江蘇省泰州市公共英語五級(筆試)知識點匯總（含答案）學校:________班級:________姓名:________考號:________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15題)1.Whocanbedescribedas"amantohavehisnoseputoutofjoint"?

A.Agayman.

B.Asickman.

C.Amanwhowantstosmellaflower.

D.Amanwhofeelshurtanddepressed.

2.PartB

Directions:Youwillhear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.

聽力原文：Whenaconsumerfindsthatanitemsheorheboughtisbrokenorinsomeotherwaydoesnotreachthestandardofthemanufacturer'sclaimforit,thefirststepistopresentthewarranty,oranyotherrecordswhichmighthelp,atthestoreofpurchase.Inmostcases,thisactionwillproduceresults.However,ifitdoesnot,therearevariousmeanstheconsumersmayusetogainsatisfaction.

Asimpleandcommonmethodusedbymanyconsumersistocomplaindirectlytothestoremanager.Ingeneral,the"higherup"theconsumertakeshisor"hercomplaint,thefasterheorshecanexpectittobetackled.Insuchacase,itisusuallysettledintheconsumer'sfavor,assumingheorshehasajustclaim.

Consumersshouldcomplaininpersonwheneverpossible,butiftheycannotgettotheplaceofpurchase,itisacceptabletophoneorwritethecomplaintinaletter.

Complainingisusuallymosteffectivewhenitisdonepolitelybutfirmly,andespeciallywhentheconsumercandemonstratewhatiswrongwiththeiteminquestion.Ifthiscannotbedone,theconsumerwillsucceedbestbypresentingspecificinformationastowhatiswrong,ratherthanbymakinggeneralstatements.Forexample,"Theleftspeakerdoesnotworkatallandthesoundcomingoutoftherightoneisunclear"isbetterthan"thisstereodoesnotwork".

Thestoremanagermayadvisetheconsumertowritetothemanufacturer.Ifso,theconsumershoulddothis,statingthecomplaintaspolitelyandasfirmlyaspossible.Butifapolitecomplaintdoesnotachievethedesiredresult,theconsumercangoastepfurther.Sheorhecanthreatentotakethesellertocourtorreportthesellertoaprivateorpublicorganizationresponsibleforprotectingconsumers'rights.

Whenaconsumerfindsthathispurchasehasafaultinit,whatisthefirstthingheshoulddo?

A.Complainpersonallytothemanager.

B.Threatentotakethemattertocourt.

C.Writeafirmletterofcomplainttothestoreofpurchase.

D.Showsomewrittenproofofthepurchasetothestore.

3.聽力原文：Theexpression,"lameduck",canbeheardinalmostanyAmericantownorcity,especiallywherepeoplediscusspolitics.Mostoften,theyuseittodescribeapoliticianwhohascometotheendofhispower.

Thereareanumberofideasastowhere"lameduck"camefrom,thoughthepictureofalameduckisclearenough;aduckthathashaditswingscut,oritsfeetinjured,andcannolongerwalklikeahealthyone.

ThetermseemstohavecomeintotheAmericanlanguageaftertheCivilWarof1861-1865.Oneexplanationisthatitcamefromthelanguageofhunterswhofeltthatitwasfoolishtowastepowderortimeonadeadduck.Andalameduckisclosetobeingadeadduck.

Anotherexplanation,however,isthattheexpressioncamefromEngland.Thereitwasusedtodescribeamanwholostallhismoneyandcouldnotpayhisdebts.Hecoulddonothingbutwalklikealameduck.Andpeopleshowedlittlemercyforthepoorfellow.

ButintheUnitedStatespeopletookthephrasetodescribecongressmanwhofailedtogetre-electedbutstillhadalittletimeleftinoffice.

Later,theexpressionwasusedinabroadersense,generallydescribinganymanwhosedaysofpowerwerecomingtoanend.IthasoftenbeenusedtodescribethepositionofanAmericanpresidentinthelasttwoyearsorsoofhissecondterm.Itisadifficulttimeforhim,whenCongressisreadytoopposehimateveryturn.

