23年高考英语外刊阅读理解训练——美国面临着一场债务噩梦?——改编自America faces a debt nightmareThe de
bt ceiling is a cap on the amount of money the US government can
borrow to meet its obligations, from providing healthcare to mili
tary salaries. The current ceiling stands at $31.4trn, which is 1
17% of the country''s GDP. The national debt has been increasing f
or years; however, it has gone unnoticed due to its slow and stea
dy climb. Nevertheless, the rising debt is suddenly causing globa
l economic concerns as it threatens to exceed the country''s debt
ceiling.??The debt ceiling, much like the debt clock, is an artif
icial device created by Congress to manage the amount of borrowin
g undertaken by the government. It serves as a crucial tool to ch
eck the growth of national debt, prevent credit rating downgrades
, and maintain the public’s trust in the government''s ability to
honor its financial obligations.?Janet Yellen, the US Treasury Se
cretary, has warned that the government is on track to run out of
cash reserves and exhaust its budgetary gimmicks by June 1st, wh
ich could lead to a national default or severe cuts in state spen
ding. Such outcomes would, in turn, have catastrophic consequence
s on the global economy. A sovereign default would dent investor
confidence in the world''s largest financial system, while deep bu
dget cuts would trigger widespread economic recession.??If Congre
ss manages to raise the debt ceiling before any catastrophe occur
s, it will serve as a wake-up call to the American fiscal health
crisis. The prolonged increase in debt and the use of short-term
solutions highlights the underlying problems present in the natio
n''s finances and exposes its vulnerability to market fluctuations
.?The increasing national debt threatening the debt ceiling adds
another layer of concern to the existing economic concerns, inclu
ding the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and rising inflation r
ates. The volatility in the US economy poses significant risks no
t only to the country but also to the global economy. Hence, it i
s essential to tackle these challenges by devising long-term solu
tions, reducing government spending, and restoring public trust i
n the country''s fiscal responsibility.?In conclusion, the rising
national debt is a pressing concern that must be addressed by Con
gress. The potential outcomes of exceeding the debt ceiling would
have catastrophic consequences for the global economy. It is imp
erative to come up with long-term solutions to address the proble
ms underlying the nation''s finances, restore investor confidence,
and protect the US economy from future shocks.【重点词汇】[> #### 请注
意：> 1. 我的训练数据来源于2021年9月之前的互联网信息。> 2. 对于2021年9月之后发生的事件我可能无法提供准确的答案
。> 3. 请您自行判断回答的正确性。>> 若回答失败请重试或多刷新几次界面后重试?1. debt /det/ n. 债务2. c
eiling /?si?l??/ n. 限额，上限3. borrow /?b?r??/ v. 借；借入4. obligation
/??bl??ge??n/ n. 义务5. healthcare /?helθke?/ n. 医疗保健6. military /?
m?l?t?ri/ adj. 军事的?7. salary /?s?l?ri/ n. 薪金8. GDP /?d?i? di? ?pi
?/ 缩写，国内生产总值?9. increasing /?n?kri?s??/ adj. 不断增加的?10. unnoticed
/?n?n??t?st/ adj. 没有被注意到的?11. steady /?sted?/ adj. 稳定的?12. climbi
ng /?kla?m??/ v. 上升?13. global /?ɡl??bl/ adj. 全球的?14. concerns /k
?n?s??nz/ n. 担忧?15. exceed /?k?si?d/ v. 超过，超越?16. artificial /?ɑ?
t??f??l/ adj. 人造的?17. device /d??va?s/ n. 设备?18. Congress /?k?nɡr
es/ n. 国会?19. manage /?m?n?d?/ v. 管理?20. undertaking /??nd??te?k?
?/ n. 事业，工作?21. tool /tu?l/ n. 工具?22. growth /ɡr??θ/ n. 增长?23. pr
event /pr??vent/ v. 防止?24. credit /?kred?t/ n. 信贷?25. rating /?re
?t??/ n. 等级评定?26. downgrade /?da?nɡre?d/ v. 下调评级?27. maintain /me
?n?te?n/ v. 维持?28. public /?p?bl?k/ adj. 公共的?29. trust /tr?st/ n.
