单选题 Scratchy throats, stuffy noses and body aches all spell misery, but being able to tell if the cause is a cold or flu (流感) may make a difference in how long the misery lasts.
The American Lung Association (ALA) has issued new guidelines on combating colds and the flu, and one of the keys is being able to quickly tell the two apart. That"s because the prescription drugs available for the flu need to be taken soon after the illness sets in. As for colds, the sooner a person starts taking over-the-counter remedy, the sooner relief will come.
The common cold and the flu are both caused by viruses. More than 200 viruses can cause cold symptoms, while the flu is caused by three viruses-flu A, B and C. There is no cure for either illness, but the flu can be prevented by the flu vaccine (疫苗), which is, for most people, the best way to fight the flu, according to the ALA.
But if the flu does strike, quick action can help. Although the flu and common cold have many similarities, there are some obvious signs to look for. Cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, runny nose and scratchy throat typically develop gradually, and adults and teens often do not get a fever. On the other hand, fever is one of the characteristic features of the flu for all ages. And in general, flu symptoms including fever and chills, sore throat and body aches come on suddenly and are more severe than cold symptoms.
The ALA notes that it may be particularly difficult to tell when infants and preschool age children have the flu. It advises parents to call the doctor if their small children have flu-like symptoms.
Both cold and flu symptoms can be eased with over-the-counter medications as well. However, children and teens with a cold or flu should not take aspirin for pain relief because of the risk of Reye syndrome (综合征), a rare but serious condition of the liver and central nervous system.
There is, of course, no vaccine for the common cold. But frequent hand washing and avoiding close contact with people who have colds can reduce the likelihood of catching one.
单选题 According to the author, knowing the cause of the misery will help ______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。题干意为“作者认为，弄清楚病因会有助于”。根据题干中knowing the cause of the misery定位至第一段，段中讲到，分清病因是感冒还是流感可能会影响生病时间的长短。即弄清病因会有助于缩短生病时间。A选项(缩短疾病的持续期)符合题意，故A为正确答案。
单选题 According to the ALA, the best way to fight the flu is to ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。题干意为“美国肺脏学会认为，抵抗流感的最好办法是”。根据题干中the best way to fight the flu定位至第三段最后一句，句中讲到，美国肺脏学会认为，对大多数人来讲，抵抗流感的最佳途径是接种流感疫苗。B选项(接种疫苗)符合题意，故B为正确答案。
单选题 Which of the following symptom will distinguish the flu from a cold? ______
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。题干意为：“以下哪种病征可以将流感和感冒区别开来?”根据题干中symptom 定位至第四段，其中第三、四句提到，成年人和青少年感冒时不会发烧，而各个年龄段的人患流感时 都会发烧。由此推知，多数情况下，发烧这种病征可以将流感和感冒加以区分。B选项(体温高)与 其意思一致，故B为正确答案。
单选题 If children have flu-like symptoms, their parents ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。题干意为“如果孩子表现出流感的病征，父母”。根据题干中if children have flu-like symptoms定位至倒数第三段最后一句，句中提到，如果孩子有患流感的病征，建议父母去请医生。C选项(被鼓励去请医生)符合题意，故C为正确答案。
单选题 We learn from the passage that ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。题干意为“从文章中我们了解到”。该题需要运用根据选项关键词定位原文的方法来确定答案。根据A项symptoms定位至第四段，最后一句提到，流感症状比感冒症状更严重，故A项(感冒症状比流感症状严重)属于“歪曲事实”。B选项(对流感来讲，阿司匹林不应包含在非处方药中)和C选项(流感的拖延治疗会伤及肝脏和中央神经系统)在原文均未提及，属于“无中生有”。根据D选项over-the-counter drugs定位至倒数第二段第一句，句中提到，感冒和流感症状都可以通过非处方药得到缓解，故D选项(非处方药可以用来缓解感冒和流感引起的不适)与其意思一致，故D为正确答案。