Graduating high school seniors looking to enter the workforce and other high school students searching for summer jobs are facing a tighter job market this year as the once red-hot U.S. economy continues to cool. Nationally, the jobless rate for 16-to-19-yaer-olds continues to rise. The unemployment rate for teenagers hit 14.2 percent in April, compared with 12.8 percent last year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.“Its very obvious that its going to be a little harder this summer, because businesses are much more reserved and cautious,” said Mark J. Gambill, the vice president at Manpower Inc., the nations largest temporary employment agency. The New York City-based company recently surveyed 16,000 public and private employees. Temporary jobs typical are the first to suffer in a slowing economy, but other sectors that employ teenagers heavily have fallen on leaner times as well. For instance, the amusement, recreation, and hotel industries shed a combined 43,000 jobs in March and April, said John F.Stinson Jr., an economist at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ironically, the pinch comes as the nations overall jobless rate remains low. Statistics show that fewer teenagers have been jobless over last few summers than at any time during the previous decade. “The jobless rates are still low by historical standards,” Mr. Stinson said. Ten years ago, for example, the unemployment rate for 16-to-19-year-old workers was 21.1 percent in June and 15.7 percent in July. Last year, the rate was 14.4 percent and 12.4 percent, respectively, federal figures show. Experts say teenagers looking for summer work still can find jobs but not lots of pay. The continuing slump in the nations high-tech sector and lingering uncertainty over the general health of the economy have combined to limit teenagers job options to the type of work that American youth typically have thrived on the retail and fast-food industries. For the past several years, experts say, large numbers of teenagers found work with high-paying technology companies. But those heady days of $50,000 starting salaries for those with computer skills and only a high school diploma have ended. Nationally, some 2.8 million students are expected to graduate from public and private high schools this year, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Lacking some sort of post secondary education or training virtually ensures those graduates low wages. Ron Bird, the chief economist at the Employment Policy Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit think tank, said economic projections show that wage growth for those with only a high school diploma will be the slowest among all groups. There is a fundamental shift evident in the U.S. economy, tied primarily to technology, that will reward more professional, management, and technical-type jobs as opposed to line operators.” He said.-1. The current unemployment rate for teenagers is A . lower than ever before. B . higher than it was last year. C . comparable to the overall unemployment. D . higher than in the previous decade. 正确答案:higher than it was last year.题目详解:2. Current job prospects for teenagers in the high-tech industry are A . non-existent. B . in decline. C . quite promising. D . highly profitable. 正确答案:in decline.题目详解:3. Currently most jobs for high school students and graduates are available in A . amusement park. B . temporary employment. C . the high-tech sector. D . retail stores. 正确答案:retail stores.题目详解:4. Which of the following individuals is directly quoted in this text? A . a government economist. B . high-industry analysts. C . a Washington economist. D . the vice president. 正确答案:a government economist.题目详解:5. This text is mainly about A . job competition between high school students and graduates. B . employment prospects for high school students and graduates. C . summer jobs prospects for teenagers. D . the cooling of the U.S. economy. 正确答案:employment prospects for high school students and graduates.题目详解:Before the summer of 2009, the 54year-old John Haughom could accomplish just about anything at work. “I could move mountains if I put my mind to it.” He says in those days. But that summer Haughom found he couldnt move them anymore. On the phone with his wife one morning, Hughom broke down. A couple of days later, Hughom checked himself in for a three-week stay at the Pofessional Renewal Center, an in-patient clinic 30 miles outside Kansas City that helps him deal with stress.Haughom is far from alone. A host of new studies and plenty of anecdotal evidence show that stress in the workplace is skyrocketing. Whatever the case, stress levele are at record high. The statistics are startling. According to a new study by the Federal Governments National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, more than half the working people in the U.S view job