Wherecantheexpression"lameduck"beheard?

A.Onlyamonghunters.

B.Amongprimaryschoolpupils.

C.Amongbeautifulladies.

D.Amongpeoplewhoarediscussingpolitics.

4.Whatdoes"itisasplainasthenoseonyourface"mean?

A.Itiseasytosolve.

B.Somethinglookslikeyournose.

C.Itissomethingquiteunderstandable.

D.Thereisaplain-lookingnoseonyourface.

5.Theystartedworkingin1968basedontheobservationmadebyJung，thefounderof______．

6.WhogavedairyproductstothenativeAmericans?

7.Whatadvantagesdoesworkhave?

8.WhatistheeffectoftheWomen'sMovement?

9.Whydoesthespeakersuggestwerisewithayawnandstretch?

A.Becauseitwillhelpkeepyourenergyfortheday'swork.

B.Becauseitwillhelpyoutocontrolyourtemperearlyintheday.

C.Becauseitwillhelpyoutoconcentrateonyourroutinework.

D.Becauseitwillkeepyourenergycycleundercontrolallday.

10.ThosewhovisitLondonwillcertainlygoto______．

A.theTowerofLondon

B.Harrods

C.BuckinghamPalace

D.TheGreenwichvillage

11.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

聽力原文：Fromgoodreadingwecanobtainpleasure,companionship,experience,andinstruction.Agoodbookmayabsorbourattentionsocompletelythatforthetimebeingweforgetoursurroundingsandevenouridentity.Readinggoodbooksisoneofthegreatestpleasuresinlife.Itincreasesourcontentmentwhenwearecheerful,andlessensourtroubleswhenwearesad.Whatevermaybeourmainpurposeinreading,ourcontactwithgoodbooksshouldneverfailtogiveusenjoymentandsatisfaction.

Withagoodbookinourhandsweneedneverbelonely.Whetherthecharactersportrayedaretakenfromreallifeoraretotallyimaginarytheymaybecomeourcompanionsandfriends.Inthepagesofbookswecanwalkwiththewiseandthegoodofalllandsandalltimes.Thepeoplewemeetinbooksmaydelightuseitherbecausetheyresemblehumanfriendswhomweholddearorbecausetheypresentunfamiliartypeswhomwearegladtowelcomeasnewacquaintances.Ourhumanfriendssometimesmayboreus,butthefriendswemakeinbooksneedneverwearyuswiththeircompany.Byturningthepageswecandismissthemwithoutanyfearofhurtingtheirfeelings.Whenhumanfriendsdesertus,goodbooksarealwaysreadytogiveusfriendship,sympathy,andencouragement.

Oneofthemostvaluablegiftsbestowedbybooksisexperience.Fewofuscantravelfarfromhomeorhaveawiderangeofexperiences,butallofuscanleadvariedlivesthroughthepagesofbooks.Whetherwewishtoescapefromtheseeminglydullrealitiesofeverydaylifeorwhetherweexpecttovisitsomefar-offplace,abookwillhelpuswhennothingelsecan.Totravelbybookweneednobankaccounttopayourway;noairshiporoceanlinerorstream-linedtraintotransportus;nopassporttoenterthelandofourheart'sdesire.Throughbookswemaygetthethrillofhazardousadventurewithoutdanger.Wecanclimbloftymountains,bravetheperilsofanantarcticwinter,orcrossthescorchingsandsofthedesert,allwithouthardship.InbookswemayvisitthestudiosofHollywood;wemayminglewiththegaythrongsofmeParisboulevards;wemayjointhepicturesquepeasantsinanAlpinevillageorthekindlynativesonaSouthSeaisland.Indeed,throughbooksthewholeworldisoursfortheasking.Thepossibilitiesofourliteraryexperiencesarealmostunlimited.Thebeautiesofnature,theenjoymentofmusic,thetreasuresofart,thetriumphsofarchitecture,themarvelsofengineeringareallopentothewonderandenjoymentofthosewhoread.

