Question

A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.

First, employers should take the responsibility for their retired employees. To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must take life-long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs.

Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.

In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions. Furthermore, some institutions should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately, as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.

One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent.

To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.

1.What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this article?

A. To discuss some possible solutions to an important social problem.

B. To make general readers aware of the problems of retired people.

C. To point out the need for government support for old people.

D. To instruct retired people on how they can have a happier life.

2.What does the underlined word “viable” most probably mean?

A. Impossible.    B. Practical.    C. Useful.    D. Successful.

3.According to the passage, how can the government help to improve the lives of retired people?

A. Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire.

B. Increase savings levels of people during their working years.

C. Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old.

D. Make available pensions for those who have retired.

4.What can be concluded from the passage?

A. Taking care of the old is mainly an issue of money.

B. Employers should allow their workers to retire at a later age.

C. Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people.

D. There is no single solution to the problems of the old.

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.D

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。这篇文章主要讨论解决老年人的问题的办法。文章提出四个解决办法，但是这些方法有利有弊。

1.推理判断题。作者提出了老年人的问题，并提出了四个解决办法，总的看来，它们都有优缺点，结合使用就会有好的效果。由此可知，作者是讨论一个重要的社会问题的一些可能的解决方法。故选A。

2.词义猜测题。上文提到政府应该承担照顾老年人的责任，根据本句话的意思以及其所在的语境可知，该词的意思是“实际的，可实行的”。句意：不幸的是，我们国家目前的状况表明，这不是一种真正可实行的解决方法。故选B。

3.细节理解题。根据第四段中的This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions.可知，通过政府的税收增加老人的抚恤金，以改善他们的生活。故选D。

4.推理判断题。最后一段中的To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations说明上述的方法都有优缺点，所以单独一种方法并不能奏效，采用结合起来的方法会更好。故选D。