专题06 人与社会（社会热点）时文阅读与题型训练
语篇原文
Like most old people, I despair at the young of today. I look at them with their annoying water bottles, protesting
about every damn thing and identifying as dogs and claiming they’ve got a mental health issue so debilitating that they
couldn’t possibly get something as time consuming as a job.
We hear that, right now, two in five people aged between 16 and 24 are “economically inactive”. They are literally
doing nothing constructive with their lives. And they believe that if the nation’s billionaires were taxed more heavily,
they could continue to do nothing for the rest of their days.
It’s all preposterous, of course, but in a recent moment of quiet reflection I started to wonder if, actually, we
shouldn’t feel sorry for them. Because when I was 25, the average house cost three times more than the average person
earned in a year. Whereas today, it’s 7.7 times more. Which means it’s gone from being difficult to buy a house. To
virtually impossible.
And what’s the point of striving to get on the bottom rung of the property ladder when you just can’t? It’s the same
story with everything. When I started working, on a local newspaper, I was on £22 a week plus £5 expenses. It wasn’t
much but even so I could afford my rent, and petrol for my car, and I still had enough left over for the occasional trip to
the pub or the cinema.
Worse, many tell me that they can’t afford to have children. Because one half of the couple would have to stop
working and then they wouldn’t be able to afford the mortgage. Childcare? Yeah, right. So it’s easy to see why so many
kids are choosing not to work at all. Because what’s the point of being a wage slave when it means you literally have no
life at all.
I wonder if this is why they’ve become so annoying. They convince themselves that alcohol is bad for their health,
that car ownership is bad for the planet and that it’s more fun to live in a van than a house because that makes themselves
feel better about their tragic, empty, sober lives. “We weren’t forced to live this way. It’s what we want,” they claim. But
they were forced to live this way and it’s not what they want.
核心词汇
1.despair /dɪˈspeə(r)/v. 绝望；对…… 感到失望
2.debilitating /dɪˈbɪlɪteɪtɪŋ/adj. 使人衰弱的；削弱能力的
3.inactive /ɪnˈæktɪv/adj. 不活跃的；无经济活动的
4.billionaire /ˌbɪljəˈneə(r)/n. 亿万富翁
5.tax /tæks/v. 对…… 征税；n. 税收
6.preposterous /prɪˈpɒstərəs/adj. 荒谬的；荒唐的
7.reflection /rɪˈflekʃn/n. 反思；沉思
8.strive /straɪv/v. 努力；奋斗
9.mortgage /ˈmɔːɡɪdʒ/n. 抵押贷款；按揭
10.tragic /ˈtrædʒɪk/adj. 悲惨的；不幸的
11.sober /ˈsəʊbə(r)/adj. 清醒的；冷静的
时文阅读
12.virtually /ˈvɜːtʃuəli/adv. 几乎；实际上
短语积累
1.despair at 对…… 感到绝望
2.economically inactive 经济上不活跃的
3.tax heavily 征收重税
4.quiet reflection 静心思索
5.strive to do sth. 努力做某事
6.property ladder 房产阶梯（指买房进阶过程）
7.have enough left over for 有剩余资金用于……
8.afford the mortgage 负担得起抵押贷款
9.wage slave 工薪奴隶（指为赚钱奔波却无意义生活的人）
10.convince oneself that 说服自己……
阅读理解
难度
阅读时间
适中
8-10 分钟
Like most old people, I despair at the young of today. I look at them with their annoying water bottles,
protesting about every damn thing and identifying as dogs and claiming they’ve got a mental health issue so
debilitating that they couldn’t possibly get something as time consuming as a job.
We hear that, right now, two in five people aged between 16 and 24 are “economically inactive”. They are
literally doing nothing constructive with their lives. And they believe that if the nation’s billionaires were taxed
more heavily, they could continue to do nothing for the rest of their days.
It’s all preposterous, of course, but in a recent moment of quiet reflection I started to wonder if, actually, we
shouldn’t feel sorry for them. Because when I was 25, the average house cost three times more than the average
person earned in a year. Whereas today, it’s 7.7 times more. Which means it’s gone from being difficult to buy a
house to virtually impossible.