Agoodbookmaydrawourattentionsocompletelythatweforgetoursurroundingsandevenouridentityforthetimebeing.

A.TrueB.Fasle

12.ThejoboftheBoardofDirectorsistoadministratethecompany.

A.TrueB.Fasle

13.Whatwasusedtocarrymostmailafterthecoloniesbecameanation?

14.Afterdeliveringthenewinformation,whyshouldthespeakeralsogivehisaudiencesometime?

15.Whatisthepassagemainlytalkingabout?

二、2.UseofEnglish(10題)16.

【C16】

17.

【C13】

18."Themoregadgetsthereare,the【C1】______thingsseemtoget."saidHonoreErvin,co-authorofTheEtiquetteGirls:ThingsYouNeedtoBeTold."Justbecauseit'sthere【C2】______yourdisposal,doesn’tmeanyouhavetouseit24/7."

Arecent【C3】______bymarketresearchcompanySynovateshowedthat70percentof1,000respondents【C4】______thepoorestetiquetteincellphoneusersoverotherdevices.Theworsthabit?Loudphoneconversationsinpublicplaces,or"cellyell,"【C5】______to72percentoftheAmericanspolled.

"Peopleuse【C6】______anywhereandeverywhere,"Ervinsaid."Atthemovies-turn【C7】______yourcellphone.Idon'twanttopay$10tobesittingnexttosomeguychitchattingtohisgirlfriend【C8】______hiscellphone."Thisrudenesshasdeterioratedpublicspaces,accordingtoLewFriedland,acommunicationprofessor【C9】______theUniversityofWisconsin-Madison.He【C10】______thelackofmannersakindofunconsciousrudeness,【C11】______manypeoplearenot【C12】______ofwhatthey'redoingortheothersaroundthem.

"Ithinkit'sreallynoticeableinanyplane,trainorbus【C13】______you'resubjectedagainstyourwill【C14】______someoneelse'sconversation,"hesaid."Youcanlistentointimatedetailsoftheiruncle'sillness,problemswiththeirloversand【C15】______they'rehavingforsinner.""It【C16】______what.wasapublic"commonspaceandstartsto【C17】______itupintosmallprivatespace."

Ashorttimeago,ifcellphoneusers【C18】______politelyaskedtotalkquietly,theywould【C19】______withchagrin,hesaid."Nowmoreandmorepeopleareessentiallytreatingyoulikeyoudon'tunderstandthatloudcellphoneuseis【C20】______inpublic."

【C1】

19.Pollutionisa"dirty"word.Topollutemeanstocontaminate—topsoilorsomethingbyintroducingimpuritieswhichmake【31】______unfitoruncleantouse.Pollutioncomesinmanyforms.Weseeit,smellit,【32】______it,drinkit,andstumblethroughit.Weliterallylivedinandbreathepollution,and【33】______surprisingly,itisbeginningto【34】______ourhealth,ourhappiness,andourcivilization.

Oncewethoughtofpollution【35】______meaningsimplythesmog—thechoking,stinging,dirty【36】______thathoversovercities.Butairpollution,whileitis【37】______themostdangerous,isonlyonetypeofcontaminationamongseveral【38】______attackthemostbasiclifefunctions.

Throughtheuncontrolleduseofinsecticides,manhaspollutedtheland,【39】______thewildlife.By【40】______sewageandchemicalsintoriversandlakes,wehavecontaminatedour【41】______water.Wearepollutingtheoceans,too,killingthefishand【42】______deprivingourselves【43】______aninvaluablefoodsupply.

Partoftheproblemisourexploding【44】______.Moreandmorepeopleareproducingmorewastes.Butthisproblemisintensifiedbyour"throw-away"technology.EachyearAmericans【45】______of7millionautos,20milliontonsofwastepaper,25millionpoundsoftoothpastetubesand48millioncans.Wethrowawaygumwrappers,newspapers,andpaperplates.Itisnolongerwiseto【46】______anything.Todayalmosteverythingisdisposable.【47】______ofrepairingatoasteroraradio,itiseasierandcheapertobuyanotheroneanddiscardtheold,even【48】______95percentofitspartsmaystillbefunctioning.Babydiapers,whichusedtobemadeofreusablecloth,arenowpaperthrowaway.Soonwewillwearclothingmadeof【49】______:"Wearitonceandthrowitaway"willbethesloganofthefashionableconsciousness.

