专业英语八级（阅读）模拟试卷2

专业英语八级（阅读）模拟试卷2

一、常规阅读理解（本题共40题，每题7.0分，共40

分。）

MakeThataDoubleAfewyearsago,itdawnedonZachThomasthatcoffeedidn'thave

enoughcaffeine.Atthetime,hewaspullingall-nightersasastudentattheUnitedStates

MilitaryAcademyatWestPoint.BythetimehebecameaninstructorattheU.S.Army

RangerSchoolinFortBenning,Ga.,helivedbyacommonsayingathisschool:"Sleepis

acrutch.""Iusedtojustdrinkapotofcoffee,butthenyouhavetogotothebathroom

100timesduringtheday.Ifyoucouldjustgetmorecaffeineinonecup,thenthatwould

bethebestofbothworlds,"hesays.In2005Thomas,now30,foundedRangerCoffee,

witha"hypercaffeinatcd"blendthatcontainsdoublethecaffeineofregularcoffee,or

about300milligramsper12-ounccserving—theequivalentofsixDietCokes.Thesmall,

Rockmart,Ga.-basedcompanysells1,700bagsofcoffeeayear,nearlyhalfofthemto

troopsstationedinIraq.Thesedaysyoudon'thavetobeawarherotobeacaffeine

addict.Everywhereyoulook,peoplearewiredoncaffeineortoutingitsbenefits—or

both.TabloidsrunimagesofcelebritiessippingRedBullortotingStarbucksventilattes;

Dunkin'Donutsadsfeatureacoffee-swillingRachaelRay,whomovessofastthatshe

leavestreadmarksonthefloor.There'snoshortageofwaystogetyourcaffeinefix.

SalesofenergydrinkslikeRedBullandFullThrottlehavegrowntenfoldsince2001,

andnewonesenterthemarketweekly.Productsthatalreadyhavecaffeineareadding

more—inthepastfewmonthsDietPepsi,JoltandMountainDewhaveallrolledout

extra-cafieinatedversions.Noveltyitems,likecafieinaiedlipbalm,caffeinatedsunHower

seeds,caffeinatedbeerandevencaffeinatedsoap（"Tiredofwakingupandhavingto

waitforyourmorningJavatobrew?"）arealsopoppingupinretailstoresandnightclubs.

Inaspoofonthiscaffeinearmsrace,thesiteElauncheda"deathby

caffeinecalculator"matshowsa180-poundadultwouldhavetodown44tallcupsof

StarbuckscoffeebeforecheckingintothebigJavahouseinthesky.Whydowcneed

orwant—somuchenergy?Conventionalwisdomsaysit'sbecausewe'resleepingless

andworkingmore.Butgovernmentfiguresshowthatadultshaveaveragedeighthoursof

sleeppernightsincethe1960s.Workinghours,alleastformen,havealsoremained

constant:menwithchildrenhaveaveragedabout43hoursofpaidworkperweekforthe

pasthalfcentury.Ofcourse,thatdoesn'tmeanwedon'tfeelmorestressed.Universityof

MarylandsociologistSuzanneBianchisaysworkingmothers'entryintothelaborforce

meansthere'slessdowntimefbrfamiliesasawhole,witherrands,houseworkandoutings

packedintoatighttwo-dayweekend.Asfbrtheyoungandunattached,theymaybe

gettingplentyofsleep,butatirregularhours.Theyhavemoreoptionsthaneverfor24/7

entertainment,fromTVtotheInternettovideo-games.Infact,manyofthenovelty

caffeineproductsareaimedatcomputergameswhostageweekend-long"LANparties"

