II. Vocabulary (10 points, 1 point for each)
Directions: Scan the following passage and find the words which have roughly the same meanings as those given below. The number in the brackets after each word definition refers to the number of paragraph in which the target word is. Write the word you choose on the Answer Sheet.
By far, the most vulnerable older persons are women, who are more likely than men to lack basic literacy and numerical skills, less likely to have paid work, and less likely to be eligible for pensions - where they are available. When women are eligible for pension, because of their lower pay and interrupted work histories, they are likely to receive lower pensions. Older women who have lost their partners greatly outnumber their male counterparts. In some countries, widows are often denied access to or control over resources. Also, women’ s inheritance rights are poorly established in many societies. For these and other reasons, women, especially in developing countries, are much more likely to sink into poverty in their older years. Security schemes to alleviate poverty must take into account that most of the older poor are women, of whom many have limited experience in the labor force.
The demand for new skills and knowledge places older workers at a disadvantage, as their training and skills developed earlier in life become obsolete. But age discrimination compounds many of the difficulties older workers face in the labor market. Biased attitudes hamper the efforts of older workers to find new employment and discourage employers from providing them with training. However, there is evidence that prejudices against the abilities of older workers are unfounded, and that the average difference in work performance between age groups is significantly less than the differences between workers within each age group.
Training and education are particularly important in helping older workers to adapt to changing demand and opportunities. Lifelong learning, which is increasingly recommended by social policy experts, is an important cultural and economic asset. Implicit in the concept of lifelong learning is the rejection of a society structured on the basis of age, in which education and training are one-time undertakings experienced only early in life.
26. open to emotional or physical danger or harm (Para. 1)
27. the ability to read and write (Para. 1)
28. qualified, suitable (Para. 1)
29. make something more bearable or less severe (Para. 1)
30. out-of-date, not used any more (Para. 2)
31. makes a problem or difficult situation worse; worsens (Para. 2)
32. prevent the free movement, action, or progress of (Para. 2)
33. biased and unreasonable opinions or feelings (Para. 2)
34. suggested but not communicated directly (Para. 3)
35. tasks or projects (Para. 3)
