69. The underlined phrase "lay off" is closest in meaning to ______.

A. fire　　 B. put off　　　 C. set aside　　　 D. give extra work

68. According to Rajeev Dhawan, it is ______ that matter(s) to people in need of help.

A. a higher hourly minimum　　　　　　　　 B. more work hour

C. a minimum-wage increase　　　　　　　　 D. an increase in total income

67. According to the text, the US federal government has increased minimum wage with the aim of _____.　　　　

A. decreasing unemployment　　　　　　 B. promoting economic recovery

C. increasing American teenagers'' wage　

D. narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor

66. Steve Wayne was excited that ______.

A. his hard work had paid off　　　　　　　　

B. he had received a big wage increase

C. he has more money due to an increase in minimum wage

D. the wages of American teenage workers have been increased

65. The expert quoted in the article believes ______.

A. there's no point in teenagers having dream　

B. it is wrong to desire to live the life of a celebrity

C. young Britons have the same ambitions as their parent

D. children should set practical goals when they think of their career

C

　 STEVE Wayne, 16, who worked this summer as a lifeguard and swim teacher in Idaho Falls, was thrilled to see an extra $20 in his paycheck when the federal (联邦政府的) minimum wage (最低工资) increased in July.

　 "When you''re getting paid minimum wage, anything helps," Wayne said.

　 Wayne is one of several hundred thousand American teenagers who earn the minimum wage. The last of three recent increases took the minimum from $5.15 an hour in 2007 to $7.25.

　 US Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis says the minimum-wage increase will pump an extra $5.5 billion into the economy over the next year, which is helpful at a time when the economy is hurting.

　 "You''re giving people who spend money a raise," said Kai Filion of the Economic Policy Institute. "Those people will go out and spend that money, and it will circulate through the economy."

　 But other economists say raising the wage actually hurts the very people it''s designed to help. A higher hourly minimum, they say, could force businesses to cut workers'' hours, or even lay people off.

　 "What matters for people earning minimum wage is how much money they take home in total," explained Rajeev Dhawan of Georgia State University''s Economic Forecasting Center. "Their hourly rate may go up, but their number of hours may come down, so it''s not an overall (总体的) increase."

　 Business owners also say that raising the minimum wage exerts (施加) upward pressure on other wages. "If the minimum wage is $7 and I have to pay $8 or $9 to hire a dishwasher, then the cooks are going to say they want more," said Cleveland restaurant owner Rick Cassara. "How much can I charge for that hamburger?"

　 Another argument is that it makes it more expensive for businesses to hire new workers. For many businesses already struggling to make ends meet in these tough times, it will be simply too expensive to keep them or to hire new people.

64. What does the underlined sentence “Wayne Rooney is not on the pitch by chance.” mean?

A. Wayne Rooney does not get to play much today.　

B. Wayne Rooney didn't get into sport by chance.

C. Wayne Rooney doesn't believe in luck when he is playing.

D. Wayne Rooney didn't become successful by luck.

63. According to child psychologist Laverne Antrobus, the change in career ambitions suggested by the study ______.　

A. represents progress　　 B. mirrors today's celebrity culture

C. shows how materialistic youngsters are　　

D. suggests British teenagers watch too much TV

62.Which of the following statements is TRUE?　

A. 12 percent of British teenagers surveyed wanted to become chefs.

B. 22 percent of British teenagers surveyed wanted to be pop stars or actors.

C. None of the traditional professions are favored by today's British teenagers, the survey suggests.

D. Teaching, though less popular, seems to remain one of the top career choices on the list.

61. The study suggests that today's British teenagers want to ______ sports stars, pop stars and actors.　　　　　

　 A. have the talent of　　　　　　　　 B. work as hard as

　 C. enjoy the celebrity lifestyles of　　 D. become successful by chance like

9. beautician/hairdresser 4　　　　 　　　　　　10. archaeologist 3