SECTION5:READINGTEST(30minutes)<br/>Directions:<em>ReadthefollowingpassagesandthenanswerINCOMPLETESENTENCESthequestionswhichfolloweachpassage.UseonlyinformationfromthepassageyouhavejustreadandwriteyouranswerinthecorrespondingspaceinyourANSWERBOOKLET.</em><br/><em>Questions1~4</em><br/>AFormercolleaguerelishedtellingmelastweekabouttwoforthcomingnewadditionstothepopulation.Hiswifeisfittopopwithidenticaltwingirls.<br/>Heandoursisterpublication,TheTimes,gotmethinking:couldthetwinslivetobe150?Times2posedthisveryquestionalongsideaphotographofathumb-suckingnewborn.Decrepitudeisnolongerinevitable,itsaid.Sciencewillhelpustostoptherot.Thereis,somescientistssay,arealDorianGrayamongus—someonewho,throughamixtureofgoodgenes,healthylifestyleandtimelymedicalinterventions,willgivetheimpressionofstayingyoungthroughoutanextraordinarilylonglife.<br/>Iwasstillponderingthelikelihoodoflivingto150whenIwaspresentedwithanotherbigquestion:justhowdidDerrenBrowndoit?Inatelevisionstunt,heclaimedtohavepredictedthesixwinningLottonumbers,sparkinganonlineguessinggameabouthowitwasachieved. Indeed,”DerrenBrown”and“lottery”werethetwotopsearched-forkeywordsonthewebthatleduserstotimesonline.co.uk.Dozensoftheorieswereoffered—fromcameratrickerytosimplesleightofhand.<br/>Evenactuarieswerespeakingaboutit.CliveGrimley,apartneratBarnettWaddingham,boughtintothemostpopulartheory.“AccordingtosomeoneonYouTube,heusedsplit-screentechnologytogivetheimpressionthattheballswereintheliveshot,wheninfacttheywereastaticimage,”hemused.“Theleft-handsideo[thescreen,whichshowedthenumberedballsinarow,wasafrozenimage.Inreality,anassistantwasputtingthebailsinplaceduringthe30-seconddelaybetweenthembeingdrawnandBrownrevealinghisnumbers.LikeEdwardNortoninTheIllusionist,it’sallatrick.“Justasillusory,hesays,areprotectionsofretirementincome.Pensionerstodaycanexpecttospendathirdoftheirlivesinretirement—afigurethatcouldgrowtohalfourlifeormore,aswealldielater.<br/>Itmaysoundgoodintheory,butGrimleyhassomesoberingviews:thestatepensionagewillhavetorocket,agrowingnumberofpeoplewillbeforcedtotake“theglidepath”—graduallywindingdownintoretirementratherthanstoppingworkaltogetherimmediately—andtheonusforfundingourlatteryearswillincreasinglyfallonourownshoulders.TheNHSwillcrumbleunderthepressure,with100-pluspensionersbatteringdownthedoorsatdoctors’surgeries.<br/>Earlyevidencestacksuphisargument.Itisalreadyproposedthatthestatepensionageforwomenwillriseto65by2020,makingitequaltothatofmen.Forbothsexes,itwillriseto68by2046.Thatwillhefarfromsufficient,though.“Increasestostateretirementagearegoingtohavetobefairlyradical—Idon’tthinkanyonewantstoadmitjusthowradical,”saidGrimley.<br/>Whenyoureachthemagicage-whateverthatmayhe—youcouldbesorelydisappointed.TheInstituteofDirectorssaidlastweekthatthegovernmentshouldfreezethestatepensiontohelpcutitsgrowingbudgetdeficit,andfreezes—orcuts—couldsoonbecomethenorm.<br/>Howmuchyoustandtogetfrompersonalpensionsavingscouldbeashock,too:Annuityrateshavedroppedalmost10%sincelastsummer,pusheddownbythegovernment’sattemptstoreflatetheeconomy.Ithaspumped$175billionintothefinancialsystembybuyingupgilts.Thishaspushedgiltpricesupandyieldsdownbyasmuchas50to100basispoints,anditisthesethatdetermineannuityrates.<br/>Moreover,thesortofincomeyoucanexpectfromyourpensionpotisalsodeterminedbylifeexpectancy.Clearly,thelongeryou’reexpectedtolive,thelowertheannuityrate.Threedecadesago,in1980,benchmarkannuityratesfora65-year-oldmanwerealmost16%.Today,they’relessthanhalfthatat7%—knocking$9,000ayearoffwhatyou’dgetfora$100,000pot.Whatifinanother30yearsthey’rejust3%?Thatwouldknockoffanother$4,000,givingyouapitiful$3,000ayearforevery$100,000ofpensionsavings.Nevermindthetwins.I’dbettergetonwithcrackingthecodeforpredictingthenumbersofthoseLottoballs.<br/>1.Whydoestheauthorintroducethetopicofthelikelihoodoflivingto150atthebeginningofthepassage?<br/>2.Whatis“theglidepath”(para.5)?Whatisthepossibleeffectoftaking“theglidepath”?<br/>3.WhydoestheauthormentionthepredictionofLottonumbersinthepassage?<br/>4.GiveabriefsummaryoftheissueofpersonalpensionsavingsintheUnitedKingdomintroducedinthepassage.
