______ drug testing is part of the entrance requirement for millions of job applicants nat
Blood testing is another widely accepted method of drug testing.
A.Y
B.N
C.NG
Random drug testing ______.
A.is practiced all over the Britain
B.involves taking the student's blood to test drug use
C.aims at driving drag-taking students out of the school
D.is arranged with the help of computer
Drug Abuse
1 The term "drug abuse" most often refers to the use of a drug with such frequency that it causes physical or mental harm to the user or impairs social functioning. Although the term seems to imply that users abuse the drugs they take, in fact, it is themselves or others they abuse by using drugs.
2 Pharmacologists, who study the effects of drugs, classify psychoactive drugs according to what they do to those who take them. Drugs that speed up signals passing through the nervous system, which is made up of the brain and spinal cord, and produce alertness and arousal and, in higher doses, excitability, and inhibit fatigue and sleep, are called stimulants. Drugs that retard, slow down, or depress signals passing through the central nervous system and produce relaxation, a lowering of anxiety, and, at higher doses, drowsiness and sleep, are called depressants. One distinct kind of depressants are those which dull the mind's perception of pain and in medicine are used as painkillers, or analgesics. These drugs called narcotics.
3 It is not always easy to determine exactly when simple drug use becomes abuse. Thus it is far easier to study who uses illegal psychoactive drugs than it is to study who abuses them. When re searchers describe patterns of drug abuse, then, they usually describe the more general phenomenon of drug use, whether it leads to abuse or not.
4 Drinking on the job is a social and economic problem with a long history. With the growing popularity of illegal drugs in the 1960s and 1970s, it was to be expected that their use in the workplace would emerge as a major issue by the 1980s. Estimates of employee drug use vary greatly, ranging from 10 percent to 25 percent for the proportion of workers who use drugs occasionally on the job. The safe performance of some occupations among them is done by airline pilots in air traffic.
5 From the 1920s until the 1960s, treatment of drug abuse in the United States was practically nonexistent. During this period many officials did not believe that treatment was effective or necessary. Drug abusers and sellers were simply arrested and imprisoned, thereby discouraging use. The dramatic explosion in the use and abuse of a wide range of different drugs during the 1960s demonstrated the weakness of this theory. As a result, two treatment programs were developed during the 1960s.
A. Patterns of drug abuse
B. Treatment
C. Drug testing in the workplace
D. Classification of psychoactive drugs
E. Definition of drug abuse
Paragraph 1 ______.
Informed public debate critical to future of genomic medicine
Just mentioning "stem-cell research" or "genomic medicine" can open a floodgate of beliefs, concerns and, misinformation. Opinions are varied, mixed with fact and fiction, but one thing is clear: Open dialogue among researchers, teachers and the general public must continue as we struggle to define the relationship between our societal values and lifesciences research.
When the University of Washington .and the National Human Genome Research Institute hosted a community genetics forum last spring, questions abounded from the standing-room-only crowd about the implications of genetic research.
When is information about genetic health risks most helpful? Should genetic testing results be part of medical records and how would the results be used potentially by insurance companies? How can genetic testing benefit the criminal-justice system, such as establishings guilt or innocence using DNA testing,
The Human Genome Project will lead to amazing advances in medical science that will result in earlier diagnosis, more-targeted treatment, and a dramatic improvement in our ability to prevent terrible diseases. Genomic medicine will mean more personalized medicine tailored to the individual.
But these advances also carry inherent risks.
The obvious benefits of "personalized medicine" —use of genetic tests to guide preventive care and better drug prescribing—are counterbalanced by the possibility that such tests could lead to discrimination by insurers or employers. And, since genetic risk is often only one of the contributing factors to disease, overemphasis on personalized medicine could burden our health-care system with genetic tests of little or no benefit.
For example, smoking, diet and exercise play major roles in the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Identification of a genetic risk for these diseases can provide specific information for more-effective preventive care, but should not detract from pursuit of a healthy lifestyle.
The greatest health benefits of genomic research likely will come from insights into the basic biology of health and disease. This will ultimately lead to improved prevention and treatment—often without any need for genetic testing—for many diseases. The outcome from this research can be "precision medcine" —a morecost-effective approach to providing high-quality care. Thus, genomic medicine has the potential to improve the value of health care.
An example of the potential of genomic medicine to improve quality and reduce cost is the work of UW researchers Mark Rieder, Allan Rettie and Debbie Nickerson. They recently reported the discovery of a genetic method for accurately determining the proper dosage of a common blood-thinning drug, warfarin, which often produces adverse side effects because of its highly variable activity in patients.
