1、阅读练习试卷 21及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 A. Wal-Mart cuts sales forecast Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. cut its August sales forecast Monday, saying it expects sales at stores open at least a year to be flat to up 2 percent, citing weak back-to-school trends and hurricanes that forced it to close up to 75 stores. Wal-M
2、art had been forecasting that sales at stores open at least a year, known as same-store sales, would rise 2 to 4 percent for the month. Wal-Mart stock fell about 2 percent in morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange. B. El Paso sees $ 2. 7B drop in assets El Paso Corp. on Monday disclosed the
3、full damage from its drastic cut in reserves earlier this year, saying a long-awaited restatement will slash the value of its oil and gas assets by $ 2.7 billion. The Houston company, the largest U.S. natural gas pipeline operator, also said it expects to cut its debt by 9 percent from its current l
4、evel to under $17 billion by year-end. El Paso, which earlier this year cut its proven natural gas reserves by 41 percent and said it would restate earnings back to 1999, had about $ 2. 7 billion in cash and credit revolvers as of July 31. C. FedEx shares rise on outlook FedEx Corp. raised its earni
5、ngs forecast for the fiscal first quarter and frill year Monday, citing strong demand for its international express, ground and less-than-truckload services. Shares of FedEx rose as much as 3:7 percent in the first half of Mondays New York Stock Exchange trading. Chief Financial Officer Alan Graf sa
6、id risks existed, such as prolonged high oil prices, that could hurt the world economy, but the company expects its business to remain strong. D. IBM sees 30% gain in Web hosting International Business Machines Corp. widened its lead last year in the U. S. market for Internet hosting services as it
7、won a greater share of the medium-sized business market, according to data recently published by market research firm IDC. The Armonk, N. Y. - based company has identified Web hosting as a key to boosting overall revenue growth. As the hardware business that had been its mainstay has matured over th
8、e past several years, IBM has focused on services. According to the most recent report from IDC, published in late July, IBMs Web hosting market share in the United States rose to 24.8 percent in 2003 from 23.5 percent in 2002 and just 15 percent in 2000. E. Viagra abuse may boost HIV risk San Franc
9、isco has petitioned federal regulators to warn that use of anti-impotence drugs such as Viagra could increase the risk of sexually transmitted disease and HIV, officials said on Monday. The request to the Food and Drug Administration earlier this month is a response to the recreational use of Viagra
10、 among gay men, who use it to enhance promiscuous sex. “The predominant problem that we see in San Francisco is with widespread use among gay men with multiple partners,“ said Jeffrey Klausner, director of sexually transmitted disease prevention at the citys health department. 1 The company has decr
11、eased its expectation of turnover. 2 The company has further developed the medium-sized business market. 3 The company has seen the rise of its stocks. 4 The company focuses its business on natural gas. 5 The company has a positive attitude towards its future. 6 The company has witnessed some stores
12、 were shut down. 7 The company has depreciated. 8 The company has raised its market share over the past few years. 二、 PART TWO 8 Large companies need way to reach the savings of the public. The same problem, on a smaller scale, faces practically every company trying to develop new products and creat
13、e new jobs. There can be little prospect of raising the money needed from friends and people we know, and 【 B1】_ , they are generally unwilling to provide money on a permanent basis for long term projects. 【 B2】 _ , inviting people to lend them money, or take a share in the business in exchange for
14、a share in future profits. They do this by issuing stocks and shares through the stock exchange. 【 B3】 _ . When the saver wants to have his money back, 【 B4】 _ . Instead, he sells his shares through a stockbroker to some other saver who is seeking to invest his money. Many of the services needed bot
15、h by industry and by each of us are provided by the Government. Without hospital, roads, electricity, telephone, railways, etc., 【 B5】 _ . All these require continuous spending on new equipment if they are to serve us properly, requiring more money than is raised through taxes alone. The Government
16、and industries therefore frequently need to borrow money to finance major capital spending, and 【 B6】 _ . There is hardly a man or woman in the country whose job or whose standard of living does not depend on the ability of his or her employer to raise money to finance new development. In one way or
17、 another this new money must come from the savings of the country. The stock exchange exists to provide a channel through which these savings can reach those who need money. A. he goes to the bank and borrows money from it B. they, too, go to the stock exchange C. its hard to imagine how to live in
18、the town D. while banks may agree to provide short-term loans E. the country could not function F. by doing so they can put into use the savings of individuals and institutions G. so companies turn to the public H. he does not have to go to the company which has borrowed his money 9 【 B1】 _ 10 【 B2】 _ 11 【 B3】 _ 12 【 B4】 _ 13 【 B5】 _ 14 【 B6】 _ 阅读练习试卷 21答案与解析
