C12】______and experienced actors. They (79) her much even if she had been good, and as, from all accounts (按照各种说法), she was not good they【C14】______every opportunity to speak evil against her. I think she thought I was the only person【C15】______who was both unconnected with the theatre and tolerably smart. And【C16】______, although I was irritated by her I did not【C17】______her. There was something attractive in her overflowing enthusiasm and she had【C18】______physical charm that with me she could【C19】______anything. She was nice to have around,【C20】______flowers or a bowl of fruit.

【C1】

A．insulted

B．teased

C．irritated

D．flattered

Questions are based on the following passage．

Olivia Pedersen thought the Nissan Leaf parked outside her favorite lunch spot near Emory University， must be hers．But she could not open the door．Nor could she open the door of the identical Leaf behind it．Cautiously， she tried the third Leaf in line and happily drove away．More than 14，000 electric vehicles are now registered in Georgia; California is the only state with more．But the juicy state incentives for buying them are coming under attack．

Residents can claim an income-tax credit for 20% of the cost of leasing or purchasing an electric vehicle， up to $ 5，000．Combined with a possible federal tax incentive worth $ 7，500， smart Georgians are driving all the way to the bank in nearly-free electric cars．Nissan sells more of its Leaf models in Atlanta than in any other city， according to Don Francis from Clean Cities——Georgia， which promotes the use of cars like these．

Such trends motivated Chuck Martin， a representative in Georgia"s House， to sponsor a bill to end state incentives for electric vehicles．He argues that the income-tax credit costs too much——about$13．6m in 2013——and that only urban types benefit from these sorts of cars．Mr．Martin"s bill was voted down in committee in February， but seems to be still breathing．Another House bill， mostly to finance transport projects， would reduce the credits; it is now before the Senate．

Fans of electric vehicles say Georgia now leads the country in clean transport．Local power companies have helped by offering off-peak prices of 1．3 cents per kilowatt hour for charging the cars at night．And the sales tax collected on this power stays in the state， whereas cash spent on petrol largely goes elsewhere， says Jeff Cohen， founder of the Atlanta Electric Vehicle Development Coalition．

Cutting the credits altogether might also harm Georgia in other ways．A study by Keybridge Public Policy Economics， says the state could lose $ 252m by 2030 if they disappear and people buy gas- guzzlers （耗油量大的汽车） instead．That is because drivers will spend $ 714m on petrol to get around（in contrast with the $ 261m they would have paid in electricity bills）， and will no longer waste their savings from the federal electric-vehicle tax credit in Georgia"s shops．But the state"s incentives may be safe in the legislature after all; the president of the Senate drives an electric car himself．

What can be inferred from the case of Olivia Pedersen？ 查看材料

A.Traffic jam is common near Emory University．

B.The Georgian may prefer Nissan Leaf most．

C.Olivia"s favorite lunch spot is pretty popular．

D.There are many electric vehicles in Georgia．

A.No, no, he is nothing

B.No, he is only sometimes smart

C.But he is not as smart as your son

D.Oh, thank you

Buses came by, but not the one they wanted. The woman finally half-entered one of the buses and asked the driver if the bus she wanted stopped at that corner.The driver ignored her, so she repeated the question. Incredibly, he then closed the door -- on her arm -- and drove off.The woman, her arm stuck in the door, trotted alongside the bus, shouting. Passengers said the driver stopped after almost a block only because they, too, were shouting.When the driver finally did stop and opened the door, the woman jumped on the bus to get his badge number. Then he took off again and went another couple of blocks before other shouting passengers persuaded him to stop and let the woman off.After the driver's bosses at the Chicago Transit Authority--a tax-supported governmental body -- heard of the incident, they looked into it and set his punishment: a five-day suspension without pay. That struck me as rather light.But Bill Baxa, a CTA public-relations man, said, "That's a pretty harsh penalty. "

Five days off work is a harsh penalty for dragging a woman alongside a bus by her arm？ Baxa said, "Any time you take money away from someone, it is a harsh punishment. The driver makes $14 an hour. Multiply that by 40 and you can see what he lost. "

Yes, that comes to $560, a tidy sum. But we know that people in the private sector are fired for far less every day. If the people who run the CTA think that the loss of a week's pay is more than enough, I offer them a sporting proposition: Give me a bus. Then have their wives stick their arms in the doorway of the bus, and I'll slam the door shut, stop the gas pedal and take them for a fast one-block jog. And I'll pay $560 to anyone who is bold enough to try it. Any takers？ Mr. Baxa？ Anybody？ I didn't think so.

1.The nurse half-entered one of the buses because____.

A、the bus they wanted didn't stop there

B、she wanted the driver to stop the bus

C、she wanted to get some information from the driver

D、she and her uncle couldn't wait any longer at the corner

2.The reason why the woman trotted alongside the bus was that____.

