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【单选题】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-browDillard’s department store near her suburbanCleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. "I don’t know if other clients are going to abandon me, too," she says.
Even beforeAlan Greenspan’s admission thatAmerica’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 andChristmas, 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 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 brokerBarbaraCorcoran. 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, aBayArea 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 newAlainDucasse restaurant used to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan ~Co. may still be worth toasting.
How do the public feel about the current economic situationA．Optimisti
C、
B．ConfuseD、

C、Carefree.
D．PanickeD、

网考网参考答案：A
网考网解析：
optimistic“乐观的”；confused“困惑的，烦恼的”；carefree“无忧无虑的，不负责任的”；panicked“惊 慌的，恐慌的”。由第二段中的“Consumers seem only mildly．．．some modest belt-tightening．”和第三段中的“Consumers say．．．feel pretty good．”可知，公众只是有些顾虑，但是没有恐慌也没有绝望，感觉仍然良好。所以答案应该选A。 document.getElementById("warp").style.display="none"; document.getElementById("content").style.display="block"; 查看试题解析出处>>