60. The underlined word “sell-by date” in paragraph 1 probably refers to______.

A. the date on which they’re sold　　　　　　 B. the age when they should be promoted

C. the date when they sell goods　　　　　　 D. the age when they retire

59. Which of the following statements is true according to the text?

A. Young workers are more valuable to companies than the older ones.

B. Women get older than men though they are healthier.

C. The people in their thirties are easier to be promoted than those in their fifties.

D. Sixty percent of the managers were refused because they were too older.

58. The text is mainly about ______.

A. the people who find work

B. the government’s idea on age in workforce

C. the discussion about who is worth promoting

D. age discrimination in the workforce

57. One of the writer’s purposes in writing the passage is to tell you that _________.

A. safe drinking is impossible

B. young men should never drive quickly

C. the manner of drinking is meaningless

D. driving after drinking may put many lives at risk

C

Although women lead healthier, longer lives, the cruel perception(观念)that they reach their sell-by date and become “old” sooner than men is widespread in the workplace, research shows.

A survey of more than 2,600 managers and personnel professionals showed that age discrimination is not only common in the workplace, but is full of inconsistencies(矛盾). Six in ten managers thought that they had suffered from age discrimination-usually because they were turned down for a job for being too old or too young. Yet more than a fifth admitted that they used age as a condition when they employ new workers.

Although the survey found widespread agreement that older workers were better than younger colleagues when it came to reliability, commitment, loyalty and customer service, these qualities were not necessarily considered to be worthy of advancement. More than half of respondents believed that workers between 30 and 39 were the most likely to be advanced in their company, with only 2 per cent citing(引证,举例)50-year-olds or above.

Dianah Worman of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said that there was anecdotal(多轶事趣闻的)evidence that people were considered old at different ages in different sectors. “We heard of one man working in IT who said he was considered too old by the age of 28,” she said. “There was no evidence to suggest that older workers were less valuable to companies than younger workers, in fact the opposite was often true because older workers often brought experience. ” she added.

The findings also suggested that the Government’s ideas on age in the workforce may also be out of step with reality.

56. This passage indicates that _________.

A. a driver who does not take any alcohol will not die in road accidents

B. one in three of the drivers often drinks a lot

C. those who drink must be killed

D. more young men die in drink-related accidents than in any other way

55. We may infer that even a professional driver will find it hard to pass through a set of movable posts if he drinks ________.

A. every day　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. little　　　　　 C. heavily　　　　　　　 D. occasionally

54. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. The legal limit for driving after drinking is 0. 08 gram of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood.

B. Three standard drinks may cause some people to reach the legal limit.

C. The amount of alcohol a person can drink before reaching legal limit is the same for different people.

D. There is no sure way of telling how much you can drink before you reach the legal limit.

53. What can we learn from the story?

A. People should learn to appreciate others’ concern.

B. Giving is always a pleasure.

C. People should respect each other.

D. An act of kindness can bring people great joy.

B

The legal limit for driving after drinking alcohol is 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood, when tested. But there is no sure way of telling how much you can drink before you reach this limit. It varies with each person depending on your weight, your sex, and what sort of drinks you’ve had. Some people might reach their limit after only about three standard drinks.

In fact, your driving ability can be affected by just one or two drinks. Even if you are below the legal limit, you could still be taken to court if a police officer thinks your driving had been affected by alcohol.

It takes about an hour for the body to get rid of the alcohol in one standard drink. So, if you have a heavy drinking in the evening, you might find that your driving ability is still affected the next morning, or you could even find that you’re still over the legal limit. In addition, if you’ve had a few drinks at lunchtime, another one or two drinks in the early evening may well put you over the legal limit.

In a test with professional drivers, the more alcoholic drinks they had had, the more certain they were that they could drive a test course through a set of movable posts and the less able they were to do it!

So the only way to be sure you’re safe is not to drink at all.

Alcohol is the major cause of road accidents. One in three of the drivers killed in road accidents have levels of alcohol which are over the legal limit, and road accidents after drinking are the biggest cause of death among young men. More than half of people stopped by the police to take a breath analyzer test have a blood alcohol concentration of more than twice the legal limit.

It is important to remember that driving after you’ve been drinking doesn’t just affect you. If you’re involved in an accident, it affects a lot of other people as well, not only the person you might kill or injure.

52. The taxi driver did not charge the old woman because he ______.

A. had received her payment in advance

B. was in a hurry to take other passengers

C. wanted to do her a favor

D. shut off the meter by mistake

51. The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ______.

A. let the driver earn more money　　　　　　　 B. show she was familiar with the city

C. see some places for the last time　　　 D. reach the destination on time