made through immersion schools,because if you teach children when they're young it will stay withthem as adults and that's the future,” says Mr. Nahwooksy, aComanche Indian. Such schools have become a model in Hawaii. Butthe islanders' local language is still classed by UNESCO as“critically endangered” because only 1,000 people speak it. Thedecline in American Indian languages has historical roots: In themid-19th Century, the US government adopted a policy ofAmericanizing Indian children by removing them from their homes andculture. Within a few generations most had forgotten their nativetongues. Another challenge to language survival is television. Ithas brought English into homes and pushed out traditionalstory-telling and family time together, accelerating the extinctionof native languages.
Section C
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you havejust heard.
16. How does unemployment insurance help theunemployed?
A) It pays them up to half of their previous wages whilethey look for work.
B) It covers their mortgage payments and medical expensesfor 99 weeks.
C) It pays their living expenses until they findemployment again.
D) It provides them with the basic necessities of everydaylife.
【详解】A)。细节辨认题。讲座中明确指出,人们失业时可以获得失业保险,在寻找工作期间,可以拿到相当于最后一份工资的50%的收入。
17. What is local director Elizabeth Walsh of the BucksCounty CareerLink doing?
A) Creating jobs for the huge army of unemployedworkers.
B) Providing training and guidance for unemployedworkers.
C) Convincing local lawmakers to extend unemploymentbenefits.
D) Raising funds to help those having no unemploymentinsurance.
【详解】B)。细节辨认题。讲座中明确指出,巴克士郡的CareerLink为失业工人提供培训和指导,帮助他们寻找就业机会。
18. What does Pennsylvania State Representative ScottPetri say is the best way to help the long-termunemployed?
A) To offer them loans they need to start their ownbusinesses.
B) To allow them to postpone their monthly mortgagepayments.
C) To create more jobs by encouraging private investmentsin local companies.
D) To encourage big businesses to hire back workers withgovernment subsidies.
【详解】C)。细节推断题。讲座中提到,宾夕法尼亚州代表ScottPetri认为,帮助长期失业者的最好的办法就是让普通公民投资当地公司,以此创造出更多的就业机会。
Greg Rosen lost his job as a sales manager nearly threeyears ago and is still unemployed.“It literally is like somethingin a dream, to remember what it's like to actually be able to goout, and put in a day's work and receive a day's pay.”
At first, Rosen bought groceries and made house paymentswith the help from unemployment insurance. It pays laid off workersup to half of their previous wages while they look for work. Butnow, that insurance has run out for him, and he has to make toughchoices. He's cut back on medications and he no longer helpssupport his disabled mother.
It is a devastating experience. New research says the U.S.recession is now over, but many people remain unemployed. Andunemployed workers face difficult odds.
There is literally only one job opening for every fiveunemployed workers, so four out of five unemployed workers haveactually no chance of finding a new job.
Businesses have downsized or shut down across America,leaving fewer job opportunities for those in search of work.Experts who monitor unemployment statistics here in Bucks County,Pennsylvania, say about 28,000 people are unemployed, and many ofthem are jobless due to no fault of their own.
That's where the Bucks County CareerLink comes in. Localdirector Elizabeth Walsh says they provide training and guidance tohelp unemployed workers find local job opportunities.
“So here's the job opening, here's the job seeker, matchthem together under one roof,” she says.
But the lack of work opportunities in Bucks County limitshow much she can help.
Rosen says he hopes Congress will take action. This monthhe launched the 99ers Union, an umbrella organization of 18Internet-based grass roots groups of 99ers. Their goal is toconvince lawmakers to extend unemployment benefits.
But Pennsylvania State Representative Scott Petri saysgovernments simply do not have enough money to extend unemploymentinsurance. He thinks the best way to help the long-term unemployedis to allow private citizens to invest in local companies that cancreate more jobs. But the boost in investor confidence needed forthe plan to work will take time—time that Rosen says still requireshim to buy food and make monthly mortgage payments.
Rosen says he'll use the last of his savings to try tohang onto the home he worked for more than 20 years to buy. Butonce that money is gone, he says he doesn't know what he'lldo.