As you are probably aware, the latest job markets news isn’t good: Unemployment is still more than 9 percent, and new job growth has fallen close to zero. That’s bad for the economy, of course. And it may be especially discouraging if you happen to be looking for a job or hoping to change careers right now. But it actually shouldn’t matter to you nearly as much as you think.
That’s because job growth numbers don’t matter to job hunters as much as job turnover(人员更替) data. After all, existing jobs open up every day due to promotions, resignations, terminations(解雇), and retirements. (Yes, people are retiring even in this economy.) In both good times and bad, turnover creates more openings than economic growth does. Even in June of 2007, when the economy was still moving ahead, job growth was only 132,000, while turnover was 4.7 million!
And as it turns out, even today — with job growth near zero — over 4 million job hunters are being hired every month.
I don’t mean to imply that overall job growth doesn’t have an impact on one’s ability to land a job. It’s true that if total employment were higher, it would mean more jobs for all of us to choose from (and compete for). And it’s true that there are currently more people applying for each available job opening, regardless of whether it’s a new one or not.
But what often distinguishes those who land jobs from those who don’t is their ability to stay motivated. They’re willing to do the hard work of identifying their valuable skills; be creative about where and how to look; learn how to present themselves to potential employers; and keep going, even after repeated rejections. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that 2.7 million people who wanted and were available for work hadn’t looked within the last four weeks and were no longer even classified as unemployed.
So don’t let the headlines fool you into giving up. Four million people get hired every month in the U.S. You can be one of them.The author tends to believe that high unemployment rate ______.
| A．discourages many people from landing jobs |
| B．prevents many people from changing careers |
| C．should not stop people from looking for a job |
| D．does not mean the U.S. economy is worsening |
Where do most job openings come from?
| A．Job growth. | B．Job turnover. |
| C．Improved economy. | D．Business expansion. |
What does the author say about overall job growth?
| A．It doesn’t have much effect on individual job seekers. |
| B．It increases people’s confidence in the economy. |
| C．It gives a ray of hope to the unemployed. |
| D．It doesn’t mean greater job security for the employed. |
What is the key to landing a job according to the author?
| A．Education. | B．Intelligence. | C．Persistence. | D．Experience. |
What do we learn from the passage about the unemployment figures in the US?
| A．They clearly indicate how healthy the economy is. |
| B．They provide the public with the latest information. |
| C．They warn of the structural problems in the economy. |
| D．They don’t include those who have stopped looking for a job. |
CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters) April 24, 2006—Three explosions shook the Egyptian Sinai resort of Dahab on Monday, killing 23 people and wounding dozens of others, rescue and security officials said.
Witnesses said smoke billowed①up from the town’s tourist bazaar, and residents said they saw body parts and debris②on the street after an explosion at a restaurant.
People in the small beach and diving resort, which is popular with backpackers, described scenes of carnage③and chaos④.
A cafe worker who was about 200 meters (yards) from the scene said: “We saw many dead people. People were screaming. People were being taken to hospital. Egyptians went to give blood. There were body parts. There’s police everywhere.”
“There are ambulances and cars taking people to hospital,” said another resident, who also did not want to be named.
The explosions took place at the Nelson Restaurant, the Aladdin Cafeteria and the Ghazala Supermarket, the Interior Ministry said.
The explosions took place in quick succession at about 7.15 p.m. (1715 GMT). “There is smoke coming from the area and there are people running everywhere,” said one witness, who heard the blasts.
An official with the local ambulance service said many of the dead appeared to be foreigners.
Israeli divers often stay in the resort but with the Passover holiday over it is unlikely many were there. The Israeli ambassador in Cairo and Israeli authorities said they did not know of any Israeli casualties⑤.
One visitor said police were stopping cars and buses leaving the resort and had imposed restrictions on movements in and out of backpacker camps in the area.
It was the third set of three explosions on the eastern coast of the Sinai peninsula since October 2004, when a group attacked the Hilton hotel in the border resort of Taba and two other resorts on the northeast coast, killing 34 people.
