經濟學人：全球醫療

筆記食用方法

Global health

Within reach

Yet the gap between this progress and the still greater potential that medicine offers has perhaps never been wider. At least half the world is without access to what the World Health Organisation deems essential, including antenatal care, insecticide-treated bednets, screening for cervical cancer and vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.Safe, basic surgery is out of reach for 5bn people.

Those who can get to see a doctor often pay a crippling price. More than 800m people spend over 10% of their annual household income on medical expenses; nearly 180m spend over 25%. The quality of what they get in return is often woeful. In studies of consultations in rural Indian and Chinese clinics, just 12-26% of patients received a correct diagnosis.

That is a terrible waste. The goal of universal basic health care is sensible, affordable and practical, even in poor countries. Without it, the potential of modern medicine will be squandered.

回顧與導讀

在精讀（1）中，文章首段主要介紹了當前世界醫療健康積極的一面：從許多方面來看，世界從沒像現在這樣健康。並通過4組論據來證明：

1.自2000年以來，5歲之前夭折的兒童數量下降了近一半，至560萬。2.人們的預期壽命提高了5歲，達到71歲。3.接種疫苗的兒童比以往任何時候都多。4.瘧疾、肺結核和艾滋病正節節敗退。

不過，撇開全球健康狀況正在改善這個大環境不說，對許多家庭來說，看不起病也是一個實實在在的問題。那麼，全民醫保是否能起到作用呢？

精讀筆記

Global health全球醫療

Within reach力所能及

Yet the gap between this progress and the still greater potential that medicine offers has perhaps never been wider. At least half the world is withoutaccess towhat theWorld Health Organisationdeems essential, includingantenatalcare,insecticide-treated bednets,screeningfor cervical cancer and vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.Safe, basicsurgeryis out of reach for 5bn people.

精讀

Yet the gap [ between this progress and the still greater potential that medicine offers ] has perhaps never been wider.

[語法分析]看到長句先來抓主幹：Yet the gap has perhaps never been wider.

不過，差距卻可能是前所未有的大。

誰和誰的差距呢？---between this progress and the still greater potential that medicine offers，取得的進步與醫療具有的潛力之間的差距，其中that medical offers是定語從句修飾前面的greater potential,這種潛力是誰提供的？---是medicine提供的

At least half the world is withoutaccess towhat the World Health Organisation deems essential.

世界上至少有一半的人無法獲得世界衛生組織認定的最基本的醫療服務

access to是一個很常見的短語，可以表示「通往某地的入口，路徑」：a way of entering or reaching a place，比如說：

Scientists have only recently been able to gain access to the area.

科學家直到最近才得以進入該地區

也可以表示(使用或見到的)機會，權利：the opportunity or right to use sth or to see sb / sth，舉個例子：

Access to the papers is restricted to senior management.

只有高級管理層才有權接觸到這些文件

World Health Organisation世界衛生組織，簡稱WTO

再給大家拓展幾個常見的國際組織：

World Trade organization世界貿易組織，簡稱WTO

International Monetary Fund國際貨幣基金組織，簡稱IMF

deem認為;視為;相信to have a particular opinion about sth,[近義詞]consider

French and German were deemed essential.

法語和德語被認為是必不可少的。

He says he would support the use of force if the UN deemed it necessary.

他說如果聯合國認為有必要使用武力，他將予以支持。

antenatal care產前保健

antenatal/?nt?"ne?t(?)l/產前的，relating to the medical care given to women who are going to have a baby

an antenatal clinic產前診所

Many young mothers do not attend antenatal classes .

許多年輕的母親不去上產前學習班。

insecticide-treatedbednets經殺蟲劑處理過的蚊帳

Insecticide/?n?sek.t?.sa?d/是殺蟲劑的意思，比如：

Spray the plants with insecticide.

給植物噴洒殺蟲劑。

screeningfor cervical cancer(宮頸癌) and vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough

產前保健、經殺蟲劑處理過的蚊帳、宮頸癌篩查，以及預防白喉、破傷風及百日咳的疫苗

Screen[熟詞癖義]

除了常見的「屏幕」這一意思以外，比如TV screen電視屏幕，

它還可以表示審查；篩選to check sth to see if it is suitable or if you want it。

Government employees may be screened by the security services.

政府僱員可能要接受安全部門的審查

至於vaccinations against, 這裡的介詞against可以理解為對抗，預防。那麼可以預防什麼呢？----diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough白喉、破傷風及百日咳。

其實大家只要知道against後面跟是一些疾病即可，學習也要學會抓牛鼻子哦~

Safe, basicsurgeryisout of reachfor 5bnpeople.

有50億人得不到安全的基本外科手術治療。

surgery/?s??.d??r.i/ 是「外科手術」的意思，整形手術我們就可以說：plastic surgery

out of reach是得不到的意思，比如說我暗戀的女神居然突然就結婚了，沒戲了~我們就可以這樣來說：She is now out of reach for me.

這裡的out of reach也可以換成without reach，都是「得不到，遙不可及」的意思，而標題中的within reach意思則剛好相反，表示「力所能及，可以得到」。

5bn，bn是billion的縮寫，表示「十億」。

不過，取得的進步與醫療具有的潛力之間的差距卻可能是前所未有的大。世界上至少有一半的人無法獲得世界衛生組織認定的最基本的醫療服務，包括產前保健、經殺蟲劑處理過的蚊帳、宮頸癌篩查，以及預防白喉、破傷風及百日咳的疫苗。有50億人得不到安全的基本外科手術治療。有50億人得不到安全的基本外科手術治療。

Those who can get to see a doctor often pay acrippling price. More than 800m people spend over 10% of theirannual household incomeonmedical expenses; nearly 180m spend over 25%. The quality of what they get in return is oftenwoeful.In studies of consultations inruralIndian and Chinese clinics, just 12-26% of patients received a correct diagnosis.

