The British National Health Service (NHS) was set up in 1948 and was designed to provide equal basic health care, free of charge, for everybody in the country. Before this time health care had to be paid for by individuals.
Nowadays central government is directly responsible for the NHS although it is administered by local health authorities. About 83 percent of the cost of the health service is paid for by general taxation and the rest is met from the National Insurance contributions paid by those in work. There are charges for prescription and dental care but many people, such as children, pregnant women, pensioners, and those on Income Support, are exempt from payment.
Most people are registered with a local doctor (a GP, or General Practitioner) who is increasingly likely to be part of a health centre which serves the community.
As the population of Britain gets older, the hospital service now treats more patients than before, although patients spend less time in hospital. NHS hospitals—many of which were built in the nineteenth century—provide nearly half a million beds and have over 480, 000 medical staff. The NHS is the biggest employer in Europe although Britain actually spends less per person on health care than most of her European neighbours.
During the 1980s there was considerable restructuring of the Health Service with an increased emphasis on managerial efficiency and the privatization of some services (for example, cleaning). At the end of the 1980s the government introduced proposals for further reform of the NHS, including allowing some hospitals to be self-governing, and encouraging GPs to compete for patients. Patients would be able to choose and change their family doctor more easily and GPs would have more financial responsibility. The political questions continue of how much money should be provided to support the NHS and where it should come from. We can know from the first paragraph that ______.
| A．the original aim of the NHS was to provide equal basic health care for everybody |
| B．people didn’t have to pay for health care since the NHS was set up |
| C．patients were charged for receiving health care before 1948 |
| D．the NHS was an organization which gave free advice to villagers |
. What do we know about the NHS?
| A．It’s managed by the central government. |
| B．Its cost is mainly paid for by the National Insurance contributions. |
| C．It hires more people than any other unit in Europe. |
| D．Fewer patients go to its hospitals than before because they spend less on health care. |
All the following statements about GPs are true except that they ______.
| A．take care of the local people’s health |
| B．often take part in competitions to see who is the best |
| C．work under high pressure nowadays |
| D．have more responsibilities than before |
What does the underlined word “exempt” probably mean?
| A．suffering | B．different | C．prevented | D．free |
The biggest problem for the NHS is ______.
| A．many hospitals are too old to be used |
| B．some services are in the charge of individuals |
| C．more and more patients go to GPs for treatment |
| D．there is not enough money for further reform |
You and your friends will have lots of fun with Rabbit
Ears Walkie -Talkies. You can talk to someone who is in another
room at your house or someone who is up to 180
feet away from you. You can take your walkie
-talkie with you when you go camping or walking.
Rabbit Ears Walkie -Talkies are easy to use. This is what you do:
1. Push the ON button.
2. Hold the TALK button in and say something. If your friend has his/her walkie - talkie on, he/she will hear you.
If you want to talk for a long time, you can lock the TALK button. Just push the button in and up. When you finish talking, push the TALK button down.
3. When you finish talking, let go of the TALK button and listen. When your friend pushes the TALK button and says something, you will hear what your friend says through your walkie -talkie.
4. When you finish talking with your friend, push the ON button again to turn your walkie-talkie off.
| REMEMBER ◆If you cannot hear , push L (loud) to make it louder. ◆If it is too loud, push S (soft) to make it quieter. |
What are Rabbit Ears Walkie -Talkies used for?
| A．Locating places. | B．Listening to music. |
| C．Giving directions. | D．Talking with others. |
How can you lock the TALK button?
| A．Keep the button on. | B．Hold the button back. |
| C．Push the button in and up. | D．Turn the button off and down. |
Which button will you push when you can't hear clearly?
| A．L | B．S | C．TALK | D．ON |
The author writes this passage to _____.
| A．show how to use Rabbit Ears Walkie -Talkies |
| B．explain to the readers his camping experience |
| C．introduce some special ways to make friends. |
| D．tell how to make Rabbit Ears Walkie –Talkies |
Every culture has a recognized point when a child becomes an adult, when rules must be followed and tests passed.
In China, although teenagers can get their ID cards at 16, many only see themselves as an adult when they are 18. In the US, where everyone drives, the main step to the freedom of adult life is learning to drive. At 16, American teens take their driving test. When they have their license, they drive into the grown-up world.
