单选题 Most people who developed Lyme disease, a tick-born infection that's endemic in parts of the Northeast and Midwest, are easily cured by taking an antibiotic like doxycycline for a couple of weeks. But for years a debate has raged over what to do about patients whose symptoms(fatigue, mental confusion, joint pain)never seem to clear up. One small but vocal group of doctors and patient advocates believes that Lyme's corkscrew-shaped spirochetes have tunneled deep into their victims' bodies and can be eradicated only with intensive antibiotic treatment over many months. Another group believes, just as adamantly, that further treatment with powerful antibiotics — which can lead to potentially fatal infections or blood clots — positively dangerous. Now comes word of two studies in the New England Journal of Medicine that show that long-term antibiotic treatment is no better than a placebo for folks with chronic Lyme disease. Originally scheduled for publication in July, the research is part of a group of findings made public last week — just in time for the peak Lyme months of June and July. If confirmed by another major study that's looking at chronic Lyme and antibiotics from a slightly different perspective, the results would seem to settle the question once and for all. Researchers from Boston, New Haven, Com. , and Valhalla, N. Y. , followed 129 patients who had previously been treated for well-documented cases of Lyme disease. Sixty-four were given antibiotics directly into their veins for a month, followed by two months of oral antibiotics. The others received dummy medications. A third of the chronic Lyme patients got better while taking the antibiotics. But so did a third of those on the placebo. Indeed, the results were so similar that a monitoring board decided to cut the trials short rather than add more subjects to the test groups. Unfortunately, the debate over chronic Lyme has become so heated that no one expects the controversy to go away. But both sides may take comfort in the other findings that were released by the New England Journal last week. After studying 482 subjects bitten by deer ticks in a part of New York with a lot of Lyme disease, researchers concluded that a singly 200-mg dose of doxycycline dramatically cut the risk of contracting the disease. That good news is tempered somewhat by the fact that 80% of patients who develop the infection don't remember ever being bitten by a tick.(The bugs inject an anesthetic into the skin to mask the pain and in their nymph stage are so small — about the size of a poppy seed — that they are easily overlooked.) There's still plenty you can do to protect yourself in a Lyme-infested neighborhood: tuck your pants in your socks, spray DEET on your clothing, check yourself and your kids for ticks. And if you develop a spreading red rash — particularly if it's accompanied by joint pain, chills or confusion — make sure you see a doctor right away. The trick, as always, is to be vigilant without overreacting.
单选题 According to the passage, Lyme disease______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:本题是主旨题。由第一段的“…a tick-born infection that’s endemic in parts of theNortheast and Midwest”可知,莱姆病是由蜱感染的疾病,由此可判断是一种接触性的感染疾病,A符合此意。
单选题 With respect to treat chronic Lyme, ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:本题是细节题。第一段提到“…vocal group of doctors and patient advocatesbelieves...can be eradicated only with intensive antibiotic treatment over many months.Anothergroup believes,just as adamantly,that further treatment with powerful antibiotics…”,有一些医生和病人认为只能用强力抗生素治疗数月才能根除。另外一些人认为再用强力抗生素治疗可能会引起致命的感染或血液凝结。医生对于强力抗生素的意见不一,故答案是C。
单选题 How is the experiment with 129 patients related to the argument stated in Paragraph 2?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:本题是推理题。第二段提到“…long-term antibiotic treatment is no better than aplacebo for folks with chronic Lyme disease.”研究表明,对于慢性的莱姆病,长期进行抗生素治疗跟用安慰剂一样效果不好。第三段中129人的实验结果“Indeed,the results were sosimilar that a monitoring board decided to cut the trials short rather than add more subjects to thetest groups.”证明了这一论点。所以正确答案是C。
单选题 The good news to both sides of the debate is that______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:本题是细节题。根据倒数第二段的“But both sides may take comfort in the otherfindings that…researchers concluded that a singly 200-mg dose of doxycycline dramatically cut therisk of contracting the disease.”,200毫克的强力霉素阻止了感染的危险,由此可知C正确。
单选题 In what kind of style is the passage written?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:本题是推理题。A项Narrative“叙述的”;B项Argumentative“论证的”:C项Informative“告知性的”;D项Descriptive“描述性的”。本文讲述了什么是莱姆病,医学上对于治疗此病的争论,并用实验来论证争论的正确性,最后建议人们如何去预防此病。由此可判断C正确。