陕西省咸阳市重点中学2024年高考5月模拟考试英语试题试卷含解析

陕西省咸阳市重点中学2024年高考5月模拟考试英语试题试卷考生请注意：1．答题前请将考场、试室号、座位号、考生号、姓名写在试卷密封线内，不得在试卷上作任何标记。2．第一部分选择题每小题选出答案后，需将答案写在试卷指定的括号内，第二部分非选择题答案写在试卷题目指定的位置上。3．考生必须保证答题卡的整洁。考试结束后，请将本试卷和答题卡一并交回。第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1．—Irene,doyoureallywanttogoout?—Itmayrain.___________,Iwillgoout;Idon’tmindtherain.A．Anyhow B．OtherwiseC．Somehow D．Therefore2．Thecollection,sortingandofhistoricalmaterialsandculturalrelicsoftheMayFourthMovementshouldbestrengthened,PresidentXisaid.A．consideration B．conservationC．constitution D．construction3．Theeventthat_________inmymemoryhappenedonemorningin1983whenIwas14yearsold.Ithasneverescaped.A．stoodoutB．standsoutC．wouldstandoutD．hasstoodout4．Thedrumsofwararebeatingonceagain.AstensionsrisebetweenAmericaandIran,Chinaappealstobothsidesto________.A．standby B．comealongC．stepback D．sticktogether5．Ireallydon’tknowhowtoexpressmythankstoMr.Li,myhighschoolEnglishteacher,withoutwhosehelpI__________tocollegethatyear.A．weren’ttogo B．hadn’tbeenabletogoC．couldn’tgo D．couldn’thavegone6．Mostgraduatesinbigcitiesaresufferingformconnectedtosoaringhousepricesandjobhunting.A．curiosity B．eagerness C．thirst D．anxiety7．Uponenteringa“newera”,whatwenowfaceisthe_______betweenunbalancedandinadequatedevelopmentandthepeople’sever-growingneedsforabetterlife.A．administrationB．violationC．contradictionD．presentation8．Varietiesofsolutionshavebeenprovidedforustosolvetheproblem.Wecanchoose________tostartwith.A．it B．that C．each D．one9．—Sorry,Mum!Ifailedthejobinterviewagain.—Oh,it'stoobad.You________havemadefullpreparations.A．must B．can C．would D．should10．Shedoesn’tspeakourlanguage,sheseemstounderstandwhatwesay.A．yetB．andC．orD．so11．—Bettywasfeelingprettyblueforawhile,butshe’sbetternow.—_______.A．Oh,that’skindofyou B．CongratulationsC．Oh,I’mgladtohearthat D．It’smypleasure12．—Guesswhat!Icameacrossanoldfriendatthestationlastweekend.—I’msureyoutalkedwithhimhappily.A．Soundsgood! B．Verywell.C．Hownice! D．Allright.13．Intimewereachedastagewehadmoreyoungreadersthanoldones． A．where B．how C．who D．what14．_________hisconclusionontheevidencehecollectedonthescene,heprovedthatthemurdererwasguilty.A．Based B．BasingC．Tobase D．Beingbased15．IthinkAna______herpackingsinceshestartedgettingthingsreadyearlythismorning.A．finishesB．hasfinishedC．hadfinishedD．wouldfinish16．Someonecalledmeupatmidnight,buthehadhungupIcouldanswerthephone.A．asB．sinceC．untilD．before17．—Onlythosewhohavealotincommoncangetalongwell.—_________.Oppositessometimesdoattract.A．Ihopenot B．IthinksoC．Iappreciatethat D．Ibegtodiffer18．Icertainlyexpecttobeelectedbeststudentoftheyear.It’sreally________!A．agoodSamaritanB．awetblanketC．afeatherinmycapD．apieceofcake19．Bobmadeapromisetothemanager________theworkwouldallbefinishedontime.A．that B．whatC．which D．whether20．DidyouwatchthefinalmatchofChinaOpenyesterday?Sure.IitsoattentivelythatIforgottocooksupper.A．watchedB．hadwatchedC．waswatchingD．wastowatch第二部分阅读理解（满分40分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。21．