Recently divorced(离婚), I had no job and was on my way downtown to go the rounds of the employment offices despite the great   36 . My old umbrella was broken, and I could not   37  another one.
I sat down in the streetcar — and there against the seat was a beautiful silk   38  with a silver handle inlaid (镶嵌) with gold. I had   39  seen anything so lovely.
I   40  the handle and saw a   41 . I got off the streetcar and   42  opened the umbrella to protect myself. Then I searched a   43  book for the name on the umbrella and found it. I called and a lady answered.
Yes, she said in   44 , that was her umbrella, which her parents, now dead, had given her for a birthday present.   45 , she added, it had been stolen at school (she was a teacher) more than a year before.
She was so excited that I   46  I was   47  a job and went directly to her house. She took the umbrella, her   48  filled with tears.
I refused the   49   she gave me. We talked for a while, and I must have given her my address. I don’t remember.
The next six months were   50 . I was able to obtain   51  here and there. l reached the lowest point in my   52 . Unless a miracle happened, I would be homeless in January, foodless, jobless.
Christmas Eve came. No money to buy my daughter a gift. I was sobbing (抽泣) in the cold little kitchen   53  the doorbell rang and my daughter Peggy ran to answer it. He was a postman, and his arms were   54  of parcels. “This is a mistake” I said, but he read the name on the parcels and there were for me.
Peggy and I sat on the floor and opened them. I looked for the name of the sender. It was the teacher. The address was   55  “California”, where she had moved.

　　Why doesn’t the unemployment rate ever reach zero? Economists, who generally believe that supply tends to meet demand, have long thought about this question. Even in good times, i.e. not now, there are people who can’t find work. And even in bad times, i.e. now, there are job openings. With over 14 million people out of work and looking for a job, you would think every available job would be filled. But that’s not the case. Not now and not ever.
　　On Monday, the Nobel Prize committee awarded the prize for economics to the three scholars who have done the most to explain this phenomenon. Two of the winners are Americans, Peter Diamond of MIT and Dale Mortensen of Northwestern. The third winner is Christopher Pissarides, who teaches at the London School of Economics and was born on Cyprus.
　　Like most of economics, what they have found about why the jobless and ready-employers don’t find each other seems obvious. You have to find out there is job opening you are interested in. Employers need to get resumes （简历）. It takes a while for both employers and employees to make the decision that this is what they want. And these guys came up with a frame-work to study the problem of why people stay unemployed longer than they should and what can be done about it.
　　So what would today’s Nobel Prize winners do to solve the current problem of the unemployed? And does the awarding of the prize contribute to the politicians’ lowering joblessness?
　　Speaking from his north London home, Pissarides told The Associated Press the announcement came as “a complete surprise” though his work had already helped shape thinking on both sides of the Atlantic.
　　For example, the New Deal for Young People, a British government policy aimed at getting 18-24-year-olds back on the job market after long periods of unemployment, “is very much based on our work,” he said.
　　“One of the key things we found is that it is important to make sure that people do not stay unemployed too long so they don’t lose their feel for the labor force,” Pissarides told reporters in London. “The ways of dealing with this need not be expensive training – it could be as simple as providing work experience.”
【小题1】According to the writer, which is true about finding jobs?

Recently divorced(离婚), I had no job and was on my way downtown to go the rounds of the employment offices despite the great   36  . My old umbrella was broken, and I could not   37   another one.

I sat down in the streetcar — and there against the seat was a beautiful silk   38   with a silver handle inlaid (镶嵌) with gold. I had   39   seen anything so lovely.

I   40   the handle and saw a   41  . I got off the streetcar and   42   opened the umbrella to protect myself. Then I searched a   43   book for the name on the umbrella and found it. I called and a lady answered.

Yes, she said in   44  , that was her umbrella, which her parents, now dead, had given her for a birthday present.   45  , she added, it had been stolen at school (she was a teacher) more than a year before.

She was so excited that I   46   I was   47   a job and went directly to her house. She took the umbrella, her   48   filled with tears.

I refused the   49   she gave me. We talked for a while, and I must have given her my address. I don’t remember.

The next six months were   50  . I was able to obtain   51   here and there. l reached the lowest point in my   52  . Unless a miracle happened, I would be homeless in January, foodless, jobless.

Christmas Eve came. No money to buy my daughter a gift. I was sobbing (抽泣) in the cold little kitchen   53   the doorbell rang and my daughter Peggy ran to answer it. He was a postman, and his arms were   54   of parcels. “This is a mistake” I said, but he read the name on the parcels and there were for me.

Peggy and I sat on the floor and opened them. I looked for the name of the sender. It was the teacher. The address was   55   “California”, where she had moved.

