Influenza and Vaccines

There is no specific cure for influenza. Recommended treatment usually consists of bed rest and increased intake of nonalcoholic fluids until fever and other symptoms lessen in severity. Certain drugs have been found effective in lessening flu symptoms, but medical efforts aimed against the disease focus chiefly on prevention by means of vaccines that create immunity.
No drugs can cure influenza, but certain antiviral medicines can relieve flu symptoms. Available by prescription, these drugs provide modest relief, but only if taken on the first or second day of symptoms. The drugs amantadine (sold under the brand name Symmetrel) and rimantadine (Flumadine., both in pill form, work against hemagglutinin and are effective in treating type A influenza. Two other drugs inhibit neuraminidase and are effective against both type A and type B strains: oseltamivir (Tamiflu) is in pill form and zanamivir (Relenza. is an inhalant.
A flu vaccine consists of greatly weakened or dead flu viruses, or fragments of dead viruses. Antigens in the vaccine stimulate the patient's immune system to produce antibodies against the viruses. If the flu viruses invade a vaccinated person at a later time, the sensitized immune system recognizes the antigens, produces the antibodies and quickly responds to help destroy them.
About 5 to 10 percent of people who receive a flu vaccine experience mild, temporary side effects, typically soreness at the injection site. Young children who have not previously been exposed to the influenza virus are most likely to experience side effects.
Flu viruses constantly change so different virus strains must be incorporated in vaccines from one year to the next. Scientists try to provide a good match between the vaccine and the most serious virus strains circulating at the time. But because it takes months to manufacture and distribute vaccines, decisions on their composition must be made well before the start of each flu season. Each February experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend a vaccine composition to be used for the forthcoming winter in the Northern Hemisphere; a second recommendation is made in September for vaccines to be used in the Southern Hemisphere. Typically vaccines contain antigens from three virus strains, usually two strains from type A and one strain from type B.
According to the CDC, the success of flu vaccines varies from one person to another. In healthy young adults, the vaccines are 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing the disease. In the elderly and people with certain chronic medical conditions, the vaccines are less effective in preventing illness but help reduce the severity of an infection and the risk of major complications or death. Studies show that flu vaccines reduce flu-related hospitalization by about 70 percent and flu-related deaths by about 85 percent among elderly people.
The CDC recommends annual flu shots for people who are at high risk for developing serious complications as a result of an influenza infection.A. [■]This group includes all people aged 65 and older; people in nursing homes and other facilities that house people with chronic medical conditions; people with chronic heart, lung or kidney disease, diabetes, an impaired immune system, or severe forms of anemia; children and adolescents with conditions treated for long periods of time with aspirin (which makes them vulnerable to Reye's syndrome. ; and women who will be in the second or third trimester of pregnancy during the influenza season.B. [■] Some doctors encourage individuals who travel to areas of the world where influenza viruses circulate to receive the most current vaccine.C. [■] Vaccination taken earlier can better protect the travellers from being infected by influenza in the epidemic areasD. [■] vaccination is more urgently needed particularly if they are at higher risk of complications
It takes the human immune system one to two weeks after vaccination to develop antibodies to the flu antigens. According to the CDC, the best time to get flu shots in the United States is between October 1st and mid-November—sufficiently in advance of the peak of influenza activity, which in the United States generally lasts from late December until early March.
Flu shots must be given annually for two reasons. First, antibody protection that is provided by the vaccine decreases during the year following vaccination. Second, vaccines created for pre-existing viral strains may not work against new strains; nor does an infection with one flu strain confer immunity to infection by another strain.

