With the press of a button, a person with severe spinal cord (脊柱）injuiy is able to walk again, thanks to the Walking Assistive Exoskeleton Robot (WAER).
Powered suits that could help paralyzed (瘫痪）people walk and others lift and carry heavy loads with ease have been a dream since late 19th century. But they can realize their dreams in the 21st century.
The 20-kilogram robot has four battery-powered motors that can run for up to three hours. Inventor Wu Chenghua, from Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute, says it has successfully been in tests on 12 patients. “We have learned from our research process that patients whose injuries are below the fourth chest joint (关节）are able to use our robot to stand, walk and sit down,” he said.
Since walking contributes to muscle exercise, Wu says patients receive some additional benefits. “In the clinical process, we would check their bone mineral density (密度)，and we found that the bone mineral densities of these patients had been improved.” he said. Wu says his exoskeleton may be available for consumers by 2018.
Meanwhile, baggage handlers at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport will soon start testing a similar robot, developed by the Japanese firm Cyberdyne. The battery-powered robot weighs only 3
lift a heavy object, the machine monitors the movemen”，says Yoshiyuki Sankai, the developer and CEO of Cyberdyne.
“This robot suit monitors the signal from the human nerve (神经）system to support the waist’s movement，” Sankai said, “It self-adjusts the level support to reduce the load on the human waist, light and smart. We believe that it will change the life of paralyzed people in many ways and have a promising future.”
With the help of WAER, patients will probably .
| A．recover from spinal cord injury |
| B．improve their bone mineral density |
| C．walk as fast as normal people |
| D．monitor their waist’s movement |
What can we learn about the invention of Wu Chenghua from the passage?
| A．It weighs 3 kilograms and can run for up to three hours. |
| B．It will soon get tested at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. |
| C．It may be put into use for consumers by the year 2028. |
| D．It can be used by patients with injuries below the fourth chest joint. |
How does Sankai feel about the future of the robot suits?
| A．Optimistic. | B．Worried. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Puzzled. |
Self-employed private physicians who charge a fee for each patient visit are the foundation of medical practice in the United States. Most physicians have a contract relationship with one or more hospitals in the community. They send their patients to this hospital, which usually charges patients according to the number of days they stay and the facilities(operating room, tests, medicines that they use). Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or, in the case of veteran's hospitals, a federal government agency. Others are operated by religious orders(教会) or other non-profit groups.
Some medical doctors are on salary. Salaried physicians may work as hospital staff members, or residents, who are often still in training. They may teach in medical schools, be hired by corporations to care for their workers or work for the federal government's Public Health Service.
Physicians are among the best paid professionals in the United States. In the 1980s, it was not uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than $ 100 000 a year. Specialists, particularly surgeons, might earn several times that amount. Physicians list many reasons why they deserve to be so well rewarded for their work. One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a physician in the United States. Most would be physicians first attend college for four years, which can cost nearly $ 20 000 a year at one of the best private institutions. Prospective physicians then attend medical school for four years. Tuition alone can exceed $ 10 000 a year. By the time they have obtained their medical degrees, many young physicians are deeply in debt. They still face three to five years of residency(实习阶段) in a hospital, the first year as an apprentice physician. The hours are long and the pay is relatively low.
Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too. Sometimes several physicians will decide to establish a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying equipment. These physicians also take care of each other's patients in emergencies.
Physicians work long hours and must accept a great deal of responsibility. Many medical procedures, even quite routine ones, involve risk. It is understandable that physicians want to be well rewarded for making decisions which can mean the difference between life and death.According to the passage, it is very unlikely that an American hospital is owned by _______.
| A．a church | B．a corporation | C．a city | D．a state |
The expenses for becoming a doctor are spent on _______.
| A．schooling and retraining | B．practice in a hospital |
| C．facilities he or she uses | D．education he or she receives |
According to the passage, how long does it take for a would-be physician to become an independent physician in the USA?
| A．About seven years. | B．Eight years. |
| C．Ten years. | D．About twelve years. |
Sometimes several physicians set up a group medical practice mainly because _______.
| A．there are so many patients that it is difficult for one physician to take care all of them |
| B．they can take turns to work long hours |
| C．facilities may be too much of a burden for one physician to shoulder |
| D．no one wants to assume too much responsibility |
Which of the following statements could fully express the author's view towards physicians’ payment in the USA?
| A．For their expensive education and their responsibility, they deserve a handsome pay. |
| B．It is reasonable for physicians to have a large income because their work is very dangerous. |
| C．Physicians should be better paid because they work long hours under bad conditions. |
| D．Physicians have great responsibility, so it is understandable that they should be well rewarded. |
Most Americans get what money they have from their work; that is, they earn an income from wages or salaries. The richest Americans, however, get most of their money from what they own — their stocks, bonds, real estate, and other forms of property, or wealth. Although there are few accurate statistics to go by, wealth in American society appears to be concentrated in very few hands. More than 20 percent of everything that can be privately owned is held by less than one percent of the adult population and more than 75 percent of all wealth is owned by 20 percent of American adults. The plain fact is that most Americans have no wealth at all aside from their homes, automobiles, and a small amount of savings.
