2021年甘肃省天水市公共英语五级(笔试)测试卷(含答案)

2021年甘肃省天水市公共英语五级(笔试)测试卷(含答案)学校:________班级:________姓名:________考号:________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15题)1.Healthexpertssaythatallkindsofpeopleshoulddrinkatleastabout2litersofliquidseveryday.

A.RightB.Wrong

2.PeopleinRussiaarealsofamousfortheirlongevity.

A.TrueB.Fasle

3.Whathasgivenwomenanindependenceinformingafamily?

4.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

听力原文：Lasttimewestartedlookingatthequestionofmanagementandwonderingwhatthetermactuallymeant.Thenwetookabrieflookattheconceptofscientificmanagement.Youremember,wedecideditwasusefulbutnotenoughonitsown.Sotodaywe'regoingtolookatanotheraspect—behavioralmanagement.Youmaynotreallyhavecomeacrossthisword"behavioral"before,thoughI'msureyouarefamiliarwiththeword"behavior".Behavioralsimplymeanshavingtodowithbehavior.Andthatisourstartingpointfortoday:Wearegoingtostartbyrealizingthattheactivityofanyorganizationishumanactivity,designedtoachievehumangoals.Sowearereallytalkingabouthumanbehavior.

Anybusinessconcerndoestwothings.First,itprovideseithergoodsorservicesthatthecustomerneeds.Thatis,iteithermakesthingsordoesthingsforotherpeopleinexchangeformoney.Second,itprovidespeoplewithwork—andmostofushavetoworkinordertomakealiving.

Work,muchaswemaysometimeswishwedidn'thavetodoit,ornotquitesomuchofit,hasinfacttwoadvantages.First—andIspokeaboutthislasttime—itcangiveussatisfaction.Wecanbeproudofwhatwearedoing—likeacraftsmanmakingsomethingbeautiful,oradoctorofanursehelpingpeoplewhoareillorinpain.ThisiswhatIcalledjobsatisfaction,andwithoutitIamsureworkcanbecomeanawfulburden.Andonamorebasiclevel,workearnsusmoney,whichwecanusetobuythethingsweneedinordertolive,likefoodandsomewheretolive,aswellasalltheluxurieswecouldprobablydowithoutbutstillliketohave.

Behavioralmanagementisbasedonaresearchofhowpeoplebehaveatwork.Itusesthefindingsofpsychologistsandsociologists,andsoon.Thesemakeastudyofindividualsandgroupstoseewhatthingsinfluencethewaytheybehaveindifferentconditions.Theresultscanthenbeusedtodesignthebestconditionsinwhichpeoplewillperform—orbehave—inthewaythatamanagerwantsthemtoinordertomakeabusinessmoreefficientandtoachieveitsgoals.Theyhavecollectedalotofevidenceandformulatedalotoftheoriestohelpthemanager,andthereisnodoubtthatproperlyunderstoodandapplied,thiscanbeveryuseful.

Butstillwereturntothefactthatpeopleareindividuals,alldifferentfromeachother,andall—aswesay—withmindsoftheirown.Sonomatterwhatthemanagerknowsaboutthewaypeoplebehaveingroupsandsoon,hehasreallytotreateveryoneonhisstaffasanindividualinhisownright.Ofcourse,hecanbehelpedinthisbyknowinghowtoencouragepeopletodothings,howtostimulatethemtobehaveinacertainway,andsoon.Amanagercanhimselfbetaughthowtodothis,buthoweverunscientificthismaysound,itismorelikelythatagoodmanagerisbornratherthantrained.Hehassomenaturalabilitytorecognizewhatpeoplearelikelytodo,whatabilitiestheyhave,andotherthingslikethat.Realizingthis,andthenapplyingwhathehaslearnedabouthumanbehavior,iswhatmakessomeoneagoodmanager.

Sobehavioralmanagementismanagementbasedonanassessmentofanindividualandtheapplicationofwhatisknownabouthowpeopleingeneraltendtobehave.Likescientificmanagement,itisundoubtedlyuseful,butnot,thecompleteanswer.

Whatdidthespeakertalkaboutlasttime?

5.Waterisasimportantasvitamins,mineralsandproteinsforlife.

