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.
1. 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
2. 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.
3. 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
4. What does the underlined word “exempt” probably mean?
A. suffering B. different C. prevented D. free
5. 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
In a very real sense, people who have read good literature have lived more than people who cannot or will not read. To have read Gulliver’s Travels is to have had the experience of listening to Jonathan Swift, of learning about man’s cruelty to man. To read Huckleberry Finn is to feel what it is like to drift (漂流) down the Mississippi River on a raft . To have read Byron is to have suffered his rebellions with him and to have enjoyed his nose—thumbing at (对……的蔑视) society. To have read Native Son is to know how it feels to be frustrated in the particular way in which Blacks in Chicago are frustrated. This is effective communication. It enables us to feel how others felt about life, even if they lived thousands of miles away and centuries age. It is not true that “We have only one life to live.” If we read, we can live as many more lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish.The sentence “People who have read good literature have lived more than people who cannot or will not read” suggests that ______.
| A．reading stimulates（激发）a desire to travel | B．reading broadens a person’s experience |
| C．people who read much live longer | D．people who read are more relaxed |
The author implies that good literature ______.
| A．must deal with social problems | B．must teach a lesson |
| C．is varied in subject and in content | D．is always exciting and heart--warming |
According to the author, reading good literature ______.
| A．produces new income | B．is quite useless |
| C．satisfies the curious | D．opens new worlds to us |
The underlined word effective in this passage means ______.
| A．actual | B．striking | C．existing | D．having an effect |
A nobleman and a merchant once met in an inn. For their lunch they both ordered soup. When it was brought, the nobleman took a spoonful, but the soup was so hot that he burned his mouth and tears came to his eyes, The merchant asked him why he was weeping. The nobleman was ashamed to admit that he had burned his mouth and answered, “Sir, I once had a brother who committed a great crime , for which he was hanged. I was thinking of his death, and that made me weep.” The merchant believed this story and began to eat his soup. He too burned his mouth, so that he had tears in his eyes. The nobleman noticed it and asked the merchant, “Sir, why do you weep?” The merchant, who now saw that the nobleman had deceived (欺骗) him, answered, “My lord(="master)," I am weeping because you were not hanged together with your brother.”This story teaches us ______.
| A．not to eat in inns | B．not to eat soup that is too hot |
| C．to cry when we burn our mouth | D．not to believe everything you hear |
The nobleman did not tell the truth because he ______.
| A．was a nobleman | B．felt ashamed | C．was in an inn | D．was angry |
It is probable that the nobleman ______.
| A．had no brother who was hanged | B．had a very good brother |
| C．knew the soup was too hot | D．had never eaten soup |
The merchant’s answer showed that he ______.
| A．was very happy | B．believed the nobleman |
| C．was angry with the nobleman | D．had kind heart |
Dear Economist,
My newly-wedded wife and I are deeply in love．There is, however, one issue that threatens the happiness of our marriage．I absolutely insist on shopping at Walmart．My wife, meanwhile, would rather avoid Walmart at all costs．
I have recently tried to convince her that not only does Walmart offer the lowest prices known to man, but that the chain is also a force for good―lower prices mean better standards of living for all consumers, increased global trade means a tighter-knit(紧密团结的) international community, and efficient operations translate into higher productivity growth for the economy．My wife complains about poor labour policies, the “fact” that Walmart squeezes suppliers, and that it puts local shops out of business．
Who is right? Will our marriage survive?
Brian Gee
Dear Brian,
I have to agree with you about Walmart．Jason Furman, then an economist at New York University, now an adviser to President Obama, famously argued in 2005 that Walmart was unwittingly (不知不觉地) a progressive success story．The chain’s prices don’t much affect me (I prefer Whole Foods) but Furman estimated that they benefited low-and-middle-income Americans to the sum of around $250 billion a year．
Walmart does not pay much, so it may depress wages．Then again, it may increase wages by offering jobs to the otherwise-unemployed．Either way, the benefits of low prices to Walmart shoppers far outweigh any seemingly reasonable costs to Walmart employees．And while it is true that Walmart employees tend to be poor, the same is true of Walmart shoppers．
Armed with this information you can face your wife with confidence．You are sure to win the conversation．The divorce is likely to be more argued．
EconomistWhat concerns Brian Gee so much that he wrote the letter?
| A．His wife refuses to shop at Walmart． |
| B．They are faced with a divorce． |
| C．They can’t afford the costs of shopping at Walmart． |
| D．They are in conflict about shopping at Walmart． |
Brian Gee’s wife tends to hold the opinion that _________．
| A．it is wrong for Walmart to depress its employees’ wages |
| B．consumers’ lives have improved thanks to Walmart |
| C．Walmart’s business operation increases productivity in economy |
| D．Walmart’s business increases global trade |
What can be inferred from the reply letter?
| A．Some employees accept the low pay to keep the job． |
| B．Walmart appeals to only poor consumers and poor employees． |
| C．Employees suffer from Walmart’s low prices more than consumers． |
| D．Jason Furman, a New York University economist, spoke highly of Walmart． |
To be able to motivate oneself, or self-motivate, occurs when a person has the willingness to do something and is internally(内在地) motivated to do it．
Sometimes it’s very difficult to get ourselves moving．The natural tendency is to postpone．Life just seems to get in the way! There is a job to go to, groceries to do, television to watch—whoops! I guess we get pretty good at finding excuses to escape getting started on goals like an exercise routine or reading a new book．The fact is that we are creatures of routine and habit．So what can we do to motivate ourselves to accomplish our goals?
