单选题"I got cancer in my prostrate. " Detective Andy Sipowicz of the fictional 15" Precinct, a stoic, big bear of a man, is clearly in a world of pain in a 1998 episode of NYPD Blue. The story line deals not only with cancer but also with medical screw-ups, hospital indignities and physician arrogance. The malapropism (Andy, of course, meant "prostate")is about the only medical detail the show got wrong—and it was deliberate, in keeping with Sipowicz" s coarse but tenderhearted character. Television, which can still depict death as an event akin to fainting, is beginning to try harder to get its health information right. And a handful of foundations and consultants are working to get the attention of writers" producers and assorted Hollywood moguls, trying to convince them that, in the area of medicine, the truth is as compelling as fiction. The stakes are high. Surveys show a surprising number of Americans get much of their basic health information not from their doctors, not even from newspapers or news magazines, but from entertainment television. A survey by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that among people who watch soap operas at least twice a week—more than 38 million people—a-bout half learned something about disease and its prevention from the daytime serials. Some 7 percent actually visited a doctor because of something they viewed. Certain television shows are naturals for health education. The Clinton administration has been quick to recognize the potency of the entertainment media as a health promoter. Secretary Donna Shalala, whose Department of Health and Human Services educates the public through traditional brochures and public service announcements, has offered TV writers the sources of her department to help them ensure accuracy. "Entertainment television reaches the hearts and minds of millions of Americans," she told U. S. News, "In recent years, I have challenged television talk-show hosts, writers, and producers—as professionals, parents, and citizens—to use this incredible power to help Americans get accurate public health information".

单选题Do you remember all those years when scientists argued that smoking would kill us but the doubters insisted that we didn't know for sure? That the evidence was inconclusive, the science uncertain? That the antismoking lobby was out to destroy our way of life and the government should stay out of the way? Lots of Americans bought that nonsense, and over three decades, some 10 million smokers went to early graves. There are upsetting parallels today, as scientists in one wave after another try to awaken us to the growing threat of global warming. The latest was a panel from the National Academy of Sciences, enlisted by the White House, to tell us that the Earth's atmosphere is definitely warming and that the problem is largely man-made. The clear message is that we should get moving to protect ourselves. The president of the National Academy, Bruce Alberts, added this key point in the preface to the panel's report "Science never has all the answers. But science does provide us with the best available guide to the future, and it is critical that our nation and the world base important policies on the best judgments that science can provide concerning the future consequences of present actions. " Just as on smoking, voices now come from many quarters insisting that the science about global warming is incomplete, that it's OK to keep pouring fumes into the air until we know for sure. This is a dangerous game: by the 100 percent of the evidence is in, it may be too late. With the risks obvious and growing, a prudent people would take out an insurance policy now.Fortunately, the White House is starting to pay attention. But it's obvious that a majority of the president's advisers still don't take global warming seriously. Instead of a plan of action, they continue to press for more research—a classic case of "paralysis by analysis". To serve as responsible stewards of the planet, we must press forward on deeper atmospheric and oceanic research but research alone is inadequate. If the Administration won't take the legislative initiative, Congress should help to begin fashioning conservation measures. A bill by Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, which would offer financial incentives for private industry, is a promising start. Many see that the country is getting ready to build lots of new power plants to meet our energy needs. If we are ever going to protect the atmosphere, it is crucial that those new plants be environmentally sound.

单选题Children are spending an increasing amount of time using computers. Computers are now found in most classrooms, and in the majority of homes, almost always with internet access. However, many studies of children"s use of computers show that there are possible negative effects. This essay will explain the possible negative effects of computer use on children, focusing on the effects on family and peer relationships and the increased tendency towards violent behavior. Computer use may negatively affect social relationship between children and their parents. Because children spend so much time on computers, they often know more about advanced computer use than their parents. According to Subrahmanvam and his colleagues(2001)this often leads to a role reversal, where the child becomes a teacher to the parent. In other words, it is often the case a highly computer technology. This can lead to a reduction in parental authority. Moreover, with the anonymity of online communication, computer users do not know if they are talking to a child or an adult, so all users are treated equally(Subrahmanyam et al, 2001). Children may then expect the same equality in real life, further contributing to a breakdown in the parent-children relationship(Subrahmanyam et al, 2001). Children"s peer relationships can also be negatively affected by extensive computer use. Since computers are more likely to be used in isolation by children, they spend little time integrating with their peers(Shields & Behrman, 2001). As a result, children may not develop the social skills they need, or be able to maintain friendships in the real world(Subrahmanyam et al, 2001). With the very extended computer use, this isolation from the real world can lead to loneliness and even depression(Shields & Behrman, 2001). A disturbing possible effect of computer use on children is the link between computer games and violence. Current research has already documented a strong link between violent films and television and aggressive behavior in children, so it is reasonable to believe that a similar link will be found between violent behavior in children and violence in computer games(Subrahmanyam et al, 2001). However, as Shields Behrman(2001)points out, it is important to note that although the games may affect all children, children who prefer violent games could be most affected. In conclusion, using a computer. particularly for extended periods, may affect the parent-children relationship in families. It could also result in children not learning the social skills they need to interact with peers and maintain friendships. Moreover, it seems likely that playing violent computer games is linked to violence in children. Although the research is not conclusive, it appears that extended use of computers could have a negative effect on children"s social development.