Whereisthisalltoend?Areweturningtheworldintoagiganticdump,oristherehopethatwecansolvethepollutionproblem?【50】______,solutionsareinsight.Afewofthemarepositivelyingenious.

(31)

20.

【C12】

21.

【C2】

22.(45)

23.(40)

24.Childrenwhogriptheirpenstooclosetothewritingpointarelikelytobeatadisadvantageinexaminations,【C1】______tothefirstseriousinvestigationintothewayinwhichwritingtechniquecandramaticallyaffecteducationalachievement.

Thesurveyof643childrenandadults,rankingfrompre-schoolto40-plus,alsosuggests【C2】______penholdingtechniqueshavedeterioratedsharplyoveronegeneration,withteachersnowpayingfar【C3】______attentiontocorrectpengripandhandwritingstyle.

StephanieThomas,alearningsupportteacher【C4】______findingshavebeenpublished,wasinspiredtoinvestigatethisarea【C5】______henoticedthatthosestudentswhohadthemosttroublewithspelling【C6】______hadapoorpengrip.WhileMr.Thomascouldnotestablishasignificantstatisticallink【C7】______pen-holdingstyle.andaccuracyinspelling,he【C8】______findhugedifferencesintechniquebetweentheyoungchildrenandthematureadults,andadefinite【C9】______betweennear-pointgrippingandslow,illegiblewriting.

Peoplewho【C10】______theirpensatthewritingpointalsoshowothercharacteristics【C11】______inhibitlearning,【C12】______aspoorposture,leaningtoo【C13】______tothedesk,usingfourfingerstogripthepen【C14】______thanthree,andclumsypositioningofthethumb(whichcanobscure【C15】______isbeingwritten).

Mr.Thomasbelievesthatthe【C16】______betweenelderandyoungerwritersis【C17】______toodramatictobeaccountedforsimplybythepossibilitythatpeoplegetbetteratwritingastheygrow【C18】______.Heattributesittoafailuretoteachthemosteffectivemethods,pointingoutthatthedifferencesbetween【C19】______groupscoincideswiththeabandonmentofformalhandwritinginstructioninclassroomsinthesixties."The30-year-oldshowedahugediversityofgrips,【C20】______theover40sgroupallhadauniform.'tripod'grip."

【C1】

25.(50)

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15題)26.PartC

Directions:Answerquestions71-80byreferringtothefollowinggames.

Note:AnswereachquestionbychoosingA,BorCandmarkitonANSWERSHEET1.Somechoicesmayberequiredmorethanonce.

A=HydropowerB=NuclearpowerC=SolarpowerD=WindpowerWhichpower(power's)...

wasdevelopedtoprovideelectricityforsatellitesatthebeginning?71.______

canpromotetourismdevelopment?72.______

maygiveoffdangerousradioactivepollutionintotheair?73.______

mayaffectthedownstreamwaterqualityandhaveanimpactonplantlife?74.______

stationscanincreasetofullpowerveryquickly?75.______

producessmallamountsofwaste?76.______

isagoodmethodofsupplyingenergytoremoteareas?77.______

providesaround20%oftheworld'selectricity?78.______

canbeusedtoheatyourwaterathomeinsteadofsomuchgasorelectricity?79.______

isnotrenewable?80.______

A

Hydropower

Introduction

Wehaveusedrunningwaterasanenergysourceforthousandsofyears,mainlytogrindcorn.

ThefirsthouseintheworldtobelitbyhydroelectricitywasCragsideHouse,inNorthumberland,England,in1878.In1882ontheFoxRiver,intheUSA,hydroelectricityproducedenoughpowertolighttwopapermillsandahouse.

Nowadaystherearemanyhydro-electricpowerstations,providingaround20%oftheworld'selectricity.Thenamecomesfrom"hydro",theGreekwordforwater.

