陜西省洛南縣2023-2024學(xué)年高三下學(xué)期聯(lián)考英語試題注意事項：1．答卷前，考生務(wù)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(yīng)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。回答非選擇題時，將答案寫在答題卡上，寫在本試卷上無效。3．考試結(jié)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．Beijing’snewinternationalairportintooperationin2019willserve72millionpassengersannually.A．beingputB．tobeputC．putD．toput2．Thoughafarmer,Zhuzhiwenhasbecameahugesuccessasasinger,whosestoryisreally________ofgreatinspiration.A．everything B．nothing C．theone D．one3．—Iheardtheywentskiinginthemountainslastwinter.—Ittruebecausetherewaslittlesnowthere.A．maybenot B．won’tbe C．couldn’tbe D．mustn’tbe4．Asheworksinaremotearea,hevisitshisparentsonly_____A．a(chǎn)nxiouslyB．occasionallyC．practicallyD．urgently5．Whenthequestionsgotpersonalduringthetalkshow,theactress______intearsassheopenedupaboutthewoundsshesuffered.A．brokeup B．brokedown C．brokeout D．brokethrough6．—YououghttohavemadeanapologytoTomyesterdayevening．—Yes,IknowI____．A．oughttohave B．haveto C．should D．musthave7．--Whenwillyoucomehomefordinner?I’llprepareitforyou.--Don’t________it.I’lleatoutwithmyfriends.A．careabout B．worryabout C．botherabout D．talkabout8．Itisgoingtoraintoday.Takeanumbrellawithyouto________youfromtherain.A．stop B．prevent C．keep D．protect9．Theredsandgolds_____intoeachotherasthesunsank.Whatabeautifulsight!A．bumped B．pressedC．melted D．turned10．Withatravellingspeedofupto350kilometresperhour,therailwaytobebuiltbetweenBeijingandShanghai_______thejourneytimefrom12hoursto5hours．A．cuts B．willcut C．iscutting D．hascut11．WethesunshineinSanyanowifitwerenotforthedelayofourflight.A．wereenjoying B．wouldhaveenjoyedC．wouldbeenjoying D．willenjoy12．Theboyishavingafever.You’dbetterdampatowelandlayit______hisforehead.A．a(chǎn)crossB．withinC．throughD．beyond13．_____withsomuchtrouble,wefailedtocompletethetaskontimeA．Toface B．Faced C．Face D．facing14．Thatpreservedhistoricvillageconnectedtodowntownbyahighwayis________manyofficeworkersspendtheirweekends.A．what B．howC．where D．why15．______thedeadline,theworkershadtoworkovertimetogetthejobfinished.A．Giving B．Given C．Havinggiven D．Togive16．—Doyoulikethebookyoufatherboughtyou?—Verymuch.It’sexactly______Iwanted.A．which B．thatC．what D．how17．—Whyareyousoupset?—Ihadmycomputerrepairedyesterday,butit________workagain.A．doesn’t B．didn’tC．won’t D．wouldn’t18．Wehavealreadydiscussedthisplan_____,sonextweshouldsparenoefforttocarryitout.A．a(chǎn)tlength B．a(chǎn)trandom C．a(chǎn)tease D．a(chǎn)tbest19．TheU.S.officialsaidNorthKoreaandIranshouldfollowinthestepsofLibya,whichlastDecembersaiditwouldwork__________toallowinternationalweaponsinspectorstodotheirwork.A．unconditionally B．unwillingly C．unfortunately D．uncomfortably20．ThatwasaverybusystreetthatIwasneverallowedtocrossaccompaniedbyanadult.A．when B．if C．unless D．where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）Slowlybutsurely,we’removingcloserandcloserto5Gworld.Fromsmart-homesecuritytoself-drivingcars,alltheinternet-connecteddevicesinyourlifewillbeabletotalktoeachotheratlightning-fastspeedswithreduceddelay,Objectivelyspeaking,thefastest4GdownloadspeedsintheU.S.topoutatanaverageof19.42Mbps.Butbycomparison5Gpromisesgigabit(千兆)speeds.“5Gisoneofthosesigns,alongwithartificialintelligence,ofthiscomingdataage,”saidSteveKoenig,seniordirectorofmarketresearchfortheConsumerTechnologyAssociation.“Theself-drivingvehicleisagreatemblemofthisdataage,andthatistosay,itisasignoftime,becausewithonesingletask,driving,youhavemassiveamountsofdatacomingfromthevehicleitself,andavarietyofsensorsarecollectingalotofinformationtomodelitsenvironmentasitmoves.It’spullingindatafromothervehiclesaboutroadconditionsdownthelane.Itcouldbeweatherinformation,butalsoconnectedinfrastructure(基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施)construction.There’slotsofdatabehindthattask,whichiswhyweneedhighspeed.Augmentedrealityglassesandvirtualheadsethaven’tyetbrokenthemainstream,buttechcompaniesarejoyfullybettingthatthesedeviceswilleventuallyreplaceoursmartphones.With5G,thatcouldactuallyhappen.ThisisnotablebecausecompaniessuchasApplearereportedlydevelopingARglassestoassist—orperhapsevenreplace—smartphones.EricssonstatedatFebruary’sMobileWorldCongresshowsmartglassescouldbecomefasterandlighterwitha5Gconnection,becauseinsteadofbeingweigheddownwithcomponents,theglassescouldrelyonhardwareforprocessingpower.Butdon’tgettooexcited.There’sstillalotofworktobedoneinthemeantime,includingvarioustrialstomakesuretheradiosplaynicelywithhardwareandinfrastructureconstructionso5Gisn’tconcentratedonlyinbigcities.1、WhatdoestheauthorwanttostressinParagraph1?A．