单选题 Modern industrial society grants little status to old people. In fact, such a society has a system of built-in obsolescence. There is no formal system for continuing our education throughout our life in order to keep up with rapidly changing knowledge. When our education and job skills have grown obsolete, we are treated exactly like those who have never gained an education or job skills and are not encouraged or given the opportunity to begin anew.
As a society becomes more highly developed, the overall status of older people diminishes. Improved health technology creates a large pool of old people, who compete for jobs with the young. However, economic technology lowers the demand for workers and creates new jobs for which the skills of the aged are obsolete, forcing older people into retirement. At the same time, young people are being educated in the new technology and are keeping pace with rapid changes in knowledge. Finally, urbanization creates age-segregated neighborhoods. Because the old live on fixed incomes, they must often live in inferior housing. All these factors—retirement, obsolete knowledge and skills, inferior standards of living—lower the status of the aged in society.
A century ago, when one could expect to live only to 50 or so, the life span more or less coincided with the occupation and family cycle. But today the average life span allows for fifteen to twenty years of life after these cycles. It appears that our life span is outpacing our usefulness in society.

单选题 By "a system of built-in obsolescence" the author means ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查推理判断。根据文章第一段前三句“Modern industrial society grants little status to old people．In fact，such a society has a system of built—in obsolescence．There is no formal system for continuing our education throughout our life in order to keep up with rapidly changing knowledge．”可知，在现代社会中，老人的低位很低。事实上，这个社会有一个固有的荒废体系。没有继续教育的正规体系以使老年人跟上不断变化的知识。据此推断，答案是B。
单选题 According to the first paragraph, which of the following is true?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查是非判断。根据文章第一段第四句“When our education and job skills have grown obsolete，we are treated exactly like those who have never gained an education or job skills and are not encouraged or given the opportunity to begin anew．”可知，当我们的教育和工作技能荒废后，我们就会像那些从来没有受过教育或拥有工作技能一样对待，而且也没有重新再来的机会。由此可知，A、B、C三项均正确。所以，答案是D。
单选题 The more highly developed a society is, ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查细节理解。根据文章第二段第一句“As a society becomes more highly developed，the overall status of older people diminishes．”社会越是高度发展，老年人的整体地位越低。所以，答案是C。
单选题 The high development of economic technology ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查细节理解。根据文章第二段第三句“However，economic technology lowers the demand for workers and creates new jobs for which the skills of the aged are obsolete，forcing older people into retirement．”可知，经济技术降低了工人需求量，并创造了新工作，所以老人就被淘汰了，迫使老人退休。所以，答案是C。
单选题 Which of the following statements is NOT true?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查是非判断。根据文章第二段的四、六句“At the same time，young people are being educated in the new technology and are keeping pace with rapid changes in knowledge．Because the old live on fixed incomes，they must often live in inferior housing．”可知，A、C、D三项均正确；由第二段最后一句“AU these factors—retirement，obsolete knowledge and skills，inferior standards of living—lower the status of the aged in society．”可知，B项不正确。所以，答案是B。
单选题 According to this passage, the status of the aged is lowered by their ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查推理判断。根据文章第二段最后一句可知，退休、荒废的知识和技能，较低的生活标准，这些因素降低了老人的社会地位。由此推断，答案是A。
单选题 The sentence "our life span outpaces our usefulness" means we can live longer ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查细节理解。根据第三段的最后一句“It appears that our life span is outpacing our usefulness in society．”可知，我们的寿命越来越长了，但是我们的用途却短了。outpace“超过”。所以，答案是D。
单选题 The author's attitude toward the aged is ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查作者态度。根据文章第一段前两句“Modem industrial society grants little status to old people．In fact，such a society has a system of built—in obsolescence．”以及全文看，作者一直对老年人因受不到继续教育而落伍导致退休，从而在社会中失去地位而感到同情。所以，D项sympathetic“同情的”正确；Realistic“现实的”；optimistic“乐观的”；pessimistic“悲观的”均不正确。
单选题 It can be deduced from this passage that one should ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查推理判断。根据文章第二段第四句“At the same time，young people are being educated in the new technology and are：keeping pace with rapid changes in knowledge．”．因为年轻人能接受教育，而且可以跟得上知识的不断变化，所以，社会地位较高。据此推断，D为正确答案。A项较片面；B、C两项在文中没有提及。
单选题 Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 本题考查主旨大意。通读全文可知，本文探讨老年人在社会中地位丧失的现象及产生此现象的原因，B项文中没有涉及；C、D两项只是导致老年人社会地位丧失的原因，较为片面。因此，答案是A。