2026屆佛山市普通高中高三英語第一學期期末檢測模擬試題注意事項1．考試結(jié)束后，請將本試卷和答題卡一并交回．2．答題前，請務(wù)必將自己的姓名、準考證號用0．5毫米黑色墨水的簽字筆填寫在試卷及答題卡的規(guī)定位置．3．請認真核對監(jiān)考員在答題卡上所粘貼的條形碼上的姓名、準考證號與本人是否相符．4．作答選擇題，必須用2B鉛筆將答題卡上對應(yīng)選項的方框涂滿、涂黑；如需改動，請用橡皮擦干凈后，再選涂其他答案．作答非選擇題，必須用05毫米黑色墨水的簽字筆在答題卡上的指定位置作答，在其他位置作答一律無效．5．如需作圖，須用2B鉛筆繪、寫清楚，線條、符號等須加黑、加粗．第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．—Iwanttolearntennis.Wouldyouliketohelpme?—.Butlearningtennisisnowalkinthepark.A．NokiddingB．NowonderC．NoproblemD．Noway2．TheTangDynastyisgenerallyregardedasagoldenchapterbypeopleworldwide,________theChinesecivilizationinfluencedmanyneighboringcountries.A．where B．whenC．which D．who3．_____isoftenthecase,wehaveworkedouttheproductionplan.A．WhichB．WhenC．WhatD．As4．Thesuccessof“onecountry,twosystems”inpracticehasbeenuniversally________,andthispolicycontinuestogostrong.A．a(chǎn)cknowledgedB．a(chǎn)ppreciatedC．a(chǎn)ccomplishedD．a(chǎn)ccompanied5．Theboystoodhisheaddown,listeningtohismotherscoldinghimforbreakingthewindows.A．for B．of C．with D．a(chǎn)round6．Don'tdefendhimanymore.It'sobviousthathe________destroyedthefenceofthegardenevenwithoutanapology.A．a(chǎn)ccidentallyB．carelesslyC．deliberatelyD．clumsily7．Whentheorganization______inMarch,2019,therewasalmostnomoneyinthebankandmorethan$1millionofdebt.A．folded B．boomed C．registered D．sprang8．Thenumberofstay-at-homefathersreachedarecordhighlastyear,newfiguresshow,_______familiessawariseinfemalebreadwinners.A．ifB．a(chǎn)sC．becauseD．though9．I’veknownSarahfornearlytenyears.She_________oncemycustomer.A．is B．hasbeenC．was D．hadbeen10．Ishookhandsand________greetingswiththemanager,whoIimpressedalot.A．conveyedB．swappedC．exchangedD．switched11．Althoughvaluesmaybe____,it’shelpfultosharethemwithyourpartnerforadditionalsupport.A．terminalB．personalC．crucialD．practical12．MaybesomeofyouarecuriousaboutwhatmylifewaslikeonthestreetsbecauseI’veneverreallytalkedaboutit______.A．inplace B．inturn C．inforce D．indepth13．Themoviecouldn’tbemoreboring.IwishI________toit.A．hadnotbeen B．havenotbeenC．didnotgo D．havenotgone14．Thewhyheisabsenttodayishehasgotabadheadache.A．reason;that B．reason;becauseC．cause;that D．cause;because15．Studentsarealwaysinterestedinfindingout_______theycangowithanewteacher.A．howfar B．howsoon C．howoften D．howlong16．MayIspeaktoMr.Smith？Iamafraidnot.Heisatameetingnow.It'snot_____________A．reliable B．convenientC．beneficial D．a(chǎn)vailable17．______whathadhappened,theyknewIwouldstruggleandsimplywantedtohelpbecauseitwastherightthingtodo.A．Hearing B．Tohaveheard C．Havingheard D．Heard18．—Theroomlooksbigger!—We______thefurniture.A．havechanged B．hadchangedC．changed D．a(chǎn)rechanging19．Bobmadeapromisetothemanager________theworkwouldallbefinishedontime.A．that B．whatC．which D．whether20．Thenewteacherwassowell-organizedthatshebegan________westoppedyesterdaysothatnopointwasleftout.A．when B．inwhichC．how 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）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.22．