单选题Educators are seriously concerned about the high rate of dropouts among the doctor of philosophy candidates and the consequent loss of talent to a nation in need of Ph. D. s. Some have replaced the dropouts' loss as high as 50 percent. The extent of the loss was, however, largely a matter of expert guessing. Last week a well-rounded study was published. It was based on 22 000 questionnaires sent to former graduate students who were enrolled in 24 universities and it seemed to show many past fears to be groundless. The dropouts rate was found to be 31 percent, and in most cases the dropouts, while not completing the Ph. D. requirement, went on to productive work. They are not only doing well financially, but, according to the report, are not far below the income levels of those who went on to complete their doctorates. Discussing the study last week, Dr. Tucker said the project was initiated because of the concern frequently expressed by graduate faculties and administrators that some of the individuals who dropped out of Ph. D. programs were capable of completing the requirement for the degree. Attrition at the Ph. D. level is also thought to be a waste of precious faculty time and a drain on university resources already being used to capacity. Some people expressed the opinion that the shortage of highly trained specialists and college teachers could be reduced by persuading the dropouts to return to graduate schools to complete the Ph. D.. "The results of our research," Dr. Tucker concluded, "did not support these opinions." 1. Lack of motivation was the principal reason for dropping out. 2. Most dropouts went as far in their doctoral program as was consistent with their levels of ability or their specialties. 3. Most dropouts are now engaged in work consistent with their education and motivation. Nearly 75 percent of the dropouts said there was no academic reason for their decision, but those who mentioned academic reason cited failure to pass the qualifying examination, uncompleted research and failure to pass language exams. Among the single most important personal reasons identified by dropouts for non-completion of their Ph. D. ' s program, lack of finances was marked by 19 percent. As an indication of how well the dropouts were doing, a chart showed 2% in humanities were receiving $20 000 and more annually while none of the Ph. D. ' s with that background reached this figure. The Ph. D.'s income in the $7 500 to $15 000 bracket with 78% at that level against 50% for the dropouts. This may also be an indication of the fact that top salaries in the academic fields, where Ph. D. s tend to rise to the highest salaries, are still lagging behind other fields. As to the possibility of getting dropouts back on campus, the outlook was glum. The main condition which would have to prevail for at least 25% of the dropouts who might consider returning to graduate school would be to guarantee that they would retain their present level of income and in some cases their present job.

单选题Here's a familiar version of the boy-meets-girl situation. A young man has at last plucked up courage to invite a dazzling young lady out to dinner. She has accepted his invitation and he is overjoyed. He is determined to take her to the best restaurant in town, even if it means that he will have to live on memories and hopes during the month to come. When they get to the restaurant, he discovers that this ethereal creature is on a diet. She mustn't eat this and she mustn't eat that. Oh, but of course, she doesn't want to spoil his enjoyment. Let him by all means eat as much fattening food as he wants: it's the surest way to an early grave. They spend a truly memorable evening together and never see each other again. What a miserable lot dieters are! You can always recognize them from the sour expression on their faces. They spend most of their time turning their noses up at food. They are forever consulting calorie charts; gazing at themselves in mirrors; and leaping on to weighing-machines in the bathroom. They spend a lifetime fighting a losing battle against spreading hips, protruding tummies and double chins. Some wage all-out war on FAT. Mere dieting is not enough. They exhaust themselves doing exercises, sweating in sauna baths, being pummeled and massaged by weird machines. The really wealthy diet-mongers pay vast sums for "health cures". For two weeks they can enter a nature clinic and be starved to death for a hundred guineas a week. Don't think it's only the middle-aged who go in for these fads either. Many of these bright young things you see are suffering from chronic malnutrition: they are living on nothing but air, water and the goodwill of God. Dieters undertake to starve themselves of their own free will; so why are they so miserable? Well, for one thing, they're always hungry. You can't be hungry and happy at the same time. All the horrible concoctions they eat instead of food leave them permanently dissatisfied. Wonderfood is a complete food, the advertisement says. Just dissolve a teaspoonful in water. A complete food it may be, but not quite as complete as a juicy steak. And, of course, they're always miserable because they feel so guilty. Hunger just proves too much for them and in the end they lash out and devour five huge guilt-inducing cream cakes at a sitting. And who can blame them? At least three times a day they are exposed to temptation. What utter torture it is always watching others tucking into piles of mouth-watering food while you munch a water biscuit and sip unsweetened lemon juice! What's all this self-inflicted torture for? Saintly people deprive themselves of food to attain a state of grace. Unsaintly people do so to attain a state of misery. It will be a great day when all the dieters in the world abandon their slimming courses; when they hold out their plates and demand second helpings!

