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Everyone, it seems, has a health problem. After pouring billions into the National Health Service, British people moan about dirty hospitals. Long waits and wasted money. In Germany the new chancellor, Angela Merkel, is under fire for suggesting changing the financing of its health system. Canada's new Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, made a big fuss during the election about reducing the country's lengthy medical queues. Across the rich world, affluence, ageing and advancing technology are driving up health spending faster than income.

But nowhere has a bigger health problem than America. Soaring medical bills are squeezing wages, swelling the ranks of the uninsured and pushing huge firms and perhaps even the government towards bankruptcy. Ford's announcement this week that it would cut up to 30,000 jobs by 2012 was as much a sign of it's "legacy" healthcare costs as of the ills of the car industry. Pushed by polls that show health care is one of his main domestic problems and by forecasts showing that the retiring baby-boomers will crush the government's finances. George Bush is to unveil a reform plan in next week's state-of-the-union address.

America's health system is unlike any other. The Unite States spends 16% of its GDP on health, around twice the rich-country average, equivalent to $6,280 for every American each year. Yet it is the only rich country that does not guarantee universal health coverage. Thanks to an accident of history, most Americans receive health insurance through their employer, with the government picking up the bill for the poor and the elderly.

This curious hybrid certainly has its strengths. Americans have more choice than anybody else, and their health-care system is much more innovative. Europeans bills could be much higher if American medicine were not doing much of their Research and Development (R&D) for them. But there are also huge weaknesses. The one most often cited—especially by foreigners—is the army of uninsured. Some 46 million Americans do not have cover. In many cases that is out of choice and, if they fall seriously ill, hospitals have to treat them. But it is still deeply unequal. And there are also shocking inefficiencies: by some measures, 30% of American health spending is wasted.

Then there is the question of state support. Many Americans disapprove of the "socialized medicine" of Canada and Europe. In fact, even if much of the administration is done privately, around 60% of America's health-care bill ends up being met by the government. Proportionately, the American state already spends as much on health as the OECD (Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development) average, and that share is set to grow as the baby-boomers run up their Medicare bills and ever more employers avoid providing health-care coverage. America is, in effect, heading towards a version of socialized medicine by default.

1.Health problems mentions in the passage include all the following EXCEPT _______.

A.poor hospital conditions in UK　　B.Angela Merkel under attack

C.health financing in Germany　　　D.long waiting lines in Canada

2.Ford's announcement of cutting up to 30,000 jobs by 2012 indicates that Ford _______.

A.has the biggest health problem of the car industry

B.has made profits from its health-care legacy

C.has accumulated too heavy a health-care burden

D.owes a great deal of debt to its employees

3.In the author's opinion, America's health system is _______.

A.inefficient　B.feasible　C.unpopular　D.successful

4.It is implied in the passage that _______.

A.America's health system has its strengths and weaknesses

B.the U.S. government pays medical bills for the poor and the elderly

C.some 46 million Americans do not have medical insurance

D.Europeans benefit a lot from America's medical research

5.from the last paragraph we may learn that the "socialized medicine" is _______.

A.a practice of Canada and Europe　　　B.a policy adopted by the U.S. government

C.intended for the retiring baby-boomers　D.administered by private enterprises

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1.【答案】B。

【解析】文章第一段讨论了有关健康的问题，本题要找出一个文章中没有提到的健康问题的选项，这四个选项文章都提到了相关的内容，现在就要看看那个不是有关健康问题的选项。“Angela Merkel, is under fire for suggesting changing the financing of its health system.”因为安吉拉·默克尔建议改革健康体系的财政政策而受到攻击，可见这里讨论的是个人问题。其他三项分别讲到了英国、德国和加拿大的健康问题，所以应该选B。

2.【答案】C。

【解析】有关福特汽车公司的内容在文章的第二段。那么现在看全段，这一段第一句点明了这一段的中心，而福特汽车公司举了一个例子来进行说明。要想知道福特公司到2012年撤销3000多工作岗位暗示了什么，需要看“soaring bills are squeezing wages, swelling the ranks of the uninsured and pushing huge firms and perhaps even the government towards bankruptcy”。可见，已经积压了太沉重的健康负担。C项最为符合，所以应该选C。

3.【答案】A。

【解析】涉及美国的健康体系的段落在第三和第四段。A项讲到美国健康体系是无效率的，第三段讲到：美国在健康问题上花费了GDP的16%，大约是富有国家平均水平的两倍，但是它却不能保证全面实施健康福利政策。可见：它是无效率的。B、C、D项的说法，文章没有涉及，所以应该选A。

4.【答案】D。

【解析】implied表示“暗含的”。由于三个选项几乎是文章的直接表述，D项在文章第四段第三句，这句话的原意是：如果美国的医药没有做很多的研究和开发，欧洲的医药账单可能更高。暗含欧洲从美国的研究中大量获利。所以应该选D。

5.【答案】A。

【解析】根据最后一段第一句话“Americans disapprove of the 'socialized medicine' of Canada and Europe.”美国人不同意加拿大和欧洲的公费医疗制度。可见：公费医疗是加拿大和欧洲的一项制度。A项符合文章的意思，所以应该选A。