It’ s becoming something of a joke along the Maine-Canada border. So many busloads of retired people crisscross the line looking

admin2013-11-30  34

问题     It’ s becoming something of a joke along the Maine-Canada border. So many busloads of retired people crisscross the line looking for affordable drugs that the roadside stands should advertise, "Lobsters. Blueberries. Lipitor. Coumalin. " Except, of course, that such a market in prescription drugs would be illegal.
    These senior long-distance shopping sprees fall in a legal gray zone. But as long as people cross the border with prescriptions from a physician and have them filled for no more than a three-month supply for personal use, customs and other federal officials leave them alone. The trip might be tiring, but people can save an average of 60 percent on the cost of their prescription drugs. For some, that’ s the difference between taking the drugs or doing without. " The last bus trip I was on six months ago had 25 seniors," says Chellie Pingree, former Maine state senator and now president of Common Cause. "Those 25 people saved $ 19,000 on their supplies of drugs. " Pingree sponsored Maine RX, which authorizes a discounted price on drugs for Maine residents who lack insurance coverage. The law was challenged by drug companies but recently upheld by the U. S. Supreme Court. It hasn’ t yet taken effect.
    Figuring out ways to spend less on prescription drugs has become a multifaceted national movement of consumers, largely senior citizens. The prescription drug bill in America is $ 160 billion annually, and people over 65 fill five times as many prescriptions as working Americans on average. " But they do it on health benefits that are half as good and on incomes that are half as large," says Richard Evans, senior analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, an investment research firm. What’ s more, seniors account for 20 percent of the voting public.
    It’ s little wonder that the May 19 Supreme Court ruling got the attention of drug manufacturers and politicians across the country. The often-over-looked state of 1.3 million tucked in the northeast corner of the country became David to the pharmaceutical industry’ s Goliath. The face-off began three years ago when state legislators like Pingree began questioning why Maine’ s elderly population had to take all those bus trips.
David and Goliath are names used to describe a situation in which______.

选项 A、the two groups are evenly matched in strength
B、a more powerful group is fighting a less powerful group
C、a less powerful group is fighting a more powerful group
D、both of the two groups are losers

答案C

解析 最后一段作者谈到The often—over-looked state“这个经常被忽略的州”became David to制药工业的Goliath,第二段也谈到议员为老人购买药物的权利积极努力但遭到制药商的阻挠,因此法案hasn’t yet taken effect,由此可判断David与Goliath指的是弱势群体与强者的对抗。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/YDU3777K
0

随机试题
最新回复(0)