"Lemons" in Used Car Market
; d4 n9 O! b6 J! _" j. g+ C- t o 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.
# t, d1 W7 u% o/ C4 ` 1993 Ford Ranger, bilk, 4WD, a/cAM/FM/cass., showroom condition.
7 N2 F; [7 f! }- _" P Call 555-1234 after 5 p.m. , o& D. a- {6 [ z; `
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 $2,000 lower than the price for this model with this equipment listed in a used car guidebook. Instead of being ecstatic, however, you are suspicious.
2 v" p5 n7 E/ q$ U2 n7 U6 @ 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. ' Y( w, E/ J9 x
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.
# O+ w( [0 R- v. k! _0 `2 P% C" W0 c 1. The beginning of this passage assumes that college students
+ h4 S" F O t& h A) Are very clever but not very rich.
5 O# F# G; f& m8 ] B) Are very capable but not very diligent.
X& o* t: Y5 w C) Have limited material resources 4 t2 `5 t' ^6 H' g% [9 F O( t
D) Are not rich. ( y4 `) _) q4 t% t
2. The passage indicated that, sometimes when you find a product of an unexpectedly low price. . U G: ^) x4 x r; P
A) You are very happy. * n; I# v9 I0 p
B) You are rather suspicious.
( e& e4 {; M [& {' v5 i" D C) You are filled with happiness as well as surprise. ; _7 o$ Y7 A4 ]+ ?
D) You feel uneasy. & Z" q+ o: J1 Z8 |/ W$ B
3."Lemon" in this passage refers to
& U( @& n( o2 p p$ V6 e3 \5 l A) a kind of fruit. , [" b! |! x5 W% K* Y4 {- L* [
B) A kind of new car.
9 O# S% _) H* t$ m9 Z2 A8 j C) A kind of expensive and high-quality car.
" i! l1 C* `; W5 @ D) A product of inferior quality. % q1 x' J6 Z+ L7 N6 }. p# `
4. If you want to know if the seller is trying to unload a lemon, you 2 u/ T, G% Z& F
A) Take the age of the car into consideration. ; U$ T5 S$ _/ f. t
B) Take the price of the lemon into consideration
, s8 H" l9 t& g% K& M$ U C) Consider how many miles the car has run. & v* \$ ~- E. _ ^
D) Consider both the price as well as the age of the car. 8 e" Z4 m) N2 X; B- b
5. It can be concluded from the passage that in the used car market, 5 z2 |9 u+ k R6 F
A) Used cars are generally cheap. 5 f! B1 U v4 S* X9 x. a9 e! z
B) Used cars are generally expensive 9 @- d+ z/ ]" Z3 d7 _
C) Used cars are actually brand new . e0 c" a7 k) f+ O; L* H1 s9 X" p
D) Car buyers are willing to pay a high price for a used car.
% J9 C0 r7 L0 ] 答案: D B D D A |