SECTION5:READINGTEST(30minutes)<br/>Directions:<em>ReadthefollowingpassagesandthenanswerINCOMPLETESENTENCESthequestionswhichfolloweachpassage.UseonlyinformationfromthepassageyouhavejustreadandwriteyouranswerinthecorrespondingspaceinyourANSWERBOOKLET.</em><br/><em>Questions1~4</em><br/>AFormercolleaguerelishedtellingmelastweekabouttwoforthcomingnewadditionstothepopulation.Hiswifeisfittopopwithidenticaltwingirls.<br/>Heandoursisterpublication,TheTimes,gotmethinking:couldthetwinslivetobe150?Times2posedthisveryquestionalongsideaphotographofathumb-suckingnewborn.Decrepitudeisnolongerinevitable,itsaid.Sciencewillhelpustostoptherot.Thereis,somescientistssay,arealDorianGrayamongus—someonewho,throughamixtureofgoodgenes,healthylifestyleandtimelymedicalinterventions,willgivetheimpressionofstayingyoungthroughoutanextraordinarilylonglife.<br/>Iwasstillponderingthelikelihoodoflivingto150whenIwaspresentedwithanotherbigquestion:justhowdidDerrenBrowndoit?Inatelevisionstunt,heclaimedtohavepredictedthesixwinningLottonumbers,sparkinganonlineguessinggameabouthowitwasachieved. Indeed,”DerrenBrown”and“lottery”werethetwotopsearched-forkeywordsonthewebthatleduserstotimesonline.co.uk.Dozensoftheorieswereoffered—fromcameratrickerytosimplesleightofhand.<br/>Evenactuarieswerespeakingaboutit.CliveGrimley,apartneratBarnettWaddingham,boughtintothemostpopulartheory.“AccordingtosomeoneonYouTube,heusedsplit-screentechnologytogivetheimpressionthattheballswereintheliveshot,wheninfacttheywereastaticimage,”hemused.“Theleft-handsideo[thescreen,whichshowedthenumberedballsinarow,wasafrozenimage.Inreality,anassistantwasputtingthebailsinplaceduringthe30-seconddelaybetweenthembeingdrawnandBrownrevealinghisnumbers.LikeEdwardNortoninTheIllusionist,it’sallatrick.“Justasillusory,hesays,areprotectionsofretirementincome.Pensionerstodaycanexpecttospendathirdoftheirlivesinretirement—afigurethatcouldgrowtohalfourlifeormore,aswealldielater.<br/>Itmaysoundgoodintheory,butGrimleyhassomesoberingviews:thestatepensionagewillhavetorocket,agrowingnumberofpeoplewillbeforcedtotake“theglidepath”—graduallywindingdownintoretirementratherthanstoppingworkaltogetherimmediately—andtheonusforfundingourlatteryearswillincreasinglyfallonourownshoulders.TheNHSwillcrumbleunderthepressure,with100-pluspensionersbatteringdownthedoorsatdoctors’surgeries.<br/>Earlyevidencestacksuphisargument.Itisalreadyproposedthatthestatepensionageforwomenwillriseto65by2020,makingitequaltothatofmen.Forbothsexes,itwillriseto68by2046.Thatwillhefarfromsufficient,though.“Increasestostateretirementagearegoingtohavetobefairlyradical—Idon’tthinkanyonewantstoadmitjusthowradical,”saidGrimley.<br/>Whenyoureachthemagicage-whateverthatmayhe—youcouldbesorelydisappointed.TheInstituteofDirectorssaidlastweekthatthegovernmentshouldfreezethestatepensiontohelpcutitsgrowingbudgetdeficit,andfreezes—orcuts—couldsoonbecomethenorm.<br/>Howmuchyoustandtogetfrompersonalpensionsavingscouldbeashock,too:Annuityrateshavedroppedalmost10%sincelastsummer,pusheddownbythegovernment’sattemptstoreflatetheeconomy.Ithaspumped$175billionintothefinancialsystembybuyingupgilts.Thishaspushedgiltpricesupandyieldsdownbyasmuchas50to100basispoints,anditisthesethatdetermineannuityrates.<br/>Moreover,thesortofincomeyoucanexpectfromyourpensionpotisalsodeterminedbylifeexpectancy.Clearly,thelongeryou’reexpectedtolive,thelowertheannuityrate.Threedecadesago,in1980,benchmarkannuityratesfora65-year-oldmanwerealmost16%.Today,they’relessthanhalfthatat7%—knocking$9,000ayearoffwhatyou’dgetfora$100,000pot.Whatifinanother30yearsthey’rejust3%?Thatwouldknockoffanother$4,000,givingyouapitiful$3,000ayearforevery$100,000ofpensionsavings.Nevermindthetwins.I’dbettergetonwithcrackingthecodeforpredictingthenumbersofthoseLottoballs.<br/>1.Whydoestheauthorintroducethetopicofthelikelihoodoflivingto150atthebeginningofthepassage?<br/>2.Whatis“theglidepath”(para.5)?Whatisthepossibleeffectoftaking“theglidepath”?<br/>3.WhydoestheauthormentionthepredictionofLottonumbersinthepassage?<br/>4.GiveabriefsummaryoftheissueofpersonalpensionsavingsintheUnitedKingdomintroducedinthepassage.