A.RightB.Wrong

6.ThechairmanoftheBoardisappointedbytheBoard.

A.TrueB.Fasle

7.The"feltimage"letsyourecognizeyourphysicalexistenceintheworld.

A.RightB.Wrong

8.Strokesmaysometimesdestroyallofthemirrorimage.

A.TrueB.Fasle

9.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

听力原文：Inyouruniversitywork,youwillbeexpectedtogiveoralpresentationsintheform.ofreportsorsimplyintheformsofanswerstoquestions.Thereareseveralthingsyoucandotomakeyouroralpresentationsclearandeasytounderstand.

Thefundamentalpointtorealizeisthatspeechandwritingaredifferent.Ifyouwanttobebestunderstood,youcan'tsimplyreadyourwrittenreportaloud.Thebiggestdifferencebetweenspokenandwrittenlanguageisthatreaderscanlookbackovertheprintedwordswhentheydon'tunderstand.Inspokenlanguage,however,listenerscan'tgobackandcheckthewords.Theycanrelyonlyonmemory.Sothefirstprincipletokeepinmindwhenyou'replanningtospeakinpublicisthatyouhavetohelpthelistener'smemory.Thismeansthatanoralreportcan'tdeliverinformationasrapidlyasawrittenreport.Thatis,youcan'thaveasmanypiecesofnewinformationpackedintothesamenumberofwords,becausetheywillcomeattoofastarateforthelistenertounderstand.

Inanoralreport,therateofdeliveryhastobeslower.Oneofthebestwaystohelpyouraudienceissimplytospeakslowly.Manypeoplespeaktoofastwhentheyspeaktoagroup.Thisisamistake,especiallyifyouhaveaforeignaccent,becauseitmakeslisteningmoredifficult.Beyondthesimpletechniqueofspeakingmoreslowlywhenyouspeakbeforeagroup,therearewaysoforganizingyourpresentationthatcanhelpthelistenerbeclearandunderstandyourmainpoints.

Theorganizationofyourtalkshouldallowenoughtimeforthelistenertothinkbothbeforeandaftereachnewidea.Thepurposeofthetimebeforethenewinformationistogivetheaudienceachancetounderstandthebackgroundclearly.Knowledgeofthebackground,orsettingoftheinformation,makesitmucheasiertoanticipatewhatkindofinformationiscomingnext.Ifthenewinformationoccurstooearly,withoutenoughbackground,thelistenersshouldnotbepreparedwithenoughbackgroundtobeabletopredictwhat'scoming.

I'vebeendescribingthetimeforthinkingbeforethenewinformation.It'salsoimportanttoprovidetimeforthinkingafterthenewinformation.Thisthinkingtimeallowslistenerstofittheideaintotheirgeneralknowledgeofthesubject.Thinkingtimegivesthelistenerachancetomakesurethattheideawasunderstoodbeforegoingontothenextnewidea.

Therearethreegeneralwaystogivethelistenertimeforthinkingandtimeafterapointofnewinformation.Onewayissimplytopause.Amomentofsilencegivesthelistenertimetotakeinthenewinformation,butthereareotherways.Asecondmethodistouseaparaphrase.Thatis,yousaythesamething,butindifferentwords.Thisparaphrase,orrepetitionoftheidea,helpsthelistenerstofixthethoughtintheirmemory.Athirdwaytogivethelistenertimetothinkistousewordsthatdon'tmeanmuch.Thesearewordsthatconveynoinformation,butjustfillintime.Forinstance,youmightsaysomethinglike"asI'vebeensaying"or"andsoforth"and"andsoon".Thatkindofexpressiondoesn'treallysayanything.It'sjustmadeofwhatwecall"fillerwords".Thewordshavenorealmeaning,buttheydoperform.ausefulfunction,sincetheyallowthelistenertimetothink.

Insummary,then,weknowthatorallanguageshoulddeliverinformationataslowerratethanyoucanuseinwrittenlanguage.Newinformationshouldbe:presentedmoregradually.Thinkingtimeshouldbeprovidedbothbeforeandaftereachimportantnewitem.Th

10.Whatwouldhappentoastudentifhisemployerreportshisimproperbehavior?

