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  3. Amid weak job and housing markets, consumers are saving more and spending less than they have in decades, and industry professio

Amid weak job and housing markets, consumers are saving more and spending less than they have in decades, and industry professio

admin2012-02-02  57
问题     Amid weak job and housing markets, consumers are saving more and spending less than they have in decades, and industry professionals expect that trend to continue. Consumers saved 6.4 percent of their after-tax income in June. Before the recession, the rate was 1 to 2 percent for many years. In June, consumer spending and personal incomes were essentially flat compared with May, suggesting that the American economy, as dependent as it is on shoppers opening their wallets and purses, isn’t likely to rebound anytime soon.
    On the bright side, the practices that consumers have adopted in response to the economic crisis ultimately could make them happier. New studies of consumption and happiness show, for instance, that people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects, when they relish what they plan to buy long before they buy it, and when they stop trying to outdo the Joneses.
    If consumers end up sticking with their newfound spending habits, some tactics (策略) that retailers and marketers began using during the recession could become lasting business strategies. Among those strategies are offering goods that makes being at home more entertaining and trying to make consumers feel special by giving them access to exclusive events and more personal customer service.
    While the current round of stinginess may simply be a response to the economic downturn, some analysts say consumers may also be permanently adjusting their spending based on what they’ve discovered about what truly makes them happy or fulfilled.
    "This actually is a topic that hasn’t been researched very much until recently," says Elizabeth W. Dunn, an associate professor in the psychology department at the University of British Columbia, who is at the forefront of research on consumption and happiness. "There’s massive literature on income and happiness. It’s amazing how little there is on how to spend your money."
    Studies over the last few decades have shown that money, up to a certain point, makes people happier because it lets them meet basic needs. The latest round of research is, for lack of a better term, all about emotional efficiency: how to reap the most happiness for your dollar.
    So just where does happiness reside for consumers? Scholars and researchers haven’t determined whether Armani will put a bigger smile on your face than Dolce & Gabbana. But they have found that our types of purchases, their size and frequency, and even the timing of the spending all affect long-term happiness.
    One major finding is that spending money for an experience — concert tickets, French lessons, sushi-rolling classes, a hotel room in Monaco — produces longer-lasting satisfaction than spending money on plain old stuff.
    ’"It’s better to go on a vacation than buy a new couch’ is basically the idea," says Professor Dunn.
    Thomas DeLeire, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin discovered that the only category to be positively related to happiness was leisure: vacations, entertainment, sports and equipment like golf clubs and fishing poles.
What’s the dark side of American consumers’ saving more and spending less?
选项 A、The job and housing markets will become even weaker.
B、There is little hope that the American economy will recover soon.
C、More and more retailers and marketers will have to go bankrupt.
D、It’s possible that the American economy will rebound sooner.
答案B
解析 根据题干中的American、consumers和spending将本题出处定位到首段末句。该句提到，6月份，消费者支出和个人收入基本上跟5月份持平，前面提到今年6月份，消费者将其税后收入的6．4％存了下来，在衰退前的许多年中，这一比例一直在1％到2％之间徘徊。由此可知，消费者现在是saving more and spending less(存得多花得少)，而这一现象表明the American economy…isn’t likely to rebound anytime soon(美国经济…不可能很快反弹)，[B]正是对此的同义转述，故为答案，同时排除[D]。[A]是针对首段首句设的干扰项。[C]在文中未提及，故排除。
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