wherenoonesleeps.Butforthegeneralpublic,thetrendismoreaboutgettingalegal

high."Caffeineistheworld'smostpopularmood-alteringdrug,"saysDavidSchardt,

seniornutritionistattheCenterforscienceinthePublicInterest.Andcompanieshave

beenbankingonitsaddictivepropertiestobringrepeatbusiness.Caffeinecanliftyour

mood,improveconcentration,boostphysicalstaminaand,asanactiveingredientin

Excedrin,helpcureheadaches.Morethan50percentofcaffeinedrinkersexperience

withdrawalsymptomswhentheystop.Bymostaccounts,though,thestimulantisfairly

safe."There'snothinginherentlywrongwithbeingdependentoncaffeine,"saysRoland

Griffiths,aneuro-scientistattheJohnsHopkinsUniversitySchoolofMedicine,aslong

asyoudon'toverdose.Forthoseaccustomedtocaffeine,amoderateintakeis200to300

milligramsperday-theequivalentoftwotothreecupsofbrewedcoffee,oneStarbucks

tallcoffeeor3.5RedBulls.Exceed500to600milligrams,andanxiety,nauseaandheart

palpitationscansetin.Griffithsdoesworryaboutteenagers,whoaredrinkingmore

caffeinatedbeverages:"I'mconcernedthatimpressionableadolescentsareexposedto

marketingmessagesthatpromotecaffeineasaperformanceenhancerwilllaterturnto

strongerdrugs,likesteroidsorRitalinorcocaine."Moreworrisomestillisthe

glamorizationofthe24/7caffeinehigh.EvenRachaelRayoccasionallyneedsherrest.

1、Accordingtothepassage,thefollowingaretheeffectsofcaffeinewiththe

EXCEPTIONof

Itcancurediseases.

B、Itcanchangepeopledmood.

C^Itcanincreasephysicalstrength.

D^Itcanmakepeoplemoreconcentrated.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：由第四段可知，咖啡因具有改变情绪(B),使注意力集中(D)和增强体

力(C)等作用。文中只是说咖啡因可放于治疗头痛的药物中，帮助治疗头痛，但并

没有说能治愈疾病。故A为正确答案。

2、Accordingtothepassage,thefollowingaretheadverseeffectsofoverdoseof

caffeinewiththeEXCEPTIONof.

A、anxiety

B、sickness

C、heartbeating

D、obesity

标准答案：D

知识点解析：最后说明了过量饮用咖啡因可能带来的不良后果，如焦虑(A)、恶心

(B)、心悸(C)等。故D为正确答案。

3、Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingstatementsisNOTtrueabout

caffeine?

A、Itmakespeopleawake.

B、Ithelpsalterpeople'smood.

C>Drinkingdrinkswithcaffeineislegal.

D>Drinkswithcaffeinearcdangeroustopeople'shealth.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：综观全文可知，咖啡因可以使人保持头脑清醒(A),改善情绪(B),同

时，饮用含有咖啡因的饮料是合法的(C),也是安全的。故D为正确答案。

4、Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingstatementsisNOTtrue?

A、Peoplearenotsupposedtobedependentoncaffeine.

B、Peopleneedmoreenergybecausetheyfeelmorestressed.

C、People'sdesireforcaffeinated'energy'productsissoaring.

D、Peopletendtodrinkthehighestamountofcaffeinethatislegal.

标准答案：A-'

知识点解析：由第二段可知，人们对含有咖啡因的能量型饮料的需求在增长(C)。

最后一段中，一位神经科学家认为依赖咖啡因本身并没有错误，故A是错误的。

第三段显示，人们的压力增加，因此需要更多的能量(B)。第四段表明，普通大众

希望能够饮用在法律所允许范围内尽可能多的咖啡因①)。故A为正确答案。

5、Whichofthefollowingsuggeststherealcauseforthehighneedofcaffeine?

A、Itisharmless.

B、Itcanenhanceperformance.

C、Ithelpswithpeople'swayoffeeling.

