There is a group of people whose numbers the British Government desperately wants to see dropping. They're mostly in their early 20s, without jobs and not at university. They often wander the streets and are seen as a threat. The Office for National Statistics reported on Dec, 11, 2006 that the number of young people who are not in school and not working or in training inprefix = st1 /Britainhas risen sharply since 1997. Britainnow has 1.24 million people aged 15 to 24 who have nothing to do. That's a 15 percent increase over 1997. One in six people in this age group is _ . These people are most likely to be from lower-income families and be supported by their families or the government. Those over 18 can get a weekly job seeker's allowance ofPS46 (690 yuan) from the government. This is only enough to cover the basic cost of living. Housing benefits are also available. But for single people under 25, these only cover rent for very cheap accommodation, such as a shared room. So most unemployed young people choose to live with their parents, where they can have a room of their own. Some charities or local governments offer free housing for homeless young people as well. Nightstop UK, for example, offers help to young people aged 16--25. However, the housing is often only short-term. British politician Iain Duncan-Smith blames the breakdown of traditional families on the increasing number of unemployed or untrained young people. InBritaintoday, about one in 10 families are headed by a cohabiting couple. Cohabiting parents are twice as likely to break up as married parents, according to a Conservative Party report. Family breakdown is likely to lead to ignoring a child's education. Poor post-school vocational training programmes are also being criticized. Independent research suggests that some training programmes are a waste of time. The New Deal, a major programme to help the unemployed young, is one example. In 1998, 61 per cent of those leaving the programme could find jobs. That... The best title for this news report might be _ . A) Success of Government Policy B) Vocational Training inBritain C) Jobless Youth Concerns D) Job Hunting Problems
C
Cherie Blair has attacked "yummy mummies" who focus on raising their children at the expense of their careers, suggesting their children lack a sense of independence. The wife of the then British Prime Minister also accused some young women of seeking to "marry a rich husband and retire" instead of working. Mrs Blair, a QC and mother of four, criticized women who "put all their effort into their children" instead of working. Mothers who go out to work are setting a better example for their children, she said. Some women regard motherhood as an acceptable alternative to a career. Instead, women should strive for both. "Every woman needs to be self-sufficient and in that way you really don't have a choice-for your own satisfaction; you hear these yummy mummies talk about being the best possible mother and they put all their effort into their children. I also want to be the best possible mother, but I know that my job as a mother includes bringing my children up so actually they can live without me." The term "yummy mummy" is generally used to refer to a woman whose husband's wealth allows her to devote herself full-time to her children and her appearance. In fact, despite Mrs Blair's worries about non-working mothers, official statistics show that the proportion of mothers who work has actually risen steadily in recent years. According to the Office for National Statistics, 66 percent of mothers are now in some form of paid work. In 1996, the figure was 61 percent. The number of working mothers is now around 5.3 million, up from 4.5 million in 1996. Speaking to Fortune magazine's Most Powerful Women event in Claridge's, Mrs Blair appeared to accuse some young women of lacking professional ambition, focusing on their prospective partner's career instead of their own. Mrs Blair said her view was informed by her own experience of her father abandoning her mother when she was a child. But she insisted that all women should make sure they can provide for themselves: "Even good men could have an accident or die and... We know from the passage that _ . A) The number of working mothers has dropped since 1996. B) Mrs. Blair worked even when her husband was Prime Minister C) Most women in Britain would like to be yummy mommies. D) Mrs. Blair was worried about those working mothers.
B
Q: We have recently heard a great deal about the effects of computers on our social and economic organizations. In industry, computers mean automation , and automation means unemployment. Computers in the prefix = st1 /United Stateshave already begun to take the place of workers whose tasks are simple. The variety of jobs, done only by humans in the past, which the machine can perform more rapidly, accurately and economically, increases with each new generation of computers. If we follow this trend, we will be faced with mass unemployment for all but a handful of highly trained professionals who will be more powerful and overworked than they are now. What can we do about it? It is foolish to dream of making history backwards. We cannot pass laws forbidding the advancement of science and technology. The computing machines are here, and they will grow because engineers want to build them, and politicians want their help in the process of government. In short they will develop and become popular because they enable us to complete tasks that could never before have been done, no matter how many unskilled laborers we might have set to work. Computers will continue to increase our intelligence for just the same reason that engines continue to strengthen our muscles. The question we must ask is not whether we shall have computers or not have computers, but rather, since we are going to have them, how we make the most humane and intelligent use of them. The article suggests that the computer will continue to grow because _ . A) we have lost control of it B) no laws can forbid its development C) engines can strengthen our muscles D) it can be and has been put to good use
A: D
(Question)
Handball is a hugely popular sport in Europe and Asia, and it is one of the fastest and most exciting sports in the world.It combines basketball and soccer with the attracting saves of water polo. Handball is played on an indoor court(the size of two basketball courts)and there are goals at each end.There are twelve players on each team,two goal keepers and ten field players,but there is a maximum of one goalkeeper and six field players from each team allowed on the court at any one time.The idea is simple:score more goals than the other team. The ball is made of leather or synthetic material and it must be round.The surface must not be shiny or slippery.The size and weight of the ball varies for male and female teams,and adult and junior teams. Handball has the same free-ranging play as basketball,with all players except the goalkeeper constantly moving from attack to defence.The goalkeeper uses hands, feet,head and body to keep out the other team's shots.The origins of handball are unclear.Many people believe that it developed as a training game for soccer,to be played in the off season,or when it snowing.Now,in countries where handball is popular,players can earn large sums of money,and indoor stadiums seating over ten thousand people sell out regularly.Handball has been played at the Olympics since 1972. The passage states that handball was most probably developed _ . A) as a replacement for basketball B) by supporters of water polo C) as a training game D) for the 1972 Olympics
(Answer)
C