（8分）Weallhaveourwaysofmarkingtime.Mylifeismeasuredbytakingpicturesfromonestorytothenext.Myoldestsonwasborninthemiddleofalongstoryaboutendangeredanimals.Mydaughtercamealongwithapackofgraywolves.It'sthestoryinAlaskathatI'llrememberbest,though.Itwasthestoryaboutthelossofwildland,duringwhichmywifeKathygotcancer.That'stheonethatmadetimestandstill.Withanxiety,Istoppedtakingpicturesonthedaywhenshefoundthattumor（腫瘤）.Cruelly,itwasThanksgivingDay.Earlyexaminationsavestime.Butourswasnotearly.Bythetimeyoucanfeelityourself,it'softenbiggerthanthedoctorwantsittobe.Cancerisathief.Itstealstime.Ourdaysarealreadyshortwithworry.Thencomesthisterribledisease,unfairasstormatharvesttime.Butcanceralsohasthepowertochangeus,forgood.Welearntosimplifyit,enjoyingwhatwehaveinsteadoffeelingsorryforwhatwedon't.Cancerevenmakesmeabetterfather.Myworkhasmademeastrangertomythreekids.ButnowIpayattentiontowhatreallymatters.Thisisnotarace.Thisisanewwayoflifeandanewwayofseeing,allfromthecancer.Intheendeachofushassolittletime.Wehavelessofitthanwecanpossiblyimagine.AndeventhoughitturnsoutthatKathy'scancerhasnotspread,andherprognosis（預斷）isgood.Wetrytomakeitallcountnow,enjoyingeverypartofeveryday.I'vepickedupmycameraagain.Iwatchthesky,searchingforbeautifullight.Whenwinterstormscome,KathyandIgatherourchildrenandtakethetimetocatchsnowflakes（雪花）onourtongues.Afterall,thisisgood.Thisiswhatwe'relivingfor.1、Whatisthewriter?A．Asponsor.B．Adoctor.C．Aphotographer.D．Adirector.2、HowdidthewriterfeelafterknowingKathy'sdisease?A．Anxious.B．Innocent.C．Powerful.D．Optimistic.3、Whateffecthasthecancerhadontheauthor?A．Hefocusesmuchmoreonhiswork.B．Hespendsmoretimewithhisfamily.C．Hebecomesastrangertohischildren.D．Hedevotesmuchmoretomedicalcare.4、Whatcanbeinferredfromthepassage?A．Cancerstealstime.B．Kathy'scancerhasspread.C．Snowflakesmakethefamilyfeelcool.D．Theauthortakesadifferentwayoflife.23．（8分）Peoplewhohaveredhairandpeoplewhoarelosingtheirhaircouldfinallygettheirownemoji(表情符號).TheEmojipediawebsitehasshownnewemojisfollowingdemandsthattheyshouldbemorediverse.Ifitsideasareapproved,thenewemojiscouldbeaddedin2018,alongsidenewcharactersthathavegrey,curlyorAfrohair.“Newstylesfocusonappearancesthataren’tcurrentlysupportedintheinformalskintoneandhaircolorpairings(組合)usedonmanycellphones,”showedonepageonthewebsite.ThepagegaveJessicaChastainandEdSheeranasexamplesofpeoplewithredhair.SineadO’ConnorandSamuelLKacksonweregivenasexamplesofpeoplewithnohairorashavenhead.Theemojiscouldbereleasedin2018ifchosenbytheUnicodeConsortiumwhichmetinJanuary,2017followinganumberofcomplaintsaboutlackofdiversity.“Non-naturallyoccurringfeatures,suchasbluehairandtattoos,arenotincludedinthisproject,”thewebsiteadded.Attheendof2016,ApplepublisheditsiOS10.2softwareupdatewhichincluded72newemojissuchasfirefighters,astronauts,rockstarsandsoon.Butpeoplewhohaveredhairwerenotablyabsent,causingaglobalprotest.AwebsiteinScotlanddemandinggingeremojisgot20,000signatures.Themainissueisthatthereisoneorganization,knownasUnicodeConsortium,whocontrolsemojisoniPhone.InMarch,anewlistofemojiswaspublishedbyEmojipediawhichmightbereleasedlaterthisyear.However,theemojisneedtobeapprovedbytheUnicodeTechnicalCommitteebeforepeoplecanusethem.In2015,gingeremojiswerepublishedontheGooglePlayStoreforAndroid.Butupuntilnow,theUnicodeConsortiumhasnotbeenwillingtogiveintogingercampaigners.1、Whichofthefollowingemojiscouldbeincludedin2018?A．Characterswithblackhair.B．Characterswithwhiteskin.C．