2025屆江蘇省宿遷市沭陽(yáng)縣英語高三第一學(xué)期期末經(jīng)典模擬試題含解析

2025屆江蘇省宿遷市沭陽(yáng)縣英語高三第一學(xué)期期末經(jīng)典模擬試題考生須知：1．全卷分選擇題和非選擇題兩部分，全部在答題紙上作答。選擇題必須用2B鉛筆填涂；非選擇題的答案必須用黑色字跡的鋼筆或答字筆寫在“答題紙”相應(yīng)位置上。2．請(qǐng)用黑色字跡的鋼筆或答字筆在“答題紙”上先填寫姓名和準(zhǔn)考證號(hào)。3．保持卡面清潔，不要折疊，不要弄破、弄皺，在草稿紙、試題卷上答題無效。第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1．Newpolicies,_______toinsurethatcompulsoryeducationistrulyfree,________bythelocalgovernmentacrossChinasincethestartofschoolonSeptember1.A．intending;havebeenmadeknown B．intended;havebeenmadeknownC．intending;aremadeknown D．intended;hadmadeknown2．Theweatherturnedouttobefine.I_____________thetroubletocarrytheumbrellawithme.A．shouldhavetaken B．musthavetakenC．couldn'thavetaken D．needn'thavetaken3．—Iwanttolearntennis.Wouldyouliketohelpme?—.Butlearningtennisisnowalkinthepark.A．NokiddingB．NowonderC．NoproblemD．Noway4．Thepartinthefilmthemanbrokedownthedoormadesomeoftheaudiencegiveacry.A．which B．who C．where D．whom5．Thenumberofstay-at-homefathersreachedarecordhighlastyear,newfiguresshow,_______familiessawariseinfemalebreadwinners.A．ifB．a(chǎn)sC．becauseD．though6．ThepartinthefilmRio_______thetwobirdsescapedfromthecrashingplanemadesomeoftheaudiencegiveacry.A．which B．who C．where D．whom7．Itisusuallythoughtalittlechildsaysistruth.A．WhatthatB．thatwhatC．whichD．that8．WhileinteractingwithpeopleinIndia,Iwas________toawayoflifecompletelydifferentfrommyown.A．reducedB．exposedC．committedD．transferred9．Iwouldpersuadehertomakeroomforyou______itbenecessary.A．could B．mightC．should D．would10．______thedifferencebetweenthetwofindingsisoneoftheworstmistakesyou’vemade.A．IgnoredB．IgnoringC．ToignoreD．Havingignored11．_____thatitwassoldoutwhenitcameout. A．Sowashersuccessfulbook B．Sosuccessfulwasherbook C．Soherbookwassuccessful D．Sosuccessfulherbookwas12．Thefirstsnowdidn’tfalluntilFebruaryinourprovincethisyear,________wasunexpected.A．it B．which C．that D．what13．Comehere,Mary.Ifyoustandatthisangle,you______justseethesunset.A．must B．needC．can D．should14．---Whatdoyoudo,Susan?---Iamaclerkinaforeigncompanynow.ButI__________Englishinahighschoolfor8years.A．teachB．hadtaughtC．havetaughtD．taught15．BythetimeIsawtheangryexpressiononhisface,I________exactlywhatIwashavingtoface.A．knewB．hadknownC．wouldknowD．haveknown16．--Hello，________________--Oh，sorry.I'vegotthewrongnumber.A．Dr.Brown'soffice. B．Who'sthatspeaking？C．CanIhelpyou？ D．IsthatDr.Brown？17．—Someonewantsyouonthephone.—________nobodyknowsIamhere.A．AlthoughB．AndC．SoD．But18．Thelivingroomiscleanandtidy,withadiningtablealready__________foramealtobecooked.A．laid B．layingC．tolay D．beinglaid19．Creatinganatmosphere______employeesfeelpartofateamisabigchallenge.A．where B．whoseC．that D．which20．______,hisideaswasacceptedbyallthepeopleatthemeeting.A．Strangeasmightitsound B．AsitmightsoundstrangeC．Asstrangeitmightsound D．Strangeasitmightsound第二部分閱讀理解（滿分40分）閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。21．