单选题"I got cancer in my prostrate." Detective Andy Sipowicz of the fictional 15th Precinct, a stoic, big bear of a man, is clearly in a world of pain in a 1998 episode of NYPD Blue. The story line deals not only with cancer but also with medical screw-ups, hospital indignities and physician arrogance. The malapropism (Andy, of course, meant "prostate")is about the only medical detail the show got wrong— and it was deliberate, in keeping with Sipowicz"s coarse but tenderhearted character. Television, which can still depict death as an event akin to fainting, is beginning to try harder to get its health information right. And a handful of foundations and consultants are working to get the attention of writers, producers and assorted Hollywood moguls, trying to convince them that, in the area of medicine, the truth is as compelling as fiction. The stakes are high. Surveys show a surprising number of Americans get much of their basic health information not from their doctors, not even from newspapers or news magazines, but from entertainment television. A survey by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that among people who watch soap operas at least twice a week — more than 38 million people — about half learned something about disease and its prevention from the daytime serials. Some 7 percent actually visited a doctor because of something they viewed. Certain television shows are naturals for health education. The Clinton administration has been quick to recognize the potency of the entertainment media as a health promoter. Secretary Donna Shalala, whose Department of Health and Human Services educates the public through traditional brochures and public service announcements, has offered TV writers the sources of her department to help them ensure accuracy. "Entertainment television reaches the hearts and minds of millions of Americans," she told U.S. News. "In recent years, I have challenged television talk-show hosts, writers, and producers — as professionals, parents, and citizen — to use this incredible power to help Americans get accurate public health information."

单选题When a heart-lung machine was invented that could take over the job of the heart, put oxygen into the blood and keep the circulation going during surgery, surgeons could stop the heart while they were cutting and suturing. Recently, in certain cases, some surgeons have begun operating without the pump while the heart continues to beat. "The benefits of off-pump surgery are tremendous for patients who meet the criteria for this procedure, " said Dr. Jim Zellner with the Alliance of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgeons. "There is less need for blood products, less chance of complications during and after surgery, earlier recovery and earlier return to regular activity. " Seawood Murray felt he was led by God to find Dr. Zellner and Memorial Hospital and to have off-pump surgery. A veteran of the United States Navy as a nuclear weapons security officer and commanding officer of a mine assembly group for more than 31 years, Seawood has never complained about stress or pain. He saw three tours of duty off the coast of Vietnam. However, after suffering from chest pain for almost a year and being misdiagnosed with chronic heartburn, Seawood knew something was seriously wrong. At the Veteran's hospital in Murfreesboro, he learned he had heart disease and was told to come back in six weeks. "I didn't want to wait that long and asked for a referral to The Chattanooga Heart Institute, " Seawood said. "Dr. Noel Hunt found that 40% of my heart was not getting the amount of blood it needed to operate properly. " Four days later, Seawood was undergoing off-pump triple bypass surgery at Memorial Hospital under the hand of Dr. Zellner. "I was sitting up that evening, walking around the second day and feeling good enough to go home the third day, but I stayed till the fourth morning, " Seawood said. "Two others who had on-pump bypass surgery the same day I had mine off-pump were barely walking when I left. "

