考研英语真题阅读理解试题及名师解析(18).doc

考研英语真题阅读理解试题及名师解析(18) 英语真题阅读理解试题及名师解析( 18) It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canad a 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 ina 30-minute 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-car e system can cure death-and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours. Death is normal; we are ically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions. We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death asa 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 cance r 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. In 1950, the . spent $ billion on health care. In 2002, the cost will be$1, 540 billion. Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable. Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it. Som e scholars conclude that a government with fini