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Excerpt 1: American employers cut back sharply on hiring last month, crushing hopes that the job market was improving and putting more pressure on the Federal Reserve to give the sluggish economy another push. The Labor Department said Friday that employers added just 96, 000 jobs in August, down from 141, 000 in July and too few to keep up with population growth. The unemployment rate fell to 8. 1 percent from 8. 3 percent, but only because many people gave up looking for work and therefore weren't counted in the government's calculation. Excerpt 2: The percentage of Americans in the workforce dropped to its lowest level in 31 years. The latest numbers were " downright dismal," TD Economics senior economist James Marple said in a description echoed by many others. The economy remains hobbled in the aftermath of the deepest recession since the 1930s and simply isn't expanding fast enough to spark more hiring. Consumers, whose spending accounts for more than two-thirds of economic activity, have been cutting down debts and spending cautiously. The government reported last week that economic growth clocked a disappointing 1. 7 percent annual pace in the April-June quarter. Excerpt 3: The disappointing numbers are a blow to President Barack Obama's reelection campaign. Unemployment is down from a peak of 10 percent in October 2009, but no incumbent (现任的) president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has faced re-election with unemployment higher than 7. 8 percent. Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney declared that " the weak jobs report is devastating news for American workers and American families ... a harsh accusation of the president's handling of the economy. " Obama said August's hiring was "not good enough" and that it's "a long tough journey" to recover from the recession that officially ended more than three years ago. Excerpt 4: The job market got off to a strong start this year. Employers added an average 226, 000 jobs a month from January through March. But they couldn't sustain that pace, and hiring slowed to a monthly average of 67, 000 from April through June. It looked like things got back on track in July, when the government initially reported 163, 000 new jobs, but the Labor Department revised those gains down by 22, 000 on Friday. The August jobs report looks even uglier upon closer inspection. The unemployment rate fell because 368, 000 Americans dropped out of the workforce. Excerpt 5: "A declining labor force is not (a) sign of an improving economy," says Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economic Advisors. Hourly pay fell. Manufacturers cut 15,000 jobs, the most in two years. And temporary help jobs, which often signal where the job market is headed, dropped by 4, 900 in August. The economy lost 7, 000 more government jobs last month. Since the recession ended in June 2009, federal, state and local governments have slashed 670, 000 jobs, partially offsetting hiring by private companies.
单选题1.What is the common topic covered by all the excerpts?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】 主旨题。可套用公式：主旨≠文章某一部分的内容，以及文章的主旨≠文中的某一细节，利用排除法做题。A、B选项只是Excerpt 2中涉及的内容；而D选项尽管在多个摘录中都提到了，但是Excerpt 4却未曾提及。只有C选项才是每个摘录都涉及的内容，也是全篇的主旨，尽管每个摘录中用的词不尽相同。各个摘录中表达就业率下降的语句如下：Excerpt 1中的American employers cut back sharply on hiring last month：Excerpt 2中的The percentage of Americans in the workforce dropped to its lowest level in 31 years；Excerpt 3中的The disappointing numbers以及the weak jobs report和August’s hiring was“not good enough”；Excerpt 4中的hiring slowed to a monthly average of 67，000 from April through June以及The August jobs report looks even uglier upon closer inspection；Excerpt 5中的Manufacturers cut 15，000 jobs，the most in two years以及The economy lost 7，000 more government jobs last month等。
单选题2.According to Excerpt 1, the drop of unemployment rate is simply due to the fact that______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】 细节题。可套用公式：正确答案=原文中含有题干关键词的一句话——题干关键词。根据题干关键词the drop of unemployment rate回到Excerpt 1中的最后一句，原文中的正确答案就是only because之后的many people gave up looking for work，据此可以判断本题的正确答案是B。
单选题3.Which of the excerpts discusses the political consequence of high unemployment rate?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】 推断题。首先，要读懂题目，本题问的是哪个摘录中讨论了高失业率引发的政治方面的后果；题目关键词是the political consequence。其次，可以套用概括推断题的做题公式，通过概括Excerpt 3中的关键词来判断这部分涉及了政治方面的后果。这部分中和政治有关的词汇如下：reelection campaign(竞选连任)；president(总统)；Republican(共和党的)；presidential challenger(总统竞选的挑战者)等。
单选题4.Which of the following is NOT a factor causing the weak job market?
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】 细节题中的NOT TRUE题型或EXCEPT题型。首先，要读懂题目，本题问的是哪个选项不是引发就业市场疲软的原因。可套用公式：正确答案≠原文中某一句话的表达。A选项的意思是：自衰退结束后，各级政府削减了工作岗位；与Excerpt 5中的最后一句话相符，而且是导致失业率高的原因，因此可以排除。根据B选项中的数字和关键词dropped out of the workforce回原文中定位，原文中的出处是Excerpt 4中的最后一句：The unemployment rate fell because 368，000 Americans dropped out of the workforce；据此可以判断B选项是失业率下降的原因，而不是引发就业市场疲软的原因，因此B是本题的正确答案。C和D选项均与原文表述相符，而且都是造成就业市场疲软的原因。C选项在原文中的出处是：Excerpt 2中的The economy…and simply isn’t expanding fast enough to spark more hiring。D选项在原文中的出处是：Excerpt 1中的第一句。