June is Fireworks Eye Safety Awareness Month, and through its Eye Smart campaign the American Academy of Ophthalmology wants to remind consumers to leave fireworks to professionals. "There is nothing worse than a Fourth of July celebration ruined by someone being hit in the eye with a bottle rocket," said Dr. John C. Hagan, clinical correspondent for the Academy and an ophthalmologist at Discover Vision Centers in Kansas City. "A safe celebration means letting trained professionals handle fireworks while you enjoy the show."
According to the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 9,000 fireworks related injuries happen each year. Of these, nearly half are head-related injuries, with nearly 30 percent of these injuries to the eye. One-fourth of fireworks eye injuries result in3 permanent vision loss or blindness. Children are the most common victims of firework abuse, with those fifteen years old or younger accounting for4 50 percent of fireworks eye injuries in the United States. Dr. Hagan estimates that his practice sees more than 30 injuries each year from fireworks.
Even fireworks that many people consider safe represent a threat to the eyes. For children under the age of five, apparently harmless sparklers account for one-third of all fireworks injuries. Sparklers can bum at nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
词汇：
Fireworks n.烟火 professional n.专业人员
Glaucoma 凡.青光眼 abuse n.伤害
Cataract n.白内障 sparkler n.花炮
ophthalmology n.眼科学 Fahrenheit n.华氏
注释：
1.set off：点燃
2.took a terrible turn：发生恶转
3.result in：导致
4.accounting for：(指数量)占 ‘
练习：
1. What happened to Pete last Fourth of July?
A He was burned in a house fire.
B He was caught in a rain.
C He was injured in a fight.
D He was hit in the eye.
2. The American Academy of Ophthalmology calls on consumers to___________.
A celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks.
B leave fireworks to professionals in their celebrations.
C stop celebrating the Fourth of July altogether.
D set off fireworks together with trained professionals.
3. How many fireworks eye injuries occur in the US each year?
A About 9,000.
B About 4,500.
C About 1,350.
D About 30.
4. Fireworks eye injuries can result in each of the following EXCEPT____________.
A blindness.
B permanent vision loss.
C glaucoma and cataracts.
D head-related injuries.
5. Which is NOT true of sparklers?
A They are harmless to children.
B They are considered safe by many people.
C They are a threat to the eyes.
D They can burn at very high degrees.
答案与题解：
1.D短文的第一段讲到，去年七月四日，Pete在观看国庆焰火燃放时不幸被击中眼睛。
2.B短文的第二段讲到，美国眼科学会呼吁人们在庆祝国庆时最好让专业人员去放烟火，而自己只作观赏者。
3.C短文的第三段讲到，在美国，每年发生9，000多起有烟火导致的伤害，其中有一半是头部伤，而在这一半头部伤中，又有三分之一是眼伤。
4.D前面三项危害短文都分别提到过，而head—related injuries包含fireworks eye injuries，而不是由其导致的。
5.A短文最后一段说到，sparklers在许多人看来是安全的，但其实对于小于5岁的孩子来说，但其所有烟花造成的伤害的三分之一都是由sparklers导致的。显然，它们不是没有危害的
U.S. to Start $3.2 Billion Child Health Study in January
A study that will cost $3.2 billion and last more than two decades to track the health of 100,000 U. S. children from before birth to age 21 will be launched in January, U. S. health officials said on Friday.
Officials from the U. S. government's National Institutes of Health said they hope the study, to be conducted at I05 locations throughout the United States, can help identify early-life influences that affect later development, with the goal of learning new ways to treat or prevent illness.
The study will examine hereditary and environmental factors such as exposure to certain chemicals that affect health.
Researchers will collect genetic and biological samples from people in the study as well as samples from the homes of the women and their babies including air, water, dust and materials used to construct their residences, the NIH said.
Officials said more than $200 million has been spent already and the study is projected to cost $3.2 billion.
"We anticipat1that in the long term , what we learn from the study will result in a significant savings in the nation's health care costs," Dr. Duane Alexander, who heads the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, told reporters.