D、Peoplearesleepinglessandworkingmore.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：由第四段可知，对咖啡因的需求原因是咖啡因能够改善人的情绪

(C)o选项B为推销产品的广告语言，并没有经过证实。D说明了人们的传统看

法，事实表明，人们的睡眠时间并没有减少。故C为正确答案。

TheWorldBank'sRealProblemTheWorldBankisundeniablyincrisis.Butnotbecause

itspresident,PaulWolfowitz,gothisgirlfriendaraise.ItistheWolfowitzsagathathas

beengrabbingalltheheadlines,ofcourse.TheIraq-wararchitectwaspluckedfromthe

DefenseDepartmentanddepositedbyPresidentGeorgeW.BushattheWorldBankin

2005(bytradition,theU.S.Presidentpicksthebank'schief).Atthetime,Wolfowitz

informedthebank'sethicscommitteethathewasseeingShahaRiza,acommunication

adviseratthebank,andthein-houseethiciststoldhimsheshouldbemovedtoanother

agencyandgivenaraisefbrhertroubles.Butthesizeofthepayhike(from$133,000to

$180,000,taxfree)andotherdetailsaboutRiza'stransferraisedhacklesamongbankstaff

andsparkedaninvestigation.Thebank'sboardwilldecideanydaynowwhether

Wolfowitzstaysorgoes.Thisdragged-outmess,though,isadistraction.Thebigger

issueisthattheWashington-basedbankanditssisterorganization,theInternational

MonetaryFund(IMF),arestrugglingtojustifytheircontinuedexistence.Thesituationis

mostpressingfbrthesmallerIMF,whichpaysitsbillswiththeprofitsitmakesby

lendingmoneytomiddle-incomecountriesinfinancialtrouble.Withhardlyanysuch

countriesintroublethesedays,theorganizationisprojectinga$224milliondeficitfbr

thisfiscalyearandaskingitsmembernationsiftheycanstartsellingoffsomeofthegold

theydepositedwithitafterWorldWarII(theanswersofar:no).TheWorldBankisn't

thatdesperate,butitfacessimilarpressure.Bothorganizationswerecreatedin1944by

thesoon-to-be-victoriousAlliedpowers.Atthetime,saysHarvardprofessorandformer

IMFchiefeconomistKennethRogoff,"globalfinancialmarketsbarelyexisted,and

domesticfinancialmarketsbarelyexistedinEurope."TheWorldBank'sinitialjobwasto

financereconstructioninEurope.TheMarshallPlanrenderedthattasksuperfluous,so

thebank—inthefirstofseveralreinventions—movedontobankrolldevelopmentin

othercountries.Theideawastolendtogovernmentsthatwerecreditworthybuthadno

accesstorich-countrycapitalmarkets."Nowweliveinaworldwheretherearehuge

globalcapitalmarkets,where,ifanything,investorsaretoowillingtoinvestin

developingcountries,"saysAdamLerrick,aformerinvestmentbankerwhoteaches

economicsatCarnegieMellonUniversity.TheWorldBank'snetlendinghasplummeted

overthepastfewyears,evenasitkeepsshoppingloanstothelikesofBrazil,Turkey,

RussiaandChina,sometimesonhugelygenerousterms.Thisistheworkofthebiggest

partoftheWorldBank,theInternationalBankforReconstructionandDevelopment.

Membercountriesmakedeposits(theU.S.shareis$2billiondownand$30billion

pledged);thebanksellsbondsbackedbythosedepositsandpledges,thenlendsthe

moneyoutatasmallprofit.TheothermainarmoftheWorldBank,theInternational

DevelopmentAssociation,getsregularinfusionsofcashfromrichcountriesandlends

fundsonneargiveawaytermstotrulypoorcountries,mostlyinAfrica(theU.S.

