2015年6月英语六级模拟试题及答案解析（卷三）_第8页

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

　　The continent of Europe encounters its worst crisis since World War II—one which threatens to smash it: long-established financial institutions run into deep trouble; millions are unemployed, with little hope of landing a job; millions of jobs are at risk; more and more lives are simply shattering. Extreme social unrest is brewing (酝酿着): angry, frustrated people are taking to the streets in violent protests against their governments—some of which have already fallen and others are faltering. Entire nations face bankruptcy, and the existence of the European Union hangs in the balance.

　　Leaders are frantically searching around for solutions, but to no avail. Europe is confronted with financial Armageddon: will it survive? And how will the crisis ultimately affect the world?

　　Everything that emerges on planet Earth is subject to a great unseen law—that of CAUSE and EF-

　　FECT. For every cause, there is one or more effects. Most people can see these effects—good or bad—but cannot trace them back to their origin—the cause that produced them. Europe is suffering from a host of effects—mostly BAD! There are causes behind these effects.

　　The situation in Europe is nearly catastrophic, and the stakes have never been higher: many European nations simply cannot repay their debts, while at the same time their economies are slowing, and tax reve- nue is decreasing. What is worse, it is harder and harder to borrow more money. With giant debt loads hanging over these countries, Europe is running out of options. Analysts now warn of impending (即将发生的) bank failures. According to one executive at a major global bank, “If anyone thinks things are getting better then they simply don’t understand how severe the problems are”.

　　One of the causes may be the growing distrust between banks, which are withdrawing deposits from one another and placing them with the European Central Bank (ECB). In December 2011, deposits there were at an all-time high of 905 billion euros! Moreover, many banks are becoming dependent on funding from their own central banks. As of December 2011, there is also an enormous 115 billion euro capital shortfall in the eurozone’s banking system. Banks have run out of proper forms of collateral needed to finance short-term loans, and are instead digging into their gold reserves—a last ditch emergency option.

　　Europe’s financial system is so unstable that few experts any longer believe that the European Union has the funds to address the banks’ problems. Even if the bailout (紧急财政援助) funds were raised to a trillion euros, some warn this would only help Italy and Spain—just two of 27 EU members.

　　Europe’s banks are battling a crisis of immense proportions, a collapse of at least one major European bank is more than a possibility, and it is imminent. When this happens, Europe’s financial sector will plunge into chaos, because its economies are already teetering (摇晃) on the edge.

　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 2 上作答。

　　57. Why is there social unrest coming around in Europe?

　　A) Countrymen there are furious about territorial disputes.

　　B) Their family members are wanting of daily substance.

　　C) Their governments are hopelessly corrupted and fallen.

　　D) The whole continent is faced with a bad financial status.

　　58. What does the phrase “financial Armageddon” (Line 2, Paragraph 2) mean in the passage?

　　A) A serious and confusing situation. B) A deadlock and blind alley.

　　C) An ending without any hope. D) A crucial and promising agony.

　　59. What does the author mean by speaking of the law of cause and effect?

　　A) He tries to persuade people to accept the reality.

　　B) He attempts to suggest the collapse of Europe.

　　C) He tries to guide readers to consider root causes.

　　D) He attributes the results to people’s foolishness.

　　60. What happened to the European Central Bank?

　　A) It caused distrust between banks and their central banks.

　　B) It collected a great deal of money from every single bank.

　　C) It still had the capability to provide long term loans.

　　D) It was facing the risk of laying off a lot of employees.

　　61. What’s the author’s tone in writing this passage?

　　A) Threatening. B) Exaggerating.

　　C) Alarming. D) Exciting.