Imagine waking up and finding the value of your assets has been halved. No, you' re not aninvestor in one of those hedge funds that failed completely. With the dollar slumping to a 26-year lowagainst the pound, already-expensive London has become quite unaffordable. A coffee at Starbucks,just as unavoidable in England as it is in the United States, runs about $8.
The once .all-powerful dollar isn' t doing a Titanic against just the pound. It is sitting at arecord low against the euro and at a 30-year low against the Canadian dollar. Even the Argentinepeso and Brazilian real are thriving against the dollar.
The weak dollar is a source of humiliation, for a nation's self-esteem rests in part on thestrength of its currency. It's also a potential economic problem, since a declining dollar makesimported food more expensive and exerts upward pressure on interest rates. And yet there aresubstantial sectors of the vast U. S. economy——from giant companies like Coca-Cola to mom-and-poprestaurant operators in Miami——for which the weak dollar is most excellent news.
Many Europeans may view the U. S. as an. arrogant superpower that has become hostile toforeigners. But nothing makes people think more warmly of the U.S. than a weak dollar. ThroughApril, the total number of visitors from abroad was up 6.8 percent from last year. Should the trendcontinue, the number of tourists this year will finally top the 2000 peak? Many Europeans nowapparently view the U. S. the way many Americans view Mexico——as a cheap place to vacation, shopand party, all while ignoring the fact that the poorer locals can' t afford to join the merrymaking.
The money tourists spend helps decrease our chronic trade deficit. So do exports, which thanksin part to the weak dollar, soared 11 percent between May 2006 and May 2007. For first five monthsof 2007, the trade deficit actually fell 7 percent from 2006.
If you own shares in large American corporations, you' re a winner in the weak
…… 《高校英语专业四级考试大纲》规定考生能读懂英美**出版的中等难度的文章和材料,能掌握所读材料的主旨大意,了解说明主旨大意的事实和细节,既理解字面意义,又能根据所读材料进行判断和推理;既理解个别句字的意义,又能根据所读材料进行判断和推理;既理解个别句子的意义,也理解上下文的逻辑关系。《英语专业四级考试·阅读精练200篇》的编写旨在为考生提供有针对性的阅读材料,便于考生加强练习,帮助考生达到《大纲》所规定的要求。
本书密切结合*新《高校英语专业英语教学大纲》和《高校英语专业四级考试大纲》(2004.年新版),广泛地参考了诸多同类习题集的优缺点,尽可能全面地考虑了处于该阶段的学生在学习和阅读时可能碰到的问题,是为准备参加全国英语专业四级考试的广大考生精心准备的辅导用书。本书所选的语料涵盖面广——语段内容涉及文学、科技、商务、法律、历史等方面;代表性强——所涵盖的题型具有典型性;仿真性高——从语料的选择(比如语料的难度、长短)到题目的编写,都是以*近几年的英语专业四级考试全真试题为准绳的。
本书共由三个主体部分和三个附录组成。主体部分分别为2004年版*新《高校英语专业四级考试大纲》介绍,新大纲下的专业四级阅读及解题技巧,阅读实战200篇。其中**部分系统介绍了《高校英语专业四级考试大纲》(2004.年新版),并对英语专业四级考试的改革进程进行全面回顾和总结;第二部分简要地介绍了专业四级考试中阅读理解的题型及解题技巧,对各种题型及其解题技巧进行了精辟的归纳和总结;第三部分为阅读实战部分,也是本书的核心部分,在此,编者精选了200篇各种题材的阅读材料,从各个不同角度对其进行分析出题,并给所有的题目都配以详尽的解析(见附录二)。在紧接着的三个附录中,分别给考生准备了近两年的英语专业四级阅读全真试题及参考答案,实战200题参考答案及试题详解及**单词词汇表。
在本书的编写过程中,编者结合自己对阅读的体会及在阅读教学实践中积累的经验,深入浅出地归纳总结了专业四级阅读技巧,精心设计了200篇阅读文章及理解试题。其中大部分试题经过了同阶段英语专业学生的使用,以检验其有效度和实用性,都取得了预期的效果。需要特别说明的是,由于本书所选用的阅读材料涉及面较广,所以没有在文章中一一注明出处。另外在本书的编写和出版过程中,重庆大学出版社给予了很大的支持和帮助,在此特向他们致以谢意!
编者想借此向广大备考专四的学生朋友们提几点期望。我们编写本书的初衷当然是希望广大学生朋友们能在本书的帮助下顺利通过英语专业四级考试,但希望读者明白的是:应试虽然重要,但不是**位的;提高自己的阅读水平、培养自己的语感才是*重要的。阅读对于我们扩展视野、拓宽知识面、提高自身修养等方面的重要性是再怎么高估都不为过的。读得越多,读得越细,我们对语言的掌控当然就越好。本书的选材涉及面广,内容丰富多样,如果使用得当,不仅能够帮助读者在专四考试中取得理想的成绩,还能有助于读者全面提高语言水平。鉴于此,建议读者在做完阅读理解之后,勤于回过头去温习总结,从每篇文章中吸取对自己有益的成分,同时挑选部分自己感兴趣并且觉得用语措辞也不寻常的语段或语篇,仔细地品味研读。这样,整本书的效应才会得到*大程度的发挥,读者朋友们也必定能在这本书的帮助下取得很大的进步。
鉴于编者水平所限,时间仓促,书中缺点、欠妥乃至错误之处在所难免,恳望同行专家及广大读者不吝指正,以便再版时修订、补充。