Thelighting-fastspeedof5G.B．Theexpectationof5Gworld.C．Thedifferencebetween4Gand5GD．Theinternet-connecteddevicesinourlife.2、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“emblem”inParagraph2mean?A．Exhibition. B．Success.C．Symbol. D．Explanation.3、Wecaninferfromthetextthat________.A．5Gworldwon’tcomewithoutARglassesB．5GhelpstocreatetheartificialintelligencevehicleC．ApplecompanyisdevelopingARglassesworldwideD．Techcompanieswillfacethefactthatsmartphonesmaybereplaced4、Whatwilltheauthorprobablytellusnext?A．Howtofullyexpand5Gcoverage.B．Smartglasseswillbecomefasterandlighter.C．Why5Gisn’tconcentratedinbigcities.D．Theimportanceofinfrastructureconstruction.22．（8分）TraditionalChinesemedicine(TCM)isgainingglobalpopularity.Accordingtoagovernmentwhitepaper,TCMhasbeenintroducedin183countriesandregionsaroundtheworld.Westerners'understandingofTCM,however,maybelimitedtoacupundure，cuppingandmassage(針灸，拔罐和按摩).Forinstance,thepurple,injury-likemarksleftonUS.swimmerMichaelPhelps'backfromcuppingforthepurposeofrelaxinghismusclesandreducingpainbecamethecenterofattentionduringtheRioOlympicsin2016.Asamatteroffact,ChineseherbsplayamoreimportantroleingettingridofdiseasesandkeepingthebodyingoodconditionintheTCMtreatmentsystemthanphysicaltreatment.Itisthereforedishearteningtoknowthat-while103WorldHealthOrganizationmembercountrieshavegivenapprovaltothepracticeofacupuncture，notmanyrecognizeChineseherbalmedicineTCMfallsfarbehindWesternmedicineowingpartlytotheslowdevelopmentofChineseherbs.Herbs,aremadeintopills,powderandsoup,andthekindofherbsuscd1theirqualityandquantity,andtheprocessingoftheingredientsjointlydeterminetheeffectivenessoftheprescription.ComparedwithWesternmedicine,whichhasstandardizeddrugproductionprocessesandtreatmentmethods,TCMlacksstandardization,withthechemicalcompositionandfunctionsofitsmedicinesbeingunclearandtheireffectsbeingunstable.Fortunately,standardizationhasimprovedinrecentdecades,withanincreasingnumberoffactoriesproducingpatentedTCMdrugs.AnotherfactorthathaspreventedthedevelopmentofTCMprescriptiondrugsisthelackofcreativity,WhileWesternmedicine-makingcompaniescomeupwithnewproductseveryyear,TCMdrugproducerstendtomakemedicinesaccordingtoprescriptionshandeddownfromthepast.ChinesechemistTuYouyour'swinningthe2015NobelPrizeinPhysiologyorMedicineforherresearchintomalaria(瘧疾）treatmentmaydrivecreativitytosomeextentinChina'sTCMindustry.However,thecurrentstateofaffairscannotbechangedwithinashorttime.1、TheauthormentionstheexampleofMichaelPhelpsinordertoshow.A．hewasinjuredinhisswimming.B．cuppingisakindofimportantTCMtreatment.C．westernersknowalittleaboutTCM.D．westernersattachgreatimportancetoTCM.2、Whydon'tsomemembercountriesofWIIOrecognizeChineseherbalmedicine?A．BecauseChineseherbscangetridofdiseasesB．BecausetheyonlyapprovethepracticeofacupunctureC．Becausewesternmedicine15moreeffectiveD．BecausemedicinemadeoutorChineseherbsdevelopsslowly3、ComparedwithWesternmedicine，whatisthemainweakpointofTCM?A．Themethodsofprocessingherbs.B．Theeffectivenessofprescription.C．Lackinginstandardization.D．Itsunstablefunctions.4、ThelackofcreativityinTCMreferstothefactthat.A．medicine-makingcompanieslackcreativity.B．prescriptionsaregotfromthepast.C．Westerncompaniesaremoreexperienced.D．medicine-makingcompanieslackdrivingforce23．（8分）Thinkaboutthelasttimeyoufeltanegativeemotion—likestress,anger,orfrustration.Whatwasgoingthroughyourmindasyouweregoingthroughthatnegativity?Wasyourmindclutteredwith(充斥)differentkindsofthoughts?Orwasitparalyzed,unabletothink?Thenexttimeyoufindyourselfinthemiddleofaverystressfultime,oryoufeelangryorfrustrated,stop.Yes,that'sright,stop.Whateveryou'redoing,stopandsitforoneminute.Whileyou'resittingthere,completelyimmerseyourselfinthenegativeemotion.Allowthatemotiontoconsumeyou.Allowyourselfoneminutetotrulyfeelthatemotion.Don'tcheatyourselfhere.Taketheentireminute—butonlyoneminute—todonothingelsebutfeelthatemotion.Whentheminuteisover,askyourself,“AmIwillingtokeepholdingontothisnegativeemotionasIgothroughtherestoftheday？”