江西省九江市公共英語五級(jí)(筆試)測試卷(含答案)

江西省九江市公共英語五級(jí)(筆試)測試卷(含答案)學(xué)校:________班級(jí):________姓名:________考號(hào):________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15題)1.WhatdoesDr.Hubercomparetheuniverseto?

2.Accordingtothespeaker,howdosomepesticidesgetintoponds?

A.Theyareappliedtoaquaticweedsbyfishfarming.

B.Amphibiansreleasethemfromtheirskin.

C.Irresponsibledisposeoftheminponds.

D.Theyarewashedintopondsbytherain.

3.What'stheessentialpointweshouldrealizeaboutspeechandwriting?

4.聽力原文：M:Doyouthinkwomenaregenerallybetteratcertainthingsthanmen?

W:Well,itseemstomewomenaremuchbetteratdealingwithmorethanonethingatatime.Idon'tknowwhetherthishastodowiththedifferenceintheirbrainorwhetherit'sjusthowtheyhavetocopemoreoftenwithmorethanonething.Forexample,itisusuallywomenwhowork,havebabies,lookafterthebabiesandtakethemainresponsibilityforlookingafterthehome.Andmaybeit'spracticingallthatmakeswomenbebetterabletodomorethanonethingatatime.Men,itseemstome,canonlyconcentrateononethingatatime,includingboringdomesticthingslikewashingthedishes.Ifafriendofminewhoisamanwashesthedisheshe'llfinditquitedifficulttoconductaconversationatthesametime,whereasifI'mdoingthedishesI'malwaystalkingtosomeone,probablycookingsomethingaswell,andfindingthatnottoostressful.

M:Doyouthinkwomenaremoreinterestedinpersonalrelationshipsthanmen?

W:Generally,yes,thoughagainIdon'tknowifthisisbecausethatfromanearlyagetheyaretaughttopleaseotherpeople,whereasmenarealwaystaughttopleasethemselves.Ithinkrelationshipsaremorecentraltomostwomen'slives.Forexample,Ithinkmendon'thaveverygoodconversationswitheachother,whereaswomendo.Ifyoulistentowomentalking,oftentheywillbehaving,afterarelativelyshorttimeofknowingeachother,fairlypersonalandtruthfulconversations,whereasmenhaveconversationsnotaboutwhatI'dcallrealthings.Theywilltalkabouttheirworkinaverysuperficialway,ortheirinterestsinaverysuperficialway,forexample,andfootballisthe—um—justasortofwayformentorelatetoeachotherwithoutactuallysayinganythingimportant,itappearstome.

Accordingtothewoman,whywomenaremuchbetteratdealingwithmorethanonethingatatime?

A.Shedoesn'tknowthereasonexactly.

B.Becausewomenaresmarterthanmen.

C.Becausewomenhavemorethingstodealwiththanmen.

D.Becausemenalwaysrefusetodealwithmorethanonethingatthesametime.

5.PartA

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

聽力原文：W:Comein,please.

M:Goodmorning,Dr.Wilson.

W:Goodmorning,Wang.Hownicetomeetyouagain.Takeaseat...whydon'tyou,please.Whendidyougettotheuniversity?

M:Iarrivedyesterday.

W:Well...areyoulivinginthecollege?

M:No,IamwithanEnglishfamily...actually...becauseIwanttoimprovemyspeaking.

W:Oh,fine.Right,didyoutakealanguageproficiencytestbeforeyoucame?

M:Yes.Uhh...myOverallBandis6,but...unfortunatelymyspeakingscoreisonly5.

W:OK,youknow,hereinthisuniversity,youhavetotakeourownEnglishtestbeforeyouattendanylectures.So,firstofall,whatwe'vegottodois,wehavetomakeanarrangementforthetestdate.Umm...willtomorrowbeallrightforyou?

M:Yeah,Ihavetimetomorrowmorning.

W:Good,then.Tomorrowatten.Idon'tthinkthetestwillbeanyproblemforyou.Now,let'smakesureyoumakegooduseofyourtimehere.Let'sputitlikethis.Whatexactlydoyouwanttoaccomplishinthenext12months?

M:I'minterestedincomputerlanguagetranslation,Imean,fromEnglishtoChineseandChinesetoEnglish.I'lltry,ifpossible,toproducesoftwareoradevicewhichcanserveasaninterpreter.

