Mr Porter a professor at Harvard Business Sch001。is one of the world’s most respected busine,thinkers．He made his name and fortune teaching companies his theories of competitive advantage．
Mr Porter argues that competition can save even America’s troubled heahh_care system。the large in the world．He and Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg argue in“Redefining Health Care”that competition， properly applied，can also fix what ails this sector．
That is a bold claim，given the horrible state of America’s heahh-care system．Just consider a few of its failings：America pays more per capita for health care than most countries，but it still has some 45 citizens with no health insurance at all．①While a few receive outstanding treatment。the authors show heart—wrenching detail that most do not．The authors conclude that it is“on a dangerous path。with toxic combination of high costs，uneven quality，frequent errors and limited access to care．”
The authors offer a mix of solunons to fix this mess，and thereby to put the sector on a genuine competitive footin9．First comes the seemingly obvious(but as yet unrealised)goal of data transparene Second is a redirection of competition from the level of health plans，doctors，clinics and hospitals，to competition“at the level of medical conditions，which is all but absent”．②The authors argue that tt right measure of“value”for the health sector should be how well a patient with a given health eonditon fares over the entire cycle of treatment，and what the cost is for that entire cycle．③
If there is a failing in this book，it is that the authors sometimes stray toward naive optimism．They argue，for example，that their solutions are so commonsensical that private actors in the health syste could forge ahead with them profitably without waiting for the government to fix its policy mistakes． That is a tempting notion，but it falls into a trap that economists call the fallacy of the$20 bill on the street．If there really were easy money on the pavement，goes the argument，surely previous passers-by would have bent over and picked it up by now?
In the same vein，if Mr Porter’s prescriptions are so sensible that companies can make money eve now in the absence of government policy changes。why in the world have they not done so already? one reason may be that they can make more money in the current sub—optimal equilibrium than in a perfectl competitive market--which is why government action is probably needed to sweep aside the mall obstacles in the way of this book's powerful vision．⑤
In the end，though，that is small criticism of a very big book．[449 words]
1．Mr Porter is famous chiefly for______．
A．his popular book Redefining Health Care
B．his：being a professor at Harvard Business School
C．his being one of the world’s most respected business thinkers
D．his marvelous contribution to theories of competitive advantage
2．The author argues that______．
A．America’s health_care system leaves nothing to be desired
B．it is no easy task to improve America’s health—care system
C．competition can help improve America’s health—care system
D．Americans enjoy one of the best health_care systems in the world
3．It is implied in the text that______．
A．competition may help improve medical conditions
B．America’s health-care system is under severe competition
C．there is too much competition among doctors and hospitals
D．few patients in America fare well under current health conditions
4．In the author’s opinion，the book cannot be considered perfect in that______．
A．optimistic thinking often leads to imprudent j udgement