Millions of people worldwide take worldwide to prevent stroke and blood clots, yet require expensive, constant testing from their physician to ensure proper dosage. These scientists' findings illustrate how the powerful DNA analysis tools of the Human Genome Project are leading to a new era of tailoring drugs and therapies to an individual's genome. Genomic medicine can lead to more-precise, personalized and cost- effective health care.
Medical advances always involve risk of harm, and genomic medicine is no exception. While technical issues require scientific research, we believe the challenges posed by genetic testing are far too critical to be left to the deliberation of scientists alone.
All members of society should have the opportunity to engage in collaborative discussion about the benefits and harms of genetic testing. Informed public discussion is vital to continue advances that hold so much promise for improving the value of health care.
&nbs
A.Y
B.N
C.NG
In what does interferon differ from antibiotics?
A.Interferon has serious side effects, whereas antibiotics do not.
B.Interferon is available in large supply, whereas antibiotics are not.
C.Antibiotics are very potent, while interferon is not.
D.Antibiotics kill germs by attacking them directly, while interferon does not.
Using placebos to test drugs sometimes has a surprising result. Researchers say people taking the placebo often report improvements in their health. This is known as "the placebo effect"--pain that is eased or stopped by an inactive substance. In such testing, the drug must perform. better than the placebo to prove that it is effective.
Doctors have reported that the placebo effect can be used in treatment. For example, a doctor tells a patient that a new drug will stop the pain in his leg. The pill is only sugar. But the patient does not know that. He takes the pill and says his pain is gone.
Scientists are beginning to discover some physical reasons for this reaction in some people. They are learning that much of what people believe to be true comes from what the brain expects is going to happen. If the brain believes a drug will ease pain, the brain may begin physical changes in the body that can cause the expected effect. A recent examination of studies on drugs for depression found that placebos eased the depression about as well as the active drugs.
Other studies have explored the power of placebos. A study in Japan involved thirteen
people who reacted to the poison ivy (常青藤)plant. Poison-ivy causes red itchy sores(伤痕)on some people who touch it. Each person was rubbed on one arm with a harmless leaf, but was told it was poison ivy. Each person was then touched on the other arm with poison ivy, but was told it was a harmless leaf. All thirteen people developed a reaction on the arm where the harmless leaf touched their skin. Only two reacted to the poison ivy leaves.
Doctors and scientists worry that the use of placebos may not always be harmless. They say people can become victims of false doctors and others who use placebos to claim they can cure disease.
What do medical researchers usually use to make placebo pills?
A.Ivy leaves.
B.Harmless leaves.
C.Medicine being tested.
D.sugar.
第三篇
Many science reports discuss medical studies that test the effect of a new drug. Usually, a large number of people is divided into two groups. Each group takes a different substance. But no one knows which group is getting which substance. One group takes the medicine being tested. Another group takes what we call an inactive substance. Medical researchers call this substance a "placebo." The word "placebo" is Latin for "I shall please." Placebo pills(宽心丸)usually are made of sugar.
Using placebos to test drugs sometimes has a surprising result. Researchers say people taking the placebo often report improvements in their health. This is known as "the placebo effect"--pain that is eased or stopped by an inactive substance. In such testing, the drug must perform. better than the placebo to prove that it is effective.
Doctors have reported that the placebo effect can be used in treatment. For example, a doctor tells a patient that a new drug will stop the pain in his leg. The pill is only sugar. But the patient does not know that. He takes the pill and says his pain is gone.
Scientists are beginning to discover some physical reasons for this reaction in some people. They are learning that much of what people believe to be true comes from what the brain expects is going to happen. If the brain believes a drug will ease pain, the brain may begin physical changes in the body that can cause the expected effect. A recent examination of studies on drugs for depression found that placebos eased the depression about as well as the active drugs.
Other studies have explored the power of placebos. A study in Japan involved thirteen
people who reacted to the poison ivy (常青藤)plant. Poison-ivy causes red itchy sores(伤痕)on some people who touch it. Each person was rubbed on one arm with a harmless leaf, but was told it was poison ivy. Each person was then touched on the other arm with poison ivy, but was told it was a harmless leaf. All thirteen people developed a reaction on the arm where the harmless leaf touched their skin. Only two reacted to the poison ivy leaves.
Doctors and scientists worry that the use of placebos may not always be harmless. They say people can become victims of false doctors and others who use placebos to claim they can cure disease.
What do medical researchers usually use to make placebo pills?
A. Ivy leaves.
B. Harmless leaves.
C. Medicine being tested.
D. sugar.
Genetic Testing
Genetic testing is transforming medicine and the way families think about their health. As science uncovers the complicated secrets of DNA, we face difficult choices and new challenges. About Genetic Testing
The year was 1895 and Pauline Gross, a young actress, was scared. Gross knew nothing about the human-genome (基因组,染色体组) project--such medical triumphs, but she did know about a nasty disease called cancer, and it was running through her family. "I'm healthy now," she often told Dr. Aldred Warthin a pathologist at the University of Michigan, "but I fully expect to die an early death."
