A、It pays them up to half of their previous wages while they look for work. B、It covers their mortgage payments and medical expe

Gregg Rosen lost his job as a sales manager nearly three years ago and is still unemployed.
    " It literally is like something in a dream, to remember what it’s like to actually be able to go out, and put in a day’s work and receive a day’s pay. "
    At first, Rosen bought groceries and made house payments with the help from unemployment insurance.(16)It pays laid off workers up to half of their previous wages while they look for work. But now, that insurance has run out for him, and he has to make tough choices. He’s cut back on medications and he no longer helps support his disabled mother.
    It is a devastating experience.
    New research says the US recession is now over, but many people remain unemployed. And unemployed workers face difficult odds.
    "There is literally only one job opening for every five unemployed workers, so four out of five unemployed workers have actually no chance of finding a new job. "
    Businesses have downsized or shut down across America, leaving fewer job opportunities for those in search of work. Experts who monitor unemployment statistics here in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, say about 28,000 people are unemployed, and many of them are jobless due to no fault of their own.
     (17)That’s where the Bucks County’s CareerLink comes in. Local director Elizabeth Walsh says they provide training and guidance to help unemployed workers find local job opportunities.
    " So here’s the job opening. Here’s the job seeker. Match them together under one roof," she says.
    But the lack of work opportunities in Bucks County limits how much she can help.
    Rosen says he hopes Congress will take action.
    This month he launched the 99ers Union, an umbrella organization of 18 Internet-based grassroots groups of 99ers. Their goal is to convince lawmakers to extend unemployment benefits.
    But Pennsylvania State Representative Scott Petri says governments simply do not have enough money to extend unemployment insurance.
     (18)He thinks the best way to help the long-term unemployed is to allow private citizens to invest in local companies that can create more jobs. But the boost in investor confidence needed for the plan to work will take time—time that Rosen says still requires him to buy food and make monthly mortgage payments.
    Rosen says he’ll use the last of his savings to try to hang onto the home he worked for more than 20 years to buy. But once that money is gone, he says he doesn’t know what he’ll do.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
16. How does unemployment insurance help the unemployed?
17. What is local director Elizabeth Walsh of the Bucks County CareerLink doing?
18. What does Pennsylvania State Representative Scott Petri say is the best way to help the long-term unemployed?