A. It looks like this downturn is in for the long haul.B. Skilled workers might not be spared.C. If you were going to retire soon, it will be a lot harder to.D. The damage is likely to spread to other sectors.E. It has already hurt job growth. Five Unfortunate Ways the Financial Crisis Affects Your Daily Grind By now, you're probably up to your eyeballs in unsettling economic crisis news. The stock markets, tanked. Real estate value, sunk. But much less has been said about probably a more pressing concern to most workers—your job. Is it safe? How long will it be before you can expect to see a raise or bonus again? 【R1】______ Unfortunately, the credit crisis has already begun affecting job growth. The unemployment rate has grown an entire percentage point—from 5.1 to 6.1—between March and August. Furthermore, it is likely to get worse before it gets better. Goldman Sachs Group economists wrote in a report to clients yesterday that they expected unemployment to rise to seven percent in late 2009. 【R2】______ At the outset of housing market's turmoil, most expected jobs in the banking, finance, construction and real estate sectors to take a direct hit, as the problems started in those areas. However, now it is clear that the damage is likely to spread to other industries, including ones that who use credit to buy their goods or rely on new investments to move forward. In short, most of them. As for the IT department, David Foote, CEO at the IT workforce research consultancy, told Computerworld this week that he thinks more companies will be looking more closely at that parts of IT spending are critical, and some IT workers may be safer than others. But, overall, he finds little reason for techies to worry. 【R3】______ Historically, most downturns have spared white collar and highly-skilled workers while hitting the least skilled the hardest. Yet observers believe that this downturn is likely to be more democratic than ones previously, because of the severity of the credit crunch. "Research indicates that employers hire relatively more skilled workers when they invest in new plant and equipment," Alan B. Krueger, an economist at Princeton, told the New York Times this week. "If funds for investment are not available because of the financial crisis, however, companies will hire fewer skilled workers." 【R4】______ If you've just retired or were about to, sadly, your timing could not be worse as by beginning to withdraw from you nest egg just as the markets tumble, you are essentially locking in your losses. But what if the wheels of your retirement were already in motion? Experts say, as depressing as it sounds, working just a few years longer can make a big difference. "It does not have to be entirely unpleasant," writes New York Times columnist Tara Siegel Benard, "Maybe you could work part time and earn enough to cover the amount you would have drawn from your retirement portfolio. At least you are not dipping into your savings while they are down." 【R5】______ The next logical question is, "Well, how long will this last?" and while nobody agrees on an exact date, few have any confidence that it will be over by the holidays. Many argue that it will be at least 30 months long. It's not just economists and pundits. One reader poll in a business newspaper found the 54 percent of respondents consumers believed that the recession would last through the second half of 2009 and possibly as long as 2011.
单选题
【R1】
【正确答案】
E
【答案解析】解析：文章第一段问及读者的工作职位在经济危机中是否稳定，以此激起读者的兴趣。而第二段第一句话就非常清楚地说：不幸的是，信用危机已经开始影响就业市场的成长(Unfortunately，the credit crisis has already begun affection job growth)。而后作者不仅引用具体失业率，而且引用高盛经济学家报告中的内容来进行阐述。很明显本段在谈论就业问题，所以正确答案是E。
单选题
【R2】
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析：第三段叙述说，银行、金融、建筑和房产行业的职位受到重创(most expected jobs in the banking，finance，construction and real estate sectors)，然而，损害有可能蔓延到其他行业(the damage is likely to spread to other industries)。第四段详细谈论了IT部门。该段内容提到IT因部门的不同而不同，一些IT员工要比其他人安全(some IT workers may be safer than others)，但总的来说高科技专家没有多少理由担忧。整体来看，主要意思应该是损害可能蔓延到其他行业，所以选D。
【答案解析】解析：第七段谈及退休，说要是面临退休不如先暂避风头，最后又引用专家的话说：尽管经济形势不好，坚持多工作几年效果会有截然不同(as depressing as it sounds，working just a few years longer can make a big difference)。第八段提议可以做兼职来避免动用积蓄，所以选C。此题比较简单，因为只有选项C提及退休(retiring)，不妨把这个作为本题的切入点，这有利于树立信心。
单选题
【R5】
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解析：文章最后一段讨论的是此次经济下行持续时间的长短。因为第一句话就提出：这种状况能持续多长时间?(Well，how long will this last?)一些人认为至少30个月。接着又说，不仅是经济学家和权威人士，被调查的消费者也认为要持续到2009年下半年甚至2011年。所以选择A。