四川省瀘州市瀘縣第四中學(xué)2025屆高三下學(xué)期聯(lián)合考試英語試題含解析

四川省瀘州市瀘縣第四中學(xué)2025屆高三下學(xué)期聯(lián)合考試英語試題考生須知：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。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．Asisoftenthecase,therearealwayssomeobstaclesintheway，something________beforewerealizetherealgoalofeducation.A．tobegotthrough B．gotthroughC．gettingthrough D．havingbeengotthrough2．Dadisusedtosmokinganddrinking.There’snochance_____I’mabletotalkhiminto.A．whether;givingitupB．ofwhether;givingthemupC．that;gettingridofthemD．which;stoppingit3．Rightnow,lotsofpeoplesearchforproductsontheInternetbutstillbuythematstores.Internetshoppingwillreally____whenpeoplearesurethatitissafe.A．setup B．setoff C．takeoff D．takeup4．ThecourseaboutChinesefoodattractsover100studentsperyear,_______uptohalfarefromoverseas.A．inwhich B．ofwhomC．withwhich D．forwhom5．MoreexpresswaysinSichuansoontopromotethelocaleconomy.A．a(chǎn)rebeingbuilt B．willbebuiltC．havebeenbuilt D．hadbeenbuilt6．Encourageyourchildrentotrynewthings,buttrynotto_________________themtoohard.A．draw B．strikeC．rush D．push7．Irefusetoaccepttheblameforsomething________wassomeoneelse'sfault.A．who B．thatC．a(chǎn)s D．what8．—________?Youlookreallydown.—I’mtiredofmyjob.Thereareendlessproblemstodealwith.A．Whybother B．SowhatC．What’sup D．Whynot9．Duetolargeinvestmentinhousing,manycitiescan________theflowofnewarrivals,improvingthequalityoftheirlife.A．giverisetoB．makewayforC．takepartinD．keeppacewith10．Differentculturalfeaturesofethnicgroupsare________oneanotherandworkoutamelody．A．intunewith B．inparallelwithC．incontrastto D．inresponseto11．Whydomanystudentssticktoprivatetutoring_____theycouldeasilymastersuchknowledgeatschool?A．unless B．before C．a(chǎn)fter D．when12．Eachparty_______respectthearticlesofthiscontract,oradouble-sizedfinancialpunishmentisamust.A．will B．could C．shall D．should13．________thedangerofdrunkdriving,manydriverspromisednevertodriveafterdrinking.A．Realizing B．TohaverealizedC．Realized D．Havingrealized14．Aftercollege,hewasemployedinamiddleschoolandthereeversince.A．wouldworkedB．hadworkedC．workedD．hasworked15．IthinkAna______herpackingsinceshestartedgettingthingsreadyearlythismorning.A．finishesB．hasfinishedC．hadfinishedD．wouldfinish16．Forsometimethediscussionwentwithnoonesayingword.Alicefinallybroke.Silence.A．a(chǎn);the B．the;a C．a(chǎn);不填 D．the;不填17．Lifethelike________ocean;Only________strong-willedcanreachtheothershore.A．a(chǎn)n;the B．the;aC．the;/ D．/;a18．Ellenisafantasticdancer.IwishI________aswellasher.A．dance B．willdanceC．haddanced D．danced19．---AlanseemsalottallerthanwhenIlastsawhim.---He.He’sgrownafootsinceyousawhiminShanghai.A．is B．willbeC．hasbeen D．was20．Thisisthefirsttimethatyourparentshavebeenabroad,______?A．haven’tthey B．hasn’tit C．a(chǎn)ren’tthey D．isn’tit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）SANFRANCISCO(AP)-SamsungsaysnewGalaxyNote7smartphoneswillbeavailableinU.S.stonesstartingWednesdaytoreplaceabout1milliondevicesthatarebeingrecalledbecausetheirbatteriescancatchfire.TheSouthKoreancompanyhasbeenscramblingtofixproblemscausedbyfaultybatteriesinthelatestversionofitstopofthelinesmartphonewhichfirstwentonsalelastmonth.WhenitfirstofferedonSept.2toreplacetheaffectedNote7phonesSamsungsaiditwouldswapthemformodelsofitsotherphonessuchastheGalaxyS7untilsuppliesofreplacementNote7devicesbecameavailable.SamsungfolloweduplastweekbyannouncingthatU.S.consumerswhohadpurchasedoneoftherecalledphonescouldchoosebetweenareplacementorarefundfrothedevicewhichsellsforabout$850.ThatofferwasjointlyannouncedwithofficialsattheU.S.ConsumerProductSafetyCommissionafterSamsungwascriticizedfornotcoordinatingmorecloselywiththecommission.SafetyofficialshaveurgedNote7ownerstoturnofftheirphonesandreturnthemimmediately.TheycitedreportsofNote7batteriesoverheatingintheUnitedStatesincluding26instanceswhereindividualswereburnedand55thatcausedpropertydamage.Theproblemdoesn’taffectallNote7phonesbecauseSamsungusesbatteriesfromdifferentsuppliers.Butthecompanyhassaidabout2.5milliondevicesmaybeaffectedworldwideincluding1millionsoldintheUnitedStates.Samsungalsosaidit’spushingouttwosoftwareupdatesthroughwirelesscarriers.OnewillshowagreenbatteryicontoconfirmthataNote7deviceisanewonethatdoesn’thavethebatteryproblem.Theotherwilldisplayashortnoticetoownersofolderphonescoveredbytherecalltellingthemtoturnofftheirdeviceandtakeitinforareplacement.AboutaquarterofaffectedphoneshadbeenexchangedintheUnitedStatesbyTuesdayAccordingtoaspokeswomanforSamsung’sU.S.subsidiary.ShewasunabletosayhowmanyNote7buyerssoughtrefundsbutsaid“thevastmajority”receivedadifferentSamsungphoneasareplacement.1、What’swrongwiththeaffectedNote7phones?A．Thepriceofthemistoohigh.B．Theirbatteriescancatchfire.C．Theyaresimilartoiphone7.D．Theyhaveproblemswiththeirearphones.2、WhatcanaU.S.consumerwhohadpurchasedoneoftherecalledphonesdoaccordingtoSamsung’sannouncement?A．Tosellhis/herrecalledphonetoothersforabout$850.B．Tochooseareplacementandarefundforhis/herrecalledphone.C．TousetherecalledphonetoreplaceaGalaxyS7firstandthenoneofthenewNote7devicesforfree.D．Toreturntherecalledphoneandgetareplacementorarefund(about$850)forthedevice.3、HowmanyaffectedphoneshadbeenexchangedintheUnitedStatesbyTuesday?A．About0.625million.B．About0.25million.C．About0.875million.D．About1million.4、Whatcanwelearnfromthepassage?A．Atleast81casesofNote7batteriesoverheatingwerereportedintheUnitedStates.B．TheNote7phonessoldinChinaaresafe.C．TheNote7phonesusedbatteriesfromdifferentsuppliersneverhavethe

sameproblems.D．TheGalaxyS7devicesarethesafest.22．（8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.23．（8分）“Sorryseemstobethehardestword”—thatisoneofEltonJohnsmostpopularsongs.Butnoteverypublicfigureseemstofinditsotoughtosaythatpowerfulfive-letterword.Inrecentdayspublicfigures,frompoliticianstostars,haveallpubliclyexpressedremorse.Butwithsomuchremorse,howcanwetellaforcedapologyfromaheartfeltexpressionofremorse?Specifically,sayingsorryshouldbearealizationthatsomethingyouhavesaidordonehashurtsomeoneandyouwanttomakeamends.“Peoplewantstheresponsetobepersonaltothem.Theywanttofeelthatthey’rebeinglistenedtoandtakenseriously,”saysMartinStone.Firstly,itisimportanttoshowthatyouunderstand.Itisvitalthatanygrouporapersonmakinganapologyunderstandsthefocus—isitsorryforthewayit’sactedorisitsorrythatthecomplainantfeelsthewaytheydo?Watchoutforthespeedofresponse.Thequickertheapologycomes,thebetteritindicatesthatthepersonmakingithasfeltanimmediatesenseofguilt.Ifsincere,thepersonmakingtheapologywillbelookingforclues(線索)toseeifheorsheisbeingunderstood