2022-2023年遼寧省本溪市公共英語五級(筆試)模擬考試(含答案)學(xué)校:________班級:________姓名:________考號:________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15題)1.Thepossibilitiesofourliteraryexperiencesarealmostunlimited.

A.TrueB.Fasle

2.Inwhichrespectdoesthestudents'organizationsseemtobeeffective?

A.Dealingwithacademicaffairsoftheuniversity.

B.Ensuringthatthestudentsobserveuniversityregulations.

C.Evaluatingstudents'performanceintheirstudy.

D.Keepingupthestudents'enthusiasmforsocialactivities.

3.Whichsubjectdoesthestudentsayshewasgoodat?

A.Computerprogramming.

B.Artanddesign.

C.Electronics.

D.Mathematics.

4.PartA

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

聽力原文：Everyyeartherearereportsofpeopledyingastheresultofextremelyhotweather.Manyofthevictimsareoldpersons,whoseheartsorbreathingsystemsdecline.Butmanydiefromlackofwater.

Waterisnecessaryforlifeandgoodhealth.Weoftenforgetthisfactwhenwethinkabouttheotherbuildingblocksoflifesuchasvitamins,mineralsandproteins.Wecanliveformanydayswithouteating,buttwoorthreedayswithoutwaterusuallyleadstodeath.

Thehumanbodymaylooksolid,butmostofitiswater.Newbornbabiesareasmuchas85%water.Womenareabout65%waterandmenabout75%.Womenusuallyhavelesswaterthanmenbecausewomen,ingeneral,havemorefatcells,andfatcellsholdlesswaterthanotherkindsofcells.

Waterdoesmanydifferentthingstokeepushealthy.Itcarrieshormones,antibodiesandfoodsthroughthebody,andcarriesawaywastematerials.Thatiswhydifferentpartsofthebodycontaindifferentamountsofwater.Forexample,bloodis83%water,musclesare75%water,thebrainis74%,andbonesare25%,.

Waterisalsonecessaryforcoolingthebodyunderhotweatherandwhenweareworkinghardorexercising.Watercarriesbodyheattothesurfaceoftheskin,wheretheheatislostthroughperspiration.Researcherssaycoolliquidscoolusfasterthanwarmliquids,becausecoldliquidstakeupmoreheatinsidethebodyandcarryitawayfaster.Theysay,however,thatcoldsweetdrinksdonotworkwellbecausethesugarslowstheliquidfromgettingintotheblood-stream.

Researchersalsonotethatfatcellsblockbodyheatfromescapingquickly.Fatcellsundertheskinactlikewarmclothingtokeepbodyheatinside.Thisiswhyoverweightpeoplehaveamoreeasytimestayingcoolthanthinpeople.

Thebodyloseswatereverydaythroughperspirationandurine.Ifwelosetoomuch,wewillbecomesick.A10%dropinbodywatercancausethebloodsystemtofail.A15%~20%dropusuallyleadstodeath.Toreplacewhatislost,healthexpertssaygrowingpersonsshoulddrinkabout2litersofliquidseachday,andmoreinhotweather.Theysaywecanalsogetsomeofthewaterweneedinthefoodsweeat.Mostfruitsandvegetablesaremorethan80%water.Meatsare50%~60%water.Andevenbreadisabout33%water.Watermaybeoneofthemostsimpleofallchemicalsubstances,butitisthemostimportantsubstancethatweputintoourbodies.

Waterisakindofchemicalsubstance.

A.TrueB.Fasle

5.What'sthenumberofstudentsfromMalaysia?

6.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

7.The"feltimage"ismuchmoreimportantbecauseithelpsyoutobemoreconfident.

A.TrueB.Fasle

8.Allchainscanofferstudentsthesametypeofcourseindifferentplaces.

A.RightB.Wrong

9.Waterisasimportantasvitamins,mineralsandproteinsforlife.

A.TrueB.Fasle

10.WhodidthepeopleusuallygiveletterstoaftertheEnglishcolonistsjustarrivedatAmerica?

11.聽力原文：M:Cigarette?

W:No,thankyou.I'vegivenup,youknow.

M:Oh.

W:It'stendaysago.Haven'thadone.

M:Well,youdon'tmindifIhadone.

W:Well,allright,then...Ohmygoodness!That'saterriblecough.

M:No,no,it'snot.It'sonly...Ionlygetitfirstthinginthemorning.

W:That'sgoingtomakeyouveryunfit,youknow.