The study will begin in January when the University of North Carolina and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York start signing up2 pregnant women whose babies will then be followed to age 21.
Some of the early findings will be about factors behind pre-term birth3, which has become more common in recent years, according to Dr. Peter Scheidt of the NIH, who heads the study.
The people taking part will be from rural, urban and suburban areas, from all income and educational levels and from all racial groups, the NIH said.
词汇：
Hereditary adj.遗传的
注释：
1.in the long term：从长远说来
2.sign up：使报名从事
3.pre-term birth：早产
练习:
1. The aim of the study is to find new ways to___________.
A conduct research.
B track public health.
C prevent or treat illness.
D speed up development.
2. Researchers will collect all the following EXCEPT_____________.
A genetic samples from people in the study.
B biological samples from people in the study.
C samples from the homes of the women and their babies.
D samples of air and water from hospitals.
3. It is expected that through the study the nation's health care costs_____________.
A will be lowered in the long run.
B will be significantly increased.
C will be more than $200 million.
D will reach $3.2 billion.
4. The babies of the participants will be followed__________.
A throughout their lives.
B for more than two decades.
C from birth to 21 months.
D until they get married.
5. Which is NOT true of the people in the study?
A They'll be from various areas.
B They'll be from all income levels.
C They'll be from all educational levels.
D They'll be from all age groups.
答案与题解：
1.C短文的第二段提到了此项研究的90al，即aim，这便是learning new ways to treat or prevent illness.
2.D前三项在短文的第四段都有题记，第四项应该是“参加研究的妇女及其婴儿家中的空气与水等物质，”而不是“医院中的空气与水”。
3.A短文的第六段说到，预计从长远的角度讲，此项研究将有利于国家卫生保健费用开支的节约。
4.B短文的第一段以及倒数第三段都说到，这些婴儿将从出生前一直被跟踪到21岁。
5.D前三项在短文的最后一段都有提及，只有第四项是错误的，因为研究对象都是怀孕的妇女，不可能是所有年龄段的人们。
Online Cancer Chat with a Safety Net
Cancer Research UK has launched an online chat forum for cancer patients to swap stories and share experiences on how to cope with such a devastating disease.
But Cancer Chat is a forum with a difference: it has an information safety net.
This means that a Cancer Research UK team will keep a watching brief to ensure that patients are not subjected to rogue "cancer cures" or scientifically unsound information.
Anyone can have access to1 the messages posted on Cancer Chat but if people wish to post a message they will need to register.
And Rebekah Gibbs, cancer patient and star of TV's Casualty has pledged her support for the new project. "I think Cancer Chat is a brilliant idea," she said. "I have written a public diary about what I went through with breast cancer and I have had such a heart-warming response from other people going through2 the same thing.
"The idea of a Cancer Chat forum means you can share information about treatment and side effects and you can really open up about your feelings online in a way that can be difficult when talking to close friends and family. And with Cancer Research UK monitoring the forum people can be reassured about the quality of information being exchanged. "
Cancer Chat will also encourage its users to check out any cancer questions on its CancerHelp UK website which is specially designed to give patients and their families 6,000 pages of up-to-date information that is easy to understand and explains a wide range of treatments for different types of cancer and gives details of clinical trials. There is also a UK database of cancer clinical trials.
The award-winning website attracts around one million visitors a month and Cancer Research UK hopes that some of these visitors will also want to post comments on the Cancer Chat forum.
For those who do not have access to computers and have questions about cancer, the charity's team of cancer information nurses are available during office hours to talk over patients' concerns on the phone.
词汇：
Swap n.交换 rogue adj.劣等的
注释：
1.have access to：有接触、进入、使用……的机会
2.going through：经历
练习：
1. Cancer Chat is different from other forums in that______________.
A it has the support of a famous actress.
B it is a source of reliable information.
C it provides a huge amount of information.
D it attracts a great number of visitors.
2. Which is NOT true of Rebekah Gibbs?
A She is a well-known figure in Britain.
B She got breast cancer some time ago.
C She thinks highly of Cancer Chat.