O(jiān)nceyou'veallowedyourselftobetotallyimmersedintheemotionandreallyfeelit,youwillbesurprisedtofindthattheemotionclearsratherquickly.Ifyoufeelyouneedtoholdontotheemotionforalittlelonger,thatisOK.Allowyourselfanotherminutetofeeltheemotion.Whenyoufeelyou'vehadenoughoftheemotion,askyourselfifyou'rewillingtocarrythatnegativitywithyoufortherestoftheday.Ifnot,takeadeepbreath.Asyouexhale,releaseallthatnegativitywithyourbreath.Thisexerciseseemssimple—almosttoosimple.But,itisveryeffective.Byallowingthatnegativeemotionthespacetobetrulyfelt,youaredealingwiththeemotionratherthanstuffingitdownandtryingnottofeelit.Youareactuallytakingawaythepoweroftheemotionbygivingitthespaceandattentionitneeds.Whenyouimmerseyourselfintheemotion,andrealizethatitisonlyemotion,itlosesitscontrol.Youcanclearyourheadandproceedwithyourtask.1、Whatshouldyoudowhenyouareintonegativityaccordingtothearticle?A．Listentosomemusic.B．Ignoreitanddosomethingelse.C．Justdonothingandtrulyfeelthatemotion.D．Thinkaboutitandtrytodealwithitimmediately.2、Theunderlinedword“immerse”(Paragraph2)mostprobablymeans“________”．A．breakdown B．getridofC．cutoff D．throwinto3、What'sthebesttitleofthistext?A．ClearYourMentalSpaceB．DeepBreath,TroubleAwayC．TrytoAvoidtheNegativeEmotionD．KeepHoldingontoThisNegativeEmotionasLongasPossible4、Theauthor'sattitudetowardsnegativeemotionis________.A．doubtful B．optimisticC．frightened D．confused24．（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）Forallthetechnologicalwondersofmodemmedicine,healthcare-withitsfaxmachinesandclipboards(寫字板)—isoutofdate.Thisoutdatederaisslowlydrawingtoacloseastheindustrycatchesupwiththeartificial-intelligence(AI)revolution.EricTopol,anexpertinheartdiseaseandenthusiastfordigitalmedicine,thinksAIwillbeparticularlyusefulforsuchtasksasexaminingimages,observinghearttracesforabnormalitiesorturningdoctors'wordsintopatientrecords.Itwillbeabletousemassesofdatatoworkoutthebesttreatments,andimproveworkflowsinhospitals.Inshort,AIissettosavetime,livesandmoney.ThefearsomepeoplehaveisthatAIwillbeusedtodeepentheassembly-linecultureofmodemmedicine.Ifitgivesa“giftoftime”todoctors,theyarguethatthisbonusshouldbeusedtoextendconsultations,ratherthansimplyspeedingthroughthemmoreefficiently.Thatisafineidea,butashealthswallowsanever-biggershareofnationalwealth,greaterefficiencyisexactlywhatisneeded,atleastsofarasgovernmentsandinsurersareconcerned.Otherwise,richsocietiesmayfailtocopewiththeneedsofageingandgrowingpopulations.Anextrafiveminutesspentchattingwithapatientiscostlyaswellasvaluable.TheAIrevolutionwillalsoenablemanagerialaccountantstoadjustandevaluateeveryaspectoftreatment.Theautonomyofthedoctorwillsurelybeweakened,especially,perhaps,inpublic-healthsystemswhichareduty-boundtocutunnecessarycosts.TheHippocraticOath(誓言)holdsthatthereisanarttomedicineaswellasascience,andthat“warmth,sympathyandunderstandingmayoutweighthesurgeon'sknifeorthechemist'sdrug”.There'slotsofsenseinit:thepatientsofsympatheticphysicianshavebeenshowntorecoverbetter.Yetasthesupplyofhumancarersfailstosatisfythedemandforhealthcare,thefuturemayinvolveconsultationsonsmartphonesandmeasurementsmonitoredbychatbots.Theconsideratelywarmedstethoscope(聽診器),placedgentlyonapatient'sback,maybecomearelicofthepast.1、What'sDrTopol'sattitudetowardAI'scomingintomedicine?A．Concerned. B．Doubtful. C．Optimistic. D．Cautious.2、Whatdoestheauthorofthetextattachmoreimportanceto?A．Medicalcosts. B．Nationalwealth.C．Longerconsultation. D．Greaterefficiency.3、WhyistheHippocraticOathmentioned?A．ToprovethebrightfutureofAI.B．Toshowtheadvantageofahumandoctor.C．Toexplainmedicalequipmentismoreimportant.D．Toargueahumandoctorperformsaswellasarobot.4、Whatmaybethebesttitleforthetext?A．HealthcareandAI B．AIanditsapplicationsC．DoctorsandPatients D．DrTopolanddigitalmedicine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）WhenIwaseighteen,Icouldn’twaittogetmyfirstjob,whichmeantImadethefirststeptowardadulthood.Butitwasdifficulttogetaworkpermit.OnedayIwasdroppedoffbymyparentsatthe