And what’s the point of striving to get on the bottom rung of the property ladder when you just can’t? It’s the
same story with everything. When I started working, on a local newspaper, I was on £22 a week plus £5 expenses.
It wasn’t much but even so I could afford my rent, and petrol for my car, and I still had enough left over for the
occasional trip to the pub or the cinema.
Worse, many tell me that they can’t afford to have children. Because one half of the couple would have to stop
working and then they wouldn’t be able to afford the mortgage. Childcare? Yeah, right. So it’s easy to see why so
many kids are choosing not to work at all. Because what’s the point of being a wage slave when it means you
literally have no life at all.
I wonder if this is why they’ve become so annoying. They convince themselves that alcohol is bad for their
health, that car ownership is bad for the planet and that it’s more fun to live in a van than a house because that
题型训练
makes themselves feel better about their tragic, empty, sober lives. “We weren’t forced to live this way. It’s what
we want,” they claim. But they were forced to live this way and it’s not what they want.
Why does the author initially despair at today’s young people?
A. They refuse to pay taxes for billionaires.
B. They are inactive in economic activities.
C. They spend too much time on mental health.
D. They prefer living in vans to houses.
What changes have happened to house prices according to the text?
A. They have dropped by 3 times since the author was 25.
B. They are 7.7 times the average annual income now.
C. They were impossible to afford for young people before.
D. They are cheaper than the author’s time relatively.
What does the underlined phrase “wage slave” probably mean?
A. Someone who works only for money without a meaningful life.
B. Someone who is forced to work overtime for high pay.
C. Someone who slaves away to buy a house and raise kids.
D. Someone who depends on wages to pay for mental treatment.
What’s the author’s real attitude towards today’s young people?
A. Critical and disappointed.
B. Sympathetic and understanding.
C. Indifferent and unconcerned.
D. Envious and admiring.
【答案】1.B 2.B 3.A 4.B
1.细节理解题。根据原文第二段 “two in five people aged between 16 and 24 are ‘economically inactive’. They
are literally doing nothing constructive with their lives” 可知，作者最初对年轻人失望的核心原因是他们在经
济上不活跃、无所事事。A 选项 “拒绝为亿万富翁缴税” 与原文 “年轻人希望对亿万富翁加税” 不符；
C 选项 “花太多时间在心理健康上” 是年轻人声称的借口，非作者核心不满；D 选项 “偏爱住货车”
是年轻人自我安慰的说法，并非作者最初失望的根源。
2.细节判断题。根据原文第三段 “whereas today, it’s 7.7 times more”（指代前文 “房价是普通人年收入的
倍数”），明确现在房价是平均年收入的 7.7 倍。A 选项 “下降 3 倍” 与原文 “从 3 倍涨到 7.7 倍”
完全相反；C 选项 “过去年轻人完全买不起” 与原文 “过去买房难，现在几乎不可能” 不符；D 选项
“相对作者那个年代更便宜” 错误，现在房价倍数更高，实际更昂贵。
3.词义猜测题。结合前文 “working just to survive feels meaningless” 及后文 “it means you literally have no
life at all”，可知 “wage slave” 指 “只为赚钱生存、没有有意义生活的人”。B 选项 “为高薪被迫加
班” 原文未提及；C 选项 “为买房养娃拼命工作” 并非核心含义，原文强调的是 “无意义的生存式工
作”；D 选项 “靠工资支付心理治疗费用” 与语境无关。
4.态度推断题。原文第三段明确提到 “we shouldn’t feel sorry for them”，后文进一步分析了年轻人面临的
房价高、养不起孩子等现实困境，指出他们的 “令人讨厌” 是被迫的，并非真心所愿，可见作者的真实
态度是 “同情且理解”。A 选项 “批判且失望” 是作者最初的表面态度；C 选项 “冷漠不关心”、D
选项 “羡慕且钦佩” 与原文语义完全不符。
语法填空
难度
阅读时间
容易
12-15 分钟
Like most old people, I despair at the young of today. I look at them with their annoying water bottles,
protesting about every damn thing and identifying as dogs and claiming they’ve got a mental health issue so
debilitating that they couldn’t possibly get something as time5. ___________(consume) as a job.
