Question

    Since 2008, the average labour-force participation rate of 55- to 64-year-olds in OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries has risen by eight percentage points. A new OECD report, “Working Better with Age”, points out that the employment of older workers is ______, if prosperity is to be maintained. That can be taken as a sign that our society is finally ______ the value of its older employees.

Retirement gives you the chance to sleep late and avoid the morning rush hours. No longer do you have to sit through endless meetings or check email frequently. But work can keep the mind active and gives people a ______ in life. The first month of retirement may seem pleasant, but ______ is sure to come. Grand plans to learn languages and travel the world can quickly lose their appeal. ______, the company of colleagues provides a social network; spending all week at home can lead to loneliness.

Working longer should be easier now that most jobs require ______, rather than manual, labour. Of course, many people are working longer not because they enjoy what they do, but because they cannot afford to ______. That is not just because governments have been pushing up the state retirement age. ______, the average age at which people actually retire differs from the official age by several years. In part, that is because many people do not rely on the state pension as their only source of income and need work-related pensions to supplement it.

However, companies are gradually ______ pensions linked to final salaries with “defined contribution” schemes. Under the latter, workers end up with a pot of savings at retirement that needs to be ______. The income from such pots has been reduced by very low interest rates. Women tend to have smaller retirement pots (thanks to their years spent raising children), making their difficulties even more ______. They need to keep working.

Older workers may feel ______, particularly when it comes to promotion. Two issues seem to hold ______ back. The first is that older workers tend to ______ higher salaries, because of the seniority system. The second is a ______ of skills；one in three 55- to 65-year-olds in OECD countries either lack computer experience or cannot pass technology tests. Such problems can be resolved with proper training, but the over-55s should take it upon themselves to keep up with technological changes.

1.A.shortsighted B.vital C.adequate D.unnecessary

2.A.recognizing B.assessing C.questioning D.transforming

3.A.frame B.choice C.lesson D.purpose

4.A.liberty B.boredom C.priority D.motivation

5.A.However B.Instead C.Therefore D.Furthermore

6.A.mental B.simple C.physical D.routine

7.A.proceed B.continue C.persist D.quit

8.A.In conclusion B.In other words C.In practice D.In particular

9.A.replacing B.furnishing C.increasing D.combining

10.A.registered B.reinvested C.refunded D.removed

11.A.personal B.severe C.emotional D.practical

12.A.competitive B.dominant C.distinguished D.disadvantaged

13.A.employers B.researchers C.employees D.female workers

14.A.command B.ensure C.oppose D.ignore

15.A.range B.discipline C.shortage D.set

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.B

5.D

6.A

7.D

8.C

9.A

10.B

11.B

12.D

13.A

14.A

15.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了达到退休年龄的老人重回工作岗位的好处、原因以及年纪大的员工在工作中、特别是在晋升中遇到的问题。

1.考查形容词词义辨析。句意：OECD的新报告《与年龄更好地合作》指出，要保持繁荣，雇用老年工人至关重要。A. shortsighted没有远见的；B. vital至关重要的；C. adequate足够的，适当的；D. unnecessary不必要的。根据前文的“the average labour-force participation rate of 55- to 64-year-olds in OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries has risen by eight percentage points.（自2008年以来，经合组织（经济合作与发展组织）国家中55至64岁年龄段的平均劳动力参与率上升了8个百分点。）可知，“退休后的老年人继续工作”的做法是受到支持的，故选B项。

2.考查动词词义辨析。句意：这可以看作是我们的社会终于认识到了年长员工的价值的标志。A. recognizing认出，承认；B. assessing评定，评估；C. questioning质疑；D. transforming改变。根据前句句意“要保持繁荣，雇用老年工人至关重要”可知，是社会“承认”老年员工的价值，故选A项。

3.考查名词词义辨析。句意：但是工作可以使思想活跃，并赋予人们生活目标。

A. frame框架，体系； B. choice选择C. lesson教训，训戒，功课；D. purpose意志， 目的。and前“But work can keep the mind active…（但是工作可以使思想活跃……）”可知，退休后继续工作使人更为充实，因此“给人一个人生目标”更为合适，故选D。

4.考查名词词义辨析。句意：退休的第一个月看似令人愉快，但无聊一定会到来。A. liberty许可； B. boredom讨厌，无聊； C. priority优先，优先权； D.motivation动机，动力。but为表转折的连词，因此空缺的名词应该与pleasant（愉快的）有相反意义，故选B。