M:No,it'sallright.Itgoesinaminute.

W:Whydon'tyoutryandgiveup?

M:Oh,no.Ioughtto,butIcan't.Itrelaxesme,smoking.

W:Really?

M:Itdoes.

W:Well,haveyoueverthoughtofjustcuttingdown?

M:Oh,no,that'sallveywellbut?..Iwouldn'tenjoyit.Idependabitonmysmoking.Imustsay.

W:Youshoulddoitgradually.Imean...well,ifyoutried...haveyouthoughtofjustgivinguponeday?

M:Yes,ohwell,yes,thatisquiteagoodidea.

W:Itis.

M:ButIthinkI'dlosecountorsomething.

W:Ohdear!Well,itmightbeanideaifyoustartedeatingsweets.

M:Ohno,Icouldn'tdothat.Icouldn'tpossibly...

W:Why?

M:Well,itmakesyoufat.

W:Well,doyouthinkthatmatters?Don'tyouthinkitisbettertobefatthantobeunhealthy?

M:No,Idon't.I'dratherbefat...Well,I'dratherbethinthanfat,certainly.

W:Ohdear.Well.Hey!I'vegotagoodidea!

M:What'sthat?

W:Whydon'tyougotoahypnotist?Mysisterdid!

M:Oh,look,youdon'tseemtorealizethatIlikesmoking.IfIgaveitup,ifIdidn'tsmokeatall,I'dprobablyendupattackingpeople!

W:Oh,don'tbesosilly!Ofcourseyouwouldn't.

Whendidthewomangiveupsmoking?

A.Tendaysago.

B.Justthismorning.

C.Aweekego.

D.Justyesterday.

12.聽力原文：M：DidyouhearabouttheaircrashthatoccurredinSouthAmericarecently?Itwasquiteatragicaccident!

W：No,Ididn'tseeanythinginthenewsaboutit．Whathappened?

M：AforeignairlinerwasattemptingtolandatnightinamountainousareainArgentinaandflewintoahill!

W：Thatsoundsreallyterrible!Didanyonesurvive?

M：No，everyoneaboard，includingthecrew，waskilledinstantly．

W：Whatwerethecircumstances?Weretheybadweather,afire,orenginefailure?

M：Apparently，thereweresomelowcloudsinthearea，butmostlyitwasjustmiscommunicationbetweenthepilotsandtheairtrafficcontrollers．

W：Weren'ttheybothspeakinginEnglish，theofficialinternationalaviationlanguage?

M：Yestheywere，butthetransitionfrompoorqualityradioswasslightlydistortedandtheaccentsoftheSpanishspeakingcontrollerswassostrongthatthepilotsmisunderstoodavitalinstruction．

W：Howcouldamisunderstandinglikethatcausesuchaseriousaccident?

M：Thepilotsweretoldtodescendto22,000feet．Theinstructionactuallymeant22,000feet，buttheythoughttheyhearddescend2,000feet．That'sahugedifference．a(chǎn)nditshouldhavebeenconfirmed．butitwasnot．Unfortunately，theterrainofthemountainsinNorweijaascendto2,000feet．

W：Sothepilotsdiddescendtothewrongaltitudethen，becausetheywerefollowingtheaircontroller'sinstructions．

M：Sadlyenough，yestheydid．Itwasareallybadmistake．Manypeoplediedasaresultofthesimplymisunderstanding．

W：Wow，that'sapowerfullessononhowimportantitcanbetoaccuratelycommunicatewitheachother．

Whatwasthecauseofthetragedy?

A.Badweather.

B.Humanerror.

C.Breakdownoftheengines.

D.Communicationssystemfailure.

13.Ifaconsumerwantsaquicksettlementoftheproblem,whomisitbettertocomplainto?

A.Ashopassistant.

B.Thestoremanager.

C.Themanufacturer.

D.Apublicorganization.

14.Thedietsofthepeopleinthethreeregionsaretotallydifferent.

A.TrueB.Fasle

15.Accordingtothetalk,onlyrealcharactersportrayedinbooksmaybecomeourfriends.

A.RightB.Wrong

二、2.UseofEnglish(10題)16.

【C9】

17.(50)

18.(44)

19.(36)

20.(39)

21.

【C4】

22.

【C18】

23.

