America’s Federal Reserve cut interest rates by another quarter-point, to 3.75%. Wall Street, which had been (1)_____ for a sixt

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问题     America’s Federal Reserve cut interest rates by another quarter-point, to 3.75%. Wall Street, which had been (1)_____ for a sixth half-point cut, was disappointed. The Dow fell by 2% (2)_____ the week. The past week’s economic statistics gave mixed signals. Exports dropped by 2% in both March and April, largely (3)_____ a decline in high-tech investment (4)_____; the merchandise-trade (5)_____ widened to $458 billion in the 12 months (6)_____ April. (7)_____, the Conference Board’s index of consumer confidence was higher than (8)_____ in June.
    Concerns (9)_____ inflation in the euro area (10)_____. Preliminary data (11)_____ that German consumer-price inflation fell to 3.1% in the year to June, from 3.5% in May; wage growth (12)_____ to 1.4% in April, a real pay cut of 1.5%. Some economists fear that Germany is on the (13)_____ of recession. The IFO index of business confidence dropped more (14)_____ than expected in May, and the institute has cut its forecast of GDP (15)_____ this year to only 1.2%, well (16)_____ the German government’s forecast of 2%.
    The euro area’s current-account deficit narrowed to $30 billion in the 12 months to April. Britain’s deficit in the first quarter was its smallest (17)_____ 1998, (18)_____ record investment income.
    There was more bad news from Japan, (19)_____ retail sales in large stores fell by 3.2% in May, the 37th consecutive monthly fall. The yen fell (20)_____ the dollar, touching almost Yen 125 on one point.


选项 A、edge
B、rim
C、lip
D、brink

答案D

解析 一些经济学家担心德国处于经济衰退的边缘。本题测试点为固定搭配。on the brink of意为"在…的边缘"。
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