Mutiple - Reading Comprehension
Mutiple - Reading Comprehension
READING COMPREHENSION 1:
Greece, which has just come out of a ten-year financial crisis, appears at this stage to have
been relatively lightly hit by the coronavirus pandemic. It is perhaps surprising that a country
which has made significant cuts to its health sector in the past decade has not seen a larger
number of fatalities, particularly when some of its near neighbours have suffered so terribly
as a result of COVID-19. On April 15, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and
Control reported 2,170 recorded cases of infection and 101 deaths in Greece. Although
comparisons between countries are not always easy, a number of European countries with a
similar populations and with less austerity experienced in their health sectors, are suffering
more. On the same date, Belgium recorded 31,119 cases and 4,157 deaths, Portugal 17,448
cases and 567 deaths, Austria 14,234 and 384 deaths and Sweden 11,445 cases and 1,033
deaths. Even more importantly, the curve of the infection in Greece has stayed relatively flat
from early on. The austerity measures that Greece had to implement during the 2009-2018
financial crisis as a result of three economic adjustment programmes funded by the European
Union and the International Monetary Fund included immediate cost-cutting measures in the
health sector. The health budget – public and private – was reduced by 60% in 2014. In 2017,
many were declaring that Greece was “in the midst of a public health meltdown” and that its
system was broken.
Given all this, it seems extraordinary that a country of about 11 million people, with only 565
intensive care unit beds at the beginning of March 2020, could manage to deal with the
coronavirus crisis. So, what has happened in Greece? At the beginning of February, a national
experts committee on public health was established and the ministry of health appointed
Sotirios Tsiordas, a professor of pathology and contagious disease, as its COVID-19
spokesperson. The government immediately designed a preventative strategy to tackle the
pandemic, taking the existing weakness of the health system into specific consideration. The
decision to close schools and universities and ban large social gatherings came within days
and before even one death attributed to COVID-19 was recorded. Hours before the time
when most cities in Greece went into coronaviruses-enforced lockdown, a couple managed
to fast-track their wedding and tie the knot- with just their family members’ attendance. The
government managed to almost double the ICU capacity to 910 beds by the end of March via
public sector coordination, smooth cooperation with the private sector and philanthropic
donations. Persuading the population to follow the government’s instructions has been one
of the most difficult aspects in all countries. In Greece, the government opted for an early and
consistent message – this is an emergency and the priority is to save human lives. The
economy is the next most important issue to deal with, but the government has been clear
that it comes second. Tsiordas holds a press conference every evening at 6pm to explain the
latest scientific evidence. Then Nikos Chardalias, deputy minister for civil protection and crisis
management, announces any new measures to be taken. In spite of the fact that Greek
businesses are pessimistic about the chance of a post-coronavirus economic rebound, their
governments still encourage them to maintain their business by using medical devices. In
contradiction with the previous way, clear link between evidence and policy is made and any
fake news or misinformation that has been spread in the previous 24 hours is tackled on the
spot in order to fine to people and businesses that did not comply with the new rules were
applied early on to make the point even clearer.
Greece has just emerged from a ten-year financial crisis and seems to have built resilience
and a stoicism over the inevitability of any crisis. The COVID-19 emergency is unprecedented
in the way it has affected health and life more generally at the global level, but, for many
Greeks, it is simply the next crisis that they need to tackle.
Images from neighbouring Italy and Spain made both Greek people and the government
realise that the danger was in their backyard because they had carried out their way of
fighting against coronaviruses immediately when some European countries announced their
recent death rates. By acting reflexively and by acknowledging the pre-existing weaknesses of
the health system, the government appears to have had more scope than some other
European countries to implement a drastic strategy.
What can be learned from Greece is that the health system alone is not enough to confront a
pandemic. Other aspects of governance such as decisive leadership which communicates
physical distancing measures effectively and steadily seems to be equally important. But the
fight against the pandemic is not over. Loosening the measures taken will be equally
challenging and different expertise will be needed to direct governments, as economies
shrink, on how to deal with people tired of the lockdowns.
1. Which of the following best serves as the title for the passage?
A. Greece: albeit a decade of health cuts, coronavirus death rates appear comparatively low.
B. Greece: the country that can control the pandemic easily.
C. Greece and the other countries in the campaign to combat the pandemic.
D. How does the pandemic affect Greece’s society?
4. What has the Greek government NOT done to control the infectious disease
A. Greece implemented the measures to push back the outbreak after many death cases
emerged in its neighbouring countries.
B. Persuading the population to follow the government’s guidelines by sending messages.
C. Closing down all schools and universities for the time being.
D. Keep opening some essential business for their daily needs.
7. Why does the author mention the death rates of the Greece’s neighbouring countries?
A. to emphasize the difference between the way other European countries fight against
COVID-19.
B. to exemplify the rough measurement between well-equipped and ill-equipped countries.
C. to prove that although Greece have had difficulties in financial, they even have the
effective way of leading the country fight against the pandemic.
D. to congratulate Greece on controlling the pandemic well despite being affected by the
neighbouring countries.
8. What is the most suitable word which can describe the author’s tone?
A. Dispassionate
B. Proud
C. Fretful
D. Sympathetic
9. In the first paragraph, the author seemed to be gleeful about Greece because
A. It has just come out of a ten-year financial crisis but can have the disease in hand.
B. It has recovered from a decade of health cuts but can prepare good medical equipment.
C. Notwithstanding having got over the crisis, Greece still catch up with the other good
medical treatment countries.
D. Greece have shown their ability to lonely carry on fighting the viruses.
10. Why have the Greece’s government appeared to have had more opportunities than
some other European countries to execute the drastic plan?
A. because of not following the way of treating the patients of other countries.
B. because they have recognized and adjusted the ineffective treatment of others.
C. because of acknowledging and instead of acting like the previous false treatment of other
countries, they work reactively.
D. because they have worked hard over months to work out the unique vaccine.