As the American workforce gets grayer, age discrimination will likely become a more prominent issue in the courts. It is, of cou

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问题     As the American workforce gets grayer, age discrimination will likely become a more prominent issue in the courts. It is, of course, illegal to discriminate against an employee because of his or her age, and yet it is not illegal to dismiss a worker because he has a high salary and expensive health care.
    This apparent contradiction is at the heart of a raft of cases now making their way through the courts. The outcome of these cases will have broad implications for the workplace in the coming years. By 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projected that more than half of all workers will be over 40—many of whom, by dint of seniority and promotions, will be earning higher than median salaries, eligible for more stock options, and carrying higher health care costs as a result of a larger number of dependents and the increased cost of health care for older workers.
    Is it any wonder that a bottom-line oriented business might want to shed these workers, whose productivity is likely to plummet in the next few years, even as they become more expensive employees?
    Still, the legal challenges of implementing this policy are daunting. Businesses have the right to rate workers on their productivity and to rank them against their peers. But they are not allowed to prejudge individuals based on their sex, race or age. Each worker must be treated on his or her own merits, rather than by how they fit into a lager profile of the group they belong to.
    For companies looking to lay off these workers, the cost of making a mistake is high; while only one in three age discrimination suits are won by the plaintiff, the awards tend to be steep and the political fall-out harsh.
The primary purpose of the passage is to

选项 A、advocate on behalf of the older American worker who could soon face dismissal
B、describe the origin of two theories of labor law and their effects on the workplace
C、present an overview of the legal ramifications of a practice some call discriminatory
D、describe the process by which America’s workforce is getting older

答案D

解析 本文的主要目的是概述一些人称之为歧视的做法的法律后果。根据第一段,随着美国工人的老龄化,年龄很可能是摆在法庭面前更突出的问题。当然,因雇员的年龄而歧视他们是非法的。然而,解雇工资高且医疗成本高的工人是合法的。
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