奢侈的生命 阿溟当人类第一次在漆黑的森林里煨烤着火堆，觉悟出人生不仅需要生存，还需要类似于此时温暖而轻松的时间、快乐的交流、各种情感交织下的幸福感的时候，一个全新的概念就孕育而生了——生活。这么看来，生活，才是人类最伟大的发明，因为其他一切进步，都是建立在生活之上的。从生存到生活，一字之差所带来的变化和问题，是人类所不曾想象过的。首先，生活给我们带来了文化和艺术。尚没有任何一个物种被证明具有这种能力。除了我们大脑的发达之外，拥有不仅仅是为了生存的生活也是主要原因。因为，我们再也不必像其他物种那样忙碌于躲避天敌的追捕和寻找猎物，这才有可能滋养出需要用心体会和欣赏的文化以及艺术。而另一方面，文化和艺术的出现，又加剧了人们追求生活的决心和意志。因为这很美好，大脑的发达不仅能够给人类提供高智慧，同时也向人类索取滋养它的“精神食粮”。这也是文化和艺术产生的必要原因。而翻开历史书，你会发现在人类的发展史中，文化和艺术，这些远离生存的事物在人类社会中占有的比重是随着人类社会形态的成熟而逐渐加大的。人类越发达，社会越稳定，就越关心生活而非生存，文化和艺术也就越被人们所关心。对于加大生活比重的渴望，使人类希望对于生存问题付出的代价能够尽量减少。这促使了人类社会的分工概念的萌生、货币的形成、科学的进步，以及文化和艺术的进一步发展。人类对于想要生活的渴望和文化艺术的发展相互依存、互相促进。你用生物学的视角去看人类，就会发现人类的文明史简直就是一部如何脱离一般生物生存模式的突变史。生存的意识被放低了，人类才能在真正意义上开始人类而非动物的命运。从此之后，人类便开始批判一切对接近动物性的需求的过于专注的追求。在人类看来，那样的人生都是低等的，缺少意义的。这在很大意义上促使了人类精神世界和意识形态的转变。人类开始将精力放在追求更多在于满足内心而非身体的东西。觉悟了生活的概念，人类开始鄙视那些“为饥饿而撕咬，为生存而死亡”的其他所有的生物们。懂不懂得生活成为人类衡量人性和动物性的区别标准。也因此，人类根本无法在自己与其他生物中找到共通性，即使我们的生命活动和它们当中的许多都如此相似。人类已经习惯了重视“生活”，忽视“生存”。在人类看来，我懂得“生活”，而你们只懂得“生存”，而这个才是最重要的。所以，人类从内心深处从此便再也不能以一种平等的姿态去看待这个世界上生存着的万物了。这也几乎是今天所有生态不平衡的最终极的原因了，生态圈不是不能承受有着高智商和巨大数量的人类的存在，而是无法承受拥有如此之多生存之外的需求的人类。“生活”的出现，带来了生态圈致命的崩溃。这当然是当初畅想能够更多地拥有“美好时刻”的人类所无法预料的，甚至今天的人类也无法反省自我到如此彻底。在人类看来，这一切如此美好，如此和谐。至于自然，至于生态，至于那些可怜的小动物们，我们终将通过我们从未失败的科技去挽救和改善，人类对此深信不疑。当然，你仔细去想想就会知道，实际上最终的目的，却依然为了支撑人类内心深处那个奢侈的幻梦。 (节选自《科学的边角余料》)

下列对文章内容的理解，正确的一项是________。

A．生活与生存的区别在于：生活需要文化和艺术作为精神食粮，生存专注于接近动物性的需求，如躲避天敌、寻找猎物

B．人类社会形态逐步成熟，人们对生活的渴望也逐步加大，这是促使文化和艺术成熟、发展的根本动力

C．人类拥有高智商，而且数量庞大，生存之外又有太多太多的需求，这差不多是造成今天所有生态不平衡的终极原因

D．人类已经完全掌握了通过现代科技去改善自然、生态，包括拯救那些可怜的小动物们技术，这是毋庸置疑的

It happens to us all, however hard we may try to delay the process—we grow old. Surgery may remove wrinkles (皱纹), skin which has become less firm may be tightened by a surgical operation on the face, and hair-dressers may dye grey hair a more youthful color, but we cannot remain young forever.
Advances in medicine have made it possible for more people to stay alive longer. However, what is important is the quality of life, and people age differently. Some people remain quite well and able to look after themselves when they get old, but others of the same age are not so lucky. They have to go into a nursing home in order to receive adequate care.
The worst aspect of ageing is that often the mind becomes less alert. As people grow older, they often experience loss of short-term memory, although they may well be able to recall quite easily events that happened long ago. Later they may suffer from dementia (痴呆), a disease which gets gradually worse.
By no means all elderly people are in this category. Many senior citizens are in possession of all their faculties and see retirement as a time of freedom. Not only that, if they have a generous retirement pension, they are likely to be quite well off, with money to spend on holidays and other luxuries. Because of this, both businesses and government have a new respect for what is known as grey power.
By no means, however, does everyone treat OAPs with respect. There are some culture which are noted for the great respect with which they treat their old people, but many people in other cultures regard the old people as having a very low status in society and treat them accordingly. They often consider old people as having one foot in the grave. Someone should remind them that they, too, will be old one day.

What is the reason that businesses respect the elderly

A. The elderly are wise.
B. The elderly have knowledge.
C. The elderly are mentally alert.
D. The elderly have spending power.