*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: How many really suffer as a result of labor market problems? This is one of the most critical yet debatable social policy questions. In many ways, our social statistics overstate the degree of hardship. Unemployment does not have the same horrible consequences today as it did in the 1930's when most of the unemployed were primary breadwinners, when income and earnings were usually much closer to the margin of survival, and when there were fewer effective social programs for those failing in the labor market. Increasing wealth, the rise of families with more than one wage earner, the growing dominance of secondary earners among the unemployed and improved social welfare protection have unquestionably relieved the consequences of joblessness. Earnings and income data also overestimate the scale of hardship. Among the millions with hourly earnings at or below the minimum wage level, the majority are from multiple-earner, ly well-off families. Most of those counted by the poverty statistics are elderly or handicapped or have family responsibilities which keep them out of the labor force, so the poverty statistics are by no means an accurate indicator of labor market problems. Yet there are also many ways our social statistics underestimate the degree of labor-market-related hardship. The unemployment counts exclude the millions of fully employed workers whose wages are so low that their families remain in poverty. Low wages and repeated or long-time unemployment frequently interact to weaken the capacity for self-support. Since the number experiencing joblessness at some time during the year is several times that unemployed in any month, those who suffer as a result of forced idleness can equal or exceed average annual unemployment, even though only a minority of the jobless in any month really suffer. For every person counted in the monthly unemployment totals, there is another working part-time because of the inability to find full-time work, or else outside the labor force but wanting a job. Finally, income... Question: Which of the following is true according to the passage? Options: A: A majority of low-wage workers receive earnings from more than one job. B: Repetition of short-term unemployment mainly contributes to people's loss of working capacity. C: Many unemployed people are from families where other members are working. D: Labor market hardship is understated because fewer individuals are jobless than counted.
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: To understand how Americans think about things, it is necessary to understand "the point". Americans mention it often: "Let's get right to the point." They will say, "My point is..." "What's the point of all this?" The "point" is the idea or piece of information that Americans suppose is, or should be, at the center of people's thinking, writings, and spoken comments. Speakers and writers are supposed to "make their points clear", meaning that they are supposed to say or write clearly the idea or piece of information they wish to express. People from many other cultures have different ideas about the point. Africans traditionally tell stories that express the thoughts they have in mind, rather than stating the point clearly. Japanese traditionally speak indirectly, leaving the listener to figure out what the point is. Thus, while an American might say to a friend, "I don't think that coat goes very well with the rest of your _ ," a Japanese might say, "Maybe another coat would look even better than the one you have on." Americans value a person who "gets right to the point". Japanese are likely to consider such a person insensitive if not rude. The Chinese and Japanese languages are characterized by vagueness and ambiguity. The precision and directness Americans associate with "the point" cannot be achieved, at least not with any grace, in Chinese and Japanese. Speakers of those languages thus have to learn a new way of reasoning and expressing their ideas if they are going to communicate satisfactorily with Americans. Question: Which of the following peoples will tell a story to express what they have in mind? Options: A: Americans. B: Chinese. C: Japanese. D: Africans.
**Answer**
D

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: In western countries, especially in America, some social customs have lasted still today. For example, ladies first, that is to say, women in those countries are respected in many ways. In the U.S. and Europe, you will see men usually open doors for women and women generally walk ahead of men into a room or a restaurant unless the man have to be ahead of the ladies to choose the table, to open the door of a car or to give other services. On the street, men almost walk or across the street on the side of the ladies which is closer to traffic, but if a man walks with two ladies, he should walk between them. Question: In this passage, "customs" especially refers to _ . Options: A: what a group of people usually do B: what people in western countries do C: what people in eastern countries do D: what people in united states do
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Mr William Shakespeare and the Internet Explanation of Contents This is the fourth edition of these pages. It is hard to believe, but once again they are new and improved. My motive in publishing these pages remains to help and stimulate others in Shakespeare studies, and especially those who might contribute their work to the Internet. The spirit of altruism that originally built the Internet is not quite gone, though, sadly, through the pressure of time and profit has lessened. A major new addition to the pages is a Shakespeare Timeline, which is an online biography mounted at this site. The problems with searching for Shakespeare resources using the available Search Engines are: ---- It is difficult to focus most searches so that you get a manageable number of relevant hits; ---- It is impossible by simply reading an abstract to make any distinction between the output of a Junior High School student and that of a professional researcher. Another change in these pages over previous editions is the "What's News" page. If you come away from these pages with the feeling that they are very useful but slightly pedantic , I will have realized my goal. An Apology I am continually apologizing to the many who have written me requesting revisions of the pages. We are all too busy. I simply have not had the time to dedicate to these pages that I wish. But I love the material and so have, at long last, made some time to update them. A Reminder to Young Students These pages contain the best links I can find to Shakespeare on the Internet. As a reminder, I would say I very much enjoy hearing from people who view and use these pages. If you want to do Shakespeare research using the web, this page is a great starting point, and I keep it as current as I can. The web is in its infancy(in bringing good, scholarly content to students. Don't forget the best, if not quickest, resources are still in your library. Question: The passage is written to _ . Options: A: introduce the fourth edition of these pages B: make an apology to readers C: show off these pages to readers D: let Shakespeare researchers buy these pages
**Answer**
A