2018年可锐考研英语阅读模拟试题和名师解析.docxVIP

可锐教育官网 2018年可锐考研英语阅读模拟试题及名师解析（三） When it comes tothe slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nailsjust yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn’t cutting, fillingor polishing as many nails as she’d like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, butlast month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames thesoftening economy. “I’m a good economic indicator,” she says. “I provide aservice that people can do without when they’re concerned aboutsaving some dollars。” So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillard’s departmentstore near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. “I don’t know ifother clients are going to abandon me, too” she says。 　　Even before Alan Greenspan’s admission thatAmerica’s red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seensigns of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, saleshave 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, expertssay, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year’s pace. Butdon’t sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only mildly concerned,not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy’s long-termprospects, even as they do some modest belt-tightening。 　　Consumers say they’re not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their ownfortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in mostregions. 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 BarbaraCorcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenziedoverbidding quiets. “Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three,” says johnTealdi, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel prettycomfortable about their ability to