It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inev..

第1题

Text 4 It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional Small wonder. Americans' life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression controlled, cataracts removed in a 30-minuts surgical procedure. Such advances offer the aging population a quality of life that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago. But not even a great health-care system can cure death-and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours. Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions. We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death as a problem to be solved. Shielded by third-party payers from the cost of our care, we demand everything that can possibly be done for us, even if it's useless. The most obvious example is late-stage cancer care. Physicians-frustrated by their inability to cure the disease and fearing loss of hope in the patient-too often offer aggressive treatment far beyond what is scientifically justified.

In1950, the U.S. spent .7 billion on health care. In 2002, the cost will be billion. Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable. Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it. Some scholars conclude that a government with finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustains life beyond a certain age-----say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and infirm“have a duty todie and get out of the way”,so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential.

I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78,Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be 53.Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is in her 70s,and former surgeon general C.Everett Koop chairs an Internet start-up in his 80s.These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age. As a mere 68-year-old,I wish to age as productively as they have.

Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit. Ask a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have. As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people's lives.

第56题：What is implied in the first sentence?

A. Americans are better prepared for death than other people.

B. Americans enjoy a higher life quality than ever before.

C. Americans are over-confident of their medical technology.

D. Americans take a vain pride in their long life expectancy.

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第2题

11. COVID-19 has brought a(n) _____ health crisis, for until April 10, 2020, more than 1.4 million people around the world have been infected by the coronavirus, with cumulative fatalities approaching 90,000. (precedent)

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第3题

( ) [lavorare] con tanto impegno,lui guadagna molto.

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第4题

If a company's core skills are highly specialized and have few applications outside the core business, then a company should pursue a related diversification strategy.

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第5题

Recent years have brought minority-owned businesses in the United States unprecedented opportunities—as well as new and significant risks. Civil right activists have long argued that one of the principal reasons why Blacks, Hispanics and other minority groups have difficulty establishing themselves in business is that they lack of access to the sizable orders and subcontracts that are generated by large companies. Now Congress, in apparent agreement, has required by law that businesses awarded federal contracts of more than $500, 000 do their best to find minority subcontractors and record their efforts to do so on forms filed with the government, Indeed, some federal and local agencies have gone so far as to set specific percentage goals for apportioning parts of public works contracts to minority enterprises.

Corporate response appears to have been substantial. According to figures collected in 1977, the total of corporate contracts with minority businesses rose from $77 million in 1972 to 1.1 billion in 1977. The projected total of corporate contracts with minority businesses for the early 1980's is estimated to be over $3 billion per year with no letup anticipated in the next decade.

Promising as it is for minority businesses, this increased patronage poses dangers for them, too. First, minority firms risk expanding too fast and overextending themselves financially, since most are small concerns and, unlike large businesses, they often need to make substantial investment in new plants, staff, equipment and the like in order to perform. work subcontracted to them. If, thereafter, their subcontracts are for some reason reduced, such firms can face potentially crippling fixed expenses. The world of corporate purchasing can be frustrating for small entrepreneurs who get requests for elaborate formal estimates and bids. Both consume valuable time and resources, and a small company's efforts must soon result in orders, or both the morale and the financial health of the business will suffer.

A second risk is that White owned companies may seek to cash in on the increasing apportionment through formation of joint ventures with minority-owned concerns. Of course, in many instances there are legitimate reasons for joint ventures; clearly, White and minority enterprises can team up to acquire business that neither could acquire alone. But civil right groups and minority business owners have complained to Congress about minorities being set up as "fronts" with White backing, rather than being accepted as full partners in legitimate joint ventures.

Third, a minority enterprise that secures the business of one large corporate customer often runs the danger of becoming and remaining dependent. Even in the best of circumstances, fierce competition from larger, more established companies makes it difficult for small concerns to broaden their customer bases; when such firms have nearly guaranteed orders from a single corporate benefactor, they may truly have to struggle against complacency arising from their current success.