A.Hewouldbefired.

B.Hewouldnotgethispay.

C.Hewouldnotgetanotherjob.

D.Hewouldbefined.

11.Physicalexercisesandfreedomfromworrymightbethetwomostimportantsecretsoflongevity.

A.RightB.Wrong

12.Accordingtothewoman,whyarewomenmuchbetteratdealingwithmorethanonethingatatime,butmenarenotasgood?

A.Becausewomenhavebetterabilities.

B.Becausemenarenotusedtohousework.

C.Becausemenlackpractice,

D.Becausemenfinditeasytoconcentrateononlyonething.

13.PartB

Directions:Youwillhear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.

听力原文：M:Ireallydon'tknowwhattodothissummer.Ican'taffordtojustsitaround,andtheredon'tseemtobeanyjobsavailable.

W:Whydon'tyoutryhouse-sitting?LastsummermyfriendSallyhouse-satfortheGammonswhentheywentawayonvacation.Mrs.GammonhiredSallytostayintheirhousebecauseshedidn'twantitleftempty.

M:YoumeantheGammonspaidSallyjusttoliveintheirhouse?

W:Itwasn'teasy.Shehadtomowthelawnandwaterthehouseplants.AndwhenJodihouse-satforMr.Johnson,hehadtotakecareofhispets.

M:House-sittingsoundslikeagoodjob.Iguessit'salittlelikebaby-sitting—exceptyou'retakingcareofahouseinsteadofchildren.

W:Thestudentemploymentofficestillhasafewjobsposted.

M:DoIjusthavetofilloutanapplication?

W:SallyandJodihadtointerviewwiththehomeownersandprovidedthreereferenceseach.

M:Thatseemslikealotoftroubleforasummerjob.

W:Well,thehomeownerswantsomeguaranteesothattheycantrustthehouse-sitter.Youknow,theywanttomakesureyou'renotthetypewho'11throwwildpartiesintheirhouse,ormoveagroupoffriendsinwithyou.

M:House-sitterswhodothatsortofthingprobablyaren'tpaidthen.

W:Usuallythey'repaidanywayjustbecausethehomeownersdon'twanttomakeafuss.Butifthehomeownerreportedit,thenthehouse-sitterwouldn'tbeabletogetanotherjob.Soifthehomeownerreportedit,thenthehouse-sitterwouldn'tbeabletogetanotherjob.Sowhydon'tyouapply?

M:Yeah,IthinkIwill.

Whichjobdocsthewomansuggesttotheman?

A.Baby-sitting.

B.House-cleaning.

C.House-sitting.

D.Mowingthelawn.

14.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

听力原文：Asyouknow,manybigchangeshappenedafterChristopherColumbusandotherEuropeanscametotheAmericas500yearsago.TodayI'mgoingtotalkaboutachangeintheworlddietthewaypeoplecookedandate.Fivehundredyearsago,therewasabigchangeinthedietofpeopleallovertheworld.

Let'stalkaboutthedietinEurope500yearsago.Oneimportantfoodwasmeat.Europeansatemanykindsofmeat,includingbeef,lamb,goat,andpork.Ekandcheesemadefromthemilkofcowsandgoats.TheEuropeansateseveraldifferentgrains：Mostpeopleatewheat,andsomepeopleaterice,whichcamefirstfromAsia.

Now,let'slookatthedietintheAmericasabout500yearsago.ThedietofthenativeAmericanwasquitedifferentfromthedietoftheEuropeans.ThisisbecausetheEuropeanmeats,dairyproducts,andgrainsdidn'texistintheAmericas.However,thenativeAmericansatesomefoodthatdidn'texistinEurope.ThenativeAmericansatedifferentvegetables,suchaspotatoesandtomatoes.Theyatedifferentgrains,suchascorn.Theyatedifferentmeat,suchasturkeyandotherwildbirds.Theyalsousedspicessuchaschocolateandhotchilipeppers.NoneofthesefoodsexistedinEurope500yearsago.

Nowlet'stalkaboutthebigchangeintheworlddiet500yearsago,afterColumbusandtheEuropeanswenttotheAmericas.