W:Yes,couldyoubeabitmorespecificabout...er...thedevice?

M:Forinstance,whenyoutalktothedeviceinEnglishitwilltranslateyourwordsintoChineseandviceversa.

W:Uhuh...doyoumeanit'llbeascompetentas...er...ahumaninterpreter?

M:Yes...well,I'llletitdealwithgeneralsituations,atleast.

W:Fascinating...andhowbigwillthedeviceitselfbe,doyouthink?

M:Thesizeofacigarettepack,Ithink.Sopeoplecanputitintheirpocket.

W:Really?Well,thatcouldbeaPh.Dproject.Tellmewhatyouhavedonesofar.

M:Inmyfouryearsofundergraduatestudy,Istudiedelectronics,advancedmathematics,hardwaredesigning,somecomputerlanguagesandprogramwriting.

W:Yes,buthaveyoudoneanypracticaljobs?Imean,haveyouwrittenanyprogramsforpracticaluse?

M:IhadbeeninvolvedinaprojectforCADinashipyard.

W:Computeraideddesign.Thatwasprobablyagoodexperience,but,unfortunately,itmaynothelpyourpresentprojectmuch.AreyoufamiliarwiththeC-language?

M:No.

W:Uhuh...thephoneticprocessingsystem,doyouknowhowsuchasystemworks?

M:Whatdoyoumeanby"phoneticprocessingsystem"?

W:Well,youknow,Englishisspokenbydifferentpeoplewithdifferentaccents.YourEnglishaccentisdifferentfrommine,andofcoursemineisnotthesameasmycolleagues'.SoasIseeit,yourdevicewouldhavetobeabletorecogniseandunderstanddifferentaccents.

M:Oh,Isee.IthinkIcanlearntheC-languageandthephoneticprocessingsystemhere.

W:Well,that'sprobablytrue,butyou'vegotonlytwelvemonthsandyouwantadegree,don'tyou?M:Yes.

W:OK,sothere'retwowaysofstudyingforadegreehere.Youeithertakesixcourses,passtheirexamsandhaveyourdissertationacceptedortheotherwayisyoudosomeresearchworkandsubmityourprojectreport.M:IthinkI'lltakethesecondway,

W:Fine,butareyousureyoucanfinishyourprojectintwelvemonths?

M:Idon'tknow,butIcanworktwelvehoursperdayandsevendaysperweek.

W:Well,I'dsuggestyouspendsometimeinourlibrary,tryingtofindoutwhatotherstudentshavedonebeforeandperhapsreconsideryourownproject,tosomeextent.Youmightnarrowyourresearcharea,concentratingonsolvingoneortwomajorproblems.And,it'dbeagoodideatotalktoyourcolleaguesinthelab,first.Anyway,I'msurewecanworkoutsomethinggood.ShallIseeyouagaininthreedays'time?

M:A11rig

A.TrueB.Fasle

6.Whatisbehavioralmanagementbasedon?

7.Whichisthemostpopularmajorofstudy?

8.聽力原文：Inthefieldofmarketing,consumergoodsareclassedaccordingtothewayinwhichtheyarepurchased.Thetwomaincategoriesareconveniencegoodsandshoppinggoods.Twolessertypesarespecialtygoodsandunsoughtgoods.

Peopledonotspendmuchtimeshoppingforconvenienceitemssuchasgroceries,newspapers,toothpaste,razorblades,aspirin,andcandy.Thebuyingofconveniencegoodsmaybedoneroutinely,assomefamiliesbuygroceriesonceaweek.Suchregularlypurchaseditemsarecalledstaples.Sometimesconvenienceproductsareboughtonimpulse,forexample,someonehasasuddendesireforanicecreamsundaeonahotday.Ortheymaybepurchasedasemergencyitems.

Shoppinggoodsareitemsforwhichcustomerssearch.Theycompareprices,quality,andstyles,andmayvisitanumberofstoresbeforemakingdecisions.Buyinganautomobileisoftendonethisway.

Shoppinggoodsfallintotwoclasses:thosethatareperceivedasbasicallythesameandthosethatareregardedasdifferent.Itemsthatarelookeduponasbasicallythesameincludesuchthingsashomeappliances,televisionsets,andautomobiles.Havingdecidedonthemodeldesired,thecustomerisprimarilyinterestedingettingtheitematthemostfavorableprice.Itemsregardedasinherentlydifferentincludeclothing,furniture,anddishes.Quality,style.andfashionwilleithertakeprecedenceoverprice,ortheywillnotmatteratall.

