题型：任务型阅读 题类：常考题 难易度：困难
江苏省海安县2019届高三上学期英语期末考试试卷（含小段音频）
Robert F. Kennedy once said that a country's GDP measures "everything except that which makes life worthwhile. "With Britain voting to leave the European Union, and GDP already predicted to slow as a result, it is now a timely moment to assess what he was referring to.
The question of GDP and its usefulness has annoyed policymakers for over half a century. Many argue that it is a flawed(有缺陷的) concept. It measures things that do not matter and misses things that do. By most recent measures, the UK's GDP has been the envy of the Western world, with record low unemployment and high growth figures. If everything was going so well, then why did over 17 million people vote for Brexit, despite the warnings about what it could do to their country's economic prospects.
A recent annual study of countries and their ability to convert growth into well-being sheds some light on that question. Across the 163 countries measured, the UK is one of the poorest performers in ensuring that economic growth is translated into meaningful improvements for its citizens. Rather than just focusing on GDP, over 40 different sets of criteria from health, education and civil society engagement have been measured to get a more rounded assessment of how countries are performing.
While all of these countries face their own challenges, there are a number of consistent themes. Yes, there has been a budding economic recovery since the 2008 global crash, but in key indicators in areas such as health and education, major economies have continued to decline. Yet this isn't the case with all countries. Some relatively poor European countries have seen huge improvements across measures including civil society, income equality and the environment.
This is a lesson that rich countries can learn: When GDP is no longer regarded as the sole measure of a country's success, the world looks very different.
So, what Kennedy was referring to was that while GDP has been the most common method for measuring the economic activity of nations, as a measure, it is no longer enough. It does not include important factors such as environmental quality or education outcomes all things that contribute to a person's sense of well-being.
The sharp hit to growth predicted around the world and in the UK could lead to a decline in the everyday services we depend on for our well-being and for growth. But policymakers who refocus efforts on improving well-being instead of simply worrying about GDP figures could avoid the forecasted doom and may even see progress.
|
Title: High GDP But Well-being, a UK Lesson |
|
|
Passage outline |
Supporting details |
|
Different opinions of GDP |
·Robert F. Kennedy believed that everything was measured by a country's GDP except made life worthwhile. ·Many people hold belief that GDP measures what is unimportant andmisses what |
|
GDP as the measure of is widely defied in the UK. |
·Despite the fact the Westem world has envied the UK's for its high GDP with high and high growth figures, over 17 million people voted to leave the European Union. ·A recent annual study shows that in the 163 countries measured, the UK is one of countries, which have most transformed economic growth into meaningful improvements for its citizens. |
|
Main assessments of a country's |
·Over 40 of criteria from health, education and civil society engagement. ·Environmental quality or education outcomes-all thingsin a person's sense of happiness. |
|
Factors considered beyond GDP |
Policymakers, who don't simply worry about GDP figures, instead think of improving happiness, can avoid forecasting doom and may even see progress. |
ID systems are used as a means for people to prove their identity, as a means of access control, or for many other situations. ID cards also contain a lot more information than simply the name of the holder. All ID cards contain information that is relevant to the institution that released them, so there is no single model that applies to all ID cards.
Different institutions have different rules when it comes to ID cards, and ID cards used by students, in universities, will not have the same security features as those used in the military, for example. The more important the institution is, the more important the security is, and the more security features will be used to prevent duplication(复制) of an ID card.
Anyone with a printer that can print ID cards can duplicate in ID card, if it does not have any security measures. There have been lots of cases, especially in low security institutions, where ID cards have been duplicated and this was not noticed, since the person holding the card usually flashed it when it was requested, and that was not enough to notice that it is a fake.
That may not be extremely important when it is simply a case of a student trying to enter the campus of another university, but it can be of vital importance if it happens in a military institution. Checks in military institutions are much stricter and the personnel checking the card are always trained to spot fakes in a short amount of time.
Some may think that creating an ID card is extremely difficult, but it is not. All it takes is a special printer that can print ID cards, a model and a photo ID. The fact that such printers can be freely ordered online has raised security issues with lots of companies and institutions, and most have decided to either create their own ID cards, or simply use more advanced security features that regular home-users do not have access to. This includes magnetic stripes(磁条), chips, barcodes(条形码),and other methods. This does increase the cost of the card per person, so the total cost of the cards increases based on the number of employees the company has, but it also reduces security risks to a minimum.
So ID systems, as basic as they seem, are an excellent security measure for any institution. To ensure that the IDs look good and function properly, the company that handles the card printing services should be top-class. Trying to save some money by choosing a cheaper provider is not really wise. While some companies offer bonuses for large orders, if the quality provided is not of the highest standard, it is not worth it.
ID systems | |
Passage outline | Supporting details |
{#blank#}1{#/blank#} to ID system | There is not a single model {#blank#}2{#/blank#} to all ID cards because of different information contained in different ID cards. Different security features are decided by the degree of the {#blank#}3{#/blank#} of the institutions |
Security features of ID cards | With no security measures quite a lot of {#blank#}4{#/blank#} of ID card duplication have happened. In a military institution ID cards are {#blank#}5{#/blank#} more strictly |
{#blank#}6{#/blank#} of ID cards | It is not {#blank#}7{#/blank#} to make ID cards with special printers. Using magnetic stripes, chips and barcodes {#blank#}8{#/blank#} the safety of ID cards. |
The author's advice | {#blank#}9{#/blank#} basic and simple, ID systems are an excellent security measure. It's wise to {#blank#}10{#/blank#} top-class providers or services to ensure ID cards of a fine quality. |
试题篮