We hear that, right now, two 6. ___________ five people aged between 16 and 24 are “economically inactive”.
They are literally doing nothing constructive with their lives. And they believe that if the nation’s billionaires 7.
___________ (tax) more heavily, they could continue to do nothing for the rest of their days.
It’s all preposterous, of course, but in a recent moment of quiet reflection I started to wonder if, actually, we
shouldn’t feel sorry for 8. ___________ (they). Because when I was 25, the average house cost three times more
than the average person earned in a year. Whereas today, it’s 7.7 times more. Which means it’s gone from being
difficult to buy a house to 9. ___________ (virtual) impossible.
And what’s the point of 10. ___________ (strive) to get on the bottom rung of the property ladder when you
just can’t? It’s the same story with everything. When I started working, on a local newspaper, I was on £22 a week
plus £5 expenses. It wasn’t much but even so I could afford my rent, and petrol for my car, and I still had enough
left over for the occasional trip to the pub or the cinema.
Worse, many tell me that they can’t afford 11. ___________ (have) children. Because one half of the couple
would have to stop working and then they wouldn’t be able to afford the mortgage. Childcare? Yeah, right. So it’s
easy to see why so many kids are choosing not to work at all. Because what’s the point of 12. ___________ (be) a
wage slave when it means you literally have no life at all.
I wonder if this is why they’ve become so annoying. They convince 13. ___________ (they) that alcohol is
bad for their health, that car ownership is bad for the planet and that it’s more fun to live in a van than a house
because that makes 14. ___________ (they) feel better about their tragic, empty, sober lives.
【答案】5.consuming 6.in 7.were taxed 8.them 9.virtually 10.striving 11.to have 12.being
13.themselves
14.them
读后续写
难度
阅读时间
挑战
20-25 分钟
One afternoon, I ran into a 23-year-old young man named Leo at a café. He was sitting alone, staring at his
phone with a helpless look. I remembered my previous thoughts about young people and hesitated for a moment,
but finally sat down beside him.
“Rough day?” I asked gently. Leo looked up, surprised, then nodded. He told me he had been job-hunting for
six months but got no offers. Even if he found a part-time job, the salary was too low to cover rent, let alone save
for a house. “I don’t want to be economically inactive,” he said with a sigh. “But working just to survive feels
meaningless.”
As we talked, I shared my own experience when I was young, and he listened carefully. I suddenly realized
that behind his “annoying” behavior was a sense of powerlessness I had never truly understood.
注意：
1.续写词数应为 150 左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1: Just then, Leo mentioned his dream of opening a small second-hand bookstore.
Paragraph 2: Six months later, I visited Leo’s bookstore.
【答案】
Paragraph 1: Just then, Leo mentioned his dream of opening a small second-hand bookstore.
He said he had always loved reading and dreamed of creating a cozy space where people could browse books,
share ideas, and escape the pressure of daily life. But the high rent and lack of startup funds had held him back—
everything felt out of reach in the current economy. I thought of my own youth when opportunities were more
accessible, and a wave of sympathy washed over me. I offered to lend him part of my savings and share my
experience in managing a small business (I ran a community newspaper decades ago). Leo’s eyes widened with
surprise, then filled with hope. He thanked me repeatedly, saying it was the first time anyone had taken his dream
seriously. We exchanged phone numbers and planned to discuss the store’s details the next day.
Paragraph 2: Six months later, I visited Leo’s bookstore.
It was a tiny but warm space, with bookshelves lining the walls and a small coffee corner in the middle. Leo
was laughing as he chatted with a group of young customers, his face glowing with joy—no trace of the
helplessness I’d seen at the café. He told me the bookstore had become a popular gathering spot: young people
swapped books, attended small reading clubs, and even shared job opportunities. “I’m not just selling books,” he
said. “I’m building a community.” As I watched him interact with his customers, I realized that young people
weren’t lazy or aimless—they just needed a chance to pursue something meaningful. The generation gap I’d once
felt had narrowed, replaced by a deep understanding of their struggles and dreams.
