III．阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节：阅读理解（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A serious problem for today's society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives．It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society．I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem．
First, employers should take the responsibility for their retired employees．To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose．But when a company must take life-long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs．
Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual．This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement．This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years． This means the government mig
ht have to step in to care for the poor．
In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly．This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions．Furthermore, some institutions should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them．Unfortunately, as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable answer．The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young．
One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent．
To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages．Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations．
41．What is the passage mainly about?
A．The problems faced by the old in society．
B．Why we should take responsibility for the old．
C．How we can improve the lives of the old．
D．Where the old can go to get their pensions．
42．According to the passage, how can the government help to improve the lives of retired people?
A．Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire．
B．Increase savings levels of people during their working years．
C．Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old．
D．Make available pensions for those who have retired．
43．The underlined word "viable" most probably means"______________"．
A．impossible B．practical C．useful D．important
44．What can be concluded from the passage?
A．Taking care of the old is mainly an issue of money．
B．Employers should allow their workers to retire at a later age．
C．Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people．
D．There is no single solution to the problems of the old．
45．What is the writer's main purpose in writing this article?
A．To point out the need for government support for old people．
B．To make general readers aware of the problems of retired people．
C．To discuss some possible solutions to an important social problem．
D．To instruct retired people on how they can have a happier life．