信任?30. Treasury /?tre??ri/ n. 财政部31. Secretary /?sekr?tri/ n. 大臣
，部长32. warned /w??nd/ v. 警告33. cash /k??/ n. 现金?34. reserves /r??
z??vz/ n. 储备金?35. exhaust /?ɡ?z??st/ v. 用尽?36. budgetary /?b?d??t
?ri/ adj. 预算的?37. gimmicks /?ɡ?m?ks/ n. 技巧?38. national /?n???nl/
adj. 国家的?39. default /d??f??lt/ n. 违约?40. cuts /k?ts/ n. 减少?41.
outcomes /?a?tk?mz/ n. 结果?42. severe /s??v??(r)/ adj. 严重的?43. spe
nding /?spend??/ n. 支出44. catastrophic /?k?t??str?f?k/ adj. 灾难性的?
45. consequences /?k?ns??kwens?z/ n. 后果?46. investor /?n?vest?(r)
/ n. 投资者?47. confidence /?k?nf?d?ns/ n. 信心?48. financial /fa??n?n
?l/ adj. 财政的?49. solutions /s??lu??nz/ n. 解决方案?50. vulnerabilitie
s /?v?ln?r??b?l?ti/ n. 弱点【阅读理解练习题】1. What is the US debt ceiling?
A) The maximum amount of money that the US government can borrow
to meet its obligations.B) The total amount of money the US has b
orrowed in the past.C) A tool created by Congress to check the gr
owth of national deficit.D) The minimum amount of money the US go
vernment must spend on healthcare and military salaries.?答案：A解析：第
一段中提到“the debt ceiling is a cap on the amount of money the US gov
ernment can borrow”，即美国债务上限是政府可以借款的最大金额。?2. Why was the debt ceil
ing created?A) To prevent credit rating downgrades and maintain p
ublic trust in the government''s financial ability.B) To increase
the national debt and boost the economy.C) To provide cash reserv
es for the government in case of emergencies.D) To allow the gove
rnment to borrow as much money as it wants.?答案：A解析：第二段中提到“it serv
es as a crucial tool to check the growth of national debt, preven
t credit rating downgrades, and maintain the public’s trust in th
e government''s ability to honor its financial obligations”。因此，美国债
务上限的设立是为了避免信用评级下调和维护公众对政府财务能力的信任。?3. Who warned about the possibi
lity of a national default or severe cuts in state spending?A) Th
e author of the article.B) The US Treasury Secretary.C) Congress.
D) Investors.?答案：B解析：第三段指出“Janet Yellen, the US Treasury Secretar
y, has warned that the government is on track to run out of cash
reserves”，即是美国财政部长珍妮特·耶伦发出的警告。?4. What would be the consequence o
f a sovereign default?A) A widespread economic recession.B) A boo
st in investor confidence.C) An increase in the national debt.D)
A rise in credit rating.?答案：A解析：第三段指出“a sovereign default would d
ent investor confidence”，即主权违约将损害投资者信心，同时第三段也提到，“deep budget cuts
would trigger widespread economic recession”（深度预算削减将引发普遍的经济衰退）。?
5. Why is it important to come up with long-term solutions for th
e national debt?A) To prevent the US government from borrowing an
y more money.B) To restore public trust in the country''s fiscal r
esponsibility.C) To lower inflation rates.D) To increase governme
nt spending on social welfare programs.?答案：B解析：文章最后一段中提到“it is im
perative to come up with long-term solutions to address the probl
ems underlying the nation''s finances, restore investor confidence
”，即制定长期解决方案是为了解决国家财政问题和恢复投资者信心。?6. What are some of the existing
economic concerns in the US according to the article?A) The impac
t of COVID-19 on the economy and rising inflation rates.B) Politi
cal instability and territorial disputes.C) The declining influen
ce of the US in global affairs.D) Increasing military spending.?答
案：A解析：第四段指出“the increasing national debt threatening the debt cei
ling adds another layer of concern to the existing economic conce
rns, including the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and rising i
nflation rates”（威胁债务上限的国家债务增加了对现有经济问题的另一个层面，包括COVID-19对经济的影响和不断上涨
的通货膨胀率）。?7. What would be the consequence of Congress failing to
raise the debt ceiling?A) A boost in investor confidence.B) A nat
ional default or severe cuts in state spending.C) An increase in
government spending.D) An improvement in the US credit rating.?答案
：B解析：第三段指出如果政府在6月1日前没有成功增加债务上限，“which could lead to a national de
fault or severe cuts in state spending”（这可能会导致国家违约或严重削减国家开支）。?8.