Notes:
① billow v.翻腾
② debris n.残骸
③ carnage n.残杀，流血
④ chaos n.混乱
⑤ casualty n. （人员）伤亡 What’s the result of the explosions in Dahab?
| A．34 people were killed. |
| B．There were many Israeli casualties. |
| C．23 people were killed and dozens of others were injured. |
| D．Many houses were burned to the ground. |
How many places did the explosions take place in?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Six | D．Eight |
What does the underlined word “resort” mean?
| A．popular holiday centre | B．hotel or guest-house for holidaymakers |
| C．visiting some place | D．Making use of something for help |
Which of the following statements is right?
| A．Many of the dead appeared to be residents. |
| B．The first set of three explosions took place in October 2004. |
| C．Police couldn’t know what to do. |
| D．Israeli divers stayed in the resort with the Passover holiday over. |
Every human being has a unique① arrangement of the skin on his fingers and this arrangement is unchangeable. Scientists and experts have proved the uniqueness of finger-prints and discovered that no exactly similar pattern is passed on from parents to children, though nobody knows why this is the case.
The ridge structure on a person’s fingers does not change with growth and is not affected by surface injuries. Burns, cuts and other damage to the outer part of the skin will be replaced in time by new one, which bears a reproduction of the original② pattern. It is only when the inner skin is injured that the arrangement will be destroyed. Some criminals make use of this fact to remove their own finger-prints but this is a dangerous and rare step to take.
Finger-prints can be made very easily with printer’s ink. They can by recorded easily. With special methods, identification③ can be achieved successfully within a short time. Because of the simplicity and economy of this system, finger-prints have often been used as a method of solving criminal case. A suspected man may deny a charge but this may be in vain. His finger-prints can prove who he is even if his appearance has been changed by age or accident.
When a suspect leaves finger-prints behind at the scene of a crime, they are difficult to detect with the naked eye. Special techniques are used to “develop” them. Some of the marks found are incomplete but identification is possible if a print of a quarter of an inch square can be obtained.
Notes:
①unique adj. 唯一的，独特的
②original adj. 最初的，原始的
③identification n. 辩认，鉴定 Scientists and experts have proved that the pattern of a human being’s finger skin ________.
| A．is similar to his mother’s |
| B．is valuable to himself only |
| C．is like that of others with the same type of blood |
| D．is different from that of all others |
If your fingers are wounded by knife, fire or other means, the structure of skin will ________.
| A．be changed partly | B．be replaced by a different one |
| C．be the same when the wound is recovered | D．become ugly |
Some criminals remove their own finger-prints by ________.
| A．using printer’s ink | B．injuring the inner skin |
| C．damaging the outer skin | D．damaging the colour |
Finger-prints have often been used as a method of solving criminal case because it ________.
| A．is complicated but reliable | B．is simple and not expensive |
| C．is expensive but easy to do | D．can bring a lot of money |
Athens Olympic 110m hurdle champion Liu Xiang felt so relieved to return to racetrack after getting out of the great number of social activities.
Liu arrived in hometown Shanghai Wednesday night and was about to resume① training shortly after.
“I am so exhausted② from so many social activities, which made me even more tired than training,” said the 21-year-old Liu, who wrote a new chapter in China’s Olympic history by winning the country’s first ever athletics short-distance running title in the men’s 110m hurdles in Athens in August.
“I am happy that I will resume my training soon back in Shanghai,” said the Shanghai native. He turned into an instant national hero with the Olympic glory③ and one of the most popular Olympic gold medalists, taking part in scores of celebration activities since he returned to China early September.
“My regular training has been interrupted for such a long time that I think I can only run at about 13.5 seconds now,” said Liu, who clocked a world record-tying time of 12.91 to clinch the title.
“I would rather forget what I have achieved in the past and try my best to realize a higher goal,” he said.
Liu already missed the Berlin Golden League Series on Sunday and won’t be able to catch the IAAF Grand Prix final slated for September 18-19 in Monaco.
He plans on attending an IAAF all-star tournament in Japan at the end of this month.This passage mainly talks about ________.
| A．victory of Liu Xiang |
| B．Liu Xiang’s resumption to the racetrack |
| C．dream of Liu Xiang |
| D．Liu Xiang’s high aim |
From the passage we can see ________.
| A．Liu Xiang is content to go back to training |
| B．Liu Xiang will win Golden League Series on Sunday |
| C．Liu Xiang wasn’t good at social activities |
| D．Liu Xiang was refreshed after so many social activities |
The underlined word “relieved” means ________.
| A．sad | B．glad | C．worried | D．disappointed |
Which of the following is NOT wrong?