,suchaseyecontactandfacialexpressions.Performedapologiesalwayshaveasenseofbeing“actedout”,andareoftenaccompaniedbytoomanyunnaturalgestures.Forasincereapology,itisalsoimportanttoavoidpromisesthatcan’tbekept.Don’tsaythatyou’llmakesurethatthiswillnothappenagainifyourenotconfidentthatitwont.Itcouldcomebacktobiteyou.Anddorememberthattheuseof“but”canhugelychangethetone(語氣)ofanapology.AsStonepointsout,“I’msorrybut...”soundslikeyouaremakingexcusesandaren’tactuallytakinganyformofresponsibility.1、Whatdoestheunderlinedword“remorse”probablymean?A．Feelings. B．Appereciation. C．Regret. D．Sympathy.2、Whichofthefollowingindicatesit’saperformedapology?A．Swearingitwillnothappenagain. B．Avoidingeyecontactwiththelistener.C．Showingyouunderstandhis/herfeelings. D．Payingattentiontothelistener’sreaction.3、Whatisstressedinthelastparagraph?A．Theattitude. B．Thetoneofvoice.C．Thebodylanguage. D．Thechoiceoflanguage.4、Whatisthepurposeofthetext?A．Toexplainwhatagoodapologyis.B．Todiscusshowtogiveaformalapology.C．Toshowwhyweshouldapologizeinlife.D．Toteachushowtotellifanapologyissincere.24．（8分）TheTrueStoryofaYoungManWhenReginaldLindsayreceivedascholarshiptoMorehouseCollegeinAtlanta,Georgiain1967,whathewantedmostwasnotajobwithagoodsalary,butachancetobeamemberofCongressasasouthernrepresentative.AfterearninghisdegreeatHarvardLawSchoolin1970,hereturnedtotheSouthtopracticelawamongthepoor.“Iwanttohelpthemunderstandwhattheirrightsareandtohelpthemachievethem,”hesaid.ThenheranforpoliticalofficeatthelocalandstateleveluntilhewasreadytotryforCongress.Reggrewupinalow-incomeNegrosectionofBirmingham,Alabama.Broughtupbyhisgrandparentsafterhisparentsweredivorcedwhilehewasveryyoung,Reghadbeenlivingthroughaperiodoffar-reachingprogressinracerelations.Inthesummerof1968ReghimselfbecameagoodexampleofthisprogresswhenhebecamethefirstNegrostudentappointedtoaspecialnewprogram.TheprogramintroducedbrightyoungstudentstotheworkingsoftheGeorgiaStategovernmentandencouragedthemtoseekemploymentthereafterfinishingtheireducation.“I?vebeenlucky,”hesaid.“Iseemtohavebeenintherightplaceattherighttime.”ButluckwasonlypartofReg?sstory,forhemadethemostofopportunitiesthatcamehisway.Helearnedtoreadinkindergartenandbeganvisitingthepubliclibraryregularlytoborrowbooks.Hisgrandparentsencouragedhim,thoughneitherofthemhadmucheducation,andtheyboughthimasetofencyclopedias.“Ilovedthosebooks,”heremembered.“Iusedtocomedownstairsbeforebreakfastandreadshortarticles.Ienjoyedreadingaboutfamousmen,andthenIwouldpretendtobeoneofthem.Iguessitwaspartlyachildishgameandpartlyanescape.Itwasn?ttoomuchfuntobeaNegrowhenIwasakid.”Whilestudyingforhisbachelor?sdegreeatMorehouseCollege,Regworkedonseveralpoliticalcampaignshelpingcandidatesgetelectedtogovernmentoffices.Atthesametimehemaintaineda“B”averagewhilemajoringinpoliticalscience.WithjusttwomoreyearstocompleteatHarvardLawSchool,whichalsogavehimascholarship,Regmadeagoodstartonhisprofessionalcareer.Hesaid,“ThegoodlifeformeisthekindoflifewhereIcanfindsatisfactioninpublicservice.”Thenin1975hewastheMassachusettsstatecommissionerofpublicutilitiesandfrom1993to2009hewasjudgeoftheUnitedStatesDistrictCourtfortheDistrictofMassachusetts.1、AfterearninghisdegreefromHarvardLawSchool,Reginaldplannedto.A．returntohishometowntofindajobwithagoodsalaryB．