甘肅省靖遠第二中學2025屆高考沖刺英語模擬試題含解析

甘肅省靖遠第二中學2025屆高考沖刺英語模擬試題注意事項：1．答卷前，考生務必將自己的姓名、準考證號填寫在答題卡上。2．回答選擇題時，選出每小題答案后，用鉛筆把答題卡上對應題目的答案標號涂黑，如需改動，用橡皮擦干凈后，再選涂其它答案標號?；卮鸱沁x擇題時，將答案寫在答題卡上，寫在本試卷上無效。3．考試結束后，將本試卷和答題卡一并交回。第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．—I’mafraidIcouldn’tgotoyourbirthdayparty.IhaveatestnextMonday.—Oh，！You’remybestfriendandyoumustbethere！A．goahead B．comeon C．youneedn’t D．itdoesn’tmatter2．HadMarynotbeenhurtinthecaraccident,________thenextweek’smarathon.A．shewouldrun B．shewouldhaverunC．shewillrun D．shemusthaverun3．Mysister______thebabywhileI’matyoga.A．a(chǎn)rrangesB．mindsC．a(chǎn)ssesses4．AfterreceivingtheOscarforBestSupportingActress,AnneBenedictwentonallthepeoplewhohadhelpedinhercareer.A．tothank B．thankingC．havingthanked D．tohavethanked5．Icertainlyexpecttobeelectedbeststudentoftheyear.It’sreally________!A．a(chǎn)goodSamaritanB．a(chǎn)wetblanketC．a(chǎn)featherinmycapD．a(chǎn)pieceofcake6．—Daddy,wouldyoupleasebuymeaniPhoneX?—Ifyoucanpassthismidtermexamination,you__________haveoneasareward.A．must B．needC．would D．shall7．WolfWarrior2,which________the“AwardforBestVisualEffects”attheBeijingFilmFestival,indicatesChina'sfilmindustryhascomeofage.A．winsB．wonC．haswonD．hadwon8．_______thatIwouldn’tsupportmyselfatthatmoment.A．IwasweakenoughB．IwastooweakC．SoweakwasID．SuchweakwasI9．AgrandbanquetwasheldbyElizabethII_____PresidentXi’scurrentstatevisittotheUK.A．intermsofB．inhonorofC．infavorofD．inmemoryof10．Sheis____________beingpleasedaboutit;sheisveryangry.A．freefrom B．freeof C．outof D．farfrom11．Thepartylastmonthreallygavemealotoffun.Socanwehavethismonth,Mr.James?A．a(chǎn)ny B．one C．a(chǎn)nother D．theother12．Thenewmovie________tobeoneofthebiggestmoney-makersofalltime.A．pretends B．a(chǎn)grees C．promises D．declines13．—It’ssohumidthesedays!—Don’tworry!Therain________tostopfromtomorrow.A．willexpectB．expectsC．willbeexpectedD．isexpected14．Shesaidher________isenoughtosupportherinlateryearsandthatheronlyhopeisthathersoncanvisitregularly.Afterallshehadnotmuchtimeleft.A．pension B．benefit C．a(chǎn)llowance D．bonus15．I'llhaveallofthereadingsbytheendofthistermifmyplangoeswell.A．completing B．tocompleteC．completed D．beingcompleted16．Variousefforts________inthepastdecadestoprotecttheenvironment.A．hadmadeB．havemadeC．weremadeD．havebeenmade17．Heswitchedoffthelightandwasabouttoleavetheclassroomandonlythen____torainheavily.A．itbeganB．itbeginsC．doesitbeginD．diditbegin18．Tomissocreativeapersonthathealwayshaslotsof_________ideasinhismind,andsometimeswedon’tevenknowwhatheisthinkingabout.A．meanB．novelC．slimD．instant19．Wecancommunicate________peopleineverypartoftheworld________theInternet.A．with；with B．with；throughC．through；through D．through；with20．—Whatdidhedoinreturnforfree________andfoodofferedbythekindcouple?—Hehelpedtheirsonwithhislessons.A．conservation B．a(chǎn)dmissionC．a(chǎn)ccommodation D．immigration第二部分閱讀理解（滿分40分）閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出最佳選項。21．