For years,if not decades.banks,post offi

题库2022-08-02  34

问题 For years,if not decades.banks,post office and pubs have been disappearing on the British high street.Still,the scale and pace of the current crop of casualties seems exceptional,as well as the shortage of replacement activities.Where once the ex-banks could be readily converted into pubs,and a variety of often innovative bars and restaurants promised to breathe life into streets abandoned by traditional shops.now even those hopeful trends have been reversed.The various companies have widely varied reasons for their problems,yet together they symbolise the crisis on the high street.And the word"crisis"is justified.There are common,ancl familiar,problems.The squeeze on household incomes,with near-stagnant wage levels and bouts of relatively high inflation,has lasted since the financial crisis began a decade ago.Even with the British shopper's ingenious way of defying financial logic,and clespite the Bank of Englancl's attempts to put cheap money into borrowers'pockets.sooner or later there was bound to be a correction.While the money flowing into the high street has hardly risen.the supply of everything from cupcake stands to sandwich outlels has been expanding.pushing rents and wages higher.Huge retail developments are sLill looked on by desperate development agencies and local councils as the quick fix for any clevastated post-industrial landscape.Once again,sooner or later this vast overcapacity was going to run into the reality of weak demand.No matter how smart the store or niche the outlet,whcn overheads aren't being covered by healthy sales,the future is bleak.Overarching all of that,however,is the digital revolution,with giants such as Amazon invading new retail sectors.Less well advertised is the simple trend among the British towards entertaining and making the most of their leisure time in their very expensive homes.Why go to a public house or a restaurant when your private house is just as entertaining and where virtually any pastime or product can be transmitted via satellite,web or cable technology,and a cheap takeaway delivery and a bottle of wine are just a couple of clicks away?Britain famously was once disparaged as"nation of shopkeepers",small-minded merchants with narrow cultural and political horizons.Then the British became notorious as a"nation of shoppers",small-minded consumers with narrow cultural and political horizons,as well as an almost reckless taste for debt and disregard for saving for the future.Now the British are becoming a nation of home-lovers,with pizzas arriving by moped and with a wireless hub for cosy nights in.For the sake of the high street,we need to get out more:either that,or local councils need to think hard about allowing more shops to be converted into flats.Then the British could become a nation of ex-shop dwellers,even if their cultural and political horizons remain as narrow as ever.It can be inferred from Paragraph 3 that high street retail businessA.may reverse the trend with huge expansion.B.won't be able to sell as much as it can produce.C.is going to attract more capital sooner or later.D.is reviving due io development agencies'policy.

选项 A.may reverse the trend with huge expansion.
B.won't be able to sell as much as it can produce.
C.is going to attract more capital sooner or later.
D.is reviving due io development agencies'policy.

答案 B

解析 第三段首句介绍高街商铺的扩张;③句指出这种生产能力严重过剩迟早会与低迷的需求产生冲突,即高街的零售业会供大于求’B.是this vast overcapacity was going to run into the reality of weak demand的同义表达。[解题技巧]A.、C.、D.三项所体现的“光明前景(reverse the trend、attract more capiral、IS reviving)”均与本段主旨“高街前景黯淡(bleak)”不符,可初步排除。再逐一分析:A.与③④句中vast overcapaciiy VS weak demand、the fUlure is bleak体现的“扩张会导致供需矛盾,此举并非解决之道”相反.C.源于首句the money flowing inio the high street has hardly risen(几乎没有增加),但不能由此推知高街将来能否“吸引更多资金”;D.根据②句暗含批判意味的“零售业的巨大发展仍被发展机构视为权宜之计(quick fix)”臆断出“政策有用”。
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