What are some potential solutions proposed in the article to addr
ess the national debt?A) Reducing government spending and restori
ng public trust in the country''s fiscal responsibility.B) Increas
ing government borrowing to boost the economy.C) Cutting social w
elfare programs and increasing military spending.D) Allowing the
national debt to continue to rise without any controls.?答案：A解析：文章
最后一段中提到“it is imperative to come up with long-term solutions to a
ddress the problems underlying the nation''s finances, reducing go
vernment spending, and restoring public trust in the country''s fi
scal responsibility”（制定长期解决方案是为了解决国家财务问题，减少政府开支并恢复公众对国家财政责任的信任）。【
全文逐句对照翻译】?债务上限是美国政府为履行其义务(从提供医疗保健到军人工资)所能借入的资金上限。The debt ceiling
is a cap on the amount of money the US government can borrow to
meet its obligations, from providing healthcare to military salar
ies.?目前的上限为31.4万亿美元，占该国GDP的117%。The current ceiling stands at $31
.4trn, which is 117% of the country''s GDP.?国家债务多年来一直在增加;The natio
nal debt has been increasing for years;?然而，由于它缓慢而稳定的攀升，它一直没有被注意到。
however, it has gone unnoticed due to its slow and steady climb.?
然而，不断上升的债务突然引起了全球经济的担忧，因为它有可能超过该国的债务上限。Nevertheless, the rising d
ebt is suddenly causing global economic concerns as it threatens
to exceed the country''s debt ceiling.?债务上限，就像债务时钟一样，是国会为管理政府所承担的借
款数额而创造的人为工具。The debt ceiling, much like the debt clock, is an art
ificial device created by Congress to manage the amount of borrow
ing undertaken by the government.?它是遏制国债增长、防止信用评级下调、维护公众对政府履行财政义务
能力的信任的重要工具。It serves as a crucial tool to check the growth of nat
ional debt, prevent credit rating downgrades, and maintain the pu
blic’s trust in the government''s ability to honor its financial o
bligations.?美国财政部长珍妮特?耶伦(Janet Yellen)警告称，到6月1日，美国政府的现金储备将耗尽，预算手段
也将用尽，这可能导致国家违约或政府大幅削减支出。Janet Yellen, the US Treasury Secretary,
has warned that the government is on track to run out of cash res
erves and exhaust its budgetary gimmicks by June 1st, which could
lead to a national default or severe cuts in state spending.?这样的
结果反过来会给全球经济带来灾难性的后果。Such outcomes would, in turn, have catastroph
ic consequences on the global economy.?主权债务违约将削弱投资者对这个全球最大金融体系的信心
，而大幅削减预算将引发广泛的经济衰退。A sovereign default would dent investor confid
ence in the world''s largest financial system, while deep budget c
uts would trigger widespread economic recession.?如果国会在任何灾难发生之前设法提
高债务上限，它将为美国的财政健康危机敲响警钟。If Congress manages to raise the debt ceil
ing before any catastrophe occurs, it will serve as a wake-up cal
l to the American fiscal health crisis.?债务的长期增加和短期解决方案的使用突出了国家财政中
存在的潜在问题，并暴露了其易受市场波动影响的脆弱性。The prolonged increase in debt and the
use of short-term solutions highlights the underlying problems pr
esent in the nation''s finances and exposes its vulnerability to m
arket fluctuations.?在新冠疫情对经济的影响和物价上涨率上升等经济问题上，不断增加的国债对债务上限的威胁又增加了
一层忧虑。The increasing national debt threatening the debt ceiling ad
ds another layer of concern to the existing economic concerns, in
cluding the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and rising inflatio
n rates.?美国经济的波动不仅给美国带来了重大风险，也给全球经济带来了重大风险。The volatility in the
US economy poses significant risks not only to the country but al
so to the global economy.?因此，必须通过制定长期解决方案、减少政府支出和恢复公众对国家财政责任的信任来应对这些挑战。Hence, it is essential to tackle these challenges by devising long-term solutions, reducing government spending, and restoring public trust in the country''s fiscal responsibility.?总之，不断上升的国债是国会必须解决的紧迫问题。In conclusion, the rising national debt is a pressing concern that must be addressed by Congress.?超过债务上限的潜在后果将给全球经济带来灾难性后果。The potential outcomes of exceeding the debt ceiling would have catastrophic consequences for the global economy.?当务之急是拿出长期解决方案，解决美国财政的根本问题，恢复投资者信心，保护美国经济免受未来冲击。It is imperative to come up with long-term solutions to address the problems underlying the nation''s finances, restore investor confidence, and protect the US economy from future shocks. |
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