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READING COMPREHENSION Sample 4


High unemployment has become one of the greatest problems in most countries nowadays. In western Europe, more than twenty million workers are jobless and nearly half of them have been out of work for more than a year. In the U.S.A, about nine million people are unemployed and the economy doesn’t seem to recover. For the first time, millions of workers have part-time jobs that they may lose at anytime and in which they have no social guarantees such as health and retirement benefits.

The rise in unemployment is partly due to the economic crisis. Because of competition with Japan and other Asian countries which produce better quality products at a minimum cost , Thousands of factories in America and Europe have been forced to close or to reduce the number of their workers. On the other hand, millions of unemployed people can’t find a job because the work they did is now unnecessary or has been made easier by machines : farming, mining, automobile assembly and banking rely more and more on robots and computers.

To fight unemployment, people have to adapt to a fast changing job market. More importance is now given to information, education and knowledge. Although workers still use their hands, their work is less physically tiring, but they also have to think and take important decisions while doing a task. As an expert in economy said : « The future belongs to people who use brains instead of their muscles ». It’s estimated that tomorrow’s young qualified worker can expect to change careers six times during his/her life time. If a worker learns a job today, within ten years or less, this job will probably disappear. The best way for people to prepare for these changes is through continuous training and education while they are looking for a job or in their place of work..



COMPREHENSION

A- Answer these questions fully from the text. ( 3 marks )

1. How many people don’t have a job in ?


2. What must people do to fight unemployment ?
……………………………………………………………..............................

3. How do Japanese and Asian countries compete with Europe and the USA ?
………………………………………………………………….........................


B- Decide if the following statements are True or False, and justify your answers
( 2 marks )

1- The future belongs to people who don’t think.
………………………………………………………………………………
2- In the future careers will be the same as they are now
………………………………………………………………………………

C- Complete the sentences keeping the same meaning as in the text. ( 2 marks )

1- Better quality products………………………………………….by Japanese and Asian countries.
2- Important decisions…………………………………………….by people when doing a task.

D- Find in the text synonyms of these words ( 1 mark )

1- Unemployed : ………………………
2- Obliged : ……………………….

E- Pick up from the text two compound nouns ( 2 marks )

1- ……………………………..
2- ……………………………..

End