单选题Despite Denmark"s manifest virtues, Danes never talk about how proud they are to be Danes. This would sound weird in Danish. When Danes talk to foreigners about Denmark, they always begin by commenting on its tininess, its unimportance, the difficulty of its language, the general small-mindedness and self-indulgence of their countrymen and the high taxes. No Dane would look you in the eye and say, "Denmark is a great country." You"re supposed to figure this out for yourself. It is the land of the silk safety net, where almost half the national budget goes toward smoothing out life"s inequalities, and there is plenty of money for schools, day care, retraining programmes, job seminars—Danes love seminars: three days at a study centre hearing about waste management is almost as good as a ski trip. It is a culture bombarded by English, in advertising, pop music, the Internet, and despite all the English that Danish absorbs — there is no Danish Academy to defend against it — old dialects persist in Jutland that can barely be understood by Copenhageners. It is the land where, as the saying goes, "Few have too much and fewer have too little," and a foreigner is struck by the sweet egalitarianism that prevails, where the lowliest clerk gives you a level gaze, where Sir and Madame have disappeared from common usage, even Mr. and Mrs. It"s a nation of recyclers—about 55% of Danish garbage gets made into something new— and no nuclear power plants. It"s a nation of tireless planner. Trains run on time. Things operate well in general. Such a nation of overachievers—a brochure from the Ministry of Business and Industry says, "Denmark is one of the world"s cleanest and most organized countries, with virtually no pollution, crime, or poverty. Denmark is the most corruption-free society in the Northern Hemisphere." So, of course, one"s heart lifts at any sighting of Danish sleaze: skinhead graffiti on buildings("Foreigners Out of Denmark!"), broken beer bottles in the gutters, drunken teenagers slumped in the park. Nonetheless, it is an orderly land. You drive through a Danish town, it comes to an end at a stone wall, and on the other side is a field of barley, a nice clean line: town here, country there. It is not a nation of jay walkers. People stand on the curb and wait for the red light to change, even if it"s 2 a.m. and there"s not a car in sight. However, Danes don"t think of themselves as a waiting-at-2-a.m.-for-the-green-light people — that"s how they see Swedes and Germans. Danes see themselves as jazzy people, improvisers, more free spirited than Swedes, but the truth is(though one should not say it)that Danes are very much like Germans and Swedes. Orderliness is a main selling point. Denmark has few natural resources, limited manufacturing capability; its future in Europe will be as a broker, banker, and distributor of goods. You send your goods by container ship to Copenhagen, and these bright, young, English-speaking, utterly honest, highly disciplined people will get your goods around to Scandinavia, the Baltic States, and Russia. Airports, seaports, highways, and rail lines are ultramodern and well-maintained. The orderliness of the society doesn"t mean that Danish lives are less messy or lonely than yours or mine, and no Dane would tell you so. You can hear plenty about bitter family feuds and the sorrows of alcoholism and about perfectly sensible people who went off one day and killed themselves. An orderly society can not exempt its members from the hazards of life. But there is a sense of entitlement and security that Danes grow up with. Certain things are yours by virtue of citizenship, and you shouldn"t feel bad for taking what you"re entitled to, you"re as good as anyone else. The rules of the welfare system are clear to everyone, the benefits you get if you lose your job, the steps you take to get a new one; and the orderliness of the system makes it possible for the country to weather high unemployment and social unrest without a sense of crisis.

单选题Cancer is considered a modern disease, though it was not unknown in ancient times. (The condition was named by the Greeks from their word for crab, presumably because of its clawing, crablike growth). The incidence of cancer has risen dramatically in recent decades, primarily【C1】______cigarette smoking, and cancer is probably our most dreaded disease today. As a cause of death in the United States, cancer has climbed from less than 6 percent of all deaths in 1900 to over 20 percent today,【C2】______recent statistics. It is already the leading killer of women aged thirty to fifty-four. And add a killer of the overall population, it is second only to heart disease,【C3】______close to 430, 000 deaths per year. This figure has risen annually since 1949, and if percent trends continue, cancer may well overtake heart disease as the number one cause of death. Can We Fight Cancer More Effectively Today? Although there is still much to be learned about cancer, our knowledge of the disease has grown steadily in recent years. We have a better understanding of the disease and are finding ways to【C4】______it. Early recognition of the signs of cancer, prompt diagnosis, and aggressive treatment by the appropriate means have made the word cancer less【C5】______than it used to be. Even people with forms of cancer that are still difficult to treat know that current techniques may【C6】______them to outwit the disease until improved treatment becomes available. Many cancer victims have hope where there was once despair. Even more important is the fact that some kinds of cancer are【C7】______caused by preventable factors—for example, 25 to 30 percent of all cancer deaths are related to cigarette smoking, and most skin cancer is caused by【C8】______exposure to the sun. Not all forms of cancer have such obvious associations, but where risk factors have been【C9】______, we can use this knowledge and attempt to reduce the odds of developing those particular forms of disease. You and the people you know can【C10】______your cancer risk as individuals.

