industry jobs because the job market is full.

　　The issue of part­time employment is also very serious.Some people are forced into part­time jobs，while others find themselves taking a part­time job because nothing else is available，even though they really need to work full­time.This problem is especially common in areas with seasonal employment，where employers find it cheaper to maintain and lay off part­time staffs，rather than keeping a full staff at all times.

　　In the sense of shortage of workers，underemployment appears in a variety of situations.Some companies maintain a full staff to be prepared for seasonal work，or to keep well­trained，qualified workers so that they will be available when needed.Labor laws and union pressures may also prevent a company from cutting down on staff or working hours，leading to a situation in which people report to work，but have nothing to do.

　　【语篇解读】　本文是一篇说明文。低度就业或不充分就业不是指没有工作，常常指有着某种专业资格的人从事着非专业的工作，也指本应该从事全职工作，而实际在做临时工作，或者人浮于事的状态。本文给我们讲述的就是低度就业的三个层面及其形成原因。

　　1．The purpose of the passage is ．

　　A．to show underemployment is becoming more serious today

　　B．to imply women are laid off more than men

　　C．to explain the meaning of "underemployment"

　　D．to tell the present economic situations

　　【解析】　主旨大意题。全文在解释underemployment的含义，故选C。

　　【答案】　C

　　2．According to the text，underemployment means ．

　　A．the same meaning as the word-unemployed

　　B．employees are not fully taken charge of

　　C．qualified workers get a low salary

　　D．people who do manual work for wages

【解析】　细节理解题。根据文章第一段对underemployment的解释："In the