二、课文精解
SECTION A
1.The economic slump so many people suffered through originated in the United States with a regulatory failure of mortgages rated less risky than they turned out to be.许许多多的人正经历的这场经济萧条发端于美国。对抵押贷款监管不力，致使当时的风险评估远低于现在的最终结果。
（1）本句语法结构较为复杂，主句为The economic slump originated in the United States.主语包含一个定语从句，最后是一个with引导的状语从句。
经过歌词
（2）suffer through是“挨过，挺过去”的意思，例：At least Alice and I will never have to suffer through another Cleveland winter.至少我和爱丽丝不用再忍受克利夫兰的寒冬了。与suffer from意思相近，但suffer from常指“患有，受害于”，例：Many kids suffer from acne and angst.许多年轻人都会受到青春痘和焦虑的困扰。
意思稍有不同。
（3）rate作动词有“评估；估价；划分等级”等义，这里表示对抵押贷款的风险评估。
白酒加大蒜2.As large numbers of homeowners proved unable to repay their loans,the companies that had the oversight and tho that owned the loans(as well as their subsidiaries and their shareholders)lost sizable amounts of money.由于大量的房产所有人无法偿还贷款，负责监管的公司、放贷的公司（以及其子公司及股份持有者）都损失了大笔的金钱。
（1）本句包含了as引导的原因状语从句，从句省略了be动词，相当于：As large numbers of homeowners(were)proved unable to repay
（2）主句部分包含and连接的两个并列主语，其中tho指代the companies。
3.She wound up at a motel putting down the$260she had managed to scrape together from friends and from lling her living room t.她最后在一家汽车宾馆落脚，交付了260美元的订金，这还是她设法从朋友那以及卖掉家具后凑齐的，是苏在失业救济金被终止后所有的余钱。
（1）wound为动词wind的过去式。固定搭配wind up表示“最终沦落到；最终落得；
家长会反思
(以……)告终”等意思。例：He could wind up in jail.他可能最后会进监狱。（2）put down在本句中表示“付（定金）”。该词组还有“贬低；记下；镇压”等义。（3）动词scrape意为“刮掉；削去；擦伤”等，scrape up则表示“（艰难地）凑齐，筹集”，例：They only just managed to scrape the money together他们只是勉强凑够了钱。
4.She faced life as a migrant,a previously unimaginable situation for a woman who, not that long before,had held a corporate job in a large metropolitan city and was enrolled in a graduate business school.她面临流浪生活，这在以前是难以想象的，而她不久以前都还在大都市里一家公司供职，并就读于商学院研究生班。
（1）本句中包含一个非限定性定语从句，主句部分为She faced life as a migrant.从句从来说明整个句子，从句部分相当于(which is)a previously unimaginable situation…，省略了which is。
（2）not that long before中的that是程度副词，表示“那么，那样”。
5.Modest payments of unemployment benefits were a lifeline that enabled people who were out-of-work to maintain at least an appearance of normalcy,keeping a roof over their heads,putting gas in their cars,paying electric and phone bills.些许的失业救济金对那些失去工作的人来说可是救命钱，这使他们不至于形貌落魄，无立足
之地；不至于无钱加油，缴不起电费话费。
（1）modest除了可以表示“谦虚的；朴素的”，本句中指“些许的，不多的”，相当于minor。
（2）lifeline意为“（水上救援的）救生索；生命线”。这里表示“救命钱”。
（3）keep a roof over one’s head表示“让某人有住的地方”。该句最后的三个现在分词都是伴随状语。
6.The last aspects of their former working-class or middle-class lives were gone, and all of them faced unsure futures.原有工薪阶层或中产阶级的最后一抹荣光也已消逝不再，所有人都前途未卜。
（1）aspect在这里不是“方面”的意思，而是指工薪阶层和中产阶级生活的“面貌，样子”。
（2）face为及物动词，意为“面对”。常用的搭配还有face up to sth，敢于面对，勇于正视（困难或不快之事）。例：She had to face up to the fact that she would never walk again.她必须敢于面对现实：她再也不能走路了。
7.With no income to deposit,Sue’s checking account deteriorated into negative balances.由于没有收入进账，苏的活期账户余额转为负值。
（1）checking account表示“活期存款账户”，相当于current account。
（2）balance表示“余额”，negative balance是“负余额”，正余额则为positive balance。
8.Her car was on the verge of being repossd.她的汽车行将被收回。
on/to the verge of(doing)sth.意为“濒于；接近于；行将”，例：They are on the verge of signing a new contract.他们即将签订一份新的合同。
