北京市海淀區(qū)第二十中學(xué)2026屆高三英語(yǔ)第一學(xué)期期末綜合測(cè)試試題注意事項(xiàng)：1．答卷前，考生務(wù)必將自己的姓名、準(zhǔn)考證號(hào)填寫在答題卡上。2．回答選擇題時(shí)，選出每小題答案后，用鉛筆把答題卡上對(duì)應(yīng)題目的答案標(biāo)號(hào)涂黑，如需改動(dòng)，用橡皮擦干凈后，再選涂其它答案標(biāo)號(hào)。回答非選擇題時(shí)，將答案寫在答題卡上，寫在本試卷上無(wú)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．Oneofthefewthingsyou______sayaboutEnglishpeoplewithcertaintyisthattheytalkalotabouttheweather.A．need B．must C．can D．should2．Everymanhashisfaults.Weshould,therefore,leantobe________ofothers.A．ignorant B．responsibleC．reliable D．tolerant3．Whenintrouble，remembertostaycalm，andeverythingwillwell．A．turnback B．turnup C．turndown D．turnout4．Pelehadbagsofnaturaltalent,buthe______withoutthedeterminationtodealwithalltheproblemslifethrewinhispath.A．wouldneversucceed B．neversucceededC．wouldneverhavesucceeded D．haveneversucceeded5．Thebuswouldnothaverunintotheriver________forthebadtemperedlady.A．ifitwerenot B．haditnotbeenC．ifitwouldnotbe D．shoulditnotbe6．AlthoughMailerwasnotaloneinwelcomingthefloweringofcreativity,theauthoritieshatedit,______didmanypassengers.A．which B．a(chǎn)s C．that D．so7．—I’mafraidIcouldn’tgotoyourbirthdayparty.IhaveatestnextMonday.—Oh，！You’remybestfriendandyoumustbethere！A．goahead B．comeon C．youneedn’t D．itdoesn’tmatter8．Thetoughestthingaboutsuccessis________youhavetokeeponbeingasuccess.A．why B．when C．what D．that9．WatchingbasketballgamesonTVathomeisonething,goingtowatchthem________liveisquiteanother.A．perform B．performing C．toperform D．beingperformed10．Youaresubjecttopunishmentifyoufailto________tothecustomswhencarryingtheprohibitedarticleslistedabove.A．stateB．declareC．a(chǎn)nnounceD．communicate11．Scientistshaveintroducedanewmodelof3Dprinter,______differsfromtheexistingonesincertainaspects.A．a(chǎn)s B．which C．who D．that12．Russia'scuttingoffthegassupplyraisedamajorconcerntotheEuropeanUnion,anumberofmemberstatesareincreasinglydependentononesinglesupplier.A．whose B．thatC．where D．which13．AsIopenedmyeyes,in______directionIlooked,Icouldseesmiling,peaceful,calmandcontentfaces.A．whatever B．however C．whichever D．wherever14．Whentension________inarelationshipbetweentwopeople,afrequentwayofdealingwiththisistosendmessagesthroughathirdperson.A．a(chǎn)rouses B．a(chǎn)rises C．rises D．raises15．When________questionsinclass,oneshouldanswerthemasclearlyaspossible.A．a(chǎn)sking B．toask C．tobeasked D．a(chǎn)sked16．Theaccidenthavebeencausedbyadogrunningacrosstheroad,butwedon’tknowforsure.A．might B．shouldC．will D．must17．Everyoneinthevillagehopedthathewould______afterafewdays’treatment.A．pickup B．comeup C．keepup D．makeup18．Thissemesterourschooloffersmanyoptionalcoursesforthestudents,_______appealstomanystudents.A．eachofwhich B．a(chǎn)llofwhomC．eachofwhom D．a(chǎn)llofwhich19．Bydoingso,youcan________moreinformationanddetailsaboutthetopic,andbetterunderstandit.A．keepupwith B．doawaywithC．haveaccessto D．getdownto20．Therearemanyfamousculturalrelicsinourcountry,many_______thousandsofyearsago.A．datingbackto B．datebacktoC．datedbackto D．weredatedbackto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(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。21．（6分）Theonlinebusinessmodelischangingonasatisfaction-firstbasis.Itdoesn'tmatterifsomeonerecommendedyouanapp,nothingbeatsgettingtotryouttheappfirstbeforedecidingonwhetherornottoapplyfortheservice.