Notes:

civil rights activists 公民权利激进分子

Hispanics 西班牙后裔美国人

sizable orders 大额订单

subcontract 转包合同

on forms filed with the government 在政府存档备案

percentage goals 指标

apportionment 分配，分派

public works 市政工程

letup 减弱，缓和

promising as it is... 这是as引导的上步状语从句，表语倒装了

patronage 优惠

concern n. 公司

and the like 以及诸如此类的

crippling fixed expenses 引起损失的固定开支

the world of 大量的

bid 投标

to cash in on ...靠......赚钱

team up 一起工作, 合作

"fronts" 此处意为"摆门面"

Complacency 自满

The primary purpose of the text is to

A．present a commonplace idea and its inaccuracies.

B．describe a situation and its potential drawbacks.

C．propose a temporary solution to a problem.

D．analyze a frequent source of disagreement.

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第6题

For the first time in history, more people live in towns than in the county. In Britain this has had a curious result. While polls show Britons rate “the countryside” alongside the royal firmly, Shakespeare and the National Health Service (NHS) as what makes them proudest of their country, this has limited political support. A century ago Octavia Hill launched the National Trust not to rescue stylish houses but to save “the beauty of natural places for everyone forever.” It was specifically to provide city dwellers with spaces for leisure where they could experience “a refreshing air.” Hill’s pressure later led to the creation of national parks and green belts. They don’t make countryside any more, and every year concrete consumes more of it. It needs constant guardianship.

At the next election none of the big parties seem likely to endorse this sentiment. The conservatives’ planning reform. explicitly gives rural development priori over conservation, even authorizing “off-plan” building where local people might object. The concept of sustainable development has been defined as profitable. Labour likewise wants to discontinue local planning where councils oppose development. The Liberal Democrats are silent. Only Ukip, sensing its chance, has sided with those pleading for a more considered approach to using green land. Its Campaign to Protect Rural England struck terror into many local Conservative parties.

The sensible place to build new houses, factories and offices is where people are.in cities and towns where infrastructure is in place. The London agents Stirling Ackroyd recently identified enough sites for half a million houses in the London area alone, no intrusion on green belt. What is true of London is even truer of the provinces.

The idea that “housing crisis” equals “concreted meadows” is pure lobby talk. The issue is not the need for more house but, as always, where to put them. Under lobby pressure, George Osborne favours rural new-build against urban renovation and renewal. He favours out-of-town shopping sites against. high streets. This is not a free market but a biased one. Rural towns and villages have growl and will always grow. They do so best where building sticks to their edges and respects their character. We do not ruin urban conservation areas. Why ruin rural ones?

Development should be planned .not let rip. After the Netherlands, Britain is Europe’s most crowded country. Half a century of town and country planning has enabled it to retain an enviable rural coherence, while still permitting low-density urban living. there is no doubt of the alternative - the corrupted landscapes of southern Portugal Spain or Ireland avoiding this rather than promoting it should unite left and right of the political spectrum.

26. Britain’s public sentiment about the countryside

A.didn’t start till the Shakespearean age.

B.has brought much benefit to the NHS.

C.is fully backed by the royal family.

D.is not well reflected in politics.

According to Paragraph 2, the achievements of the National Trust are now beingA.gradually destroyed.

B.effectively reinforced..

C.properly protected.

D.largely overshadowed.

Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3?A.Labour is under attack for opposing development

B.The Conservatives may abandon “off-plan” building.

C.The Liberal Democrats are losing political influence.

D.Ukip may gain from its support for rural conservation.

The author holds that George Osborne’s preferenceA.reveals a strong prejudice against urban areas.

B.shows his disregard for the character of rural areas.

C.stresses the necessity of easing the housing crisis.

D.highlights his firm stand i against lobby Pressure.

In the last paragraph, the author shows his appreciation ofA.the size of population in Britain.

B.the enviable urban lifestyle in Britain.

C.the town-and-country planning in Britain.

D.the political life in today’s Britain.

请帮忙给出每个问题的正确答案和分析，谢谢！

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第7题

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