Age has its privileges in America. And one of the more prominent of them is the senior citizen discount Anyone who has reached a certain age—in some cases as low as 55—is automatically entitled to a dazzling array of price reductions at nearly every level of commercial life. Eligibility is determined not by one’s need but by the date on one’s birth certificate. Practically unheard of a generation ago, the discounts have become a routine part of many businesses—as common as color televisions in motel rooms and free coffee on airliners.
People with gray hair often are given the discounts without even asking for them; yet, millions of Americans above age 60 are healthy and solvent. Businesses that would never dare offer discounts to college students or anyone under 30 freely offer them to older Americans. The practice is acceptable because of the widespread belief that “elderly” and “needy” are synonymous. Perhaps that once was true, but today elderly Americans as a group have a lower poverty rate than the rest of the population. To be sure, there is economic diversity within the elderly, and many older Americans are poor, but most of them aren’t.
It is impossible to determine the impact of the discounts on individual companies. For many firms, they are a stimulus to revenue. But in other cases the discounts are given at the expense, directly or indirectly, of younger Americans. Moreover, they are a direct irritant in what some politicians and scholars see as a coming conflict between the generations.
Generational tensions are being fueled by continuing debate over Social Security benefits, which mostly involves a transfer of resources from the young to the old. Employment is another sore point, Buoyed by laws and court decisions, more and more older Americans are declining the retirement dinner in favor of staying on the job-thereby lessening employment and promotion opportunities for younger workers.
Far from a kind of charity they once were, senior citizen discounts have become a formidable economic privilege to a group with millions of members who don’t need them.
It no longer makes sense to treat the elderly as a single group whose economic needs deserve priority over those of others. Senior citizen discounts only enhance the myth that older people can’t take care of themselves and need special treatment; and they threaten the creation of a new myth, that the elderly are ungrateful and taking for themselves at the expense of children and other age groups. Senior citizen discounts are the essence of the very thing older Americans are fighting against-discrimination by age.
1.We learn from the first paragraph that（ ） .
2.What assumption lies behind the practice of senior citizen discounts?
3.According to some politicians and scholars, senior citizen discounts will（ ） .
4.How does the author view the Social Security system?
5.Which of the following best summarizes the author’s main argument?
问题1选项
A.offering senior citizens discounts has become routine commercial practice
B.senior citizen discounts have enabled many old people to live a decent life
C.giving senior citizens discounts has boosted the market for the elderly
D.senior citizens have to show their birth certificates to get a discount
问题2选项
A.Businesses, having made a lot of profits, should do something for society in return.
B.Old people are entitled to special treatment for the contribution they made to society.
C.The elderly, being financially underprivileged, need humane help from society.
D.Senior citizen discounts can make up for the inadequacy of the Social Security system.
问题3选项
A.make old people even more dependent on society
B.intensify conflicts between the young and the old
C.have adverse financial impact on business companies
D.bring a marked increase in the companies’ revenues
问题4选项
A.It encourages elderly people to retire in time.
B.It opens up broad career prospects for young people.
C.It benefits the old at the expense of the young.
D.It should be reinforced by laws and court decisions.
问题5选项
A.Senior citizens should fight hard against age discrimination.
B.The elderly are selfish and taking senior discounts for granted.
C.Priority should be given to the economic needs of senior citizens.
D.Senior citizen discounts may well be a type of age discrimination.
第1题:A
第2题:C
第3题:B
第4题:C
第5题:D
第1题:
【选项释义】
