In the past 35 years, hundreds of millions of Chinese have found productive, if often exhausting, work in the country's growing cities. This extraordinary mobilization of labour is the biggest economic event of the past half-century. The world has seen nothing on such scale before. Will it see anything like it again? The answer lies across the Himalayas in India.
India is an ancient civilization but a youthful country. Its working-age population is rising by about 12m people a year, even as China's shrank last year by 3m. Within a decade India will have the biggest potential workforce in the world.
Optimists look forward to a bumper "demographic dividend" , the result of more workers per dependant and more saving out of income. This combination accounted for perhaps a third of the East Asian miracle. India "has time on its side, literally," boasted one prominent politician, Kamal Nath, in a 2008 book entitled "India's Century".
But although India's dreamers have faith in its youth, the country's youngest have growing reason to doubt India. The economy raised aspirations that it has subsequently failed to meet. From 2005 to 2007 it grew by about 9% a year. In 2010 it even grew faster than China (if the two economies are measured consistently). But growth has since halved. India's impressive savings rate, the other side of the demographic dividend, has also slipped. Worryingly, a growing share of household saving is bypassing the financial system altogether, seeking refuge from inflation in gold, bricks and mortar.
The last time a Congress-led government liberalized the economy in earnest—in 1991—over 40% of today's Indians had yet to be born. Their anxieties must seem remote to India's elderly politicians. The average age of cabinet minister is 65. The country has never had a prime minister born in independent India. One man who might buck that trend, Rahul Gandhi, is the son, grandson and the great-grandson of former prime ministers. India is run by gerontocrats (老年统治者) and epigones (子孙):
grey hairs and groomed heirs.
The apparent indifference of the police to the way young women in particular are treated has underlined the way that old India fails to protect new India.
【答案解析】解析：选项A对应原文：India is an ancient civilization but a youthful country. Its working-age population is rising… 可见印度的劳动力人口是在增长，而非萎缩，故A错误。B项对应原文：...even as China's shrank last year by 3m．中国的劳动力人口是萎缩了，可见选项A和B故意把原文颠倒，选项B也是错误的。选项C对应原文：Within a decade India will have the biggest potential workforce in the world. 文章提到的是“within a decade”，而非选项说的“now”，故错误。选项D对应原文：India is an ancient civilization but a youthful country. 基本上该项和原文第一句是同义转换，故为答案。
单选题
Which one can best describe Kamal Nath towards India's future?
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解析：虽然没有体现出attitude，think，view等观点态度题的提示词，但本题问：对于印度的未来，以下哪项最能描述Kamal Nath?也就是说对于印度的未来他是什么态度。通过Kamal Nath这一人名可以定位到第三段的最后一句：India“has time on its side，literally，”boasted one prominent politician，Kamal Nath，in a 2008 book entitled“India's Century”．其中“boasted”，“India's Century”这些词都体现了其对印度未来的态度是肯定的，而选项中只有选项A“自信的”比较靠边，故为答案。
单选题
The fourth paragraph shows us that ______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析：选项A对应原文：The economy raised aspirations that it has subsequently failed to meet.其中“failed to meet”和该项的“reached its economic target”完全相反，故错误。选项B对应原文：In 2010 it even grew faster than China. But growth has since halved. 其中对于since一词的理解很关键，此处的since由于在助动词和实义动词之间，因此属于副词，在副词中它表示“后来”，等于该项的after，所以该项是正确的。C项对应原文：...the country's youngest have growing reason to doubt India. 是印度的年轻人质疑印度，而非该项所说的印度人民，这是偷换概念，故错误。D项对应原文：India's impressive savings rate，the other side of the demographic dividend，has also slipped．其中提到储蓄率是下滑了，而非该项所说的增长，故错误。综上所述，答案为选项B。
单选题
The underlined phrase "grey hairs and groomed heirs" (Para. 5, Line 6) means ______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】解析：本题其实不难，但是选项C和D有一定干扰，文中的“grey hairs(灰白的头发)”显然指的是老年人，且指的是上文的“gerontocrats(老年统治者)”，而C和D两项并未提到老年人这一概念，故错误。其实该题的答案就在其前面，因为语义题要特别注意上下文所出现的同义替换。该句中“grey hairs and groomed heirs”=“gerontocrats and epigones”=“elderly rulers and descendants”．虽然出现两个特别难的超纲词，但这两个超纲词在原文中都有中文注解，故降低了该题的难度，答案为选项B。