首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Alan Greenspan: the Most Powerful Guy With the American’s Midterm Elections over, and a new Commander-in-Chief about to step
Alan Greenspan: the Most Powerful Guy With the American’s Midterm Elections over, and a new Commander-in-Chief about to step
admin
2010-07-24
27
问题
Alan Greenspan: the Most Powerful Guy
With the American’s Midterm Elections over, and a new Commander-in-Chief about to step in, some Americans are a little nervous about the nation’s future. But others feel secure, knowing that the man they consider the most powerful person in the world isn’t going anywhere.
Just who is this behind-the-scenes guy they think has more power than George W. Bush ever will? He’s Alan Greenspan, a 74-year-old expert economist who heads the Federal Reserve, commonly known as the Fed.
Unlike the president, who has to please the voters and compromise with Congress, Greenspan doesn’t have to answer to anyone.
But that doesn’t mean his job is easy.
Basically, Greenspan is in charge of keeping the nation’s economy stable. The economy is sort of like a balloon: blow in too much air, and it pops. But with too little air, it falls to the floor. Greenspan helps decide when to blow more air into the economy. In this case, the air in a balloon is. the amount of money in the economy. Greenspan can make the economy grow by increasing the money supply, or keep the economy from inflating too much by decreasing the money supply. His goal is for the economy to grow and contract gradually. Rapid changes can harm businesses and consumers.
Translating "Greenspan—Speak"
In a speech lately, Greenspan hinted the Fed was concerned the economy might be slowing down too fast. What Greenspan actually said was that the Fed should "remain alert to the possibility that greater caution and weakening asset values in financial markets could signal or precipitate(促成) an excessive softening in household and business spending. "But what investors heard was: "I may lower interest rates which will make it easier for the companies you are investing in to borrow money. That means they’ll expand and their stock will be worth more in the future."
Within hours of Greenspan’s remarks, so many investors bought stocks that the Dow Jones and the NASDAQ rose by three percent and ten percent that day. The value of some companies went up by millions of dollars, just because investors had confidence in Greenspan’s words.
Increasing Influence
But Greenspan doesn’t just work magic by talking. He was educated at New York University and Columbia and appointed to his job in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan. And he’s credited with steering the country through some difficult times since then, including a serious stock market crash just after he took the job.
Another reason Greenspan has become almost a celebrity in America, is that more people are paying attention to the stock market than ever before. It used to be that only rich people and powerful corporations had the extra money to invest in stocks. But the U.S. economy has done so well in recent years, that more and more ordinary people are investing in stocks.
Who is Greenspan?
He’s a native New Yorker. His first focus was music: He attended New York’s Julliard School and toured the country for a year in the early 1940s, playing in the Henry Jerome swing band(摇摆乐队). If nothing else, friends believe, this experience of US travel gave him the ability to connect dispassionate(不带感情的) economic theories with the individuals they affect.
"The most outstanding thing about his is he knows the American economy…," says friend Herbert Stein, an economist.
A swing into economics carried him straight into moderate Republican politics. He advised Richard Nixon in his 1968 campaign, and served briefly in the Bureau of the Budget.
Seven years later, he returned to government service, replacing Mr. Stein as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the final days of Nixon presidency. He agreed only after being assured that Vice President Ford would keep him.
In that role, he helped formulate the inflation—fighting blueprint of the 1970s that reduced inflation from 11 to 6.5 percent.
Greenspan is also known for taking hot morning baths that last as long as an hour, with his inbox within reach. The practice began years ago to counter a bad back.
That has not kept him off Washington’s tennis courts, where he is renowned competitor. "I found his intensity remarkable and his approach shot serious," says one of Greenspan’s partners.
Married to NBC newswoman Andrea Mitchell, Greenspan is also famous for his syntax(句法), or rather, the way it conceals virtually anything that could be said to be an opinion. This is partly the result of the natural silence of Fed officials, who understand that markets hang on their every word. But it is also part of Greenspan’s personality.
One friend remembers encountering him in an airport, after violent storms had almost shut down air traffic on the East Coast. Asked about the weather, the Fed chairman said hesitantly that is was "OK."
