Passage Four Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.
When more and more people are thrown out of work, unemployment results, Calvin Coolidge once observed. As the U. S. economy crumbles1, Coolidge?s silly maxim2 might appear to be as apt as ever: the number of unemployment?insurance claims is rising, and overall joblessness is creeping upward. But in todays vast and complex labor3 market, things arent always what they seem. More and more people are indeed losing their jobs but not necessarily because the economy appears to be in recession. And old-fashioned unemployment isnt the inevitable4 result of job loss. New work, at less pay, often is.
Call it new-wave unemployment: structural5 changes in the economy are overlapping6 the business downturn, giving joblessness a grim new twist. Small wonder that the U. S. unemployment rate is rising. Now at 5.7 percent, it is widely expected to edge toward 7 percent by the end of next year. But cant fully7 capture a complex reality. The unemployment rate has been held down by slow growth in the labor forcethe number of people working or looking for worksince few people sense attractive job opportunities in a weak economy. In addition, many more people are losing their jobs than are actually ending up unemployed8. Faced with hungry mouths to feed, thousands of women, for example, are taking two or more part-time positions or agreeing to shave the hours they work in service-sector jobs. For better and for worse, work in America clearly isnt what it used to be. Now unemployment isnt, either.
Like sour old wine in new bottles, this downturn blends a little of the old and the new reflecting a decades worth of change in the dynamic U. S. economy. Yet, in many respects the decline is following the classic pattern, with new layoffs9 concentrated among blue-collar workers in the most cyclical industries, whose ups and downs track the economy most closely.
As the downturn attracts attention on workers-ill fortunes, some analysts10 predict that political upheaval11 may lie ahead. Real wages for the average U. S. worker peaked in 1973 and have been falling almost ever since. As a result, a growing group of downwardly mobile Americans could soon begin pressing policymakers to help produce better-paying jobs. Just how loud will depend partly on the course of the recession. But in the long run, theres little doubt that the bleak12 outlook for jobs and joblessness is politically, socially and psychologically dynamite13 .
36. Why does the author refer to Coolidges maxim as silly?
A) More and more people are applying for unemployment insurance.
B) Unemployment rate is not likely to rise quickly nowadays.
C) Losing jobs doesnt necessarily lead to unemployment.
D) Todays labor market is much too complicated than Coolidges time.
37. According to the passage, the unemployment rate has been kept under limits because .
A) the number of the people in the work force slowly increases
B) very few people really lose their original jobs
C) less and less people are out finding new jobs
D) the government has taken strong measures to control the unemployment rate
38. According to the passage, under the great pressure of life, many women .
A) will do a part-time job along with the full-time14 job
B) would rather stay at home than apply for a part-time position
C) would be fired if they can not finish the job quickly
D) will agree to have their working hours shortened if required
39. The present downturn is similar to traditional ones in that .
A) we can never predict which way the economy will head
B) the economic prospects15 have been unfavorable for 10 years
C) the government has done relatively16 little to intervene the market
D) physical laborers17 are the chief victims of the economic decline
40. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A) Blue-collar workers are given less and less wages in recent years.
B) The unemployment problem may lead to serious social problems.
C) The unemployment problem will probably become less serious in no time.
D) The government will create more jobs with better pay in the near future.
36. C)细节理解题本题问作者为什么称柯立芝的格言是愚蠢的。依据格言定位到文章首段，柯立芝过去说过：当愈加多的人失去工作之时，失业就产生了。此后紧接着说美国经济崩溃时，这句格言可能看起来还是很适合的。后面立即转折，说今天事情已不同了，接着从两个方面论述：一方面，愈加多的人失去工作，但可能不是因为经济出现颓势；其次，失去工作未必致使失业--常常是找到低薪金的新工作。可以看出，推翻柯立芝格言的正是后一种状况，所以C）是正确答案。
37. A)语义替换题本题问为什么失业率被控制在肯定的范围之内。依据关键字unemployment rate（与原文相同）和keep under limits（原文中是hold down）定位到第二段第四行，即知缘由是因为就业人群增长缓慢，选A）。
38. D)细节理解题此题问迫于生活重压，女人会如何做。文中说到女人之处只有第二段的后面--她们或许会同意两份或两份以上的兼职工作，或者会赞同削减服务性行业工作的时间。仔细比较四个选项，只不过D）是正确的，与后面一种状况吻合。
39. D)推理题此题问目前的经济衰退与以前的有什么相似之处。这正是第三段讲解的内容--目前的衰退在很多方面符合传统的模式，即新的失业人群大多是与经济波动有关联的产业的蓝领工人。D）为正确答案，其中文中关键字组blue?collar workers在这里置换为physical laborers。大伙细细领会阅读中非常重要的规律：定位与置换。
40. B)推理题此题问能从最后一段得出何种结论。此段首句即说有的剖析家觉得或许会出现政治。最后作者引用别人的话表明自己看法--从长期看来，暗淡的就业前景将会带来政治、社会和心理动荡。所以B）是正确答案。
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