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.

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

. 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.

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

What does the underlined word “exempt” probably mean?

A. suffering                  B. different          C. prevented                 D. free

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

Norman Bethune is one of China’s most famous heroes, but he wasn’t Chinese—he was Canadian. He gave his life to helping the Chinese people Norman Bethune 51    born in 1890. He became a 52    in 1916, and he went to the front to look after injured soldiers in the First World War. He saw many soldiers die in the war. Later he invented new treatments to  53   soldiers, and medical tools to use outside hospital.

In 1938 he came to treat the Chinese soldiers in the mountains north of Yan’an. There were 54  doctors, so he had to work very hard. He opened hospitals to give treatment to local people and soldiers, and to train doctors and nurses. He also wrote books so that doctors could learn about new treatments.

Dr Bethune worked very hard without stopping to 55   . Once, he preformed operations   56   69 hours without stopping, and saved 112people. He   57   working in spite of cutting his hand during an operation. In the end, he died because he did not take care of his   58  .

Dr Bethune’s work with the Chinese soldiers made 59    a hero in China. There are books and films about him, and he is 60    remembered in both Canada and China.

1.A. is         B. was       C. has been    D. be

2.A. doctor     B. nurse     C. teacher     D. worker

3.A. understand B. believe   C. help        D. count

4.A. little     B. few       C. much        D. many

5.A. rest       B. act       C. agree       D. think

6.A. from       B. since     C. with        D. for

7.A. allowed   B. continued  C. forgot     D. stopped

8.A. face      B. leg        C. foot       D. hand

9.A. his       B. he         C. him        D. one

10.A. still     B. never      C. hardly     D. Regularly

C
Dangerous Sports
Around the world more and more people are taking part in danger ous sports and activities．Of course, there have always been people who have looked for adventure—those who have climbed unknown parts of the world or sailed in small boats across the greatest oceans．Now, however, there are people who seek an immediate thrill, a risky activity, which may only last a few minutes or even seconds．
I would consider bungee jumping to be a good example of such an activity．You jump from a high place（perhaps a bridge or a hot-air balloon） 200 meters above the ground with an elastic（有弹性的） rope tied to your feet．You fall at up to 150 kilometers an hour until the rope stops you from hitting the ground．It is said that about 2 million people around the world have now tried bungee jumping. Other activities which most people would say are as risky as bungee jumping include jumping from tall buildings and diving into the sea from the top of high cliffs.
　　Why do people take part in such activities as these? Some psychologists suggest that it is because life in modern societies has become safe and boring．Not very long ago, people’s lives were constantly in danger. They had to go out and hunt for food, diseases could not easily be cured, and there was a continuous battle for survival．
Nowadays, according to many people, life offers little excitement．They live and work in comparatively safe environments; they buy food in shops; there are doctors and hospitals to look after them if they become ill．The answer for some of these people is to look for danger in activities such as bungee jumping．
65．The best title for the text is          .
A．Dangerous Sports: What and Why
B．The Boredom of Modern Life
C．Bungee Jumping: Is It Really Dangerous.
D．The Need for Excitement
66．More and more people today           .
A．are tying activities such as bungee jumping
B．are climbing the highest mountains
C．are coming close to death in sports
D．are looking for adventures such as traveling into unknown places
67．The writer of the text has a        attitude towards dangerous sports.
A．positive    B．negative    C．neutral（中立的）  D．nervous

In Canada you can find dogs, cats, horses, etc. in almost every family. These are their pets. People love these pets and have them as their good friends. Before they keep them in their houses, they take them to animal hospitals to give them injections(注射) so that they won't carry disease. They have special animal food stores, though they can get animal food in almost every kind of stores. Some people spend around two hundred Canadian dollars a month on animal food. When you visit people's houses, they would be very glad to show you their pets and they are very proud of them. You will also find that almost every family has a bird feeder in their garden. All kinds of birds are welcomed to come and have a good meal. They are free to come and go and nobody is allowed to kill any animal in Canada. They have a law against killing wild animals. If you killed an animal, you would be punished. If an animal happened to get run over by a car, people would be very sad about it.

People in Canada have many reasons to like animals. One of them might be: Their family ties are not as close as ours. When children grow up, they leave their parents and start their own life. Then the old will feel lonely. But pets can solve this problem. They can be good friends and never leave them alone.

The passage mainly talks about ________ .

A. how to keep disease from pets      B. pets in Canada

C. how to take good care of pets       D. life of the old in Canada

They give their pets injections before keeping them at their houses because ___ .

A. the pets are sick        

B. the pets are wild

C. they want to stop them from carrying disease

D. they want them to sleep on the way home

This passage shows that Canadians ________ .

A. hate animals           B. often kill animals

C. love animals           D. don't keep pets inside house

In Canada, children leave their parents when they grow up because _____ .

A. they don't love their parents any more

B. they can only find jobs far from their parents

C. their parents' houses are too small

D. they wouldn't depend on their parents any more

Around the world more and more people are ___1___ dangerous sports and activities. Of course there have always been people who have ___2___ adventure—those who have climbed the ___3___ mountains, explored unknown parts of the world or ___4___ in small boats across the greatest oceans. Now, however, there are people who look for an immediate pleasure from a ___5___ activity which may only last a few minutes or even ___6___.

I would consider bungee jumping to be a good example of such an activity. You ___7___ from a high place about 200 meters above the ground with an elastic rope ___8___ to your ankles. You ___9___ at up to 150 kilometers an hour until the rope stops you from ___10___ the ground. It is said that 2 million people around the world have now ___11___ bungee jumping. Other activities, ___12___ most people would say are as dangerous as bungee jumping, ___13___ jumping from tall buildings and ___14___ into the sea from the top of high rocks.

Why do people take part in such activities as these? Some psychologists(心理学家) suggest that it is because life in ___15___ societies has become safe and boring. Not very long ago, people’s lives were constantly under ___16___. They had to go out and hunt for ___17___, and life was a continuous battle for survival.

Nowadays, according to many people, life offers ___18___ excitement. They live and work in relatively safe condition; they buy food in shops; and there are doctors and hospitals to ___19___ them if they become ill. The answer for some of these people is to ___20___ danger in activities such as bungee jumping.

1. A. escaping from       B. taking part in     C. going in     D. taking in

2. A. looked up      B. looked into C. looked for  D. looked around

3. A. lowest    B. highest       C. beautiful    D. wild

4. A. sailed     B. swam  C. jumped      D. crossed

5. A. safe B. excited       C. funny  D. dangerous

6. A. years      B. seconds      C. hours  D. days

7. A. jump      B. run     C. walk   D. cross

8. A. followed B. tied     C. brought      D. took

9. A. go   B. run     C. fall     D. fly

10. A. falling  B. running      C. flying D. hitting

11. A. tried     B. looked for  C. found  D. studied

12. A. that      B. which C. it D. what

13. A. hold     B. include       C. find    D. contain

14. A. swimming    B. running      C. diving D. sailing

15. A. old       B. modern      C. past    D. formal

16. A. safety   B. imperfection      C. danger       D. perfection

17. A. animals B. food   C. water  D. dangers

18. A. few      B. little   C. much  D. many

19. A. look at  B. look into    C. look for     D. look after

20. A. look for       B. look after   C. explore      D. find