（6分）Wheneverwetalkaboutholidays,mymotherteasesmysisterandmeabouthowwe“makeoutlikerobbers.”SheisreferringtothefactthatwearehalfJewishandhalfIndian,sowereceivegiftsonboththe.festivalsoflights.HanukkahandDiwali.Thoughmymotherteasesus,Idonotmindgettingtwosetsofgifts!Hanukkahiscelebratedonthe25thdayoftheJewishmonth.whichisusuallysometimeinDecember.OnHanukkah,likemostJewishfamilies.welightamenorahandsayaprayereachnight.Wealsosayaspecialprayeronthefirstnight.Afterthat,itisatraditiontormysisterandmetodo‘hotandcold’,forourhiddenHanukkahgifts.Whenwewalktowardsthegift,ourparentssay‘hot’andwhenwewalkfurtheraway,theysay‘cold’.WeeachreceiveonepresenteverynightofHanukkah.AnotherpartIlikeaboutthisholidayisseeingfamilymemberswhowedonotseeoften.Myauntusuallystaysforafewdays,andwesometimesvisitotherrelatives.Diwaliiscelebratedonthe13thdayofthedarkfortnightofthemonthofAshwin(October/November).TocelebrateDiwali,myfamilydoesapooja,orprayers,inhonorofthegoddessLakshmi.Sincesheisthegoddessofwealthandprosperity,thepoojaincludeswashingsilvercoinsinmilkandwater.InIndia,peopledecoratetheirhouseswithlamps,similartothewayyoumightlightupyourhouseforChristmas.MyfamilyjustplacesafewcandlesoutsideWealsosetofffirecrackers,whichismyfavoritepart.Weoftendothisactivitywithfriendstoaddtotheexcitement.BothholidayshavedifferenthistoriesandstoriesWecelebratethemindifferentways,yettheybothhavethesamemeaning.Theybothtranslateinto.FestivalofLights,andtheybothmeanfamilyandpresentsforme!1、WhydoestheauthorreceivegiftsonbothHanukkahandDiwali?A．Becausehelivesinarichfamily.B．Becausehelivesintwodifferentcountries.C．Becausehisparentslikecelebratingtheirdifferentcultures.D．Becausehisparentslikespendingmoneybuyinggiftsforthem.2、Whatdoestheunderlinedphrase“hotandcold”inParagraph2referto?A．AkindofHanukkahgame.B．AkindofHanukkahgift.C．Acanoffestivaldrink.D．Ariddlewrittenonlights.3、wecanlearnfromthetextthatHanukkahandDiwali.A．sharethesamehistoryandcultureB．a(chǎn)recelebratedbybothJewsandIndiansC．a(chǎn)rebothrelatedtothelegendoflightsD．encouragethefamiliestodotheirprayers4、Whatistheauthor’sattitudetowardsHanukkahandDiwali?A．Sheenjoyscelebratingbothofthem.B．Shedoesmindspendingthem.C．ShelikesHanukkahbetter.D．ShelikesDiwalibetter.22．（8分）Whatisbigdataexactly?Goodquestion.Afterall,we'vealwayshadlargeamountsofdata.AsLaurieMiles,head,ofanalyticsforbigdataspecialistSAS,says,“Thetermbigdatahasbeenaroundfordecadesandwe'vebeen,doinganalyticsallthetime.It'snotbig;it'sjustbigger."Mosttraditionaldatawasstructured,orneatlyorganizedindatabases.ThentheworldwentdigitalandtheInternetcamealong.Mostofwhatwe1docouldbetranslatedintodatacapableofbeingrecorded,stored,searched,andanalyzed.Therewasalsoso-calledunstructureddatageneratedbyallourdigitalinteractions(互動),fromemailstoonline’shopping,textmessagestotweets,andFacebookupdatestoYouTubevideo's.Somesaythatabout90%ofallthedataintheworldtodayhasbeencreatedinthepastfewyears.“About75%ofdataisunstructured,comingfromsourcessuchastextvoiceandvideo,”saysMrMiles.“Bigdataisnotjusthistoricbusinessintelligence,’'saysMr,Miles.“It'stheadditionofreal-timedataandtheabilitytocombinetogetherseveraldatasetsthatmakesitsovaluable.”Practically,anyonewhomakes,growsandsellsanythingCanusebigdataanalyticstomaketheirmanufacturingandproductionprocessesmoreefficientaridtheirmarketingmoretargetedandcost-effective.Andmanybusinessesareonlyjustbeginningtorealizethatdataissomethingthattheyneedtoprotectanduse.“Banksonlyuseathirdoftheiravailabledatabecauseitoftensitsindatabasesthatarehardtoaccess,”saysMrMiles,“Weneedtofindwaystomakethisdatamoreeasilyaccessible.”Whoownsitall?Socialmediaplatformswilloften,saythattheirusersowntheirowncontent,butthenlayclaimtohowthatcontentisused,reservingtherighttoshareitwiththirdparties!Sowhenyoutweetyoueffectivelygiveupanycontroloverhowthattweetisusedinfuture,eventhoughTwittertermsandconditionssay,“What'syoursisyours.”Privacy(隱私)andintellectualproperty1lawshavenotkeptupwiththepaceoftechnologicalchange.1、Accordingtothefirstparagraph,bigdata______.A．