●RhapsodyListentoRhapsody’slargemusiclibraryandgettheoptiontodownloadandlistentosongsorevenfull-lengthalbumsevenwhenfull-lengthalbumsevenwhenyou’reoffline.Atthemoment,thisserviceisavailablein32countriesonly.Rememberthatyou’llneedtocancelwithinthefreetrialperiodtoavoidbeingchargedforyourfirstmonth.[Trialperiod—14days∣Aftertrial--$9.99/month∣Trynow]●BigstockNeedsavephotosforyourpresentationsandartworks?GotoBigstocktocheckouttheircollectionfromtopartistsandphotographersaroundtheworld.Choosefromover30millionphotos,andillustrations(插圖),with75,000imagescomingineverynewweek.Allyouneedtostartyourfreetrialisyouremailaddress.[Trialperiod—7days∣Aftertrial--$79/month∣Trynow]●CanvasIfyouaredrowninginpaperwork,perhapsitistimetouseCanvasandtransferallyourpaperworkonline.Digitalizeyourworkorders,formsetcsothattheycanbefilledupandcompletedrightonanymobiledevice.Thismakesiteasytocreate,edit,gainvaluabledataandsendittothepeoplewhoneeditinseconds.[Trialperiod—30days∣Aftertrial--$13/month∣Trynow]●BackupifyIfyouhaveeverlostyourphone,youknowhowimportantitistobackup(備份)allyourimportantdocuments,notes,contactsandotherpersonaldetails.Getcloud-to-cloudprotectionofupto3PBofdatawithBackupify.YoucanbackupyourdataforGoogleapps,Office365,varioussocialmediasitesandevenSalesforce.[Trialperiod—15days∣Aftertrial--$3/month∣Trynow]TolearnmoreabouttheAppsabove,ClickHere.1、WhoismorelikelytousetheappCanvas?A．Asecretary.B．Aphotographer.C．Anartist.D．Amusician.2、Tosavephotos,________canbeofsomehelp.A．BigstockandCanvas.B．BackupifyandBigstock.C．RhapsodyandBackupify.D．RhapsodyandCanvas.3、Whatdothefourappshaveincommon?A．Userswillaccessthemviaemailaccounts.B．Theyofferfreeentertainmentservices.C．Theycanhelpbrushupusers’workskills.D．Userscantrythemwithoutpayingmoney.4、Wherecanyoufindmoreinformationaboutsuchapps?A．Amagazine.B．ATVshow.C．Awebsite.D．Anewspaper.22．（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.23．（8分）Ifwelookaroundusatthethingswehavepurchasedatsomepointinourlives,wewouldnodoubtnoticethatnoteverythingweownisbeingputtogooduse:thethickwoolencoatwhichwethoughtlookedtrendydespitethefactthatweliveinatropicalcountry.thesmartphonethatgotputawaywhenweboughtourselvesthenewestmodel,oreventheguestroominourhousethatsomehowgotturnedintoastoreroom.Thoseunderutilized(未充分使用的)itemsmayseemuselesstosome,butcouldbeofvaluetoothers.WiththeoccurrenceoftheInternet,onlinecommunitieshavefiguredoutawaytogenerateprofitfromthesharingofthoseunderusedproperty,Usingwebsitesandsocialmediagroupsthatfacilitatethebuyingandsellingofsecond-handgoodsitisnoweasierthaneverforpeer-to-peersharingactivitiestotakeplace.Andthisisknownasthesharingeconomy.Thesepopularonlineplatformsareprovidingachanceforpeopletomakeaquickfortune.Togiveanexample,busyparentspreviouslymightnothavebotheredwithsettingupastallatthelocalmarkettoselltheirchildren’soldequipment,butwithonlinemarketplaces,parentsarenowabletosellonthosehardlywornbabyclothesthattheirchildrenhaveoutgrownsoastoputsomecashbackintotheirpockets.Businesseshavealsocaughtontotheprofitabilityofthesharingeconomyandareseekingtogainfrommakinguseofthoseunderutilizedresources.CompanieslikeAirbnbactasamiddlemanforpeopletocashinontheirunusedroomsandhousesandletthemoutasprofitableaccommodation.AnotherexampleisUber,whichencouragespeopletousetheirownpersonalcarsastaxistomakesomeextracashintheirfreetime.Thismovetowardsasharingeconomyisnotwithoutcriticisms.Unlikebusinesses,unregulatedindividualsdonothavetofollowcertainregulationsandthiscanleadtopoorerandinconsistentqualityofgoodsandservicesandahigherriskoffraud.Nevertheless,intheconsumeristsocietyweliveintoday,theincreasedopportunitiestosellonourunwantedandunderusedgoodscanleadtoalesserimpactonourenvironment.1、Whycanpeoplenowsellthingsmoreeasily?A．