单选题 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.

单选题 The primary purpose of the passage is to ______.
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

单选题 Which of the following best describes the organization of the second paragraph?
A. An assertion is made and then briefly contracted.
B. A contradiction is stated and then quickly resolved.
C. A new theory is described and then qualified.
D. An apparent inconsistency is stated and its consequences outlined.

单选题 Which of the following, if true, would most effectively weaken the author's assertion that a "bottom-line oriented business" might want to fire older workers?
A. A new study shows that, on average, younger workers earn less and have lower associated medical costs than older workers.
B. Older workers have a higher rate of absenteeism than younger workers.
C. A new study shows that older workers are in fact more productive and have fewer medical expenses compared to younger workers.
D. A forecasted downturn in the economy will erode profits in many American businesses.

单选题 It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
A. what is good for American companies is not necessarily good for older generation
B. American companies are prohibited by law from practices that discriminate based on gender, color of skin, or age
C. large monetary judgments from age discrimination suits might prove more expensive than paying older employees' salaries
D. by the year 2020, the percentage of older employees will be. even higher than in the year 2010