题目内容
Share prices on the Stock Exchange fell sharply in the morning but _______ slightly in the afternoon.
A. restored B. recovered C. regained D. remained
B
【解析】略
I want to talk about the economy．Not "the economy" we hear about endlessly in the news each day and in politicians' speeches．I want to talk about the real economy, the one we live in day by day．
Most people aren't particularly interested in "the economy"．"Share prices are flying high; interest rates are soaring; the Dow Jones Index closed sixty-three points down on 8472．35．" We hear this and subconsciously switch off．
Notice that "the economy" is not the same as the economy, "The economy" is what men in suits play with to make vast personal wealth．The economy is where the rest of us live on a daily basis, earning our living, paying our taxes, and purchasing the necessities of life．
We are supposed to be benefiting from all the advantages of a well-off society．So why do we feel tired and stressed? We have no time for anything other than work, which is ridiculous given the number of labor-saving devices in our lives．Our towns become more and more crowded．We poison our air and seas, and our food is full of chemicals．There's something wrong here．If times were truly good, then you may think we'd all feel optimistic about the future．Yet the majority of us are deeply worried．More than 90 percent of us think we are too concerned about ourselves and not concerned enough about future generations．
The term "economic expansion" suggests something desirable, but expansion simply means spending more money．More spending doesn't mean that life is getting better．We all know it often means the opposite - greed, crime, poverty, pollution．More spending merely feeds our whole economic system, which is based on production and consumption．Unless money keeps circulating, the economy breaks down．If we don't keep consuming, the whole system goes into stalemate（僵局）．
How do we break the cycle and make some changes? We need to become far more aware of the results of our actions．We buy clothes that are made in sweat shops by virtual slaves in poor parts of the world．We create mountains of waste．We demand cheap food, mindless of the fact that it totally lacks taste and is produced using chemicals that poison the land．
The consumption culture makes us unaware of the effect of our own behavior．Our main problem is not that we don't know what to do about it．It is gathering the desire to do it．
【小题1】According to the author, which one belongs to the real economy?
| A．The Dow Jones Index． |
| B．Increases in interest rates |
| C．Skyrocketing share prices |
| D．Shopping in a supermarket |
| A．people are benefiting from a well-off society |
| B．the future generation is a big concern for most people |
| C．people still feel much pressure despite labor-saving devices |
| D．the majority of people are optimistic about the future |
| A．It guarantees a better life for us． |
| B．It may lead to some social problems． |
| C．It will stop the circulation of money． |
| D．It has only brought desirable effects． |
| A．call on us to change our behavior |
| B．suggest a solution for over-consumption |
| C．make a distinction between two economies |
| D．inform us of the effects of economic expansion |
Investors soon will be able to own shares of Facebook stock. The world’s biggest social media network presented documents to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday. The documents are required before the company can make its initial public offering（首次公开募股）or IPO. A date for the stock sale has yet to be announced.
Experts say Facebook could raise about five billion dollars. That would be one of the biggest IPO sales ever. And it would be much bigger than Google’s first public stock sale in 2004. At that time, the Internet search company raised almost two billion dollars.
Facebook has 800 million users around the world. It is the second most visited website after Google. Now, experts say the social media network is in a position to become one of the most valuable Internet companies.
Stock expert Anupam Palit at Greencrest Capital says that among social media sites, Facebook is in a class by itself.
“It is the biggest company in this space and we believe what makes it very unique from every other company that went public last year in this space is that it is very, very profitable.” said Anupam Palit.
Early estimates place the total value of the social network between 75 and 100 billion dollars. That includes earlier investments by other companies. David Kirkpatrick wrote the book The Facebook Effect. He says Facebook’s IPO will be historic.
The stock sale could also make Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg one of the world’s youngest billionaires. He is only 27.
Investment companies are likely to buy Facebook stock first. But investment manager Jim O’Shaugnessy says that is not so bad. He says the prices of some IPO stocks are too high and fall not long after they first go on sale.
Recently, share prices of some Internet businesses have fallen after their stocks were first offered. For example, stocks of Linkedln, Groupon and Zynga, dropped in price by as much as 25% after going public.
There were similar questions eight years ago when Google first sold stock to the public. Today, Google is one of the world’s most valuable technology companies.
【小题1】Which of the following is true about Google?
| A．Google’s first public stock sale began in 2005. |
| B．Google is the world’s most valuable company. |
| C．Google’s share price rose after its stock was first offered. |
| D．Google raised almost two billion dollars from its first public stock sale. |
| A．has 800 million users in the USA | B．has announced the date for its first stock sale |
| C．is the most visited website today | D．is the world’s biggest social media network |
| A．Facebook stock is being sold very well |
| B．Mark Zuckerberg will get much money from the stock sale |
| C．Mark Zuckerberg was only 27 when Facebook was founded |
| D．investment companies have bought many Facebook shares |
| A．Facebook and Its IPO | B．The Difference Between Facebook and Google |
| C．The Founder of Facebook | D．A Book Called The Facebook Effect |