Howitworks

Adamisbuilttotrapwater,usuallyinavalleywherethereisanexistinglake.

Waterisallowedtoflowthroughtunnelsinthedam,toturnturbinesandthusdrivegenerators.

Advantages

Oncethedamisbuilt,theenergyisvirtuallyfree.

Nowasteorpollutionproduced.

Muchmorereliablethanwind,solarorwavepower.

Watercanbestoredabovethedamreadytocopewithpeaksindemand.

Hydro-electricpowerstationscanincreasetofullpowerveryquickly,unlikeotherpowerstations.

Disadvantages

Thedamsareveryexpensivetobuild.

Buildingalargedamwillfloodaverylargeareaupstream,causingproblemsforanimalsthatusedtolivethere.

Findingasuitablesitecanbedifficult—theimpactonresidentsandtheenvironmentmaybeunacceptable.

Waterqualityandquantitydownstreamcanbeaffected,whichcanhaveanimpactonplantlife.

Isitrenewable?

Hydro-electricpowerisrenewable.

TheSunprovidesthewaterbyevaporationfromthesea,andwillkeepondoingso.

B

Nuclearpower

Introduction

NuclearpowerisgeneratedusingUranium,whichisametalminedinvariouspartsoftheworld.

Thefirstlarge-scalenuclearpowerstationopenedatCalderHallinCambria,England,in1956.

Somemilitaryshipsandsubmarineshavenuclearpowerplantsforengines.

Howitworks

Nuclearpowerstationsworkinprettymuchthesamewayasfossilfuel-burningstations,exceptthata"chainreaction"insideanuclearreactormakestheheatinstead.

ThereactorusesUraniumrodsasfuel,andtheheatisgeneratedbynuclearfission.Neutronssmashintothenucleus

27.(67)

28.PartC

Directions:Answerquestions71-80byreferringtothefollowinggames.

Note:AnswereachquestionbychoosingA,BorCandmarkitonANSWERSHEET1.Somechoicesmayberequiredmorethanonce.

Note：AnswereachquestionbychoosingA，B，CorDandmarkitonANSWERSHEET1．Somechoicesmayberequiredmorethanonce．

A=WashingtonD.C.B=NewYorkCityC=ChicagoD=LosAngeles

Whichcity…

istheheadquarteroftheSupremeCourt?71．______

wasdiscoveredasearlyas1524?72．______

hasservedasthecapitalofthecountry?73．______

isnowthelargestindustrialcityinthecountry?74．______

leadsthecountryinthemanufactureofaircraftandspareparts?75．______

isthelargestcity?76．______

isthesecondlargestcityinpopulationinU.S.A.?77．______

hasbecomeoneoftheworld'sbusiestports?78．______

coversanareaofover69squaremiles?79．______

isnowconsideredthecenterofindustry，transportation，commerceandfinanceinthemid-westarea?

80．______

AWashingtonD.C.

Washington，thecapitaloftheUnitedStates，isinWashingtonD.C.andissituatedonthePotomacRiverbetweenthetwostatesofMarylandandVirginia．Thepopulationofthecityisabout800,000anditcoversanareaofover69squaremiles(including8squaremilesofwatersurface)．ThesectionwasnamedtheDistrictofColumbiaafterChristopherColumbus，whodiscoveredthecontinent．ThecityitselfwasnamedWashingtonafterGeorgeWashington，thefirstpresidentofU.S.A.