isalsocalledmoderndata B．meanswedon'thaveenoughdataC．getsitsnamefromaresearchinstitute D．hasbeenresearchedformanyyears2、Whatcontributesgreatlytothedevelopmentofunstructureddata?A．Theincreasingnumberofdatabases. B．Ourincreasingexposuretodigitalactivities.C．Agreatdecreaseinstructureddata. D．Thelackofpeoplewhocantranslatedata.3、Whatisthethirdparagraphmainlyabout?A．Thefutureofbigdata. B．Thevalueofbigdata.C．Theprotectionofbigdata. D．Theproblemsofbigdata.4、Whydobanksonlyuseasmallpartoftheirdata?A．Becauseithasdifferentresources. B．Becausethespeedistooslow.C．Becausethecostisveryhigh. D．Becauseitisdifficulttoobtain.23．（8分）Highlevelsofchocolateconsumptionmightbeassociatedwithaonethirdreductionintheriskofdevelopingheartdisease,suggestsastudypublishedonlineintheBritishMedicalJournal.Thefindingsconfirmresultsofexistingstudiesthatgenerallyagreeonapotentialbeneficiallinkbetweenchocolateconsumptionandhearthealth.However,theauthorsstressthatfurtherstudiesareneededtotestwhetherchocolateactuallycausesthisreductionorifitcanbeexplainedbysomeotherunmeasuredfactor.TheWorldHealthOrganizationpredictsthatby2030,nearly236millionpeoplewilldiefromheartdisease.However,lifestyleanddictarekeyfactorsinpreventingheartdisease,saysthepaper,Anumberofrecentstudieshaveshownthateatingchocolatehasapositiveinfluenceonhumanhealthduetoitsantioxidantandanti-inflammatoryproperties.Thisincludesreducingbloodpressureandimprovinginsulinsensitivity.However,theevidenceabouthoweatingchocolateaffectsyourheartstillremainsunclear.So,DrOscarFrancoandcolleaguesfromtheUniversityofCambridgecarriedoutalargescalereviewoftheexistingevidencetoevaluatetheeffectsofeatingchocolateoncardiovascular(心血管)eventslikeheartattackandstroke.Theyanalyzedtheresultsofsevenstudies,involvingover100,000participantswithandwithoutexistingheartdisease,Foreachstudy,theycomparedthegroupwiththehighestchocolateconsumptionagainstthegroupwiththelowestconsumption.Fivestudiesreportedabeneficiallinkbetweenhigherlevelsofchocolateconsumptionandtheriskofcardiovascularevents.Theyfoundthatthe“highestlevelsofchocolateconsumptionwereassociatedwitha37%reductionincardiovasculardiseaseanda29%reductioninstrokecomparedwithlowestlevels.”Nosignificantreductionwasfoundinrelationtoheartfailure.Theauthorssaythefindingsneedtobeinterpretedwithcaution,inparticularbecausecommerciallyavailablechocolateisverycalorific(around500caloriesforevery100grams)andeatingtoomuchofitcouldleadtoweightgain,riskofdiabetesandheartdisease.However,theyconcludethatgiventhehealthbenefitsofdatingchocolate,initiativestoreducethecurrentfatandsugarcontentinmostchocolateproductsshouldbeexplored.1、WhichstatementisNOTtrueaccordingtothepassage?A．Thereusedtobestudiesaboutthebeneficiallinkbetweenchocolateconsumptionandhearthealth.B．MillionsofpeoplewilldiefromheartdiseaseaccordingtotheWHOC．Therearestillotherfactorsthatmayreducetheriskofheartdisease.D．Thereisclearevidenceabouthoweatingchocolateaffectsyourheart.2、Whatarethepossiblecausesofheartdisease?A．EatingchocolateB．UnhealthydietC．ExercisingregularlyD．Drinkingcoffee.3、What’stheauthors’attitudetowardsthefindings?A．cautiousB．doubtfulC．disapprovingD．negative4、Whatcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraph?A．Weshouldeatlesschocolate.B．Chocolatebenefitsourhealth.C．