第一段
①It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional. ②Small wonder.③Americans’ life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century.④Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression controlled, cataracts removed in a 30-minute surgical procedure.⑤Such advances offer the aging population a quality of life that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago.⑥But not even a great health-care system can cure death—and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours.
单词&词组
pressing a. 难以推卸的，不容忽视的
inevitable a. 不可避免的
optional a. 可选择的
small wonder 并不奇怪，不足为奇
life expectancy 寿命
failing a. （身体部位、机器等）出故障的
clinical a. 临床的
depression n. 抑郁症
cataract n. 白内障
procedure n. 程序，医疗程序，手术
unimaginable a. 不可想象的
It's said that 据说
life expectancy 寿命
offer sb. sth. 向某人提供……
the aging population 老龄人口
health-care system 医疗体系
confront the reality 正视现实
本段翻译
据说，死亡在英国是难以抗拒的，在加拿大是无可避免的，在加利福尼亚则是可以选择的。这不足为奇。过去的一个世纪里，美国人的预期寿命延长了将近一倍。髋骨出毛病可以更换，临床抑郁症可以控制，白内障只需30分钟外科手术便可切除。这些进步给老龄人口带来的高质量生活在50年前我刚进入医疗行业时是不可想象的。但即使伟大的医疗保健体系也无法治疗死亡我们未能正视这一现实正危及着我们医疗体系的伟大。
第二段
①Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions.②We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death as a problem to be solved.③Shielded 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.④The most obvious example is late-stage cancer care.⑤Physicians-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.
单词&词组
programme（又作program） v. （人或动物因社会或生物原因天生）按某种方式行动
be programmed to 设定为……
disintegrate v. 衰弱，解体
perish v. 死亡，灭亡
ideal a. 最理想的
party n. 一方，当事人
aggressive a. 极端大胆的
late-stage cancer care 晚期癌症治疗
本段翻译
死亡是正常的；我们的基因决定我们即使在最理想的环境里也必将会衰老和死亡。我们所有人在某种程度上都懂得这一点，但是作为医疗消费者，我们却将死亡视为一个问题来解决。由于受到第三方付款人的保护免交医疗护理费用，我们便要求用尽一切可能的医疗手段，即使它们毫无作用。最明显的例子便是癌症晚期的护理。医生由于不能治愈这种疾病而感到沮丧，同时又担心病人失去希望，于是常常采用极端大胆的治疗方法，这些方法远远超出了科学能够认同的界限。
第三段
①In 1950, the U.S. spent $12.7 billion on health care.②In 2002, the cost will be $1,540 billion.③Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable.④Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it.⑤Some 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.⑥Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and infirm “have a duty to die and get out of the way”, so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential.
单词&词组
unsustainable a. 不可持续的
reverse v. 颠倒，逆转
finite a. 有限的
sustain v. 维持（生命、生存）
beyond prep. 迟于某个时间、日期等
infirm a. （长期）病弱的；（年老）体弱的
本段翻译
1950年，美国在医疗护理方面的开支是127亿美元。2002年这项开支将达到15，400亿。人人都明白这种趋势不可持续，但几乎没人愿意设法去扭转它。有些学者断言，财力有限的政府，就应该停止为维系超过某一年龄的生命支付医护费用——比如83岁左右。有人引用前科罗拉多州州长理查德·拉姆的话说，年老体弱者“有义务死去和让位”，以便更年轻、更健康的人能够实现他们的潜能。
第四段
①I would not go that far.②Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive.③At 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.④These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age.⑤As a mere 68-year-old,I wish to age as productively as they have.
单词&词组
go that far 做得那么极端
energetic a. 精力充沛的
routinely ad. 例常，例行公事地
dazzlingly ad. 惊人地，炫目地
living proof 活生生的例子
本段翻译
我不会如此极端，毕竟现在精力充沛的人通常能工作到60多岁甚至更久，并仍然保持惊人的创造力。维尔康莫公司总裁萨默·雷石东在其78岁时开玩笑说自己只有53岁。最高法院法官桑德拉·戴·欧康奈已70多岁，前卫生部长C·埃维里特·库普80来岁还担任新兴网络公司总裁。这些领导人就是活生生的证据，证明对疾病的防治是有效的，证明我们能够应对随着年龄自然而来的健康问题。作为一名年仅68岁的人，我希望像他们一样在老龄阶段保持创造力。
第五段
①Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit.②As a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful.③I also know that people in Japan and Sweden,countries that spend far less on medical care,have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have.④As a nation,we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people’s lives.