AfterEuropeanswenttotheAmericas,thedietofthenativeAmericanschangedalot.WhentheEuropeanswenttotheAmericas,theytookmanynewkindsoffoodwiththem.TheEuropeansgavesomeofthefood,themeat,dairyproducts,andgrainstothenativeAmericansandthenthenativeAmericansstartedtousetheEuropeanfoodintheircooking.Asaresult,thedietintheAmerica'stodayisverydifferentfromtheirdiet500yearsago.Forexample,ifyougotoacountrylikeMexico,youcanseethatthetraditionalMexicanfoodusesalotofbeef,pork,cheese,wheat,andrice,allfoodsthatcamefromEuropewithColumbus.

AftertheEuropeansreturnedtoEuropefromtheAmericas,therewasalsoabigchangeinthedietofpeopleinEuropeandtherestoftheworld.WhentheEuropeansreturnedtoEurope,theytookmanynewkindsoffoodbackfromtheAmericas.Theytookbackthevegetables,grains,andspicesthattheyfoundintheAmericas.Littlebylittle,peoplealloverEuropestartedusingthenewfoodsintheircooking,andthenthefoodsspreadaroundtheworldtoAfrica,theMiddleEastandAsia.

Someofthenewfoodspreadveryquicklyaroundtheworld.Oneexampleisthechilipepper.Youmaybesurprisedtoknowthat500yearsago,thechilipepperdidn'texistinmanycountriesthat.arefamoustodayfortheirhotandspicyfoodmadewithchilies.Actually．weminkthatthefirstchilipepperwastakentoSpainbyColumbusin1493,whenhereturnedfromtheAmericas.Afteronly100years,chilipeppershadspreadallaroundtheworld.Theygroweasilyinwarmweather.TheonlyplacethatthechilipepperdidnotbecomepopularwasNorthernEurope,probablybecauseitistoocoldtogrowchilipepperseasily.

Althoughchilipeppersspreadquickly,otherfoodsfromtheAmericasspreadveryslowly.Potatoesareagoodexample.Ittookabout250yearsforthepotatoestospreadaroundtheworld.ThereasonittooksolongisthatEuropeansthoughtthatpotatoeswerepoisonous.ThepotatolookedalotlikeaverypoisonousplantthatgrewinEurope.Peoplewereafraidtoeatpotatoes!Foralongtime,peopleonlyusedpotatoestofeedtheirpigs.Butslowly,peoplestartedusingpotatoesasfoodforthemselves.Today,ofcourse

15.PartA

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

听力原文：DoItYourselfMagazineorganizesacompetitioneverysummertoelectthe“Handymanoftheyear”.ThewinnerofthisyeariSMr．RoyMiller.aSheffieldpostman.Ajournalistandaphotographerhavecometohishouse.ThejournalistisinterviewingMr.Millerforanarticleinthemagazine.

W：Well,I'mveryimpressedbyalltheworkyou'vedoneonyourhouse,Mr.Miller.Howlonghaveyoubeenworkingonit?

M：IfirstbecameinterestedinDo-it-Yourselfseveralyearsago.Yousee,mysonPaulisdisabled.He'sinawheel-chairandIjusthadtomakealterationstothehouse.Icouldn'taffordtopayworkmentodoit.Ihadtolearntodoitmyself.

W：Hadyouhadanyexperienceinthiskindofwork?Didyouhaveanypracticalskills?

M：No.1gotafewbooksfromthelibrarybuttheydidn'thelpverymuch.SoIdecidedtogotoeveningclassessothatIcouldlearnbasiccarpentryandelectricalwiring.

W：Whatsortofchangesdidyoumaketothehouse?

M：Firstofall,practicalthingstohelpPaul.Youneverreallyrealizetheproblemshandicappedpeoplehaveuntilitattacksyourownfamily.Mostgovernmentbuildings,forexample,havestepsuptothedoor.Theydon'tplanbuildingssothatdisabledpeoplecangetinandout.Weusedtoliveinaflat,andofcourse,itwastotallyunsuitable.Justimaginetheproblemsadisabledpersonwouldhaveinyourhouse.WeneededalargerhousewithwidecorridorssothatPaulcouldgetfromoneroomtoanother.Wedidn'thavemuchmoneyandwehadtobuythisone.It'soverninetyyearsoldanditwasinaverybadstateofrepair.