1,whereapplicantstooktheirphysicaltestsforworkpermits.AlthoughIhadnightblindness,myvisionwasclearerduringtheday,whichhelpedmewalk

2bymyself.Thenthedoctorbeganthe

3.Helookedintomyeyeswithabrightlight.“I

suggestyourparentstakeyoutoaneyespecialist,”

hesaid,

“I

4youhavearetinal(視網(wǎng)膜)disease.Ifyoudo,you’llnever

5a

dayinyourlife…”Myparentsdidtakemetospecialists.Aftermuchtimeandmoneyspentseekingan

6result,itwasdeterminedthatIhadaneyediseasethatslowly

7a

personofsight.Butstill,duringdaylight,Icouldwalkwithout

8.Icouldread,butnotforhours.Myeyesbeganto

tearandwordsslippedoffthepagewhenIreadmorethanafewpages.However,nomatterhow9myeyesbecame,Inevergaveupreading.Iknewthe

10ofgreatwritersaswellasthemostpopularmusicstars.Theirwordswerepowerful,which

11metotrywriting.Soonwritingbroughtmealotof

12eachtimeIcompletedapaper.Thenanimportantphonecallfromaneditorchangedmylife.AnarticleI

13appearedinalocalnewspaper.Thenewspaper,tomy

14,

continuedtoprintmywork.Next,abookseriespublishedseveralofmyessays.Igotinterestedinwritingand

