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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.
The author cites the examples of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in order to show that______.
选项 A、many 65-year-olds are really too old to work
B、people over 65 are qualified to get the bus subsidy
C、many 65-year-olds are still competent in their work
D、people over 65 are more suitable for national leadership
答案C
解析 事实细节题。定位句提到，唐纳德-特朗普(71岁)可能有很多问题，但他并不老；弗拉基米尔-普京(64岁)也谈不上老，尽管他在10月份就有资格获得公共汽车通行证了。再结合前一句提到的“许多65岁的人依然健康而活跃”可知，作者通过例证意在说明很多65岁的人并不老，他们仍然有能力胜任各项工作，故答案为C)。A)“很多65岁的人真的太老而无法工作了”与文中表达的意思相反，故排除；B)“66岁以上的人有资格获得公共汽车补贴”并不是作者举例的目的，故排除；D)“66岁以上的人更适合当国家领导人”，文中并未提及这一点，也不是作者举例的目的所在，故排除。
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