Specialtygoodshavecharacteristicsthatimpelcustomerstomakespecialeffortstofindthem.Pricemaybenoconsiderationatall.Specialtygoodscanincludealmostanykindofproduct.Normally,specialtygoodshaveabrandnameorotherdistinguishingcharacteristics.

Unsoughtgoodsareitemsaconsumerdoesnotnecessarilywantorneedormaynotevenknowabout.Promotionoradvertisingbringssuchgoodstotheconsumer'sattention.Theproductcouldbesomethingnewonthemarketoritmaybeafairlystandardservice,suchaslifeinsurance,forwhichmostpeoplewillusuallynotbothershopping.

Accordingtothespeaker,whatareconveniencegoods?

A.Commoditiesthatpeopleareinconstantneedof.

B.Goodsthatareconvenienttouseorpurchase.

C.Itemsthatpeopletendtobuyunderimpulse.

D.Itemsthathavetobeboughtonceaweek.

9.Wecanmakearound-the-worldflighttripfreeofchargeifwefinishreadingenoughbooks.

A.TrueB.Fasle

10.What'soneofthebestwaystohelpyouraudience?

11.PartA

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

聽力原文：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

12.Accordingtothewoman,whyarewomenmuchbetteratdealingwithmorethanonethingatatime,butmenarenotasgood?

A.Becausewomenhavebetterabilities.

B.Becausemenarenotusedtohousework.

C.Becausemenlackpractice.

D.Becausemenfinditeasytoconcentrateononlyonething.

13.Accordingtothewoman,whyarewomenmuchbetteratdealingwithmorethanonethingatatime,butmenarenotasgood?

A.Becausewomenhavebetterabilities.

B.Becausemenarenotusedtohousework.

C.Becausemenlackpractice,

D.Becausemenfinditeasytoconcentrateononlyonething.

14.The"feltimage"ismuchmoreimportantbecauseithelpsyoutobemoreconfident.

A.RightB.Wrong

15.Whatdoesthetalkmainlyconcern?

二、2.UseofEnglish(10題)16.(48)

17.(39)

18.Impatiencecharacterizesyoungintellectualworkers.Theywanttomaketheirmark【C1】______.Soit'simportanttoget【C2】______totheminachallengingmannertheidea【C3】______bigachievementsrarelycomeeasilyandquickly.Pointoutthatthelittlesuccessesareessential.Showthatthey【C4】______turnbecomethefoundationon【C5】______reputationsarebuiltandfromwhichmoreimportanttaskscanbeaccomplished.

Avarietyofjobassignments,includingjoborprojectrotation,alsokeepajob【C6】______becomingdull.Whereasit'snaturalforsomeindividualstowanttomoveaheadimmediatelytomoredifficultassignments,【C7】______properguidancetheycancontinuetolearnandtogainversatilitybyworkingonanumberofjobsthatareessentially【C8】______thesamecomplexity.Thiswaytheygainbreadth,ifnotdepth.

Probablythegreatestoffensetoguard【C9】______whendealingwithyoungerspecialistsistorejectideasoutofhand.Youmustlisten--andlistenobjectively--totheirsuggestions.Avoid【C10】______overcritical.Youwanttonurtureaninquiringmindwithafreshapproach.You'llfrustrateitquicklyifyoureverttoooften【C11】______"We'vetriedthatbeforeanditwon't【C12】______here."

Onesurewaytodisenchant【C13】______collegegraduatesisflagrantlymisusingtheirtalents.Expectthemtodosomeroutinework,ofcourse.Butdon'tmaketheir【C14】______workjustonelongseriesoferrands.Thisincludessuchbreak-inassignments【C15】______performingroutinecalculations,diggingup【C16】______material,【C17】______operatingreproductionequipment.Onelargemanufacturingcompanyrecentlyinterviewedanumberof【C18】______engineerswhohadleftthem.Thecompanyfoundthattheoverwhelmingcomplaintwasthatthecompanynotonlydidnotofferworkthat【C19】______challengingbutalsoexpected【C20】______toolittlefromtheminthewayofperformance.

【C1】

19.

