In the past, falling oil prices have given a boost to the world economy, but recent forecasts for global growth have been toned down, even as oil prices sink lower and lower. Does that mean the link between lower oil prices and growth has weakened?

    Some experts say there are still good reasons to believe cheap oil should heat up the world economy. Consumers have more money in their pockets when they’re paying less at the pump. They spend that money on other things, which stimulates the economy.

    The biggest gains go to countries that import most of their oil like China, Japan, and India. But doesn’t the extra money in the pockets of those countries’consumers mean an equal loss in oil-producing countries, cancelling out the gains? Not necessarily, says economic researcher Sara Johnson. “Many oil producers built up huge reserve funds when prices were high, so when prices fall they will draw on their reserves to support government spending and subsidies (补贴) for their consumers.”

    But not all oil producers have big reserves. In Venezuela, collapsing oil prices have sent its economy into free-fall.

    Economist Carl Weinberg believes the negative effects of plunging oil prices are overwhelming the positive effects of cheaper oil. The implication is a sharp decline in global trade, which has plunged partly because oil-producing nations can't afford to import as much as they used to.

    Sara Johnson acknowledges that the global economic benefit from a fall in oil prices today is likely lower than it was in the past. One reason is that more countries are big oil producers now, so the nations suffering from the prices drop account for a larger share of the global economy.

    Consumers, in the U.S. at least, are acting cautiously with the savings they’re getting at the gas pump, as the memory of the recent great recession is still fresh in their mind. And a number of oil-producing countries are trimming their gasoline subsidies and raising taxes, so the net savings for global consumers is not as big as the oil price plunge might suggest.

55. A）People are not spending all the money they save on gas.

解析：细节题。依据问题中的why以及顺序原则定位到原文第六、七段，第六段“One reason is that more countries are big oil producers now, so the nations suffering from the prices drop account for a larger share of the global economy”， 译文为：原因之一就是现在更多的国家已经变成大型的石油生产商了，因此价格下跌，遭受损失的国家在全球经济中所占的份额更大。C选项中写的是oil importers（石油进口国），与原文中的石油生产商不同。第七段中提出“Consumers, in the U.S. at least, acting cautiously with the savings they’re getting at the gas pump, as the memory of the recent great recession is still fresh in their mind”， 至少美国的消费者非常谨慎地对待他们在加油站省下来的钱。因此人们并没有将在加油费上省下来的钱全部花掉。A是正确答案。