阅读理解 When a medical procedure or technology first comes onto the scene, it is almost invariably met with controversy from all sides regarding the way it can, and should, be applied. The ongoing debate over abortion is certainly no exception, a contentious issue that has captured the attention of laymen and medical practitioners alike for decades. With the introduction of the French "abortion pill" RU-486, the situation has become an even more urgent one to proponents on both sides of the issue. Those in favor of a woman's right to choose abortion argue that the pill indicates that, whether we like it or not, the means to accomplish the goal is out there, and we must respond or be left behind. Anti-abortion activists, however, see the pill as representing the greatest threat to their cause to date, and thus a development that urges all to mobilize for the fight against abortion.
The RU-486 "abortion pill" has already been used in over 200,000 recorded instances in France, claiming a 95.5% effectiveness rate when used in the first 7 weeks of pregnancy. In France, it is seen as a more economical and safer alternative to surgery, which was the method by which abortions were performed prior to the development of the pill. Recent studies have discovered that the pill may have beneficial side effects as well, including use as a promising treatment for breast and ovarian cancer, glaucoma, adrenal cancer, and a host of other illnesses.
Although generally considered safe for use, the use of the pill has not been without complications, most notably exemplified in the case of one French woman who died of a heart attack after ingesting the proper dosage of the medicine. Further, due to its relatively short history, the long-term effects of the RU-486 drug have yet to be conclusively examined. This and other concerns, including political ones, have prevented such states as Canada and the United States from approving the use of the pill within its borders. Other states have been undeterred, however, as a host of other nations currently use the pill as a viable method of abortion in some form or another.
The underlying issue is one that goes beyond the use of the RU-486 pill, however, extending to the question of morality. Activists opposed to abortion, including the Catholic church, viewing life as beginning at conception, and thus abortion is a form of murder in every case. Those in favor of abortion see life as a process beginning at birth, thus equating abortion procedures to any other standard medical treatments. Until those deeper levels of contention are resolved, the issue of "the pill" will be one of only marginal importance.
单选题 16.From Paragraph 3, we learn that______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】属信息推断题。第三段第一、二句说：虽然普遍认为使用人流丸是安全的，但人流丸的使用并不是没有引起并发症……。RU-486“人流丸”的历史相对较短，它的长期影响还有待验证。由此可知，选项C正确。选项A与第一句意思不符；选项B、D都与第三句内容不符，影响“人流丸”使用范围的因素除疗效外，还有来自政治等方面的担心。
单选题 17.When the author says "The underlying issue is one that goes beyond the use of the RU-486 pill, however, extending to the question of morality. ", he means that______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】属信息推断题。最后一段第一句指出：潜在的问题超出了RU一486“人流丸”的使用，涉及了道德问题。第二、三句列举了反对、支持人工流产者的观点，争议的焦点是生命开始的时间；最后一句总结上文：在这些争论的深层次问题解决之前，关于“人流丸”的争议就不太重要了。由此可推知，“人流丸”的问题只是有关生育问题争议的一部分，即选项C正确。
单选题 18.In order for the RU-486 pill to be approved for use in such nations as the United States, it is necessary that______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】属信息归纳题。题目中的关键词the United States出现在第三段第三句：有关长期效果或其他方面的担心，包括政治方面的担心阻止了加拿大、美国这样的国家同意在其境内使用避孕药。第四段指出其他方面的担心就是道德问题，即：生命何时开始，人流算不算谋杀。由此可知，只有解决了这些问题，“人流丸”在美国才可能获准使用，即选项D正确。
单选题 19.The text cites the Catholic Church's opposition to abortion to______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】属信息推断题。题目中的关键词Catholic Church出现在最后一段第二句：反对人工流产的积极分子，包括天主教会认为生命从怀孕开始……。由此可知，天主教会只是这组人中一个典型例子(故选项B正确)；而不是反映普遍存在或接受的态度(故选项A、D错误)；也不是为了提供有效的证据(故选项C错误)。
单选题 20.The main purpose of this text is to______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】属主旨思想题。文章第一段第一、二句指出：每当一种医疗方法或技术一登场，它几乎都免不了引起各方的争论，正在进行的关于人工流产的辩论当然也毫不例外。下文以最近法国推出的“人流丸”RU-486为例，说明争议双方的论点及现状。由此可知，选项A正确。选项B是第二段的内容，不能概括全文；C只是在文章最后两段间接提到；D只在最后一段提到，不是文章主要内容。