单选题 The early retirement of experienced workers is seriously harming the U.S. economy, according to a new report from the Hudson Institute, a public policy research organization. Currently, many older experienced workers retire at an early age. According to the recently issued statistics, 79 percent of qualified workers begin collecting retirement benefits at age 62; if that trend continues, there will be a labor shortage that will hinder the economic growth in the twenty-first century.
Older Americans constitute an increasing proportion of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and the population of those over age 65 will grow by 60% between 2001 and 2020. During the same period, the group aged 18 to 44 will increase by only 4%. Keeping older skilled workers employed, even part time, would increase U.S. economic output and strengthen the tax base; but without significant policy reforms, massive early retirement among baby boomers seems more likely.
Retirement at age 62 is an economically rational decision today. Social Security and Medicaid earnings limits and tax penalties subject our most experienced workers to marginal tax rates as high as 67%. Social Security formulas encourage early retirement. Although incomes usually rise with additional years of work, any pay increases after the 35-year mark result in higher social Security taxes but only small increases in benefits.
Hudson Institute researchers believe that federal tax and benefit policies are at fault and reforms are urgently needed, but they disagree with the popular proposal that much older Americans will have to work because Social Security will not support them and that baby boomers are not saving enough for retirement. According to the increase in 401 (k) and Keogh retirement plans, the ongoing stock market on Wall Street, and the likelihood of large inheritances, there is evidence that baby boomers will reach age 65 with greater financial assets than previous generations.
The Hudson Institute advocates reforming government policies that now discourage work and savings, especially for older worker. Among the report' s recommendations. Tax half of all Social Security benefits, regardless of other income; provide 80% larger benefits for each year beyond 65; and permit workers nearing retirement to negotiate compensation packages that may include a lower salary but with greater healthcare benefits. However, it may take real and fruitful planning to find the right solution to the early retirement of older experienced workers; any measures taken must be allowed to prolong the serviceability of older experienced workers.

单选题 According to Hudson Institute researchers, the effect of the early retirement of qualified workers in the U.S. economy is______.
[A] constructive [B] significant [C] inconclusive [D] detrimental
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[考点] 观点态度
[解析] 解答本题应定位到文章首段,在首段首句中作者明确提出了Hudson Institute对提前退休的合格工人的立场即“有经验的工人提前退休正在严重损害美国的经济”。而且这也正是本段的主题,填入的选项应符合Hudson Institute的态度和本段的主题,由此可知D为正确选项。
[干扰项分析] A选项和B选项与原文信息相反,C选项也不合文意,原文明确讲述了这种提前退休的现象对美国经济是有害的。
单选题 The older experienced workers in America tend to retire early because their prolonged service may______.
[A] do harm to younger generations
[B] end up with few or no benefits
[C] give play to their potentials
[D] shed light on social trends
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[考点] 事实细节
[解析] 解答本题应定位于文章第三段,该段的主题是讲述老工人提前退休的原因,在本段末句指出“尽管再工作几年收入通常会增加,但任何费用都增长——35年的工龄后要交纳更高的社会保险税,而利润的增长却很小”,既然延长工作得到的实际利润很小,延长工作几乎就没什么好处,由此可知B为正确选项。
[干扰项分析] A、C、D选项都是原文中没有提到而编造出的干扰信息。
单选题 The second paragraph is written chiefly to show that______.
[A] there will be an acute labor shortage in the near future
[B] baby-boomers contribute much to the U.S. economic output
[C] government policies concerning older people are out-dated
[D] older workers are enthusiastic about collecting social benefits
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[考点] 主旨大意
[解析] 解答本题有两个着眼点:首先,第二段和第一段问是顺接关系,因此第二段的内容必然服务于第一段的主题,第一段末句指出“有经验的工人提前退休这种趋势继续的话,将会造成劳动力的短缺”,由此可知第二段的内容应该不能偏离这个主题;其次,在第二段,作者对比老年人和青壮年的人口增长率,并在末句揭示了美国的现实情况是——“如果没有重要的政策变动,战后生育高峰时期出生的人似乎更可能大规模地提前退休”,这也表明美国即将面临劳动力短缺的问题。综上分析,可知A选项为正确答案。
[干扰项分析] B选项是对原文信息的错误理解;C选项是对原文信息的片面理解,文中虽然提到必须改变政府的政策,但这并不是第二段的写作目的。文章中只提及老年美国人在总人口中所占的比例正在逐渐扩大而根本没提及D选项表达的信息,因此D选项是不合文意的编造。
单选题 When mentioning "the ongoing stock market on Wall Street", the writer______.
[A] is calling attention to the privileges to which baby-boomers are entitled
[B] is calling for the government to take countermeasures against labor shortage
[C] is refuting a notion about experienced workers' early retirement
[D] is justifying the ineffectiveness of federal tax and benefit policies
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[考点] 推理判断
[解析] 依据题干解答本题应定位到第四段,文中第四段提到一种大众观点:认为年纪大的美国人将不得不工作,原因是由于他们所存的积蓄还不够,但哈德森研究所的研究人员却不同意这一观点,随后举例反驳了这一大众观点,华尔街交易中的股票市场正是作者用来反驳大众观点的证据据之一,由此可知C选项为正确答案。
[干扰项分析] 解答本题的关键是搞清引用例证的目的,即例证服务于文中的哪个论点。A、B、D选项都不是作者引用这一例子的目的,而且A、B、D选项提及的信息和作者反驳的大众观点的内容也不符。
单选题 Towards the issue, what the writer is most concerned about will be______.
[A] to advocate radically reforming government policies
[B] to take into account the benefits upon retirement
[C] to put in practice what Hudson researchers believe in
[D] to prolong the practicability of older experienced employees
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[考点] 事实细节
[解析] 题干中提到的“the issue”是指文中提到的中心话题即解决年纪大的、有经验的工人提前退休这一问题,因此解答本题应定位到文中末段末句,该句正是在讨论作者最认可、最关注的解决办法,即“采取的任何措施都必须允许延长年纪大的、有经验的工人的作用”,由此可知D选项符合文意为正确答案。
[干扰项分析] 文章第二段末句作者指出“如果没有重要的政策变动,战后生育高峰时期出生的人似乎更可能大规模地提前退休”。但作者只是提出一种假设和想法,并没有指出要对政府的政策进行彻底地改革,因此A选项属于篡改文意;末段前两句讲述了Hudson研究所的改革措施,但在。however之后,作者提出自己真正认可关心的解决问题的办法,因此Hudson研究所的改革措施不是作者真正认可的,故B、C选项违背作者的立场。