contributionisjustunder$1billionayear,or0.04%offederalspending).Lerrickwants

theWorldBanktostoplendingtomiddle-incomecountriesandrestructureitsloansto

thepoorestnationsasoutrightgrants.NancyBirdsall,aformerWorldBankerwhoruna

WashingtonthinktankcalledtheCenterforGlobalDevelopment,arguesthatthebank

couldhavemoreimpactonpovertybymakingbetteruseofitsbestassets:theexpertise

ofitsstaffanditsabilitytocoordinateglobalaction."Lendingandgrantmakingatthe

countrylevelshouldnotbetheend-allandbc-all,nshesays."Itshouldbethevehiclefor

adviceandconstantrebuildingofthebank'sknowledge."BirdsallisaWorldBankfan

butagreeswithcriticslikeLerrickthatitmustbecomesmaller(ithasastaffof10,000)

andlessbankliketoremainrelevant.Wolfowitz'salliessayheisthevictimofbacklash

fromentrenchedbankstaffupsetthatheisturninguptheheatonananticorruption

campaignbegunbyhispredecessor,JamesWolfen-sohn.That'sprobablyoverstating

things.Butthepotentialbacklashagainstslashingthebank'sstaffandgettingitoutof

lendingwouldsurelybeepic.WhichmayexplainwhynoWorldBankpresident,

Wolfowitzincluded,hasattemptedit.

6、Accordingtotheauthor,theWorldBank'srealproblemis.

A^itscorruption

B、itspolicyonlending

C^itscontinuedexistence

D、Wolfowitz'sromanticrelationship

标准答案：C

知识点。析：由第三段可知，关于沃尔福威茨的绯闻只是暂时分散了人们的注意

力，而世行所面临的真正问题是该组织是否还有存在的必要性。故C为正确答

案。

7、WhichofthefollowingcanbeinferredfromthepassageabouttheWorldBank?

A^Itsanticorruptioncampaignisstillgoingon.

B>Itshouldreadjustitsroleincombatingpoverty.

C、IthassatisfieditsinitialjobtofinancereconstructioninEurope.

D^Itisplayingamoreandmoreimportantroleinlendingtodevelopingcountries.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：本文的主题是世行是否有必要继续存在下去。第六、第七和第八段说

明了世行的历史、现状，以及今后的方向。由于马歇尔计划，世行成立之初的目的

已成为多余。而近年来，给发展中国家贷款的净额大幅下跌，说明其贷款这一职能

越来越不重要。第八段里，专家建议世行应在帮助贫穷国家摆脱贫困方面产生更大

的影响。故B为正确答案。

8、Accordingtothepassage,theWorldBankshoulddothefollowingEXCEE1.

A、reducingstaff

coordinatingglobalaction

C、increasingtheprofititmakes

D、offeringadvicetopoorcountries

标准答案：C

知识点解析：由第八段可知，世行应给贫穷国家提供专业知识(D),协调全球的经

济运作(B),以及缩减工作人员(A)。故C为正确答案。

9、WhichofthefollowingisNOTtrueaccordingtoNancyBirdsall?

A、TheWorldBankshouldreduceitsstaff.

B、TheWorldBankshouldcoordinateglobalaction.

C>TheWorldBankshouldofferadvicetopoorcountries.

D、TheWorldBankshouldlimititsworktolendingandgrantmaking.

标准答案：D

知识点解析：由第八段可知，伯兹奥尔希望世行能够给贫穷的国家提供专业建议

(C),协调全球经济运作(B),以及减员(A),而不是仅仅从事贷款业务。故D为正

确答案。

10>Wecaninferfromthelastparagraphthattheauthorwasthecapabilityofthe

WorldBanktosolveitsproblems.

