你的消费降级了吗？

“Even those born poor fear the heat.” This slogan， printed on a lemonade from Mixue， a drinks-and-ice-cream chain， says a lot about Chinese consumption. The beverage has been a wild success during a heatwave sweeping the country， less for its tart， refreshing properties than for its price. A cup sells for as little as 3.6 yuan （$0.50）， compared with 15 yuan for milk tea. Its popularity， bloggers speculate， reflects darkening consumer sentiment and growing stinginess（节俭倾向）.

The bitter truth is that consumer confidence has continued to weaken this year， instead of recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Even Shanghai， China’s consumption capital， witnessed retail spending fall by 2.3% year on year in the first half of 2024. Much of this is linked to the moribund housing maIzY5nMeh3yaMmJZMp2Tp8w==rket， by far the biggest destination for household investment.

Hence why downgrading is becoming a fact of life， as documented by writers across China. One food-industry author has tracked high-end eateries going out of business in Beijing. These include a Michelin-starred restaurant from Umberto Bombana， an Italian chef， Others have noted the rise of bargains. A blogger counted over 5，000 new restaurants that offer buffet-style deals. Such restaurants， writes another blogger， show “involution” intense， self-harming competition taking hold.

Many youngsters are happy to flaunt their tightfistedness. Some have started carrying the plastic bags in which milk tea is delivered in place of designer holdalls. Far fewer genuine luxury bags are being bought.

Near-expiry-date make-up shops have grabbed attention on social media. Many clearance stores now sell snacks and lipstick at less than half price.

But the government appears flummoxed. On August 3rd， the State Council released a 20-point plan to support consumption in areas such as child and elderly care， education， sports and tourism. But the guidelines focus on the long-term cultivation of markets， not “one-off helicopter money to households”， as analysts at HSBC a bank， noted. Indeed， Mr. Xi has been resistant to handouts. He has instead told China’s youth to persevere through the tough times— or “eat bitterness” as the Chinese saying goes. Many will suck it down with a straw this summer.

（材料选自The Economist，有删改）

1.What is the author’s main point of view when using the example of Mixue？

A.The price of lemonade from Mixue is lower than that of milk tea.

B.The lemonade from Mixue is more popular than milk tea.

C.Customers are gradually experiencing consumer sentiment and growing stinginess.

D.The ultra-low price of Mixue has affected the interests of policymakers， and the interests of the business community.

2.Which of the following phenomena is not a decrease in people’s consumption confidence？

A.Shanghai， the consumer capital of China， saw a year on year decrease of 2.3% in retail spending in the first half of this year.

B.High-end eateries going out of business in Beijing， including the Michelin starred restaurant run by Italian chef Umberto Bambana， have all closed down.

C.Some young people have started carrying the plastic bags in which milk tea is delivered in place of designer holdalls.

D.Many clearance stores now sell snacks and lipstick at less than one-third price.

3.What does the bold and underlined sentence in the fourth paragraph indicate？

A.It means that more and more young people like to show off their luxury goods.

B.It means that many young people like to compare who buys things with cost-effectiveness.

C.It means that many young people show off their stinginess to others.

D.It means that many young people are living a poor and unhappy life.

4.What is the main topic of this article？

A.How Chinese shoppers downgraded their ambitious.

B.People are becoming increasingly frugal， even trying not to consume as much as possible.

C.The rise of discount stores has led to a decrease in China’s consumption level.

D.A significant reduction in high-end restaurants.

1.C。解析：细节理解题。材料第一段的最后一句提到“一杯柠檬水售价仅3.6元（约0.50美元），而相比之下，一杯奶茶的价格高达15元。博主们推测，这种现象反映了消费者情绪的低迷和日益增长的节俭倾向”，C选项与材料内容相符，故选C。

2.D。解析：细节理解题。材料第五段的第二句提到“许多清仓商店现在以不到一半的价格出售零食和口红”。D选项“许多清仓商店现在以不到三分之一的价格出售零食和口红”与材料内容不符，故选D。

3.C。解析：推理判断题。材料第四段画线部分的意思是“许多年轻人乐于炫耀他们的吝啬”。A选项“这意味着越来越多的年轻人喜欢炫耀他们的奢侈品”，B选项“这意味着许多年轻人喜欢比较谁买的东西性价比更高”，D选项“这意味着许多年轻人过着贫穷和不幸福的生活”均与材料内容不符，不选。C选项“这意味着许多年轻人向别人炫耀他们的吝啬”与材料内容相符，故选C。

4.A。解析：主旨大意题。根据材料内容可知文章主题是“中国消费者降低了消费期望”，A选项符合题意；而B、C、D选项分别是中国消费者降低了消费期望的3个表现，与题意不符，不选。