Question

　 Many families in the United States have a large income now than ever before, but people are finding it difficult to make ends meet anyway. Almost everyone is wondering, “What happens to all my money? I never seem to have anything left to put away. ”

　 Why isn’t a dollar worth as much as it used to be? One dollar is always worth the same amount, that is, 100 cents. But the value of a dollar is how much it can buy. The value of money depends on the cost of living. Economists say that the cost of living is the money that a family must pay for the necessities of life such as food, housing or rent, clothes, and medical expenses. For many years now, the cost of living has increased greatly, so the value of the dollar has decreased. When a dollar has a low value, you cannot buy as many things with it.

　 No one fully understands why the cost of living keeps increasing, but economists believe that workers and producers can make process go up. As workers earn more money, they have more money to spend, so they demand more goods. If there a a great demand for certain goods, the prices of these goods go up. At the same time, if there’s a shortage of goods, the prices also go up. For example, if everyone wants to buy more and more gas, the price of gas goes up. When companies which hold gas from buyers, they can also make the price of gas go up.

　 Families need to know what happens to their money. They need to make their income meet the cost of living, so many people plan a family budget. A budget is a list of monthly expenses. If your expenses add up to more than your income, you must find ways to save money. Maybe you’re spending too much on entertainment. Or if you’re spending too much on clothes; you may want to sew your own clothes. budgeting helps you spend your money wisely as the cost of living increases.

1. What has troubled many families in the United States?

　 A. A not-large-enough income.

　 B. Nothing is left over to put away.

　 C. The increasing cost of living.

　 D. A shortage of certain goods.

2. ____ determines the value of the dollar.

　 A. The government

　 B. The cost of living

　 C. The economist

　 D. The bank

3. While the cost of living increases, the value of the dollar ____.

　 A. increases too

　 B. decreases

　 C. neither increases nor decreases

　 D. seldom decreases

4. When ____, the prices go up.

　 A. demand exceeds(超过) supply

　 B. supply exceeds demand

　 C. demand doesn’t exceed supply

　 D. supply equals demand

5. Budgeting helps ____.

　 A. one to make his income meet the cost of living

　 B. the government to battle the rising cost of living

　 C. merchants(商人)to produce more goods

　 D. the workers to earn more money

 

Answer 1

1. 选【C】。这是一道细节理解题。答案可以从第一、第二段中找到。文章第一段中说到，

　　　　　 在美国很多家庭的收入现在比以往要高，但还是很难做到收支平衡。那么原因

　　　　　 何在？这在第二段中可以找到。那是因为很多年来，生活费用大幅度增加，这

　　　　　 样美元的价值就相对降低了，所以选项C“生活费用的增加”是困扰很多美国

　　　　　 家庭的原因。

2. 选【B】。这是一道细节理解题。本题意为：什么决定美金的价值？这在第二段中可找到。

　　　　 　第二段第四句说明了这个问题，即：美金的价值由生活费用而定，所以选B。

3. 选【B】。这是一道细节理解题。在第二段倒数第二句中可找到答案。“多年来，生活费

　　　　　 用大幅度地增加，所以美元的价值就降低了”，因此选B。

4. 选【A】。这是一道细节理解题。本题意为：什么情况下价格会上涨？答案在第三段第三

　　　　　 句中找到。该句为：对于某些商品，如果供小于求，这些东西就会涨价。同样，

　　　　　 如果货物短缺，物价也会上涨。所以选项A是惟一正确的答案，即当供不应求

　　　　　 时，价格就上涨。

5. 选【A】。这是一道细节理解题。答案在文章最后一段中可找到。这里的预算是指家庭按

　　　　　 月度消费的记账单。如果你的消费总数大于你的收入，就必须找出省钱的办法；

　　　　　 当生活费用增加时，预算会帮助你在花钱上精明起来。所以选项A“预算帮助

　　　　　 你收支相抵。”是正确答案。