They are among the 250 000 people under the age of 25 who are out of work in the Netherlands a gro

---

They are among the 250, 000 people under the age of 25 who are out of work in the Netherlands, a group that makes up 40 percent of the nation’s unemployed. A storm of anger boils up at the government-sponsored (政府资助的) youth center, even among those who are continuing their studies.

“We study for jobs that don’t exist,” Nicollets Steggerda, 23, said.

After thirty years of prosperity, unemployment among 10 member nations of the European Community has reached as much as 11 percent, affecting a total of 12.3 million people, and the number is climbing.

The bitter disappointment long expressed by British youths is spreading across the Continent. The title of a rock song “No Future” can now be seen written on the brick walls of closed factories in Belgium and France.

One form of protest(抗议) tends to put the responsibility for a country’s economic troubles on the large numbers of “guest workers” from Third World nations, people welcomed in Western Europe in the years of prosperity.

Young Europeans, brought up in an extended period of economic success and general stability, seem to be similar to Americans more than they do their own parents. Material enjoyment has given them a sense of expectation, even the right to a standard of living that they see around them.

“And so we pass the days at the discos, or meet people at the café, and sit and stare,” said Isabella Cault. "There is usually not much conversation. You look for happiness. Sometimes you even find it.”

小题1:Unemployment in the Netherlands has affected _______

A．about 0.6 million peopleB．250,000 peopleC．1ess than half of the population D．one million people小题2:What Nicollete Steggerda said (Para.2) means that ________. A．what the students learn is more than necessaryB．the students cannot get work after graduationC．the students’ aim in study is not clearD．school education is not sufficient小题3:The underlined word ‘‘it” in the last paragraph most probably refers to ________. A．material enjoymentB．a sense of expectationC．a jobD．happiness小题4:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？A．British youths have pity on the unemployed on the Continent．B．British youths care about unemployment in France and Belgium．C．British youths show their disappointment over joblessness．D．British youths have confidence to find work on the Continent．