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    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 generation, a longer life span 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 poses profound questions 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 and estates to nursing-home abuse and age discrimination (歧视). Businessmen see huge opportunities in the elder market because the baby boomers, 74 million strong, are likely to be the wealthiest group of retirees 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 lied it. She says, "I did volunteer work in retirement homes and it was very satisfying."
46. "...Old is suddenly in" (Line 1, Para. 1) most probably means "________".
　　A. America has suddenly become a nation of old people
　　B. gerontology has suddenly become popular
　　C. more elderly professors are found on American campuses
　　D. American colleges have realized the need of enrolling older students
47. With the aging of America, lawyers can benefit ________.
A. from the adoption of the "elder law"      　　
B. from giving special services to the elderly
　　C. by enriching their professional knowledge
　　D. by winning the trust of the elderly to promote their own interests
48. Why can businessmen make money in the emerging elder market?
A. Retirees are more generous in spending money.  　　
B. They can employ more gerontologists.
C. The elderly possess an enormous purchasing power.
D. There are more elderly people working than before.
49. 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. College graduates with an MBA or law degree.  
D. Professionals with a good knowledge of gerontology.
50. 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 place an unbearable burden on society
　　C. may lead to nursing home abuse and age discrimination　
D. will create new fields of study in universities
C
    Some houses are designed to be smart. Others have smart designs. An example of the second type of house won an Award of Excellence from the American Institute of Architects.
　　Located on the shore of Sullivan's Island off the coast of South Carolina, the award-winning cube-shaped beach house was built to replace one smashed to pieces by Hurricane Hugo 10 years ago. In September 1989, Hugo struck South Carolina, killing 18 people and damaging or destroying 36,000 homes in the state.
　　Before Hugo, many new houses built along South Carolina's shoreline were poorly constructed, and enforcement of building codes wasn't strict, according to architect Ray Huff, who created the cleverly-designed beach house. In Hugo's wake, all new shoreline houses are required to meet stricter, better-enforced codes. The new beach house on Sullivan's Island should be able to resist a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometers per hour.
　　At first sight, the house on Sullivan's Island looks anything but hurricane-proof. Its redwood shell makes it resemble "a large party lantern " at night, according to one observer. But looks can be deceiving. The house's wooden frame is reinforced with long steel rods to give it extra strength.
　　To further protect the house from hurricane damage, Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings—long, slender columns of wood anchored deep in the sand. Pilings (桩) might appear insecure, but they are strong enough to support the weight of the house. They also elevate the house above storm waves. The pilings allow the waves to run under the house instead of running into it. "These swells of water come ashore at tremendous speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach-front buildings," said Huff.
　　Huff designed the timber pilings to be partially concealed by the house's ground-to-roof shell. " The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn't look like it's standing with its pant legs pulled up, " said Huff. In the event of a storm surge, the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house, the architect explained.
51. After the tragedy caused by Hurricane Hugo, new houses built along South Carolina's shore line 
   should ________.
    A. be easily reinforced 　　 B. look smarter in design 　　
    C. satisfy higher building standards 　　 D. be designed in the shape of cubes
52. Huff raised the house 2.7 meters off the ground on timber pilings in order to ________. 高考英语模拟试题库  http://www.17xuexiba.com/yy/