单选题 The word lessen in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to______.
A. reduce
B. prevent
C. increase
D. change
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 本题是词汇题,考查考生根据上下文对lessen一词的理解。在原文中,lessen用于捕述一般医生建议治疗流感的方法。原句是“Recommended treatment usually consists of bed rest and increased intake of nonalcoholic fluids until fever and other symptoms lessen in severity(一般医生都建议卧床休息,并大量饮用非酒精类液体,直到发烧等症状的严重程度lessen)”。根据这个意思,我们很容易判断,应该等流感症状“减轻”才能停止治疗。在四个选项中,只有A项(减轻)与原句意思最贴切。B项(防止)、C项(增强)、D项(改变)都不符合原文。
单选题 According to the information in Paragraph 2, which of the following statement is true of drugs?
A. All drugs are of no use at all in treating the influenza symptoms.
B. Most drugs can greatly relieve the influenza symptoms at any time.
C. Prescribed drugs are relatively effective only under certain conditions.
D. Drugs are more useful and effective than vaccines in curing influenza.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 本题是事实信息题,主要考查考生排除细枝末节的干扰确定文章中阐明的主要信息的能力。题目问:根据第二段的信息,下列哪一项关于药物的论断是正确的?这个问题涉及对流感药物的论述。原文中作者说“No drugs can cure influenza, but certain antiviral medicines can relieve flu symptoms(没有药物能完全治疗流感,但是某些抗病毒药物可以减轻症状)”。而且,医生所开的药物必须在症状出现的前两天服下才能有轻微作用。可见某些药物有一定作用,而且对服用时间有要求。与这些意思符合的只有C项。
单选题 According to Paragraph 2, which of the following statements is true relating to the groups of drugs mentioned?
A. The four drugs are different only in the form.
B. All four drugs work against one kind of virus.
C. The two groups of drugs inhibit different viruses.
D. Both groups of drugs are effective against type B.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 本题也是事实信息题。题目问:根据第二段,下列关于几种流感药的论述哪项是正确的?文章共提到四种两组流感药,第一组amantadine和rimantadine可以抗击 hemagglutinin,能治疗A类流感,都是药片;第二组oseltamivir和zanamivir可以抗击neuraminidase,既能治疗A类流感,也能治疗B类流感,其中oseltamivir是片状,而zanamivir是液体。符合这些捕述的正确选项是C,即两组药物抵抗不同的病毒,故选C项。
单选题 According to Paragraph 3, which of the following statements is true?
A. Antigens are entities produced by a person's immune system after vaccination.
B. Antigens will directly kill any flu virus invading a vaccinated person.
C. A flu vaccine contains the same components of prescribed drugs curing flu.
D. Antigens can help prevent flu by stimulating human bodies to produce antibodies.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 本题仍为事实信息题。题目问:根据第三段,下列哪项论述是正确的?根据原文“A flu vaccine consists of greatly weakened or dead flu viruses, or fragments of dead viruses. Antigens in the vaccine stimulate the patient's immune system to produce antibodies against the viruses(流感疫苗含有被击弱或被杀死的病毒,或被杀死的病毒碎片。疫苗中的抗原可以刺激人体的免疫系统,产生抵抗病毒的抗体)”。南此不难判断:A项的错误在于antigens(抗原)是疫苗中含有的,而非人体所产生;B项的错误是因为它指出antigens(抗原)能直接杀死侵入接种过疫苗的人体中的流感病毒;C项也是错误的,因为疫苗不是药物,与药物成分不同。只有D项正确,即抗原可以刺激人体产生抗体,从而帮助预防流感,因此选D项。
单选题 The word them in Paragraph 3 refers to______.
A. dead viruses
B. antigens
C. invading viruses
D. antibodies
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 本题为指代关系题,考查考生是否具备认定代词与篇章中其他词语的指代关系的能力。题目问:代词them在文章中指代的是什么?正如上一题所说,疫苗中含有一些dead viruses,即antigens(抗原);抗原的作用是刺激免疫系统产生antibodies(抗体)。根据原文“If the flu viruses invade a vaccinated person at a later time, the sensitized immune system recognizes the antigens, produces the antibodies and quickly responds to help destroy them(如果流感病毒以后侵入接种过疫苗的人,人体被激活的免疫系统能辨认抗原,产生抗体,迅速回 应来帮助杀死它们)”。根据上下文,them在句子中是指入侵的病毒,即C项的invading viruses。其他三个选项所说的分别是疫苗中的死亡病毒、抗原和抗体,都不符合原文,因此选C项。
单选题 The word mild in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to______.
A. minor
B. serious
C. long
D. kind
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 本题为词汇题,主要考查考生根据上下文对单词mild一词的理解。在原文中,这个词是用于描述流感疫苗副作用所表现的症状的,与temporary(暂时的,短期的)同时使用,而且举了一个症状的例子,即注射的伤口处会有疼痛感。根据这些线索我们可以判断,副作用是轻微的(mild),与A项(微小的)的意义最贴切,而B项(严重的)意思正好相反,C项(长期的)与temporary(暂时的)相互矛盾,D项(良好的,友好的)也不符合题意,因此选A项。
单选题 Based on the passage, which of the following statements can best describe the side effects of vaccination?
A. About 5 to 10 percent of children experience mild temporary side effects.
B. Side effects of a flu vaccine will usually last for a very long period of time.
C. If a child has never been infected by flu, he or she is more likely to have side effects.
D. If a person has been exposed to the influenza virus before, he or she will not have side effects.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 本题是事实信息题,主要考查考生是否能够抓住文章中的主要信息和细节。根据文章第四段的描述“About 5 to 10 percent of people who receive a flu vaccine experience mild, temporary side effects, typically soreness at the injection site. Young children who have not previously been exposed to the influenza virus are most likely to experience side effects (5%~10%接种流感疫苗的人会有轻微的、暂时的副作用,一般表现为注射处的疼痛。年幼的孩子如果以前没有得过流感,就更容易出现副作用)”。根据这些信息,A项是错误的,因为5%~10%是对全体人群而言,而不是专门针对孩子;B项的错误在于它说副作用会持续很长时间;C项正确,因为如果一个孩子以前从未感染流感,就更可能出现副作用,这与题意吻合;D项错误是因为即使一个人得过流感,也不能保证他或她一定不出现副作用,因此选C。
