For an increasing number of students at American universities, Old is suddenly in. The reason is obvious: the graying of America means jobs. Coupled with the aging of the baby-boom (生育高峰) generation, a longer life span(寿命) means that the nation’s elderly population is bound to expand significantly over the next 50 years. By 2050, 25 percent of all Americans will be older than 65, up from 14 percent in 1995. The change brings many problems for government and society, of course. But it also creates career opportunities in medicine and health professions, and in law and business as well. “In addition to the doctors, we’re going to need more sociologists, biologists, urban planners and specialized lawyers,” says Professor Edward Schneider of the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Gerontology (老年学).
Lawyers can specialize in “elder law” which covers everything from trusts(信托) and estates to nursing-home abuse and age discrimination. Businessmen see huge opportunities in the elder market because the baby boomers, 74 million strong, are likely to be the wealthiest group of retirees(退休者) in human history. “Any student who combines an expert knowledge in gerontology with, say, an MBA or law degree will have a license to print money,” one professor says.
Margarite Santos is a 21-year-old senior at USC. She began college as a biology major but found she was “really bored with bacteria.” So she took a class in gerontology and discovered that she liked it. She says, “I did volunteer work in retirement homes and it was very satisfying.”
小题1:.“…Old is suddenly in” (Line 1, Para. 1) most probably means “_____”.
| A．America has suddenly become a nation of old people |
| B．more elderly professors are found on American campuses |
| C．gerontology has suddenly become popular |
| D．American colleges have realized the need of getting older students |
小题2:Why can businessmen make money in the emerging elder market?
| A．The elderly possess an enormous purchasing power |
| B．They can employ more gerontologists |
| C．Retirees are more generous in spending money |
| D．There are more elderly people working than before |
小题3:Who can make big money in the new century according to the passage?
| A．Retirees who are business-minded |
| B．The volunteer workers in retirement homes |
| C．Professionals with a good knowledge of gerontology |
| D．College graduates with an MBA or law degree |
小题4:.It can be seen from the passage that the expansion of America’s elderly population ______.
| A．will provide good job opportunities in many areas |
| B．will cause a heavy burden on society |
| C．may lead to nursing home abuse and age discrimination |
| D．will create new fields of study in universities |