Passage 3
Imagine waking up and finding the value of your assets has been halved.No,you’re not an investor in one of those hedge funds that failed completely.With the dollar slumping to a 26-year low against 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 a record low against the euro and at a 30-year low against the Canadian dollar.Even the Argentine peso 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 the strength of its currency.It’s also a potential economic problem,since a declining dollar makes imported food more expensive and exerts upward pressure on interest rates.And yet there are substantial sectors of the vast U.S.economy-from giant companies like Coca-Cola to mom-and-pop restaurant 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 to foreigners.But nothing makes people think more warmly of the U.S.than a weak dollar.Through April,the total number of visitors from abroad was up 6.8 percent from last year.Should the trend continue,the number of tourists this year will finally top the 2000 peak.Many Europeans now apparently view the U.S.the way many Americans view Mexico―as a cheap place to vacation,shop and 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,thanks in part to the weak dollar,soared 11 percent between May 2006 and May 2007.For first five months of 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-dollar gamble.Last week Coca-Cola’s stock bubbled to a five-year high after it reported a fantastic quarter.Foreign sales accounted for 65 percent of Coke’s beverage(饮料)business.Other American companies profiting from this trend include McDonald’s and IBM.
American tourists,however,shouldn’t expect any relief soon.The dollar lost strength the way many marriages break up-slowly,and then all at once.And currencies don’t turn on a dime.So if you want to avoid the pain inflicted by the increasingly pathetic dollar,cancel that summer vacation to England and look to New England.There,the dollar is still treated with a little respect.
In the author’s opinion,the weak dollar leads to the following consequences EXCEPT that( ).
根据文章内容,可知美元贬值所产生的影响:欧洲人对美国产生更多的好感,进口商品对美国人来说更加昂贵,并且也会使得美国大公司赚取更多的利润。因此本国货币贬值只会在本国受到尊重,A项错误。故本题正确答案选A。
下列关于公司的表述,正确的是()
以下各项列举了我国常见气象灾害与其发生地区的对应关系,其中正确的一项是()
根据电视收视率调査,看体育节目的观众中青年人比中老年人要多。
由此可推断出()
—种海洋蜗牛产生的毒素含有多种蛋白,把其中的一种给老鼠注射后,会使有两星期大或更小的老鼠陷入睡眠状态,而使大一点的老鼠躲藏起来。当老鼠受到突然的严重威胁时,非常小的那些老鼠的反应是呆住,而较大的那些老鼠会逃跑。
以上陈述的事实最有力地支持了以下哪项假说?()
疾病控制中心对某校髙中三个年级的学生进行抽样做视力状况调查,抽样的方法为分层抽样(按比例抽样),若高中一、二、三年级学生人数分别为626、703、780,样本容量为84,则应从离二年级抽样的学生人数为多少?()