单选题 According to Paragraph 5, the WHO recommends the composition of the vaccine very early every year in order to
A. provide a good match between the vaccine and the virus strains
B. save the expense in producing and distributing the vaccine
C. reduce the frequency the flu viruses change from one strain to another
D. leave time to manufacture and distribute vaccines before the flu season
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 本题还是事实信息题。题目问:根据第五段的内容,世界卫生组织每年早早公布疫苗的组成成分,其目的是什么?根据原文的句子“But because it takes months to manufacture and distribute vaccines, decisions on their composition must be made well before the start of each flu season(因为生产和分发疫苗需要几个月的时间,所以必须在每一个流感季节开始之前决定疫苗的成分)”可知,WHO提前公布疫苗成分是为了留出足够的时间来生产和分发疫苗,因此选D项。
单选题 According to Paragraph 6, which of the following is true of the effect of vaccines on different groups of people?
A. The vaccines will not be effective on unhealthy young adults
B. The elderly will be less likely to have major complications after vaccination.
C. The vaccines are effective on people of all ages if they are healthy.
D. Flu vaccines are of no use for old people or people with chronic diseases.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 本题为正误判断题,考查考生根据文章中阐明的信息,判断什么信息是正确的,什么信息是错误的,什么信息是文章中没有提到的。文章第六段指出:“the success of flu vaccines varies from one person to another. In healthy young adults, the vaccines are 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing the disease. In the elderly and people with certain chronic medical conditions, the vaccines are less effective in preventing illness but help reduce the severity of an infection and the risk of major complications or death(流感疫苗是否起作用因人而异。对于健康的年轻人,流感疫苗预防的有效率达70%~90%。对于老年人或有慢性病的人,疫苗预防的有效率要低一些,但仍有助于减轻感染的严重程度和降低患并发症或死亡的风险)”。根据这些信息,可以判断B项是正确的。A项说疫苗对不健康的年轻人没有效用,C项说疫苗对各个年龄的健康者都有效,D项说老人或慢性病的人使用流感疫苗无效。这三项都不符合原文的意思,因此选B项。
单选题 According to the recommendation of the CDC, when should people receive vaccinations in America?
A. People should receive a vaccination one or two weeks earlier before influenza activity.
B. People should receive a vaccination before the influenza epidemic.
C. People should get flu shots in March when the influenza activity ends.
D. People should get flu shots before October so as to develop antibodies.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 本题为推论题,考查考生能否对文章中没有明确阐述但却明显暗示了的信息进行推测。 题目问:根据CDC的建议,在美国应该什么时候注射疫苗?根据原文,我们知道注射疫苗后需要一到两周才能产生抗体;CDC建议10月初到11月中旬注射,而美国流感的高发期是12月末到第二年3月。因此A项是错误的,因为一到两周是疫苗产生抗体的时问,并不是流感高潮期到来前一两周注射疫苗。B项为正确答案,因为只要在流感流行前注射就行;C项是错误的,因为不能在3月流感结束后注射疫苗;D项的错误在于10月前注射疫苗还太早。
单选题 The word annually in Paragraph 9 is closest in meaning to______.
A. at an early time
B. once every year
C. by safe means
D. at a quick speed
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 本题为词汇题,主要考查考生根据上下文对单词annually一词的理解。在原文中,这个词是用于描述注射流感疫苗这个动作的。要判断这个词的意思,我们可以从下文中找到线索。下文的两句话是对第一句原因的解释。在解释中,作者多次用到了今年、下一年等词语。再加上前文的一些描述,如WHO每年公布疫苗的成分等,由此我们可以判断annually应该为每年一次,即B项。另外几个选项的意思都不符合原文,A项是说在更早的时候,C项是说以安全的方式,D项是说以更快的速度。
单选题 According to Paragraph 9, the effects of vaccination can be described as______.
A. if you get a flu shot this year, you won't need it next year
B. the vaccine you take this year will be more effective next year
C. certain vaccines can work against all viral strains
D. you still need vaccines for new strains after being infected with one strain
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 本题为事实信息题。题目问:根据文章第九段的描述,疫苗有什么效果?如果今年注射了疫苗,下一年不一定继续起作用,也就是说疫苗是根据具体一种流感变体而生产的,一种变体的疫苗不一定能预防另一种变体。根据这些信息,可以判断A项是错误的,因为即使今年注射了疫苗,下一年也需要继续注射;B项是错误的,因为今年注射疫苗,下一年疫苗的有效性就会减弱;C项也是错误的,因为疫苗并不可能预防所有的病毒变体;D项正确,因为即使感染了一种变体,还需要注射根据新变体而生产的疫苗,因此选D项。
单选题 Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
To help stop the disease's spread, the CDC also recommends vaccination for health-care workers, employees of nursing homes and chronic-care facilities, and household members of people in high-risk groups.
Where would the sentence best fit?
A. Square A.
B. Square B.
C. Square C.
D. Square D.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 本题为插话题,考查考生是否具备将特定的一句话按照语义逻辑关系插入顺序相连的四个句子之间的能力。要做对此题,考生必须深入理解各个句子间的词汇、语法和段落之间的逻辑联系。要插入的话语中有also一词,这是很重要的线索。这句话说:“为了阻止病毒的传播,CDC也(also)建议保健工作者、私人疗养院的护理员、慢性病护理机构和高危人群的家庭成员注射疫苗。”因此,前文应该是CDC建议其他的一些人注射疫苗。在四个黑框中,第二个黑框前是CDC对几种人群注射疫苗的建议,之后是医生的建议。因此,这句话应该插入第二个黑框B处。
问答题 Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
Vaccination is a very important means of creating immunity to prevent the infection of flu.