"He couldn’t even bring himself to be conclusive about the weather!" says’ the friend.
Greenspan’s Next Move
After years of very high growth, the American economy is starting to slow down. Recently, corporations have been making less money and people are starting to have a harder time finding jobs.
Greenspan is hoping to ease the economy into a soft landing—to make the car come to a gentle stop instead of hitting a brick wall. If he succeeds, the country will avoid two possible problems: rising prices and high unemployment.
At the Fed’s meeting, Greenspan and the other members decided that the economy was growing at an OK rate, but that there is a possibility of a serious slowdown. If they are worried that the whole economy is starting to sink, they could lower interest rates at the next meeting in an attempt to encourage people to borrow and spend.
While there’s no way to know what they will decide, one thing is certain: the decisions that Greenspan and the Federal Reserve Board make will affect everyone who earns, borrows or spends money.
People are starting to have a harder time finding jobs is mentioned to show that ____________.
选项
答案
American economy is starting to slow down
解析
综合理解题。文中本段第一句说“美国经济曾经的高增长现在已经减速。”然后又在第二句中提到了“公司挣钱少了,人们找工作难了。”很明显,第二句的内容是为了证明第一句的观点。所以,“人们找工作难了”为了证明“美国经济开始减速。”本题在解答时,要注意综合考虑上下文的逻辑关系。
转载请注明原文地址:https://jikaoti.com/ti/cdEFFFFM
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
ManystudentswanttofindfriendsontheInternetasawayofpracticingtheirlanguage【C1】______andlearningmoreaboutnewcu
A、ThemanshouldhelpBillwithhisVCR.B、ThemanshouldreadtheinstructionsforprogramminghisVCR.C、Themanshouldtryto
Itisdifficulttoimaginewhatlifewouldbelikewithoutmemory.Themeaningsofthousandsofeveryday【S1】______,thebasesfo
AmericanEnglishisanothervarietyoftheEnglishlanguagespokenintheUnitedStates.AlthoughallAmericansdonotspeakthe
Thiswould____________(证明非常有益)toapersonwhomayhavelostabodyorgansuchasakidney,scientistscouldclonethatparticul
TheAmericaneconomicsystemisorganizedaroundabasicallyprivate-enterprise,market-orientedeconomyinwhichconsumerslarg
WilliamAppleton,authorofarecentbookentitledFathersandDaughters,believesthatitisawoman’srelationshipwithherfa
A、Becauseitcomesbymail.B、Becauseitarrivesafewdaysearlier.C、Becauseitismuchcheaper.D、Becauseitisinconvenient
A、Howtodealwiththeproblemsinafamily.B、Howtoaskaneighbourtoturndownthemusic.C、Howtogetalongwiththosenot
A、Sheisbreakingherdiet.B、Sheisasbigasahorse.C、Sheisworryingaboutherweight.D、Sheiswatchinghorserace.A题目问通过
随机试题
A.复方枇杷喷托维林颗粒B.复方樟脑酊C.氯胺酮注射液D.氨酚氢可酮片属于含特殊药品复方制剂的是()。
某商业综合楼发生火灾时,其建筑内烟气呈水平流动和垂直流动。问题:对主体为耐火结构的该商业综合楼来说,造成烟气蔓延的主要原因有哪些?
下列属于Excel单元格格式对话框中数字标签的选项有()。
广西境内()地貌光布,集中连片分布于桂西南、桂西北、桂中和桂东北。
青岛市国家重点文物保护单位有()。
66,79,93,108,( )
建造一间占地面积12平方米的背面靠墙的鸡舍,底面为长方形,鸡舍正面的造价为120元/平方米,侧面的造价为80元/平方米,屋顶造价为1120元/平方米,墙高3米,则最低总造价为
社会主义民主是
下列关于RPR技术的描述中,错误的是()。
CrypticColoringCrypticcoloringisbyfarthecommonestuseofcolorinthestruggleforexistence.Itisemployedforthe
最新回复
(
0
)