Unemployment will certainly be in double-digits next year--and may remain there for some time. And for every person who __1_ as unemployed in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ household survey, you can bet there’s another either too __2__ to look for work or working part time who’d rather have a full-time job or else taking home less pay than before. And there’s yet another person who’s more fearful that he or she will be the __3__ to lose a job.
__4__, 10 percent unemployment really means 20 percent underemployment or anxious employment, all of which translates __5__ into late payments on mortgages, credit cards, auto and student loans, and loss of health insurance. It also means sleeplessness for tens of millions of Americans, and, of course, __6__ purchases.
Unemployment of this magnitude and duration also translates into ugly __7__, because fear and anxiety are __8__ grounds for the political resentment against immigrants, blacks, the poor, government leaders, business leaders, Jews and other easy _9__. It’s already started. Next year is a mid-term election. Be prepared for worse.
So why is unemployment and underemployment so high? And why is it _10__ to remain high for some time? Because, as noted, people who are worried about their jobs or have no jobs, and who are also trying to _11__ from under a pile of debt, are not going to do a lot of shopping. And businesses that don’t have customers aren’t going to do a lot of new _12__. And foreign nations also suffering high __13__ aren’t going to buy a lot of our goods and services. And without customers, companies won’t __14__. They’ll cut payrolls instead.
This brings us to the obvious question: Who’s going to buy the stuff we make or the services we provide, and therefore bring jobs back? There’s only one __15__ left: The government.
A.keeps to B.sticks to C.shows up D.attaches
A.discouraged B.timid C.sure D.upset
A.first B.next C.last D.only
A.On the other hand B.By contrast C.As a whole D.In other words
A.enormously B.definitely C.exactly D.directly
A.fewer B.more C.better D.worse
A.economics B.trades C.politics D.industries
A.necessary B.fertile C.scarce D.heated
A.opponents B.targets C.victims D.potentials
A.due B.able C.equal D.likely
A.get out B.get around C.get into D.get off
A.programming B.planning C.investing D.advertising
A.signature B.unemployment C.crisis D.inefficiency
A.rent B.run C.sell D.hire
A.manufacturer B.applicant C.buyer D.employer