（6分）Uh-oh-you’restuckwithalongmid-journeystayoraninsaneflightdelay.Whattodo?Spendinghoursinanairportcanmakeanypersonwhotravelsbyplanealittleannoyed.Butbeforeyousplurge(挥霍)atthebarorduty-freeshops,youmightwanttoaskaboutyourairport’sperks(特权).Therearealotofthingsyoucandointheairportwithoutbreakingthebank.Toreduceyourannoyanceandsaveyourwallet,VIVALifestyleandTravelhascompiledalistofallofthebestairportperks.Makesureyou’renotmakingthesemistakesonyournextflight,too.Someairports,suchasPortlandInternationalAirportinOregon,SanFranciscoInternationalAirportinCalifornia,orMinneapolis-St.PaulInternationalAirport,offerfreemoviestowaitingpassengers.Othershavefreemuseumsandliveevents,includingSanFrancisco,Miami,Albany,Minneapolis,Portland,andSt.Louis.Lookingtorelaxafterastressfultrip?Manyairportsoffertherapydogs;youcanalsovisitthepigatSanFranciscoInternationalAirport,thecatatDenverInternationalAirport,andtheminiaturehorsesatCincinnati’sairport.Ifyou’reflyingthroughSanFrancisco,Chicago,Miami,orDallasFortWorth,borrowacomplimentaryyogamatandzenout.Youcaneventravelinstylewithexclusive(专属的)tourguides,whoprovidefreecitytoursfromcertainairportslikeSingapore,Seoul,Tokyo,andIstanbul.OrtakeadvantageofthefreepersonalshopperduringyourstayatLondon’sHeathrowAirport.Checkoutevenmorewaystomakethemostofyourlongmid-journeystay.Theperksdon’tstoponceyouboardtheplane,either.Somemajorairlinesalsooffermajorflightperksfortheirpassengers.Goandfigurethemout!1、Whatpartdoesthefirstparagraphplayinthepassage?A．Alead-in.B．Acomment.C．Asummary.D．Abackground.2、WhatdoestheunderlinedpartinPara.2mean?A．Knockingdownthebank.B．Borrowingmoneyfromthebank.C．Depositingyourmoney.D．Usingupyourmoney.3、WhatcanyoudoinMiamiAirportforfree?A．Visitthepig.B．Watchmovies.C．Enjoyliveevents.D．Travelwithanexclusivetourguide.4、Whoarethetextmostlikelyintendedfor?A．VisitorstotheUSA．B．Airportpersonnel.C．Airportshopkeepers.D．Airlinepassengers.22．（8分）LittleNewYear(Chinese:Xiaonian),usuallyaweekbeforethelunarNewYear,fallsonFeb8thisyear.ItisalsoknownastheFestivaloftheKitchenGod,thedeity(神)whooverseesthemoralcharacterofeachhousehold.HerearesixthingsyoushouldknowabouttheLittleNewYear,anothersignofthestartofspring.1.OffersacrificestoKitchenGodOneofthemostdistinctivetraditionsoftheLittleNewYearistheburningofapaperimageoftheKitchenGod,whowillreportonthefamily'sconductoverthepastyear.TheofferingstotheKitchenGodincludepig'shead,fish,sweetbeanpaste,melons,fruit,boileddumplings,barleysugar,andGuandongcandy,astickytreatmadeoutofglutinousmilletandsproutedwheat.Mostoftheofferingsaresweetsofvariousvarieties.ItisthoughtthatthiswillsealtheKitchenGod'smouthandencouragehimtoonlysaygoodthingsaboutthefamilywhenheascendstoheaventomakehisreport.2.HousecleaningAccordingtoChinesefolkbeliefs,duringthelastmonthoftheyearghostsanddeitiesmustchooseeithertoreturntoHeavenortostayonEarth.Itisbelievedthatinordertoensuretheghostsanddeities'timelydeparturepeoplemustthoroughlycleanboththeirpersonsandtheirhouses,downtoeverylastdrawerandcupboard.3.EatGuandongcandyGuandongcandy,astickytreatmadeoutofglutinousmilletandsproutedwheat,isatraditionalsnackthatChinesepeopleeatontheFestivaloftheKitchenGod.4.Pastepaper-cutstowindowsIntheLittleNewYear,oldcoupletsandpaper-cutsfromthepreviousSpringFestivalaretakendown,andnewwindowdecorations,NewYear'sposters,andauspicious(吉利的)decorationsarepastedup.5.Bathandhair-cutAstheoldChinesesayinggoes,whetherthey'rerichorpoor,peopleoftenhaveahaircutbeforetheSpringFestival.TheactivityoftakingbathandhaircutisoftentakenontheLittleNewYear.6.PreparationsforSpringFestivalPeoplestarttostockupnecessaryprovisionsfortheSpringFestivalsincetheLittleNewYear.Everythingneededtomakeofferingstotheancestors,entertainguests,andfeedthefamilyoverthelongholidaymustbepurchasedinadvance.1、WhatisthemostunusualtraditionintheLittleNewYear?A．OfferingsacrificestotheKitchenGodB．BurningpaperimageofKitchenGodC．PreparingthenecessityfortheNewYearD．Cleaninghouseandpeoplethemselves2、WhatistheKitchenGod’sdutyintheman’sworld?A．Collectingtheinformationoftheman’sworldB．ProtectingthecharacterofeachhomeC．GatheringsacrificesforotherGodsinheavenD．Overseeingthemoralpeopleintheworld3、Whyaremostoftheofferingssweets?A．BecausetheKitchenGodlovessweetfoods.B．Asitisthetraditionalcustoms.C．AspeoplehopetheGodsaysgoodforthem.D．Becausesweetsarethebestsacrifices.4、WhichofthefollowingstatementsisprobablyTRUEaccordingtothepassage?A．LittleNewYearalwaysfallsinFebruary.B．HousecleaningistowelcometheNewYear.C．IntheLittleNewYearonlypaper-cutsarepastedup.D．PeoplewillmakefullpreparationsforthecomingNewYear.23．（8分）Theyear2114willbeaneventfuloneforart.InMayofthatyearinBerlin,thephilosopher-artistJonathonKeats’“centurycameras”–cameraswitha100-year-longexposure(曝光）time–willbebroughtbackfromhidingplacesaroundthecitytohavetheirresultsdevelopedandexhibited.Sixmonthsafterthat,theFutureLibraryinOslo,Norway,willopenitsdoorsforthefirsttime,presenting100booksprintedonthewoodoftreesplantedinthedistantpastof2014.AsKatiePaterson,thecreatoroftheFutureLibrary,putsit:“FutureLibraryisanartworkforfuturegenerations.”Theseprojects,morethanacenturyinthemaking,arepartofanewwaveof“slowart”intendedtopushviewersandparticipantstothinkbeyondtheirownlifetimes.Theyaimtochallengetoday’sshort-termthinkingandthebriefattentionspansofmodernconsumers,forcingpeopleintoconsideringworksmoredeliberately.Intheirway,too,theyarefightingagainstmodernculture–notjustregardingmoney,butalsothewayinwhichartisticworthismeasuredbyattention.Inasimilarfashion,everyAprilonSlowArtDay,visitorsareencouragedtostareatfiveworksofartfor10minutesatatime–atoughtaskfortheaveragemuseumvisitor,whotypicallyspendslessthan30secondsoneachpieceofart.LiketheFutureLibrary,thecenturycamerasareverymuchaprojectforcities,sinceit’sincitiesthattimerunsfastestandthepaceoflifeisfastest.“SinceIstartedlivinginacity,I’vesomehowbeenquitedisconnected,”AnneBeateHovind,theFutureLibraryprojectmanager,whodescribedhowworkingonthelibrarydrewherbacktothepaceoflifesheknewwhenshewasgrowinguponafarminheryouth,toldTheAtlanticmagazine.1、Accordingtothefirstparagraph,whatwillNOThappenin2114?A．