A、confidentin

B、indifferentto

C、optimisticabout

D、pessimisticabout

标准答案：D

知识点解析：由最后一段可知，如果世行裁员并取消贷款，将会引来银行员工的强

烈不满，因此，包括沃尔福威茨在内没有一位世行总裁敢于尝试这样的做法。由此

判断，作者对世行能否解决其当前所面临的问题表现出悲观的态度。故D为止确

答案。

ToGetontheSamePageSamiAdwanistheverymodelofasoft-spokenprofessor.He

measureshiswords,andlistenscarefullytowhatothershavesaid.Yetwhilepursuinga

Ph.D.attheUniversityofSanFranciscointhe1980s,Adwannotonlyrefusedtolistento

Jewishstudents,hesaysbuthedroppedoutofclassesifheknewtheyincludedJews.A

PalestinianborninthevillageofSurif,nearHebron,Adwanhadgrownupunderthe

shadowoftheIsraelioccupation,hearingtalesfromhisfatherandgrandfatherofhow

Jewshadseizedthefamily'sorangegrovesandwheatfieldsin1948.Returningtohis

homelandwithhisdegree,AdwanjoinedthethenoutlawedFatahPartyandwasthrown

intoanIsraelijailin1993.Thatwashisrealeducation.Whileawaitingcharges,Adwan

overheardtwoIsraelisoldiersarguingoverwhetherheshouldbemadetosigna

documentinHebrewthathecouldn'tread.Shockedtohearoneofhisenemiesdefending

hisrights,AdwandecidedthathehadsomethingstolearnabouttheJewishnation.So

muchofthegulfinunderstandingthatplaguestheMiddleEasthastodowiththewillful

disregardfbrtheother'spointofview.Israelisrefertothe1948conflictthatgavebirthto

theirnationastheWarofIndependence;PalestiniansknowitastheNakba,or

Catastrophe.WhatIsraeliscall"theriotsof1920"一whenPalestiniansattackedJewish

neighborhoodsaroundJerusalemandJaffa-aretermed"thepopularuprisings"bythe

otherside.Adwan,alectureratBethlehemUniversity,hasspentmuchofhisprofessional

careertryingtobridgethisgap.TogetherwithDanBar-On,asocialpsychologistatBen

GurionUniversityinsouthernIsrael,henowco-directsthePeaceResearchInstitutein

theMiddleEast(PRIME).Since2002thegrouphasproducedthreebookletstousein

PalestinianandIsraelihighschoolsthatforceeachsidetoconfrontacontradictoryvision

ofhistory.Eachpageisdividedintothree:thePalestinianandIsraelinarrativesanda

thirdsectionleftblankforthepupiltofillin."Theideaisnottolegitimizeoracceptthe

other'snarrativebuttorecognizeit,"Adwansays."The[historical]datesmaybethe

same,buttheinterpretationofeachsideisverydifferent."Sidebyside,thedivergent

worldviewsarcstriking.ZionismisdescribedintheIsraelicolumnas"aresultof...the

continuationofanti-Semitism|inEurope],theinspirationofothernationalmovements,

andthecontinualconnectionofthepeopleofIsraeltothelandofIsrael."Itbearslittle

resemblancetothe"imperialistpoliticalmovementthatbestowedanationalist

characteristictotheJews"knowntoPalestinians.Educatorsinotherconflict-ridden

societiesaretakingnotice.LastyeartheCenterfbrHumanRightsandConflict

ResolutionatSkopjeUniversityinMacedoniapublishedtheirownparallelMacedonian-

AlbaniannarrativesbasedonPRIME'Smodel."IftheIsraeliandPalestinianteachers

managedtoovercometheincrediblegapbetweenthemselves,wecandoithere,"says

SkopjeUniversityprofessorVioletaPetroska-Beska.InFrance,whichsuffersfromits

owntensionsbetweenMuslimsandnon-Muslims,thePRIMEbooklet"Learningthe

