第一篇
Medical bills in the United States have risen violently since 1960's and steps need to be taken to reverse this trend or the average American will not be able to afford medical care. The major factor in increasing the cost of medical care has been the dramatic increase in the cost of hospital services. The rise in the cost of hospitalization can be only partly blamed on inflation (通货膨胀)since hospital bills in the last two decades have risen at a considerably higher rate than inflation.
Another factor cited by doctors as a major cause for the increase in the cost of medical care is malpractice(治疗错误). Increasingly large awards for malpractice have caused doctors to increase their rates to cover the higher malpractice insurance. Because of the large malpractice awards, doctors are also prescribing more conservative and more extensive and therefore more costly treatment for patients as a defense against malpractice claims. Whatever the causes of the wild increases in the cost of medical care are, the government needs to take strong action before it is too late for Americans.
The passage is mainly about ______.

A. the increasing cost of malpractice insurance
B. factors causing the increase in U. S. medical bills
C. steps for Americans to take to obtain medical care
D. the dramatic medical profession