阅读试题

Passage 9
The number of executive branch employees retiring this fiscal year, which ends next month, is on track to be nearly twice the total who retired in 2009, according to government figures. And the rate looks certain to _1_. In 2000, about 94,000 people age 60 and older worked for the government. Last year, the number was 262,000.
The wave of retirement is helping to bring down the size of the federal _2_ and—where funding is available—could afford agencies the chance to hire younger workers with _3_ skills. The retirement of clerks could clear the way for experts in cyber security and information technology.
But among those leaving are people with specific _4_ that cannot easily be replaced—for instance, nuclear physicists at the Energy Department and a large number of air traffic controllers who were hired three decades ago. And with most hiring on hold, the _5_ are already reshaping agencies that cannot replace most of the retirees or mentor and train new executives.
In some corners of government, the challenge is grim. By 2016， _6_. 42 percent of the Department of Housing and Urban Development workforce will be _7_ to retire. At the Small Business Administration, it’s 44 percent.
There is no _8_ retirement age for most civilian federal employees, but retiring is looking ever more attractive, employees say, with their salaries frozen for three years by Congress and public service _9_ by many politicians.
“It finally got to the point where I got completely _10_ said Richard Swensen, 60, who retired from the Agriculture Department last year after 38 years. “You get weary of work that doesn’t pay off.”
A) abolished B) payroll C) mandatory D) previously
E) crucial F) departures G) huddles H) eligible
I) disappointed J) criticized K) institutions L) accelerate
M) presumably N) prevalent O) expertise

解题思路

Passage 9
解题思路
1.[L]空格位于不定式to之后，应为动词原形。空格所在句的主语是rate(速度），根据后面两个句子的对比数据可知，退休人员的比例不断“上涨”，因此选用accelerate。
2.[B]空格位于形容词federal的后面，应为名词。本段讲的是退休潮带来的好处，根据定语从句where funding is available可推知，空格处与金钱有关,故选用payroll“工资总支出”。
3.[E]空格处应为名词、形容词或分词，作skills的定语。下一句的cyber security和information technology提示，要招聘的就是此类具备重要技能的年轻人，故选用crucial—词，crucial skills意为“关键的技能”。
4.[O]空格处后接定语从句，且在从句中充当主语,故应填人名词。根据破折号举例提及的nuclear physicists“核物理学家”和air traffic controllers“空中交通管制员”，可以推断有些退休人员具有难以取代的特殊“专长”，因此选用expertise。
5.[F]空格位于定冠词the之后，且句子缺少主语，由此推断应填人名词。由reshaping agencies可知，该句子主要讲“退休潮”对政府机构的影响，因此，此处的名词应该带有“退休潮”或者“人员退休”的意思，故选用 departures。
6.[M]空格单独位于两个逗号之间，由此推断此处应填入副词，补充说明数据的来源或真实性等。词库中的副词presumably符合此处语义。
7.[H]空格前的be提示，此处应填入名词、形容词或分词。本段主要讲政府面临严峻挑战，即很多人即将到退休年龄。eligible“有恰当资格的”符合此处语义。
8.[C]空格在句中作定语修饰retirement age。空格所在句前一分句讲“联邦政府对退休年龄无______规定”,后一分句以转折连词but引出“但是退休看起来吸引力更大”,可见联邦政府没有强制规定退休年龄，故选用 mandatory。
9. [J] public service... politicians和前面的their salaries frozen为并列结构，说明退休吸引力更大的原因。空格后的by提示此处应填人过去分词，且该词应包含消极意义，词库中criticized符合此处语境。
10. [I]空格位于动词get的后面，且被副词completely修饰,应为形容词或过去分词。该段最后一句中，说话人提到他.“厌倦没有奔头的工作”，据此可以推断他对于工作感到很“失望”，所以选择辞职退休，故选择 disappointed—词。