Acamerawhichwasproduced100yearsagowillbeexhibited.B．TheFutureLibrarywillbeopentothepublicforthefirsttime.C．Photoswitha100-yearexposuretimewillbedevelopedandexhibited.D．Booksprintedonthewoodoftreesplantedin2014willbedisplayed.2、Whatcanwelearnabouttoday’speople’sattitudetowardworksofart?A．Theyconsiderworksdeliberately.B．Theyspendlittletimeonworks.C．Theyspendmuchmoneyonworks.D．Theystareatworksfor10minutesatatime.3、Whatisthepurposeofthewaveofslowart?A．Toadvocatecreatingworksofartslowly.B．Toprotectworksofartfrombeingdamaged.C．Topromoteworksofartformodernculture.D．Toencouragepeopletoconsiderworksmoredeliberately.4、HowwouldAnneBeateHovindfeelaboutthecitylife?A．It’sdiscouraging.B．It’sawful.C．It’sdeveloped.D．It’sbusy.24．（8分）“Mom,whatisthat?”askedmyson.“TheBrideofChucky?”TheolddollIwasholdingwasprettyscary.Herglasseyeswereespeciallyhorrible,closingwhenshestooduprightandflyingopenwhenshelayflat.Onceshehadbeenloved,butshehadbeenstoredinanattic(阁楼)fordecades,wheretheextremesofheatandcoldcanbehardonagirl’slooks.Throwherinthewastebin?Maybe.Butfirst,let’scheckeBay.Iclicked,suppliedtherequiredinformationaboutcondition,includingdefects(i.e.,“Onlyamiraclecouldsavethisdoll”),anduploadeditsphotos.Isolditfor$5.Thebuyerwashappy:“Asdescribed!”hewroteonmyfeedbackpage.“Superseller!”Thedollfoundahomeand,Ihope,anewlife.Maybeshewasusedtorepairotherdolls.Perhapsthosestrangeeyesgotfixedandonceagaincaninspireachild’slove.It’sawin-win,ifyouaskme.Ialsosoldlotsofotherstuff.Noneofthembroughtinalotofmoney,thoughIhavebeensurprisedattheoccasionalbiddingwar,like,forexample,theoneoveranoldswimsuitthatwouldhavemadeBrigitteBardotlookbad.Andsomecustomers,let’sfaceit,arestrange.RecentlyIhadahardtimeconvincinganAustralianwould-bebuyerofanIrishsouvenirbellthatIdon’tshopinternationally;it’sjusttoomuchtrouble.HecouldhaveflowntoIrelandandboughthisownbellforthepricehewaswillingtopay.Anothertime,abuyercomplainedthattheelectricwireonanoldradiowasdirty.Really?Dirty?Thewirewasblack.ButIaimtoplease,soIofferedarefund.Sowhybotherwiththedealingandsmallprofits?BecauseIdon’tlikeabandoningthepast.Allthesetreasuresoncehadstories.Theymeantsomething.Butthepeoplewhogavethemthatmeaningaregone,andIsimplycannotrescueeverything.Ican’tevensew.SoIfinditsatisfyingthatanewowner,discoveredviaeBay,willcontinuethestoryinhisorherownway.1、Whatwasthedolllike?A．Itwaslovely.B．Itwasbeautiful.C．Itlookedfrightening.D．Itwasprettyordinary.2、Whichcanbestreplacetheunderlinedword“defects”inParagraph3?A．Faults.B．Virtues.C．Pictures.D．Requirements.3、WhydidtheauthorrefusetoselltheAustralianthebell?A．Shethoughthewasstrange.B．Hisbidwasnothighenough.C．Someoneelsehadalreadyboughtit.D．Deliveringittohimwastroublesome.4、Afterreceivingthecomplaintabouttheradio,theauthor______.A．feltdeeplysorryB．explainedpatientlyC．returnedthemoneyD．apologizedimmediately5、WhydoestheauthorsellusedstuffviaeBay?A．Sheneedsmoneybadly.B．Sheisanenvironmentalist.C．Sheisinterestedinmarketing.D．Shewantstheirstoriestobecontinued.25．