Question

【题目】 As Americans live longer and the job market stays competitive, fast-food chains are increasingly hiring from senior centers, churches and aging advocacy groups like AARP, Bloomberg reports. And it’s not just death rate and economic trends driving the change. Seniors have more polished social skills, but teens are stopped from growing up online with fewer real-world connections.

“I spend a lot of time with young kids. They can be very disrespectful,” 63-year-old Church’s Chicken manager Stevenson Williams tells Bloomberg of his teen co-workers. “You have to coach them and tell them this is your job, not the street,” Williams says. “Having ‘soft skills’ such as politeness often comes more easily to the seniors, who have had a lifetime of experience in the workforce to learn how to treat customers compared with young people.”

Employers thus get a more mature worker at no additional cost — but the reasons for seniors outpacing teen hires are many. The US Census Bureau reported this year that, by 2035, there will be more Americans over age 65 than there are children under age 18. Plus, fewer people in their prime (盛年) are working — thanks to the unaffordable child care that forces many parents to stay at home, according to a joint study by Princeton University.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts the number of American workers aged 65 to 74 will swell 4.5 percent by 2024, while the 16-to-24s will shrink 1.4 percent. By 2024, the BLS projects the labor force will grow to about 164 million people. That number includes about 41 million people aged 55 and older — about 13 million of those who are expected to be aged 65 and up.

So don’t be surprised to see even more service with a smile and silver hair in that drive-through lane.

【1】What does the underlined part “the change” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A.Americans live longer.

B.The job market gets competitive.

C.Senior centers are becoming more.

D.Fast-food chains hire more senior people.

【2】Why are seniors the hot new fast-food employees according to Williams?

A.Teens are easy to quit.

B.They demand less pay.

C.Teens are hard to control and manage.

D.They are good at socializing.

【3】Which of the following can be regarded as a “soft skill”?

A.Having high education.B.Knowing customers’ needs.

C.Being skillful at computer.D.Having lots of connections with real-world

【4】Why do many parents stay at home according to Paragraph 3?

A.They find it hard to find a job.

B.They prefer to look after children.

C.They find it hard to pay for child care.

D.They are unwilling to work with senior citizens.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】D

【2】D

【3】B

【4】C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了在美国将有越来越多的老年人进入快餐连锁店工作，分析了其中的原因。

【1】

词句猜测题。由第一段As Americans live longer and the job market stays competitive, fast-food chains are increasingly hiring from senior centers, churches and aging advocacy groups like AARP, Bloomberg reports. And it's not just death rate and economic trends driving the change.可知，彭博社报道，由于美国人寿命延长，就业市场竞争激烈，快餐连锁店越来越多地从老年中心、教堂和美国退休人员协会等老龄倡导组织招聘员工。不仅仅是死亡率和经济趋势推动了这一变化。结合上文，the change指的是快餐店雇佣更多的老年员工。故选D项。

【2】

细节理解题。由第二段“You have to coach them and tell them this is your job, not the street,” Williams says. “Having ‘soft skills’ such as politeness often comes more easily to the seniors, who have had a lifetime of experience in the workforce to learn how to treat customers compared with young people.”可知，威廉姆斯说：“你必须指导他们，告诉他们这是你的工作，不是街头。”“与年轻人相比，年长的人更容易拥有礼貌等‘软技能’。他们有一辈子的工作经验，学会了如何对待客户。”根据这个所说，老年人有礼貌，有经验，知道如何跟顾客相处，跟选项D中的socialize是类似的意思。故选D项。

【3】

推理判断题。由第二段“Having ‘soft skills’ such as politeness often comes more easily to the seniors, who have had a lifetime of experience in the workforce to learn how to treat customers compared with young people.”可知，与年轻人相比，年长的人更容易掌握礼貌等“软技能”，他们有一辈子的工作经验，学会了如何对待客户。可见这里的“软技能”指的跟人相处的，类似礼貌的这方面的技能，B项指的是了解顾客的需要，即善解人意，属于这种技能之一。故选B项。

【4】

细节理解题。由第三段Plus, fewer people in their prime (盛年) are working — thanks to the unaffordable child care that forces many parents to stay at home, according to a joint study by Princeton University.可知，此外，据普林斯顿大学的一项联合研究显示，由于负担不起儿童保育费用，许多父母不得不呆在家里，青壮年工作的人越来越少。由此可知，许多家长待在家里的原因是难以支付儿童照管费用。故选C项。

解细节理解题，不要求读者对客观的事实作解释或判断，只需要从阅读材料中直接获取信息。如第四题，题目问为什么许多家长待在家里，由第三段Plus, fewer people in their prime (盛年) are working — thanks to the unaffordable child care that forces many parents to stay at home, according to a joint study by Princeton University.”可知，此外，据普林斯顿大学的一项联合研究显示，由于负担不起儿童保育费用，许多父母不得不呆在家里，青壮年工作的人越来越少。由此可知，许多家长待在家里的原因是难以支付儿童照管费用。故选C项。