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Passage 30
The U.S. dollar was supposed to be at the end of its rope. Kicking the bucket. A dying symbol of a dying empire. Well, maybe not. The dollar continues to _1_ gloom-and-doom predictions. After a swoon (低迷）last year, the dollar is again enjoying a major _2_. The U.S. dollar index, which measures the dollar’s value against other major currencies, is just off an eight-month high.
The main reason behind the dollar’s recovery is actually no real surprise at all. There is no _3_ able to replace the dollar as the world’s No.l currency. What makes currencies so fascinating is that their perceived value is always relative to other currencies. Sure, the U.S. budget deficit is _4_, the government’s debt is increasing, and Wall Street is still repairing itself. But the dollar remains the prettiest of a flock of ugly ducklings. Is any other major industrialized economy _5_ better off than the U.S.? Not really. Just about the _6_ developed world is suffering with the same problems. That’s why when investors get nervous, they still rush to the good old dollar. The dollar wins because no one else is really in the game.
The euro has been exposed as a _7_. Only a few months ago, economists truly believed the euro could _8_ the dollar as the top reserve currency. Now experts are questioning if the euro has a future at all. The Greek debt crisis has _9_ that the euro is only as strong as its weakest link.
Maybe over the next 20 or 30 years，the dollar will slowly lose the _10_ status it holds today. That process, however, could well be driven by the appearance of new rivals.
A)fraud B)consistently C)dominant D)expanding
E)entire F)incentive G)rival H)alleged
I)defy J)particularly K)alternative L)relative
M)revealed N)intriguing O)rally
