Question

    The three phases of life are increasingly a thing of the past.Where once working lives fitted neatly into the model of education,employment and then retirement,the simplicity of that division is being challenged by changing standards of the workforce.

Increasing numbers of workers,nearing their long-imagined transition(过渡)into retirement,seem to be actively putting off the moment at which they down tools.Newly released figures from the Office for National Statistics(ONS)have shown that there are over a million more over 50s in part-time work than a decade ago.And with nine out of 10 employers reporting difficulties hiring workers,there’s likely to be a growing market for their talents as bosses extend their searches to older people,including those who are willing to take on part-time responsibilities.

The ending of the three phases of working life isn’t simply down to people living longer or financial necessity-though those are certainly important factors-but also to an increasing desire to maintain a purposeful life. One survey of British retirees over 50 found that 85 per cent of them felt they’d retired too young—stopping working had left a void that they regretted afterwards.

The 2015 film The Intern conveyed this human need to have value.In it,Robert De Niro plays a 70-year-old widower who finds himself a fish out of water when he joins a trendy internet start-up.In the end,not only does he find the sense of belonging that he desires but his colleagues come to rely on his experience and different perspective.It’s a plot we can increasingly expect to happen in real-life offices over the decades to come as people live ever longer.

Already,we are seeing people in their 50s and 60s looking ahead to a retirement lasting 30 years,choosing instead to build second careers that they can maintain into their 70s or beyond. Freed from the financial burden of young children,they can prioritize flexibility,shorter working hours or more rewarding jobs in areas such as charity work or teaching.Many do it for no money at all,volunteering behind the till in charity shops or showing people round National Trust properties.

However,it’s the next generation where the effect of living longer will really be felt,and the financial necessity will start to bite.In the West,more than half of the children born in 2016 have a life expectancy of more than 100 years.In their book,The 100-Year Life,London Business School professors Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott suggest that acquiring sufficient funds to see oneself through a 40-or 50-year retirement will likely be beyond all but the highest earners.

Then there’s the oft-repeated claim that young people today are the first generation to be poorer than their parents.Certainly property prices are changing the way they plan for the future. In the mid-Nineties,the average home cost less than three times the average wage;last year, ONS stats placed that ratio at eight times wages.

The overall effect of these trends is that young people recognize that they will likely have to postpone dreams of retirement and instead strap on(绑住)more debt spread over longer spans.It’s why 44 per cent of under 30s say they expect to be working well into their 70s and why data this year from the Bank of England show that 16 per cent of UK mortgages(按揭贷款)now have terms of 35 years or more-a figure that has tripled in the past decade.

All of these factors look set to contribute to a workforce that has a significantly wider range of ages in the future.In an ra of work when we’ve all learned to be more inclusive,only eight per cent of firms with a diversity programme have adapted it to go beyond gender,race and sexuality and into age.Incorporating older employees into the workforce is set to be the next big thing at the office.

If Robert De Niro has anything to teach us,it’s that this can be an enormous force permanently for both employees and businesses.

1.The following may account for the ending of the three phases of working life EXCEPT_____.

A.a longer life

B.financial needs

C.delayed retirement policy

D.a meaningful life

2.What do the underlined words”is down to”in Paragraph 3 mean?

A.is caused by

B.results in

C.is responsible for

D.gives birth to

3.What trend will the next generation face?

A.They can live within their means.

B.Their life expectancy will be longer.

C.They will be richer than their parents.

D.They will fail to pay off their mortgage.

4.The author introduces the details of the film The Intern in order to_____.

A.tell us Robert De Niro is a helpful retiree

B.indicate that retirees can also benefit society

C.share Robert De Niro’s second career with us

D.illustrate that retirees desire to live meaningfully

5.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A.The new standards of the workplace.

B.Age being no hurdle in the modern world of work.

C.Financial issues facing both old people and young people.

D.Different attitudes to retirement between the young and old.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.D

5.B

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。曾经的人生的三个阶段：教育、就业、退休正在受到变化的劳动力标准的挑战。文章介绍了在现代职场中，年龄不再是障碍。

1.细节理解题。根据第三段中的The ending of the three phases of working life isn’t simply down to people living longer or financial necessity-though those are certainly important factors-but also to an increasing desire to maintain a purposeful life可知，工作生涯三个阶段的结束不仅仅是因为人们寿命的延长或经济上的需要，尽管这些当然是重要的因素，还因为人们越来越渴望继续过一种有意义的生活，而没有提到延迟退休政策是工作生涯的三个阶段结束的原因，故C项正确。

2.词义猜测题。根据画线词后的“One survey of British retirees over 50 found that 85 per cent of them felt they’d retired too young—stopping working had left a void that they regretted afterwards.”可知，一项针对50岁以上英国退休人员的调查发现，85%的人觉得他们退休的时候太年轻——停止工作让他们有一种空虚感，他们后悔退休，这说明工作生涯三个阶段的结束还因为人们越来越渴望继续过一种有意义的生活，因此此处是说这三个阶段的结束不仅是因为人们寿命的增加或经济上的需要，由此可知画线词词义为“因为，由……引起”，故A项正确。

3.细节理解题。根据第六段中的“However, it’s the next generation where the effect of living longer will really be felt, and the financial necessity will start to bite. In the West, more than half of the children born in 2016 have a life expectancy of more than 100 years.”可知，然而，真正感受到长寿的影响的是下一代，经济上的必要性将开始显现，在西方，2016年出生的儿童中，超过一半的预期寿命超过了100岁，由此可知，下一代的预期寿命更长，故B项正确。

4.推理判断题。根据第四段中的“The 2015 film The Intern conveyed this human need to have value. In it, Robert De Niro plays a 70-year-old widower who finds himself a fish out of water when he joins a trendy internet start-up. In the end, not only does he find the sense of belonging that he desires but his colleagues come to rely on his experience and different perspective.”可知，2015年的电影《实习生》就表达了这类人对价值的需求，在这部电影中，罗伯特·德尼罗扮演一位70岁的鳏夫，当他加入一家时髦的互联网初创公司时，发现自己就像离开了水的鱼一样，最终，他不仅找到了自己渴望的归属感，他的同事们也开始学习他的经验和看待问题的角度，由此可知，第四段中作者介绍了电影《实习生》的细节是为了说明退休人员渴望过有意义的生活，故D项正确。

5.主旨大意题。通读全文，特别是根据第一段中的“The three phases of life are increasingly a thing of the past.”可知，工作生涯的三个阶段（接受技能教育、就业和退休）正逐渐成为过去，越来越多到了退休年龄的人还在工作，由此可知，本文主要介绍的是在现代职场中，年龄不再是障碍，故B项正确。