unemployment 前面不用冠词吗？

问题描述

试卷中的一个句子：

Unemployment was the chief cause of poverty during the 1930s.

这个 unemployment 前怎么没有冠词呢？

老师答疑

陈老师：

▲unemployment 作为抽象的不可数名词，其前通常不用冠词。如：

Unemployment contributes directly to homelessness. 失业直接影响到无家可归。

Some people find unemployment very difficult to cope with. 有些人觉得很难面对失业。

Unemployment became worse as factories closed. 许多工厂倒闭后，事业问题更严重了。

If the factory closes, many people face unemployment. 如果那工厂倒闭，很多人会面临失业。

Unemployment has climbed from two million to three million. 失业人数已经从200万上升到300万了。

The government must evolve mew policies to reduce unemployment. 政府必须制定出减少失业的新政策。

We are now seeing unemployment on an unprecedented scale. 我们现在正看到规模空前的失业现象。

He cited the fall in unemployment as one of the government’s successes. 他举出失业人数的下降作为政府的一项功绩。

The authors of the book address themselves to the question of unemployment. 作者们在书中致力探讨失业问题。

Unemployment has come down slightly but this does not alter the fact that it is still a major problem. 失业率下降了一点，但这不能改变失业仍是一大难题的事实。

▲当然，如果要特指，其实也可以用定冠词。如下面一句摘自《柯林斯英语语法大全》：

The unemployment in the rural areas is often thought to be due entirely to population growth, and no doubt this is an important factor. But those who hold this view still have to explain why additional people cannot do additional work.

句中的 unemployment 前用了定冠词，是因为其后有 in the rural areas 有修饰，使得 unemployment 具有特指概念，即特指“农村地区的失业”。

▲另外，如果unemployment 后跟有被修饰的名词，则其前是否使用冠词与其后名词有关。如：

The unemployment rate will soar above its present level. 失业率将飙升超过当前水平。

She claimed the unemployment figures were not entirely unexpected. 她声称失业率并非完全出乎意料。

A drop in the unemployment rate was cold comfort for those without a job. 失业率下降对于没有工作的人来说意义不大。

The unemployment trap exists when an unemployed person on benefit would be worse off in a low-paid job. 领救济金的失业者如果做低收入的工作后情况更糟，就存在一种失业陷阱。

陈老师：