D She has written a private diary.
3. All the statements about the messages posted on Cancer Chat are true EXCEPT___________.
A they are available to all visitors.
B their writers get paid for them.
C they concern not just treatments and side effects.
D they are also an emotional outlet for their writers.
4. CancerHelp UK is a website that ________________.
A offers lots of information on cancer treatment and clinical trials.
B attracts numerous visitors.
C has won an award.
D all of the above.
5. "The charity" in the last line but one refers to ____________.
A Cancer Research UK.
B Cancer Chat.
C CancerHelp UK.
D TV's Casualty.
答案与题解：
1.B 短文的第二段明确说明Cancer Chat与众不同之处，即it has an information safety net。可见，它的信息来源是安全可靠的。
2.D短文的第五段说Rebekah Gibbs的日记是public，而不是private。
3.B短文的第四、六段分别提到了第一、三、四项，因此正确答案只能选B。
4.D短文的倒数第二、三段分别提到了前三项，因此正确答案只能选D。
5.A显然，the charity指的是Cancer Research UK这一慈善机构。
Medicine Award Kicks off Nobel Prize Announcements
Two scientists who have won praise for research into the growth of cancer cells could be candidates for the Nobel Prize in medicine when the 2008 winners are presented on Monday, kicking off six days of Nobel announcements.
Australian-born U. S. citizen Elizabeth Blackburn and American Carol Greider have already won a series of medical honors for their enzyme research and experts say they could be among the front-runners for a Nobel.
Only seven women have won' the medicine prize since the first Nobel Prizes were handed out in 1901. The last female winner was U. S. researcher Linda Buck in 2004, who shared the prize with Richard Axel.
Among the pair's possible rivals are Frenchman Pierre Chambon and Americans Ronald Evans and Elwood Jensen, who opened up the field of studying proteins called nuclear hormone receptors.
As usual, the award committee is giving no hints about who is in the running before presenting its decision in a news conference at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute.
Alfred Nobel, the Swede who invented dynamite, established the prizes in his will in the categories of medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace. The economics prize is technically not a Nobel but a 1968 creation of Sweden's central bank.
Nobel left few instructions on how to select-winners, but medicine winners are typically
awarded for a specific breakthrough rather than a body of research.
Hans Jornvall, secretary of the medicine prize committee, said the 10 million kronor (US$1.3 million) prize encourages groundbreaking research but he did not think winning it was the primary goal for scientists.
"Individual researchers probably don't look at themselves as potential Nobel Prize winners when they're at work," Jornvall told The Associated Press. "They get their kicks from their research and their interest in how life functions. "
In 2006, Blackburn, of the University of California, "San Francisco, and Greider, of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, shared the Lasker prize for basic medical research with Jack Szostak of Harvard Medical School. Their work set the stage for7 research suggesting that cancer
cells use telomerase to sustain their uncontrolled growth
词汇:
Enzyme n.酶 krona n. 瑞典克朗
Receptor n.受体 kronor krona的复数形式
Dynamite n.甘油炸药 telomerase n.端粒酶
注释：
1.kicking off：开始(某种)活动
2.handed out：分发
3.nuclear hormone receptors：核激素受体
4.a news conference：记者招待会。
5.a body of：一批
6.The Associated Press：美联社
7.set the stage for：为……打好基础
练习：
1. Who is NOT a likely candidate for this year's Nobel Prize in medicine?
A Elizabeth Blackburn.
B Carol Greider.
C Linda Buck.
D Pierre Chambon.
2. Which is NOT true of Alfred Nobel?
A He was from Sweden.
B He was the inventor of dynamite.
C He established the prizes in his will.
D He gave clear instructions on how to select winners.
3. Which was NOT originally one of the Nobel Prizes?
A The medicine prize.
B The literature prize.
C The peace prize.
D The economics prize.
4. The word "kicks" in line 6 from the bottom probably means _____________.
A excitement.
B income.
C motivation.
D knowledge.
5. The research by Blackburn and Greider helps suggest the role of ____________.
A money in medical research.
