2023届高考英语二轮复习外刊阅读训练：美国面临着一场债务噩梦

23年高考英语外刊阅读理解训练——美国面临着一场债务噩梦 ——改编自America faces a debt nightmare The debt ceiling is a cap on the amount of money the US government can borrow to meet its obligations, from providing healthcare to military salaries. The current ceiling stands at $31.4trn, which is 117% of the country's GDP. The national debt has been increasing for years; however, it has gone unnoticed due to its slow and steady climb. Nevertheless, the rising debt is suddenly causing global economic concerns as it threatens to exceed the country's debt ceiling. The debt ceiling, much like the debt clock, is an artificial device created by Congress to manage the amount of borrowing undertaken by the government. It serves as a crucial tool to check the growth of national debt, prevent credit rating downgrades, and maintain the public’s trust in the government's ability to honor its financial obligations. Janet Yellen, the US Treasury Secretary, has warned that the government is on track to run out of cash reserves and exhaust its budgetary gimmicks by June 1st, which could lead to a national default or severe cuts in state spending. Such outcomes would, in turn, have catastrophic consequences on the global economy. A sovereign default would dent investor confidence in the world's largest financial system, while deep budget cuts would trigger widespread economic recession. If Congress manages to raise the debt ceiling before any catastrophe occurs, it will serve as a wake-up call to the American fiscal health crisis. The prolonged increase in debt and the use of short-term solutions highlights the underlying problems present in the nation's finances and exposes its vulnerability to market fluctuations. The increasing national debt threatening the debt ceiling adds another layer of concern to the existing economic concerns, including the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and rising inflation rates. The volatility in the US economy poses significant risks not only to the country but also to the glo