閱讀理解題

　　第一篇

U.S. Blacks Hard-hit by Cancer

　　Death rates for cancer are falling for all Americans, but black Americans are still more likely to die of cancer than whites, the American Cancer Society said Monday.

　　In a special report on cancer and blacks, the organization said blacks are usually diagnosed with cancer later than whites, and they are more likely to die of the disease.

　　This could be because of unequal （不平等的） access to medical care,, because blacks are more likely to have other diseases as well, and perhaps because of differences in the biology （生物學(xué)） of the cancer itself, the report added.

　　"In general, black Americans have less hope of surviving five years after diagnosis than whites for all cancer sites and ell stages of diagnosis," the report said.

　　"In describing cancer statistics for black Americans, this report recognizes that many of the differences associated with race may be caused by unfair social and economic differences and unequal access to medical care."

　　The cancer society said blacks should be encouraged to get check-ups （體格檢查） earlier, when cancer is more treatable, and it said more research is needed to see if biological differences play a role.

　　"The new statistics emphasize the continuing importance of wiping out these unfair social differences through public policy and education efforts," the organization said in a statement.

　　But it also noted a drop in cancer death rates.

　　"Cancer death rates in both sexes for all sites combined have dropped greatly among black Americans since 1992, as have incidence rates （發(fā)生率）," said the report.

　　1 Black Americans are more likely to die of cancer than

　　A people in other countries.

　　B white Americans.

　　C all other Americans.

　　D their ancestors.

　　2 Which may NOT be a reason for higher cancer death rates among US blacks?

　　A Unequal access to medical care.

　　B Greater probability of having other diseases.

　　C Differences in the biology of the cancer.

　　D Early diagnosis.

　　3 Cancer is more treatable if it is detected

　　A in an early stage.

　　B in a late stage.

　　C all of a sudden.

　　D together with other diseases.

　　4 Public policy and education efforts may help to do away with

　　A death rates.

　　B various cancers.

　　C unfair social differences

　　D biological differences.

　　5 Since 1992, cancer death rates among black Americans

　　A have been going up and down.

　　B have remained stable.

　　C have increased.

　　D have fallen.

　　第二篇

A Desert Between Paul and Clara

　　Paul had long promised to marry Clara. But at thirty-three he met and married Alice. Clara was driven mad.

　　Paul was taken to court. The judge ordered him to pay Clara $600 because of the broken promise. Paul had to borrow the money from a moneylender. He agreed to pay back $5 a month——for twenty years. His wages at the time were $16 a month.

　　Paul and Alice were poor but not unhappy. They had little enough food, certainly, even before the children began to arrive. Each month Paul paid $5 to the moneylender. He worked hard, never taking a holiday. In time, there were seven mouths to feed.

　　Illness was always with them. It grew serious when the oldest child was eight. The years of hunger weakened the family, because each month Paul paid $5. The details of the sickness were ugly, but the result was this: after twelve years of family life, Paul was alone in the world.

　　He lived alone, except for memories. Work was not now a god for him: it was a pain-killer. Each month he paid, and in time the twenty years ended. From that moment his wages were his own.

　　One day, it was a holiday——he went to the seaside. He sat down on a seat by the sea. A middle-aged woman came and sat down near him. They recognized each other at once.

　　The woman said, "The $600 has been in the bank since the day it was paid to me. It is now $6,000, and I have kept it for you. Will you let me share it with you?"

　　"No," said Paul, gently. "Each thousand is a lost life in a desert between us. It can never bring any happiness."

　　6 Paul was ordered to pay Clara $600 because

　　A he had borrowed $600 from her.

　　B he had broken his word to marry her.

　　C he had promised to give her $600.

　　D he had spent a lot of her money.

　　7 How many children did Paul and Alice have?

　　A Two.

　　B Four.

　　C Five.

　　D Eight.

　　8 Twelve years after his marriage, Paul was

　　A poor but not sad.

　　B very sick.

　　C free from debt.

　　D lonely and unhappy.

　　9 After his wife and children died, Paul turned to his work to

　　A ease his pain.

　　B forget his debt.

　　C get pleasure.

　　D seek friendship.

　　10 When Paul met Clara again 20 years later, he decided

　　A to share the $600 with her.

　　B not to marry her.

　　C to ask back the $600.

　　D not to refuse her offer.

　　第三篇

Florence Nightingale

　　Florence Nightingale was born in Florence, Italy, while her wealthy English parents were traveling in Europe. As a child, she traveled to many places with her family and learned how to speak several languages.

　　When Nightingale was 17, she told her family that she was going to help sick people. Her parents did not approve, but Nightingale was determined.

　　She traveled to hospitals all over Europe. She saw that doctors were working too hard. She saw that patients died because they did not get enough care. Nightingale felt that women could be doing more to help doctors take care of sick people.

　　Nightingale knew that in order for nurses to do more, they needed special training in how to take care of sick people. Nightingale went to a hospital in Germany to study nursing. Then she returned to London and became the head of a group of women called Gentlewomen During Illness. These women cared for sick people in their homes.

　　In 1854, England was fighting a war with Russia. War reporters wrote about the terrible conditions in the hospitals that cared for the wounded. People demanded that something be done about it. A leader of the government asked Florence Nightingale to take some nurses into the war hospitals. So, in November 1854, Nightingale finally got to work in a hospital.

　　She took along 38 nurses whom she had trained herself.

　　At first, the doctors on the battlefields did not want Nightingale and her nurses in their hospitals. They did not believe that women could help. But in fact, the nurses did make a difference. They worked around the clock, tending the sick. Thanks to their hard work, many wounded soldiers survived.

　　After the war, Nightingale and her nurses were treated like heroes. Finally, in 1860, she started the Nightingale School for Nurses: In time, thanks to Florence Nightingale, nursing became an important part of medicine.

　　11 Florence Nightingale was born into a rich

　　A Italian family.

　　B Russian family.

　　C English family.

　　D German family.

　　12 Nightingale's parents did not approve of her decision

　　A to work as a doctor.

　　B to care for sick people.

　　C to fight in the war with Russia.

　　D to travel to hospitals all over Europe.

　　13 It was not until the war with Russia that Nightingale

　　A got to work in a hospital.

　　B began to study nursing.

　　C started to care for sick people in their homes.

　　D became the head of Gentlewomen During Illness

　　14 On the battlefields Nightingale and her nurses proved to be

　　A as bad as the doctors had expected.

　　B quite generous.

　　C less than useful.

　　D very helpful.

　　15 Nightingale played a great role in

　　A the building of war hospitals.

　　B the education of women.

　　C the development of nursing.

　　D the improvement of working conditions for women

　　【參考答案】

　　1. B 2. D 3. A 4. C 5. D

　　6. B 7. C 8. D 9. A 10. B

　　11. C 12. B 13. A 14. D 15. C