（6分）Duringtheperiodfrom1660through1800,GreatBritainbecametheworld’sleader.Languageitselfbecamesubmittedtorulesduringthisperiod.ThisneedtofixtheEnglishlanguageisbestillustrated(描述)inthemakingofTheDictionaryoftheEnglishLanguagebySamuelJohnson.GuidestotheEnglishlanguagehadbeeninexistencebeforeJohnsonbeganhisprojectin1746.These,however,wereoftenlittlemorethanlistsofhardwords.Whendefinitionsofcommonwordsweresupplied,theywereoftenunhelpful.Forexample,a“horse”wasdefinedinanearlydictionaryas“abeastwellknown”.Johnsonchangedallthat,butthetaskwasnotaneasyone.Rentingahouseat17GoughSquare,Johnsonbeganworkingintheworstofconditions.Supportedonlybyhispublisher,JohnsonworkedontheDictionarywithfiveassistants.ComparedtotheFrenchAcademy’sdictionary,whichtookfortyworkersfifty-fiveyearstocomplete(1639-1694),Johnson’sdictionarywascompletedbyveryfewpeopleveryquickly.Balancedonachairwithonlythreelegs,Johnsonsatagainstawallinaroomfilledwithbooks.Johnsonwouldreadwidelyfromthesebooks,markpassagesillustratingtheuseofaparticularword,andgivethebookstohisassistantssothattheycouldcopythepassagesonslipsofpaper.TheseslipswerethenstucktoeightylargenotebooksunderthekeywordsthatJohnsonhadselected.Fixingthewordbythismethod,Johnsoncouldrecordaword，susageanditsdefinition.Howmanypassageswereused?AccordingtoJohnson’smodernbiographerWalterJacksonBate,theoriginaltotalnumbercouldhavebeenover240,000.Howmanywordsweredefinedbythelexicographer?Over40,000wordsappearedintwolargebooksinAprilof1755.DidJohnsonfullyunderstandthehugetaskhewasundertakingwhenhebegan?AshetoldhiscontemporarybiographerJamesBoswell,“IknewverywellwhatIwasundertakingandverywellhowtodoit—andhavedoneitverywell.”1、WhatistheproblemofearlyEnglishdictionaries?A．Theyonlyoffersimplepictures.B．Theylistjustafewforeignwords.C．Theysimplygivesometranslations.D．Theyaddnomorethansomebigwords.2、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“l(fā)exicographer”inparagraph4referto?A．Apublisher. B．Abiographer.C．Amakerofdictionaries. D．Anassistant.3、WhatcanweinferaboutSamuelJohnsonfromthetext?A．HestandardizedEnglish.B．Hecaredaboutauthorityalot.C．Hegainedmuchfinancialsupport.D．Hecomplainedofworkingconditions.4、Whatisthepurposeofthispassage?A．Todiscusstheproblemsofdictionaries.B．Toencouragepeopletoworkonaproject.C．Topersuadepeopletobuythenewdictionary.D．TointroducehowJohnsoncompletehisdictionary.22．（8分）Manymanagersbelievethatoverworking

isanevidenceofdevotionfromtheiremployees’side.Stillfewothersregardthiscustomasathreattotheworkers’work-lifebalance,whichmaynegativelyinfluencethelevelofproductivityandefficiency.EmployeesatAmsterdamdesignstudioHeldergroenwon’tbeputtinginmuchovertime.Notintheoffice,atanyrate.That’sbecauseeverydayat6:00pm,theirdesks,tablesandotherworksurfaces,withtheircomputersattached,areliftedtotheceilingbysteelcables（繩索）normallyusedtomoveheavyprops（道具）intheatricalproductions.Ifyouleaveahalf-eatensandwichonyourdesk,you’reoutofluck.“Oncethechairsandotherworkplaceparaphernaliaareclearedaway,thespaceisfreeforeveningandweekenduseasadancefloor,yogastudio...oranythingelseyoucanthinkof–thefloorisactuallyyours,”doctorSanderVeenendaalsaid.Inaway,theofficespaceitselfisworkingovertimeforHeldergroen,bringingaboutlotsofpublicityandcarryinganenlightened（有啟發(fā)的）messageofcareer-lifebalancefarandwide.”Wethinkthatdoingactivitieslikethismakesiteasierforpeopletoworkhere,”saysVeenendaal.“Youknowwhenitistimetorelaxordosomethingelsethatinspiresyou.”Thatsoundsawesome.There’sjustonecatch.Inthemorning,thedesksreappearandeverybodyhastogobacktowork.1、WhatcanwelearnabouttheemployeesatHeldergroen?A．TheyareunwillingtoworklateB．TheyarediscouragedfromworkingovertimeC．TheyarepersuadedtoleavetheofficeearlierD．Theyaretoputawaytheircomputersafterwork2、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“paraphernalia”inparagraph3referto?A．