It seems that politicians around the world are thinking about the health of their countries. While in China, Chen Zhu has announced his plans for a universal health service and reform across health services. Gordon Brown, the UK Prime Minister, has also announced he is planning to make some changes in our health service.
The crux(问题的中心) of Mr. Brown's proposals are related to giving the NHS (National Health Service) a greater focus on prevention, rather than just curing patients.
He is planning to introduce increased screening for common diseases such as heart disease, strokes, and cancer, for example, breast cancer. In Britain there are 200,000 deaths a year from heart attacks and strokes, many of which might have been avoided if the condition had been known about.
Initially, the diagnostic (诊断的) tests will be available for those who are vulnerable, or most likely to have the disease. One example is a plan to offer all men over 65 an ultrasound(超声波) test to check for problems with the main artery (动脉), a condition which kills 3,000 men a year.
The opposition have criticized Mr. Brown's proposals, saying that they are just a trick, and claiming that there is no proper timetable for the changes. They also say that Mr. Brown is reducing the money available for the treatment of certain conditions while putting more money towards testing for them.
The NHS was founded in 1948, and is paid for by taxation. The idea is that the rich pay more towards the health service than the poor. However in recent years there has been a great increase in the use of private healthcare, because it’s much quicker. NHS waiting lists for operations can be very long, so many people who can afford it choose to pay for medical care themselves.
87. The underlined word vulnerable in the fourth paragraph probably means ________.
A. sick B. weak C. wounded D. old
88. Which of the following is the reason for the increasing private healthcare?
A. People are paying more attention to their own health.
B. People are well off enough to pay their healthcare.
C. The NHS was not available for most of the people.
D. It’s not so convenient for people to go to the NHS for their healthcare.
89. According to the passage, the purpose of the health reform plan in the UK is to _______
A. encourage more private healthcare.
B. focus on the prevention rather than on curing the patient.
C. deal with the main artery problems.
D. fight against the opposition in the UK.
90. The author of this passage intends to tell us _________.
A. the NHS should be reformed right away.
B. more and more people are dying from diseases.
C. the plan to reform the NHS in the UK.
D. the criticism of Mr. Brown's proposals.