Characterswithshavenheads.D．Characterswithsmilingfaces.2、TattoosarerejectedbytheUnicodeConsortiumbecause________.A．thereisnodemandforthemB．peopledislikesuchemojisC．theyareoutoffashionD．theyarenotnaturalidentity3、WhatistheUnicodeConsortium’sattitudetogingeremojis?A．Favorable.B．Ambiguous.C．Disapproving.D．Uncaring.4、Whatisthebesttitleforthetext?A．NewEmojistoBEAddedin2018B．ComplaintsaboutthePresentEmojisC．DemandsforNewandInformalEmojisD．GlobalProtestsagainsttheLackofDiversity24．（8分）IwassurethatIwastobekilled.Ibecameterriblynervous.Ifumbled(摸索)inmypocketstoseeiftherewereanycigarettes,whichhadescapedtheirsearch.Ifoundoneandbecauseofmyshakinghands,Icouldbarelygetittomylips.ButIhadnomatches;theyhadtakenthose.Ilookedthroughthebarsattheguard.Hedidnotmakeeyecontactwithme.Icalledouttohim“Haveyougotalight？”Helookedatme,shruggedandcameovertolightmycigarette.Ashecamecloseandlitthematch,hiseyesunconsciouslylockedwithmine.Atthatmoment,Ismiled.Idon'tknowwhyIdidthat.Perhapsitwasnervousness;perhapsitwasbecause,whenyougetveryclose,onetoanother,itisveryhardnottosmile.Inanycase,Ismiled.Inthatinstant,itwasasthoughasparkjumpedacrossthegapbetweenourtwohearts,ourtwohumansouls.Iknowhedidn'twantto,butmysmileleapedthroughthebarsandcausedasmileonhislips,too.Helitmycigarettebutstayednear,lookingatmedirectlyintheeyesandcontinuingtosmile.Ikeptsmilingathim,nowthinkingofhimasapersonandnotjustaguard.“Doyouhavekids？”heasked.“Yes,here,here.”Itookoutmywalletandnervouslyfumbledforthepicturesofmyfamily.He,too,tookoutthepicturesofhisfamilyandbegantotalkabouthisplansandhopesforthem.Myeyeswerefilledwithtears.IsaidthatIfearedthatI'dneverseemyfamilyagain,neverhavethechancetoseethemgrowup.Tearscametohiseyes,too.Suddenly,withoutanotherword,heunlockedmycellandsilentlyledmeout.Outoftheprison,quietlyandbybackroutes,outofthetown.There,attheedgeoftown,hereleasedme.Andwithoutanotherword,heturnedbacktowardthetown.1、Whathadhappenedtothemanbefore?A．Hehadbeenbadlytreated.B．Hehadkilledsomeone.C．Hehadbeensearched.D．Hehadbeenforbiddentogetintouchwithanyone.2、Whydidthemanwanttosmokecigarettes?A．Becausehewassurehewastobekilled.B．Becausehewantedtoeasehisnervousness.C．Becausehewantedtotalktotheguard.D．Becausehewasusedtosmokingcigarettes.3、Whichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtothepassage?A．Themanwasaheavysmoker.B．Themansmiledtopleasetheguard.C．Theguardsetthemanfreewithpermission.D．Themanhadn'tthoughttheguardwouldsethimfree.4、Whatdoyouthinkfinallysavedtheman'slife?A．Thesmile. B．Thecigarette.C．Thetears. D．Thewallet.25．（10分）Easytomakeandcheaptobuy,instantnoodleshavelongbeenChina’s,ultimateconveniencefood.Sinceitwasasnackforstudents,amealonthetrain,orjustthego-tochoiceforhungryworkers,morethan46.2billionpacketsweresoldinChinain2013.Butitseemsthisindustryhasgoneofftheboil.By2016thosesaleshaddeclinedto38.5billion,accordingtotheWorldInstantNoodleAssociation,adropofalmost17%.