单词&词组
ineffective a. 没有效果的
overfund v. 对……提供资金过多
quest n. 寻求
humble a. 简单而实用的，平常的
本段翻译
然而在这样的追求中，一个社会能够承担的费用是有限的。作为一名医生，我深知最昂贵和最激进的手段可能是无效和痛苦的。我也了解到在日本和瑞典这些医疗开销少得多的国家，人们获得了比我们更长的寿命、更健康的生活。作为一个国家，我们可能在寻求不可能的治疗方法上花钱太多，而在研究能提高人们生活质量的更平常的方法上花钱太少。
五道题
36. 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.
37. The author uses the example of caner patients to show that .
[A] medical resources are often wasted
[B] doctors are helpless against fatal diseases
[C] some treatments are too aggressive
[D] medical costs are becoming unaffordable
38. The author’s attitude toward Richard Lamm’s remark is one of .
[A] strong disapproval
[B] reserved consent
[C] slight contempt
[D] enthusiastic support
39. In contras to the US, Japan and Sweden are funding their medical care .
[A] more flexibly
[B] more extravagantly
[C] more cautiously
[D] more reasonably
40. The text intends to express the idea that .
[A]medicine will further prolong people’s lives
[B]life beyond a certain limit is not worth living
[C] death should be accepted as a fact of life
[D] excessive demands increase the cost of health care
选项单词
take a vain pride in 盲目自信
fatal a. 致命的
unaffordable a. 支持不起，无力承担
flexibly ad. 灵活地
extravagantly ad. 奢侈地，挥霍无度地
cautiously ad. 谨慎地
参考答案
CABDC
答案解析
36、【定位】首段首句提出一个口口相传的说法“在英国、加拿大，死亡不可避免；而在美国，死亡可以选择。”随后②至⑤句对该说法的立足点予以说明：百年来美国医疗技术的巨大进步使得美国人预期寿命得以延长(，故而令人飘飘然、盲目地相信医疗技术的发展足以战胜死神)；最后⑥句作者明确指出再伟大的医疗系统也无法医治死亡。由此不难推知，作者对首句所述说法持批评态度，认为美国人对自己的医疗技术过度自信，[C]正确。
37、【定位】根据题干the example of cancer patients直接定位至第二段④句。第二段③句指出美国医疗消费者由于有第三方支付费用而要求用尽一切可能、即便毫无作用的医疗手段；④⑤句进而列举晚期癌症病人的治疗例证说明。由此可见，医疗资源的浪费是作者旨在说明的内容，[A]正确。
38、【定位】第三段末句指出：理查德·拉姆提出年老体弱者“有义务死去和让位”，以便更年轻、更健康的人能够实现他们的潜能。作者随即在第四段指出，“我不会把话说得这么极端”，并举例说明老人仍然有创造力。第五段转而表述了作者另一个角度的观点，即不应投人无限财力以对抗死亡。由此可知，作者希望人们接受死亡这个自然规律，即在一定程度上赞同拉姆的观点，但是却不愿意像拉姆一样走极端。因此[B]是最佳答案。
39、【定位】第五段③句将日本、瑞典国家医疗投人、效果与美国的对比，清晰展现了美国医疗投入的不合理性：投人超别国许多，效果却不如别国，从逻辑上可以推断，日本、瑞典对医疗的投资更合理；④句随后以委婉语气指出美国在寻求不太可能的治疗方法上投入过多，而在研究改善人们生活的较简单疗法上投人太少，由此可进一步推断美国在医疗上的投资不太合理，日本和瑞典在医疗上的投资更为合理；故[D]正确。
40、【定位】文章第一段提出问题：美国人无法正视死亡，这危及美国伟大医疗体系；第二、三段分析问题：美国第三方买单医疗体系使然，由此却造成美国庞大医疗开支；第四、五段解决问题：无需耗费大量财力延缓自然死亡，但也不能将老人弃如敝履，而需将更多财力投人到研究提高人们生活质量、更为寻常的医疗方法上。可见，全文的中心思想是劝告人们接受死亡，[C]正确。
