Everyone, it seems, has a health problem. After pouring billions into the National Health Service, British people moan about dirty hospitals. Long waits and wasted money. In Germany the new chancellor, Angela Merkel, is under fire for suggesting changing the financing of its health system. Canada's new Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, made a big fuss during the election about reducing the country's lengthy medical queues. Across the rich world, affluence, ageing and advancing technology are driving up health spending faster than income.
But nowhere has a bigger health problem than America. Soaring medical bills are squeezing wages, swelling the ranks of the uninsured and pushing huge firms and perhaps even the government towards bankruptcy. Ford's announcement this week that it would cut up to 30,000 jobs by 2012 was as much a sign of it's "legacy" healthcare costs as of the ills of the car industry. Pushed by polls that show health care is one of his main domestic problems and by forecasts showing that the retiring baby-boomers will crush the government's finances. George Bush is to unveil a reform plan in next week's state-of-the-union address.
America's health system is unlike any other. The Unite States spends 16% of its GDP on health, around twice the rich-country average, equivalent to $6,280 for every American each year. Yet it is the only rich country that does not guarantee universal health coverage. Thanks to an accident of history, most Americans receive health insurance through their employer, with the government picking up the bill for the poor and the elderly.
This curious hybrid certainly has its strengths. Americans have more choice than anybody else, and their health-care system is much more innovative. Europeans bills could be much higher if American medicine were not doing much of their Research and Development (R&D) for them. But there are also huge weaknesses. The one most often cited—especially by foreigners—is the army of uninsured. Some 46 million Americans do not have cover. In many cases that is out of choice and, if they fall seriously ill, hospitals have to treat them. But it is still deeply unequal. And there are also shocking inefficiencies: by some measures, 30% of American health spending is wasted.
Then there is the question of state support. Many Americans disapprove of the "socialized medicine" of Canada and Europe. In fact, even if much of the administration is done privately, around 60% of America's health-care bill ends up being met by the government. Proportionately, the American state already spends as much on health as the OECD (Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development) average, and that share is set to grow as the baby-boomers run up their Medicare bills and ever more employers avoid providing health-care coverage. America is, in effect, heading towards a version of socialized medicine by default.
1.Health problems mentions in the passage include all the following EXCEPT _______.
A.poor hospital conditions in UK B.Angela Merkel under attack
C.health financing in Germany D.long waiting lines in Canada
2.Ford's announcement of cutting up to 30,000 jobs by 2012 indicates that Ford _______.
A.has the biggest health problem of the car industry
B.has made profits from its health-care legacy
C.has accumulated too heavy a health-care burden
D.owes a great deal of debt to its employees
3.In the author's opinion, America's health system is _______.
A.inefficient B.feasible C.unpopular D.successful
4.It is implied in the passage that _______.
A.America's health system has its strengths and weaknesses
B.the U.S. government pays medical bills for the poor and the elderly
C.some 46 million Americans do not have medical insurance
D.Europeans benefit a lot from America's medical research
5.from the last paragraph we may learn that the "socialized medicine" is _______.
A.a practice of Canada and Europe B.a policy adopted by the U.S. government
C.intended for the retiring baby-boomers D.administered by private enterprises
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1.【答案】B。
【解析】文章第一段討論了有關健康的問題，本題要找出一個文章中沒有提到的健康問題的選項，這四個選項文章都提到了相關的內(nèi)容，現(xiàn)在就要看看那個不是有關健康問題的選項。“Angela Merkel, is under fire for suggesting changing the financing of its health system.”因為安吉拉·默克爾建議改革健康體系的財政政策而受到攻擊，可見這里討論的是個人問題。其他三項分別講到了英國、德國和加拿大的健康問題，所以應該選B。
2.【答案】C。
【解析】有關福特汽車公司的內(nèi)容在文章的第二段。那么現(xiàn)在看全段，這一段第一句點明了這一段的中心，而福特汽車公司舉了一個例子來進行說明。要想知道福特公司到2012年撤銷3000多工作崗位暗示了什么，需要看“soaring bills are squeezing wages, swelling the ranks of the uninsured and pushing huge firms and perhaps even the government towards bankruptcy”?？梢?，已經(jīng)積壓了太沉重的健康負擔。C項最為符合，所以應該選C。
3.【答案】A。
【解析】涉及美國的健康體系的段落在第三和第四段。A項講到美國健康體系是無效率的，第三段講到：美國在健康問題上花費了GDP的16%，大約是富有國家平均水平的兩倍，但是它卻不能保證全面實施健康福利政策?？梢姡核菬o效率的。B、C、D項的說法，文章沒有涉及，所以應該選A。
4.【答案】D。
【解析】implied表示“暗含的”。由于三個選項幾乎是文章的直接表述，D項在文章第四段第三句，這句話的原意是：如果美國的醫(yī)藥沒有做很多的研究和開發(fā)，歐洲的醫(yī)藥賬單可能更高。暗含歐洲從美國的研究中大量獲利。所以應該選D。
5.【答案】A。
【解析】根據(jù)最后一段第一句話“Americans disapprove of the 'socialized medicine' of Canada and Europe.”美國人不同意加拿大和歐洲的公費醫(yī)療制度?？梢姡汗M醫(yī)療是加拿大和歐洲的一項制度。A項符合文章的意思，所以應該選A。