Here are some tips on how to get moving:
Decide what you want．It’s hard to motivate an aimless mind．Set a goal and decide how you are going to go about it．Then break it down into smaller sections so it’s easier to handle and less overwhelming．（势不可挡）
Keep track of your progress．Keep a log or journal where you can measure how much you have accomplished．Looking at it can also motivate you to keep pushing ahead．
Post motivating pictures or slogans within your sight．It is always inspiring to see pictures of people who have accomplished what you’re going for．It makes it attainable and realistic．Likewise, little slogans like “go for it” or “just do it” can give you the little support you need．
Sometimes we forget what we set out to do and a little reminder is all we need to be revitalized (激活) and focus on the end result．If you remind yourself to go for the desired promotion, it will re-establish why you are doing what you’re doing．
Make it a habit．Once you have accomplished your objective, e．g．becoming an early riser, keep it up so that it’s second nature to you and you don’t have to think about it anymore．According to the author, some people fail to achieve their goals because ________．
| A．they don’t have enough desire |
| B．their life is filled with routine work |
| C．they benefit from the force of habit |
| D．they naturally put off forming new habits |
It can be inferred from the underlined sentence that ________．
| A．self-motivation needs repeated self-reminding of one’s goal |
| B．in modern society people tend to become forgetful |
| C．when we forget our goal, our life becomes meaningless |
| D．we can achieve our goal only by focusing on the end result |
To get moving on your goal, you can do the following EXCEPT ________．
| A．keep a diary to clearly judge your distance to your goal |
| B．make self-improvement your second nature |
| C．forget your aim and revitalize yourself with slogans |
| D．support yourself by hanging inspiring pictures in your house |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Set Goals in Your Life | B．Get Yourself Motivated |
| C．Get into Good Habits | D．Do Not Postpone |
Oprah Winfrey, the queen of American daytime talk TV, is considered one of the most powerful women in the world．Now, after 25 years’ hosting The Oprah Winfrey Show, the star has announced she is calling it quits．
According to the Los Angeles Times, the move “signals the beginning of the decline for the daytime talk show．” More women are working full-time jobs, and people are turning to cable (有线电视) and pre-recorded shows for their entertainment．
It may be that Oprah isn’t quitting so much as moving on．She has created the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), and will most likely move her show to the network．If audiences around the world need Oprah, they well know where to look．
Oprah Winfrey was born to a single teenage mother in a small town in rural Mississippi, US．As a child, she lived with poverty and abuse．But she got a job at a local radio station, where her honesty, emotional style won her many fans．She quickly rose through the ranks of radio and television before launching her own production company and starting her own show．
Oprah’s talk show was not the first of its kind, but it quickly became the best and most popular．It made talk shows popular, and others jumped in to start similar shows．But while other talk shows turned ugly, featuring guests who argued and attacked each other with chairs, Oprah rose above the mess．
“Part of her power lies in the fact that her life story resonates (产生共鸣) with her audience, as a kind of version of the American dream,” writes Kevin Connolly, a reporter with the BBC．
She became a star because of the way she opened up about her problems to her audience．She shared her own struggles with relationships and weight．She focused on self-help．Connolly believes “something in her honesty and her sometimes painfully emotional directness struck home with a certain type of American”．Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The stop of Oprah’s show reflects the decrease of audience． |
| B．Oprah hosted her show for about 25 years． |
| C．American talk show was pioneered by Oprah． |
| D．Oprah used to be a radio presenter． |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．Oprah could deal with the guests fighting very well． |
| B．Oprah’s show stood out with her unique style． |
| C．Oprah turned a deaf ear to other people’s quarrel． |
| D．Oprah’s fame rose because lots of people watch her show． |
From Kevin Connolly, we know people like Oprah’s show for all the reasons EXCEPT ________．
| A．Oprah always shares people’s life stories in her show |
| B．the audiences are touched by Oprah’s honesty and frankness |
| C．Oprah’s life story reflects the truth of American dream |
| D．some audiences are inspired by Oprah’s show |
According to the text, Oprah ________．
| A．always volunteers to help those who need help |
| B．has practiced presentational skills since she was young |
| C．believes that one should rely on himself to solve problems |
| D．calls on women to work full-time jobs |
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