It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional .Small wonder. Americans’ life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression controlled, cataracts removed in a 30-minute surgical procedure. Such advances offer the aging population a quality of life that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago. But not even a great health-care system can cure death—and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours.
What is implied in the first sentence?
[A] Americans are better prepared for death than other people.
[B] Americans enjoys the highest life quality in the world..
[C] Americans are over-confident of their medical technology.
[D] Americans take a vain pride in their long life expectancy.
本題題目,明確指出根據第一句想表明什么。如果我們只看這一句肯定不行,必須結合下文。有了結合上下文的意識還不夠,還要能夠把握好每個句子之間的關系。那么本段中的各句之間究竟是什么關系呢?首句說明death在美國是一個選擇,而在其他兩個國家,是不可避免的。第二句,說這不足為奇。兩句從意思上緊密銜接。從第三句開始擺出更多的事實一直到第五句。可以說從首句到第五句都在說進步( such advances )。然而到了第六句,思路一轉“But not even a great health-care system can cure death”——即使有(such)advances, 也無法cure death。這和第一句 death is... optional 是相悖的,還說“這也不足為奇”,那也就說明,上述我們取得的(such)advances,在治療不治之癥的時候也是失靈的,說明我們過自信了,那在哪方面過于自信了呢?即第三句到第五句所羅列的advances 背后的推動力——medical technology。 只有從整體的角度去思考,才能這樣才能從根本上解決閱讀理解的問題,才能做到能收能放,既能夠從宏觀上,又能從微觀上閱讀。