Income in the United States is not as highly concentrated as wealth. In 1917 the richest 10 percent of American families received 26.1 percent of all income, while the poorest 10 percent received 17 percent, mainly from Social Security and other government payments. The most striking aspect of income distribution is that it has not changed significantly since the end of World War II. Although economic growth has roughly doubled real disposable (可自由使用的) family income (the money left after taxes and adjusted for inflation) over the last generation, the size of the shares given to the rich and the poor is about the same. By any measure economic inequality is great in the United States.
The reality behind these statistics is that a large number of Americans are poor. In 1918, 14 percent of the population was living below the federal government’s poverty line, which at that time was an annual income of $ 9 287 for a nonfarm family of two adults and two children. In other words, about one out of seven Americans over 31 million people was officially considered unable to buy the basic necessities of food, clothes, and shelter. The suggested poverty line in 1981 would have been an income of about $11 200 for a family of four. By this relative definition, about 20 percent of the population or more than 45 million Americans are poor. What does the majority of the Americans have in terms of wealth?
| A．Their income and savings. |
| B．Everything they own in their homes. |
| C．Actually, they have no wealth at all. |
| D．Their house, cars and small amounts of savings. |
What is the percentage of wealth that is in the hands of most Americans?
| A．More than 25%. | B．Less than 25%. |
| C．More than 75%. | D．Less than 20%. |
Why is economic inequality still great in the US in spite of the economic growth?
| A．Because the proportion of income received by the rich and the poor remains almost the same as in 1917. |
| B．Because the economic growth has widened the gap of the family income between the rich and the poor. |
| C．Because income in the US is still concentrated in the hands of the richest 10% of American families. |
| D．Because some Americans made great fortunes during the Second World War. |
What can we learn from comparison of the two poverty lines in the last paragraph?
| A．The poverty line of 1918 is more favorable to the poor than that of 1981. |
| B．The 1981 line didn’t leave much to the poor. |
| C．There were more Americans who were officially poor by the 1981 line. |
| D．There were more Americans who were officially poor by the 1918 line. |
From the last two sentences we can see that 1981 government’s poverty line _______.
| A．was of no good for the poor | B．was not put into operation then |
| C．was officially approved | D．was not helpful to the poor |
Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion.
Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, where as if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary(当代的) societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illnesses than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often “go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.
When older people become senile (衰老的) or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent (疗养的) hospitals have been built. These are often profit making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply “dumping (倒垃圾的) grounds” for the dying in which “care” is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under skilled personnel.The author believes that the population explosion results from _______.
| A．an increase in birthrates | B．the industrial development |
| C．a decrease in death rates | D．human beings’ cultural advances |
It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures _______.
| A．it was a moral responsibility for the families to keep alive the aged people who could not work |
| B．the survival of infants was less important than that of their parents in times of starvation |
| C．old people were given the task of imparting the cultural wisdom of the tribe to new generations |
| D．death was celebrated as a time of rejoicing for an individual freed of the hardships of life |
According to the passage, which of the following statements about the old people in the United States is true?
| A．Many of them live on social security money which is hardly enough. |
| B．Minority of them remain in a state of near poverty after their retirement. |
| C．When they reach a certain age, compulsory retirement is necessary and beneficial. |
| D．With the growing inflation, they must suffer more from unbearable burdens than ever. |
The phrase “this need” in paragraph 3 refers to ________.
| A．prolonging the dying old people’s lives |
| B．reducing the problems caused by the retired people |
| C．making profits through caring for the sick or weak people |
| D．taking care of the sick or weak people |
Which of the following best describes the author’s attitude toward most of the nursing homes and convalescent hospitals?
| A．Sympathetic. | B．Approving. | C．Optimistic. | D．Critical. |
TODAY, Friday, November 12
JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms. Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen.
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco. Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High St., from 8a. m. to 8p. m. Tel: 682—1158.
SATURDAY, November 13
JAZZ Lysis at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 60p.
MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment fair price. Tel: 789—6749.
FAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road, Richmond.
JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 80p.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion(手风琴). Tel: 789—4536
SUNDAY, November 14
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 a. m. to 8 p. m.
FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688—4626.
HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion. Where and when can you hear the Norman Chop Trio?
| A．At the Bull’s Head on Sunday. |
| B．At the Derby Arms on Sunday. |
| C．At the Bull on Saturday. |
| D．At the Black Horse on Saturday. |
Where and when can you hear the Mike Thomas Jazz Band?
| A．At the Derby Arms on Friday. |
| B．At the Black Horse on Friday. |
| C．At the Star and Garter on Saturday. |
| D．At the Derby Arms on Sunday. |
You want to enjoy the electric accordion on Saturday. Which telephone number do you have to ring to find out what time it starts?
| A．789—6749. | B．789—4536. | C．682—1158. | D．688—4626. |
You want to spend the Saturday by joining the entertainment with your family. Where should you go?
| A．Disco at The Lord Napier. |
| B．The sing-along at The Black Horse. |
| C．The electric accordion at The Derby Arms. |
| D．Jazz at The Bull’s Head. |
You want to spend the same day at two different places and don’t want to cross any street. Which of the following is your best choice?
| A．The sing-along at the Black Horse and Jazz at The Bull’s Head. |
| B．The sing-along at The Black Horse and Folk Music at The Derby Arms. |
| C．Folk Music at The Derby Arms and Heavy Music with Tony Simon at The Bull. |
| D．Musical Hal lat The Star ＆Garter and Disco at The Lord Napier. |
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 |