Thebuildingofthecitywasaccomplishedin1800andsincethatyear，ithasservedasthecapitalofthecountry．ThomasJeffersonwasthefirstpresidentinauguratedthere．IntheWarof1812，theBritainarmyseizedthecity．burningtheWhiteHouseandmanyotherbuildings．

WashingtonistheheadquartersofallthebranchesoftheAmericanfederalsystem：Congress，theSupremeCourtandthePresidency．

Apartfromthegovernmentbuildings，therearealsosomeotherplacesofinterestsuchastheWashingtonMonument，theLincolnMemorial，theJeffersonMemorial，theLiteraryoftheCongressandMt．Vernon，homeofGeorgeWashington．

BNewYorkCity

NewYorkCity．locatedinNewYorkState,isthelargestcityandthechiefportoftheUnitedStates．ThecityofNewYorkhasapopulationofover7million(1970)andMetropolitan，12million．

Thecitywithitsgoodharborwasdiscoveredasearlyas1524，anditwasestablishedbyDutchwhonamedthecityNewAmsterdam．In1664，thecitywastakenbytheEnglishanditgotthenameNewYorkasitbearsnow．DuringtheAmericanRevolutionin1776，GeorgeWashingtonhadhishead-quartersforatimeinNewYorkCity．TheDeclarationofIndependencewasfirstreadthereinJuly4th，1776．Thecityre

29.

Today'scorporateexecutiveofficersresembletheindustrialistsandagriculturistsinthepastintheirrealizationof______.

A.theessentialrolesoftheworkersinturningoutmoreproducts

B.theimportanceofinformationtoacompany'sdevelopment

C.theimportanceoftechnologyleadingtohighemployeeproductivity

D.thenecessityofprovidingemployeeswithacomfortableenvironment

30.(68)

31.(73)

32.(79)

33.(75)

34.(76)

35.Throughouthistorytherehavebeenmanyunusualtaxesleviedonsuchthingsashats，beds，baths，marriages，andfunerals．AtonetimeEnglandleviedataxonsunlightbycollectionfromeveryhouseholdwithsixormorewindows．Andaccordingtolegend，therewasaTurkishrulerwhocollectedataxeachtimehedinedwithoneofhissubjects．Why?Topayforthewearandtearonhisteeth!

Differentkindsoftaxeshelptospreadthetaxburden．Anyonewhopaysataxissaidto“beartheburden”ofthetax．Theburdenofataxmayfallmoreheavilyonsomepersonsthanonothers．Thatiswhythethreelevelsofgovernmentinthiscountryuseseveralkindsoftaxes．Thisspreadstheburdenoftaxesamongmorepeople．Fromthestandpointoftheiruse，themostimportanttaxesareincometaxes，propertytaxes，salestaxes，andestate，inheritance，andgifttaxes．Someareusedbyonlyonelevelofgovernment；othersbytwoorevenallthreelevels．Togetherthesedifferenttaxesmakeupwhatiscalledourtaxsystem．

Incometaxesarethemainsourceoffederalrevenues．Thefederalgovernmentgetsmorethanthree-fourthsofitsrevenuefromincometaxes．Asitsnameindicated，anincometaxisataxonearnings．Bothindividualsandbusinesscorporationspayafederalincometax．

TheoldesttaxintheUnitedStatestodayisthepropertytax．Itprovidesmostoftheincomeforlocalgovernments．Itprovidesatleastapartoftheincomeforallbutafewstates．Itisnotusedbythefederalgovernment．

Asalestaxisataxleviedonpurchases．MostpeoplelivingintheUnitedStatesknowaboutsalestaxessincetheyareusedinallbutfourstates．Actuallythereareseveralkindsofsalestaxes，butonlythreeofthemareimportant．Theyaregeneralsalestaxes，excisetaxes，andimporttaxes．

Otherthreecloselyrelatedtaxesareestate，inheritance，andgifttaxes．Everythingapersonowns，includingbothrealandpersonalproperty，makesuphisorherestate．Whensomeonedies，ownershipofhisorherpropertyorestatepassesontooneormoreindividualsororganizations．Beforethepropertyistransferred，however，itissubjecttoanestatetaxifitsvalueexceedsacertainamount．

ThereasonthattheTurkishrulercollectedadiningtaxistopayfor_______．

A.theinconvenienceforhimtoputonandtakeoffclothes

B.thedamagethateatingdidtohisteeth

C.hiseffortstocutthefoodintopieces

D.thedecayofhisteethbecauseofsugar

36.

______coversbuildingspaceof90thousandsquaremeters?

37.(78)

38.