【C10】

24.(33)

25.(40)

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15題)26.(68)

27.(79)

28.ThehistoryofresponsestotheworkoftheartistSandroBotticelli(1444-1510)suggeststhatwidespreadappreciationbycriticsisarelativelyrecentphenomenon.Writingin1550,VasariexpressedanuneasewithBotticelli'swork,admittingthattheartistfittedawkwardlyintohisevolutionaryschemeofthehistoryofart.Overthenexttwocenturies,academicarthistoriansdefamedBotticelliinfavorofhisfellowsFlorentine.Michelangelo.Evenwhenanti-academicarthistoriansoftheearlynineteenthcenturyrejectedmanyofthestandardsofevaluationadoptedbytheirpredecessors,Botticelli'workremainedoutsideofacceptedtaste,pleasingneitheramateurobserversnorconnoisseurs.(Manyofhisbestpaintings,however,remainedhiddenawayinobscurechurchesandprivatehomes.)

TheprimaryreasonforBotticelli'sunpopularityisnotdifficulttounderstand：mostobservers,upuntilthemid-nineteenthcentury,didnotconsiderhimtobenoteworthy,becausehiswork,forthemostpart.didnotseemtotheseobserverstoexhibitthetraditionalcharacteristicsofthefifteenth-centuryFlorentineart.Forexample.Botticellirarelyemployedthetechniqueofstrictperspectiveand,unlikeMichelangelo,neverusedchiaroscuro.

AnotherreasonforBotticelli'sunpopularitymayhavebeenthathisattitudetowardthestyle.ofclassicalartwasverydifferentfromthatofhiscontemporaries.Althoughhewasthoroughlyexposedtoclassicalart.heshowedlittleinterestinborrowingfromtheclassicalstyle.Indeed,itisparadoxicalthatapainteroflarge-scaleclassicalsubjectsadoptedastyle.thatwasonlyslightlysimilartothatofclassicalart.

Inanycase,whenviewersbegantoexaminemorecloselytherelationshipofBotticelli'sworktothetraditionofthefifteenthcenturyFlorentineart,hisreputationbegantogrow.AnalysesandassessmentsofBotticellimadebetween1850and1870bytheartistsofthePre-Raphaelitemovement,aswellasbythewriterPater(althoughhe.unfortunately,basedhisassessmentonanincorrectanalysisofBotticelli'spersonality),inspiredanewappreciationofBotticellithroughouttheEnglish-speakingworld.YetBotticelli'swork,especiallytheSistinefrescoes.didnotgenerateworldwideattentionuntilitwasfinallysubjectedto4comprehensiveandscrupulousanalysisbyHomein1908.Homerightlydemonstratedthatthefrescoessharedimportantfeatureswithpaintingsbyotherfifteenth-centuryFlorentines—featuressuchasskillfulrepresentationofanatomicalproportions,andofthehumanfigureinmotion.However,HomearguedthatBotticellididnottreatthesequalitiesasendsinthemselves—rather.thatheemphasizedcleardepletionofastory,auniqueachievementandonethatmadethetraditionalFlorentinequalities1esscentral.BecauseofHome'semphasiscrucialtoanystudyofart,thetwentiethcenturyhascometoappreciateBotticelli'sachievements.

Whichofthefollowingwouldbethebesttitleforthetext?

A.TheRoleofStandardArtAnalysesandAppraisals

B.SandroBotticelli：FromRejectiontoAppreciation

C.TheHistoryofCritics’ResponsestoArtWorks

D.BotticelliandFlorentine：AComparativeStudy

29.PartA

Directions:ReadthefollowingtextsandanswerthequestionswhichaccompanythembychoosingA,B,CorD.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Opinionpollsarenowbeginningtoshowthat,whoeveristoblameandwhateverhappensfromnowon,highunemploymentisprobablyheretostay.Thismeansweshallhavetomakewaysofsharingtheavailableemploymentmorewidely.

Butweneedtogofurther.Wemustasksomeprimaryquestionsaboutthefutureofwork.Wouldwecontinuetotreatemploymentasthenorm?Wouldwenotratherencouragemanyotherwaysforself-respectingpeopletowork?Shouldwenotcreateconditionsinwhichmanyofuscanworkforourselves,ratherthanforanemployer?Shouldwenotaimtorevivethehouseholdandtheneighborhood,aswellasthefactoryandtheoffice,ascentersofproductionandwork?