Weshouldconsiderthefatandsugarproblem.D．Eatingchocolatewillleadtofatgainnaturally.24．（8分）InspiringArchaeologicalStudyToursacrosstheWorldin2017…AnArchaeologicalToursgetawayisanarchaeologylover’svacationlikenoother.Wehaveanexcitingselectionoftoursdepartingin2017withunsurpassedservice.Here’sasmallselectionofwhatwehavetooffer.Alsoacodeforyou:Neverallow(Jogstorunfree-lytheretokeeptheplantsandanimalsliveinpeaceandgetridofrubbishproperly.Becarefultoburyyourtoiletwasteandkeeptothedesignedtracks.Guatemala&BelizeCoonthetrailofMesoamericancivilizationsinthelushforests,ruggedfoothills（丘陵地帶）,andmoderncitiesofthesefascinatingsitesincentralAmerica.January6-20,2017l$6,495Ghana,Togo&BeninWitnessthemeetingofthrivingtraditions,ancientpast,andforward-lookingpresentinincomparableWestAfrica.February7-22,20171$7,495AncientEgyptFromthepyramidsofGizatotheValleysoftheKingsandQueens,discovertheglorioussplendorsofancientEgypt.February&November2017l$5,995CentralMexicoFollowtheancientcivilizationsoftheToltec,Aztec,Zapotec,OlmecandMixtecacrossthecentreofmagnificentMexicoinNorthAmerica.March11-24,2017l$5,795IranDiscoverthebeautyandmajestyofIran’slong-passedempires,earlymodemdynasties,andtimelessscenery.April,September&October2017l$7,995Malta,Sardinia&CorsicaExplorethecharacteristicgeologicalenvironmentsanduniqueculturalandpoliticalhistoriesofthesethreeislandsinSouthEurope.April19-May4,20171$7,49569、Accordingtothetravelleaflet,visitorsshouldtour________.A．withcalmnessandcuriosityB．withself-defenceandhonourC．withconventionandreligionD．withself-disciplineandprotection1、TomiskeenonearlymoderndynastywhilehiswifeenjoysAfricatraditions.Whichplacesaretheirbestchoices?A．AncientEgyptandCentralMexico.B．Guatemala,BelizeandIran.C．Ghana,Benin,TogaandIran.D．Malta,SardiniaandCorsica.25．（10分）Itwasalwaysverycoldonthatlakeshoreinthenight,butwehadplentyofblanketsandwerewarmenough.Wenevermovedamuscleallnight,butwakedatearlydawnintheoriginalpositions,andgotupatonce,thoroughlyrefreshed.Thereisnoendofmedicineinsuchanexperience.Thatmorningwecouldhavedefeatedtensuchpeopleaswewerethedaybefore—sickonesatanyrate.Buttheworldisslow,andpeoplewillgoto“watercures”and“movementcures”andtoforeignlandsforhealth.ThreemonthsofcamplifeonLakeTahoewouldbringbackEgyptianmummytolife,andgivehimahealthyappetite.Idonotmeantheoldestanddriestmummies,ofcourse,butfresherones.Theairupthereinthecloudsisverypureandfine.Andwhyshouldn’titbe?—itisthesametheangelsbreathe.Ithinkthathardlyanyamountoftirednesscanbegatheredtogetherthatamancannotsleepoffinonenightonthesandbyitsside.Notunderaroof,butunderthesky;itseldomorneverrainsthereinthesummertime.Iknowamanwhowenttheretodie.Buthemadeafailureofit.Hewasaskeleton(骨瘦如柴的人)whenhecame,andcouldbarelystand.Hehadnoappetite,anddidnothingbutreadtracts(小冊子)andreflectonthefuture.Threemonthslaterhewassleepingoutofdoorsregularly,eatingallhecouldhold,threetimesaday,andhuntinggameoverthemountainsthreethousandfeethighforfun.Andhewasaskeletonnolonger,butweighedpartofaton.Thisisnofancysketch,butthetruth.Hisdiseasewasconsumption.Iconfidentlyrecommendhisexperiencetootherskeletons.—MarkTwain1、Whichofthefollowingisthetopicofthepassage?A．HowtolivenearLakeTahoeB．TheimaginationofLakeTahoeC．TheareaofLakeTahoehasamazingpowerstobringbackpeople’shealthD．LakeTahoe’sairandwaterqualityarefantasticforEgyptianmummies2、Thewriter’stoneofthispassageis________.A．determinedB．persuasiveC．homesickD．