9.It was a sickening plunge considering that only a short year and a half before,
Sue was earning$56000a year at her old job,enjoyed vacationing in places like Mexico and the Caribbean,and had started business school at an excellent university.生活境遇真是令人痛心得如一落千丈！想想仅仅在一年半之前，苏在原有工作岗位上可挣到56000美元的年薪，可以在像墨西哥、加勒比那样的地方度假，还就读于名校商学院。妄自菲薄引喻失义
（1）本句中的it是形式主语，真正的主语是部分。类似的结构：It is
a waste of time warning him—he is determined to go his own way.警告他等
于浪费时间，因为他决心要照自己的意思去做。
（2）sickening表示“令人震惊的”，相当于shocking。
元旦活动10.Eventually,the bureaucracy caught up with her and a municipal council gave her
星空闪烁10days to leave her apartment for good.最终政府机构还是找上了她，市政委员会限定她10天内彻底走人。
（1）catch up with sb.表示“捉拿到；和……算旧账”。另外，它还表示“追上、赶上（某人）”。
（2）for good表示“永远，永久”，这里指作者被勒令10天内彻底走人。相当于permanently。
11.Sue even considered turning the steering wheel of her car into a tree and
ending her life story right there.苏甚至想过打转方向盘一头撞向大树，就此了结一生。
steering wheel指“方向盘”。另外，wheel也有“方向盘”的意思。
班级建设方案12.She figured the health-care safety net there was better,as well as the job market.
她想那儿的医疗保健体系会好一些，找工作也容易些。
本句中figure的意思是“认为，认定”，相当于think。例：I figured(that)if I took the night train,I could be in Scotland by morning.我认为，如果我坐夜班火车，早上就可以到苏格兰。
13.Lining the shelves underneath the television were her food supplies:rice and
noodles that she mixed with water in the motel’s ice bucket and heated up in a microwave;peanut butter and jelly;a loaf of white bread-the subsistence of a desperate person.电视下面的壁橱里存放着几样食物：大米和面条，这两样她可在旅馆的冰镇桶里与水和在一起，然后在微波炉里加热；另外还有花生酱、果冻和一条白面包——这些食物也就够一个走投无路的人勉强度日而已。
（1）该句采用了“现在分词+be动词+主语+……”的完全倒装。正常的语序应为：Her food supplies were lining the shelves underneath…强调作者用于度日的所有食品都摆在壁橱里了。
（2）a loaf of bread是固定搭配，一条面包。loaf作动词有“游手好闲，无所事事”的意思。
SECTION B
1.Economic bubbles occur when for any number of reasons excessive investment in commodities(such as oil),curities(such as stocks and bonds),real estate,or collectibles drives up prices well beyond the item’s intrinsic value.不管因为何种原因，一旦人们对于商品（如石油）、证券（如股票、债券）、房地产或收藏品过度投资从而抬高其价格，使其远远超过商品的内在价值，经济泡沫就会产生。
（1）curity除了有“保护措施，安全措施”外，在句中是“证券”的意思。
（2）real estate表示“房地产，不动产”，相当于real property。
（3）本句中表示“抬高（价格）”。well在这里是副词，以为“大大地，远远地”。
2.Since most speculators are nervous about where they invest their money, bubbles are by no means the norm.由于大多数的投机者对资金的投向都有所顾虑，因此泡沫的产生绝非常态。
同性恋文
（1）speculator意为“投机商”，它来源于动词speculate推测；推断；投机。
（2）固定搭配nervous about/of sth.相当于anxious about sth.，表示“担忧，忧虑”。（3）by no means意为“决不；丝毫不”，相当于definitely not。
3.Either of the conditions can rve as a“negative feedback”mechanism that adjusts prices downward.不管哪种情况都会有助于形成促使价格下行的“负面反馈”机制。
（1）固定搭配rve as表示“用作；充当”。
（2）adjusts prices downward表示将价格向下调节，即促使价格下行。
4.As the light gets brighter,your pupils get smaller and let in less light.光线越强，瞳孔越小，摄入的光亮就会越少。
（1）pupil除了作“学生”，本句中为“瞳孔”的意思。
（2）固定搭配let in表示“允许（空气、光线、水等）进入”。例：We opened the windows and let in the glorious evening air.我们打开窗户，让傍晚那沁人心脾的空气流进室内。
5.Economic bubbles occur when prices trending sharply upward spur positive rather than negative feedback.如果价格急剧上行引起的是正面而非负面反馈，就会
