19.   In January there was a large drop in the number of new houses sold, because interest rates for mortgages were falling and many consumers were waiting to see how low the rates would go. This large sales drop was accompanied by a sharp rise in the average price of new houses sold.

Which of the following, if true, best explains the sharp rise in the average price of new houses?

(A) Sales of higher-priced houses were unaffected by the sales drop because their purchasers have fewer constraints limiting the total amount they pay.

(B) Labor agreements of builders with construction unions are not due to expire until the next January.

(C) The prices of new houses have been rising slowly over the past three years because there is an increasing shortage of housing.

(D) There was a greater amount of moderate-priced housing available for resale by owners during January than in the preceding three months.（A）

(E) Interest rates for home mortgages are expected to rise sharply later in the year if predictions of increased business activity in general prove to be accurate.

答案是A，其他四个我感觉明显不对，但是为什么选A我也说不上来，请指教

文章是说：新房销售的总数量下降，是因为贷款利率等升高，人们都持观望态度。

然后矛盾点出来: 所销售出去的新房的平均价格却上涨了，也就是卖出去的尽是贼贵的房子。

A是说 价格高的这类房子的销售并未受总体销售的影响，为什么呢？原因是买这些贼贵的房子的人都是大款，他们才不在乎房子的价格到底是多少。 也就是他们不受贷款利率的影响因此也不会像普通老百姓那样持观望态度

但是我不觉得销量下降了而房价上升这是矛盾啊？

正因为销量下降了，所以房屋公司提高售价从而保持利润啊

文章没有说到房价是公司提高的，这里你想多了。

你想想，房产公司卖房子，肯定有的贵比如说地段好，有的便宜比如房子烂。

这里说的是房子量卖的少了，但平均卖价高了。肯定是贵的房子卖的多，A正好说一些大款不CARE价格的。