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  3. The NHS remains one of the reasons why people are proud to be British. It provides outstanding care to more than a million of us

The NHS remains one of the reasons why people are proud to be British. It provides outstanding care to more than a million of us

admin2017-02-28  73
问题     The NHS remains one of the reasons why people are proud to be British. It provides outstanding care to more than a million of us every day, despite huge pressure caused by tight finances and an ageing population. At the last election, the British people were clear—a strong NHS needs a strong economy. So those who back Brexit need to explain what that would mean for the NHS.
    I am not someone who believes we could not survive economically outside the EU. Nor do I believe that—as the world’s fifth largest economy—we would not eventually negotiate new trade deals. But we know that would involve years of economic uncertainty and that no country outside the EU has ever secured full, unfettered access to the single market.
    Even the most bullish Brexiteers concede that the short-term impact on the British economy would be a period of uncertainty and volatility. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility has said that "there appears to be a greater consensus that a vote to leave would result in a period of potentially disruptive uncertainty while the precise details of the UK’s new relationship with the EU were negotiated". And therein lies the risk to the NHS of leaving.
    Those wishing to leave might say this uncertainty is a price worth paying, but my concern is more practical. The NHS consumes the second biggest budget in Whitehall. Next year, thanks to this government’s success in turning around the economy, it will have the sixth biggest increase in its history.
    Investing in the NHS will always be a priority for this government, but the simple fact is this: an economic shock would put pressure on our finances. According to the OECD, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy all cut health spending per head following the economic crisis.
    Of course, our economy is stronger and more resilient, but only in the last two weeks a series of studies from the likes of the London School of Economics, Oxford Economics and the CBI have shown that the impact of an exit could cost the UK more than 5% of the size of our economy.
This would inevitably mean less money for public services like the NHS. Those who want to leave need to explain how they could protect the NHS from this economic shock.
    It is not just a question of the risk to the pounds in our pocket, but to the pounds in the NHS budget as well. We should not take that risk.  
To which of the following will the author be most likely to agree?
选项 A、A strong NHS is necessarily related to a strong economy.
B、Economic boom will mean less money for the health service.
C、A vote to leavethe EU will create economic prosperity.
D、The budget for the NHS requires further investigation.
答案A
解析 (1)本题的解题思路与上题一致。其实，本题与全文的中心议题相关。(2)第1段作者就表明“强大的NHS需要强大的经济”(第1段：strong)。(3)第4段，“那些支持英国退出欧盟者认为，对NHS的影响是我们值得付出的代价”(第4段：worth)，但是，“NHS在政府预算中占很大的比重”(第4段：consumes)。言外之意便是，只有经济强大，我们引以为豪的NHS才会强大。故选项[A]正确。
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