单选题 "Pain," as Albert Schweitzer once said, "is a more terrible lord of mankind than even death itself." Prolonged pain destroys the quality of life. It can 1 the will to live, at times 2 people to suicide. The physical effects are equally 3 . Severe, persistent pain can spoil sleep and appetite, 4 producing fatigue and reducing the availability of nutrients to organs. It may 5 delay recovery from illness or injury and, in weakened or elderly patients, may make the difference between life and death.
6 , there are some kinds of pain that existing treatments cannot ease. 7 doctors can do little in these cases is terribly distressing for everyone involved but is certainly 8 . What seems less understandable is that many people suffer not because their discomfort is untreatable but because physicians are often reluctant to 9 morphine. Morphine is the safest, most effective painkiller known for constant, severe pain, but it is also 10 for some people. 11 , it is rarely prescribed.
Indeed, concern over addiction has 12 many nations in Europe and elsewhere to ban 13 any uses of morphine anti related substances, including their medical applications. Even 14 morphine is a legal medical therapy, as it is in Great Britain and the U.S., many doctors, afraid of turning patients into addicts, 15 amounts that are too small to control pain.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] A项“boost”意为“促进”，为及物动词；B项“erode”意为“削弱”，为及物动词；C项“wear”意为“磨损”，为不及物动词；D项“distract”意为“使……分散”，为及物动词，句意是“削弱生存的意志”，因此选择B。

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 理解句意后即可选出此空的正确答案，此句是说痛苦并削弱生存意志，有时甚至迫使人自杀。“drive”有“迫使，催促”的意思。这里是现在分词短语作伴随状语，因此选择A。

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] A项“compound”意为“复合的”；B项“comprehensible”意为“可理解的”；C项“exhaustive”意为“详尽的”；D项“profound”意为“深远的”，句意是疼痛对身体的影响也是很深远的，因此选择D。

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] A项“with”意为“随着”；B项“whereby”意为“凭……，由此”；C项“thereby”意为“借以、从而、由此”；D项“as”意为“当”，句意是持续的疼痛会进而减少为器官提供营养，因此选择C。

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] A项“thus”意为“因此”；B项“though”意为“虽然”；C项“along”意为“沿着”；D项“instead”意为“代替”，句意表总结，因此，疼痛会延迟疾病恢复，所以选择A。

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] A项“Fortunately”意为“幸运地”；B项“Sadly”意为“悲痛地”；C项“Notably”意为“尤其”；D项“Promptly”意为“迅速地”，句意是现有治疗尚不能缓解某些类型的疼痛。

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] A项“understandable”意为“可以理解的”；B项“shameful”意为“可耻的”；C项“worrying”意为“担心”；D项“puzzling”意为“使迷惑”，句意是可以理解医生在这些情况下的无能为力，因此选择A。

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] A项“strong”意为“强烈的”；B项“costly”意为“昂贵的”；C项“ineffective”意为“无效的”；D项“addictive”意为“成瘾的”，句意是有些人会对这种药上瘾，因此选择D。

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] A项“urge”意为“强烈要求”；B项“enhance”意为“加强”；C项“lead”意为“引导，导致”；D项“stimulate”意为“促进”，句意是关注吗啡成瘾导致后续的事情，因此选择C。

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] A项“presently”意为“马上”；B项“virtually”意为“实际上”；C项“decisively”意为“决定性”；D项“promptly”意为“及时”，句子是说这种关注实际上导致了后续的禁令，因此选择B。