B proteins in cancer treatment.
C hormones in the functioning of life.
D telomerase in the growth of cancer cells.
答案与题解：
1.C从短文的头四段可以看出.只有2004年获得诺贝尔医学奖的Linda Buck不在今年的候选人范围内。
2.D短文的第七段说到，对于如何选拔获奖者诺贝尔并没有多少交代。
3.D短文的第六段说到，诺贝尔奖在设立时并没有经济学奖项。
4.A从上下文不难看出，科学家搞研究的主要目的不是为了获奖，他们从其所从事的研究以及生命运行的兴趣中获得很大快感。
5.D短文的最后一句话表明，研究显示癌细胞利用端粒酶来支持其无限增殖，而这几位科学 家的工作为这种研究打下了基础。
Surprised by a Miracle
I had been working in the trauma unit at a local hospital for about a year. You get used to families thinking that1 a "coma" patient is moving their hand or doing something that they were asked to do. "Following commands" is what' we call it. Often it's "wishful thinking" on the
Families' part.2 Nurses can easily become callous to it.
On this particular night during visiting hours, my patient's wife came in. I had taken care of him for several nights. I was very familiar with his care and what he was able to do. Actually, he didn't do anything. He barely moved at all, even when something would obviously hurt him, such as suctioning.
His wife was very short, about 5 feet tall. She had to stand on a stool to lean over him, so that she could see his face and talk to him. She climbed up on the stool. I spoke to her for a few minutes, and then stepped out to tend to my other patient. A few minutes later, she came running out of the room. In an excited voice, she said, "Donna, he's moving his hand!"
I immediately thought that it was probably her imagination, and that he had not actually done it on purpose. 3 He had been there about a month at the time and had never made any movements on purpose. I asked her what had happened and she said, "I asked him to squeeze my hand and he
did !"
This led me to another train of questioning. "But, did he let go4 when you asked him to?" She said yes, that he had done exactly what she asked.
I went into the room with her, not really believing that I would see anything different than I had always seen. But I decided that it would be better to pacify her than to make her think I didn't believe her or that she was somehow mistaken.
She asked him to squeeze her hand, which he did. I said, "Well, ask him to let go." He continued to squeeze for a moment, so that when he finally did let go, I really still didn't believe that he had done it on purpose. So, I said, "Ask him to hold up one finger." He did as asked.
Well, hmm, this was starting to get my attention. I looked at him, his face still somewhat swollen and his eyes still closed. "Stick out5 your tongue!" I said. He did it. I almost fell on the floor. It was the first time I had ever seen anyone "wake up."
词汇：
Coma n.昏迷 pacify V.安抚
Callous adj. 麻木不仁的 swollen adj.肿胀的
Suctioning n.抽吸
注释：
1.You get used to families thinking that…：病人家属会觉得……，对此你会习以为常的。
2.Often it’s “wishful thinking” on the families’ part ：通常这只不过是病人家属的愿望思维。
3.on purpose：有意地
4.1et out：松手
5.stick out：伸出
练习：
1. The first paragraph indicates that more often than not a coma patient___________.
A is found to be following commands.
B is thought to be following commands.
C is used to following commands.
D is callous to nurses' commands.
2. What was the condition of the patient before that particular night?
A He talked only with his wife.
B He barely moved at all.
C He moved only when hurt.
D He was too lazy to do anything at all.
3. How did the author feel upon first hearing what the excited wife said?
A She was amused.
B She was doubtful.
C She was scared.
D She was shocked.
4. What did the patient do on that particular night?
A He squeezed and let go his wife's hand.
B He held up one of his fingers.
C He stuck out his tongue.
D All of the above.
5. The author "almost fell on the floor" because ___________.
A she could hardly believe her eyes.
B she had been working too hard.
C she had been deceived.
D she had been tripped.