Theindustrialagehasbeentheonlyperiodofhumanhistoryinwhichmostpeople'sworkhastakentheform.ofjobs.Theindustrialagemaynowbecomingtoanend,andsomeofthechangesinworkpatternswhichitbroughtmayhavetobereversed.Thisseemsadauntingthought.But,infact,itcouldprovidetheprospectofabetterfutureforwork.Universalemployment,asitshistoryshows,hasnotmeanteconomicfreedom.

Employmentbecamewidespreadwhentheenclosuresofthe17thand18thcenturiesmademanypeopledependentonpaidworkbydeprivingthemoftheuseoftheland,andthusofthemeanstoprovidealivingforthemselves.Thenthefactorysystemdestroyedthecottageindustriesandremovedworkfrompeople'shomes.Later,astransportationimproved,firstbyrailandthenbyroad,peoplecommutedlongerdistancestotheirplacesofemploymentuntil,eventually,manypeople'sworklostallconnectionwiththeirhomelivesandtheplaceinwhichtheylived.

Meanwhile,employmentputwomenatadisadvantage.Inpre-industrialtime,menandwomenhadsharedtheproductiveworkofthehouseholdandvillagecommunity.Nowitbecamecustomaryforthehusbandtogoouttopaidemployment.leavingtheunpaidworkofthehomeandfamilytohiswife.Taxandbenefitregulationsstillassumethisnormtodayandrestrictmoreflexiblesharingofworkrolesbetweenthesexes.

Itwasnotonlywomenwhoseworkstatussuffered.Asemploymentbecamethedominantform.ofwork,youngpeopleandoldpeoplewereexcluded—aproblemnow,asmoreteenagersbecomefrustratedatschoolandmoreretiredpeoplewanttoliveactivelives.

Allthismaynowhavetochange.Thetimehascertainlycometoswitchsomeeffortandresourcesawayfromtheidealistgoalofcreatingjobsforall,totheurgentpracticaltaskofhelpingmanypeopletomanagewithoutfulltimejobs.

Researchcarriedoutintherecentopinionpollsshowsthat______.

A.availableemploymentshouldberestrictedtoasmallpercentageofthepopulation

B.newjobsmustbecreatedinordertorectifyhighunemploymentfigures

C.availableemploymentmustbemorewidelydistributedamongtheunemployed

D.thenowadayhighunemploymentfiguresareatruthoflife

30.

Whichofthefollowingbestsummarizesthetext?

A.AstheUNhesitates，thepoortakeaction．

B.ProgressinenvironmentalprotectionhasbeenmadesincetheRioSummit．

C.Climatechangescannolongerbeneglected．

D.Thedeclineofearth'slife-supportsystemshasbeenhalted．

31.(67)

32.

______istheoldestoneamongthefourinthetext?

33.Itwaslateintheafternoon,andIwasputtingthefinaltouchonapieceofwritingthatIwasfeelingprettygoodabout.Iwantedtosaveit,butmycursorhadfrozen.Itriedtoshutthecomputerdown,anditseizedupaltogether.Unsureofwhatelsetodo,Iyanked(用力猛拉)thebatteryout.

Unfortunately,Windowshadbeeninthemidstofadelicateandcrucialundertaking.Thenextmorning,whenIturnedmycomputerbackon,itinformedmethatafilehadbeencorruptedandWindowswouldnotload.Then,itofferedtorepairitselfbyusingtheWindowsSetupCD.

IopenedthespecialdrawerwhereIkeepCDs,butnoWindowsCDinthere.Iwasforcedtocallthecomputercompany'sGlobalSupportCentre.Mycallwasansweredbyawomaninsomeunnamed,far-offland.IfinditannoyingtomakesmalltalkwithsomeonewhenIdon'tknowwhatcontinentthey'restandingon.SupposeIweretocommentonthebeautifulweatherwe'vebeenhavingwhentherewasamonsoonattheotherendofthephone?SoIgotrighttothepoint.

"Mycomputeristellingmeafileiscorruptedanditwantstofixitself,butIdon'thavetheWindowsSetupCD."

"Soyou'rehavingaproblemwithyourWindowsSetupCD."Shehasapparentlybeendozingand,havingcometojustasthesentenceended,wasattemptingtocoverforherinattention.

Itquicklybecameclearthatthewomanwasnotacomputertechnician.Herjobwastoserveasagatekeeper,ahumanshieldforthetechnicians.Hersoleduty,asfarasIcouldtell,wastoraiseglobalstresslevels.