Other'sNarrative"hassoldmorethan23,000copies.Itsalsobeentranslatedinto

English,Spanish,Italian,CatalanandBasque,andlaterthisyearwillbeproducedin

German.AmericaneducatorsinVirginiaandPhiladelphiahaveexpressedinterestin

introducingthenarrativesintoclassesonconflictresolution.Closertohome,however,

thetexthashadahardertime."WhenweestablishedPRIMEin1998,wethoughtpeace

wasaroundthecorner/saysAdwan."TodaybothDanandIknowitwasawishful

thinking."ShortlyafterthebeginningofthesecondPalestinianintifadain2000,Bar-On

andAdwanfoundthemselvesstandondifferentsidesofanIsraelicheckpointnear

Bethlehem,beggingsoldierstoletthemshiftacoupleofyardsclosertoeachotherso

theycoulddiscusstheproject.In2004,right-wingIsraeliEducationMinisterLimor

Livnatthreatenedteacherswithdisciplinaryactioniftheyusedthebooklet.OneWest

Bankteacherhasgivenlessonsinherhouseforfearofreprisalandanother,froma

refugeecampnearJerusalem,wasthreatenedbycolleaguesandparentsforteachingwhat

theycalled"normalizationunderoccupation."Askedwhetherthebookletswilleverbea

partofthelocalschoolcurriculum,Adwanshakeshisheadslowly,shrugsandlooksout

hisofficewindow.Fromtherehehasafineviewofthewallthatsnakesbetween

JerusalemandBelhlehem,dividingIsraelfromtheWestBank.

11、Accordingtothepassage,Adwan'srealeducationtookplace.

A、inanIsraelijail

B、inthevillageofSurif

C>atBethlehemUniversity

D、attheUniversityofSanFrancisco

标准答案：A'

知识点解析：由第一和第二段可知，爱德万在以色列监狱时，偶尔听到了两名以色

列士兵的对话，改变了他对以色列人的看法。因此，他认为他的真正教育是在监狱

里完成的。故A为正确答案。

I2^Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingistherealcauseofthegapin

understandingintheMiddleEast?

A、Differentreligionsthattheyhave.

B、Indifferencetoeachother'spointofview.

C、WarfarethattookplacebetweenIsraelandPalestine.

D、EconomicdifferencesthatseparateIsraelandPalestine.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：由第二段的第一句可知，造成中东地区在理解上的鸿沟的原因是对他

人的观点不管不顾，故B为正确答案。

13、Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingisthepurposeofthebookletsby

PRIME?

A、Toforcehighschoolstudentstoknowbetterabouttheircountry'shistory.

BNTOlegitimizetheinterpretationsofhistorybyIsraelandPalestine.

C、Tomakeknowntoeachothertheirinterpretationsofhistory.

D、Tohelpeachotheraccepttheother'sinterpretationofhistory.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：由第四段可知，编写小册子的目的不是使巴以双方对历史的诠释合法

化(B),不是让双方接受彼此对历史的诠释(D),也不是使中学生更好地了解他们自

己国家的历史(A),而是让双方了解对方对历史的诠释(C)。故C为正确答案。

14^Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingisNOTtrueaboutthePRIME

model?

A、Itiswellreceivedbymanycountries.

B、Someconflict-riddcnsocietiesarcfollowingit.

C、ItworksquitewellinIsraelandtheWestBank.

D、Itcanbeusedinclassesonhowtosolveconflict.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：由第六段可知，PRIME伍模式在很多国家都受到了欢迎(A),一些遭

受冲突困扰的国家纷纷仿效这一模式(B),这一模式的叙事方式还可以用于如何解

决冲突的课堂教学之中(D),然而该模式在以色列和约旦河西岸却遭到了反对。故

C为正确答案。

15、ItcanbeinferredfromthelastparagraphthatAdv/anwasabouttherelations

betweenIsraelandPalestine.