gobacktotheSouthtohelpthepoorunderstandtheirrightsC．runforlocalofficetomakeprogressonthecivilrightsmovementD．tryforCongressbyencouragingthepoortojoinaneducationprogram2、InwhatwaydidReginald?sgrandparentsencouragehimtoread?A．Theysenthimtokindergarten.B．Theyledhimtopubliclibrary.C．Theyboughthimencyclopedias.D．Theyborrowedmanybooksforhim.3、WhichofthefollowingwordscanbestdescribeReginald?A．Enthusiasticandcareful. B．Cooperativeandmodest.C．Ambitiousandhardworking. D．Courageousandgenerous.25．（10分）Iheardmanyparentscomplainingthattheirteenagechildrenarerebelling（叛逆）．Iwishitwereso．Atyourageyououghttobegrowingawayfromyourparents．Youshouldbelearningtostandonyourownhvofeet．Buttakeagoodlookatthepresentrebellion．Itseemsthatteenagersaretakingthesamewayofshowingthattheydisagreewiththeirparents．Insteadofstrikingoutboldlyontheirown,mostofthemareclutching(緊握）atoneanother'shandsforreassurance．Theyclaimtheywanttodressastheyplease．Buttheyallwearthesameclothes.Thensetoffinnewdirectionsinmusic．Butsomehowtheyallendupwithlisteningtothesamerecordtogether．Theirreasonforthinkingoractinginthus-and-suchawayisthatmanypeoplearedoingit．Theyhavecomeoutoftheircocoon（繭）intoalargercocoon．Ithasbecomeharderandharderforateenagertostandupagainstthepopularitywaveandgohisorherownway．Industryhasfirmlycarvedoutateenagemarket．Thesedayseveryteenagercanlearnfromtheadvertisementswhatateenagershouldhaveandbe．Andmanyoftoday'sparentshavecometoawardhighmarksforthepopularityoftheirchildren．Allthisaddstoagreatbarrier(障礙）fortheteenagerwhowantstofindhisorherownpath．Butthebarrierisworthclimbingover．Thepathisworthfollowing,Youmaywanttolistentoclassicalmusicinsteadofgoingtoaparty．Youmaywanttocollectrockswheneveryoneelseiscollectingrecords．Youmayhavesomethoughts'thatyoudon'tcaretosharewithyourclassmatesatonce,well,gotoit．Findyourself．Popularitywillcome-withthepeoplewhorespectyouforwhoyouare．Thatistheonlykindofpopularitythatreallycounts．1、Inthispassage,theauthorwantstotell________.A．teenagershowtolearntodecidethingsforthemselvesB．readershowtobepopularwithpeoplearoundC．parentshowtocontrolandguidetheirchildrenD．peoplehowtounderstandandrespecteachother2、Accordingtotheauthor,manyteenagersthinktheyarebraveenoughtoactontheirown,butinfact,mostofthem_________.A．havemuchdifficultyunderstandingeachotherB．lackconfidenceC．darenotcopewith（處理）problemssingle-handedD．a(chǎn)remuchafraidofgettinglost3、Whichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtothepassage?A．Thereisnopopularitythatreallycounts．B．Whatmanyparentsaredoingishelpingtheirchildrenfindtheirownpaths．C．Itisbadforateenagertodisagreewithhisorherclassmates．D．Mostteenagersclaimthattheywanttodowhattheyliketo,buttheyareactuallydoingthesame．4、Whatdoestheauthorthinkofadvertisements?A．Convincing． B．Influential.C．Instructive． D．Authoritative（權(quán)威的）．5、Duringtheteenageyears,oneshouldlearnto_________A．differfromothersinasmanywaysaspossibleB．getintotherightreasonandbecomepopularC．findone'srealselfD．