Tomakemedisappear,thewomangavemethephonenumberforWindows'creator,Microsoft.Thisislikegivingsomeonethephonenumberfor,Idon'tknow,NorthAmerica.Besides,theCDworked;Ijustdidn'thaveit.NomatterhowmanytimesIrepeatedmystory,wecamebacktothesameplace.Shewascalmandresolutelypolite.

Whenmyvoicehitacertaindecibel(分貝),Iwaspassedalong,likeahot,irritablepotato,toatechnician.

"Youdon'thavetheWindowsSetupCD,ma'am,becauseyoudon'tneedit,"heexplainedcheerfully.

"Windowscamepreinstalledonyourcomputer!"

"ButIdoneedit."

"Yes,butyoudon'thaveit."Wewentonlikethisforawhile.Finally,heofferedtowalkmethroughtheuseofadifferentCD,onethatwoulderasemyentiresystem."Ofcourse,you'dloseallyoure-mail,yourdocuments,yourphotos."Itwaslikeofferingtodropasafeonmyheadtocuremyheadache."Youmightbeabletorecoverthem,butitwouldbeexpensive."Hesoundeddelighted."Andit'snotcoveredbythewarranty(產(chǎn)品保證書)!"Thesafebegantoseemlikeagoodidea,provideditwasfull.

Ihungupthephoneanddrovemycomputertoasmall,friendlyrepairplaceI'dheardabout.Asmart,helpfulmandugoutaWindowsCDandtoldmeitwouldn’tbeaproblem.Anhourlater,hecalledtoletmeknowitwasready.Ithankedhim,andwechattedabouttheweather,whichwasthesameoutsidemywindowasitwasoutsidehis.

Whydidtheauthorshutdownhercomputerabruptly?

A.Shehadsavedwhatshehadwritten.

B.Shecouldn'tmovethecursor.

C.Thecomputerrefusedtowork.

D.Thecomputerofferedtorepairitself.

34.(80)

35.

Towhichofthefollowingistheauthorlikelytoagree?

A.Anowboom,onthehorizon.

B.Tightenthebelt,thesingleremedy.

C.Cautionallright,panicnot.

D.Themoreventures,themorechances.

36.

Theauthorimpliesthatwhichofthefollowingischaracteristicofmanyemployeehealthinsuranceplans?

A.Theycoverallthecommonmedicalconditionsaffectingmen,butonlysomeofthoseaffectingwomen.

B.Theylackthespecialprovisionsforwomenworkersthatproposedspeciallaborlawsforwomenwouldprovide.

C.Theypaythemedicalcostsassociatedwithpregnancyandchildbirthonlyforthespousesofmaleemployees,notforfemaleemployees.

D.Theymeetminimumlegalrequirements,butdonotadequatelysafeguardthehealthofeithermaleorfemaleemployees.

37.PartB

Directions: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,itisalsoclearthatworkingliveswillthemselveschangeoverthenextfewdecades,withapredictedincreaseinflexibleandpart-timeworkandtheprobableextensionofworkinglifeuntiltheageof70.Indeed,wehavetorecognizethatwecannotexpecttoretireattheageof50andthenbeabletosupportourselvesforanother40orsoyears.Neitherasolidpensionschemenorsavingscancarrypeoplethatlong.

69.______

Afurthermythisthatwewillallliveinloose,multigenerationalfamilies,experiencingincreasedemotionaldistancingfromourkin.Evidencefromavarietyofstudiesacrossthedevelopedworldsuggeststhat,ifanything,themodernfamilyisactuallybecomingmoreclose-knit.WorkcarriedoutbytheOxfordInstituteinScandinaviaandinaPan-EuropeanFamilyCareStudy,forexample,showsthatdespitedieinfluenceofthewelfarestate,overthepast10years,peoplehavecometovaluefamilyrelationshipsmorethanpreviously.

70.______

Inthedevelopedworld,therefore,wecanseeactualbenefitsfrompopulationageing:abetterbalancebetweenagegroups,matureandlessvolatiles

38.PartB

Directions:Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66-70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA-Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Fromhervantagepointshewatchedthemaindoorsswingopenandthefirstarrivalspourin.Thosewhohadbeenattheheadofthelinepausedmomentarilyonentry,lookedaroundcuriously,thenquicklymovedforwardasothersbehindpressedin.Withinmomentsthecentralpublicareaofthebigbranchbankwasfilledwithachattering,noisycrowd.Thebuilding,relativelyquietlessthanaminuteearlier,hadbecomeaBabel.Edwinasawatallheavysetblackmanwaveso