Last month the first baby--boomers turned 60．The enormous generation born between 1946 and 1964 is heading towards retirement．The coming “demographic cliff”（人口調查）will see vast numbers of skilled workers disappear from the labor force．
The workforce is ageing across the rich world．Within the EU the number of workers aged between 50 and 64 will increase by 25% over the next two decades，while those aged 20-29will decrease by 20%．
Given that most societies have a tendency to retirement at around 65，companies have a problem of knowledge management，of making sure that the boomers do not leave before they have handed over their expertise along with the office keys and their e-mail address．
If you look hard enough，you can find companies that have begun to adapt the workplace to older workers．The tools they use to achieve arc flexible working，telecommuting，and so forth．Some companies spend “a lot of time” on the ergonomics（人類工程學）of its factories，making jobs there less tiring．
Likewise，for more than a decade，Toyota，has been unusually keen to employ older workers．IBM uses its alumni network to recruit retired people for particular projects．But such examples are unusual．A survey in America last month by Ernst ＆Young found that “although America foresees a significant workforce shortage as boomers retire，it is not dealing with the issue（議題）．”
Why are firms not working harder to keep old employees? Mostly they are not hanging on to older workers the only way to cope with a failing supply of labor．The participation of developing countries in the world economy has increased the overall supply--whatever the local effect of demographics（人口統計）in the rich countries．
1．According to the passage，the most serious consequence of baby--boomers approaching retirement would be ________．
A．a decrease in the number of 20 to29 year-olds
B．a loss of knowledge and experience to many companies
C．a continuous increase in the number of 50 to 64 year-olds
D．its influence on the developed world whose workforce is ageing
2．The following are all the measures that companies have adopted to cope with the ageing workforce EXCEPT ________．
A．encouraging former employees to work overseas
B．using alumni networks to hire retired former employees
C．offering more convenience in working hours to older workers
D．making places of work accommodate the needs of older workers
3．In the author's opinion American firms are not doing anything to deal with the issue of the ageing workforce mainly because ________．
A．they have other options to consider
B．they are unwilling to hire older workers
C．they are not sure of what they should do
D．they have not been aware of the problem
4．We can infer from the passage that ________．
A．people in most societies will retire at 65
B．Toyota has been the most active in taking on older workers
C．some companies are trying to make work less tiring for older workers
D．people's joining from the developing world has an effect on the rich world
5．What's the best title of the passage?
A．Old workers in the US are ageing
B．The first baby-boomers are retiring
C．A worldwide shortage of skilled labor
D．The problems with the companies in the EU
閱讀快車系列答案科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Like a growing number of young women in Vietnam’s northern part city of Haiphong, Pham Thi Hue was infected with HIV by her husband, one of the town’s many drug users. But instead of being shamed into silence, as Vietnamese with HIV and AIDS are, the 25-year-old tailor and mother of one went public, appearing on television and at conferences. Her business suffered and her neighbors insulted (辱罵)her, but Hue has now become the public face of Mothers and Wives, an HIV/ AIDS support group established in Haiphong by a Norwegian nongovernmental organization and her neighborhood’s People’s Committee. Last year, she founded a smaller group named after a local flower. People who need advice on treatment or help preparing bodies for burial can dial a hot line and get assistance from able and sympathetic(同情的)HIV victims. “We gather to support each other,” Hue says. “When we are sick, what we need most is encouragement and comfort from people who understand our situation and are willing to share our happiness, as well as our sadness.”
On a hot and damp night last month, Hue welcomed into her small home a very thin woman, also a tailor, who was HIV positive. The woman tearfully told Hue that she had not told anyone about her condition, fearing that she would lose customers and that her daughter would be insulted at school. Hue became the wise elder, offering medical and personal advice.
What did Pham Thi Hue do after she was infected with HIV?
A. She kept silent B. She worked as usual
C. She stayed at home and cried every day. D. She went public and gave help to others.
It can be inferred from the passage that the group Pham Thi Hue founded is made up of____.
A. drug users B. HIV victims C. all kinds of patients D. poor people
From the passage we can learn that Pham Thi Hue is a woman who is_______.
A. weak and kind B. foolish and idle C. brave and helpful D. cautious and energetic
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：
—Did you visit the famous cultural relics last month?
—No,we _________ it,but we spent too much time shopping.?
A.could have visited
B.must have visited ?
C.can’t have visited
D.shouldn’t have visited ?
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科目：高中英語 來源：2015屆四川樂山一中高一下期第二階段（半期）考試英語卷（解析版） 題型：單項填空
The temple , _______ the Song Dynasty ,was pulled down last month.
A．which dating from B．which was dated from C．dated from D．dating from
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科目：高中英語 來源：2014屆上海市高二下學期期中考試英語卷（解析版） 題型：填空題
From bankers to factory staff, employees in the west face the bleak prospect (暗淡的前景) of losing their jobs as a global recession (衰退) starts to bite. For colleagues in the East the pain is more likely to come through a pay cut.
Human resource experts say cultural differences explain why Asian firms try harder to keep jobs in difficult times, which will stop unemployment and may help keep Asian economies afloat at a time of slowing exports.
The East Asian attitude may also make it easier for firms to recover quickly from the economic downturn since they will not need to rehire or train new staff, leaving some experts predicting Western shift to Eastern flexibility.
“In the Confucian (儒家的) attitude, the right thing to do is to share the burden. There is the sense of collective responsibility whereas (然而) in the West, it’s more about the individual survival,” said Michael Benotlel, associated professor of organizational behavior at Singapore Management University.
Steven Pang, Asian Regional Director for Aquent, a headhunting firm, said in many East Asian companies there was a responsibility “ to take care of the members of the family and go through the pain together” even if that meant causing losses.
US firms from General Motors to Goldman Sachs plan to lay off workers by the thousand. But at the Asian units of Western multinationals, job cuts will probably be less severe.
Japan’s jobless rate was 4 percent in September, up from 3.8 percent in January, while Hong Kong’s was flat at 3.4 percent. But US unemployment is expected to have jumped to 6.3 percent last month from below 5 percent in January.
Experts say that while there are noticeable differences in labor practices in East and West, the gap will narrow as more firms become more multinational and competition forces firms to adopt the best practices of rivals (對手) from abroad.
(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS.)
1.What caused the different practices of Asian and Western firms facing the global recession?
2.Why is it easier for the East Asian firms to recover quickly from the economic downturn?
3.Firms in the west would lay off workers when facing a bleak prospect because of ______.
4.______ will make the differences in East and West less noticeable.
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科目：高中英語 來源：2014屆新疆兵團農二師華山中學高二上學期期中考試英語卷（解析版） 題型：短文改錯
Yang Li, a five-year-old girl living next door to me, very clever. Because she is not old enough to go to the school, she often asks me to teach herself to read, write and draw. She studies hardly and soon she learns a lot. One evening last month I was doing my English homeworks when she came to my house. She asked me how I learned English. “You would find English a bridge for so much knowledge,” I said. She then wanted to learn English, either. She has learned many English words so far but her parents are very grateful to me.
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