【C19】

20.(32)

21.

【C3】

22.Pollutionisa"dirty"word.Topollutemeanstocontaminate—topsoilorsomethingbyintroducingimpuritieswhichmake【31】______unfitoruncleantouse.Pollutioncomesinmanyforms.Weseeit,smellit,【32】______it,drinkit,andstumblethroughit.Weliterallylivedinandbreathepollution,and【33】______surprisingly,itisbeginningto【34】______ourhealth,ourhappiness,andourcivilization.

Oncewethoughtofpollution【35】______meaningsimplythesmog—thechoking,stinging,dirty【36】______thathoversovercities.Butairpollution,whileitis【37】______themostdangerous,isonlyonetypeofcontaminationamongseveral【38】______attackthemostbasiclifefunctions.

Throughtheuncontrolleduseofinsecticides,manhaspollutedtheland,【39】______thewildlife.By【40】______sewageandchemicalsintoriversandlakes,wehavecontaminatedour【41】______water.Wearepollutingtheoceans,too,killingthefishand【42】______deprivingourselves【43】______aninvaluablefoodsupply.

Partoftheproblemisourexploding【44】______.Moreandmorepeopleareproducingmorewastes.Butthisproblemisintensifiedbyour"throw-away"technology.EachyearAmericans【45】______of7millionautos,20milliontonsofwastepaper,25millionpoundsoftoothpastetubesand48millioncans.Wethrowawaygumwrappers,newspapers,andpaperplates.Itisnolongerwiseto【46】______anything.Todayalmosteverythingisdisposable.【47】______ofrepairingatoasteroraradio,itiseasierandcheapertobuyanotheroneanddiscardtheold,even【48】______95percentofitspartsmaystillbefunctioning.Babydiapers,whichusedtobemadeofreusablecloth,arenowpaperthrowaway.Soonwewillwearclothingmadeof【49】______:"Wearitonceandthrowitaway"willbethesloganofthefashionableconsciousness.

Whereisthisalltoend?Areweturningtheworldintoagiganticdump,oristherehopethatwecansolvethepollutionproblem?【50】______,solutionsareinsight.Afewofthemarepositivelyingenious.

(31)

23.(34)

24.(50)

25.

【C15】

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15題)26.Throughouthistorytherehavebeenmanyunusualtaxesleviedonsuchthingsashats,beds,baths,marriages,andfunerals.AtonetimeEnglandleviedataxonsunlightbycollectionfromeveryhouseholdwithsixormorewindows.Andaccordingtolegend,therewasaTurkishrulerwhocollectedataxeachtimehedinedwithoneofhissubjects.Why?Topayforthewearandtearonhisteeth!

Differentkindsoftaxeshelptospreadthetaxburden.Anyonewhopaysataxissaidto"beartheburden"ofthetax.Theburdenofataxmayfallmoreheavilyonsomepersonsthanonothers.Thatiswhythethreelevelsofgovernmentinthiscountryuseseveralkindsoftaxes.Thisspreadstheburdenoftaxesamongmorepeople.Fromthestandpointoftheiruse,themostimportanttaxesareincometaxes,propertytaxes,salestaxes,andestate,inheritance,andgifttaxes.Someareusedbyonlyonelevelofgovernment;othersbytwoorevenallthreelevels.Togetherthesedifferenttaxesmakeupwhatiscalledourtaxsystem.

Incometaxesarethemainsourceoffederalrevenues.Thefederalgovernmentgetsmorethanthree-fourthsofitsrevenuefromincometaxes.Asitsnameindicated,anincometaxisataxonearnings.Bothindividualsandbusinesscorporationspayafederalincometax.

TheoldesttaxintheUnitedStatestodayisthepropertytax.Itprovidesmostoftheincomeforlocalgovernments.Itprovidesatleastapartoftheincomeforallbutafewstates.Itisnotusedbythefederalgovernment.

Asalestaxisatanleviedonpurchases.MostpeoplelivingindieUnitedStatesknowaboutsalestaxessincetheyareusedinallbutfourstates.Actuallythereareseveralkindsofsalestaxes,butonlythreeofthemareimportant.Theyaregeneralsalestaxes,excisetaxes,andimporttaxes.

