The cost of living is________in China.A. downB. cheapC. low
The cost of living is________in China.
A. down
B. cheap
C. low
The cost of living is________in China.
A. down
B. cheap
C. low
Why isn't dollar worth as much as it used to be? One dollar is always worth the same amount, that is, 100 cents. But the value of a dollar is how much it can buy. The value of money depends on the cost of living. Economists say that the cost of living is the money that a family must pay for the necessities of life such as food, housing or rent, clothes, and medical expenses. For many years now, the cost of living has increased greatly, so the value of the dollar has decreased. When a dollar has a low value, you cannot buy as many things with it.
No one fully understands why the cost of living keeps increasing, but economists believe that workers and producers can make prices go up. As workers earn more money, they have more money to spend, so they demand more goods. If there is a great demand for certain goods, the prices of these goods go up. At the same time, if there's a shortage of goods, the prices also go up. For example, if everyone wants to buy more and more gas, the price of gas goes up. When companies withhold gas from buyers, they can also make the price of gas go up.
Families need to know what happens to their money. They need to make their income meet the cost of living, so many people plan a family budget (预算). A budget is a list of monthly expenses. If your expenses add up to more than your income, you must find ways to save money. Maybe you're spending too much on entertainment. Or if you're spending too much on clothes, you may want to sew your own clothes. Budgeting helps you spend your money wisely as the cost of living increases.
What has troubled many families in the United States?
A.A not-large-enough income.
B.Nothing is left over to put away.
C.The increasing cost of living.
D.A shortage of certain goods.
Why does the cost of living keep increasing?
A.Because are always shortages of goods.
B.Because the workers are getting lower and lower pay.
C.Because the government makes no interference.
D.Because people demand more and better goods.
______ determines the value of the dollar.
A.The government
B.The cost of living
C.The economist
D.The bank
The text intends to express the idea that ______.
A.medicine will further prolong people's lives
B.life beyond a certain limit is not worth living
C.death should be accepted as a fact of life
D.excessive demands increase the cost of health care
When she had paid for the piano, the shop assistant asked her if she would like him to get it tuned(调音) every few months. Mrs. Peters agreed.
A few months later she heard from the shop that a man was coming to tune the piano at ten that morning. Now she had not cleaned the house yet, so it was dusty and untidy. Mrs. Peters hated having even the least amount of dirt, and felt ashamed whenever strange people saw her house like that. So she had to hurry to clean everything carefully. It meant a lot of effort, and it made her hot and tired, but anyhow, by the time the man arrived, everything was finished.
She opened the door, and the man was standing there with a big dog. "Good morning," the man said politely, "Will it disturb you if I bring my dog in, please? I' m blind, and he leads me wherever I go."
Mrs. Peters stopped playing the piano ______.
A.because she began to work
B.when she had no room to live in
C.because her flat was too small for a piano
D.when she got married
We can infer from the passage that ______.
A.English people, like most people in other countries, dislike living in flats
B.people in most countries of the world today are not opposed to living in flats
C.people in Britain are forced to move into high blocks of flats
D.modern flats still fail to provide the necessary facilities for living
Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions. We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death as a 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 cancer 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 U.S. spent $12.7 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. Some scholars conclude that a government with finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustains life beyond a certain age—say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and infirm "have a duty to die and get out of the way", so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential.
I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be 53. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is in her 70s, and former surgeon general C. Everett Koop chairs an Internet start-up in his 80s. These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age. As a mere 68-year-old, I wish to age as productively as they have.
Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit. As a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have. As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people's lives.
What is implied in the first sentence?
A.Americans are better prepared for death than other people.
B.Americans enjoy a higher life quality than ever before.
C.Americans are over-confident of their medical technology.
D.Americans take a vain pride in their long life expectancy.
In 2007, there were approximately 38 000 assisted living facilities nationwide, serving about 975000 residents. The overwhelming majority of assisted living residents in the United States are female, according to the National Center for Assisted Living. One of the most common types of facilities that provide assisted living are called continuing care retirement communities, which offer a stepwise approach to care, says Kerry Peck, an elder law attorney based in Chicago. "The concept is you age in place," meaning you never have to leave the grounds for housing, he says, "You buy an apartment or cottage, and then as your health declines, the facility agrees to provide continuing care. Some of the most successful centers have independent living, then assisted living, then a nursing home for acute care. "
But much like deciding whether a nursing home is necessary, the decision to move into an assisted living facility is not an easy one. So what factors should you consider when looking for a place to move to? Mainly, you should think about what activities you or your loved one need help with. People residing in assisted living facilities may need assistance with any number of daily activities, such as bathing, dressing, using the bathroom, cooking or eating. About 87 percent of residents need help preparing meals, for example, and 81 percent need help with managing or taking their medications, reports the NCAL. Most residents come from living in private homes or apartments; fewer come from living with adult children or other family members, from nursing home facilities, retirement or independent living communities, or another assisted living or group home.
For some people, however, assisted living may not be an option, mostly for financial reasons. Assisted living facilities cost an average of $ 34 000 annually in 2009, compared to about $ 74 000 per year for a nursing home, according to research published in January in Health Affairs. How this expense is paid varies. Residents can buy into a facility by paying a large, upfront sum of money, followed by smaller monthly assessment fees. Or if the resident opts for a facility where he can rent instead, he would pay monthly for the cost of housing and care. The facilities are also mostly located in areas where home values are higher and people nearby have higher incomes.
From the first paragraph, we learn that ______.
A.elderly people living in assisted living facilities have to be accompanied all the time
B.fluctuation of economy can have no much effect on the construction of assisted living facilities
C.assisted living facilities have been always increasing rapidly
D.assisted living facilities have become more and more popular in the past 20 years
In1950, the U.S. spent .7 billion on health care. In 2002, the cost will be billion. Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable. Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it. Some scholars conclude that a government with finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustains life beyond a certain age-----say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and infirm“have a duty todie and get out of the way”,so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential.
I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78,Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be 53.Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is in her 70s,and former surgeon general C.Everett Koop chairs an Internet start-up in his 80s.These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age. As a mere 68-year-old,I wish to age as productively as they have.
Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit. Ask a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have. As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people's lives.
第56题:What is implied in the first sentence?
A. Americans are better prepared for death than other people.
B. Americans enjoy a higher life quality than ever before.
C. Americans are over-confident of their medical technology.
D. Americans take a vain pride in their long life expectancy.
Ever since I arrived here, I ________ in the dormitory because it is cheaper.
A.lived
B.was living
C.had been living
D.have been living
—Hi, Tracy, you look tired.
—I am tired. I ______ the living room all day.
A) painted B) had painted C) have been painting D) have painted