Just how far does the euro(欧元) have to fall before Europe actually becomes reasonable?
Anyone traveling to the old continent from the U.S. in recent years has learned the hard way how expensive it is. The situation has improved in the last couple of months, thanks to the Greek financial crisis. But it still has a way to go.
Alarm about Greece—and other financially unstable countries in Europe—has dragged down the euro sharply. In November, before the crisis struck, you needed about $1.49 to buy one euro. Today you need only about $1.36. That's a 9% cut.
What does that mean for you, the would-be traveler? It's a big sale.
As recently as November, when the euro was flying high, the OECD estimated that countries like France, Italy and Germany were about a third more expensive than the U.S. Not all European countries were quite as expensive for the American visitor: Greece only cost about 17% more than the US, while the Czech Republic (which is not part of the eurozone) was actually about 15% cheaper than back home.
Fast-forward two months, and the situation looks somewhat better.
At current exchange rates, places like France will still cost you about 23% more than the U.S., but cheaper countries such as Spain and Greece are now only about 6% more expensive. The Czech Republic's a fifth cheaper than the U.S.
European prices will only break even(持平) with the U.S. if the euro falls to about $1.10, says the OECD. But is it going to get there?
Greece's financial crisis may or may not be over. Members of a labor union just occupied part of the finance ministry to protest against the planned austerity(紧缩) measures. No, it doesn't inspire confidence!
Julian Jessop, chief international economist at the Capital Economics consultancy in London, sees the euro falling to $1.25 by year-end. “We still think the euro should be a lot lower,” he says. “We think the outlook for the European economy is a lot worse than for the U.S. And Greece is only a symptom of a wider problem: Does the eurozone make sense as a currency union?” If he's right, you may want to wait to change your money or book a trip.
1.   In the passage the writer offers some suggestions to the travellers from _________.
A. USA               B. Europe                   C. Greece                   D. China
2.   The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to _________. 
A. the planned austerity measures                      B. Greece’s financial crisis
C. the protest from a labor union                       D. the decline of the euro in value
3.  Julian Jessop has a negative attitude toward the euro because he thinks _________.
A. Greece’s financial crisis may not be over
B. the euro will drop to $ 1.25 by the end of the year
C. the European economy is a lot worse than the US’
D. the other European countries have a similar problem like Greece
4.  The purpose of the author writing the passage is to tell the readers that _________.
A. the euro shall be further reasonably lowered
B. travelers to Europe will save less in the future
C. the economic situation in Europe is worsening
D. the Greek financial crisis influences the whole Europe