单选题Most patients respond to the awareness that they have a terminal illness with the statement, "Oh no, this can"t happen to me. " After the first shock, numbness, and need to deny the reality of the situation, the patient begins to send out cues that he is ready to "talk about it". If we, at that point, need to deny the reality of the situation, the patient will often feel deserted, isolated, and lonely and unable to communicate with another human being what he needs so desperately to share. Most patients who have passed the stage will become angry as they ask the question, "Why me?" Many look at others in their environment and express envy, jealousy, anger, and rage toward those who are young, healthy, and full of life. These are the patients who make life difficult for nurses, physicians, social workers, clergymen, and members of their families. Without justification they criticize everyone. What we have to learn is that the stage in terminal illness is a blessing, not a cure. These patients are not angry at their families or at the members of the helping professions. Rather, they are angry at what these people represent; health and energy. Without being judgmental, we must allow these patients to express their anger and dismay. We must try to understand that the patients have to ask, "Why me?" and that there is no need on our part to answer this question concretely. Once a patient has ventilated his rage and his envy, then he can arrive at the bargaining stage. During this time, he" s usually able to say, "Yes, it is happening to me—but". The"but" usually includes a prayer to God; "If you give me one more year to live, I will be a good Christian. "

单选题In the early 1960s Wilt Chamberlain was one of only three players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) listed at over seven feet. If he had played last season, however, he would have been one of 42. The bodies playing major professional sports have changed dramatically over the years, and managers have been more than willing to adjust team uniforms to fit the growing numbers of bigger, longer frames. The trend in sports, though, may be obscuring an unrecognized reality: Americans have generally stopped growing. Though typically about two inches taller now than 140 years ago, today's people especially those born to families who have lived in the U. S. for many generations-apparently reached their limit in the early 1960s. And they aren't likely to get any taller. "In the general population today, at this genetic, environmental level, we've pretty much gone as far as we can go, " says anthropologist William Cameron Chumlea of Wright State University. In the case of NBA players, their increase in height appears to result from the increasingly common practice of recruiting players from all over the world. Growth, which rarely continues beyond the age of 20, demands calories and nutrients-notably, protein-to feed expanding tissues. At the start of the 20th century, under-nutrition and childhood infections got in the way. But as diet and health improved, children and adolescents have, on average, increased in height by about an inch and a half every 20 years, a pattern known as the secular trend in height. Yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, average height-5'9" for men, 5'4" for women-hasn't really changed since 1960. Genetically speaking, there are advantages to avoiding substantial height. During childbirth, larger babies have more difficulty passing through the birth canal. Moreover, even though humans have been upright for millions of years, our feet and back continue to struggle with bipedal posture and cannot easily withstand repeated strain imposed by oversize limbs. "There are some real constraints that are set by the genetic architecture of the individual organism, " says anthropologist William Leonard of Northwestern University. Genetic maximums can change, but don't expect this to happen soon. Claire C. Gordon, senior anthropologist at the Army Research Center in Natick, Mass. , ensures that 90 percent of the uniforms and workstations fit recruits without alteration. She says that, unlike those for basketball, the length of military uniforms has not changed for some time. And if you need to predict human height in the near future to design a piece of equipment, Gordon says that by and large, "you could use today's data and feel fairly confident. "

单选题Less meat and dairy in our diets could help reduce agricultural greenhouse gases by as much as 80% by 2055, according to a recent study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). The researchers created global land-use model to project likely outcomes given different scenarios involving consumer dietary trends and changes in agriculture production methods. The models take into consideration population growth, the world economy, and other factors. The researchers found that, if meat and dairy consumption patterns remain constant of increase, the associated global agricultural omissions will increase significantly. On the other hand, a 25% reduction over the next 40 years would help bring levels to where they were around 1995. Methane and nitrous oxide in particular could be reduced if less meat and dairy is produced and consumed. These gases are caused largely by livestock waste and synthetic fertilizers. Around two-thirds of nitrous-oxide emissions come from agriculture—and most of that as a result of either raising animals or producing the feed used to raise them. Consumers' food choices, combined with what one PIK researcher terms "technical mitigation options on the producers side" could make an enormous impact on these emissions. While not nearly as much methane or nitrous oxide is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, both are significantly more potent and they form substantial pieces of the greenhouse gas pie. Both of these gases trap heat and radiation in the atmosphere much more effectively than does carbon dioxide. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency cites methane as being "21 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a 100-year time period. " Nitrous oxide is more than 300 times more effective than CO 2 . While the PIK study doesn't detail exactly which consumer choices and eating habits can help reverse the trend, it seems clear that less is more when it comes to consuming meat and dairy products.

