Text4ItissaidthatinEnglanddeathispressing,inCanadainevitable andinCaliforniaoptionalSmallwonder.Americans'lifeexpectancyhasnearlydoubledoverthepastcentury.Failinghipscanbereplaced,clinicaldepressioncontr olled,cataractsremovedina30-minutssurgicalprocedure.SuchadvancesoffertheagingpopulationaqualityoflifethatwasunimaginablewhenIenteredmedicine50yearsago.Butnotevenagreathealth-caresystemcancuredeath-andourfailuretoconfrontthatr ealitynowthreatensthisgreatnessofours.Deathisnormal;wearegeneticallyprogrammedtodisintegrateandperish,evenunderidealconditions.Weallunderstandthatatsomelevel,yetasmedicalconsumerswetr eatd eathasaproblemtobesolved.Shieldedbythird-partypayersfromthecostofourcare,wedemandeverythingthatcanpossiblybedoneforus,evenifit'suseless.Themostobviousexampleislate-stagecancercare.Physicians-frustr atedbytheirinabilitytocurethediseaseandfearinglossofhopeinthepatient-toooftenofferaggressivetr eatmentfarbeyondwhatisscientificallyjustified.
In1950,theU.S.spent.7billiononhealthcare.In2002,thecostwillbebillion.Anyonecanseethistr endisunsustainable.Yetfewseemwillingtotr ytoreverseit.Somescholarsconcludethatagovernmentwithfiniteresourcesshouldsimplystoppayingformedicalcarethatsustainslifebeyondacertainage-----say83orso.FormerColoradogovernorRichardLammhasbeenquotedassayingthattheoldandinfirm“haveadutytodieandgetoutoftheway”,sothatyounger,healthierpeoplecanrealizetheirpotential.
Iwouldnotgothatfar.Energeticpeoplenowroutinelyworkthroughtheir60sandbeyond,andremaindazzlinglyproductive.At78,ViacomchairmanSumnerRedstonejokinglyclaimstobe53.SupremeCourtJusticeSandraDayO'Connorisinher70s,andformersurgeongeneralC.EverettKoopchairsanInternetstart-upinhis80s.Theseleadersarelivingproofthatpreventionworksandthatwecanmanagethehealthproblemsthatcomenaturallywithage.Asamere68-year-old,Iwishtoageasproductivelyastheyhave.
Yettherearelimitstowhatasocietycanspendinthispursuit.Askaphysician,Iknowthemostcostlyanddramaticmeasuresmaybeineffectiveandpainful.IalsoknowthatpeopleinJapanandSweden,countr iesthatspendfarlessonmedicalcare,haveachievedlonger,healthierlivesthanwehave.Asanation,wemaybeoverfundingthequestforunlikelycureswhileunderfundingresearchonhumblertherapiesthatcouldimprovepeople'slives.
第56题：Whatisimpliedinthefirstsentence?
A.Americansarebetterpreparedfordeaththanotherpeople.
B.Americansenjoyahigherlifequalitythaneverbefore.
C.Americansareover-confidentoftheirmedicaltechnology.
D.Americanstakeavainprideintheirlonglifeexpectancy.
正确答案：C
