题材: 经济类
Passage One
In order to compare national income figure for two or more years, economists adjust the national income to include inflation or deflation (通货紧缩). The adjusted figure is called real national income.
National income figures show the rate at which a nation`s economy changes. These figures also show the stability of the economy. For example, the economy may be unstable if national income varies greatly from year to year. National income figures also show how income is distributed in the forms of wages, interest, profits and rent. In the United States, wages, salaries and employee benefits account for about 75 percent of the national income. Interest , profits and rents provide the rest of the national income.
Both government and industry adjust their budgets in terms of the level, distribution, and rate of change in national income. If national income falls, for example, the government might decrease taxes in order to allow people more after—tax income to spend. If people spent this additional income on goods and services, business activity would rise. As a result, more jobs would be created, and national income would increase.
【Useful Expressions】
1 compare: v. contrast 比较 comparison: n. in comparison with …. 与….相比
2 figure: n. data 数据
3 adjust: vt. revise, regulate 调整
4 inflation: n. 通货膨胀
5 rate: n. speed 比例，速率
6 stability: n. constancy / steady state 稳定性，stable: adj. steady / constant 稳定的，持久不变的
7 vary: v. alter /change 改变
8 distribute: v. allocate /allot/assign 分配 distribution: n.
9 in terms of: with regard to / from the point of view of 从….观点来看，至于，关于
10 additional: adj. extra / added 额外的
【Grammar】
1 National income figures show the rate at which a nation`s economy changes.
at which 介词加引导词的定语从句，修饰先行词rate, 引导词which是介词at的宾语。
翻译：国民收入数据表明一个国家经济变化的速率。
Passage Two
The resignation of Brian Dunn as boss of Best Buy, America's biggest consumer-electronics retailer, on April 10th came with a whiff of scandal. Best Buy had been conducting a probe into his "personal conduct": Mr Dunn appears to have quit rather than wait for the result. It is a sad end to a fairytale 27-year career at the company, where Mr Dunn worked his way up from selling stereos on the shop floor to become only the third chief executive in the retailer's 46-year history.
It was unclear whether his departure may also have had something to do with a new strategy, recently introduced by Mr Dunn, to try to dig the company out of a deepening hole. It included the planned closure of so big stores, pening some smaller ones and shedding 400 people (mostly in corporate and support roles) from its 180,000-strong workforce.
【Useful Expressions】
1 resignation n. 辞职;放弃;辞职书;顺从
2 retailer n. 零售商;传播的人
3 whiff n. 一点点
4 scandal n. 丑闻
5 conduct vt. 管理;引导;表现 vi. 导电;带领 n. 进行;行为;实施
6 fairytale adj. 童话式的;童话中才有的;优美无比的
7 departure n. 离开;出发;违背
8 strategy n. 策略，战略，对策
9 pen vt. 把围入栏圈;把关起来;关押，囚禁：
10 shedding v. 脱落(shed的ing形式)n. 脱落;蜕落
【Grammar】
rather than (要)…而不…，与其…倒不如…;
例句：The dress she bought was beautiful rather than cheap.
He is an opportunist rather than a statesman.
【长难句解析】
It was unclear whether his departure may also have had something to do with a new strategy, recently introduced by Mr Dunn, to try to dig the company out of a deepening hole.
目前尚不清楚，他的离开是否会和MR Dunn的引进的新策略有关，这个策略是尝试把公司从深渊中拯救出来。
解析：本句是由whether 引起的主语从句，it是形式主语。
Passage Three
It is too much to expect one man single-handedly to rescue Sony, the Japanese firm which formerly made world-beating electronic products but is now almost as well-known for making losses. Even so, Kazuo Hirai, who unveiled his outlook for the company on April 12th less than a fortnight after taking its management back into Japanese hands, has had a tumultuous start.
On April 10th the company predicted it would lose 520 billion yen ($6.5 billion) in the fiscal year that ended on March 31st, the biggest loss in its 6s-year history. The new forecast, twice as bad as had been expected as recently as February, clobbered its shares, which have fallen by 40% in a year. The increased losses stemmed largely from an accounting charge: in the company's fourth consecutive year of red ink, Sony decided it could no longer carry tax losses as an asset. "The news hit me hard," Mr Hi-rai admitted.
【Useful Expressions】
1 single-handedly adv. 独力地
2 rescue vt. 营救;援救 n. 营救;援救;解救
3 well-known adj. 著名的;众所周知的;出名的，有名的
4 unveil v. 公开;原形毕露
5 outlook for …的前途;....的远景
6 fortnight n. 两星期
7 tumultuous adj. 吵闹的;骚乱的;狂暴的
网络释义
1 the fiscal year 财政年度
2 clobber vt. 击倒;痛打
3 consecutive adj. 连贯的;连续不断的
4 tax loss 赋税亏损;
【Grammar】
1 表示“几倍大小(长短;数量)”，由“倍数+ the size(length，amount……)”结构组成。
例句：The earth is forth-nine times the size of the moon. 地球是月亮的49倍大。
2 表示“……比……大几倍”，由“倍数+形容词(副词)比较级”结构组成。
例句：This box is three times bigger than that one. 这个盒子比那个盒子大三倍。
The grain output is 8 percent higher this year than that of last year. 今年比去年粮食产量增加8%。
3 表示“……是……倍”，由“倍数+ as +形容词+ as +”结构组成。
例句：Our factory is twice as big as theirs. 我们的工厂是他们的三倍。
I have three times as many as you. 我有你三倍那么多。
[注] 一倍用once，两倍用 twice。
4 还可以用by+倍数，表示增加多少倍。
例句：The production of grain has been increased by four times this year. 今年粮食产量增加了4倍。
【长难句解析】
The new forecast, twice as bad as had been expected as recently as February, clobbered its shares, which have fallen by 40% in a year.
新的预测，比早在2月的预期严重两部，这重创其股价，使其已经下跌了本年份40%。