Question

If a new idea in America becomes a law, people who suffer from obesity (肥胖症）could suffer financially too. The proposal (建议) aims to encourage people to be healthy.

The US state of Arizona wants to charge overweight citizens $ 50 (325 yuan) annually if they fail to follow their doctor’s advice. People with children or who are overweight because they suffer from a medical condition would be exempt(被豁免的). If the idea is approved by Congress, smokers and diabetics who fail to stick to a healthy lifestyle will also have to pay.

Medicaid, the organization which provides healthcare to the poor in the USA, costs the government $ 339 bn (2.2 trillion yuan) a year. Monica Coury, assistant director at Arizona’s Medicaid program, said that this proposal would ask people to give something back.

She said that Arizona would take a carrot and stick approach to the problem. As well as penalizing(惩罚) people who go against their doctor’s wishes, incentives (奖励) would be offered for following advice, possibly a keep-fit video. Arizona’s senator Kyrsten Sinema has not backed the plans, saying that there isn’t a system to decide whether someone is or isn’t following medical advice. Other critics claim that people don’t need the government to look after them; if they want to be fat and smoke, the “nanny state” shouldn’t try to stop them. Wes Benedict of the Libertarian Party said: “If you want to save the state money, cut Medicaid across the board, but don’t single out overweight people and smokers.”

51. The state of Arizona wants to charge people who ____.

A. are fat parents　　　

B. are fat and obedient

C. are fat due to a medical condition.

D. are fat and don’t follow their doctor’s advice.

52. People who are ___ and don’t adopt a healthy life will NOT be charged if the proposal becomes law?

A. overweight　　　　 B. HIV carriers

C. diabetes　　　　　 D. smokers

53. What does “a carrot and stick approach” mean?

A. A kind of healthy diet

B. A kind of unhealthy diet.

C. A policy of offering a combination or rewards and punishment.

D. A policy of offering a combination of rewards and prizes.

54. What did Wes Benedict think of the proposal?

A. Biased.　　　　　 B. Just and fair.

C. Influential. D. Not practical.

Answer 1

DBCA