| A．Liu Xiang has had a quiet life for as long as half a month. |
| B．Liu Xiang has missed two races because of his social activities. |
| C．Liu Xiang has made up his mind to stop his social activities. |
| D．Liu Xiang has deserted his present career. |
US college students are burdened, with credit card (信用卡)debt, according to a study published Tuesday, and the problem can be serious－ranging from more drop-outs, to future employment problems and even self-murder. The study, by Georgetown University sociologist (社会学家) Robert Manning, blamed credit card issuers for actively targeting students and colleges for allowing them to do so. "The unrestricted selling of credit cards in universities or colleges is so aggressive that it now forms a greater threat than alcohol or sexual diseases," Manning told a news conference in Washington. "If we do not quickly deal with this serious problem, the matter will continue to get worse, with social consequences far more tragic (悲剧的) than mere dollars and cents. "
Based on hundreds of face-to-face interviews and surveys with students, Manning concluded both the number with credit card debt and their indebtedness had been "underreported" in previous studies－which failed to reflect the "survival strategies" many used to deal with their debts. These included the use of federal student loans to pay off credit cards, effectively shifting the debt, appealing to parents for loans, reducing course work hours to increase time at paid jobs, or even dropping out altogether to work full time.
"Official drop-out rates include growing numbers of students who are unable to cope with the stress of their debts and / or part time jobs for servicing their credit cards, " the study said. "Students credit card debts are examined during the employment process and may be an important factor in evaluating future employees," it noted. O’Donnell and Manning agreed students should bear some responsibility for reckless use of credit, but said credit card companies also had to be held responsible for making it so easy for them to get into debt. Manning said one of the most troublesome aspects of the student credit card issue was "the seduction (诱惑) of college and university officials by the credit card industry".Sociologist Robert Manning's study shows that .
| A．the number of American college students using credit cards on campus is increasing |
| B．more and more American college students meet with credit card debt problems |
| C．more and more American colleges encourage students to use credit cards to make profits |
| D．credit card issuers will run into debt for encouraging college students to use credit cards |
The author's feeling towards college students with credit card debts is __.
| A．discouraged and negative | B．pitiful and critical |
| C．indifferent and disapproving | D．negative and doubtful |
The author implies all of following should be responsible for this problem EXCEPT .
| A．credit card issuers | B．college authorities |
| C．parents of the students | D．students themselves |
The word "reckless" in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by .
| A．inconsiderate | B．frequent | C．careful | D．regular |
Insurance companies provide a service to the community by protecting it against expected and unexpected disasters. Before an insurance company will agree to insure anything, it collects accurate figures about the risk. It knows, for example, that the risk of a man being killed in a plane accident is less than the risk he takes in crossing a busy road. This enables it to quote(报价) low figures for travel insurance. Sometimes the risk may be high, as in motor-racing or mountaineering. Then the company charges a much higher price. If too many climbers have accidents, the price rises further. If the majority of climbers fall off mountains, the company will refuse to insure them.
An ordinary householder may wish to protect his home against fire or his property against burglary(入室行窃). A shopkeeper may wish to insure against theft. In normal cases, the company will check its statistics and quote a premium(保险费). If it is suspicious(可疑的), it may refuse to quote. If it insures a shop and then receives a suspicious claim, it will investigate the claim as a means of protecting itself against false claims. It is not unknown for a businessman in debt to burn down his own premises so that he can claim much money from his insurance company. He can be sure that the fire will be investigated most carefully. Insurance companies also accept insurance against shipwreck or disaster in the air. Planes and ships are very expensive, so a large premium is charged, but a reduction is given to companies with an accident-free record.
Every week, insurance companies receive premium payments from customers. These payments can form a very large total running into millions of dollars. The company does not leave the money in the bank. It invests (投资) in property, shares (股票) ,farms and even paintings and stamps. Its aim is to obtain the best possible return on its investment. This is not as greedy as it may seem since this is one way by which it can keep its premiums down and continue to make a profit while being of service to the community. The main idea of the first paragraph is that .
| A．insurance companies protect the community against disasters |
| B．insurance companies often collect accurate figures about the risk |
| C．insurance companies base their decisions on the risk involved |
| D．insurance companies charge different prices in the same cases |
The insurance company will usually investigate a suspicious claim to .
| A．refuse to quote the insurance fee | B．make sure that the claim is reasonable |
| C．decide how much the company should pay | D．find out when the accident happened |
The underlined word "premises" in Paragraph 2 most probably means" "
| A．land and buildings | B．insurance contract |
| C．debt papers | D．financial papers |
The author’s attitude towards customers’ premium payments being used by insurance companies is __
| A．critical | B．doubtful | C．neutral | D．positive |
The purpose of this passage is to __
| A．explain how insurance companies operate |
| B．encourage people to invest in insurance companies |
| C．persuade people to insure against unexpected disasters |
| D．advise people how to insure their life and property |