·

·

·

Answer Choices

A. Drugs can help lessen the symptoms of influenza and are more effective and convenient than vaccines.
B. Despite possible mild side effects, vaccines can help destroy flu viruses with antigens stimulating immune systems to produce antibodies.
C. Flu viruses change very frequently, so vaccines must also be adjusted every year, but vaccines are effective to different extents for different people.
D. The best time to get flu shots is between October 1st and mid-November because it takes time for vaccination to take effect.
E. The Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere have different periods of time to manufacture and distribute vaccines.
F. Certain groups of people are strongly recommended for vaccination and flu shots are better to be given every year at appropriate times.
【正确答案】

B. Despite possible mild side effects, vaccines can help destroy flu viruses with antigens stimulating immune systems to produce antibodies.

C. Flu viruses change very frequently, so vaccines must also be adjusted every year, but vaccines are effective to different extents for different people.

F. Certain groups of people are strongly recommended for vaccination and flu shots are better to be given every year at appropriate times.

【答案解析】[解析] 本题为篇章总结题,考查考生理解全篇中心思想和相关重要信息的能力,考生通过区分主要观点和次要观点以及文章中没有提及的观点达到总结全篇的目的。本文是对流感防治的介绍,主要内容是围绕注射疫苗展开的。选项B、C、F概括了全文的主要思想,即虽然可能有轻微的副作用,疫苗可以通过抗原刺激人体产生抗体,从而能够帮助预防流感;流感病毒不断改变,因此疫苗也必须随之改变成分,但是疫苗对不同人群的有效性不同;CDC组织和医生建议一些人群注射疫苗,而且疫苗应该每年注射。选项A、D、E所含的信息要么错误,要么 是细枝末节,不能概括全文的主要意思。