In the following article some paragraphs or sentences have been removed. For questions, choose the most suitable paragraph or sentence from the lists A—F to fit into each of the numbered gaps. There is one paragraph which doesn't fit in any of the gaps. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET 1.
Nearly three years ago, I tested positive for HIV. Since then I have discovered a support system that steadfastly refuses to encourage responsible behavior, and a society whose silence ensures the continued spread of this disease.
16. ____________
The people I am talking about are nothing like Nushawn William, the drug dealer who is believed to have infected numerous people in New York State. They did not grow up in ghettos surrounded by street gangs. They come from stable homes in safe neighborhoods. They went to high school and college and graduate school.
17.____________
We are more than 15 years into the MDS epidemic, and I have been asked my status by prospective partners only twice. Since testing positive, I've made a point of disclosing my status to any potential partner; all but one told me I was the first person to do so. Each believed that if he practiced safe sex, there would be no need to know. There is no such thing as safe sex, only levels of risk that one must choose. In making that choice, a partner's HIV status is the critical piece of information.
18.____________
The CDC will only "suggest that you might want to consider informing your partner," a hot-line counselor told me. Counselors at the San Franciso AIDS Foundation said it was their job to dispense information, not moral or ethical recommendations, and, again, that I must do what makes me feel comfortable.
19. ____________
The emphasis on the individual's right, without an equally strong emphasis on the individual's responsibility, is wrong and is a direct cause of the spread of this disease.
20.____________
[A] We are not talking about being comfortable here. We are talking about life and death.
[B] Groups such as the Gay Men's Health Crisis claim they cannot dictate behavior Granted. But that is all the more reason that AIDS organizations have a responsibility to encourage people who are HIV positive to do what is right.
[C] Most HIV-positive people I have encountered do not voluntarily disclose their status to potential partners. Indeed, even people in long-term relationships lie about their status. These are the realities of HIV transmission today.
[D] For years the AIDS community has rallied around the battle cry "Silence=Death.'' What it has failed to realize is that silence comes in many forms and that all are lethal.
[E] They remain silent because it is difficult to tell the truth, and because their friends and community support them in their silence. Their doctors, psychiatrists, even the AIDS organizations they call for help, offer comfort and sympathy but don't necessarily encourage them to tell the truth.
[F] Leading advocacy groups have perpetuated the culture of irresponsibility. Last year when I called the hot line for the Gay Men's Health Crisis, one of the nation's leading AIDS service agencies, I was advised to "experiment" informing some partners of my HIV status while remaining silent with others. In this way I could decide which was more comfortable for me.