TheeconomyoftheUnitedstatesafter1952wastheeconnomyofawell-fed,almostfullyemployedpeople.Despitoccasionalalarms,thecountryescapedanypostwardepressionandlivedinastateofboom.Aneconomicsurveyoftheyear1955,atypicalyearofthe1950’s,maybetypicalasillustratingtherapideconomicgrowthofthedecade.Thenationaloutputwasvalueat10percentabovethatof1954(1955outputwasestimatedat392billiondollars).Theproductionofmanufacturerswasabout40percentmorethanithadaveragedintheyearsimmediatelyfollowingWorldWar2.Thecountry’sbusinessspentabout30billiondollarsfornewfactoriesandmachinery.Nationalincomeavailableforspendingwasalmostathirdgreaterthanithadbeenithadbeenin1950.Consumersspentabout256billiondollars;thatisabout700milliondollarsaday,orabouttwenty-fivemilliondollarseveryhour,allroundtheclock.Sixty-fivemillionpeopleheldjobsandonlyalittlemorethantwomillionwantedjobsbutcouldnotfindthem.Onlyagriculturecomplainedthatitwasnotsharingintheroom.Tosomeobserversthiswasanominousechoofthemid-1920’s.Asfarmer’sshreoftheirproductsdeclined,marketingcostsrose.Buttherewere,amongtheobserversofthenationaleconomy,afewwhowerenotasconfidentasthemajority.Thosefewseemedtofearthattheboomcouldnotlastandwouldeventuallyleadtotheoppsite-depression.
1.Whatisthebesttitleofthepassage?
a.TheAgriculaturalTrendsof1950’sb.TheUnemploymentRateof1950’s
c.U.S.Economyinthe50’sd.TheFederalBudgetof1952
2.InLine3,theword“boom”couldbestbereplacedby______.
a.nearbyexplosionb.thunderousnoise
c.generalpublicsupportd.rapideconomicgrowth
3.ItcanbeinferredthenationalfromthepassagethatmostpeopleintheUnitedStatesin1955viewedthenationaleconomywithanairof_________.
a.confidenceb.confusionc.disappointmentd.suspicion
4.WhichofthefollowingwereLEASTsatisfiedwiththenationaleconomyinthe1950’s?
a.Economistsb.Frmaersc.Politiciansd.Steelworkers
5.ThepassagestatesthatincomavailableforspendingintheU.S.wasgreaterin1955thanin1950.Howmuchwasit?
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