Question

Governments all over the world make public reports about the condition of their economies. Most countries, including the United States, have used a measure called the gross national product (国民生产总值)or GNP. It includes all goods and services produced by citizens of the country anywhere in the world.

  Recently the American Commerce Department has started using a new method to measure production. It is known as the gross domestic product（国内生产总值）or GDP. It counts only goods and services that have been produced within the nation’s borders. Money earned by foreign companies operating in the United States is included in the GDP, but money earned by American companies operating in other countries is not.

  Economic experts generally approve of the change. They say that the gross domestic product provides a truer measure of the economy. They also note that most other industrial countries use this method. Therefore it will be easier to study the economies of different countries. Some officials also hope the new system will help them make better economic policy decisions. It will provide them with a clearer understanding of economic activity in the U.S. . The new measure is less likely to be affected by sudden changes in foreign oil prices or in the value of the American dollar in other countries.

  Economic experts believe that the change from GNP to GDP will immediately reduce the value of American production by at least 40,000 million dollars a year. But that is really a very small change in the American economy – less than 1% . The Commerce Department reports the unofficial gross domestic product once every three months. The government also continues to report GNP as it has four times a year since 1941.

1.To report the American GNP, the government should not consider goods and services produced _______.

A. by American companies at home         

B. by American companies in China

C. by American companies in Singapore     

D. by Japanese companies in the United States

2.To report the American GDP, the Commerce Department should count money earned ________.

A. by both American and foreign companies in America

B. by American companies within its own borders

C. by foreign companies in the United States

D. by American companies in its foreign markets

3.GDP is considered better than GNP by some economists because ________.

A. it is something new                     

B. it is used by most countries

C. it is easier to calculate                  

D. it is less likely to be affected by the foreign market

4.What will happen to the value of American economy if GDP is used to replace GNP?

A. It will be seriously affected.                B. It will not be affected.

C. It will come down a little.                   D. It will slightly go up.

5.How often are the reports of GDP issued by the American Commerce Department?

A. once every four months                           B. once every three months

C. once every six months                   D. once a year

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.D

4.C

5.B

【解析】

试题分析：全世界各国政府都会定期对经济状况进行一次公开报告。包括美国在内的大多数国家都在使用DNP（国内生产总值）来衡量经济发展状况。最近，美国商务部开始使用一种新的测量方法--GDP来衡量经济的发展。

1.根据第一段“It includes all goods and services produced by citizens of the country anywhere in the world.”可知，国民生产总值包括本国居民在国内和国外生产的产品和提供的服务，但不包括外国人在本国内的产品和服务，故选D。

2.根据第二段“ It counts only goods and services that have been produced within the nation’s borders. Money earned by foreign companies operating in the United States is included in the GDP”可知，国内生产总值包括外国人在本国范围内生产的产品和提供的服务，故选A。

3.根据第三段“The new measure is less likely to be affected by sudden changes in foreign oil prices or in the value of the American dollar in other countries.”可知，使用国内生产总值来衡量经济发展，可以避开国外市场的波动，故选D。

4.根据最后一段“the change from GNP to GDP will immediately reduce the value of American production by at least 40,000 million dollars a year.”可知，用GDP代替GNP会使美国的生产总值下降一点，，故选C。

5.根据最后一段“The Commerce Department reports the unofficial gross domestic product once every three months.”可知，美国商务部每三个月做一次报告，故选B。

考点：经济类短文阅读