rebelagainstparentsandthepopularitywave第三部分語言知識運(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）Xinxin,a12-year-oldstudentfromBeijing,enjoyedhiswintervacationwithhisfatherinSingapore.Duringtheirvisit,heevenhadthechanceto1someofSingapore'ssightsbyhimself2hisfatherwasbusywithotherthings.Xinxin’sfirstadventure3inSingaporewasatawaterparkneartheirhotel.Heenjoyedswimmingand4intothewaterbyhimself,andthenreturnedtothehotelbeforeatimeintheeveningthatwas5byhisfather.TheboyalsomadeatriptoUniversalStudiosSingapore6aguardian.Hehadalreadybeentotheparkwithhisfathertwotimesduringthetrip.Xinxinvolunteeredtomakehis7tripbyhimself.Hisfathergavehimsomepocketmoneytobuylunch,andthenXinxinrodetheshuttlefromtheirhoteltothestudios.Hespentawholedaythereandhada8time.InaninterviewwithBeijingEveningNews,Xinxin’sfathersaidthat9hewastoobusytospendallhistimewithhisson,hedecidedtogivehimtheopportunitytodevelopasenseof10HadXinxin’smotherbeenthere,shewouldnothaveletXinxinoutofhersight,thefathercommented.1、A．study B．explore C．test D．measure2、A．while B．until C．before D．unless3、A．a(chǎn)long B．a(chǎn)live C．a(chǎn)lone D．lonely4、A．floating B．surfing C．driving D．diving5、A．made B．set C．decided D．a(chǎn)sked6、A．under B．behind C．with D．without7、A．first B．second C．third D．fourth8、A．terrible B．miserable C．fantastic D．flexible9、A．though B．since C．if D．when10、A．independence B．daring C．pride D．diligence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~或括號內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。27．（15分）Onemorning,Iwaswaitingatthebusstop,worriedaboutbeinglateforschool.Thereweremanypeople1．(wait)atthebusstop,andsomeofthemlookedveryanxiousanddisappointed.Whenthebusfinallycame,weallhurriedonboard.Igotaplacenexttothewindow,soIhad2．goodviewofthesidewalk.Aboy3．wasridingabikecaughtmyattention.Hewasridingbesidethebusandwavinghisarms.Iheardapassengerbehindmeshoutingtothedriver,butherefused4．(stop)untilwereachedthenextstop.Still,theboykeptriding.Hewascarryingsomethingoverhisshoulderandshouting.5．(final),whenwecametothenextstop,theboyranupthedoor6．thebus.Iheardanexcitedconversation.Thenthedriverstoodupandasked,“Didanyoneloseasuitcaseatthe7．stop?”Awomanonthebusshouted,“Oh,dear!It’s8．(I)”.Shepushedherwaytothedriverand9．(take)thesuitcasethankfully.Fiveothersonthebusbegantalkingaboutwhattheboyhaddoneandthecrowdof10．(stranger)suddenlybecamefriendlytooneanother.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。每處錯(cuò)誤僅涉及一個(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（∧），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。Today,whenIwalkedtohomeafterschool,Ifoundthesunsetwasverybeautifully、Istoppedattheparkandsitonabenchtoappreciatethescenery、Therewassomanypeopleatthepark,mostofwhomwereoldcouples,buttheywentforawalk、Therewasaspecialcouplewalkhandinhand,whichcaughtmyattention、Theoldwomancouldn’twalkwellbecausetherewassomethingwrongwithherrightlegs、Theoldmantookcareofthemcarefully、Theysetgoodexampletotheyoungcouples,showingthattrueloveis、Againstthesunset,theymadeupabeautifulscene、20第二節(jié)書面表達(dá)（滿分25分）29．（25分）假定你是李華，你校英語協(xié)會招聘志愿者，接待來訪的國外中學(xué)生。請你寫信應(yīng)聘，內(nèi)容包括：口語能力：相關(guān)經(jīng)驗(yàn)；應(yīng)聘目的。注意：詞數(shù)80左右；可以適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫。

參考答案第一部分（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）1、A2、C3、C4、B5、B6、D7、B8、C9、D10、A11、D12、C13、D14、D15、B16、A17、A18、D19、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、C2、D3、B4、A22、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)thatprotectsbigbusinessattheexpenseofsmallbusiness,andtheestablishedoverthenew,isoppositet