“ThisphenomenonshowsanunnoticeablewhilecontinuouschangeinChina’sconsumption(消費)patterns,”saidZhaoPingoftheAcademyofChinaCouncilforthePromotionofInternationalTrade.HetoldtheChinaDaily,“Consumersaremoreinterestedinlifequalitythanjustfillingtheirbelliesthesedays.”About730millionpeopleinChinanowhaveaccesstotheInternetaccordingtogovernmentfigures.Andabout1%ofthoseareusingsmartphonestoconnect.Andappsthatofferfooddeliverytoyourhome,officeorwhereveryouhappentobearearealfast-developingindustry.Theirmenusareundoubtedlymoreexpensivethanapotofinstantnoodles.Butthesemealscanstillbeinexpensive,andarguablymoretasty,dependingonyourfavor.Butputintheglobalbackground,Chinaisstilleasilythebiggestmarketforinstantnoodles.Infact,China’sconsumptionwasroughlyequaltoIndonesia,Japan,Vietnam,India,theUS,SouthKoreaandthePhilippinescombined.AndthatmeansglobalnoodlemanufacturersareunlikelytoturnawayfromtheChinesemarket.Japan’sinstantnoodlebusinessNissinFoods,forexample,isplanningtolandonthestockmarket,inHongKong,bywhichoperationithopestoraiseabout145milliondollars.ItisrareforaJapanesefirmtolistinHongKong,butNissinistalkingupitsprospectsinChina,whereitisalreadythefifthbiggestbrand.“Someconsumersstoppedconsuminginstantnoodles,butmostconsumerswanttoincreasethequality(offoodtheyconsume),”chiefexecutiveKiyotakaAndotoldCNBClastweek.“Wecansupplyhigh-qualityproductssowehavemorepossibilitytodevelopourbusiness.”1、Thephrase“goofftheboil”inParagraph2iscloseinmeaningto________.A．stopboilingB．turndownC．developrapidlyD．getoutofcontrol2、Accordingtothetext,itisbecauseof________thatpeoplehavemorefoodchoices.A．developmentoffoodmanufacturingindustryB．fallofpriceinfoodsbeyondinstantnoodlesC．technologicaldevelopmentoncommunicationD．people’sdoubtoninstantnoodles’foodsafety3、WhichofthefollowingdescriptionsisTRUEaccordingtothetext?A．Chinaconsumesmoreinstantnoodlethananyothercountrydoes.B．Chinaisbeginningtoloseitsfirstplaceininstantnoodlebusiness.C．NissinisthefifthbiggestbrandofJapan’sinstantnoodlebusiness.D．NissinisplanningtobuildaninstantnoodlefactoryinHongKong.4、Wecaninferfromthetextthat________.A．China’sinstantnoodleconsumptionwillcontinuetodropB．ChinesepeoplewillfavorcheaperinstantnoodlestosavemoneyC．instantnoodleswillhaveapessimisticprospectinthefutureD．instantnoodlemanufacturerswillfocusmoreonitsfoodquality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）Awomanprofessorwasgivingalessontoherstudentson1management.Assheraisedaglassofwater,everyoneintheclass2theywouldbeaskedthe“half-emptyorhalf-full”question.3,thatwasnotthecase.Withasmileonherface,sheaskedthestudents,“Howmuchdoyouthinkthisglassofwaterweighs?”Answerscalledout4fromeighttotwentyounces(盎司).Shequietedthestudentsdownandthenreplied,“Theabsoluteweightdoesn’t5.Butitcounthowlongyouholdit.IfIholditforaminute,itisOK.IfIholditforanhour,Iwillhaveanacheinmy6.IfIholditforaday,myarmwillfeelnumb.Ineachcase,the7oftheglassofwaterdoesn’tchange,butthe8Iholdit,theheavieritbecomes.why?”Lostin9,allthestudentskeptsilentandlistenedtotheprofessorcarefully.“Ourstressesand10inlifearelikethatglassofwater.Ifwe11ourburdensallthetime,soonerorlater,wewillfeelexhausted,evenunableto12.”13youhavetodoinputallyourburdensdown,as14intheeveningaspossible.Don’tcarrythemthroughtheeveningintothenight;bydoingthis,wecanget15nextmorningandare16tomoveforward.Moreoftenthannot,lifegetsterriblewhenwe17toomuch.Andthemomentyou18yourburdens,you’llfindyourselffeelingsomuchmorerelaxed.Soratherthanbeingupsetandfeeling19foryourself,startdoingsomethingaboutit.Afterall,lifeistooshortto20yourselftoanythingthatisnotmakingyouhappy.1、A．