15upwitheachacceptance.Onthepages,readersneverknewofmyblindness

16Ichosetopresentit.Forme,findingmyvoicethroughwritinggavemetheprideand

satisfactionI

beganto17somanyyearsago.Now,Ihavenumerousessaysandarticlesin

18.ShouldIbethankingthatmisguideddoctor?ByfalselypredictingthatIcouldneverworkaday,hefueledmy

19intosuccess.Hesetthebartoo

20andfocusedonwhatIwouldn’tbeabletodo.YetIprovedwhatIcoulddo.1、A．station B．clinic C．company D．lab2、A．silently B．suddenly C．proudly D．easily3、A．operation B．examination C．a(chǎn)rgument D．treatment4、A．suspect B．order C．suggest D．command5、A．rest B．live C．work D．sleep6、A．urgent B．obvious C．ordinary D．a(chǎn)ccurate7、A．robs B．warns C．reminds D．informs8、A．medicine B．a(chǎn)llowance C．balance D．a(chǎn)ssistance9、A．excited B．confused C．tired D．moved10、A．houses B．names C．a(chǎn)ddresses D．habits11、A．a(chǎn)sked B．forced C．encouraged D．permitted12、A．trouble B．pleasure C．stress D．worry13、A．a(chǎn)dmitted B．wanted C．described D．penned14、A．delight B．a(chǎn)dmiration C．disappointment D．shame15、A．gave B．came C．lit D．put16、A．unless B．a(chǎn)lthough C．since D．a(chǎn)fter17、A．fear B．bring C．seek D．reject18、A．print B．time C．use D．mind19、A．imagination B．motivation C．responsibility D．personality20、A．far B．long C．close D．low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(nèi)單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）Haveyoueveraskedyourselfwhychildrengotoschool?Youwill1．(probable)saythattheygotolearnlanguages,history,scienceandsomeotherknowledge.That’squitetrue,butdoyouknow2．theylearnthesethings?Wesendourchildrentoschooltopreparethem3．thefuturewhentheygrowupandhavetoworkfor4．(they).Nearlyeverythingtheystudyatschoolhassomepracticaluseintheirlife.Butisthat5．onlyreasonwhytheygotoschool?Thereismoreineducationthanjust6．(learn)facts.Wegotoschooltolearnhowtolearn,sothatwhenwehaveleftschoolwecancontinuetolearn.Aman7．reallyknowshowtolearnwillalwaysbe8．(success),becausewhenhehastodosomethingnew,hewillnotonlybeabletodoitwellhimself,hewillalsobeable9．(teach)othershowtodoitinthebestway.Sothepurposeofschoolsisnottoteachlanguages,history,science,etc.,buttoteach10．(student)thewaytolearn.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，請你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。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：在錯的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞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。MyfatheristhemanIrespectmost、Strictashemaybe,howeverheneverfailstoshowhercareandconsideration、OnceIbrokeaneighborwindow、Seeingnobodyaround,Iranawayimmediately、WhenDadcamehome,henoticedmyuneasinessandaskedmewhathashappened、Icouldonlytellhimatruth、Insteadofscold,hepraisedmyhonestyandthenencouragedmetoapologizeourneighbor、IlearnedfromthisincidentthatnotonlydoesDadtakecareofmyhealthandhealsoteachesmewhattobeagoodcitizen、HowluckilyIamtohavesuchagoodfather!第二節(jié)書面表達（滿分25分）29．（25分）據(jù)報道，7歲的美國男孩Trump得知自己身患癌癥（cancer）后處于極度的痛苦之中，美國抗癌協(xié)會（ACS）決定，每當Trump收到一封慰問信，就多為他分擔3美元的治療費。假如你是新華中學(xué)的學(xué)生李華，請你用英文給Trump寫一封慰問信，主要內(nèi)容包括：1.自我介紹；2.表亦鼓勵；3.祝他早日康復(fù)。注意：1.詞數(shù)100左右；2.可以適當增加細節(jié)，以使行文連貫。________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、B2、D3、C4、B5、B6、A7、C8、D9、C10、B11、C12、A13、B14、C15、B16、B17、A18、A19、A20、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、A2、C3、D4、A22、1、C2、D3、C4、B23、1、C2、D3、A4、B24、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)thatprotects