Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (40 minutes）
Section C
Directions：There are 2 passages in this section．Each passage is followed by some questions orunfinished statements．For each of them there arefour choices marked A，B，CandD．You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through the centre．
Passage Two
Questions 5l to 55 are based on the following passage．
In the past，falling oil prices have given a boost to the world economy，but recent forecasts forglobal growth have been toned down．even as oil prices sink lower and lower．Does that mean the linkbetween lower oil prices and growth has weakened?
Some experts say there are still good reasons to believe cheap oil should heat up the worldeconomy．Consumers have more money in their pockets when they’re paying less at the pump．Theyspend that money off other things，which stimulates the economy．
The biggest gains go to countries that import most of their oil like China．Japan．and India．Butdoesn't the extra money in the pockets of those countries' consumers mean an equal loss inoil-producing countries, cancelling out the gains? Not necessarily, say economic researcher SaraJohnson. "Many oil producers built up huge reserve funds when priceswere high, so when prices fallthey will draw on their reserves to support government spending and subsidies (补贴) for theirconsumers.
But not all oil producers have big reserves. In Venezuela, collapsing oil prices have sent itseconomy into free-fall.
Economist Carl Weinberg believes the negative effects of plunging oil prices are overwhelming thepositive effects of cheaper oil. The implication is a sharp decline in global trade, which has plungedpartly because oil-producing nations can't afford to import as much as they used to.
Sara Johnson acknowledges that the global economic benefit from a fall in oil prices today is likelylower than it was in the past. One reason is that more countries are big oil producers now, so thenations suffering from the price drop account for a larger share of the global economy.
Consumers, in the U.S. at least, are acting cautiously with the savings they're getting at the gaspump, as the memory of the recent great recession is still fresh in their mind. And a number ofoil-producing countries are trimming their gasoline subsidies and raising taxes, so the net savings forglobal consumers is not as big as the oil price plunge might suggest.
51. What does the author mainly discuss in the passage?
A. The reasons behind the plunge of oil prices.
B. Possible ways to stimulate the global economy.
C. The impact of chape oil on global economic growth.
D. The effect of falling oil prices on consumer spending.
参考答案：C
52. Why do some experts believe cheap oil will stimulate the global economy?
A. Manufacturers can produce consumer goods at a much lower cost.
B. Lower oil prices have always given a big boost to the global economy.
C. Oil prices may rise or fall but economic laws are not subject to change.
D. Consumers will spend their savings from cheap oil on other commodities.
53. What happens in many oil-exporting countries when oil prices go down?
参考答案：D
A. They suspend import of necessities from overseas.
B. They reduce production drastically to boost oil prices.
C. They use their money reserves to back up consumption.
D. They try to stop their economy from going into free-fall.
参考答案：C
54. How does Carl Weinberg view the current oil price plunge?
A. It is one that has seen no parallel in economic history.
B. Its negative effects more than cancel out its positive effects.
C. It still has a chance to give rise to a boom in the global economy.
D. Its effects on the global economy go against existing economic laws.
参考答案：B
55. Why haven't falling oil prices boosted the global economy as they did before?
A. People are not spending all the money they save on gas.
B. The global economy is likely to undergo another recession.
C. Oil importers account for a larger portion of the global economy.
D. People the world over are afraid of a further plunge in oil prices.
参考答案：A