閱讀理解題

　　第一篇

First Aid

　　First aid is emergency care for a victim of sudden illness or injury until more skillful medical treatment is available. It may save a life or improve certain vital signs including pulse, temperature, a clear airway （氣道）, and breathing. In minor emergencies, first aid may prevent a victim's condition from turning worse and provide relief from pain. First aid must be administered as quickly as possible. In the case of the critically injured, a few minutes can make the difference between complete recovery and loss of life.

　　First-aid measures depend upon a victim's needs and the provider's level of knowledge and skill. Knowing what not to do in an emergency is as important as knowing what to do. Improperly moving a person with a neck injury, for example, can lead to permanent spinal （脊柱的） injury and paralysis （癱瘓）.

　　Despite the variety of injuries possible, several principles of first aid apply to all emergencies. The first step is to call for professional medical help. The victim, if conscious, should be reassured that medical aid has been requested, and asked for permission to provide any first aid. Next, assess the scene, asking other people or the injured person's family or friends about details of the injury or illness, any care that may have already been given, and preexisting conditions such as diabetes （糖尿病） or heart trouble. The victim should be checked for a medical bracelet （手鐲） or card that describes special medical conditions. Unless the accident scene becomes unsafe or the victim may suffer further injury, do not move the victim.

　　First aid requires rapid assessment of victims to determine whether life-threatening conditions exist. One method for evaluating a victim's condition is known by the acronym （首字母縮寫詞） ABC, which stands for:

　　A - Airway: is it open and clear?

　　B - Breathing: is the person breathing? Look, listen, and feet for breathing.

　　C - Circulation: is there a pulse? Is the person bleeding externally? Check skin color and temperature for additional indications of circulation problems.

　　1 First aid may bring about all the following results EXCEPT

　　A saving a victim's life.

　　B preventing a victim's condition from getting worse.

　　C helping a person avoid sudden illness or injury.

　　D relieving a victim from pain.

　　2 Before we administer first aid to a victim, it is very important for us

　　A to refer to all kinds of handbooks on first aid.

　　B to make sure what to do and what not to do.

　　C to remove the ring or bracelet he may be wearing.

　　D to take him to a hospital at once.

　　3 In administering first aid to a victim, you should first of all

　　A remove him from the accident scene.

　　B turn him over.

　　C examine him carefully.

　　D call for professional medical help.

　　4 You may assess a victim's condition by all the following EXCEPT

　　A checking whether there is a pulse.

　　B looking, listening and feeling for breathing.

　　C examining whether the airway is open and

　　D replacing his medical bracelet or card.

　　5 The purpose of the passage is to tell the reader

　　A some basic facts about first aid.

　　B the importance of protecting the accident scene

　　C what professional medical help is.

　　D who can administer first aid.

　　第二篇

Stress at Work and Still Healthy

　　The term could yet become the word of the year: stress is on everyone's lips these days and everywhere. Not only managers, officials and teachers are complaining nowadays, housewives, children and pensioners now also have their own problems. They too sacrifice themselves for others, feel under- or overworked and quickly lose their inner balance. Irritation, tiredness and exhaustion quickly follow.-But that is only the negative aspect. Stress, after all, is also linked to positive terms such as joy of life, tension and vitality （活力）.

　　"Firstly, stress is healthy," says Wolfgang Stehling from Eltvelle. The doctor and management consultant says: "It occurs when the body loses its inner balance, but then stress hormones are produced to re-establish the balance." Thus stress is nothing more than a positive reaction of the body to pressure. It is unavoidable as part of our nature: "There is no such thing as a stress-free life."

　　But whether stress leads to tensions in the mind or .to tenseness of the muscles depends on the duration （持續時間）, its cause or causes and the sufferer's personal situation. People who have trouble sleeping or suffer from bad moods or simply the flu will not be on top of the world and will take every little strife as negative stress. Others, people who feel refreshed at every new turn, are relaxed and successful, will view a difficult round of negotiations or competition at work more as a positive challenge than a cross to bear.

　　Exercise, healthy eating and relaxation are thus the three pillars by which stress can be conquered almost every time. These factors form a unit, explains Marita Voelker-Albert, spokeswoman for the government's Nutrition Advice Center in Cologne. Its campaign "Gut Drauf' （Feeling Good） is targeted at young people. The government agency's research suggests that three out of four adolescents feel tired, overtaxed （負擔過重） and under stress. Eating disorders and complaints such as migraines （偏頭痛） and indigestion （消化不良）, nervousness and concentration problems have increased among 12- to 16-year-olds.