1.A. cloud                           B. rain                         C. wind                       D. snow

2.A. search                        B. catch　　         C. afford 　　         D. sell

3.A. raincoat                     B. seat          C. book 　            D. umbrella

4.A. never                          B. ever 　　　     C. almost 　　      D. nearly

5.A. concluded                  B. examined      C. learned 　          D. helped

6.A. name                          B. address 　         C. card 　                D. demand

7.A. deliberately               B. specially 　　   C. sadly                 D. thankfully

8.A. technology                B. engine 　　     C. telephone             D. medicine

9.A. anger                          B. surprise　　     C. danger                            D. sorrow

10.A. And                           B. But　　　　    C. So　　　             D. Or

11. A. forgot                      B. remembered        C. indicated 　　   D. decided

12.A. applied for               B. watching for         C. asking for　         D. looking for

13.A. face                           B. nose 　　　　  C. eyes　　　                   D. ear

14.A. reward                     B. prize　　　　　C. present                 D. umbrella

15. A. freezing                            B. surprising              C. shocking                D struggling

16.A. failures                     B. successes　　   C. jobs　　          D. wages

17.A. heart                        B. favor 　　          C. work　　            D. life

18.A. as                              B. while　　         C. when 　              D. then

19.A. proud                        B. full 　　  C. careful　　       D. glad

20. A. simply              B. directly          C. finally                 D. nearly

Hoffman，40，a former senior vice president of a financial company，had what she describes as “one of those extreme jobs.” “I loved working,” she says. But her career path reached a crossroad when her second child was born，and she left her job in February 2007. Hoffman is one of many people who have left the work force to take a break，but she has a position as a consultant．She has described this type of career detour(绕路) ----- which is more common for women than for men—as “off- ramping．” Typically it occurs when the balancing act of parenting and work becomes too tough．
A study by the center found that more than 90 percent of women who off-ramp want to on-ramp back into the work force eventually．But making the transition back to work is rarely easy，and it is even harder in this economic climate of layoffs and hiring freezes.
Considering some of the obstacles faced by on- rampers , a three-day program called “Greater Returns：Restarting Your Career” was held at Columbia University. The goal of the three days was to have them walk away with a big shot of confidence.
　According to one school of thought, women looking to make a comeback might even have an advantage in the current economy，especially if they are looking for part-time or consultant positions that do not offer benefits. And a majority of on-rampers are women with extensive working experiences that could give them a slight advantage over less-experienced competition．
　“You absolutely cannot be defensive about why you off-ramped,” Ms Hoffman says, “ defensive” would have put her into a hard situation if the Greater Returns program had had not taught her how to describe the years she spent at home．“I now feel confident talking to an employer and saying，‘ Yes，I have been out of the work force，but here is where I can make significant contributions.’”
【小题1】What is the best title for the passage?

Why doesn’t the unemployment rate ever reach zero? Economists, who generally believe that supply tends to meet demand, have long thought about this question. Even in good times, i.e. not now, there are people who can’t find work. And even in bad times, i.e. now, there are job openings. With over 14 million people out of work and looking for a job, you would think every available job would be filled. But that’s not the case. Not now and not ever.

　　On Monday, the Nobel Prize committee awarded the prize for economics to the three scholars who have done the most to explain this phenomenon. Two of the winners are Americans, Peter Diamond of MIT and Dale Mortensen of Northwestern. The third winner is Christopher Pissarides, who teaches at the London School of Economics and was born on Cyprus.

　　Like most of economics, what they have found about why the jobless and ready-employers don’t find each other seems obvious. You have to find out there is job opening you are interested in. Employers need to get resumes （简历）. It takes a while for both employers and employees to make the decision that this is what they want. And these guys came up with a frame-work to study the problem of why people stay unemployed longer than they should and what can be done about it.

　　So what would today’s Nobel Prize winners do to solve the current problem of the unemployed? And does the awarding of the prize contribute to the politicians’ lowering joblessness?

　　Speaking from his north London home, Pissarides told The Associated Press the announcement came as “a complete surprise” though his work had already helped shape thinking on both sides of the Atlantic.

　　For example, the New Deal for Young People, a British government policy aimed at getting 18-24-year-olds back on the job market after long periods of unemployment, “is very much based on our work,” he said.

　　“One of the key things we found is that it is important to make sure that people do not stay unemployed too long so they don’t lose their feel for the labor force,” Pissarides told reporters in London. “The ways of dealing with this need not be expensive training – it could be as simple as providing work experience.”

According to the writer, which is true about finding jobs?

　　A. It is always difficult to find a job.

　　B. Everyone can find a job in good times.

　　C. Contrary to popular belief, it is easier to find a job in bad times.

　　D. It is possible to find a job even in times as bad as now.

What is it that leads to their winning the prize?

　　A. They have found the reason for unemployment.

　　B. They have put forward a set of ideas to deal with unemployment.

　　C. They have found out why people don’t want to be employed.

　　D. They have long studied the problem of unemployment.

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

　　A. Pissarides thinks his work surprising.

　　B. The work of Pissarides has influenced many economists.

　　C. Some of the winners’ ideas have been put into practice.

　　D. It is probable that unemployed young people in Britain benefit from Pissarides’ work.

According to Pissarides, _________ is effective in dealing with unemployment.

　　A. spending large sums of money on training

　　B. teaching some knowledge of economics

　　C. providing work experience

　　D. keeping people unemployed for some time