W：Wheredidyoubegin?

M：Theelectrical.IcompletelyrewiredthehousesothatPaulcouldreachalltheswitches.Ihadtolowerthelightswitchesandraisethepower-points.IwentontodothewholehousesothatPaulcouldreachthingsandgowhereheneeded.

W：Whatelsedidyoudo?

M：BythetimeI'dalteredeverythingforPaul,do-it-yourselfhadbecomeahobby.Ireallyenjoyeddoingthingswithmyhands.Look,Ieveninstalledsmoke-alarms.

W：Whatwasthepurposeofthat?

M：Iwasveryworriedaboutfire.Yousee,Paulcan'tmoveveryfast.Ifittedthemsothatwewouldhaveplentyofwarningiftherewereafire.Iputinacompleteburglar-alarmsystem.Ittookweeks．Thefrontdooropensautomatically.andI'mgoingtoputadeviceonPaul'swheelchairsothathe'llbeabletoopenandcloseitwhenhewants.

W：Whatareyouworkingonnow?

M：I'vejustfinishedthekitchen.I'vedesigneditsothathecanreacheverything.NowI'mbuildinganextensionsothatPaulwillhavealargeroomonthegroundfloorwherehecanwork.

W：There'sa$10,000prize.Howareyougoingtospendit?

M：IamgoingtostartmyownbusinesssothatIcanconvertordinaryhousesfordisabledpeople.IthinkI'vebecomeanexpertonthesubject.

ThoughPaulisdisabled,hemanagedtomovearoundinthehouse.

A.RightB.Wrong

二、2.UseofEnglish(10题)16.

【C5】

17.(34)

18.(42)

19.

【C8】

20.

【C12】

21.(48)

22.

【C16】

23.(50)

24.(46)

25.

【C7】

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15题)26.(70)

27.

Theauthorgaveanexampleinthethirdparagraphinorderto______．

A.emphasizetheneedtoplaceastrongervalueonnationalcooperation

B.explainwhytheAmericanideahasbeenbasedonindividualfreedom

C.illustratethefactthatAmericanswillnotsacrificetheirpersonalinterestforthegoodoftheentirecountry

D.supporttheideathatAmericansneedsthespiritofnationalcooperationtoachieveimportantnationalobjectivesinthe21stcentury

28.PartA

Directions:ReadthefollowingtextsandanswerthequestionswhichaccompanythembychoosingA,B,CorD.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Whenitcomestotheslowingeconomy,EllenSperoisn'tbitinghernailsjustyet.Butthe47-year-oldmanicuristisn'tcutting,fillingorpolishingasmanynailsasshe'dliketo,either.Mostofherclientsspend$12to$50weekly,butlastmonthtwolongtimecustomerssuddenlystoppedshowingup.Speroblamesthesofteningeconomy."I'magoodeconomicindicator,"shesays,"Iprovideaservicethatpeoplecandowithoutwhenthey'reconcernedaboutsavingsomedollars."SoSperoisdownscaling,shoppingatmiddle-browDillard'sdepartmentstorenearhersuburbanClevelandhome,insteadofNeimanMarcus."Idon'tknowifotherclientsaregoingtoabandonme,too."shesays.

EvenbeforeAlanGreenspan'sadmissionthatAmerica'sred-hoteconomyiscooling,lotsofworkingfolkshadalreadyseensignsoftheslowdownthemselves.Fromcardealershipstogapoutlets,saleshavebeenlaggingformonthsasshopperstempertheirspending.Forretailers,wholastyeartookin24percentoftheirrevenuebetweenThanksgivingandChristmas,thecautiousapproachiscomingatacrucialtime.Already,expertssay,holidaysalesareoff7percentfromlastyear'space.Butdon'tsoundanyalarmsjustyet.Consumersseemonlyconcerned,notpanicked,andmanysaytheyremainoptimisticabouttheeconomy'slong-termprospects,evenastheydosomemodestbelt-tightening.