答案与题解：
1.B从短文的第一段可以得知，昏迷病人的家属时常以为病人能动了，但大多数情况下，这只是他们的愿望思维，病人并没有真正有意识地在动。
2.B短文的第二段明确交代，病人在此前的日子里基本上处于一动不动状态。
3.B短文的第三段的头一句话表明，作者开始基本上不相信病人家属所说的话。
4.D头三项在短文的最后两段都被提到，因此答案只能选D。
5.A从上下文不难看出，作者之所以差点摔倒是因为她简直难以相信自己的眼睛，之前她还从未见过昏迷病人醒过来。
Million Americans Suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder prevents some 15 million Americans from leading normal social and romantic lives, a new survey finds.
The disorder leaves many isolated, ashamed and often misdiagnosed. Thirty-six percent of those with social anxiety disorder have symptoms for 10 years or more before seeking help, the Anxiety Disorders Association of America reports.
"Social anxiety disorder is when somebody has an intense, persistent and irrational fear of social or performance situations," Jerilyn Ross, the association's president and CEO, said during a teleconference Wednesday.
"The condition causes people to avoid common, everyday situations and even other people for fear of being judged or criticized or humiliated or embarrassing themselves," Ross said.
Social anxiety disorder can interfere with daily routines and job performance, Ross noted. "It also makes it very difficult for people to develop friends and romantic partnerships," she said.
People with this disorder recognize their fear is excessive and irrational, Ross noted. "But they feel powerless to do anything about it," she said.
Social anxiety disorder can start in the early teens, Dr. Mark H. Pollack, director of the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, said during the teleconference.
"This is a disorder that starts affecting people early on 1," Pollack said. "The typical age of onset is early adolescence, age 12 or 13, and many individuals report a history of anxiety dating back to2 earlier childhood."
The disorder also has physical symptoms, including heart palpitations, feelings that their throat will close up3, sweating, blushing, faintness, trembling and stammering, Ross said.
Among people with the disorder, 75 percent said the condition affected their ability to do normal activities. In addition, 69 percent said they didn't want people to think they were crazy, and 58 percent said they were embarrassed by their condition, Ross said.
However, when the condition is diagnosed and treated, many reported improvement in their lives. In fact, 59 percent who were receiving treatment said treatment had a positive effect on their ability to have a romantic relationship. In addition, 39 percent who had received treatment said knowing that treatment can be successful aided their decision to get help, Ross noted.
词汇：
Teleconference n.电话会议 onset 咒.开始
Traumatic adj.心灵创伤的 palpitation n.心悸
注释：
1。early on：在初期：早年
2.date back to：追溯到
3.close up：堵塞;封闭
练习：
1. People with social anxiety disorder are known for their fear of ___________.
A being left alone.
B leading normal lives.
C embarrassing other people.
D facing social or performance situations.
2. What do people with social anxiety disorder think of their fear?
A They think it's beyond their control.
B They think it's beneficial.
C They think it's controllable.
D They think it's justified.
3. Which is NOT true of people with social anxiety disorder?
A They're often isolated and ashamed.
B They find it difficult to make friends.
C They often fail to get timely treatment.
D They tend to judge or criticize other people.
4. The symptoms of social anxiety disorder include all the following EXCEPT _____________.
A heart palpitations.
B sore throat.
C sweating.
D blushing.
5. It can be seen from the last paragraph that treatment of the disorder ______________.
A has no positive effect at all.
B is unavailable to most sufferers.
C tends to be refused by the sufferers.
D can lead to improvement in the sufferers' lives.
答案与题解：
1.D 短文的第三段明确说明，患有social anxiety disorder的人对social or performance situations具有强烈的、持久的、非理性的恐惧感。
2.A短文的第六段说，患有social anxiety disorder的人意识到他们的恐惧是过分的和非理性的，然而却对此无能为力。
3.D头三项在短文的第二段和第五段都有提及，只有第四项是错误的，他们不是常常评判或批评别人，而是害怕遭到别人的评判或批评。
4.B第一、三、四项在短文的倒数第三段中都有提及，第二项是错误的，因为短文说的是“一种嗓子被堵塞的感觉”，而不是sore throat，即“嗓子痛”。
5.D短文的最后一段表明，不少患者在经过治疗后都有好转。