单选题It is a wise father that knows his own child, but today a man can boost his paternal (fatherly) wisdom — or at least confirm that he's the kid's dad. All he needs to do is shell out $30 for a paternity testing kit (PTK) at his local drugstore—and another $120 to get the results. More than 60, 000 people have purchased the PTKs since they first become available without prescriptions last year, according to Doug Fogg, chief operating officer of Identigene, which makes the over-the-counter kits. More than two dozen companies sell DNA tests Directly to the public, ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to more than $2, 500. Among the most popular: paternity and kinship testing, which adopted children can use to find their biological relatives and families can use to track down kids put up for adoption. DNA testing is also the latest rage among many passionate genealogists — and supports businesses that offer to search for a family's geographic roots. Most tests require collecting cells by swabbing saliva in the mouth and sending it to the company for testing. All tests require a potential candidate with whom to compare DNA. But some observers are skeptical. "There is a kind of false precision being hawked by people claiming they are doing ancestry testing, " says Troy Duster, a New York University sociologist. He notes that each individual has many ancestors—numbering in the hundreds just a few centuries back. Yet most ancestry testing only considers a single lineage, either the Y chromosome inherited through men in a father's line or mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down only from mothers. This DNA can reveal genetic information about only one or two ancestors, even though, for example, just three generations back people also have six other great-grandparents or, four generations back, 14 other great-great-grandparents. Critics also argue that commercial genetic testing is only as good as the reference collections to which a sample is compared. Databases used by some companies don't rely on data collected systematically but rather lump together information from different research projects. This means that a DNA database may have a lot of data from some regions and not others, so a person's test results may differ depending on the company that processes the results. In addition, the computer programs a company uses to estimate relationships may be patented and not subject to peer review or outside evaluation.

单选题For three decades we've heard endlessly about the virtues of aerobic (increasing oxygen consumption) exercise. Medical authorities have praised running and jumping as the key to good health, and millions of Americans have taken to the treadmill to reap the rewards. But the story is changing. Everyone from the American Heart Association to the surgeon general's office has recently embraced strength training as a complement to aerobics. And as weight lifting has gone mainstream, so has the once obscure practice known as "Super Slow" training. Enthusiasts claim that by pumping iron at a snail's pace — making each "rep" (repeat) last 14 seconds instead of the usual 7 — you can safely place extraordinary demands on your muscles, and call forth an extraordinary response. Slow lifting may not be the only exercise you need, as some advocates believe, but the benefits are often dramatic. Almost anyone can handle this routine. The only requirements are complete focus and a tolerance for deep muscular burn. For each exercise — leg press, bench press, shoulder press and so on — you set the machine to provide only moderate resistance. But as you draw out each repeat, depriving yourself of impetus, the weight soon feels unbearable. Defying the impulse to stop, you kept going until you can't complete a repeat. Then you sustain your vain effort for 10 more seconds while the weight sinks gradually toward its cradle. Intense? Uncomfortable? Totally. But once you embrace muscle failure as the goal of the workout, it can become almost pleasure. The goal is not to burn calories while you're exercising but to make your body burn them all the time. Running a few miles may make you sweat, but it expends only 100 calories per mile, and it doesn't stimulate much bone or muscle development. Strength training doesn't burn many calories, either. But when you push a muscle to failure, you set off a pour of physiological changes. As the muscle recovers over several days, it will thicken — and the new muscle tissue will demand sustenance. By the time you add three pounds of muscle, your body requires an extra 9, 000 calories a month just to break even. Hold your diet steady and, very quickly, you are vaporizing body fat. One might have benefited from any strength-training program. But advocates insist the slow technique is safer and more effective than traditional methods.

单选题English speakers pick up pitch in the right hemispheres of their brains, but speakers of certain other languages perceive it on the left as well. It all depends on what you want to learn from pitch, Donald Wong of the Indiana School of Medicine in Indianapolis told the meeting last week. Earlier studies have shown that when an English speaker hears pitch changes, the right prefrontal cortex leaps into action. This fits in with the idea that emotive nuances of language—which in English are often carried by the rise and fall of the voice — are perceived on the right. But in "tonal" languages like Thai, Mandarin and Swedish, pitch not only carries emotional information, but can also alter the meaning of a word. Wong and his colleagues suspected that a speaker of tonal language would register pitch in the left side of the brain — in particular Broca's area, which processes the linguistic content of language. To test this, the team asked English speakers and Thai speakers to listen to 80 pairs of Thai words, and tracked the blood flow in their brains using positron emission tomography. The volunteers had to decide whether the two words sounded the same, either by consonant or by tone. In some eases, the words had no intelligible meaning. None of the words was emotionally charged, so even when Thai speakers could understand them, there was no right-side activation. But sure enough the Thai speakers consistently lit up the left side of the brain, especially Broca's area, while the English speakers did not. The researchers are now planning to repeat the experiment with Thai speakers using whole sentences, complete with emotional information. "Both hemispheres will be engaged. " predicts Wong.

