The world is on the cusp of a staggering rise in the number of old people, and they will live longer than ever before. Over the next 20 years, the global population of those aged 65 or more will almost double, from 600 million to 1.1 billion. The experience of the 20th century, when greater longevity translated into more years in retirement rather than more years at work, has persuaded many observers that this shift will lead to slower economic growth and “secular stagnation“, while the swelling ranks of pensioners will bust government budgets. But the notion of a sharp division between the working young and the idle old misses a new trend, the growing gap between the skilled and the unskilled. Employment rates are falling among younger unskilled people whereas older skilled folk are working longer. The divide is most extreme in the U.S., where well-educated baby-boomers are putting off retirement while many less-skilled younger people have dropped out the workforce. This trend will benefit not just fortunate oldies but also, in some ways, society as a whole. Growth will slow less dramatically than expected; government budgets will be in better shape, as high earners pay taxes longer. Rich countries with lots of well-educated older people will find the burden of ageing easier to bear than other countries like China, where half of all 50-to-64-year-olds did not complete primary-school education. At the other end of the social scale, however, things look grim. Manual work gets harder as people get older, and public pensions look more attractive to those on low wages and the unemployed. Nor are all the effects on the economy beneficial. Wealthy old people will accumulate more savings, which will weaken demand. Inequality will increase and a growing share of wealth will eventually be transferred to the next generation via inheritance, entrenching the division between winners and losers still further. One likely response is to impose higher inheritance taxes. So long as they replace less-fair taxes, that might make sense. This would probably encourage old people to spend their cash rather than salt it away. But governments should focus not on redistributing income but on generating more of it by reforming retirement and education. How likely are governments to make these changes? Look around the rich world today, and it is hard to be optimistic. The swelling ranks of older voters, and their disproportionate propensity to vote, have left politicians keener to pander to them than to implement disruptive reforms. Germany, despite being the fastest-ageing country in Europe, plans to cut the statutory retirement age for some people. In the U.S., both social security (the public pension scheme) and the fast-growing system of disability benefits remain untouched by reform. Politicians need to convince less-skilled older voters that it is in their interests to go on working. Doing so will not be easy. But the alternative — economic stagnation and even greater inequality

Observers believe that the rise in the number of old people will NOT______.

A．affect the longevity of the elderly

B．bust government budgets

C．lead to secular stagnation

D．slow down economic growth

There is a new trend in the U.S., where______.

A．there appears a baby boom

B．more younger unskilled people are unemployed

C．more older skilled people are working longer

D．both B and C

Which of the following notions tends to be ignored as a new trend?

A．The big gap between the well-educated and the undereducated.

B．The wide gap between male and female workers.

C．The widening gap between the skilled and the unskilled.

D．The growing gap between the working young and the idle old.

The new trend may also benefit society, for______.

A．economic growth will slow down as expected

B．high-earning old people pay taxes longer

C．government budgets will be in the red

D．governments encourage early retirement

The author suggests that the response to inequality is to______.

A．levy higher inheritance taxes

B．encourage the elderly to save their cash for the future

C．transfer the elderly savings to their next generations

D．cause further imbalance between winners and losers

For their own sake, politicians______.

A．take good care of the less-skilled older voters

B．have another alternative to decrease inequality

C．cater to the older voters enthusiastically

D．are more likely to introduce disruptive reforms

What is the appropriate title of this passage?

A．Global Ageing: A Grey Economy

B．Global Ageing: Powers of the Elderly

C．Today’s World: Pessimistic Prospects

D．Economy of Ageing: Slower and More Unequal

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Hunted as the wild turkey is, it has developed a high degree of ingenuity in escaping from its pursuers. It appears to have learned a game of make-【C1】______. When caught 【C2】______ close quarters, it puts on the tame and【C3】______ demeanor of the domesticated bird. Dr. Wheaton mentions a case【C4】______ two hunters of his acquaintance came suddenly upon a【C5】______ of five in the road. They seemed quite【C6】______, walked deliberately in front of the two gunners, 【C7】______ a fence, and disappeared slowly 【C8】______ a low hill. Then they【C9】______ to their legs, and presently to their wings, and soon placed a wide【C10】______ between themselves and their dupes. The chagrin of the sportsmen may be imagined. The【C11】______ had made a game of them. Such birds Wheaton would have called “【C12】______ civilized“. Yet turkeys are wise in some respects and foolish in others. In old times, at【C13】______, great numbers were caught in【C14】______ built of logs, the only entrance【C15】______which was through a shallow, narrow trench. The【C16】______ birds, following the corn which had been scattered in the trench, 【C17】______ through the entrance; when perhaps half a dozen of them were inside, and the bait was all eaten, they tried in【C18】______ to get out through the top or sides of the pen, never once looking down and passing【C19】______ by the way they had come in, even though they might remain in the trap for several days, or until they【C20】______ of hunger.

The word “staggering“ underlined in Paragraph 1 means______.