entertaining3、Whatdoestheauthormeanbysayingtheairis“thesametheangelsbreathe”?A．Thealtitudeisveryhigh.B．Thewetairsurroundedthelake.C．Thecoldwindinthearea.D．Thewidenessoftheland.4、Theauthorusesthe“Egyptianmummy”tocompareto________.A．peoplewholosttheirfamiliesB．sickandexhaustedpeopleC．a(chǎn)deadmanD．thewritersbaddream第三部分語言知識運用（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿分30分）閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的A、B、C和D四個選項中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項．26．（30分）MichelleBruceandherhusband,Jeremy,bothhadcancers,andtheirsonHoldenhadabraintumor（腫瘤）.Withthreeotherchildrento1,thefamilymovedtoMichelle’shometownofFranklin,Nebraska,sixyearsagosoher2couldgiveahand.WhenlivinginasmalltownoutsideLincoln,Nebraska,Holden3twooperationatadultclinicsinOmaha.Bothtreatmentsweretough,andswellinglefthimin4careforaboutaweek.WhenHolden’scancer5in2017,theOmahaclinicwasn’tabletooperate.ButtheBrucefamilywouldn’t6.TheyreachedouttoBostonChildren’sHospital,whichhadbetterequipmentandsurgeons.AfterlookingatHolden’s7,thedoctorsaidshecould8thetumorforgood.9,thesurgerywouldcost$39,000–morethantheparentscould10.Inatownofjust1,000people,though,11traveledfast.Withindays,alocalwomanMichellehadnevermetcalledtosayshewasplanninganeventto12moneyforHolden.Michellewas13.Thedayofthefundraiserwas14,butthatdidn’tpreventFranklincitizensshowingup.Michelle15ithadprobablyraisedacouplethousanddollars.Backatherparents’house,Michellegotacallfromthefundraiser’s16.Inall,thetownraised$45,000–enoughto17notjustHolden’shospitalbills,butforherandJeremy’s18toBostonwiththeirson.Holden’sthirdsurgerywentmore19thanbefore.“Hehadno20,nopain,”saidMichelle.“Itwasreallyamazing!”1、A．takecareofB．catchholdofC．getawaywithD．putupwith2、A．husbandB．parentsC．neighboursD．children3、A．performedB．designedC．hadD．a(chǎn)rranged4、A．ordinaryB．traditionalC．patientD．special5、A．returnedB．recoveredC．wentD．reacted6、A．defendB．quitC．failD．ignore7、A．statusB．filesC．passwordD．records8、A．removeB．dressC．endD．update9、A．BesidesB．HoweverC．ThereforeD．Even10、A．saveB．promiseC．a(chǎn)ffordD．bargain11、A．faithB．curiosityC．wordD．promotion12、A．chargeB．borrowC．earnD．raise13、A．puzzledB．satisfiedC．touchedD．embarrassed14、A．freezingB．gentleC．warmD．cool15、A．doubtedB．figuredC．a(chǎn)dmittedD．guaranteed16、A．colleagueB．explorerC．a(chǎn)cquaintanceD．organizer17、A．coverB．oweC．presentD．order18、A．marchB．guideC．paceD．trip19、A．casuallyB．calmlyC．smoothlyD．fluently20、A．injuryB．swellingC．coldD．recovering第二節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿分15分）閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入1個適當?shù)膯卧~或括號內單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）Inthe17thcentury,dentistsdidtheirbest1．(make)falseteeth.Theproblem,however,wasnotmakingtheteeth,2．waskeepingtheminplace.Theyhadtotieeachtoothtotheoneoneithersideofit.Onlyrichpeoplecouldaffordfalseteeth,3．wereusuallymadeofgoldorsilver.Asmoreandmorepeoplewantednewteeth,poorpeople4．(sell)theirteethtotherichsothattheycouldbuyfoodandclothing.Duringthenext200years,manychangesweremadetofalseteethalthoughsomeofthesewerenotreallyimprovements.Towardstheendofthe19thcentury,forexample,cheapelasticteethwereintroduced.Buttheycaughtfirevery5．(easy),andanumberofmenwerebadlyburnedwhentheirteethcaughtfirewhiletheyweresmoking6．(cigarette).Nowadays,falseteeth7．(be)sowellmadeandlooksorealthatitisoften8．(possible)totellfromaperson’sappearancewhetherornottheyhavethem.Andin9．