Question

It is a familiar scene these days: employees taking newly laid-off co-workers out for a drink for comfort. But which side deserves sympathy more, the jobless or the still employed? On March 6, researchers at a conference at the University of Cambridge suggested it was the latter.

Brendan Burchell, a Cambridge sociologist, presented his analysis based on various surveys conducted across Europe. The data suggest that employed people who feel insecure in their jobs show similar levels of anxiety and depression as those who are unemployed. Although a newly jobless person’s mental health may “bottom out” after about six months, and then may even begin to improve, the mental state of people who are continuously worried about losing their own job “just continues to get worse and worse”, Burchell says.

Psychologists support this theory by arguing that human beings feel more stressed during times of insecurity because they sense an immediate but invisible threat. Patients have been known to experience higher levels of anxiety, for example, while waiting for examination results than knowing what they are suffering from—even if the results are cancer. It’s better to get the bad news and start doing something about it rather than wait with anxiety. When the uncertainty continues, people stay in a nonstop “fight or flight” response, which leads to damaging stress.

But not every employee in insecure industries has such a discouraging view, Burchell says. In general, women get on better. While reporting higher levels of anxiety than men when directly questioned, women score lower in stress on the GHQ 12, even when they have a job they feel insecure about losing. As Burchell explains, “For women, most studies show that any job—it doesn’t matter whether it is secure or insecure—gives psychological improvement over unemployment.” He supposes that the difference in men is that they tend to feel pressure not only to be employed, but also to be the primary breadwinners, and that more of a man’s self-worth depends on his job.

1.Why do researchers think the still employed deserve sympathy more?

A. They have to do more work since then.

B. They have no chance to find better jobs.

C. They have to work with inexperienced workers.

D. They constantly worry about losing their jobs.

2.What is most likely to cause a “fight or flight” response?

A. Not having a paid job.    B. Fierce competition for jobs.

C. Not knowing what will happen.    D. Pressure to work longer hours.

3.What will the writer talk about following the last paragraph?

A. Advice on preparing for a job interview.

B. Advice on handling pressure from insecure industries.

C. Some knowledge of psychology.

D. Difference in men and women.

4.What is the topic focused on by the author of the passage?

A. Is it less stressful to get laid off than stay on?

B. Should greater sympathy be given to the jobless?

C. Do employees bear more stress than ever before?

D. Do men or women show higher levels of anxiety?

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.A

【解析】

本文为应用文。文章介绍了一项剑桥社会学家Brendan Burchell的一项调查研究结果：在职的人比下岗的人精神压力更大、更需要同情。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段最后一句中“the mental state of people who are continuously worried about losing their job ‘just continues to get worse and worse’”可知，研究者之所以认为在职人员更值得同情，是因为在职人员一直处于担心会失去工作的状态中，而且他们的情况会越来越糟。由此可知，担心下岗的在职人员的精神状态会越来越差，故答案选D。

2.细节理解题。结合第三段内容尤其是该段最后一句When the uncertainty continues, people stay in a nonstop “fight or flight” response, which leads to damaging stress可知，当不确定性持续下去时，人们会处于一种持续的“战或逃”的反应中，而这会导致损害性压力的产生，故“战或逃”的反应是由不确定会发生什么而引起的。故答案选C。

3.推理判断题。本文主要讲述了与下岗职工相比，在职人员更值得同情，因为他们担心会失去工作，这种长久焦虑的精神状态让他们倍感压力。作者陈述了这种现象并分析了其产生的原因，由常理可知，接下来应该谈到给这些焦虑的人们的一些建议或忠告，以帮助他们减缓压力。故答案选B。

4.标题归纳题。通读全文可知，本文将在职人员与失业人员的心理健康情况进行比较，主要是为了说明在职人员因持续担心会失去工作而倍感压抑。结合第一段最后一句“But which side deserves sympathy more, the jobless or the still employed? On March 6, researchers at a conference at the University of Cambridge suggested it was the latter.”，这就是对标题“A. Is it less stressful to get laid off than stay on?”的回答。故答案选A。