"Lemons" in Used Car Market
6 O! _) |' E7 E Suppose that you, a college student of somewhat limited means, are in the market for a used pickup truck. The following ad in a local used car publication catches your eyes.
l1 j: b, x, ]- Y 1993 Ford Ranger, bilk, 4WD, a/cAM/FM/cass., showroom condition. 9 M- S2 W; ?! b2 `1 N8 t( ~6 I
Call 555-1234 after 5 p.m.
4 W( n' W* j0 i d8 L* U1 ~4 } This is exactly the kind of vehicle you want, so you call to inquire about the price. The price you are quoted over the phone is $2,000 lower than the price for this model with this equipment listed in a used car guidebook. Instead of being ecstatic, however, you are suspicious. 5 Q. I/ u2 u0 K" F* j
For many products, when you must pay less than the going rate, you believe you are getting a great deal. This is not necessarily the case for used cars or other durable goods(washing machines and television sets, for example) because with expensive products-or, what is essentially the same thing, products with high replacement costs-you must be particularly careful about getting a "lemon." Or a product of substandard quality.
) p' @4 I' ]& P( { In addition to asking the price, the age of a car-or any other consumer durable-is a factor when you are trying to determine whether a seller is attempting to unload a lemon. While people have all sorts of reasons for wanting to sell their cars-even relatively new cars-most people hold off until they have put many thousands of miles on a car or until the used car is several years old. You would probably be as suspicious of a car that is "too new" as you would a car that is "too good” a deal. In fact, you are probably willing to pay a high price for a high-quality used car. While this price would certainly be acceptable to the seller, the competitive market might not facilitate such trades. - ] z+ x6 X4 l- ]$ y: S! I
1. The beginning of this passage assumes that college students . x* r l* m1 C6 ^% `8 ?
A) Are very clever but not very rich.
" t: D T S) ^! y# W q B) Are very capable but not very diligent.
4 B- _& d- c6 r' M C) Have limited material resources
% r3 W! Z+ m/ H+ R, ^ D) Are not rich. , v' @- I7 L4 m
2. The passage indicated that, sometimes when you find a product of an unexpectedly low price.
6 R$ p; _( d7 b, S1 c* C A) You are very happy. " S& h9 p; v+ L7 h/ i, d; l( ?
B) You are rather suspicious.
- V. M% |4 f5 h! U2 c& d: m' d# x C) You are filled with happiness as well as surprise.
7 `+ u5 b* w* z5 ]5 Y D) You feel uneasy. 6 z3 Z l7 d7 \! X8 y8 P; M' q
3."Lemon" in this passage refers to
* t! _/ Z9 P/ {+ b$ V A) a kind of fruit. - Z- ~5 ?4 T [4 n6 ?! A' W
B) A kind of new car.
4 G$ V/ {8 j8 \ C) A kind of expensive and high-quality car.
5 Z; k7 S2 ~; r1 z D) A product of inferior quality. 9 ?/ _: x" c" N
4. If you want to know if the seller is trying to unload a lemon, you
! x7 N* k5 ] y! r% c% M A) Take the age of the car into consideration.
" g* I% s6 a: m7 h B) Take the price of the lemon into consideration
6 q* p" t$ w$ ]$ A' k* \( B C) Consider how many miles the car has run. 4 } A1 H: p7 @' N! [9 U2 U
D) Consider both the price as well as the age of the car. 1 O2 z6 o" x1 _4 o6 C
5. It can be concluded from the passage that in the used car market,
' U$ q5 u1 M( o' l. }9 R0 n; G2 k: c A) Used cars are generally cheap.
- y! T7 ]# f A3 ` B) Used cars are generally expensive 8 f" m$ C; H* U% G3 b% M
C) Used cars are actually brand new * h( ]: s: _! q! b6 f
D) Car buyers are willing to pay a high price for a used car. ) N+ V0 c" d# y2 S1 u8 M! X# f
答案: D B D D A |