nearfuture,veryfewpeoplewillhavethemby10．(add)certainthingstothewaterwedrink,wehavebeenabletokeepourteethsohealthythatmostpeoplewillneverneedfalseteeth.第四部分寫作（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)短文改錯（滿分10分）28．（10分）假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請你修改你同桌的以下作文。文中共有10處語言錯誤，每句中最多有兩處，每處錯誤僅涉及一個單詞的增加、刪除或修改。增加：在缺詞處加一個漏字符號(∧)，并在其下面寫出該加的詞。刪除：把多余的詞用斜線(\)劃掉。修改：在錯的詞下劃—橫線，并在該下面寫出修改后的詞。注意：1、每處錯誤及其修改均僅限一詞；2、只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計分。WhenIwasinJuniorMiddleSchool,IoncequarrelwithmyfavoriteteacherMr、Yangbecausehecriticizedmestrictly、Beforethat,IwassoashamedthatIhadnocouragestoseehimagain、Tomysurprised,Mr、Yangfoundmeorapologizedtomeforhissharpwordsthenextday、HehadsaidhecouldunderstandwhyIwassoangryatthatmoment、Mr、YangalsohopedIcouldunderstandthathewassostrictwithmeifhethoughtIshouldhavebehavedbetter、Howhehadsaidmademeverytouching、Therefore,Iwasdeterminedtolethimdownanylonger、第二節(jié)書面表達（滿分25分）29．（25分）假定你是高一學生李華。請你給你的美國網(wǎng)友Tony寫一封e-mail，把你的寒假安排告訴他，并詢問他的寒假安排。內容包括：1.完成作業(yè)，適量閱讀；2.慶祝春節(jié)，走親訪友；3.參加社區(qū)組織的志愿者活動。注意：1.詞數(shù)80左右；信的開頭已經(jīng)寫好。2.可適當增加細節(jié)，以使行文連貫。DearTony,Howiseverythingwithyourecently?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yourssincerely,Lihua

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、B2、B3、B4、A5、C6、D7、B8、C9、B10、D11、C12、C13、D14、A15、C16、D17、D18、B19、B20、C第二部分閱讀理解（滿分40分）閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項中，選出最佳選項。21、1、C2、A3、D4、A22、1、D2、B3、B4、D23、1、D2、B3、A4、C24、America’sbusinessesaregettingolderandfatter,whilemanynewbusinessesaredyingininfancy.AstudylastmonthbytheBrookingsInstitutionfoundthattheproportionofolderfirmshasgrownsteadilyoverseveraldecades,whilethesurvivalrateofnewcompanieshasfallen.Inaddition,youngpeoplearestartingcompaniesatasharplylowerratethaninthepast.AnewreportfromtheNationalAssociationofManufacturersshowsamajorcause:Thecostofobeyinggovernmentregulationshasrisentomorethan$2trillion(12.26trillionyuan)annually,or12percentoftheGDP,andthiscostfallsdisproportionatelyonsmaller,newerbusinesses.It’srisky,difficultandexpensivetostartabusiness,andgettingmoreso.Governmentsareimposingvariousnewrulesonaseeminglydailybasis:healthinsurance,minimumwageincreasesand,mostrecentlyinCalifornia,compulsorypaidsickdaysforevenhourlyemployees.Theseregulationsshifthugesocialwelfarecostsdirectlyontooften-strugglingsmallbusinesses,whilebeingproportionallymuchlesscostlyforlargercompanies.Thisispartlyanunintendedissueofresources—establishedcompaniescancopewithnewcostsmoreeasily—butit’salsodeliberate.Forinstance,biginsurancecompaniesgotaseatatthetabletohelpwriteObamacare,butlesspoliticallypowerfulfirms—likemedicaldevicemanufacturers—gotsqueezed.Mature,successfulcorporationscanemployex-lawmakerswithconnections,distributecampaigncontributionsandevenwriteregulationsforthemselves.Theyarealsomorelikelytowanttoprotectsteadyrevenuestreamsthanrevolutionizetheirindustry.Majorcompaniesthathavebeensoill-managedtheywouldotherwisecollapse—airlines,carcompaniesandbanks—stagger(蹣跚)onbecausepoliticiansridetotherescuewithbagsoftaxpayermoney.Thegeniusofouruniquesystemofgovernmentisthedeterminationtoprotectanddefendtherightsoftheindividualovertherightsofthenation.Assuch,theriseofawell-connectedoligarchy(寡頭政治)thatprotectsbigbusinessattheexpenseofsmallbusiness,andtheestablishedoverthenew,isoppositetoAmericanideals.Incomeinequality—whic