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. 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.

　　51. 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.

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

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

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

　　[A] gold market.　　　 [B] real estate.

　　[C] stock exchange.　　[D] venture investment.

　　54. Why can many people see“silver linings”to the economic showdown?

　　[A] They would benefit in certain ways.

　　[B] The stock market shows signs of recovery.

　　[C] Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom.

　　[D] The purchasing power would be enhanced.

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

　　[A] A now boom,on the horizon.

　　[B] Tighten the belt,the single remedy.

　　[C] Caution all right,panic not.

　　[D] The more ventures,more chances.

 

Step 1：No New Words!

manicurist：['mæni,kjuərist]指甲修饰师

longtime： ['lɔŋtaim, 'lɔ:ŋ-]长时间的

softening：['sɔfniŋ]变软的

downscaling：缩小规模

suburban：[sə'bə:bən]郊区的

dealership：['di:ləʃip]代理商

lag：[læɡ]落后，滞后

temper：['tempə]使缓和

revenue：['revənju:, -nu:]收益

panick：恐慌

belt-tightening：['belt,taitəniŋ]紧缩开支，节约

predominantly：[pri'dɔminəntli]主要地，显著地

frenzied：['frenzi:d]疯狂地，狂乱的

overbidding：出价过高

real-estate：['riəli,steit, 'ri:l-]adj 不动产的；房地产

broker：['brəukə]经纪人

sustained：[sə'steind]持续的

carefree：['kεəfri:]无忧无虑的

precede：[pri:'si:d, pri-]领先，在前面

 

Step 2：No New Phrases !

 show up：出现，露面

home price：房价

silver lining：一线希望

interest rate：利息，利率

middle-brow：中产阶级

Step 3：Analysis & Translation!

When it comes to the slowing economy,Ellen Spero isn‘t biting her nails just yet.

 当经济放缓，艾伦·斯佩罗没有咬指甲。

经济发展减缓，艾伦·斯佩罗虽然还不至于束手无策。

But the 47-year-old manicurist isn’t cutting, filling or polishing as many nails as she‘d like to,either.

但是这位47岁的美甲师不能修剪、涂染或修饰她所期望的那么多指甲了。

但这位47岁的指甲美容师修指甲、美指甲的业务已不像她所希望的那么多了。

Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly,but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up.

她的大多数顾客每周消费12到50美元，但已有两位长期顾客自从上个月就突然不再光顾了。

她的大部分顾客每周大约花12到50美元，但上个月她的两个老主顾忽然不来了。

Spero blames the softening economy.

斯佩罗把这归咎于疲软的经济。

斯佩罗把这归咎于经济发展疲软。

"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.”

“我是很好的经济晴雨表”她说，“我提供的服务当大家考虑节省的时候可有可无”。

她说：“我是个准确的经济晴雨表，我提供的服务属于当人们想省钱的时候不要也行的服务。”

So Spero is downscaling,shopping at middle-brow Dillard’s department store near her suburban Cleveland home,instead of Neiman Marcus.

所以斯佩罗减小了（店面）规模，将店开在迪拉德大楼而不是马库斯，那儿更靠近她在克利夫兰郊区的房子。

所以斯佩罗降低了消费水准，只在她克利夫兰郊区住处附近中产阶层的狄乐百货公司购物，而不再去尼曼·马卡斯专卖店。

"I don‘t know if other clients are going to abandon me,too”she says.

“我不知道是否其他顾客也将抛弃我”她说道。

“不知道别的顾客会不会也弃我而去”她说。

 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.

甚至在艾伦·格林斯潘坦言美国白热化的经济正趋于冷却之前，大量的劳动者已经感觉到经济放缓的迹象了。

在艾伦·格林斯潘还没有承认美国过热的经济正在冷却之前，许多劳动者就已经看到了经济发展减缓的一些迹象。

From car dealerships to Gap outlets,sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending.

从汽车经销商到出口商，由于购物者减少消费，导致数月来销售额增长缓慢。

由于消费者节制开支，从汽车贸易到盖普（Gap）时装直销，几个月来销售额一直在下降。

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.

对零售商来说，他们去年利润的百分之24来自于感恩节与圣诞节（期间），

去年，零售商24%的年收入来自感恩节到圣诞节期间的营业，而今年的关键时刻人们将谨慎消费。

Already,experts say,holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year‘s pace.

专家说，节假日销售额已较去年同期减少了百分之7。

专家已指出，节日消费比去年同期减少了7%。

But don’t sound any alarms just yet.

但还未见任何警告。

但是这还不到敲警钟的时候。

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.

消费者看起来只是关心，而非恐惧，并且大多数人说他们对经济的长期发展持乐观态度，尽管他们需要适度紧缩开支。　　

消费者似乎只是略有担心，并没有感到恐慌。很多人还说，即使稍微勒紧裤带，他们仍然看好经济长期发展的前景。

Consumers say they‘re not in despair because,despite the dreadful headlines,their own fortunes still feel pretty good.

尽管有恐怖的新闻头条，消费者称他们并不绝望，因为他们感觉自己的前程依然很好。

虽然有不少令人担忧的新闻报道，但消费者们说他们并没有感到绝望，因为他们的个人财富仍然保持良好。

Home prices are holding steady in most regions.

在大多数地区，房价维持稳定。

大部分地区的房价保持平稳。

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.

在曼哈顿，“，”房地产商芭芭拉·柯克安说。

经纪人巴巴拉·考克兰说，在曼哈顿地区，“主要由于华尔街奖励措施的刺激，在400万美元到1000万美元房产区间出现了一次新的淘金热”。

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.

在旧金山，尽管疯狂的溢价竞标停息了，房价仍然在上涨。“相比较以前20到30个的中标，现在你可能只拿到两三个，”一位旧金山湾区的房地产经纪人说。

在旧金山，尽管狂热的出高价竞拍物业的行为已经降温，但房价仍在上涨。“现在没有二三十个人来竞拍了，可能只有两三个而已，”湾区房地产经纪人约翰·提尔迪说。

 And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job.

大多数人依然对他们找寻和保持工作的能力感到满意。

而大多数人仍很确信他们有能力找到并保住一份工作。

Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown.

许多人从这次经济减缓中看到一线希望。

许多人在经济发展减缓的困境中看到了亮色。

Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates.

潜在的购房者将为更低的利息暗暗高兴。

潜在的住房购买者会为低利率欢呼。

Employers wouldn‘t mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market.

雇主并不介意就业市场少些泡沫。

人才市场上少了些泡沫，各公司倒也并不在意。

Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings,which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom.

许多消费者看来已经被股票市场的震荡所影响，这在投资者看来是经济持续繁荣的必要成分。

许多消费者似乎受到了股市波动的影响，这些波动现在被投资者视为经济持续繁荣所必不可缺少的一部分。

Diners might see an upside,too. Getting a table at Manhattan’s hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant need to be impossible. Not anymore.

就餐者可能也看到了好的一面。在曼哈顿火热的新开张的阿兰杜卡斯饭店订到一张桌子近乎不可能的现象已不再。

就餐者也能看到好处。过去不可能在曼哈顿新开张的艾伦杜卡斯餐厅里找到空位，现在不再那样了。

For that,Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.

为此，格林斯潘公司也许仍然值得敬佩。

为此，格林斯潘公司可能还是值得夸耀的。

 

Step 4：Useful Writing skills