Consumerssaythey'renotindespairbecause,despitethedreadfulheadlines,theirownfortunesstillfeelprettygood.InManhattan,"there'sanewgoldrushhappeninginthe$4millionto$10millionrange,predominantlyfedbyWallStreetbonuses,"saysbrokerBarbaraCorcoran.InSanFrancisco,pricesarestillrisingevenasfrenziedoverbiddingquiets."Insteadof20to30offers,nowmaybeyouonlygettwoorthree,"saysJohnDeadly,aBayAreareal-estatebroker.Andmostfolksstillfeelprettycomfortableabouttheirabilitytofindandkeepajob.

Manyfolksseesilverliningstothisslowdown.Potentialhomebuyerswouldcheerforlowerinterestrates.Employerswouldn'tmindalittlefewerbubblesinthejobmarket.Manyconsumersseemtohavebeeninfluencedbystock-marketswings,whichinvestorsnowviewasanecessaryingredienttoasustainedboom.Dinersmightseeanupside,too.GettingatableatManhattan'shotnewAlainDucasserestaurantneedtobeimpossible.Notanymore.Forthat,Greenspan&Co.maystillbeworthtoasting.

By"EllenSperoisn'tbitinghernailsjustyet"(Line1,Paragraph1),theauthormeans______.

A.Sperocanhardlymaintainherbusiness

B.Speroistoomuchengagedinherwork

C.Sperohasgrownoutofherbadhabit

D.Speroisnotinadesperatesituation

29.(75)

30.(68)

31.(74)

32.

Privacystandardsmadebyindividualstatesareineffectivebecause______.

A.thestandardsofdifferentstatescontradicteachother

B.onlinecommunicationisnotrestrictedtoanystate

C.thesestandardsignorethefederallawonthematter

D.thesestandardsareonlyapplicabletoregionalwebsites

33.

Ed'sencounterwiththerecyclingteamshowsthat

A.Edwasdesperatetocorrecthismistake.

B.EdonlywantedtogivemoneytoRaoul.

C.Edwasunwillingtotipthetruckdriver.

D.Ednolongerwantedtogivethemmoney.

34.

Theword"deforestation"inParagraph3means______.

A.forestdamagecausedbypollution

B.movingpopulationfromforesttocities

C.thethreatofclimatechange

D.cuttinglargeareasoftrees

35.

Whyarehorsesusedtocatchtheelectriceels?

A.Tofrightentheeels.

B.Toexhausttheeels.

C.Toattracttheeels.

D.Tostirthewater.

36.

Theword“deforestation”inParagraph3means______．

A.forestdamagecausedbypollution

B.movingpopulationfromforesttocities

C.thethreatofclimatechange

D.cuttinglargeareasoftrees

37.(73)

38.PartB

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

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,itisaisoclearthatworkingliveswillthemselveschangeoverthenextfewdecades,withapredictedincreaseinflexibleandpart-timeworkandtheprobableextensionofworkinglifeuntiltheageof70.Indeed,wehavetorecognizethatwecannotexpecttoretireattheageof50andthenbeabletosupportourselvesforanother40orsoyears.Neitherasolidpensionschemenorsavingscancarrypeoplethatlong.

69.______

Afurthermythisthatwewillallliveinloose,multigenerationalfamilies,experiencingincreasedemotionaldistancingfromourkin.Evidencefromavarietyofstudiesacrossthedevelopedworldsuggeststhat,ifanything,themodemfamilyisactuallybecomingmoreclose-knit.WorkcardedoutbytheOxfordInstituteinScandinaviaandinaPan-EuropeanFamilyCareStudy,forexample,showsthatdespitetheinfluenceofth

39.

Theexpression"optoutofsuchdatacollection"(inthelastparagraph)probablymeans______.

A.pickoutfromsuchdatatheinformationoneneeds

B.shiftthroughsuchdatatocollectone'sowninformation

C.evaluatethepurposeforsuchdatacollection

D.choosenottobeinvolvedinsuchdatacollection

40.Itwaslateintheafternoon,andIwasputtingthefinaltouchonapieceofwritingthatIwasfeelingprettygoodabout.Iwantedtosaveit,butmycursorhadfrozen.Itriedtoshutthecomputerdown,anditseizedupaltogether.