Passage 2 Question 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
Early retirement will be a thing of the past in the next millennium, new researc h predicts. In 25 years’ time, people will go on working until they are 80, rath er than finishing in their 50s or even their 40s, and the “grey power” consume r boom fuelled by older folk—which has already made its mark on the economy — will go on spreading, until a fifth of the nation’s spreading is controlled by t hem.
The report, produced by a think-tank attached to food and leisure group Sodexho, paints a rosy picture of the fate of present generations as they advance in yea rs.
As well as being fit enough to work, they will be able to enjoy their leisure a nd money at later ages than those who are elderly now. More than one in six olde r people will be classed as “active”, nearly a third more than their current n umbers among the elderly population.“Active” people are those who are keen t o get involved in work and hobbies and who take easily to new technology. The pr oportion of older people who can be classed as “frail”—now nearly two-thir ds —will fall by five per cent as longer life expectancy, longer working lives and better medical care take effect.
Life itself will go on at least ten years longer. At present, men can expect t o live 74 and women 81. In 2025, the report predicts, life will stretch on avera ge to 85 for men and 93 for women. At present, despite its ageing population, Br itain is one of the youngest countries in Europe, with fewer than one in six— u nder ten million—over 65. After a dip in the next few years, numbers will rise rapidly to around 13 million over 25 years.
The retirement age will be pushed back as more people demand to work longer, the report forecasts. In 2010, most will work until 70, in 2020 until 75 and in 202 5 until 80. Many will start their own businesses or volunteer for charities. The longer working lives and growing wealth will mean a continuing expansion of grey consumer phenomenon. The older people will represent a greater proportion o f purchasing power, rising from 12 per cent of GDP to 20 per cent.
26.Which of the following statements is true? A) Older people have a great influence on the economy. B) 20% of the nations spending is controlled by older people. C) Older people don’t represent an important proportion of purchasing power at present. D) A fifth of the nation ’s positions in the financial world will be taken by older people.
27.“Present generations”refer to____. A) the present young people B) the present older people C) people living now D) the retired people
28.According to paragragh 3，____. A) among the older population, more than a third are classed as “active” B) in the future, only 5% of older people will be classed as “frail” C) now more than 2/3 of the older people can be classed as “frail” D) in the future, more than 1/6 of the older people will still work.
29.Which of the following statements is NOT true? A) At present, Britain’s population is about 60 million. B) Older people take a higher and higher percentage in the population. C) The persontage of older people will drop a little in the next few years. D) There will be roughly 78 million people in Britain in 25 years.
30.Which of the following words can best describe the author’s attitude towards older people’s life in the future? A) Optimistic. B) Critical. C) Ironic. D) Humorous.
Passage Two 短文大意：本文对未来老年人的生活作出乐观预测，认为随着平均寿命的增长，人们的退休年龄将推迟，老年人的生活会更加活跃，自发消费潮还会继续扩展。 26. 【参考译文】下列说法中哪一个是对的?【试题分析】这是细节题。【详细解答】原文第一段“the grey power consumer boon fuelled by older folk which has already made its mark on economy”一句，即由老年人引发的“白发”消费繁荣现象目前已经对经济产生了明显影响，与A相符。 27. 【参考译文】第二段中“present generations”指的是____。【试题分析】根据上下文推测词意。【详细解答】gereration一词用的是复数，并非指具体哪一代人，而是指所有将会产生老年的人，即所有目前生活着的人。 28. 【参考译文】根据第三段，____。【试题分析】细节推断题。【详细解答】据原文第三段，六分之一以上的老年人可称之为“有活力”，他们对工作和业余爱好很有兴趣，与D相符，A、B、C三项均在数字上与事实不符。 29. 【参考译文】下列哪一项陈述是不对的？【试题分析】细节题。【详细解答】根据第四段，英国人口中65岁以上的人不足六分之一，即少于10million，因此英国人口约为60 million，因此A为正确说法。随着寿命延长，老年人的比例会越来越大，因此B也是正确说法。根据“after a dip in the next few years”可知老年人比例会在将来几年略有下降然后再上升，与C相符。而D根据25年后老年人人数为13 million，错误地认为25年后所占比例仍为1/6，错误地推算英国人口总数为78 million。 30. 【参考译文】下列哪一个词最适合用来描述作者对将来老年人的生活的态度____。【试题分析】主旨题。【详细解答】通篇给人一种积极乐观的感觉。
