Modern industrial society grants little status to old people. In fact, such a society has a system of built-in obsolescence. There is no formal system for continuing our education throughout our life in order to keep up with rapidly changing knowledge. When our education and job skills have grown obsolete, we are treated exactly like those who have never gained an education or job skills and are not encouraged or given the opportunity to begin anew.

As a society becomes more highly developed, the overall status of older people diminishes. Improved health technology creates a large pool of old people, who compete for jobs with the young. However, economic technology lowers the demand for workers and creates new jobs for which the skills of the aged are obsolete, forcing older people into retirement. At the same time, young people are being educated in the new technology and are keeping pace with rapid changes in knowledge. Finally, urbanization creates age-segregated neighborhoods. Because the old live on fixed incomes, they must often live in inferior housing. All these factors — retirement, obsolete knowledge and skills, inferior standards of living — lower the status of the aged in society.

A century ago, when one could expect to live only to 50 or so, the life span more or less coincided with the occupation and family cycle. But today the average life span allows for fifteen to twenty years of life after these cycles. It appears that our life span is outpacing our usefulness in society.

81. By “a system of build-in obsolescence” the author means ___.

no formal systems exist in modern industrial society

old people have no status in modern industrial society

young people have chances in modern industrial society

knowledge changes rapidly in modern industrial society

82. According to the first paragraph, which of the following is true?

People don’t have to gain education.

People don’t have to learn job skills.

People don’t have to be treated as equals.

People don’t have chances to begin anew.

83. The more highly developed a society is, ____.

the more advanced technology will be

the larger the number of people will be

the more diminished old people’s status will be

the lower the overall status of the people will be

84. The high development of economic technology ____.

makes job skills out of fashion

lowers the demand for workers

forces old people into retirement

creates new jobs for older people

85. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

Retired people could only live on fixed incomes.

Retired people are more skillful than young people.

Young people are educated in the new technology.

Young people are keeping pace with rapid changes.

86. According to this passage, the status of the aged is lowered by their ____.

A. forced retirement B. inferior housing

C. longer life span D. fixed incomes

87. The sentence “our life span outpaces our usefulness” means we can live longer ____.

A. and make progress B. and do more work

C. but move slowly D. but become useless

88. The author’s attitude toward the aged is ____.

A. realistic B. optimistic C. pessimistic D. sympathetic

89. It can be deduced from this passage that one should ____.

A. learn new skills B. be open-minded

C. have a good personality D. keep pace with the times

90. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A. The Problem of Aging B. Social Structures

C. Economic Technology D. Continuing Education

参考答案：

81. B 82. D 83. C 84. C 85. B 86. A 87. D 88. D 89. D 90. A

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