A、confident

B、indifferent

C^opiimisiic

D、pessimistic

标准答案：D

知识点解析：由最后一段可知，当谈到小册子的未来时，爱德万摇摇头，耸耸肩，

说明他对巴以的关系很悲观。故D为正确答案。

Let'sNotHideHealthCostsWeareawashinhealth-careproposals.PresidentBushhas

one.SodoesCaliforniaGov.ArnoldSchwarzenegger.DemocraticSen.RonWydenhas

aplan,asdoesacoalitionledbyFamiliesUSA(aliberaladvocacygroup)andAmerica's

HealthInsurancePlans(atradegroup).Tosomeextent,alltheseplansandothersaimto

provideinsurancetotheestimated47millionAmericanswholackit—asituationwidely

deploredasanationaldisgrace.Buttherealsignificanceofalltheseproposals,Isubmit,

lieselsewhere.Fordecades,Americanshavetreatedhealthcareasifitexistsina

separateeconomicandpoliticalworld:whenpeopleneedcare,theyshouldgetit;costs

shouldremainoutofsight.About60percentofAmericansreceiveinsurancethrough

theiremployers;tomostworkers,thefullcostsareunknown.The65-and-older

populationandmanypoorpeoplereceivegovernmentinsurance.Exceptformodest

Medicarepremiumsandpayrolltaxes,costsarelargelyburiedinfederalandstate

budgets.Itisthissegregationofhealthcarefromeverythingelsethatisnowcrumbling一

andthevarioushealthproposalsarejustonesign.Wcseeothersallthetime.For

example,evenwithemployer-providedinsurance,workers'monthlypremiums(which

coveronlypartofthecosts)haveskyrocketed.From1999to2006,theydoubledfrom

$129to$248.LookatMassachusetts.LastyearthethenGov.MittRomneymade

headlinesbysigninglegislationtocoverallthestate*suninsured.Thelawrequiredthat

everyonewithincomesthreetimesthefederalpovertylinebuy'Affordable"insurance

(peoplewithincomesbelowthatthresholdwouldbesubsidizedonaslidingscale).

Romneysuggestedannualpremiumsforasingleworkermighttotal$2,400.Butwhen

insurancecompaniesrecentlyprovidedrealestimates,thecostwasmuchhigher:$4,560.

Isitasensiblepolicytoforceworkerswitha$30,000income—abouttriplethepoverty

line—tospendnearlyasixthoftheirbudgetonhealthinsurance,asopposedtofood,rent

ortransportation?Goodquestion.Thehardquestionswon'tsitstill,becausehealthcare

(nowasixthoftheeconomy,upfroman11thin1980)istoobigtobehidden.Myths

abound.Contrarytoconventionalwisdom,thedoublingofpremiumsforemployer-

providedcoveragedoesn'tmeancompaniesshiftedagreatershareofcoststoworkers.In

both1999and2006,premiumscovered27percentofcosts,saysPaulFronstinofthe

EmployeeBenefitResearchInstitute.Itssimplytherapidriseintotalhealthspending

that'sdepressedworkers'take-homepay.Onemythabouttheuninsuredisthat,because

they'reheavyusersofemergency-roomservices,providingthemwithinsurance(and

regularcare)wouldactuallylowertheircosts.Thismaybetrueforsome—butnotmost.

Thetroubleisthattheuninsureddon'treallyuseemergencyroomsheavily.Astudyon

thejournalHealthAffairsfindsthattheiruseissimilartothatofpeoplewithprivate

insurance—andhalfthatofpeoplewithMedicaid.Theupshotisthatextendinginsurance

toalltheuninsuredwouldbecostly,becausetheywouldgetmoreand(presumably)

