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A publisher of a national book of high student biographies has just released the results of a survey it did of its membership, those who appear in their book. The results, which appear to contain several findings of grave interest to the American public, are nevertheless suspect in their scientific validity. How often do we hear the word validity used in relationship to statistics which are proffered on the evening news or in the newspapers? Most people are left believing that all statistics are to be taken seriously and that they imply, by the fact that they are in the media, some assurance of being well grounded and useful. The facts, in my opinion, do not warrant such trust, nor do the researchers warrant plaudits for their work in this instance.

A questionnaire which was designed to tap into teens’ beliefs on everything from sex to suicide was mailed to just over 8,000 students across the nation. Just over 3,000 returned their questionnaires and from this sample the publisher made its findings public.

The number of teens who actually thought about suicide was found to be slightly more than 800 and the number who tried to kill themselves was around 130. Of course, these figures had to be calculated because percentages were given in the original press release and discussed by the spokesperson on national TV. When questioned about the responsibility of the researchers in terms of the students who thought about killing themselves and those who had actually tried, the spokesperson took a turn and answered another question; they intended to do something about the high percent of students who reported rape or forced sexual contact.

But where does this leave not only the kids who sent in the questionnaire and admitted to suicidal thoughts or actions, but all those kids who didn’t reply, but who had the same feelings or experiences? Where is the responsibility not only of the research company, but of the publishers and the schools where those students are in classes? What percent of the almost 5,000 kids who didn’t respond had tried to kill themselves or had thought about it? The study naively offers a glimpse into the, seriousness of teen suicide while ignoring its own inadequacy in truly providing information. In this case, ifs not only the kids who responded, but, more important, the kids who didn’t because those kids feel there’s no sense to reach out and tell someone of their pain. I suspect those kids are truly in danger and how is the study identifying them? For that matter, how is the study identifying the teens who admitted to trying to kill themselves?

单选题 The results of a survey _____.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】根据第一段第二句“The results, which appear to contain several findings of grave interest to the American public, are nevertheless suspect in their scientific validity.”可知其有效性令人怀疑， 因此选C。
单选题 The statistics released in the media _____.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】根据第一段倒数第二句“Most people are left believing that all statistics are to be taken seriously and that they imply, by the fact that they are in the media, some assurance of being well grounded and useful.”可知许多人认为这些在媒体中流传的数据应该被认真看待， 因为它们有一定程度的合理性和用处。 因此选B。
单选题 According to this passage, ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】根据第三段第一句“The number of teens who actually thought about suicide was found to be slightly more than 800 and the number who tried to kill themselves was around 130.”可选出答案。
单选题 The seriousness of teen suicide _____.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】根据第三段最后一句“When questioned about the responsibility of the researchers in terms of the students who thought about killing themselves and those who had actually tried, the spokesperson took a turn and answered another question…”可知政府发言人不愿回答关于青少年自杀的相关问题。 因此选B。
单选题 The main idea of this passage is that _____.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】最后一段提到， 尽管有一部分青少年明确回答了关于自杀的问题， 仍有5000多人没有回答， 这些人中试图自杀的或想过自杀的人有多少则不得而知， 但他们也有被帮助的必要， 他们的处境甚至更危险， 因此我们要多加关注研究者的社会责任， 在这个问题下他们的社会责任是如何更全面地帮助想要自杀却无人倾诉的青少年， 我们不应该只关注调查出来的数据， 它们大多是错误的。 因此选B。