“Nobody wants to ride the cheese bus to school,” said Eleanor Fulham, 17. She brought the pressure back to memory, especially from kids from wealthier families. “It’s like you’re not cool if you don’t have a car,” she said.
According to recent research, 41% of 16 to 19-year-olds in the US own cars, up from 23% in 1985. Although, most of these cars are bought by parents, some teens get part-time jobs to help pay.
Not all families can afford cars for their children. In cities with subways and limited parking, some teenagers don’t want them. But in rich suburban areas without subways, and where bicycles are more for fun than transportation, it is strange for a teenager not to have a car.
But police say 16-year-olds have almost three times more accidents than 18 and 19-year-olds. This has made many parents pause before letting their kids drive.
Julie Sussman, of Virginia, decided that her son Chad, 15, will wait until he is 17 to apply for his learner’s permit.
Chad said he has accepted his parents’ decision, although it has caused some teasing from his friends. “They say that I am unlucky,” he said, “But I’d rather be alive than driving, and I don’t really trust my friends on the road, either.”
In China, as more families get cars, more 18-year-olds learn to drive. Will this become a big step to becoming an adult?Which may serve as the BEST title of the article?
| A．Cars Helping You to Grow-Up | B．Driving into the Grown-Up World |
| C．Teenagers’ Driving in America | D．Recognized Point of Becoming an Adult |
16-year-old drivers have more accidents possibly because .
| A．they want to show themselves off | B．they are never experienced drivers |
| C．older people always drive better | D．they never drive carefully on the road |
Which may NOT be taken into consideration when deciding whether to buy a car?
| A．How well off the family is. |
| B．Whether the kid is old enough. |
| C．What traffic condition there is around. |
| D．Whether it’s practically needed. |
When Chad said “I don’t really trust my friends ...”, he meant that .
| A．he might run into his friends if he drove |
| B．he didn’t agree with his friends |
| C．he might not be safe if his friends drove |
| D．he was afraid that his friends might well lie to him |
The passage mainly gives information about .
| A．an American culture |
| B．a cultural difference between America and China |
| C．a change in the Chinese culture |
| D．the relationship between driving and a person’s development |
When we walk on a street or sit down to have a cup of coffee in a small café in Shanghai, we will often see foreign faces at every turn. Today, foreigners do not come to Shanghai to seek adventures, as they did in the old days, or arrive in the city for a short visit, as some did when China just carried out the opening-up. Instead, many foreigners come to Shanghai to settle in the city. They are attracted by the life in Shanghai and choose to stay in the city. Their stay has made Shanghai more like an international city.
Early in the 1990s, a group of Western-style buildings emerged at the Gubei New District in the southwestern part of the Hongqiao Development Zone in Shanghai. The Western-style buildings, marked by their great arches and the typical flavors of the unique European style, appealed to many foreigners and become their favorite choice when they came to live or work in Shanghai. Foreigners gathered in the zone, enjoying their quiet life there.
As the city further develops, more and more foreigners choose to live in the downtown area where most native Shanghai people live. They live close to local residents and gradually become interated(一体化)into the local life—they learn to cook local dishes, they learn to speak the Shanghai dialect and they celebrate traditional Chinese holidays together with native people. Their lifestyle is becoming more and more similar to that of local residents.
In the past, foreigners that came to Shanghai were mostly representatives(代表)sent to work in the city. Today, however, many foreigners that live in the city are students, business starters or ordinary people. Related information shows that there are more than 50,000 foreigners living and working in Shanghai.Foreigners used to come to Shanghai to_____.
| A．start small cafés | B．help build houses |
| C．have a short visit | D．learn the Shanghai dialect |
The underlined word“emerged”in the second paragraph probably means_______.
| A．built | B．appeared | C．stood | D．lay |
In the past, most of the foreigners coming to Shanghai were_______.
| A．business starters | B．students | C．ordinary people | D．representatives |
Which of the following can be inferred from the text?
| A．There are fewer foreigners in Beijing than in Shanghai. |
| B．It is the foreigners who make Shanghai an international city. |
| C．Many foreigners enjoy the traditional Chinese festivals. |
| D．The foreigners came to Shanghai to seek for money in the past. |
The best title for this text would be______.
| A．Foreigners Settling in Shanghai | B．The Development of Shanghai |
| C．The Lifestyle of Shanghai People | D．Contributions of Foreigners in Shanghai |
Is there anything more important than health? I don’t think so. “Health is the greatest wealth，” wise people say. You can’t be good at your studies or work well when you are ill.
