题目
Questions are based on the following passage.
We are locked in a generational war. No one wants to admit this, because it"s uglyand unwelcome. Parents are supposed to care for their children, and children are supposedto care for their aging parents. For families, these collective obligations may work. Butwhat makes sense for families doesn"t always succeed for society as a whole. The clash ofgenerations is intensifying.
Last week, a federal judge ruled that Detroit qualifies for municipal bankruptcy.This almost certainly means that pensions and health benefits for the city"s retired workerswill be trimmed. There"s a basic conflict between paying for all retirement benefits andsupporting adequate current services. The number of Detroit"s retired workers has swelled,benefits were not adequately funded and the city"s economy isn"t strong enough to takecare of both without self-defeating tax increases.
The math is unforgiving. Detroit now has two retirees for every active worker,reports the Detroit Free Press; in 2012, that was 10,525 employees and 21,113 retirees.
Satisfying retirees inevitably shortchanges their children and grandchildren. ThoughDetroit"s situation is extreme, it"s not unique. Pension benefits were once thought to belegally and politically impregnable (不受影响的 ) . Pension cuts in Illinois, RhodeIsland and elsewhere have shattered this assumption. Chicago is considering reductionsfor its retirees.
What"s occurring at the state and local levels is an incomplete and imperfect effortto balance the interests of young and old. Conflicts vary depending on benefits" generosityand the strength——-or weakness——-of local economies. A study of 173 cities by the Centerfor Retirement Research at Boston College found pension costs averaged 7.9 percent oftax revenues, but those of many cities were much higher. Health benefits add to costs.
At the federal level, even this sloppy generational reckoning is missing. Theelderly"s interests are running roughshod (冷酷无情的) over other national concems.
Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid——programs heavily for the retired——dominate thebudget, accounting for about 44 percent of spending, and have been largely excluded fromdeficit-reduction measures.
Almost all the adjustment falls on other programs: defense, courts, research, roads,education. Or higher taxes. The federal government is increasingly a transfer agency:
Taxes from the young and middle-aged are spent on the elderly.
The explanation for this is politics. For states and localities, benefit cuts affectgovernment workers, while at the federal level, it"s all the elderly, a huge group thatincludes everyone"s parents and grandparents. As a result, the combat has beenlopsided (不平衡的 ) . Younger Americans have generally been clueless about howshifting demographics threaten their future government services and taxes.
What does the word "‘assumption" refer to in Paragraph 3? 查看材料
A.Pensions are legal and won"t be affected by politics.
B.Pensions are easily affected by government policies.
C.Pensions are largely paid by the elderly.
D.Pensions are largely paid by tax.
第1题
Questions of fact are based on whether a particular topic is _________.
A.right or wrong
B.true or not true
C.should or should not
D.none of the above
第2题
第3题
A.A.3.
B.B.4.
C.C.5.
D.D.6.
第4题
Questions 11 ~ 13 are based on a conversation about renting an apartment.
Which facility is not available in the apartment building? 查看材料
A.Tennis courts.
B.A recreation area.
C.A sauna.
D.A swimming pool.
第5题
Questions 1 to 3 are based on the passage you have just heard。
A.The importance of sleep to a healthy life。
B.Reasons for Americans’ decline in sleep。
C.Some tips to improve the quality of sleep。
D.Diseases associated with lack of sleep。
第6题
A.向下看
B.轻视
C.在……上面看
D.上下打量
第8题
A.Stay where he is.
B.Go home to telephone the order.
C.Try to get the tickets elsewhE
D.Return after lunch. Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just hear
D.
第9题
Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard。
A.The International Labor Organization’s key objective。
B.The basic social protection for the most vulnerable。
C.Rising unemployment worldwide。
D.Global economic recovery。
第10题
Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard。
A.Serve standardized food nationwide。
B.Put calorie information on the menu。
C.Increase protein content in the food。
D.Offer convenient food to customers。
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