Our Government is proud of the low taxation policy, free market operation and the enterprising nature of the economy, as it believes that all these lay the strong financial foundations that make possible the economic boom in Hong Kong. Hence, the role of the Government is to interfere, as little as possible, in the public sector, for fear of damaging the "normal"operation of the market Government spending in money terms has never exceeded 20 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product(GDP), since 1945. Many people in Hong Kong are scared by the specter of unemployment and yet the Government has done nothing to solve the problem, because administration officials do not want to spoil the miraculous market mechanism. There is talk of self help"by entrepreneurs involved in the market. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate is rocketing. I believe the Government should act to combat this problem. Owing to the lack of a comprehensive unemploy ment security scheme and unemployment insurance which exist in Western industrial countries, Hong Kongs jobless people suffer more psychological and social pressure than their Western counterparts The unemployed have a heavy psychological burden to bear. This can lead to them having feelings of low self-esteem and a feeling that they are worthless. Those who seek help from the Social Welfare Department(SWD) have to endure the complicated application procedure and the inhumane and harsh means test. The procedure to apply for assistance is not as easy as one would imagine. This puts the unemployed under great pressure. I do not believe that maintaining a policy of minimal government intervention will stem rising unemployment. The Government should make its invisible" hand in the market become visible by, for example, creating more job opportunities for the unemployed; ensuring age and sex discrimination do not exist in the workplace; restraining employers from exploiting employees- in the way that some employers do by taking on casual staff and making them work long hours and, finally, bringing under control the"crazy" property speculation of capitalists 1. In terms of the governments role in Hong Kongs economy, the writer is A)holding that less intervention will promote the economy B) unsupportive of the new initiatives taken C)restating that intervention in wrong forms was adopted in the past D) arguing that more intervention is highly necessary 2. The writer's attitude to the new Financial Secretary Donald Tsang is B) supportive c critical D)ambi 3. Why do the unemployed in Hong Kong carry a heavy psychological burden? A)Because the government has done little to solve the problem of unemployment B) Because of the lack of a comprehensive unemployment security scheme and insurance C)Because the application procedure is way too complicate D) All of the above 4. In paragraph 4, "invisible"is in quotation marks because A)it is emphasized B)it is used to present a special meaning C) it is quoted from other essays D)it is misused8 Our Government is proud of the low taxation policy, free market operation and the enterprising nature of the economy, as it believes that all these lay the strong financial foundations that make possible the economic boom in Hong Kong. Hence, the role of the Government is to interfere, as little as possible, in the public sector, for fear of damaging the “normal” operation of the market. Government spending in money terms has never exceeded 20 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), since 1945. Many people in Hong Kong are scared by the specter of unemployment and yet the Government has done nothing to solve the problem, because administration officials do not want to spoil the miraculous market mechanism. There is talk of “self help” by entrepreneurs involved in the market. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate is rocketing. I believe the Government should act to combat this problem. Owing to the lack of a comprehensive unemployment security scheme and unemployment insurance which exist in Western industrial countries, Hong Kong’s jobless people suffer more psychological and social pressure than their Western counterparts. The unemployed have a heavy psychological burden to bear. This can lead to them having feelings of low self-esteem and a feeling that they are worthless. Those who seek help from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have to endure the complicated application procedure and the inhumane and harsh means test. The procedure to apply for assistance is not as easy as one would imagine. This puts the unemployed under great pressure. I do not believe that maintaining a policy of minimal government intervention will stem rising unemployment. The Government should make its “invisible” hand in the market become visible by, for example, creating more job opportunities for the unemployed; ensuring age and sex discrimination do not exist in the workplace; restraining employers from exploiting employees — in the way that some employers do by taking on casual staff and making them work long hours and, finally, bringing under control the “crazy” property speculation of capitalists. 1. In terms of the government’s role in Hong Kong’s economy, the writer is _____. A) holding that less intervention will promote the economy B) unsupportive of the new initiatives taken C) restating that intervention in wrong forms was adopted in the past D) arguing that more intervention is highly necessary 2. The writer’s attitude to the new Financial Secretary Donald Tsang is _____. A) advocating B) supportive C) critical D) ambiguous 3. Why do the unemployed in Hong Kong carry a heavy psychological burden? A) Because the government has done little to solve the problem of unemployment. B) Because of the lack of a comprehensive unemployment security scheme and insurance. C) Because the application procedure is way too complicated. D) All of the above. 4. In paragraph 4, “invisible” is in quotation marks because _____. A) it is emphasized B) it is used to present a special meaning C) it is quoted from other essays D) it is misused