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  3. In much of the rich world 65 still marks the beginning of old age. Jobs end, subsidized bus travel begins and people start to be

In much of the rich world 65 still marks the beginning of old age. Jobs end, subsidized bus travel begins and people start to be

admin2020-11-04  27
问题    In much of the rich world 65 still marks the beginning of old age. Jobs end, subsidized bus travel begins and people start to be seen as a financial burden rather than an asset to the state. The larger the "65-plus" group becomes, compared with the population of working age, the more policymakers worry about the costs of their health care and pensions. By the end of the century the "old-age dependency ratio" , which tracks this relationship, will triple. Pessimists predict a " silver tsunami" that will bankrupt us all. But does it still make sense to call 65-year-olds " old" ?
   The Oxford English dictionary defines "old" as "having lived for a long time". It illustrates the sense with an accompanying phrase, "the old man lay propped up on cushions" : the old person as one who has made all the useful contributions he can possibly make to society and is now at rest. When pensions were first introduced in Prussia, in the 1880s, this was probably a fair characterisation for anyone over 65. Not many people lived beyond this age; those who did were rarely in good health. But today many 65-year-olds are healthy and active. Donald Trump (71) may be many things, but old he is not, nor for that matter is Vladimir Putin (64) , who qualifies for his bus pass in October. Yet governments and employers still treat 65 as a cliffs edge beyond which people can be regarded as "old" : inactive, and an economic burden.
   This is wrong, for three reasons. First, what "old" means is relative. Today the average 65-year-old German can expect to live another 20 years. So can most people in other rich countries, meaning old age now arguably kicks in later than before. Second, the term carries an underlying implication about health, or at least fitness. But healthy-life expectancy has grown roughly in tandem with life expectancy; for many, 70 really is the new 60. Third, surveys show that the majority of younger over-65-year-olds increasingly want to stay actively involved in their communities and economies. Few want to retire in the literal sense of the word, which implies withdrawing from society as a whole. Many want to continue working but on different terms than before, asking for more flexibility and fewer hours.
According to the passage, "for many, 70 really is the new 60" most probably means______.
选项 A、many old people today can survive ten years longer than before
B、many old people today are in a better health condition than before
C、many old people today have a better state of mind than before
D、many old people today are more dynamic than before
答案B
解析 语义理解题。定位句提到，但健康预期寿命大致上是与预期寿命同步增长的；对于许多人来说，70岁才是新的60岁。再结合该段第四句中提到的“现在的老年比以前来得更晚了”可知，作者意在强调，现如今老年人的健康状况比以前的老年人要好，他们的健康预期寿命延长了，故答案为B)。A)“现如今的许多老年人比以前的老年人能多活十年”并不是该句所要表达的意思，文中也没有明确指出现在的老年人比以前的老年人多活多少年，故排除；C)“现如今的许多老年人比以前的老年人心态好”和D)“现如今的许多老年人比以前的老年人更有活力”文中均未提及，故排除。
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