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  3. The cash-for-clunkers program turned out to be a boon for Asian automakers and the small cars they specialize in. While American

The cash-for-clunkers program turned out to be a boon for Asian automakers and the small cars they specialize in. While American

admin2012-12-01  50
问题     The cash-for-clunkers program turned out to be a boon for Asian automakers and the small cars they specialize in. While American government officials hailed the monthlong program, which ended this week, as an overall stimulus to the economy, the biggest winner was Toyota, which accounted for 19 percent of all sales and had two of the top three best-selling models.
    Detroit’s three automakers — General Motors, Ford and Chrysler — accounted for 38.6 percent of the vehicles sold. That figure is substantially less than the 45 percent combined market share that the Detroit companies posted in the first seven months of the year, while Japan’s largest automakers — Toyota, Honda and Nissan — sold 41 percent of the new vehicles in the program, compared with the 34 percent combined share they had through July of this year. The Toyota Corolla was the top seller, followed by the Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Ford Focus and Hyundai Elantra.
    The success of Toyota and the other Asian automakers was driven by the type of cars in their showrooms. Participants in the clunkers program clearly were interested in downsizing to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. About 84 percent of the clunkers traded in were trucks, and 59 percent of the vehicles purchased were cars.
    The interest in small cars, however, could be a hopeful sign for the American auto companies as well. Ford is betting that consumer tastes will continue to shift away from big vehicles, and is bringing out new versions of the Focus and Fiesta subcompact G.M. and Chrysler have indicated that their postbankruptcy dealer showrooms will feature more small cars — and fewer trucks.
    Over all, the clunker program will have an impact on lowering fuel consumption, albeit a small one given the number of vehicles involved. The average fuel economy of the vehicles turned in was just under 16 miles per gallon, compared with an average of almost 25 miles per gallon for vehicles bought in the program.
    A preliminary analysis of the program by the Obama administration said that third-quarter economic growth has been 0.4 percent higher because of auto sales in July and August. In addition, G.M., Ford and Honda all announced that they would increase production at some United States plants because of the increased demand generated by cash for clunkers.
    Virtually every automaker reported increased showroom traffic because of the program. Just getting prospective buyers back into dealerships brought some measure of relief to an industry stuck in its worst sales slump in 25 years.
    Industry analysts said the surge in interest would be followed by a letdown now that the program was over. "Cash for clunkers distorted the market in a way that benefited the industry for four weeks," said Jeremy Anwyl, chief executive of the auto-research Web site Edmunds.com. "Now the payback begins." Mr. Anwyl predicted that consumers might face higher prices on some models that were depleted by clunker sales. Also, manufacturers have little incentive to provide their own sales incentives because inventories are low.
Which of the following does the author probably agree about the program’s effect?
选项 A、It has succeeded in boosting the nation’s economy.
B、It has benefited the American automakers in some ways.
C、It has lowered the fuel consumption in America.
D、It has attracted more overseas consumers into America market.
答案B
解析 推理判断题。根据第四段，作者说消费者对小型汽车的青睐对美国汽车公司来说也是一个良好的信号，然后举例证明。又根据第六段第二句，旧车换现金活动使汽车需求增加，其中包括美国通用、福特。由此可以推断作者会同意[B]的说法。文章两次提到此次活动促进了经济增长的观点，第一处是首段第二句前半部分，美国政府把这个活动誉为对经济增长的全面刺激；但后半句表示了转折的含义，说最大的赢家是日本车商(作者花了大量篇幅说明，如前三段)。第二处是第六段第一句，政府分析报告中说，因为得益于七八月份的汽车销量，今年美国第三季度经济增长了O．4％：但接着在最后一段阐明了此次活动的副作用。[A]说法绝对，因此排除。第五段首句的意思是活动对降低燃油消费量具有一定的推动作用，但不是说已经降低了燃油消费量，排除[C]。[D]未在原文提及。
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