Props.B．Food.C．Equipment.D．Cables.3、WhatdoestheauthorthinkoftheHeldergroen’sofficedesign?A．Creative.B．InconvenientC．OrdinaryD．Strange23．（8分）In2016,ateamofJapanesescientistsfoundbacteriacapableofbreakingdownand“eating”oneoftheworld’smostpopularplastics-polyethyleneterephthalate(PET).Itwasvaluedasapotentialbreakthroughatthetime.ButanewdiscoverycameasateamofBritishscientistsexaminedanenzyme(酶)producedbytheJapanesebacteriatofindoutmoreaboutitsstructure.Whileoperatingthestructuretobetterunderstandhowitworked,theyaccidentallycreatedthechangedenzymethat’sevenmoreefficientatbreakingdownplasticbottles.Theresearchersarenowworkingtofurtherimprovetheenzymesoitcanbeusedonanindustrialscale.It’spossiblethatwithinthenextfewyearstherecouldbeanindustriallypossibleprocessforturningPETintoothersubstancessoitcanberecycled.Theabilitytoscaleuptheprocesswillbeimportant.Plasticpollutionisfastbecomingoneofthebiggestenvironmentalissuesofourtime.Morethan1millionplasticbottlesareboughtaroundtheworldeveryminute.MostofthesebottlesaremadefromPET，whichcantakeupto00yearstobiodegrade(生物降解),andmanyareleftintheoceans.OverhalfofglobalPETwasteisnotcollectedforrecyclingandonly7percentofbottlesarerecycledintonewbottles.Somescientistssaythebreakthrough,thoughpromising,isnowherenearenoughtosolveourpollutioncrisis.Theseenzymesarenotabundantlypresentinnature.Soyouwouldneedtoproducetheenzymefirst,thenaddittothePETplastictodegradeit.”Thisislikelytobeaslowprocess.IfyouhavegonethroughthetroubleofcollectingthePETwaste,thenthereareclearlyfarbetterwaystorecycleitorburnitforenergy,”saidWim,headoftheIndustrialBiotechnologyCenter.Hesuggestedtheuseofcommerciallyavailablebiodegradablebioplasticswouldstillbeabetterbet.1、WhatunexpecteddiscoverydidtheBritishscientistsmake?A．Aneffectivewaytodealwithplasticwaste.B．ApotentialsolutionincollectingPETwaste.C．Thewaytounderstandthestructureofenzymebetter.D．TherealvalueofthediscoverybyJapanesescientists.2、Whatdoestheunderlinedphrase“theprocess”inParagraph3actuallyreferto?A．Theprocesstofindtheenzyme.B．Theprocesstomakemoreplastics.C．TheprocesstoreducethePETwaste.D．TheprocesstoproducekindofnewPET.3、WhatistheproblemaboutrecyclingthePETwaste?A．Largequantitiesofplasticbottlesareused.B．OceanplasticwasteishardertobiodegradeC．MostofthePETwasteisleftwithouttreatment.D．MostoftheplasticproductsaremadefromPET.4、Whatcanbeconcludedfromthelastparagraph?A．Theenzymedoesnotexistinnature.B．Theenzymehashelpedtosolvetheplasticproblems.C．Burningplasticwasteforenergyisnowthebestwaytoridit.D．WehavealongwaytogotousetheenzymetorecyclePETwaste.24．（8分）Forallthetechnologicalwondersofmodemmedicine,healthcare-withitsfaxmachinesandclipboards(寫字板)—isoutofdate.Thisoutdatederaisslowlydrawingtoacloseastheindustrycatchesupwiththeartificial-intelligence(AI)revolution.EricTopol,anexpertinheartdiseaseandenthusiastfordigitalmedicine,thinksAIwillbeparticularlyusefulforsuchtasksasexaminingimages,observinghearttracesforabnormalitiesorturningdoctors'wordsintopatientrecords.Itwillbeabletousemassesofdatatoworkoutthebesttreatments,andimproveworkflowsinhospitals.Inshort,AIissettosavetime,livesandmoney.ThefearsomepeoplehaveisthatAIwillbeusedtodeepentheassembly-linecultureofmodemmedicine.Ifitgivesa“giftoftime”todoctors,theyarguethatthisbonusshouldbeusedtoextendconsultations,ratherthansimplyspeedingthroughthemmoreefficiently.Thatisafineidea,butashealthswallowsanever-biggershareofnationalwealth,greaterefficiencyisexactlywhatisneeded,atleastsofarasgovernmentsandinsurersareconcerned.Otherwise,richsocietiesmayfailtocopewiththeneedsofageingandgrowingpopulations.Anextrafiveminutesspentchattingwithapatientiscostlyaswellasvaluable.TheAIrevolutionwillalsoenablemanagerialaccountantstoadjustandevaluateeveryaspectoftreatment.Theautonomyofthedoctorwillsurelybeweakened,especially,perhaps,inpublic-healthsystemswhichareduty-boundtocutunnecessarycosts.TheHippocraticOath(誓言)holdsthatthereisanarttomedicineaswellasascience,andthat“warmth,sympathyandunderstandingmayoutweighthesurgeon'sknifeorthechemist'sdrug”.There'slotsofsenseinit:thepatientsofsympatheticphysicianshavebeenshowntorecoverbetter.Yetasthesupplyofhumancarersfailstosatisfythedemandforhealthcare,thefuturemayinvolveconsultationsonsmartphonesandmeasurementsmonitoredbychatbots.Theconsideratelywarmedstethoscope(聽診器),placedgentlyonapatient'sback,maybecomearelicofthepast.1、What'sDrTopol'sattitudetowardAI'scomingintomedicine?A．Concerned. B．Doubtful. C．Optimistic. D．Cautious.2、Whatdoestheauthorofthetextattachmoreimportanceto?A．Medicalcosts. B．Nationalwealth.C．Longerconsultation. D．Greaterefficiency.3、WhyistheHippocraticOathmentioned?A．ToprovethebrightfutureofAI.B．Toshowtheadvantageofahumandoctor.C．Toexplainmedicalequipmentismoreimportant.D．Toargueahumandoctorperformsaswellasarobot.4、Whatmaybethebesttitleforthetext?A．HealthcareandAI B．AIanditsapplicationsC．DoctorsandPatients D．DrTopolanddigitalmedicine25．（10分）InspiringArchaeologicalStudyToursacrosstheWorldin2017…AnArchaeologicalToursgetawayisanarchaeologylover’svacationlikenoother.Wehaveanexcitingselectionoftoursdepartingin2017withunsurpassedservice.Here’sasmallselectionofwhatwehavetooffer.Alsoacodeforyou:Neverallow(Jogstorunfree-lytheretokeeptheplantsandanimalsliveinpeaceandgetridofrubbishproperly.Becarefultoburyyourtoiletwasteandkeeptothedesignedtracks.Guatemala&BelizeCoonthetrailofMesoamericancivilizationsinthelushforests,ruggedfoothills（丘陵地帶）,andmoderncitiesofthesefascinatingsitesincentralAmerica.January6-20,2017l$6,495Ghana,Togo&BeninWitnessthemeetingofthrivingtraditions,ancientpast,andforward-lookingpresentinincomparableWestAfrica.February7-22,20171$7,495AncientEgyptFromthepyramidsofGizatotheValleysoftheKingsandQueens,discovertheglorioussplendorsofancientEgypt.February&November2017l$5,995CentralMexicoFollowtheancientcivilizationsoftheToltec,Aztec,Zapotec,OlmecandMixtecacrossthecentreofmagnificentMexicoinNorthAmerica.March11-24,2017l$5,795IranDiscoverthebeautyandmajestyofIran’slong-passedempires,earlymodemdynasties,andtimelessscenery.April,September&October2017l$7,995Malta,Sardinia&CorsicaExplorethecharacteristicgeologicalenvironmentsanduniqueculturalandpoliticalhistoriesofthesethreeislandsinSouthEurope.April19-May4,20171$7,49569、Accordingtothetravelleaflet,visitorsshouldtour________.A．withcalmnessandcuriosityB．withself-defenceandhonourC．withconventionandreligionD．withself-disciplineandprotection1、TomiskeenonearlymoderndynastywhilehiswifeenjoysAfricatraditions.Whichplacesaretheirbestchoices?A．AncientEgyptandCentralMexico.B．Guatemala,BelizeandIran.C．Ghana,Benin,TogaandIran.D．Malta,SardiniaandCorsica.