单选题Infertility is normally seen as a private matter. If a couple are infertile and wish they are not, that is sad. But there is understandable resistance in many countries to the idea that treatments intended to deal with this sadness—known collectively as assisted reproductive technologies, or ARTs—should be paid for out of public funds. Such funds are scarce, and infertility is not a life-threatening condition. However, two papers presented to the "State of the ART" conference held earlier this month in Lyon argue that in Europe, at least, there may be a public interest in promoting ARTs after all. The low fertility rate in many of that continent's more developed countries means their populations are ageing and shrinking. If governments want to change this, ARTs—most significantly in-vitro fertilization (IVF)— could offer at least part of a way to do so. As the conference heard, IVF does seem to be keeping up the numbers in at least one country. Tina Jensen of the University of Southern Denmark has just finished a study of more than 700 000 Danish women. She found that young women in Denmark have a significantly lower natural conception rate than in past decades. That is partly, but not entirely, because they are having their children later in life. The rest of the cause is unknown, though reduced sperm quality in men may be a factor. Whatever the cause, she also found that the effect has been almost completely compensated for by an increasing use of ARTs. Denmark ' s native population is more or less stable but some 3.9% of babies born there in 2003 were the result of IVF The comparable figure for another northern European country, Britain, was 1.5%. Without IVF, then, the number of Danes would be shrinking fast. That it is not may have something to do with the fact that in Denmark the taxpayer will cover up to six cycles of IVF treatment. In Britain, by contrast, couples are supposed to be entitled to three cycles. In practice, many of the local trusts that dish the money out do not pay for any cycles at all. Jonathan Grant, the head of the Cambridge branch of the Rand Corporation (an American think-tank) , believes this is shortsighted. His paper showed that if Britain supported IVF at the Danish level then its birth rate would probably increase by about 10 000 a year. The cost of offering six cycles to couples (and doing so in practice, rather than just in theory) would be an extra ￡250 m-430 m a year. That is not trivial, but Dr. Grant reckons it is cheaper than other ways of boosting the birth rate. Some countries, for example, have tried to bribe women into having more children by increasing child benefits. According to this calculations, raising such benefits costs between ￡50 000 and ￡100 000 a year for each additional birth procured. Ten thousand extra births each year would thus cost between ￡500 m and ￡1 billion. There are, of course, some disadvantages to promoting IVF In particular, women who use it tend to be older than those who conceive naturally, and that can lead to congenital problems in their children. But if the countries of Europe do wish to keep their populations up, making IVF more widely available might be a good way of doing so.

单选题Exercise is good for people, but most people really know very little about how to exercise properly. So when you try, you may run into trouble. Many people【C1】______that when specific muscles are exercised, the fat in the neighbouring area is "burned up". Yet the【C2】______is that exercise burns fat from all over the body. Studies show muscles which are not【C3】______lose their strength very quickly. To regain it needs 48 to 72 hours and exercise every other day will keep a normal level of physical strength. To【C4】______weight you should always "work up a good sweat" when exercising. No sweating only【C5】______body temperature to prevent over heating. This is nothing but water loss. 【C6】______you replace the liquid, you replace the weight. Walking is the best and easy-to-do exercise. It helps the circulation of blood throughout the body, and has a direct【C7】______on your overall feeling of health. Experience says that 20 minutes' exercise a day is minimum amount. 【C8】______your breathing doesn't return to normal state within minutes after you finish【C9】______. you've done【C10】______.

单选题Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease. In the past, it was often considered a death sentence. But many patients now live longer【C1】______of improvements in discovery and treatment. Researchers say death【C2】______in the United States from all cancers combined have fallen for thirty years. Survival rates have increased for most of the top fifteen cancers in both men and women, and for cancers in【C3】______. The National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied the number of cancer survivors. A cancer survivor is defined【C4】______anyone who has been found to have cancer. This would include current patients. The study covered the period from 1971 to 2001. The researchers found there are three【C5】______as many cancer survivors today as there were thirty years ago. In 1971, the United States had about three million cancer survivors. Today there are about ten million. The study also found that 64% of adults with cancer can expect to still be【C6】______in five years. Thirty years ago, the five-year survival rate was 50%. The government wants to【C7】______the five-year survival rate to 70% by 2010. The risk of cancer increases with age. The report says the majority of survivors are 65 years and older. But it says medical improvements have also helped children with cancer live【C8】______longer. Researchers say 80% of children with cancer will survive at least five years after the discovery. About 75% will survive at【C9】______ten years. In the 1970s, the five-year survival rate for children was about 50%. In the 1960s, most children did not survive cancer. Researchers say they expect more improvements in cancer treatment in the future. In fact, they say traditional cancer-prevention programs are not enough anymore. They say public health programs should also aim to support the【C10】______numbers of cancer survivors and their families.