精讀

Those who can get to see a doctor often pay a crippling price

那些能得到醫療服務的人往往要支付高昂的費用。

Crippling price這裡表示「高昂的費用」。比如說cripplingly high interest rates.過高的利率

我們先來看看cripple的意思,/?kr?p.?l/它可以作名詞也可以作動詞，作名詞時表示「跛子；瘸子」：a person who is unable to walk or move normally because of a disease or injury，舉個例子：

She has gone from being a healthy, fit, and sporty young woman to being a cripple.

她從一個健康、強壯、愛好運動的年輕女性變成了一個跛子。

作動詞時，表示「使殘疾;使成為跛子」，舉個例子：

Mr Easton was seriously crippled in an accident and had to leave his job.

伊斯頓先生在一次事故中重度傷殘，不得不離職。

He had been warned that another bad fall could cripple him for life.

醫生警告他，如果再次嚴重摔傷他可能會終身殘疾

其次，還可以表示「嚴重毀壞(機器);破壞(組織、體系)」：To cripple a machine, organization, or system means to damage it severely or prevent it from working properly，比如說：

A total cut-off of supplies would cripple the country"s economy.

全面切斷物品供應會使該國經濟陷入癱瘓

More than 800m people spend over 10% of their annual household income on medical expenses;

超過八億人將家庭年收入的10%以上用於看病

annual每年的，一年一次的：happening or done once every year

an annual meeting / event / report

年會；一年一度的大事；年度報告

household income家庭收入

medical expenses醫療費用

The quality of what they get in return is often woeful.

而他們得到的醫療服務質量往往很糟糕。

Woeful/?w??.f?l/

糟糕的；嚴重的；不合意的very bad or serious; that you disapprove of，

[近義詞]dreadful, deplorable，舉個例子：

the woeful state of the economy.

糟糕的經濟狀況

2.悲慘的；憂傷的：very sad

a woeful face憂傷的面孔

In studies of consultations in rural Indian and Chinese clinics, just 12-26% of patients received a correct diagnosis.

對印度和中國農村診所的問診研究表明，只有12%到26%的患者得到了正確的診斷。

rural/?r??.r?l/鄉下的;鄉村的;農村的；Rural places are far away from large towns or cities

農村地區的英語便是rural areas ，而「城鎮的」英語是：urban，比如說urban areas城鎮地區，urban life城市生活

政府工作報告中常常出現的一句話：城鄉居民收入差距繼續縮小

the urban-rural gap continued to narrow

那些能得到醫療服務的人往往要支付高昂的費用。超過八億人將家庭年收入的10%以上用於看病；近1.8億人的這一比例超過25%。而他們得到的醫療服務質量往往很糟糕。對印度和中國農村診所的問診研究表明，只有12%到26%的患者得到了正確的診斷。

That is a terrible waste. The goal ofuniversal basic health careissensible,affordableand practical, even in poor countries. Without it, the potential of modern medicine will besquandered.

精讀

The goal of universal basic health care is sensible, affordable and practical, even in poor countries.

這是嚴重的浪費。實現全民基本醫療保健這一目標合理、可負擔，也切實可行，即使在貧窮國家也是如此。

universal basic health care前面已經出現過了，是「全民基本醫療」的意思。

Sensible/

?sen.s?.b?l/

(人及行為)明智的；合理的；切合實際的able to make good judgements based on reason and experience rather than emotion; practical，舉個例子：

She"s a sensible sort of person.

她屬於那種通情達理的人。

I think that"s a very sensible idea.

我看這個主意很妥當。

[易混淆辭彙]sensitive

/?sen.s?.t?v/

這個詞常見有兩個意思：

1.（話題、形勢等）敏感的，須謹慎對待的:Asensitive subject, situation, etc. needs to be dealt with carefully in order toavoid upsetting people,舉個例子：

Sex education and birth control are sensitive issues.

性教育和計劃生育都是敏感的話題。

2. 神經過敏的；易被冒犯的；敏感的:easily upset by the things people say or do, or causing people to be upset,embarrassed, or angry

比如小編昨天頭髮剪短了，覺得有點不自在，覺得每個人都在盯著我看(別自戀了..其實沒人看)，就可以這樣說：

I become very sensitive about my haircut and think everyone is staring at me.

Affordable/

?sen.s?.b?l/

價格合理的;多數人買得起的；If something is affordable, most people have enough money to buy it.

The company makes wearable, beautifully cut clothes at affordable prices.

這家公司生產經久耐穿、外形美觀且價格合理的服裝。

要在中國大城市買一套房子，比如說北京上海，對很多人來說是難的，我們就可以這樣來說：Houses in Beijing or Shanghai are notaffordablefor many people.

Without it, the potential of modern medicine will be squandered.

potential表示潛力，潛質，舉個例子

The boy has great potential.

這個男孩非常有潛質。

The school strives to treat pupils as individuals and to help each one to achieve their full potential.

學校力求對每一個學生因材施教，幫助他們充分發揮其潛力。

Squander/?skw?n.d?r/

浪費，揮霍(金錢、時間等)：to waste money, time, etc. in a stupid or careless way

[近義詞]fritter away, waste

常見搭配是~ squander sth (on sb / sth)，舉個例子

He squandered all his money on gambling.

他把自己所有的錢都糟蹋在賭博上了。

這是嚴重的浪費。實現全民基本醫療保健這一目標合理、可負擔，也切實可行，即使在貧窮國家也是如此。沒有全民醫保，現代醫學的潛力會被浪費掉。

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