　　But even the best solutions don't work if they are not put into practice, says Stehling. Anybody who goes jogging regularly, practices yoga （瑜伽功） and prescribes good literature as a cure for negative stress, may well end up under more pressure as he tries to find the time for it all. Sometimes, says the consultant, it helps to take time out to reduce stress levels over a weekend.

　　6 Which of the following is NOT a correct view on stress?

　　A Stress has both positive and negative aspects.

　　B Stress is only a positive reaction of the body to pressure.

　　C Stress is unavoidable as part of our nature.

　　D Stress only leads to serious problems.

　　7 A person who has lost his inner balance may soon feel

　　A fit and healthy.

　　B under-or overworked.

　　C irritated, tired and exhausted.

　　D relaxed and happy.

　　8 Who will easily take every little strife as negative stress?

　　A Those who are in good moods.

　　B Those who suffer from the flu.

　　C Those who are successful.

　　D Those who feel refreshed at every new turn.

　　9 All the following complaints are said to have increased among children aged 12 to 16 EXPECT

　　A painful headache.

　　B indigestion.

　　C loss of memory.

　　D nervousness and concentration problems.

　　10 Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a possible cure for negative stress?

　　A Reading good literature.

　　B Practicing yoga.

　　C Working overtime.

　　D Having a healthy diet.

　　第三篇

Is the News Believable?

　　Unless you have gone through the experience yourself, or watched a loved one's struggle, you really have no idea just how desperate cancer can make you. You pray, you rage, you bargain with God, but most of all you clutch at any hope, no matter how remote, of a second chance at life.

　　For a few excited days last week, however, it seemed as if the whole world was a cancer patient and that all humankind had been granted a reprieve（痛苦減輕） . Triggered by a front-page medical news story in the usually reserved New York Times, all anybody was talking about － on the radio, on television, on the Internet, in phone calls to friends and relatives － was the report that a combination of two new drugs could , as the Times put it, "cure cancer in two years."

　　In a matter of hours patients had jammed their doctors' phone lines begging for a chance to test the miracle cancer cure. Cancer scientists raced to the phones to make sure everyone knew about their research too, generating a new round of headlines.

　　The time certainly seemed ripe for a breakthrough in cancer. Only last month scientists at the National Cancer Institute announced that they were halting a clinical trial of a drug called tamoxifen （他莫昔芬） － and offering it to patients getting the placebo（安慰劑） － because it had proved so effective at preventing breast cancer （although it also seemed to increase the risk of uterine（子宮的） cancer）. Two weeks later came the New York Times' report that two new drugs could shrink tumors of every variety without any side effects whatsoever.

　　It all seemed too good to be true, and of course it was. There are no miracle cancer drugs, at least not yet. At this stage all the drug manufactures can offer is some very interesting molecules, and the only cancers they have cured so far have been in mice. By the middle of last week, even the TV talk-show hosts who talked most about the news had learned what every scientist already knew: that curing a disease in lab animals is not the same as doing it in humans. "The history of cancer research has been a history of curing cancer in the mouse," Dr. Richard Klausner, head of the National Cancer Institute, told the Los Angeles Times. "We have cured mice of cancer for decades——and it simply didn't work in people."

　　11.According to the passage, a person suffering from cancer will

　　A give up any hope.

　　B pray for the health of his loved ones.

　　C go out of his way to help others.

　　D seize every chance of survival.

　　12 The unprecedented interest in the cure of cancer was aroused by

　　A a nationwide discussion of the topic.

　　B an announcement by the National Cancer Institute.

　　C a report in the New York Times.

　　D a medical news story in the Los Angeles Times.

　　13 According to the New York Times' report, a combination of two new drugs could

　　A reduce the size of all tumors.

　　B prevent breast cancer.

　　C cure various diseases.

　　D prevent uterine cancer.

　　14 In the first sentence of the last paragraph, "it was" means

　　A "it was true."

　　B "it was too good to be true."

　　C "it was a miracle drug."

　　D "it was good."

　　15 The history of cancer research has shown that

　　A miracle cancer drugs often turn up unexpectedly.

　　B the mass media can work wonders.

　　C curing cancers in mice is much easier than in humans.

　　D animals and humans are similar in behaviour.

　　【參考答案】

　　1. C 2. B 3. D 4. D 5. A

　　6. D 7. C 8. B 9. C 10. C

　　11. D 12. C 13. A 14. B 15. C