Towhichofthefollowingistheauthorlikelytoagree?

A.Anowboom,onthehorizon.

B.Tightenthebelt,thesingleremedy.

C.Cautionallright,panicnot.

D.Themoreventures,themorechances.

39.PartB

Directions:Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66-70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA-Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Thepressisconstantlyremindingusthatthedramaticincreaseintheageofourpopulationoverthenext30orsoyearswillcausenationalhealthcaresystemstocollapse,economiestocrumpleunderthestrainofpensiondemandsanddisintegratingfamiliestobuckleunderincreasingcarecommitments.YetresearchatOxfordisbeginningtoexposesomeofthewidespreadmythsthatunderliethisrhetoric.Demographicageingisundoubtedlyareality.Lifeexpectancyindevelopedcountrieshasrisencontinuouslyoverthepastcentury,increasingthepercentageofthoseovertheageof60relativetothoseundertheageof15.By2030halfthepopulationofWesternEuropewillbeovertheageof50,withapredictedaveragelifeexpectancyofafurther40years.Bythen,aquarterofthepopulationwillbeover65andby2050theUK'scurrentnumberof10,000centenariansarepredictedtohavereachedaquarterofamillion.SomedemographershaveevensuggestedthathalfofallbabygirlsbornintheWesttodaywilllivetoseethenextcentury.

66.______

Indeed,ifthiscouldbeachievedthroughouttheworld,itwouldsurelycountasthesuccessofcivilization,forthenwewouldalsohaveconqueredthekillersofpoverty,disease,famineandwar.

Decreasingmortalityrates,increasinglongevityanddecliningfertilitymeansmallerpercentagesofyoungpeoplewithinpopulations.Overthepast20yearslifeexpectancyatbirthintheUKhasrisenbyfouryearsformen(to75)andthreeyearsforwomen(to80).MeanwhilefertilityratesacrossEuropehavedeclinedmoreorlesscontinuouslyoverthepast40yearsandremainwellbelowthelevelsrequiredforEuropeanpopulationstobeabletoreplacethemselveswithoutsubstantiveimmigration.Butagain,ratherthanseeingthisasadoomandgloomscenario,weneedtoexplorethepositiveaspectsofthesedemographics.Thenext50yearsshouldprovideuswithanopportunitytoenjoythemanyadvantagesofasocietywithamaturepopulationstructure.

67.______

ThefirstoftheseisthecurrentpoliticalrhetoricwhichclaimsthathealthservicesacrosstheWesternworldarecollapsingunderthestrainofdemographicageing.

68.______

Thesecondmythistheviewthattheratioofworkerstonon-workerswillbecomesoacutethatWesterneconomieswillcollapse,compoundedbyamassivegrowthinpensiondebt.Whilethereareundoubtedconcernsovercurrentpensionshortfalls,itisalsoclearthatworkingliveswillthemselveschangeoverthenextfewdecades,withapredictedincreaseinflexibleandpart-timeworkandtheprobableextensionofworkinglifeuntiltheageof70.Indeed,wehavetorecognizethatwecannotexpecttoretireattheageof50andthenbeabletosupportourselvesforanother40orsoyears.Neitherasolidpensionschemenorsavingscancarrypeoplethatlong.

69.______

Afurthermythisthatwewillallliveinloose,multigenerationalfamilies,experiencingincreasedemotionaldistancingfromourkin.Evidencefromavarietyofstudiesacrossthedevelopedworldsuggeststhat,ifanything,themodernfamilyisactuallybecomingmoreclose-knit.WorkcarriedoutbytheOxfordInstituteinScandinaviaandinaPan-EuropeanFamilyCareStudy,forexample,showsthatdespitedieinfluenceofthewelfarestate,overthepast10years,peoplehavecometovaluefamilyrelationshipsmorethanpreviously.

70.______

Inthedevelopedworld,therefore,wecanseeactualbenefitsfrompopulationageing:abetterbalancebetweenagegroups,matureandlessvolatiles

40.PartA

Directions:Readthefollowingtextsandanswerthequestionswhichaccompanythembychoosin