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  3. U. S. import prices recorded the biggest drop in five months in November as food and fuel costs tumbled (下跌), keeping inflation

U. S. import prices recorded the biggest drop in five months in November as food and fuel costs tumbled (下跌), keeping inflation

admin2023-01-30  1
问题     U. S. import prices recorded the biggest drop in five months in November as food and fuel costs tumbled (下跌), keeping inflation pressures subdued against the backdrop of a weak economy.
    The Labor Department said on Wednesday import prices fell 0.9 percent after three straight months of gains. October’s data was revised to show a 0.3 percent increase rather than the previously reported 0.5 percent gain. Economists polled by Reuters had expected import prices to fall 0.5 percent last month. In the 12 months to November, import prices fell 1.6 percent. Stripping out fuels and food prices, import prices dipped 0.1 percent as the cost of capital goods fell by the most since March 2010 and automobile prices were flat, indicating that broader inflation pressures remained benign (良性的).
    "The global economy is restraining prices here and abroad. This indicates global demand is soft and will remain soft in the near term," said Gus Faucher, a senior economist at PNC Financial Services in Pittsburgh. "This adds to the perception that inflation is not a concern. "
    The tame inflation environment should allow the Federal Reserve to stay on its ultra-easy monetary policy course as it tries to nurse the economy back to health. Officials at the U.S. central bank resume policy deliberations on Wednesday and are expected to reaffirm the Fed’s accommodative stance (立场) at the end of the two-day meeting.
    Data on Thursday is expected to show that weak energy costs depressed wholesale prices in November for a second month in a row, according to a Reuters survey of economists. Last month, imported petroleum prices fell 3.6 percent after slipping 0.2 percent in October. Imported food prices fell 1.3 percent, the biggest decline since February, after edging up 0.2 percent the prior month. Elsewhere, imported capital goods prices fell 0.3 percent after being flat in October. Imported motor vehicle prices were unchanged after rising 0.3 percent the previous month.
    The Labor Department report also showed export prices fell 0.7 percent last month, the largest drop since June. Export prices were flat in October. Export prices were last month weighed down by declines in prices for industrial supplies and materials. Prices for nonagricultural supplies and materials also fell as did prices for consumer goods excluding automobiles.

What prediction can be made based on the recent import prices and the automobile prices?
选项 A、The U.S. import prices would face another big drop.
B、The economy could be under greater pressure.
C、The general inflation pressure would be mild.
D、The Labor Department may change the import policy.
答案C
解析 由题干中的the recent import prices and the automobile prices定位到第二段最后一句。推理判断题。由定位句可知，剔除燃料和食品价格，进口价格下降了0．1％，因为自2010年3月以来，资本货物成本创下最大跌幅，而汽车价格保持平稳，这都说明较大的通胀压力依然处在良性阶段。由此推断出C)为正确答案。
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