TV Shows and Long Bus Trips

    Long bus rides are like television shows ¹ .They have a beginning, a middle, and an end一with commercials ²  thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. ³"Buy Super Clean Toothpaste." "Drink Good"n Wet Root Beer." "Fill up with Pacific Gas."Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of"You Need It! Buy It Now!" ⁴

    The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you"ve traveled that way before. Usually some things have changed一new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. The bus driver has a style of driving and it"s fun to try to figure it out ⁵ the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly reckless or daring, the ride can be as thrilling as a suspense story. ⁶ Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left-hand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides mcre interesting. But you"ve got to be carful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.

    The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning ⁷. You know it will soon be over and there"s a kind of expectation and excitement in that. The seat, of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. By now you"ve sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the arm rests一even with your hands crossed behind your head. The end comes just at the right time. There are just no more ways to sit.

词汇：

ride /raid/n．旅行，乘坐

unavoidable /,ʌnə"vɔdəbl/adj．不可避免的

billboard /"bilbɔ: d/n．露天广告牌；招贴板，告示牌

gas /gæs/n．＜美＞汽油，gasoline一词的缩略形式；气体；煤气；可燃气

spare /speə/vt．使……免于伤害，饶恕，宽容；节省，节约，吝惜；为……抽出时间、金钱等

style /stail/n．行为方式，作风；风格，文风，文体；时尚，流行式样

reckless /reklis/adj．不顾危险的，鲁莽的，轻率的

daring /"deəriŋ/adj．大胆的；勇敢的

thrilling /"θriliŋ/adj．令人激动的；使人毛骨惊然的

suspense / səs"pens/n．悬念；悬而不决

expectation /,ekspek"teiʃən/n．期待，盼望；预料，估计

lap/læp/n．（衣服的）下摆，裙兜，衣兜；（人坐着时的）大腿部

注释：

1. Long bus rides are like television shows. like在此句中是介词，意思是“像，如；跟……一样”。例如：He is like an athlete．他像个运动员。

2.commercials：商业广告，特别指电台、电视台播出的商业广告。

3.Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window．每隔几分钟就会有一块广告牌从车窗外闪过。

4.Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It Now!”只有当你睡着的时候，就和关掉电视一样，才会免受那些没完没了的“你需要它，现在就来买吧！”的干扰。

5.figure it out：计算出；解决

6. …the ride can be as thrilling as a suspense story. ……乘车就像读悬念故事一样令人兴奋。此句中的as... as结构是比较结构的一种，常称之为同级比较，表示与……一样。在as与as之间的形容词或副词必须是原级。

7. The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning．旅程的最后倒有点儿像刚开始。此句中的somewhat是副词，意思是“一点儿，有几分”。

The writer thinks that the end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning because both are______.

A:exciting B:comfortable C:tiring D:boring

Globally, recovery is going slightly better than expected, according to the IMF, which released its latest World Economic Outlook today. After shrinking by 0.6% last year, the global economy is likely to expand by 4.2% in 2010, 0.3% faster than the IMF projected in January. But economic performances will continue to vary widely around the world. Much of the upward revision to global growth can be attributed to a better outlook for the American economy. The IMF revised its forecast for American economic expansion in 2010 up 0.4%, to 3.1%. There was no change, by contrast, for the euro area, which already faced a poorer growth outlook. The Euro area economy may only grow by 1% in 2010 and 1.5% in 2011. And much of the job of expansion will be handled by Germany and France, while southern European growth continues to lag. Spain’s economy will continue to shrink in 2010.
But the outlook is brightening for many emerging economies, including those in central and eastern Europe, for which growth forecasts were revised up by 0.8%. Developing Asia is enjoying a strong recovery, and the IMF indicated that both India and Brazil are likely to perform much better this year than initially anticipated, notching (赢得) growth rates of 8.8% and 5.5%, respectively.
The report suggested that planned stimulus measures for 2010 should be fully implemented, given the fragility of recovery, but it also noted that sovereign debt worries will become more severe as the year progresses. Debt issues are likely to prove especially problematic in Europe, which has the highest debt ratios and the slowest expected growth rates. The stressed southern European nations are in a damned-if-they-do-damned-if-they-don’t position. If little action is taken on debt, rising debt costs will choke of an already weak recovery. If aggressive action is taken, the blow to aggregate demand will likewise undermine growth.
Around the world, trade and production have recovered strongly, but employment remains well below prerecession levels in most countries. Labour market weakness is helping to keep inflation expectations in check; the IMF forecasts consumer price increases in developed nations of 1.5% in 2010 and 1.4% in 2011. But the return to strong growth is boosting commodity prices once more. Oil prices may increase by 30% in 2010, said the IMF, a rise 7% larger than projected in January.
The overall picture is of a remarkable turnaround in global fortunes, given the depth of the recession. The year’s performance is much better than many would have dared to hope early last year. But in parts of Europe, the future is somewhat less certain, and because that uncertain future could lead to sovereign debt crises that could potentially rattle financial markets, world leaders should remain vigilant.

A:The recovery of global economy is slower than expected B:Global economy is recovering somewhat better than expected C:Economy in Euro area will not grow any more in the future D:American economy faces a poorer growth outlook

The price is (somewhat) higher than I expected.

A:to some degree B:at some time C:in some cases D:for some reason

The price is (somewhat) higher than I expected.

A:to some degree B:at some time C:in some cases D:for some reason

The price is (somewhat) higher than I expected.

A:to some degree B:at some time C:in some cases D:for some reason

The price is (somewhat) higher than I expected.

A:to some degree B:at some time C:in some cases D:for some reason