B．companies may make less money in a competitive market
C．the solutions given are too commonsensicai to be applicable
D．the authors of the book have fallen victim to an economic fallacy
5．The author takes a attitude toward the book“Redefining Health Care” ______．
A．critical
B．positive
C．suspicious
D．contemptuous 難句透析
①Just consider a few of its failings：America pays more per capita for health care than most countries，but。it still has some 45m citizens with no health insurance at all．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】本句的主句“Just consider…”是祈使句。冒號后面的部分是對主旬中“a few of its failings”的說明；該部分是由逗號和“but”連接的兩個分句組成的并列句。
【釋義】只需考慮一下衛(wèi)生保健系統(tǒng)下列幾處缺點：美國為衛(wèi)生保健支付的人均費用遠高于其他大部分國家，但該國仍有4500萬公民沒有任何健康保險。 ，
②second is a redirection of competition from the level of health plans，doctors，clinics and hospitals，to competitior“at the level of medical conditions，[which is all but absent]”．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】本句的主語是“second”，表語是“a redirection of…from…t0…”。方括號所標示的“which is all bul absent”是“competition…conditions”的后置定語從句。
【釋義】其次是把競爭機制從保健規(guī)劃、醫(yī)生、診所和醫(yī)院的層面轉(zhuǎn)到醫(yī)療條件這個層面上來，這個層面幾乎不存在競爭。
③The authors argue[that the right measure of“value”for the health sector should be (how well a patient with a given health condition fares over the entire cycle of treatment)，and (what the cost is for that entire cycle)]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號所標示的“that the right measure…entire cycle”是“argue”的賓語從句；其中由逗號和“and”連接的兩個圓括號所標示的部分是“should be”的兩個并列的表語從句。
【釋義】作者提出，衡量醫(yī)療部門的真正標準應(yīng)該是在一個特定的健康狀況下的病人在整個治療過程的恢復(fù)程度，以及整個過程所有花費是否合理。
④They argue，for example，[that their solutions are so commonsensical(that private actors in the health systern could forge ahead with them profitably without waiting for the government to fix its policy mistakes)]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號所標示的“that their solutions…policy mistakes”是“argue”的賓語從句；圓括號所標示的“that private actors…policy mistakes”是其中的結(jié)果狀語從句。
【釋義】比如。作者認為，他們提出的解決方案道理十分淺顯，醫(yī)療保健體系中的私人醫(yī)療部門無須等待政府做出政策調(diào)整，只需按部就班做下去就會取得成效。
⑤one reason may be[that they can make more money in the current sub—optimal equilibrium than in a perfectly competitive market--which is(why government action is probably needed to sweep aside the many obstacles in the way of this book’s powerful vision)]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號所標示的“that they can make…powerful vision”是“may be”的表語從句；破折號后面的定語從句“which is…powerful vision”補充說明“they can make more…competitive market”；圓括號所標示的“why gov— ernment action…powerful vision”是這個定語從句中的表語從句。
【釋義】原因之一可能是相對于完美的競爭市場，他們在目前并非最理想的平衡中卻能賺更多的錢。這就是為什么可能需要政府于預(yù)，去排除前進道路上的障礙，來實現(xiàn)本書所預(yù)見的美好前景了。
全文翻譯
哈佛商學院的教授波特先生是世界上人尊敬的商業(yè)思想家之一。他通過向公司教授自己的“競爭優(yōu)勢”理論而名利雙收。
波特先生認為，競爭甚至可以挽救全世界最龐大的衛(wèi)生保健體系——美國飽受困擾的衛(wèi)生保健制度。他與伊麗莎白·奧姆斯特德·泰斯伯格在“衛(wèi)生保健再定義”一文中稱：如果競爭運用恰當，一定能解這一問題之困。
對于美國衛(wèi)生保健糟糕的現(xiàn)狀而言，這種說法是個重磅炸彈。只需考慮一下衛(wèi)生保健系統(tǒng)下列幾處缺點：美國為衛(wèi)生保健支付的人均費用遠高于其他大部分國家，但該國仍有4500萬公民沒有任何健康保險。根據(jù)作者提供的細節(jié)來看，盡管少數(shù)人得到了很好的治療，但令人心痛的是絕大多數(shù)人根本沒有。最后作者總結(jié)道：“衛(wèi)生保健目前處在十分危險的境地：費用高昂、質(zhì)量參差不齊、錯誤發(fā)生率高以及獲取照料渠道有限。”
作者為這個糟糕局面提出了一系列解決方法，并據(jù)此將該部門置于一種真正競爭的狀態(tài)。首先是看起來顯而易見(實際上還沒有真正實現(xiàn))的數(shù)據(jù)透明化的目標。其次是把競爭機制從保健規(guī)劃、醫(yī)生、診所和醫(yī)院的層面轉(zhuǎn)到醫(yī)療條件這個層面上來，這個層面幾乎不存在競爭。作者提出，衡量醫(yī)療部門的真正標準應(yīng)該是在一個特定的健康狀況下的病人在整個治療過程的恢復(fù)程度，以及整個過程所有花費是否合理。
如果說這部書有什么瑕疵，那就是作者有時會表現(xiàn)出幼稚的樂觀情緒。比如，作者認為，他們提出的解決方案道理十分淺顯，醫(yī)療保健體系中的私人醫(yī)療部門無須等待政府做出政策調(diào)整，只需按部就班做下去就會取得成效。④這種說法很有煽動性，但這種說法陷入了經(jīng)濟學家所謂的“大街上的20美金謬誤”陷阱。如果人行道上的錢的確是正當?shù)?，按照這個論述，錢應(yīng)該早就被之前的過路人彎腰撿走了，怎么還會留到現(xiàn)在呢?