Otherthreecloselyrelatedtaxesareestate,inheritance,andgifttaxes.Everythingapersonowns,includingbothrealandpersonalproperty,makesuphisorherestate.Whensomeonedies,ownershipofhisorherpropertyorestatepassesontooneormoreindividualsororganizations.Beforethepropertyistransferred,however,itissubjecttoanestatetaxifitsvalueexceedsacertainamount.

ThereasonthattheTurkishrulercollectedadiningtaxistopayfor______.

A.theinconvenienceforhimtoputonandtakeoffclothes

B.thedamagethateatingdidtohisteeth

C.hiseffortstocutthefoodintopieces

D.thedecayofhisteethbecauseofsugar

27.At18,AshanthiDeSilvaofsuburbanClevelandisalivingsymbolofoneofthegreatintellectualachievementsofthe20thcentury.Bornwithanextremelyrareandusuallyfataldisorderthatleftherwithoutafunctioningimmunesystem(the"bubble-boydisease",namedafteranearliervictimwhowaskeptaliveforyearsinasterileplastictent),shewastreatedbeginningin1990witharevolutionarynewtherapythatsoughttocorrectthedefectatitsverysource,inthegenesofherwhitebloodcells.Itworked.Althoughherlastgene-therapytreatmentwasin1992,sheiscompletelyhealthywithnormalimmunefunction,accordingtooneofthedoctorswhotreatedher,W.FrenchAndersonoftheUniversityofSouthernCalifornia.Researchershavelongdreamedoftreatingdiseasesfromhemophiliatocancerbyreplacingmutantgeneswithnormalones.Andthedreamingmaycontinuefordecadesmore."Therewillbeagene-basedtreatmentforessentiallyeverydisease,"Andersonsays,"within50years."

It'snotentirelyclearwhymedicinehasbeensoslowtobuildonAnderson'searlysuccess.TheNationalInstitutesofHealthbudgetofficeestimatesitwillspend$432millionongene-therapyresearchin2005,andthereisnoshortageofpromisingleads.Thetherapeuticgenesareusuallydeliveredthroughvirusesthatdon'tcausehumandisease."ThevirusissortoflikeaTrojanhorse,"saysRonaldCrystalofNewYorkPresbyterian/WeillCornellMedicalCollege."Thecargoisthegene."

AttheUniversityofPennsylvania'sAbramsonCancerCenter,immunologistCarlJunerecentlytreatedHIVpatientswithageneintendedtohelptheircellsresisttheinfection.AtCornellUniversity,researchersarepursuinggene-basedtherapiesforParkinson'sdiseaseandararehereditarydisorderthatdestroyschildren'sbraincells.AtStanfordUniversityandtheChildren'sHospitalofPhiladelphia,researchersaretryingtofigureouthowtohelppatientswithhemophiliawhotodaymustinjectthemselveswithexpensiveclottingdrugsforlife.Animalexperimentshaveshowngreatpromise.

Butsomehow,thingsgetlostinthetranslationfromlaboratorytopatient.Inhumantrialsofthehemophiliatreatment,patientsshowaresponseatfirst,butitfadesovertime.Andthefieldhasstillnotrecoveredfromthesetbackitsufferedin1999,whenJesseGelsinger,an18-year-oldwithararemetabolicdisorder,diedafterreceivinganexperimentalgenetherapyattheUniversityofPennsylvania.Someexpertsworrythatthefieldwillbetarnishedfurtherifthenextpeopletobenefitarenotpatientsbutathletesseekinganedge.Thissummer,researchersattheSalkInstituteinSanDiegosaidtheyhadcreateda"marathonmouse"byimplantingagenethatenhancesrunningability;already,officialsattheWorldAnti-DopingAgencyarepreparingtotestathletesforsignsof"genedoping".Buttheprincipleisthesame,whetheryou'retryingtohelpahealthyrunnerrunfasterorallowamuscular-dystro-phypatienttowalk."Everybodyrecognizesthatgenetherapyisaverygoodidea,"saysCrystal."Andeventuallyit'sgoingtowork."

ThecaseofAshanthiDesilvaismentionedinthetextto

A.showthepromiseofgene-therapy

B.giveanexampleofmodemtreatmentforfataldiseases

C.introducetheachievementofAndersonandhisteam

D.explainhowgene-basedtreatmentworks

28.(77)

29.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

30.(70)

31.

Inthethirdparagraph,Dr.Laraghimplies