—Can you hit that bird with your gun, Tom?
—No！It is out of the ________of my gun.
A．length B．aim C．distance D．range
—Do you feel like ________there or shall we take a bus?
—I’d like to walk, but since there isn’t much time left, I’d rather we ________a taxi.
A．to walk；take B．walking；take
C．to walk；took D．walking；took
She made it quite clear that she was no longer going to ______my selfishness.
A．put up with B．depend on
C．care about D．catch up with
________ he works hard, I don't mind when he finishes the experiment.
A．As soon as B．As well as
C．So far as D．So long as
Last year, Jack Bleed cut through the bone of his ring finger while working. The 31-year-old resident of North Little Rock, Arkansas, waited for about six hours at a nearby medical center while the medical staff there called all over town — even as far away as Dallas and Memphis — to find a hand surgeon to reattach his finger. Finally, a willing doctor was located in Louisville, Kentucky. But even though Bleed had insurance(保险), he would have to hire a private plane to get himself there, at a cost of $4,300. In the end, he charged the cost to two credit cards, and his finger was saved. His insurance company eventually covered the cost of the plane, but his experience makes people aware of the fact that trauma(外伤) care in the United States is not only geographically limited, but in many places, non-existent.
Only eight states — New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, New Mexico, California, Oregon, and Washington — have local, fully functional trauma systems. The remaining states have partial systems, and 12 — including Arkansas — have no trauma system at all.
Although the President has signed a bill of $12 million for the purpose of supporting trauma care systems nationwide, many in Congress(国会) are unwilling to spend government money for a service they think should be paid for by states, says Wayne Meredith, medical director for trauma programs at the American College of Surgeons. Meanwhile, many states have also failed to find the dollars to support trauma systems. To make matters worse, many people without insurance depend heavily on the emergency care services, placing a huge financial burden on the medical centers that serve them.
For the same reason, doctors, too, often go unpaid. They are unwilling to perform emergency care, worsening critical shortages of neurosurgeons, orthopedists, and hand surgeons — the very types of specialists Bleed needed at short notice.
Supporting a trauma care system doesn’t take much. A half-penny sales tax in Miami-Dade County makes its outstanding system work. In Arkansas alone, says Wayne Meredith, a well-funded trauma system would possibly prevent 200 to 600 deaths each year. If trauma care systems were to work well across the nation, experts say, many thousands of lives each year could be saved. “You don’t get much better return on your investment than that,” Meredith says.
1.
In Paragraph 1, the writer uses Bleed’s case to ______.
A. make a comparison B. describe a person
C. introduce a topic D. tell a story
2.
Many people in Congress argue that trauma care systems should be supported by ______.
A. the President B. each state
C. insurance companies D. the US government
3.
The example of Miami-Dade County shows that ______.
A. its tax policy is admirable
B. running a trauma system is profitable
C. a trauma system is not expensive
D. sales tax is not heavy in small counties
4.
Why are the present trauma care systems in some states not satisfactory?
A. They are shared by all the states.
B. They are short of financial support.
C. The doctors are not well trained.
D. The hospitals can’t provide low-cost services.
In ancient Japan, if you saved someone’s life, they would make it their duty to spend the rest of their life serving you. Nowadays, if you rescue someone’s story, he or she will feel the same kind of gratitude(感激).
It happens all the time. Someone in a group is telling a story and, just before their big point, BOOM! There’s an interruption. Someone new joins the group, a waiter with a plate of biscuits comes over, or a baby starts crying. Suddenly everyone’s attention turns to the new arrival, the food on the plate, or the “charming” little child. Nobody is aware of the interruption — except the speaker. They forget all about the fact that the speaker hasn’t made his or her point.
Or you’re all sitting around the living room and someone is telling a joke. Suddenly, just before his big punch line(妙语), little Johnny drops a dish or the phone rings. After the crash, everyone talks about little Johnny’s carelessness. After the call, the subject turns to the upcoming marriage or medical operation of the caller. Nobody remembers the great punch line got unfinished — except the joke teller. When it’s you entertaining everyone at a restaurant, have you ever noticed how you can almost set your clock by the waiter coming to take everyone’s order just before your funny punch line?
Most joke and story tellers are too shy to say, after the interruption, “Now, as I was saying…” Instead, they’ll spend the rest of the evening feeling bad they didn’t get to finish. Here’s where you come in. Rescue them with the technique I call “Lend a Helping Tongue.”
Watch the gratitude in the storyteller’s eyes as he stabilizes where his story sunk and he sails off again toward the center of attention. His expression and the appreciation of your consideration by the rest of the group are often reward enough. You are even more fortunate if you can rescue the story of someone who can hire you, promote you, buy from you, or otherwise lift your life. Big winners have excellent memories. When you do them subtle favors like Lend a Helping Tongue, they find a way to pay you back.
1.
Very often, a storyteller cannot make his point because ______.
A. people are more interested in food than his story
B. many guests bring their babies to the party
C. his story is easily forgotten by the listeners
D. he is interrupted by something unexpected
2.
From Paragraph 3, we know that when someone is telling a joke, ______.
A. something bad will surely happen just before their punch line
B. the only person really interested in the joke is the joke teller
C. listeners’ attention is often drawn to something else
D. the waiter knows when to take everyone’s order
3.
How can we “Lend a Helping Tongue” to the story tellers, according to the writer?
A. Comfort them to make them happy.
B. Give them a chance to finish.
C. Go on telling the story for them.
D. Teach them some useful techniques.
4.
What is the text mainly about?
A. People should learn how to take turns in a conversation.
B. Telling jokes will make you the center of attention.
C. We can win someone’s heart by getting him back to his story.
D. It is impolite to cut in on someone’s talk.