依此類推，如果波特先生的方法如此明智以至于公司可以在無視政府政策方針改變的前提下輕松賺錢的話，那為何他們之前不這樣做呢?原因之一可能是相對于完美的競爭市場，他們在目前并非最理想的平衡中卻能賺更多的錢。這就是為什么可能需要政府干預(yù)，去排除前進道路上的障礙，來實現(xiàn)本書所預(yù)見的美好前景了。
最后，盡管如此，這只是一部鴻篇巨制中一處微小的批評。
超綱詞匯
Mess n．混亂，雜亂
Stray v．迷路，偏離
Commonsensical adj．明白事理的，有基本常識的
Sensible 明智的，有判斷力的
fallacy n．謬誤，謬論
Equilibrium n．平衡，平靜，均衡
transparency n．透明，透明度
sub—optimal adj．未達標準的，不最理想的
forge ahead穩(wěn)步前進，漸漸追過，
prescription n．藥方，處方
toxic adj．有毒的，中毒的
fare vi．遭遇，進展，經(jīng)營，過活
參考答案：1．D 2．B 3．A 4．C 5．B
Mr Porter argues that competition can save even America’s troubled heahh_care system。the large in the world．He and Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg argue in“Redefining Health Care”that competition， properly applied，can also fix what ails this sector．
That is a bold claim，given the horrible state of America’s heahh-care system．Just consider a few of its failings：America pays more per capita for health care than most countries，but it still has some 45 citizens with no health insurance at all．①While a few receive outstanding treatment。the authors show heart—wrenching detail that most do not．The authors conclude that it is“on a dangerous path。with toxic combination of high costs，uneven quality，frequent errors and limited access to care．”
The authors offer a mix of solunons to fix this mess，and thereby to put the sector on a genuine competitive footin9．First comes the seemingly obvious(but as yet unrealised)goal of data transparene Second is a redirection of competition from the level of health plans，doctors，clinics and hospitals，to competition“at the level of medical conditions，which is all but absent”．②The authors argue that tt right measure of“value”for the health sector should be how well a patient with a given health eonditon fares over the entire cycle of treatment，and what the cost is for that entire cycle．③
If there is a failing in this book，it is that the authors sometimes stray toward naive optimism．They argue，for example，that their solutions are so commonsensical that private actors in the health syste could forge ahead with them profitably without waiting for the government to fix its policy mistakes． That is a tempting notion，but it falls into a trap that economists call the fallacy of the$20 bill on the street．If there really were easy money on the pavement，goes the argument，surely previous passers-by would have bent over and picked it up by now?
In the same vein，if Mr Porter’s prescriptions are so sensible that companies can make money eve now in the absence of government policy changes。why in the world have they not done so already? one reason may be that they can make more money in the current sub—optimal equilibrium than in a perfectl competitive market--which is why government action is probably needed to sweep aside the mall obstacles in the way of this book's powerful vision．⑤
In the end，though，that is small criticism of a very big book．[449 words]
1．Mr Porter is famous chiefly for______．
A．his popular book Redefining Health Care
B．his：being a professor at Harvard Business School
C．his being one of the world’s most respected business thinkers
D．his marvelous contribution to theories of competitive advantage
2．The author argues that______．
A．America’s health_care system leaves nothing to be desired
B．it is no easy task to improve America’s health—care system
C．competition can help improve America’s health—care system
D．Americans enjoy one of the best health_care systems in the world
3．It is implied in the text that______．
A．competition may help improve medical conditions
B．America’s health-care system is under severe competition
C．there is too much competition among doctors and hospitals
D．few patients in America fare well under current health conditions
4．In the author’s opinion，the book cannot be considered perfect in that______．
A．optimistic thinking often leads to imprudent j udgement
B．companies may make less money in a competitive market