At the time, Gross's prediction was based solely on observation: family members had died of cancer; she would, too. Today, more than 100 years later, Gross's relatives have a much more clinical option: genetic testing. With a simple blood test, they can peer into their own DNA, learning--while still perfectly healthy--whether they carry an inheritable gene mutation (突变) that has dogged their family for decades and puts them at serious risk.
Take the Testing
Testing is just one piece of the genomic revolution. A major goal is to create new sophisticated therapies that home in on a disease's biological source, then fix the problem. Already, genes are helping to predict a patient's response to existing medications. A prime example, taken by Dr. Wylie Burke of the University of Washington, is a variant of a gene called TPMT, which can lead to life-threatening reactions to certain doses of chemotherapy (化学疗法). A genetic test can guide safe and appropriate treatment. Two genes have been identified that influence a person's response to some anti-blood-clotting drug. And scientists are uncovering genetic differences in the way people respond to other widely used medications, like antidepressants (搞抑郁药).
Knowing a patient's genotype, or genetic profile, may also help researchers uncover new preventive therapies for sticky diseases. At Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Christopher Ross has tested several compounds shown to slow the progression of Huntington's in mice. Now he wants to test them in people who are positive for the Huntington's mutation but have not developed symptoms--a novel approach to clinical drug trials, which almost always involve sick people seeking cures. "We're using genetics to move from treating the disease after it happens," he says, "to preventing the worst symptoms of the disease before it happens."
It's not just their own health that people care about. There is also the desire to get rid of disease from the family tree. Therefore, the future is what drives many adults to the clinic. The gene tests currently offered for certain diseases, like breast cancer, affect only a small percentage of total cases. Inherited mutations contribute to just 5 to 10 percent of all breast cancers. But the impact on a single life can be huge. The key: being able to do something to ward off disease. "Genetic testing offers us profound insight," says Dr. Stephen Gruber, of the University of Michigan. "But it has to be balanced with our ability to care for these patients."
Genetic testing today starts at the earliest stages of life. Couples planning to have children can be screened prior to conception to see if they are carriers of genetic diseases; prenatal (产前) tests are offered during pregnancy, and states now screen newborns for as many as 29 conditions, the majority of them genetic disorders. For Jana and Tom Monaco, of Woodbridge, Va. , early testing has made an enormous difference in the lives of their children. Their journey began in 2001, when their seemingly healthy third child, 3-year-old Stephen, developed a life-threatening stomach virus that led to severe brain damage. His diagnosis: a rare but treatable disease called isovaleric acidemia (IVA). Unknowingly, Jana and her husband were carriers
A.stroke
B.cancer
C.SARS
D.AIDS
根据下列文章,请回答 51~65 题。
The Placebo Effect
When scientists want to test a new dru9,they usually divide a large number of people___________ (51)two groups.One group takes the medicine and the other takes a substance___________ (52)as a placebo(安慰剂).It may contain nothing more than sugar.The people do not know which pill they are takin9,the active one or the inactive one.In this kind of experiment,the medicine must perform___________ (53)than the placebo to prove it is effective.
Yet,people who take a placebo sometimes experience improvements in their health.This is known as” the placebo effect’ the effect of something___________ (54)is not supposed to have any effect.
Some doctors even use the placebo effect in their treatments.They might tell patients that a new drug will stop their pain.The patient does not know that the pills are___________ (55).The patient___________ (56) the pills and later tells the doctor that the pain is gone.
Now research in Sweden suggests that placebo treatments can als0___________ (57)the emotional effects of unpleasant experiences.The effects in the brain were similar to those seen when placebos have been used to ease pain.The researchers say that in both cases expectations of improvement are a major___________(58)on the effectiveness of placebos.The new study involved a group of people who looked at unpleasant pictures,___________ (59)images of dead bodies.Predrag Petrovic of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm led the study.The findings appeared in the publication Neuron(神经元).
An influential study on placebos appeared in 1955.It said treatment with a placebo___________ (60)patients feel better 35% of the time.But in 200 1,Danish researchers reposed that they had examined more than 100 studies.They found___________ (61)evidence of healing as a result Of placebos.
Some researchers think a good relationship between a doctor and patient can increase the effectiveness of real medicines.In any case.Some medical researchers are against the use of___________ (62).They think it is___________ (63)to give some people inactive substances when testing new medicines.They say it would be better to___________ (64)new drugs with existing drugs.That way, a study would show___________ (65)the new drug is more effective.
第 51 题
A.in
B.to
C.into
D.for