classB．emotionC．timeD．stress2、A．wonderedB．a(chǎn)greedC．expectedD．a(chǎn)rgued3、A．MeanwhileB．HoweverC．AnyhowD．Therefore4、A．rangedB．repliedC．readD．exchanged5、A．existB．changeC．increaseD．matter6、A．a(chǎn)rmB．headC．legD．stomach7、A．shapeB．positionC．weightD．size8、A．betterB．longerC．deeperD．further9、A．fantasyB．discussionC．dreamsD．thought10、A．doubtsB．joysC．worriesD．surprises11、A．coverB．carryC．hideD．show12、A．pickupB．workoutC．carryonD．catchon13、A．SomethingB．AllC．NothingD．a(chǎn)nything14、A．eagerlyB．naturallyC．quicklyD．early15、A．refreshedB．entertainedC．depressedD．a(chǎn)mazed16、A．a(chǎn)nxiousB．a(chǎn)bleC．passiveD．a(chǎn)mbitious17、A．fearB．restC．thinkD．get18、A．letgoofB．lookdownonC．catchupwithD．putupwith19、A．happyB．greedyC．disappointedD．sorry20、A．a(chǎn)bandonB．treatC．driveD．help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）語法填空AmanlookingathisSmartphonewhilewalkingacrossarailway1．（have）acloseknockonOct2．Hewasso3．（absorb）inhisSmartphonethathedidn'tseeatrainapproachinguntilitbrushedpasthim，4．（throw）himtotheground．Thisshouldserve5．a(chǎn)warningthatpeopleshouldbeawareoftheirsurroundings，especially6．crossingroads．7．（lucky），themansurvived，buttheincidentforcedthedriver8．（stop）thetrain．Anl8-minutedelayfollowedtheincident，9．ledtoabreakintherunningofothertrainsontheroute．TheSmartphone10．（addict）hasspreadlikeaninfectiousdisease．It'sevidentthatitwilldogreatharmtosociety．What'seven11．（bad），someaddictsbecomeimpatientwithrelativesandfriends．SomepeopleblametheSmartphoneforthesadstory，yetinfactpeople'sweakeningself-controlandself-disciplinearetoblame．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。Inmymind,Icouldneverfancyhowtensecondoflifecouldchangeaperson’sviewforhiswholeexistence、AfewyearsagoIexperiencetheworstmomentinmylife、Iwasdrivinghomethatafternoon、Unfortunately,Ididn’tmakeithomeasusuallybecauseIhadacaraccident、WhileIwasdriving,allofasudden,butthecarinfrontofmestopped、Mycarimmediatelyranintoit、Luckily,Iwasn’tserioushurt、ThataccidentchangedwayIdriveandtheytaughtmeavaluablelesson、Ialsocametotheconclusionwhichlifeneedstobetreasuring、第二節(jié)書面表達（滿分25分）29．（25分）假如你是市一中學生李華,你要向本市一家媒體寫信,反映你校周邊環(huán)境污染問題,呼吁有關(guān)部門采取措施,保護環(huán)境。請根據(jù)以下內(nèi)容寫一封100詞左右的投訴信。1.校園位于山腳下,小河邊,校內(nèi)環(huán)境優(yōu)美；2.附近兩年前建起了一家化工廠；3.校園環(huán)境和師生健康受到嚴重影響；4.請予以關(guān)注報道,引起有關(guān)部門重視。話題參考詞匯：排放污水:drainwastewater釋放有毒氣體:emitpoisonousgas有關(guān)部門relateddepartmentsDeareditor,I’mLiHua,________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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、C2、B3、D4、A5、C6、C7、A8、B9、C10、C11、B12、D13、A14、A15、A16、B17、C18、A19、A20、D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、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—whichisdirectlycausedbyfaultygovernmentpolicy—isbeingpromotedasthereasontoimposemoreofthatbadpolicy.Butlet’sbeperfectlyclear,wedonothaveafreemarketbutonewheregovernmentpickswinnersandlosersthroughregulationsandfinancialaids.Politicsis,andalwayshasbeen,aboutbalancingcompetinginterestsseekingtobenefitthemselves,andthat’sasitshouldbe,buttheforceofgovernmentshouldneverbeusedtoreducecompetition,kil