C．the solutions given are too commonsensicai to be applicable
D．the authors of the book have fallen victim to an economic fallacy
5．The author takes a attitude toward the book“Redefining Health Care” ______．
A．critical
B．positive
C．suspicious
D．contemptuous 難句透析
①Just consider a few of its failings：America pays more per capita for health care than most countries，but。it still has some 45m citizens with no health insurance at all．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】本句的主句“Just consider…”是祈使句。冒號后面的部分是對主旬中“a few of its failings”的說明；該部分是由逗號和“but”連接的兩個分句組成的并列句。
【釋義】只需考慮一下衛(wèi)生保健系統(tǒng)下列幾處缺點：美國為衛(wèi)生保健支付的人均費用遠高于其他大部分國家，但該國仍有4500萬公民沒有任何健康保險。 ，
②second is a redirection of competition from the level of health plans，doctors，clinics and hospitals，to competitior“at the level of medical conditions，[which is all but absent]”．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】本句的主語是“second”，表語是“a redirection of…from…t0…”。方括號所標示的“which is all bul absent”是“competition…conditions”的后置定語從句。
【釋義】其次是把競爭機制從保健規(guī)劃、醫(yī)生、診所和醫(yī)院的層面轉(zhuǎn)到醫(yī)療條件這個層面上來，這個層面幾乎不存在競爭。
③The authors argue[that the right measure of“value”for the health sector should be (how well a patient with a given health condition fares over the entire cycle of treatment)，and (what the cost is for that entire cycle)]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號所標示的“that the right measure…entire cycle”是“argue”的賓語從句；其中由逗號和“and”連接的兩個圓括號所標示的部分是“should be”的兩個并列的表語從句。
【釋義】作者提出，衡量醫(yī)療部門的真正標準應(yīng)該是在一個特定的健康狀況下的病人在整個治療過程的恢復(fù)程度，以及整個過程所有花費是否合理。
④They argue，for example，[that their solutions are so commonsensical(that private actors in the health systern could forge ahead with them profitably without waiting for the government to fix its policy mistakes)]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號所標示的“that their solutions…policy mistakes”是“argue”的賓語從句；圓括號所標示的“that private actors…policy mistakes”是其中的結(jié)果狀語從句。
【釋義】比如。作者認為，他們提出的解決方案道理十分淺顯，醫(yī)療保健體系中的私人醫(yī)療部門無須等待政府做出政策調(diào)整，只需按部就班做下去就會取得成效。
⑤one reason may be[that they can make more money in the current sub—optimal equilibrium than in a perfectly competitive market--which is(why government action is probably needed to sweep aside the many obstacles in the way of this book’s powerful vision)]．
【結(jié)構(gòu)】方括號所標示的“that they can make…powerful vision”是“may be”的表語從句；破折號后面的定語從句“which is…powerful vision”補充說明“they can make more…competitive market”；圓括號所標示的“why gov— ernment action…powerful vision”是這個定語從句中的表語從句。
【釋義】原因之一可能是相對于完美的競爭市場，他們在目前并非最理想的平衡中卻能賺更多的錢。這就是為什么可能需要政府于預(yù)，去排除前進道路上的障礙，來實現(xiàn)本書所預(yù)見的美好前景了。
全文翻譯
哈佛商學院的教授波特先生是世界上人尊敬的商業(yè)思想家之一。他通過向公司教授自己的“競爭優(yōu)勢”理論而名利雙收。
波特先生認為，競爭甚至可以挽救全世界最龐大的衛(wèi)生保健體系——美國飽受困擾的衛(wèi)生保健制度。他與伊麗莎白·奧姆斯特德·泰斯伯格在“衛(wèi)生保健再定義”一文中稱：如果競爭運用恰當，一定能解這一問題之困。
對于美國衛(wèi)生保健糟糕的現(xiàn)狀而言，這種說法是個重磅炸彈。只需考慮一下衛(wèi)生保健系統(tǒng)下列幾處缺點：美國為衛(wèi)生保健支付的人均費用遠高于其他大部分國家，但該國仍有4500萬公民沒有任何健康保險。根據(jù)作者提供的細節(jié)來看，盡管少數(shù)人得到了很好的治療，但令人心痛的是絕大多數(shù)人根本沒有。最后作者總結(jié)道：“衛(wèi)生保健目前處在十分危險的境地：費用高昂、質(zhì)量參差不齊、錯誤發(fā)生率高以及獲取照料渠道有限。”
作者為這個糟糕局面提出了一系列解決方法，并據(jù)此將該部門置于一種真正競爭的狀態(tài)。首先是看起來顯而易見(實際上還沒有真正實現(xiàn))的數(shù)據(jù)透明化的目標。其次是把競爭機制從保健規(guī)劃、醫(yī)生、診所和醫(yī)院的層面轉(zhuǎn)到醫(yī)療條件這個層面上來，這個層面幾乎不存在競爭。作者提出，衡量醫(yī)療部門的真正標準應(yīng)該是在一個特定的健康狀況下的病人在整個治療過程的恢復(fù)程度，以及整個過程所有花費是否合理。
如果說這部書有什么瑕疵，那就是作者有時會表現(xiàn)出幼稚的樂觀情緒。比如，作者認為，他們提出的解決方案道理十分淺顯，醫(yī)療保健體系中的私人醫(yī)療部門無須等待政府做出政策調(diào)整，只需按部就班做下去就會取得成效。④這種說法很有煽動性，但這種說法陷入了經(jīng)濟學家所謂的“大街上的20美金謬誤”陷阱。如果人行道上的錢的確是正當?shù)?，按照這個論述，錢應(yīng)該早就被之前的過路人彎腰撿走了，怎么還會留到現(xiàn)在呢?
依此類推，如果波特先生的方法如此明智以至于公司可以在無視政府政策方針改變的前提下輕松賺錢的話，那為何他們之前不這樣做呢?原因之一可能是相對于完美的競爭市場，他們在目前并非最理想的平衡中卻能賺更多的錢。這就是為什么可能需要政府干預(yù)，去排除前進道路上的障礙，來實現(xiàn)本書所預(yù)見的美好前景了。
最后，盡管如此，這只是一部鴻篇巨制中一處微小的批評。
超綱詞匯
Mess n．混亂，雜亂
Stray v．迷路，偏離
Commonsensical adj．明白事理的，有基本常識的
Sensible 明智的，有判斷力的
fallacy n．謬誤，謬論
Equilibrium n．平衡，平靜，均衡
transparency n．透明，透明度
sub—optimal adj．未達標準的，不最理想的
forge ahead穩(wěn)步前進，漸漸追過，
prescription n．藥方，處方
toxic adj．有毒的，中毒的
fare vi．遭遇，進展，經(jīng)營，過活
參考答案：1．D 2．B 3．A 4．C 5．B