After a week-long vacation, U.S. President Barack Obama will focus on proposals to strengthen the still-recovering American economy. The agenda includes the reform of the nation’s health care system.
The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as some call it, expands federal health care programs for the needy and encourages Americans of all income groups to purchase private health care insurance.
“If you do not have insurance, beginning on October 1st, private plans will actually compete for your business. You can comparison--shop in an online marketplace, just like you would for cell phone plans or plane tickets. You may be eligible for new tax credits to help you afford the plan that’s right for you. And if you are in the up to half of all Americans who have been sick or have a preexisting condition, this law means that beginning January 1st, insurance companies have to cover you," Obama said.
Health-care spending accounts for one-seventh of U.S. economic activity, and is projected to increase to one-fifth in coming years. The cost has a direct bearing on America’s economic and financial well--being. Drawn up in 2010, the Affordable Care Act aims to control costs and expand access to health care. The effort is a big failure, according to Republican law makers like Tim Griffin and Todd Young.
“Republicans will continue to do everything we can to protect all Americans from the president's top-down, one-size-fits-all, Washington-knows-best approach to health care that is driving up costs and hurting our economy," said Griffin. “The sooner we can delay, oppose and cancel the president's health-care law, the sooner we can get people back to work and focus on expanding opportunity for everyone.”
The president accuses Republicans of putting partisanship(党派偏见) ahead of Americans’ health-care needs. “A lot of Republicans seem to believe that if they can gum up the works and make this law fail, they will somehow be sticking it to me. But they would just be sticking it to you. Your health insurance is not something to play politics with. Our economy is not something to play politics with," he said.
As a matter of fact，the success or failure of Obamacare could shape the president’s legacy long after he leaves office.
小题1:It is implied in Obama’s words in Paragraph 3 that .
A．health care insurance will be of great benefit to Americans
B．health care insurance will help recover American economy
C．insurance companies don’t expect him to carry out the law
D．insurance companies will cover Americans in all aspects小题2:According to Tim Griffin，Obama’s health-care law .
A．will be strongly opposed to by the Republicans
B．will cause fewer economic problems in America
C．will be cancelled sooner or later by the government
D．will never work without the help of the Republicans.小题3:What does Obama accuse Republicans of according to the passage?
A．They don’t know what Americans are in need of.
B．They tend to put their own benefit ahead of Americans’.
C．They know nothing about health insurance and economy.
D．They like to play politics with economy and health insurance小题4:What is the author’s tone in this passage?
A．Subjective
B．Critical
C．Unconcerned
D．Objective