If you have a headache, toothache, backache, earache or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a bad cough, if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold, or if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, I think you should go to the doctor. The doctor will examine your throat, feel your pulse, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, test your eyes, check your teeth or have your chest X-rayed. After that, he will advise some treatment, or some medicine. The only thing you have to do is to follow his advice.
Speaking about doctor’s advice, I can’t help telling you a funny story. An old gentleman came to see the doctor. The man was very ill. He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs. The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease. He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest. He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks. In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule: “Eat with pleasure, drink with pleasure and enjoy life as it is.” The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn’t smoke more than one cigarette a day. A month later the gentleman came into the doctor’s office. He looked cheerful and happy. He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man.“ But you know, doctor,” he said, “it’s not easy to begin smoking at my age.”The writer thinks that_____.
| A．health is more important than wealth |
| B．work is as important as studies |
| C．medicine is more important than pleasure |
| D．nothing is more important than money |
The doctor usually tells his patient what to do______.
| A．without examining the patient | B．after he has examined the patient |
| C．if the patient doesn’t take medicine | D．unless the patient feels pain |
The underlined part means “______”.
| A．he was feeling better than ever | B．he wasn’t a healthy man |
| C．he was feeling worse than before | D．he will be well again |
From the last sentence of the passage, we learn the man_______ before the doctor told him not to smoke more than one cigarette a day.
| A．was a heavy smoker | B．didn’t smoke so much |
| C．didn’t smoke | D．began to learn to smoke |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The doctor usually tests his/her blood pressure when a person is ill. |
| B．The man told the doctor he couldn’t remember things. |
| C．The man thanked the doctor. |
| D．The man didn’t follow the doctor’s advice. |
I sat at my seat waiting for the school paper to be passed around. I waited anxiously, knowing that once I received it I would know how good a writer I really am.
When the paper arrived at my classroom, I nearly knocked down five of my classmates to get to the first paper. With a school paper in my hands, I returned to my seat. About a month earlier, I had handed in one of, what I believed to be, my best stories. I named it Symbol of Success. The head of the English Department at my school, Professor Cullen had said that she would include some reviews of students’ stories in the latest school paper. Professor Cullen was known for her rough criticism. Impressing her was very hard but I wanted to be the first to do so.
I sat at the edge of my seat as I read through the other story reviews. There wasn’t one story that got more than three stars .I became calm and wasn’t anxious to know my review. It was long after that I heard someone shout out “Five stars?! Seriously!” from behind me. I turned around and saw the shocked expression of Gene’s face, “Peter, your story got five stars!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I turned my attention back to my story and saw the five stars at the end of the review that I had not read yet. I looked through the review written by Professor Cullen. She wrote that I had a gift for story writing.
I was proud that I achieved what I thought was impossible .For so long I believed I wasn’t as good as I thought I was and that my talent was not enough to cover up my lack of wring skills .But this review proved that I was truly a good writer and that there was a future ahead of me in the field of fiction writing. The review and the five stars meant the world of me. Those five stars became the symbol of my success.How did the writer get the school paper?
| A．His teacher gave it to him first |
| B．The publisher sent it to him first |
| C．His friend helped him get the first one. |
| D．He rushed ahead to get the first one by himself. |
What can we learn about Professor Cullen?
| A．She was very gentle to everyone. | B．She seldom praised her students. |
| C．She was very cold to her students. | D．She was respected by her students. |
We can learn from this text that Peter_______.
| A．had thought his story was better than those of others |
| B．was always anxious to know the review about him |
| C．didn’t know he got five stars until others told him |
| D．looked through a few stories that had got four stars |
What did Professor Cullen think of Peter’s story?
| A．She thought highly of it . |
| B．She thought it was just so-so. |
| C．She thought it was extremely bad |
| D．She doubted if it was written by him. |
Why did the review and the five stars mean the world to Peter?
| A．Because they helped him learn writing skills |
| B．Because they made him happy for some time |
| C．Because they helped him enter a key university |
| D．Because they made him see his writing talents |
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