单选题In the 1962 movie Lawrence of Arabia, one scene shows an American newspaper reporter eagerly snapping photos of men looting a sabotaged train. One of the looters, Chief Auda abu Tayi of the Howeitat clan, suddenly notices the camera and snatches it. "Am I in this?" he asks, before smashing it open. To the dismayed reporter, Lawrence explains, "He thinks these things will steal his virtue. He thinks you"re a kind of thief." As soon as colonizers and explorers began taking cameras into distant lands, stories began circulating about how indigenous peoples saw them as tools for black magic. The "ignorant natives" may have had a point. When photography first became available, scientists welcomed it as a more objective way of recording faraway societies than early travelers" exaggerated accounts. But in some ways, anthropological photographs reveal more about the culture that holds the camera than the one that stares back. Up into the 1950s and 1960s, many ethnographers sought "pure" pictures of "primitive" cultures, routinely deleting modern accoutrements such as clocks and Western dress. They paid men and women to re-enact rituals or to pose as members of war or hunting parties, often with little regard for veracity. Edward Curtis, the legendary photographer of North American Indians, for example, got one Makah man to pose as a whaler with a spear in 1915 — even though the Makah had not hunted whales in a generation. These photographs reinforced widely accepted stereotypes that indigenous cultures were isolated, primitive, and unchanging. For instance, National Geographic magazine"s photographs have taught millions of Americans about other cultures. As Catherine Lutz and Jane Collins point out in their 1993 book Reading National Geographic, the magazine since its founding in 1888 has kept a tradition of presenting beautiful photos that don"t challenge white, middle-class American conventions. While dark-skinned women can be shown without tops, for example, white women"s breasts are taboo. Photos that could unsettle or disturb, such as areas of the world torn asunder by war or famine, are discarded in favor of those that reassure to conform with the society"s stated pledge to present only "kindly" visions of foreign societies. The result, Lutz and Collins say, is the depiction of "an idealized and exotic world relatively free of pain or class conflict." Lutz actually likes National Geographic a lot. She read the magazine as a child, and its lush imagery influenced her eventual choice off anthropology as a career. She just thinks that as people look at the photographs of other cultures, they should be alert to the choice of composition and images.

单选题I have just returned from Mexico, where I visited a factory making medical masks. Faced with fierce competition, the owner has cut his costs by outsourcing some of his production. Scores of people work for him in their homes, threading elastic into masks by hand. They are paid below the minimum wage, with no job security and no healthcare provision. Users of medical masks and other laboratory gear probably give little thought to where their equipment comes from. That needs to change. A significant proportion of these products are made in the developing world by low-paid people with inadequate labor rights. This leads to human misery on a tremendous scale. Take lab coats. Many are made in India, where most cotton farmers are paid an unfair price for their crops and factory employees work illegal hours for poor pay. One-fifth of the world's surgical instruments are made in northern Pakistan. When I visited a couple of a years ago I found most worker toiling 12 hours a day, seven days a week, for less than a dollar a day, exposed to noise, metal dust and toxic chemicals. Thousands of children, some as young as 7, work in the industry. To win international contracts, factory owners must offer rock-bottom prices, and consequently drive down wages and labor conditions as far as they can. We laboratory scientists in the developed world may unwittingly be encouraging this: we ask how much our equipment will cost, but which of us asks who made it and how much they were paid? This is no small matter. Science is supposed to benefit humanity, but because of the conditions under which their tools are made, many scientists may actually be causing harm. What can be done? A knee-jerk boycott of unethical goods is not the answer; it would just make things worse for workers in those manufacturing zones. What we need is to start asking suppliers to be transparent about where and how their products are manufactured and urge them to improve their manufacturing practices. It can be done. Many universities are committed to fair trade in the form of ethically sourced tea, coffee or bananas. That model should be extended to laboratory goods. There are signs that things are moving. Over the past few years I have worked with health services in the IK and in Sweden. Both have recently instituted ethical procurement practices. If science is truly going to help humanity, it needs to follow suit.