2008考研英语全题型高分强化教程(2)

II. Reading Passages

Part A 阅读理解

Passage One

LONDON - Among people who have had blood clots, men are twice as likely as women to have them again after finishing treatment, according to an analysis of several studies.

"Gender may need to be considered when deciding how long patients should be treated with blood thinners," said Dr. Simon McRae, principal author of a paper published Friday in the medical journal Lancet.

McRae is a doctor with the department of hematology and oncology at Queen Elizabeth hospital in Woodville, Australia. He and his colleagues analyzed 15 studies in a review that considered approximately 5,400 people who had discontinued medication three to six months after having a blood clot.

Blood clots, or thrombosis, are thought to affect 1 in every 1,000 people. The clots develop in veins of the legs, which then get dislodged and can travel to the heart or lungs, potentially causing cardiac or pulmonary failure.

The condition has also been called "economy class syndrome," since remaining immobile for long stretches of time, for example during long-haul flights, is a known risk factor.

There is no discernible difference in the risk of a first blood clot between men and women. When it comes to recurrent thrombosis, however, McRae concludes that men appear to be statistically at higher risk.

McRae said that the discrepancy is significant enough that physicians should take gender into account when treating patients.

"The real potential of this study is that it will help doctors determine how long certain patients should remain on blood thinners," he said.

Researchers are still trying to determine why men are more susceptible to recurrent blood clots than women. They believe physiological, genetic or hormonal variations might play a role.

"We know that diseases manifest in different ways between men and women," said Dr. Sidney Smith, director of the center for cardiovascular science at the University of North Carolina. "The next step is to design a prospective study so that we can see if these observed differences are actually real."

In an accompanying commentary in the Lancet, scientists in Italy conclude that "it is still too early to rely on patients' sex when determining the length of treatment on blood-thinners."

"There is a lot of data available that could be examined in more detail," said Dr. Sania Nishtar, founder of Heart file, a health-policy think tank in Pakistan, and frequent adviser to the World Health organization. "The Lancet study may not have found any definitive answers, but what it has done is to flag important research questions," said Nishtar.

1.  The spread of the blood clots has been called "economy class syndrome" due to the consideration of its _____

[A] cause　[B] cost　[C] time　[D] result

2.  The "cardiac" failure means the failure of ____

[A] lungs　[B] heart　[C] legs　[D] Blood

3.  In the researchers' view, which of the following can not explain why men are more likely to be affected with recurrent blood clots than women? ______  

[A] They have different characteristics in the functioning of their organisms.
[B] They are affected by different genes.
[C] They are different in their life styles.
[D] They have different levels of hormone.

4.  Which one of the following is not true according to the passage? ______

[A] Physicians should take gender into account when treating patients.
[B]The blood clots usually occur firstly in veins of the legs.
[C]Men and women have different risk in the infection of a first blood clot.
[D]The doctors still can not rely on patients' sex to determine how long certain patients should remain on blood thinners.

5.  Which is Dr. Sania Nishtar's comment on the Lancet study? ____

[A] The study has found out all the answers for the difference in the risk of blood clot between men and women
[B] The study has helped doctors determine how long certain patients should remain on blood thinners
[C] The study is meaningless since it had not found out any definitive answers
[D] The study has found out no definitive answers, but it is still quite valuable of the future research.

Passage Two

Many Americans often reach for a sugary, caffeineated soda to quench their thirst. But aside from the increased risk of obesity and diabetes, regular consumption of cola might lead to lower bone mineral density in older women and increase their risk of osteoporosis, according to a new study published inthe American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Katherine Tucker, director of Tuft University's Epidemiology and Dietary Assessment Program, led her colleagues in a study that analyzed dietary questionnaires submitted by 1,125 men and 1,413 women between the ages of 29 and 86. Overall, participants were largely former smokers and moderate drinkers who were slightly overweight and, on average, men drank cola five times a week while women drank it four times a week. Density measurements show cola consumption significantly reduced bone mass in the hip regardless of the woman's age, menopausal status, intake of calcium and vitamin D and her history of smoking and alcohol consumption. Diet cola had a similar affect on women's bone density. By contrast, the bone density of male was not similarly affected.

What it means: A so-called silent disease, osteoporosis is progressive and often misunderstood as a natural consequence of aging. Four times as many women will develop osteoporosis than men and currently 10 million Americans suffer from it. But osteoporosis is preventable and the nearly 34 million Americans who have the potential to develop the disease can take steps to prevent it. Caffeine has been considered a risk factor for osteoporosis and phosphoric acid, found in cola, has been shown to reduce calcium absorption. Additionally, high fructose corn syrup might also weaken bone. It is important to note that at least one previous study showed a link between cola consumption and increases in the amount of calcium measured in urine.

This study shows that women are more sensitive to the effects of cola than men, but the mechanism is still unclear. Researchers ruled out the possibility that cola replaces healthier beverages, such as milk, in the diet that might lead to lower bone density. And to the point of gender, they suggest that more physical activity, a diet higher in calcium and different hormone levels might help protect males from the downside of drinking cola. Until further research is done, however, women (and men) can keep their bones strong with regular weight-bearing exercise and high intake of calcium and vitamin D.

1. What is true about the participants took part in the dietary questionnaires carried out by Katherine Tucker and her colleagues? ______

[A] They were all former smokers.
[B] They are fat heavy drinkers.
[C] They suffered similarly from the drinking of cola.
[D] They were all regular cola drinkers.

2. Generally speaking, why women will suffer more from the downside of drinking cola than men? ______

[A] Because women have less physical activity.
[B] Because women will decline more quickly than men when getting older.
[C] Because women's diet is usually lower in calcium.
[D] Both A and C

3. A silent disease (in the first sentence of paragraph three) means____

[A] a disease that makes you dumb
[B] a disease that can not defend itself
[C] a disease that comes to us as time flows
[D] a disease that should not be mentioned

4. Which one of the following is false according to the passage? ______

[A] Diet cola reduces women's bone density as much as common cola.
[B] It is commonly accepted that people will suffer from osteoporosis more possibly when they are getting older.
[C] The researchers believe that sometimes cola can replace milk while not lead to lower bone density.
[D] Women can resort to exercises to keep their bone strong.

5. According to the passage, which opinion is true? ____

[A] Regular consumption of cola might lead to lower bone mineral density in younger women.
[B] It is already clear why women are more sensitive to the effects of cola than men.
[C] Cola consumption can reduce same bone mass in the hip of any woman.
[D] Men's intake of calcium would not be reduced by Cola consumption.