While most travelers aim to stay out of the hospital while on vacation, a growing number of medical tourists－people who combine treatment with travel － are crossing international borders for the purpose of getting medical services, which can range from a hip replacement to a tummy tuck. Widespread air travel, increasing healthcare costs in developed countries, long waiting lists and an ageing world population have all contributed to a global increase in medical tourism in the past decade. And Asia takes the lead in terms of world market share.
More than 89% of medical tourists travelled to Thailand, India or Singapore in 2010, with Bangkok and Singapore leading the pack. But the cost of hotel rooms and treatment are both far more expensive in Singapore than in the Thai capital, making Bangkok the most popular place for medical tourism in the world. Even after the serious floods of 2011, 19 million tourists visited Thailand in 2011, a 20% jump from 2010, with about 500,000 tourists travelling specifically for medical treatment.
Given Thailand’s reputation for outstanding service, it is not hard to see why Bangkok has quickly become the medical tourism centre of Asia. The Tourism Authority of Thailand(TAT), which began medical tourism in 2004, has a detailed medical tourism website that lists many of the most popular treatments available, including dental work, dermatology and cosmetic surgery, as well as listing reputed hospitals, making it easy for potential visitors to decide on a procedure. TAT has also recently partnered with Krungthai Bank, the national bank of Thailand, to offer tourists a card called the Miracle Thailand Card, which offers some medical and life insurance coverage in case of an accident.
“The hospitals in Bangkok are some of the highest quality in the world，meeting US standards，”said Steven Lash, CEO of a US-based medical travel company that sends tourists to Bangkok as well as to seven other countries, including Turkey and Mexico. "All of the tourists we have sent to these hospitals have given us excellent feedback (反馈) on their procedures and their experiences at the hospitals."
小题1: Medical tourism is so popular nowadays partly because_____.
| A．aged patients prefer to travel |
| B．air travel is cheaper than before |
| C．local hospitals lack advanced equipment |
| D．medical treatment is expensive in some countries |
小题2:Why is Bangkok’s medical tourism ahead of Singapore’s?
| A．Bangkok provides an excellent service at lower prices. |
| B．Medical tourists in Bangkok get high health insurance. |
| C．The local authority in Bangkok has a good reputation. |
| D．Bangkok has a detailed medical tourism website. |
小题3:The author develops the third paragraph mainly by _________.
| A．giving figures | B．Presenting effects |
| C．using examples | D．making comparisons |
小题4:Steven Lash thinks Bangkok’s hospitals_______.
| A．are really excellent | B．are welcomed by Americans |
| C．are famous mainly for their service | D．are better than hospitals in the USA |
小题5:What is the text mainly about?
| A．The background of medical tourism. |
| B．The rise of medical tourism in Bangkok. |
| C．The advantages of medical tourism in Bangkok. |
| D．The comparison of medical tourism in Asian countries. |