（10分）InspiringArchaeologicalStudyToursacrosstheWorldin2017…AnArchaeologicalToursgetawayisanarchaeologylover’svacationlikenoother.Wehaveanexcitingselectionoftoursdepartingin2017withunsurpassedservice.Here’sasmallselectionofwhatwehavetooffer.Alsoacodeforyou:Neverallow(Jogstorunfree­lytheretokeeptheplantsandanimalsliveinpeaceandgetridofrubbishproperly.Becarefultoburyyourtoiletwasteandkeeptothedesignedtracks.Guatemala&BelizeCoonthetrailofMesoamericancivilizationsinthelushforests,ruggedfoothills（丘陵地带）,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.第三部分语言知识运用（共两节）第一节（每小题1.5分，满分30分）阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项．26．（30分）MydaughterJulieandIwentshoppingthismorning.Alittlepartofmethoughtaboutgoingtoanothercheckoutline.Thisonehadtheshortestqueue,therewasonlyoneguyinit,buthewasina1andthereseemedtobesomecomplicationsgoingon.Well,Istampedonthatlittlepart,andwesteppedin2him.Atfirst,heseemedtobehaving3gettinghisgroceriesontotheconveyorbelt(输送带).Butafterawhile,I4thatwhathewasactuallydoingwasdividingthemintotwolots.Still,gettingthestuffuptherewasno5taskinitself.I6tohelp,butheandthecheckoutladyhaditunder7HeaskedJulieifshewould8puttinghisemptybasketaway.Thenhe9forhiswalletwhichwasinapouch(小袋子)ononesideofhischair.Thewayhewaspositionedandthefactheonlyhadoneusable10madethisquiteastretchforhim,soIhelpedthere.Whatmustitbelike,I11,tobesodependentonotherpeoplelikethat?Thecheckoutoperatorcamearoundandgavehimhis12andtheitemsheneededtohavetohand.Iofferedtoget13biggerbagandhesaid,“No.butyoucoulddomeafavor.TakethatlotalongtotheentranceandgiveittoAngela.”I14didthat,leavingJuliewithourshopping.Angela,itturnedout,wascollectingfoodforpeoplewhomightotherwisego15Ihadn’tevennoticedherbefore.Thisguy,despitethelimitationthathis16conditionimposed(强加于)onhim,hadboughtmorethantwiceasmuchshoppingasheneeded.Hemayhavebeen17physically,buthisheartwasmorethancapableof18allthat.Anditchangedmyideaof19whenIrealizedthatthehelphehadgivenwas20thehelphehadreceived.1、A．taxi B．wheelchair C．grocery D．bench2、A．before B．behind C．near D．beyond3、A．difficulty B．potential C．doubt D．ability4、A．regretted B．recognized C．requested D．realized5、A．special B．obvious C．easy D．necessary6、A．struggled B．offered C．forced D．preferred7、A．control B．consideration C．repair D．attack8、A．mind B．finish C．enjoy D．escape9、A．hoped B．chose C．reached D．begged10、A．leg B．knee C．foot D．arm11、A．warned B．wondered C．feared D．insisted12、A．change B．bill C．note D．coin13、A．more B．another C．other D．theother14、A．desperately B．faithfully C．sadly D．Gratefully15、A．thirsty B．tired C．hungry D．crazy16、A．mental B．natural C．official D．physical17、A．admired B．limited C．forgotten D．accepted18、A．overcoming B．keeping C．passing D．destroying19、A．pride B．patience C．dependence D．bravery20、A．otherthan B．morethan C．lessthan D．ratherthan第二节（每小题1.5分，满分15分）阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。27．（15分）WoodblockprintingfirstappearedintheearlyTangperiod.DuringtheSongdynasty,thetechniqueofblockprintingwasveryadvanced.Bookswere1．(beautiful)printed.Eventodaythebooks2．