問題詳情

UK unemployment has fallen below the 2 million mark for the first time since the global financial systemwas on the brink of collapse six years ago. In a pre-election boost to the UK government, the number ofunemployed people fell to 1.97 million between June and August, the lowest level since late 2008 when the USinvestment bank Lehman Brothers imploded and Britain was in the early stages of recession. The jobless rate fellto 6% in the three months to August, from 6.2% in the quarter to July. It was the lowest rate since late 2008. Theemployment rate rose to 73%, a level last seen in spring 2008 and close to the all-time high of 73.2%.Simon Walker, the director general of the Institute of Directors, said falling unemployment was testament to the“fortitude of British business”. It was not enough to cheer investors however, with the FTSE 100 closing down 181points or 2.8% at 6,211 – the biggest one-day fall since June 2013. Weak US data, the looming threat of Ebola andgeopolitical tensions contributed to the fall. In New York the Dow Jones index closed down more than 170 points.Despite the rise in UK employment, pay growth remained sluggish at 0.7% between June and Augustcompared with a year earlier, prolonging the fall in real pay as wage growth continued to lag behind CPI inflationwhich was 1.5% in August and 1.2% in September. It was, however, a slight improvement on the 0.6% paygrowth between May and July. Pay growth excluding bonuses was 0.9%, up from 0.8%.Jo Swinson, the employment relations minister, said she had asked the Low Pay Commission to explore howto increase national minimum wage without having an adverse impact on jobs. Economists said the Bank ofEngland would delay raising interest rates – on hold at 0.5% since March 2009 – amid weak wage growth, lowinflation and a flagging eurozone economy. Philip Shaw at Investec said the Bank was unlikely to raise ratesbefore August 2015.
6. What is the main idea of the passage?
(A) The fall in the UK unemployment does not suggest the UK wage is growing.
(B) The state of the UK job market is determined by the US economy.
(C) Raising interest rates is related to improving the unemployment in UK.
(D) The lowest unemployment rate since late 2008 should be attributed to the UK government.

參考答案

答案：A
難度：困難0.34717
統計：A(92),B(52),C(73),D(48),E(0)

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