Peoplenowadaysbuymorethings.B．Businesseswanttobuythethingstheydontuse.C．Therearenowmoremarketstalls.D．Therearenowonlineplatformstodobusiness.2、Whichoftheseissomethingthatwemightunderutilize?A．Thickcoatinacoldcountry.B．Clothesourbabiesdon'torcan'twearanymore.C．Thelatestsmartphone.D．Thestoreroominourhouse.3、Itmightbeaproblemforunregulatedindividualstoselltoothersbecause_____.A．whattheysellmightbeofalowerquality.B．theyhavetofollowcertainregulations.C．theydon'thaveabusinesslicense.D．theyliketocriticizetheirbuyers.4、Whatmightbeagoodtitleforthisarticle?A．Theconsumeristsociety B．ParentswhoneedmoneyC．Theriseofthesharingeconomy D．Whywebuythingswedon'tneed24．（8分）Anenvironmentfullofinterestingorexcitingideasisimportantforyoungchildren,andmuchofachild’sbraindevelopsduringtheearliestpartoflife.Thevisualsystem,inparticular,developsrapidlyoverthefirstfewweeks.Asearlyasnineminutesafterbirth,babiesprefertolookatphotographsandpicturesthatmostresemblethehumanface.Newbornscanseecolor,andaone-month-oldcantellredfromgreen.At12weeksold,babiesshowpreferencesforcoloredthingsasopposedtowhiteones.Inadditiontolookingatthemselves,babiesareattractedtohighcontrastvisuals,colorfulobjects,andfaces.Thesameholdstrueforbabies,whoalsoaredrawntolookingatanimals,shinyobjects,andfamiliaritemsthatarepartoftheirworld.It’snosurprise,then,thatanartmuseumisarichsourceofvisualinspirationforbabies.Introducingbabiestoworksofartpromotesearlyneuron（神經(jīng)元）connectionsinthebrain.Andfortheverbalstudy,interactingwithanadultinnamingimagesanddescribingdifferentcharacteristicsinaworkofartlaysthegroundworkforvisualandlanguagedevelopment.FreeBabyToursWatchyourchildrespondtolargecolorfulpaintingsandlearnwaystopromoteearlyvisualskills.Joinusforalivelyandfree30-minuteBabyTour.Parentsandcaregiverswithbabiesupto18monthsarewelcome.MeetattheTMAFamilyCenteronanyoftheseFridays:January15,3:30p.m.February19,6p.m.March18,3:30p.m.April15,6p.m.May20,3:30p.m.June17,6p.m.Onechildperadult.Parkingisfreeformembers,$5fornonmembers.1、Aone-daybabymayprefertolookatpicturesof________.A．biganimalsB．humanfacesC．colorfulleavesD．whitewalls2、Whatisthebenefitforbabieswhentheyenjoyworksofart?A．Learningthehistoryofthemuseum.B．Learninghowtomasterskillsonart.C．Knowinghowtolovetheirparents.D．Layingthebasisforlanguagedevelopment.3、What’sthemainpurposeofthetext?A．Toattractpeopletojoininthisbabyactivity.B．Toshowhowtodevelopbabies’interestinart.C．Tohelpparentsknowmoreaboutart.D．Topromotebabies’earlyvisualskills.25．（10分）Chinaplanstolaunch156smallsatellitesby2025toprovideInternetservicesinlowsignalareasandplaceswithadversenaturalenvironment,accordingtoChinaAerospaceScienceandIndustryCorporation(CASIC).Duetoenvironmentalconditionsofdeserts,mountainsandseas,halfoftheworld'spopulationhasnoaccesstotheInternet,andtheinformationdeficiencyhamperslocaldevelopment.ItwillbeChina'sfirstbroadbandInternetaccesssystemwithsmallsatelliteshoveringinloworbit,whichwillalsohelpmeettheneedsofcommercialspacedevelopment.Theproject,namedHongyun,planstosendthefirstsatelliteby2012,andlaunchfourmoreby2020.Bytheendof2025,CASICplanstohaveallofthe156satellitesinoperation.TheHongyunProiect,whichfocusesoncommunication,remotesensingandnavigation,canoffercommunicationandInternetservicesforChinaandless-developed3countrieswithreducedlatency.Meanwhile,theprojectcanalsobenefitemergencycommunication,sensordatacollectionandremotecontrolofunmannedequipment.Currently,internationalmaritimesatellitesarewidelyusedincommunicationsinmountainousareasandairplanes,butthosesatellites,36,000kilometersabovetheEarth,havetimeandsignaldelayaswellashighcostforprovidingservices.ThesmallsatellitessentbytheHongyunProjectwillhoverinloworbitsonlyhundredsofkilometersto1,000kilometersabovetheEarth,andthuscouldimprovetheInternetaccess.However,theloworbitsatellitesmayfacechallengesinpowersupply,astheyneedmoreenergytoreducetheinfluenceofair-resistancecomparedtohighorbitsatellites.Experimentsareneededtodeterminewhethersolarenergyaloneisenough.1、Accordingtothepassage,________________.A．156satelliteswillbelaunchedbytheHongyunProjectby2020B．internationalmaritimesatellitescancausesignaldelayC．TheHongyunProjectmaynotencouragecommercialspacedevelopmentD．loworbitsatellitesarecurrentlyusedwidelyincommunicationsinmountainousareas2、Theunderlinedword“hampers”inParagraph2probablyrefersto________.A．a(chǎn)ccelerates B．determinesC．prevents D．promotes3、WhichofthefollowingisnotincludedintheHongyunProject?A．CommunicationandNavigation. B．Remotesensing.C．Datacollection. D．Solarenergy.4、Loworbitsatellitesneedmoreenergyinorderto________.A．providemoreaccuratedata B．improvetheInternetaccessC．reducetheeffectofair-resistance D．facemorechallenges第三部分語(yǔ)言知識(shí)運(yùn)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(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)．26．（30分）PersonallyIthinktrainsareexcitingandromantic.Imust1thattrainsarenotimportantmeansoftransportationintheUS,butIdohavesome2withthem.WhenIwasachild,growingupinasmalltownwithverylittle3,weusedtogotothestationtowatchthepassengertrainscomingin.Therewassomething4aboutthesteaming,roaringstringoftrainscomingintoviewaroundthemountains,slowlygrowinglargerand5andfinally6crowdsofstrangersontotheplatform.Itookmy7traintripwhenIwastenyearsold.Iwentwithmyeldersistertovisitourcousinssixhundredmilesaway.Thetrain－soloudandviolentontheoutsidewas8androckinginside.Wewereveryexcited,andasthatwasalsoourfirsttimeawayfromourparents,wefeltsomewhatfrightenedtoo.However,becauseIhad9somuch,IwasalittledisappointedwhenIwasfinallyoneofthepassengersIhad10forsolong.Asacollegestudent,I11rideanovernighttraintomyroommate’shometown.Wecouldneverafforda12,soweplayedcards,sang,ate,readandtalked13wefinallyfelluncomfortablyasleepinthestraight-backedseats.Myideathattrainsare14maycomefromthefactthatmyhusbandandItookthetrainonourhoneymoon,spendingextramoneytoeatinthediningcar,and15thewindowasthedesertsceneryslidpast.Now,whenImakeatrip,Ialwaysflyordrive,and16arenotaveryimportantpartofmylife.17,everytimeIhearthetrainwhistlefarawayonaquietnight,Icanalwaysfeelthe18inmyhearttopackmybagsandjumponboard,enteringa19worldofmotions,sounds,sights,andexperiencewhichjustaren’t20inthedullenvironmentofanairplane.1、A．a(chǎn)dmit B．believe C．predict D．ensure2、A．trouble B．fun C．photos D．experience3、A．education B．entertainment C．work D．money4、A．boring B．satisfying C．exciting D．terrifying5、A．smaller B．louder C．noisier D．faster6、A．spilling B．throwing C．removing D．shooting7、A．only B．first C．second D．last8、A．gentle B．small C．big D．rough9、A．experienced B．knew C．thought D．expected10、A．waited B．a(chǎn)ppreciated C．watched D．trusted11、A．usedto B．