第三部分語言知識(shí)運(yùn)用（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿分30分）閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的A、B、C和D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)．26．（30分）Traditionalfairytalesarebeingabandonedbyparentsbecausetheyaretooscaryfortheiryoungchildren,astudyfound.Researchrevealedoneinfiveparentshas1oldclassicssuchasSnowWhiteandtheSevenDwarvesandRapunzel（長(zhǎng)發(fā)公主）in2ofmoremodernbooks.Onethirdofparentssaidtheirchildrenhavebeenleftin3afterhearingthehorribledetailsofLittleRedRidingHood.Andnearlyhalfofmothersandfathers4toreadRumplestiltskin（紡織姑娘）totheirkidsasthe5ofthestoryarekidnappingandkilling.6,GoldilocksandtheThreeBearswasalsoatalelikelytobe7onthebookshelfasparentsfelt8condones（寬?。﹕tealing.The9of2,000adultswascommissioned（委任）to10thelaunchofthehitUSdramaGRIMM,11startstonightat9p.m.onWatch,andseessixpieces12ontraditionalfairytales.Thepollfoundaquarterofparentspolledwouldn’t13readingafairytaletotheirchilduntiltheyhad14theageoffive.And52percentoftheparentssaidCinderelladidn’tsendagood15totheirchildrenasitdescribesayoungwoman16houseworkallday.SteveHornsey,GeneralManagerofWatch,said:“Bedtimestoriesaresupposedtocomfortchildrenandsendthemoffto17soundly.Fairytalescanbedarkanddramatictalessoit’s18thatparentsworryaboutreadingthemtoyoungchildren.Thestudyalsofoundtwothirdsofmumsanddadstryto19storieswhichmightgivetheirchildrennightmares.20,halfofparentssaidtraditionaltalesaremorelikelytohaveastrongmoralmessagethanalotofmodernkids’books,suchasTheGruffalo,TheHungaryCaterpillarandtheMr.Menbooks.1、A．takenupB．putupC．broughtupD．givenup2、A．favourB．memoryC．honorD．spite3、A．needB．tearsC．debtsD．surprise4、A．a(chǎn)greeB．intendC．refuseD．enjoy5、A．problemsB．questionsC．sentencesD．themes6、A．SimilarlyB．FortunatelyC．SuddenlyD．Immediately7、A．a(chǎn)rrangedB．leftC．clarifiedD．sorted8、A．heB．sheC．itD．its9、A．reportB．suggestionC．decisionD．survey10、A．drawB．markC．paintD．pull11、A．thatB．whatC．whenD．which12、A．dependedB．stuckC．basedD．fixed13、A．pretendB．considerC．wantD．imagine14、A．a(chǎn)rrivedB．gotC．reachedD．increased15、A．letterB．cardC．emailD．message16、A．doingB．cleaningC．makingD．taking17、A．playB．workC．sleepD．school18、A．understandableB．uncomfortableC．unbelievableD．unchangeable19、A．readB．a(chǎn)voidC．reciteD．repeat20、A．ThereforeB．BesidesC．OtherwiseD．However第二節(jié)（每小題1.5分，滿分15分）閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入1個(gè)適當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~或括號(hào)內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）AsEnglishlearners,wehavethealphabetclearlyinourmind,inorder,fromaveryyoungage.YoucansaytheABCs1．rapidspeedandsomepeoplecanevensaythembackwardswithout2．(think)aboutit.Wecertainlycan'timaginethealphabetbeinginanyotherorder.buthowdidtheorderweknowtodaycometobe?There’s3．(real)notaneasyanswer.Noonewokeupanddecidedtoputthe4．(letter)inthatorder,thealphabet5．(evolve)slowlyoveralongperiodoftimetobecome6．itistoday.OuralphabetcandatebacktoancientEgypt.Thisfirstalphabet7．(improve)bythePhoeniciansaround1000BC,8．(early)thantheGreeksby200years,andwehavethemtothankforvowels(元音)FromGreece,ouralphabettraveledtoRome,andtheRomansturned9．intothe“modern”alphabet,withletterswerecognizetoday.Sowhythatorder?Whilewedon’tknowforsure.somescholarsassumedthattheordercamefrommemorycellsinourbrainsmeant10．(help)peoplerememberit-somekindofsentencewhereeachletterbecameafullword,likethetechniqueyouusedinschooltoremembertheorderoftheplanets.