Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion.
Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, where as if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary(当代的) societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illnesses than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often “go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.
When older people become senile (衰老的) or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent (疗养的) hospitals have been built. These are often profit making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply “dumping (倒垃圾的) grounds” for the dying in which “care” is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under skilled personnel.
1.The author believes that the population explosion results from _______.
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A.an increase in birthrates |
B.the industrial development |
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C.a decrease in death rates |
D.human beings’ cultural advances |
2.It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures _______.
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A.it was a moral responsibility for the families to keep alive the aged people who could not work |
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B.the survival of infants was less important than that of their parents in times of starvation |
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C.old people were given the task of imparting the cultural wisdom of the tribe to new generations |
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D.death was celebrated as a time of rejoicing for an individual freed of the hardships of life |
3.According to the passage, which of the following statements about the old people in the United States is true?
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A.Many of them live on social security money which is hardly enough. |
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B.Minority of them remain in a state of near poverty after their retirement. |
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C.When they reach a certain age, compulsory retirement is necessary and beneficial. |
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D.With the growing inflation, they must suffer more from unbearable burdens than ever. |
4. The phrase “this need” in paragraph 3 refers to ________.
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A.prolonging the dying old people’s lives |
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B.reducing the problems caused by the retired people |
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C.making profits through caring for the sick or weak people |
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D.taking care of the sick or weak people |
5.Which of the following best describes the author’s attitude toward most of the nursing homes and convalescent hospitals?
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A.Sympathetic. |
B.Approving. |
C.Optimistic. |
D.Critical. |
信息匹配 (共5小题, 每小题2分, 满分10分)
阅读下列应用文及相关信息,并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。
首先请阅读以下用户对宾馆的评价意见:
A
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Comment on : Hunter Country Lodge & Restaurant My husband and I stayed at this lodge during our honeymoon. Set in the beautiful surroundings of Hunter Valley you have your own very log cabin. The rooms are comparatively expensive, but they are very spacious. The restaurant has delicious food with wine of varieties, ready for you in the evening.
My ratings (给…等级) for this hotel are: ●●●●●Value ●●●●●Service I recommend this hotel for: honeymoon, romantic couples |
B
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Comment on: Aloha Pualani Hotel My husband and I stayed at the Aloha Pualani after months’ busy work. The rooms are small but clean. The peaceful laidback feel was exactly what we were looking for. We didn’t hear noise from streets. My husband loved the outdoor barbecue (烧烤). If you are looking for a relaxing, childfree, clean, natural place to stay this is without a doubt, but it’s a long tiring way. My ratings for this hotel are: ●●●●○Rooms ●●●●●Cleanliness I recommend this hotel for: romantic getaway I don’t recommend this hotel for: the aged, young children |
C
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Comment on: Karin’s Holiday Cottage Karin’s Holiday Cottage is really worth the price for lower earners. Walking along the beach, we saw many fish and turtles. We had a rental car because it was a little far from the shopping center. But we found the windows needed to be open to allow air in, and the cottage didn’t have air conditioning but with the 3 ceiling fans. Anyway we stayed plenty cool. My ratings for this hotel are: ●●●○○Rooms ●●●○○location I recommend this hotel for: young, single people. I don’t recommend this hotel for: People hunting for luxurious (豪华的) hotels. |
D
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Comment on: Arison Centre Hotel We hosted a conference last month at the Arison Centre Hotel - a charming hotel. The modern and large rooms are air-conditioned and fully-equipped with private safe, wireless Internet access and all new equipments. The hotel also has a business centre, conference rooms, car park and a western-style restaurant. My ratings for this hotel are: ●●●●●surroundings ●●●●●Service I recommend this hotel for: conference and holiday I don’t recommend this hotel for: city getaway from noise |
E
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Comment on: GeofBob Holiday Inn This hotel is great for the value. I was impressed by how attentive the staff were. I left my room without locking the door. The cleaning lady noticed and immediately informed me. Staying in the hotel made my trip a pleasant one. But we wouldn’t come again because of the walk. You can’t just hop down to the beach or the bar - 200 steep steps each way – so exhausted. My ratings for this hotel are: ●●●●●Value ●●●○○location Likes: Service Dislike: traffic I recommend this hotel for: young travelers I don’t recommend this hotel for: people with disabilities |
F
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Comment on: Punta Regina Isle Hotel Tastefully located on an island, the hotel is good, with its staff helpful and its price reasonable. Don’t drive a car, for most of the tourist spots were walking distance, or you can go everywhere by boat. If you like sea food, island setting, and wine, this is excellent. My ratings for this hotel are: ●●●●●location ●●●●●Service Like: beautiful surroundings Dislike: vehicles I recommend this hotel for: young holiday makers I don’t recommend this hotel for: self-driving travelers |
请阅读以下个人信息,并将他们的需求和以上的宾馆匹配:
When the Blacks are budgeting their yearly vocation, money is the first thing they think about. They are used to simple life without too much modern equipment. The family all like swimming, and sea food as well.
57. Mr. John Wallace is going to have a product presentation to promote (促销)his late microphone. He is searching for a hotel in the city center which is well-equipped, and where people from different parts of the country can join in the event over the NetMeeting.
58. Having had their wedding, Jim and Sussane plan a trip. Imagine how sweet they are when they are sipping their favourite Nyetimber in the sunset. They also treasure the environment, the comfort of the rooms and the service of the hotel.
59. A group of college students are having their holiday. They plan to choose a place where they can have their BBQ food, and where they are free from noise. They don’t care much about room size but at least they should be clean.
60. Ken and Judy are newly-married. They dreamed of the life of islanders who are eating sea food, hunting for fish. They prefer that the hotel rooms are not so expensive and the service is good.