bettercare.JohnSheilsoftheLewinGroupestimatestheannualcostoftheircarewould

rise75percentto$145billion.Ourhealth-caresystemwillinevitablycombine

governmentregulationandprivateenterprise.Butwhatshouldthemixbe?Which

patients,providersandtechnologiesshouldbesubsidizedandwhy?Howimportantis

healthcarecomparedwithotherpublicandprivategoals?Willanexpandinghealthcare

sectorspurtheeconomy-or,throughhightaxesandinsurancepremiums,retardit?We

haverefusedtohavethisdebateforobviousreasons.Afriendofminerecentlyhada

near-deathexperience;hesurvivedonlybecausehehadsuperbmedicalcare.Debating

healthcaremakesusqueasy,becauseitpitsmoralimperatives(includingtherightto

live)againstcoldheartedeconomics.Idon'tintendtoexamine—atleastnow—allthenew

proposals.Somewoulddobetteratsomegoals(say,protectingthepoor)thanatothers

(say,controllingcosts).ButtheBushproposaldoeshaveonehugevirtue:itexposes

health-carecoststothebroadpublic.Bynottaxingemployer-paidinsurance,the

governmentnowprovidesahugeinvisiblesubsidytoworkers.Bushwouldn'tendthe

subsidy,butbymodifyingitwithspecificdeductionsforinsurance($15,000forfamilies,

$7,500forsingles),hewouldforcemostworkerstoseethecosts.Bycontrast,someother

proposalsdisguisetheircosts.Schwarzenegger'splanshiftscoststothefederal

government,doctorsandhospitals.It'sclever,butitperpetuatestheillusionthathealth

careischeap-orevenfree.Howeverourhealthsystemevolves—withmoregovernment

controlormoremarketinfluence—Americansneedtocometoamorerealistic

understandingofitslimits.Underestimatingitscostsandexaggeratingitsbenefits

guaranteesdisappointment.Ifthepresentoutpouringofproposalssignalsastartofour

neededdebate,thenitislongoverdue.

16、Accordingtotheauthor,therealsignificanceofhealthproposalsis.

A^tosolvehealthproblems

B、toshowthathealthcareischeap

C、toprovideinsurancetotheuninsured

D^totreathealthcareinarealisticway

标准答案：D

知识点解析：作者在第一段结尾说，健康提议的真正意义在于别处，并不是给未投

保的人提供保险(B)。在最后一段，作者指出，应对卫生体制有一个现实的认识

(D)。故D为正确答案。

17、WhichofthefollowingisNOTasignthatshowsthepresentsituationofAmerican's

healthcare?

A^Thevarioushealthproposals.

B、Thevariousbenefitsitprovides.

C^TheMassachusettslawbyMittRomney.

D、Theincreaseofworkers'monthlypremiums.

标准答案：B

知识点解析：由第三和第四段可知，各种各样的健康提议只是反映美国卫生体制的

一个信号(A),工人的月保费增长也是一个信号(D),还有马萨诸塞州的情况(C)等

等。故B为正确答案。

18>Theword"upshot"inparagraphsixmeans.

A、myth

B、effect

C、outcome

D、misunderstanding

标准答案：c-

知识点解析：第六段讲人们对未投保人的误区，认为未投保人大量使用急诊室服

务，那么该误区的结果是给未投保人保险的代价是昂贵的。故C为正确答案。

19、Accordingtothepassage,abigdifferencebetweentheBushproposalandthe

Schwarzeneggerproposalisthat.

A、thelatterhidesthehealth-carecosts

R、theformerhidesthehealth-carecosts

C>thelatterdocsbetteratcontrollingcosts

D、theformerdoesbetteratcontrollingcosts

标准答案：A'

知识点解析：由第八段可知，布什提议与施瓦辛格提议的一个重要区别是，前者向

人们揭示了健康的费用，使人们对该费用有一个清楚的认识，而后者虽然将费用转

给了联邦政府、医生或医院，但却使人们对卫生保健产生幻想，认为其费用是低廉

的。故A是正确答案。

20、WhatcanbeinferredfromthepassageabouthealthcareinAmerica?

A^Americanhealthcareischeap.

B、Thegovernmentcanaffordtopayhealthcost.

C、Healthcarehasbecomeaproblemtobeheeded.

D^Healthcareisnotsoseriousastoaffecttheeconomy.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：从全文的分析可以得出如下结论，美国的卫生保健体制应引起人们的

足够重视，而不是像人们想象的那样，费用低廉甚至是免费的。故C为正确答

案。

FRANKFURT—IbumpeddowninFrankfurtat10:55AM.AGermanlanding,I

thought—unsubtleandpunctual.Theskywasclear,anun-Germansky,andthecolors

thatassailedmewerepink(DeutscheTelekom),yellow(Lufthansa)andgray:coolcolors

alsomeremovefromCasparDavidFried-rich'secstaticdusksintheforestsofGothic

gloom.Friedrich'spassionateromanticismisundercontrolthesedaysinaGermanythat

hasbecomereassuringtothepointofdullness.Europe'smostpowerfulnationiselecting

itsleaderSunday——andnobodyreallycares."WelcometothemostboringGerman

electionever,"formerforeignministerJoschkaFischertoldmebywayofgreeting.That

wasenoughtocompelmeto