阅读理解 Cancer The popular TV variety-show host was grim but calm. He faced the cameras and said bluntly: "I have cancer." Masataka Itsumi''s disclosure may be the latest sign that the shame associated with cancer is finally breaking down in a country where, unlike the United Sates, the topic has traditionally been taboo. Cancer is the country''s No.1 killer, chaining more than 230,000 lives a year. Despite the number of people affected, the subject has long been concealed in secrecy and silence. As a rule, Japanese are reluctant to tell anyone other than family if they have cancer. And doctors often lie to patients about a cancer diagnosis, fearing they would be depressed and weakened by the truth. Polls indicate that most people would prefer to be told if they have cancer. But health authorities have estimated as few as one in five cancer patients is given a truthful diagnosis. "The patient is very afraid to hear of having cancer, so many doctors just don’t tell," said one doctor. " But if we don’t tell the truth, it''s bad for the relationship between doctor and patient. So I think this is beginning to change". He said he believed the intense public interest in the Itsumi case reflected pent-up curiosity and concern about the subject. There are other signs of greater openness in confronting cancer. Support groups for cancer victims, once unknown, have sprung up. The plot of a recent film revolved around a man with cancer. An unusually powerful television advertisement, appealing for bone-marrow donations, features a young woman who has since died of leukemia. But secrecy about cancer is still common. In Japan, serious illness is considered embarrassing. People worry about causing suffering and expense for their families, or discomforting their colleagues. Itsumi, in fact, began his news conference by apologizing. Other factors contribute to the taboo on talk about cancer. There is a cultural tendency toward restraint on discussing personal matters and stoicism in facing problems. Even if patients sense something is very wrong despite a good diagnosis, most do not press their doctors or seek a second opinion. Doctors are granted deep respect in a society that discourages questioning authority.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】第二段指出医生会因担心病人心理承受力而向病人隐瞒患癌实情，但如果医生不说实话，就不利于医生与病人之间的关系，因而他们认为这种情况会改变；第三段开始一句又说面对癌症，还有其他迹象表明人们更愿意公开癌症这一秘密，所以C)。倒数第二段第一句话说明A)不正确；文中说除家人外，病人不愿靠近其他人，并担心给家人增加负担，因而B)不对；最后一段说人们之所以忌讳说癌症的一个原因是不怀疑权威，尊重医生，但未说医生会越来越为人们所相信。