oughtto C．could D．must12、A．ticket B．seat C．meal D．sleeper13、A．until B．since C．before D．a(chǎn)fter14、A．exciting B．romantic C．beautiful D．comfortable15、A．leaningagainst B．standingby C．lookingoutof D．sittingbeside16、A．trains B．cars C．planes D．boats17、A．Still B．Therefore C．Indeed D．Instead18、A．possibility B．preference C．impulse D．impatience19、A．common B．gentle C．quiet D．unique20、A．mentioned B．matched C．discussed D．a(chǎn)llowed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(gè)適當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~或括號(hào)內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）A14-year-oldChineseboyovercametwoofhumankind’smostdreadedfears—gettingstuckinanelevatorandgettinghomework1．(do)inasinglenight,owingtohiscalm-wittedcharacter.SunYixiaowasonhiswayuponTuesdayeveningafterschool2．theliftsuddenlycametoastop.Amomentofpanicfollowedbeforethe3．(teenage)couldfindawayout.Sunsaidhetriedtoopentheelevatordoor,4．(press)allthebuttonsinthehopetogettheelevatortoworkagain,butitdidn’twork.Withoutacellphoneathand,Suntriedyellingtogetattentionofpeopleoutside,butnoonerespondedastimepassedby.Heslippedanotethroughthedoor5．themessage“peoplestuckinside,pleaseaskthepropertymanagementforhelp,”andhopedsomeone6．(pick)itupandactonit.Afterexhaustingallhisoptionswithoutknowinghowlong7．wouldtakebeforesomeonefoundhim,hetookouthistextbooksandstartedtodohishomework8．(patient).Soonafterhefinishedhisduties,Sunheardloud9．(voice)outside.Alargecrowdincludinghisteachersandotherparentshadcometotherescue,bywhichtimehe10．(trap)intheelevatorforoverfivehours.第四部分寫作（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)短文改錯(cuò)（滿分10分）28．（10分）假定英語(yǔ)課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請(qǐng)你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處語(yǔ)言錯(cuò)誤，每句中最多有兩處。每處錯(cuò)誤僅涉及一個(gè)單詞的增加、刪除或修改。增加：在缺詞處加一個(gè)漏字符號(hào)（^),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(cuò)的詞下畫一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。注意：1、每處錯(cuò)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(jì)分。Wheneverthereisanexamaroundthecomer,it5snormaltofeelanxiously、Naturally,youarelikelytobeinyourroomstudyashardasyoucanbeforethebigday、Asthematteroffact,thecolorofyourroomcouldhaveaninfluenceontheresultofyourexam、Ithasfoundthatpalecolorslikeblueorlightgreenmakepeoplerelaxingandcalm、Asaresult,ourbraingetslazyandinactivebutbecomeslessopentotakinginalargeamountofinformation、Onthecontrary,brightcolorcanhelpusconcentrateonataskeasilyandsolveproblemsefficiently、That’sbecausetheymayrelieveourstressbycheeringthemup、Sonexttimeyouhadtodealwithadifficulttask,makesureofyouchoosearoomwithabrightcolor、70第二節(jié)書(shū)面表達(dá)（滿分25分）29．（25分）手機(jī)的盛行讓很多人都成了低頭一族，而不少中學(xué)生周末也沉浸在埋頭玩手機(jī)之中，假如你是學(xué)生會(huì)的主席李華，打算倡議大家加入“周末或假期不當(dāng)?shù)皖^族(phubber)”活動(dòng)，現(xiàn)請(qǐng)你寫一封倡議信，在倡議信中請(qǐng)?zhí)岢鲇行Ыㄗh。要點(diǎn)如下：1．成為低頭族的危害(提出3條左右)；2．周末不做低頭族，可以進(jìn)行哪些活動(dòng)，請(qǐng)給出建議(提出3條左右)。注意：1.詞數(shù)100左右；2.可以適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫。Dearfriends，______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Sincerelyyours，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、D3、D4、C5、B6、B7、B8、D9、D10、B11、B12、C13、C14、B15、D16、A17、A18、A19、C20、A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(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。21、1、A2、B3、D4、C22、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’sasitshoul