韩国将向年轻人提供“脱发补贴”外刊阅读练习-2023届高三英语二轮专题

主题语境：新闻报道与社会现象 体裁：新闻报道 阅读建议时长：7min 原文出处：The Guardian 词数：337 难度：★★★ 文章导读： 随着社会压力增大，生活节奏加快，脱发越来越成为当代人的一大困扰。面对这一问题，韩国多地政府甚至已经出手干预，决定为年轻脱发者发放“脱发补贴”。 Local Governments Offer Allowances for Hair Loss Treatment 韩国将向年轻人提供“脱发补贴” Some local governments in South Korea have begun offering financial support for hair loss treatment, aiming to help boost the self-confidence of balding people. But these moves are drawing mixed reactions from the public. Some are raising questions over the appropriateness of government allowances being used for non-essential medical services. In May 2022, Seongdong District Office in Seoul① became the first authority to provide support to balding residents through government regulations. Beginning this year, the district office has been offering a cash voucher to residents aged 39 and below, who have received alopecia treatment. More recently, the Seoul Metropolitan Government② is seeking to     implement    a similar move. A member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council put forward a rule, Thursday, which would establish legal grounds for the city office to partially pay for oral hair-loss medicine for residents aged under 40. In fact, it was Rep. Lee Jae-myung③, chief of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea④ who had first proposed the idea of offering state support to balding people. During his presidential campaign last year, Lee’s speech caused a stir where he promised to expand national health insurance coverage to include alopecia treatments. The proposal gained support from young people with thinning hair but caused criticisms from others who viewed it as inequality. Although hair loss is known to be more frequent among older people, data show that many young Koreans are being treated for hair loss. The issue raises questions about whether it is appropriate to use state resources to help with hair loss, as it is not a life-threatening disease. Considering that state health insurance does not cover non-essential medical procedur