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  3. When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn’ t cutting

When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn’ t cutting

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问题    When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn’t biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn’ t cutting, filing or polishing as many nails as she’ d like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. "I’m a good economic indicator," she says. "I provide a service that people can do without when they’re concerned about saving some dollars." So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middlebrow Dillard’s department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. "I don’t know if other clients are going to abandon me, too." she says.
   Even before Alan Greenspan’s admission that America’s red-hot economy is cooling, lots of working folks had already seen signs of the slowdown themselves. From car dealerships to Gap outlets, sales have been lagging for months as shoppers temper their spending. For retailers, who last year took in 24 percent of their revenue between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the cautious approach is coming at a crucial time. Already, experts say, holiday sales are off 7 percent from last year’s pace. But don’t sound any alarms just yet. Consumers seem only mildly concerned, not panicked, and many say they remain optimistic about the economy’ s long-term prospects, even as they do some modest belt-tightening.
   Consumers say they’re not in despair because, despite the dreadful headlines, their own fortunes still feel pretty good. Home prices are holding steady in most regions. In Manhattan, "there’ s a new gold rush happening in the $4 million to $10 million range, predominantly fed by Wall Street bonuses," says broker Barbara Corcoran. In San Francisco, prices are still rising even as frenzied overbidding quiets. "Instead of 20 to 30 offers, now maybe you only get two or three," says John Tealdi, a Bay Area real-estate broker. And most folks still feel pretty comfortable about their ability to find and keep a job.
   Many folks see silver linings to this slowdown. Potential home buyers would cheer for lower interest rates. Employers wouldn’t mind a little fewer bubbles in the job market. Many consumers seem to have been influenced by stock-market swings, which investors now view as a necessary ingredient to a sustained boom. Diners might see an upside, too. Getting a table at Manhattan’ s hot new Alain Ducasse restaurant used to be impossible. Not anymore. For that, Greenspan & Co. may still be worth toasting.
To which of the following is the author likely to agree?
选项 A、A new boom, on the horizon.
B、Tighten the belt, the single remedy.
C、Caution all right, panic not.
D、The more ventures, the more chances.
答案C
解析 主旨题。文中作者反复强调的重点信息是“不要惊慌”，也就是说事情并没有那么糟，要保 持乐观，要看到“silver linings”，因此C项“只须谨慎，不必惊慌”表达了这一含义。A项“崭新的繁 荣就在地平线”，原文只是说经济下滑的后果没那么严重，没有说是否会繁荣。B项“节俭是唯一 的办法”过于绝对，更何况此项表现的过于消极，与作者的积极态度相违背。D项“投资越多，机 会越多”，原文没有提到这个观点。
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