A、she couldn't get herself away from the bus

B、the driver closed the door before she heard the answer

C、she was dragged by the bus driver

D、she wanted to get the driver's badge number

3.How many blocks was the woman away from the corner where she waited when the bus driver finally let her off？ ____

A、Almost one block.

B、Almost two blocks.

C、Probably three blocks.

D、Probably five or six blocks.

4.The bus driver's punishment was____.

A、being dismissed from the CTA

B、being out of work for a week

C、paying a fine of $560

D、working without pay for five days

5.Why did the author offer a sporting proposition？ ____

A、Because the CTA paid little attention to the incident.

B、Because the bus driver had not been fired.

C、Because he wanted to threaten the CTA people.

D、Because he thought the penalty was not a harsh on

or Roosevelt once said that she had one regret: She wished she had been prettier. Who hasn’t felt the same way？ We are all too awake to our physical imperfections. To overcome them, we spend billions upon billions of dollars every year on cosmetics, diet products, fashion, and plastic surgery.

Why do we care so much about how we look？ Because it matters. Because beauty is powerful. Because even when we learn to value people mostly for being kind and wise and funny, we are still moved by beauty. No matter how much we argue against it or pretend to be immune, beauty exerts its power over us. There is simply no escape.

Aristotle said, “Beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of introduction.” It’s not fair, but it’s true. We simply treat beautiful people better than we do others. Attach a photograph of a beautiful author to an essay, and people will think that it is more creative and more intelligently written than exactly the same essay accompanied by the photo of a homely author.

As children, beautiful people are more likely to become favorites with parents and teachers. Later, they’re more likely to get good jobs and promotion. Beautiful lawyers get paid more than their less attractive colleagues. Good-looking criminals are more likely to win the sympathy of judges and juries. Attractive people in need are more likely to receive help from strangers.

(1)Eleanor Roosevelt’s regret shows ().

A、she was one of the most successful, influential, and beloved women in American history

B、she was not pretty

C、she has many regrets

D、even she was pretty, she wanted to be prettier

(2)“It matters” in paragraph 2 line 1 means ().

A、It is a matter

B、It doesn’t matter

C、It is important

D、It is not important

(3)According to paragraph 2 and paragraph 3, which of the following is not true？

A、We learn to value people mostly for being kind and wise and funny.

B、We can be immune to beauty.

C、Aristotle meant beauty is the best recommendation.

D、People think a beautiful author’s essay is more creative and more intelligently written.

(4)Paragraph 4 is written to show ().

A、beauty is powerful

B、beautiful children are favorites with parents and teachers

C、beautiful lawyers get higher pay than their homely colleagues

D、attractive people receive more help from strangers

(5)The word “good -looking” in paragraph 4 line 3 may mean ().

A、beautiful or handsome

B、lovely

C、careful

D、kind-hearted

t upstairs to her bedroom.She was too excited to do any housework that morning.

In the evening she would go to a fancy dress party with her husband.She wanted to dress up as a ghost (鬼,鬼魂) and as she had made her costume (化妆舞会上的化装服) the night before，she was impatient to try it on.Though the costume consisted only of a sheet，it was really splendid.After putting it on，she went downstairs to find out whether it would be comfortable to wear. ，

Just as Mrs. Richards was entering the dining-room, there was a knock on the front door.She knew it must be the baker (面包师).She had told him to come straight in if ever she failed to open the door and to leave the bread on the table.Not wanting to frighten the poor man，she quickly hid in the small store-room under the stair.She heard the front door opened and heavy footsteps in the hall.Suddenly the door of the store-room was opened and in came a man.Mrs. Richards realized it must be the man from the Electricity Board who had come to read the meter (水表读数).She tried to explain the situation，saying “It’s only me.” But it was too late，the man let out a cry and jumped back several paces.When Mrs. Richards walked towards him，he fled, closing the door heavily behind him.

(1).The reason for Mrs. Richards’ excitement that day was that().

A、 she had sent her children to school

B、 she was to attend an evening party

C、 she wouldn’t do any housework that morning

D、 she had made a special costume the night before

(2). Mrs. Richards went downstairs with the costume on so as to().

A、 make sure that the costume fitted her well

B、 frighten the person who was knocking on the door

C、 find out if she had finished the costume

D、 receive the bread and do some cooking

(3).The man who was knocking at the door was ().

A、a baker

B、a thief

C、her husba

D、an electricity man

(4).What did the man do after he knocked on the front door？()

A、He entered just as Mrs. Richards had told him to.

B、He did not do anything as Mrs. Richards had expected him to.

C、He stepped directly towards the store-room.

D、He went straight in so as to find Mrs. Richards

(5).The man _________and that made him cry out and run away.()

A、 thought he must have met a ghost

B、 recognized Mrs. Richards

C、 found out Mrs. Richards was walking towards him

D、 thought that Mrs. Richards must have recognized him

She looks ______.

A) pretty B) prettily C) beautifully D) strongly