六级冲刺练习阅读（74）

　　The economy of the United States after 1952 was the economy of a well-fed, almost fully employed people. Despite 11 alarms, the country escaped any postwar depression and lived in a 12 of boom. An economic survey of the year 1955, a typical year of the 1950s, may be typical as 13 the rapid economic growth of the decade. The national output was 14 at 10 percent above that of 1954. The production of manufactures was about 40 percent more than it had 15 in the years immediately following World War I . The countrys business spent about 30 billion dollars for new factories and machinery. National income 16 for spending was almost a third greater than it had been in 1950. Consumers spent about 256 billion dollars; that is about 700 million dollars a day, or about twenty-five million dollars every hour, all round the 17 . Sixty-five million people held jobs and only a little more than two million wanted jobs but could not find them. Only agriculture 18 that it was not sharing in the boom. To some observers this was a sad reflection of the mid-1920s. As farmers share of their products 19 , marketing costs rose. But there were, among the observers of the national economy, a few who were not as confident as the majority. Those few seemed to fear that the boom could not last long and would

　　20 lead to the opposite depression.

　　A. eventually B. averaged C. gradually D. state

　　E. valued F. form G. declined H. occasional

　　I. casual J. argued K. descended L. complained

　　M. clock N. available O. illustrating

　　II. H 12. D 13. O 14. E 15. B 16. N 17. M 18. L 19. G 20. A