第四部分寫作（共兩節(jié)）第一節(jié)短文改錯(cuò)（滿分10分）28．（10分）假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請(qǐng)你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。文中共有10處語言錯(cuò)誤，每句中最多有兩處。錯(cuò)誤涉及一個(gè)單詞的增加、刪除或修改。增加：在缺詞處加一個(gè)漏字符號(hào)（∧），并在其下面寫出該加的詞。刪除：把多余的詞用斜線（\）劃掉。修改：在錯(cuò)的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。注意：1、每處錯(cuò)誤及其修改均僅限一詞；2、只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計(jì)分。I’vebeenplayingvolleyballsincethreeyearsbefore、Itstartedwhenateachersetupvolleyballclubinourschool,hopethatmorestudentswouldjoininthesport、Theclubwasverypopularthatmanystudentssignedupforit、Tobehonestly,atthattimeIjustfollowedthemwithoutthinking、WepracticedtogetheroneverySaturdaymorning、However,someofthestudentssoonbegantogetboringanddroppedoutoftheclub、SoIfoundIwasquiteenjoyingitandIcarryon、Aftertrainingforsometime,Iwasselectedfortheschoolteam、WhatexcitedandproudIwas!第二節(jié)書面表達(dá)（滿分25分）29．（25分）假定你是李華，獲悉你的一位南非朋友（1ucy）在約翰內(nèi)斯堡大學(xué)孔子學(xué)院（ConfuciusInstituteatJohannesburgUniversity）舉辦的中文詩(shī)詞朗誦比賽中榮獲一等獎(jiǎng)。請(qǐng)你用英語給她寫封信表示祝賀，并希望她有機(jī)會(huì)來中國(guó)深造。注意：詞數(shù)100左右；可以適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫。DearLucy,____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yours,LiHua

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、B2、D3、C4、C5、B6、C7、B8、B9、C10、B11、B12、B13、C14、D15、A16、A17、D18、A19、A20、D第二部分閱讀理解（滿分40分）閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。21、1、D2、C3、A4、D22、1、B2、C3、A23、1、A2、D3、C4、D24、1、C2、D3、B4、A25、America’sbusinessesaregettingolderandfatter,whilemanynewbusinessesaredyingininfancy.AstudylastmonthbytheBrookingsInstitutionfoundthattheproportionofolderfirmshasgrownsteadilyoverseveraldecades,whilethesurvivalrateofnewcompanieshasfallen.Inaddition,youngpeoplearestartingcompaniesatasharplylowerratethaninthepast.AnewreportfromtheNationalAssociationofManufacturersshowsamajorcause:Thecostofobeyinggovernmentregulationshasrisentomorethan$2trillion(12.26trillionyuan)annually,or12percentoftheGDP,andthiscostfallsdisproportionatelyonsmaller,newerbusinesses.It’srisky,difficultandexpensivetostartabusiness,andgettingmoreso.Governmentsareimposingvariousnewrulesonaseeminglydailybasis:healthinsurance,minimumwageincreasesand,mostrecentlyinCalifornia,compulsorypaidsickdaysforevenhourlyemployees.Theseregulationsshifthugesocialwelfarecostsdirectlyontooften-strugglingsmallbusinesses,whilebeingproportionallymuchlesscostlyforlargercompanies.Thisispartlyanunintendedissueofresources—establishedcompaniescancopewithnewcostsmoreeasily—butit’salsodeliberate.Forinstance,biginsurancecompaniesgotaseatatthetabletohelpwriteObamacare,butlesspoliticallypowerfulfirms—likemedicaldevicemanufacturers—gotsqueezed.Mature,successfulcorporationscanemployex-lawmakerswithconnections,distributecampaigncontributionsandevenwriteregulationsforthemselves.Theyarealsomorelikelytowanttoprotectsteadyrevenuestreamsthanrevolutionizetheirindustry.Majorcompaniesthathavebeensoill-managedtheywouldotherwisecollapse—airlines,carcompaniesandbanks—stagger(蹣跚)onbecausepoliticiansridetotherescuewithbagsoftaxpayermoney.Thegeniusofouruniquesystemofgovernmentisthedeterminationtoprotectanddefendtherightsoftheindividualovertherightsofthenation.Assuch,theriseofawell-connectedoligarchy(寡頭政治)thatprotectsbigbusines