(print)atthetimearevaluableandtreasuredbylibrariesandbookcollectors.However,blockprinting3．(be)notveryconvenient.Everytwopagesofabookhadtobecarvedonawoodblock,andabigbookwouldrequiremanyblocks.Besides,therehadtobelargeplacesforstoringthebooks.4．(overcome)theseshortcomings,BiShenginventedthemovabletypeduringtheyearsbetween1041and1048.Onewordwascarvedononepieceofclay,5．washardenedwithfire.Thenclaycharacterswereseton6．ironplateaccordingtothetextofabook.Theninkwasappliedtothemand7．(sheet)ofpaperspreadoverthem,andtheprintingwasdone.BiSheng’sinventionmadeprintingfasterand8．(easy)thanbefore.Later,movabletypeofmetalandwoodwasmadeandwidelyused.ThetechniqueofprintingwasgraduallyknowntootherAsiancountriesandEurope.Thegreatinfluenceprintinghad9．theadvanceofcivilizationistoocleartoneedany10．(explain).第四部分写作（共两节）第一节短文改错（满分10分）28．（10分）下面文中共有10处语言错误，要求你在错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（/\），并在该句下面写出该加的词。删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。注意：1、每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；2、只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。Atfirst,Iwasnotquitewillingtositdownandwatchedthe90-minutefootballmatch、

UsuallyIjustcheckedtheresultsbecauseIthoughtthatwasdulltowatchagameinthatplayerskickedaballtoeachother、Therefore,myfatherlovesfootball、DuringtheWorldCupin2006,

mydadstaysuplatejusttowatchhisfavouritesport、Seeinghimstronglyinterestinthisgameof

22menrunafteraball,Idecidedtositdowntowatchthegame、Ifoundgameexciting,andmydadexplainedfortherules、Wesharedourjoy、FootballisnottoobadlyaslongasIwatchitwith

mydad!第二节书面表达（满分25分）29．（25分）假定你是李华，最近在你校组织的中英文化知识大赛中获得一等奖，这很大程度上得益于外教Ms.Jenkins的悉心指导。请你用英语给她写一封感谢信，要点包括：1.写信目的；2.回顾过程；3.表达祝愿。注意：1.词数100左右（开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数）；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。DearMs.Jenkins,_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yourssincerely,LiHua

参考答案第一部分（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）1、A2、B3、B4、C5、D6、D7、C8、D9、D10、A11、C12、C13、A14、B15、B16、D17、D18、C19、A20、C第二部分阅读理解（满分40分）阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。21、1、A2、D3、C4、D22、1、B2、D3、C4、D23、1、A2、B3、D4、D24、1、C2、A3、D4、C5、D25、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(蹒跚)onbecausepoliticiansridetotherescuewithbagsoftaxpayermoney.Thegeniusofouruniquesystemofgovernmentisthedeterminationtoprotectanddefendtherightsoftheindividualovertherightsofthenation.Assuch,theriseofawell-connectedoligarchy(寡头政治)thatprotectsbigbusinessattheexpenseofsmallbusiness,andtheestablishedoverthenew,isoppositetoAmericanideals.Incomeinequality—whichisdirectlycausedbyfaultygovernmentpolicy—isbeingpromotedasthereasontoimposemoreofthatbadpolicy.Butlet’sbeperfectlyclear,wedonothaveafreemarketbutonewheregovernmentpickswinnersandlosersthroughregulationsandfinancialaids.Politicsis,andalwayshasbeen,aboutbalancingcompetinginterestsseekingtobenefitthemselves,andthat’sasitshouldbe,buttheforceofgovernmentshouldneverbeusedtoreducecompetition,killinnovationorsupportandextendartificialmonopolies（垄断）byharmingtheconsumer