5.考查连接副词词义辨析。句意：学习语言和环游世界的宏伟计划可能很快会失去吸引力。此外，同事们的公司提供了一个社交网络；整周在家里呆可能会导致寂寞。A. However无论如何，然而； B. Instead反而； C. Therefore因此； D. Furthermore此外，而且。根据句意分析，此处需要一个连接词表递进关系。故选D。

6.考查名词词义辨析。句意：既然大多数工作都需要脑力劳动，而不是体力劳动，那么工作更长的时间应该容易些。A. mental精神的，智慧的； B. simple简单的；C. physical体力的； D. routine常规的。根据rather than（而不是）可知，空白处需要的单词应该与manual, labour.（体力劳动）互为反义词。故选A。

7.考查动词词义辨析。句意：当然，许多人的工作时间更长不是因为他们喜欢自己的工作，而是因为他们负担不起退休的（后果）。A. proceed进行， 前进；B. continue继续；C. persist坚持，固执；D. quit离开，停止。前半句的意思是“不是因为喜欢自己的工作”，言外之意是不得已工作，所以是负担不起退休带来的后果。故选D项。

8.考查短语意思辨析。句意：那不仅仅是因为政府一直在提高州退休年龄，实际上，人们实际退休的平均年龄与法定年龄相差数年。A. In conclusion总之； B. In other words换句换说，就是说； C. In practice实际上，事实上； D. In particular尤其，特别。前半句中的“提高退休年龄”并不是“人们负担不起退休带来的后果”的根本原因，因为实际退休年龄从根本上说是不固定的，用“实际上”这一短语引出后面的本质现象。故选C。

9.考查动词词义辨析。句意：然而，公司正逐步用“固定缴款”计划取代与最终工资挂钩的养恤金。A replacing取代，代替；B. furnishing布置，提供；C. increasing增加；D. combinin联合。此句的意思是用““defined contribution” schemes”取代“pensions linked to final salaries”符合“replace A with B(用B取代A) ”的结构。故选A。

10.考查动词词义辨析。句意：在后者下，工人们在退休时就有了一笔储蓄，需要重新投资。A. registered记录，登记，注册； B. reinvested再投资于 C. refunded归还，退还； D. removed去除，移除。 “defined contribution”，不同于之前固定的养老金数额，员工需自己存养老金到一些资金池中，结合后文的“low interest rates低利率”可知这相当于投资的一种方式。故选B。

11.考查形容词词义辨析。句意：女性退休后往往会有较小的一笔储蓄（这要归功于她们养育孩子的时间），这使得她们的困难更加严重。A. personal个人的；B. severe严重的；C. emotional动情的； D. practical实践的，实际的，可实现的。根据因果关系，因为得到的钱少，所以困难更加严重，even后接形容词比较级，more severe意思为“更严重的”。故选B项。

12.考查形容词词义辨析。句意：年纪大的员工可能会觉得自己处于不利地位，尤其是在晋升方面。A. competitive竞争的，比赛的； B. dominant统治的，支配的；C. distinguished卓越的，著名的；D. disadvantaged弱势的，处于不利地位的。根据后文的

“one in three 55- to 65-year-olds in OECD countries either lack computer experience or cannot pass technology tests.（有三分之一要么缺乏计算机经验，要么无法通过技术测试。）”可知，年纪大的员工会觉得他们处于不利地位，故选D。

13.考查名词词义辨析。句意：有两个问题似乎阻碍了雇主。A. employers 雇主；B. researchers研究者；C. employees雇员；D. female workers女性工作者。从后面的两个问题（年长者要求高薪和缺乏计算机等技术）可以看到都是站在雇主的角度产生的问题。故选A。

14.考查动词词义辨析。句意：首先，由于工龄制度的原因，年长工人往往会要求获得更高的工资。A. command命令；B. ensure确保； C. oppose 反对，抗争；D. ignore忽视。根据句意分析，工龄越长，要求获得的工资就越高。故选A。

15.考查名词词义辨析。句意：其次是缺乏技能。A. range范围，类别； B. discipline训练，处罚；C. shortage不足，缺点D. set一套，一副，集合。根据后文的“one in three 55- to 65-year-olds in OECD countries either lack computer experience or cannot pass technology tests.（有三分之一要么缺乏计算机经验，要么无法通过技术测试。）”可知是缺乏技能。故选C。