We learn from the first paragraph that ________. 我们从第一段了解________。
A. offering senior citizens discounts has become routine commercial practice A. 向老年人提供折扣已成为常规的商业惯例
B. senior citizen discounts have enabled many old people to live a decent life B. 老年人折扣使许多老人过上了体面的生活
C. giving senior citizens discounts has boosted the market for the elderly C. 给老年人打折促进了老年人市场的发展
D. senior citizens have to show their birth certificates to get a discount D. 老年人必须出示出生证明才能获得折扣
【答案】A
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】结合第一段前两句内容“在美国，年龄是有特权的。其中一个比较突出的是老年人折扣”；以及本段最后一句“在上一代几乎闻所未闻的情况下，折扣已经成为许多商业惯例——就像汽车旅馆房间里的彩电和飞机上的免费咖啡一样常见”可知正确答案为A选项。
【干扰项排除】
B、C、D选项均属于曲解原文。
第2题:
【选项释义】
What assumption lies behind the practice of senior citizen discounts? 老年人折扣的做法背后的假设是什么？
A. Businesses, having made a lot of profits, should do something for society in return. A. 企业赚了很多钱，应该为社会做点什么作为回报。
B. Old people are entitled to special treatment for the contribution they made to society. B. 老年人因对社会作出贡献而有权享受特殊待遇。
C. The elderly, being financially underprivileged, need humane help from society. C. 经济困难的老年人需要社会的人道帮助。
D. Senior citizen discounts can make up for the inadequacy of the Social Security system. D. 老年人折扣可以弥补社会保障制度的不足。
【答案】C
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干可以确定答案所在区域为第二段。根据第二段第二、三句内容“那些从来不敢给大学生或30岁以下的人打折的企业，却免费给美国老年人打折。这种做法是可以接受的，因为人们普遍认为‘老人’和‘贫困’是同义词”可知：他们认为老人是贫困的，在经济上需要帮助，所以正确答案为C选项。
【干扰项排除】
A、B、D选项均属于曲解原文。
第3题:
【选项释义】
According to some politicians and scholars, senior citizen discounts will ________. 根据一些政治家和学者的看法，老年人折扣将________。
A. make old people even more dependent on society A. 使老年人更加依赖社会
B. intensify conflicts between the young and the old B. 加剧年轻人和老年人之间的矛盾
C. have adverse financial impact on business companies C. 对商业公司有不利的财务影响
D. bring a marked increase in the companies’ revenues D. 为公司带来显著的收入增长
【答案】B
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干可以确定答案所在区域为第三段。根据第三段最后两句“但在其他情况下，折扣是直接或间接损害年轻美国人的利益。此外，在一些政治家和学者看来，两代人之间即将爆发的冲突中，它们是一个直接的刺激因素”可知：“它们”就是代指“折扣”，所以政治家和学者的观点是老年人折扣会刺激两代人的冲突，因此正确答案为B选项。
【干扰项排除】
A、C、D选项均属于曲解原文。
第4题:
【选项释义】
How does the author view the Social Security system? 作者如何看待社会保障制度？
A. It encourages elderly people to retire in time. A. 它鼓励老年人及时退休。
B. It opens up broad career prospects for young people. B. 它为年轻人开辟了广阔的职业前景。
C. It benefits the old at the expense of the young. C. 它以牺牲年轻人为代价让老年人受益。
D. It should be reinforced by laws and court decisions. D. 应该通过法律和法院判决来加强这一点。
【答案】C
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干可以确定答案所在区域为第四段。结合第四段第一句“关于社会保障福利的持续争论加剧了两代人之间的紧张关系，这主要涉及到资源从年轻人转移到老年人”，以及本段结尾处“lessening employment and promotion opportunities for younger workers（减少了年轻工人的就业和晋升机会）”可知：作者认为社会保障制度让老人收益，但它是以牺牲年轻人为代价的，所以正确答案为C选项。
【干扰项排除】
A选项：“它鼓励老年人及时退休”，根据第四段最后一句“就业是另一个痛处，在法律和法院判决的支持下，越来越多的美国老年人拒绝退休，而愿意继续工作——从而减少了年轻工人的就业和晋升机会”可知该选项属于曲解原文；
B选项：“它为年轻人开辟了广阔的职业前景”，根据第四段最后一句内容可知该选项属于曲解原文；
D选项：“应该通过法律和法院判决来加强这一点”，原文没有提及，属于无中生有。
第5题:
【选项释义】
Which of the following best summarizes the author’s main argument? 下列哪一项最好地总结了作者的主要论点？
A. Senior citizens should fight hard against age discrimination. A. 老年人应该努力反对年龄歧视。
B. The elderly are selfish and taking senior discounts for granted. B. 老年人是自私的，认为老年人的折扣是理所当然的。
C. Priority should be given to the economic needs of senior citizens. C. 应优先考虑老年人的经济需要。
D. Senior citizen discounts may well be a type of age discrimination. D. 老年人折扣很可能是一种年龄歧视。
【答案】D
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】结合最后一段第一句“将老年人视为一个经济需求应优先于其他群体的单一群体已不再合理”，以及最后一句“老年人折扣正是美国老年人反对的一件事的本质——年龄歧视”可知作者认为老年人折扣很可能是一种年龄歧视，所以正确答案为D选项。
【干扰项排除】
A、B、C选项均属于曲解原文。
【文章来源】2006年英语六级真题
【参考译文】
在美国，年龄是有特权的。其中一个比较突出的是老年人折扣。任何达到一定年龄的人——在某些情况下低至55岁——都自动有权享受几乎在商业生活的各个层面的一系列令人眼花缭乱的降价优惠。资格不是由一个人的需要决定的，而是由他的出生证明上的日期决定的。在上一代几乎闻所未闻的情况下，折扣已经成为许多行业的常规部分——就像汽车旅馆房间里的彩电和飞机上的免费咖啡一样常见。
头发花白的人经常不用开口就能得到折扣；然而，数以百万计的60岁以上的美国人是健康且有偿付能力的。那些从来不敢给大学生或30岁以下的人打折的企业，却免费给美国老年人打折。这种做法是可以接受的，因为人们普遍认为“老人”和“穷人”是同义词。也许这曾经是对的，但今天美国老年人作为一个群体的贫困率比其他人口的贫困率要低。可以肯定的是，老年人的经济状况存在差异，许多美国老年人都很穷，但他们中的大多数人都不穷。
我们不可能确定折扣对个别公司的影响。对许多公司来说，它们是收入的刺激因素。但在其他情况下，折扣是以直接或间接地牺牲年轻美国人的利益为代价的。此外，在一些政治家和学者看来，两代人之间即将爆发的冲突中，它们是直接的刺激因素。
关于社会保障福利的持续争论加剧了两代人之间的紧张关系，这主要涉及到资源从年轻人转移到老年人。就业是另一个痛处，在法律和法院判决的支持下，越来越多的美国老年人拒绝退休，而愿意继续工作——从而减少了年轻工人的就业和晋升机会。
老年人折扣已不再是过去的一种慈善活动，而是成为了一个拥有数百万不需要折扣的群体的强大经济特权。
将老年人视为经济需求优先于他人的单一群体不再有意义。老年人折扣只会增强老年人不能照顾自己，需要特殊照顾的错误观点；他们还威胁着创造一种新的错误观点，认为老年人忘恩负义，以牺牲儿童和其他年龄段的人为代价为自己谋福利。老年人折扣正是美国老年人反对的一件事的本质——年龄歧视。
