閱讀理解題

　　第一篇

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.

　　1 Florence Nightingale was born into a rich

　　A Italian family.

　　B Russian family.

　　C English family.

　　D German family.

　　2 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.

　　3 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

　　4 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.

　　5 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.

　　第二篇

Crystal Ear

　　One day a friend asked my wife Jill if I wanted a hearing aid. "He certainly does," replied Jill. After hearing about a remarkable new product, Jill finally got up the nerve to ask me if I'd ever thought about getting a hearing aid. "No way," I said. "It would make me look 20 years older." "No, no," she replied. "This is entirely different. It's Crystal Ear!"

　　Jill was right. Crystal Ear is different－not the old-styled body worn or over-the-ear aid, but an advanced personal sound system so small that it's like contacts （隱形眼鏡） for your ears. And Crystal Ear is super-sensitive and powerful, too. You will hear sounds your ears have been missing for years. Crystal Ear will make speech louder, and the sound is pure and natural.

　　I couldn't believe how tiny it is. It is smaller than the tip of my little finger and it's almost invisible when worn. There are no wires, no behind-the-ear device. Put it in your ear and its ready-to-wear mold （形狀） fits comfortably. Since it's not too loud or too tight, you may even forget that you're wearing it! Use it at work or at play. And if your hearing problem is worse in certain situations, use Crystal Ear only when you need it.

　　Hearing loss, which occurs typically prior to teenage years, progresses throughout one's lifetime. Although hearing loss is now the world's number one health problem, nearly 90 percent of people suffering hearing loss choose to leave the problem untreated. For many millions, treating hearing loss in a conventional way can involve numerous office visits, expensive testing and adjustments to fit your ear. Thanks to Crystal Ear, the "sound solution" is now convenient. Almost 90 percent of people with mild hearing loss, and millions more with just a little hearing drop-off （下降）, can be dramatically helped with Crystal Ear. Moreover, its superior design is energy-efficient, so batteries can last months Crystal Ear is now available to help these people treat their hearing loss with a small hearing amplifier （放大器）.

　　6 Initially the writer did not want to buy a hearing aid because

　　A it would make him look old.

　　B it would make him nervous.

　　C it was too expensive.

　　D it was old-styled.

　　7 Which of the following is NOT true of Crystal Ear?

　　A It is highly sensitive.

　　B It is powerful.

　　C It is invisible.

　　D It is wireless.

　　8 One special feature of Crystal Ear is that

　　A you can control its volume.

　　B you needn't take it off every day.

　　C it is solar-powered.

　　D it saves power.

　　9 According to the passage, hearing loss is

　　A only a minor health problem.

　　B the world's most common health problem.

　　C merely a teenage disease.

　　D an incurable disease.

　　10 Many people leave their hearing problem untreated because

　　A it is not serious.

　　B Crystal Ear is not yet available.

　　C it is not easy to have it treated.

　　D they don't want to look old.

　　第三篇

Global Cancer Rates to Rise by 50% by 2020

　　The number of new cancer cases worldwide is expected to increase by 50% by the year 2020. But a new report suggests that as many as a third of new cancers could be avoided by adopting healthier lifestyles and through public health action.

　　The World Cancer Report, released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, shows that cancer has now emerged as a major public health threat in developing countries as well as rich ones.

　　Overall, cancer was responsible for 12% of all deaths in 2000. But in many countries more than a quarter of all deaths are caused by cancer.

　　The report shows that 10 million new cancers were diagnosed globally in 2000, and that number is expected to rise to 15 million by 2020. Researchers say most of that increase will mainly be due to steadily aging populations in both developed and developing countries and current trends in smoking and other unhealthy habits.

　　"Cancer has emerged as a major public health problem in developing countries for the first time, matching its effect in industrialized （工業(yè)化的） countries," said researcher Paul Kleihues, MD, director of IARC, in a news release. "Once considered a 'Western' disease, the Report highlights that more than 50 percent of the world's cancer burden, in terms of both numbers of cases and deaths, already occurs in developing countries."

　　The risk of being diagnosed with cancer in developed countries is double that in less-developed ones. However, the risk of dying from cancer is much higher in developing countries, where 80% of cancer patients already have late-stage incurable tumors （腫瘤） at the time of diagnosis.

　　Researchers say cancer rates have traditionally been higher in developed countries due to greater exposure to tobacco, occupational carcinogens （致癌物）, and an unhealthy Western diet and lifestyle. As less-developed countries become industnalized and more prosperous, they tend to adopt the high-fat diet and low physical activity levels typically seen in the West, which increase cancer rates.

　　11 The report says that steps could be taken to reduce about

　　A 50% of new cancers.

　　B 33% of new cancers.

　　C 12% of new cancers.

　　D 80% of new cancers.

　　12 Which of the following statements is NOT correct?

　　A There were 10 million cancer patients worldwide in 2000.

　　B Generally, cancer accounted for 12% of all deaths in 2000.

　　C Cancer is the cause of over 25% of all deaths in many countries.

　　D It is expected that global cancer rates will go up by 50% by 2020.

　　13 According to Paul Kleihues, cancer was once regarded as

　　A an incurable disease.

　　B a mysterious disease.

　　C a "Western" disease.

　　D a world disease.

　　14 The risk of dying from cancer in developed countries is

　　A double that in developing countries.

　　B much higher than that in developing countries.

　　C the same as that in developing countries.

　　D much lower than that in developing countries.

　　15 All the following factors may increase cancer rates EXCEPT

　　A occupational carcinogens.

　　B lack of access to tobacco.

　　C unhealthy habits.

　　D aging populations.

　　【參考答案】

　　1. C 2. B 3. A 4. D 5. C

　　6. A 7. C 8. D 9. B 10. C

　　11. B 12. A 13. C 14. D 15. B