Question

    It started during a yoga class. She felt a strange pull on her neck, a feeling completely foreign to her. Her friend suggested she, rush to the emergency room. It turned out that she was having a heart attack.

She didn’t share similar symptoms with someone who was likely to have a heart attack. She exercised, watched her plate and did not smoke. But on reviewing her medical history, I found that her cholesterol （胆固醇）level was sky-high. She had been prescribed a cholesterol-lowering statin medication, but she never picked up the prescription because of the scary things she had read about statins on the Internet. She was the victim of fake medical news.

While misinformation has been the object of great attention in politics, medical misinformation might lead to an increase in deaths. As is true with fake news in general, medical lies tend to spread further than truths on the Internet----- and they have very real bad consequences.

False medical information can also lead to patients experiencing greater side effects through the “nocebo effect （无安慰剂效应）Sometimes patients benefit from an intervention （干预）simply because they believe they will — that’s the placebo effect （安慰剂效应）.The nocebo effect is the opposite. Patients can experience harmful effects because they anticipate them. This is very true of statins. In blinded trials, patients who get statins are no more likely to report feeling muscle aches than patients who get a placebo. Yet, in clinical practice, according to one study, almost a fifth of patients taking statins report side effects, leading many to discontinue the drugs.

What else is on the fake news hit list? As always, vaccines （疫苗）.False concerns that the vaccine may cause side effects have greatly reduced coverage rates.

Cancer is another big target for pushers of medical misinformation — many of whom refuse alternative therapies. “Though most people think cancer tumors are bad, they’re actually the way your body attempts to contain the harmful cells,”^, one fake news story reads. It warns that prescription medications lead to the uncontrolled cell mutations （变异）.

Silicon Valley needs to face this problem. I am not a free-speech lawyer, but when human health is at risk, perhaps search engines, social media platforms and websites should be held responsible for promoting or hosting fake information. Meanwhile, journalists should do a better job of spreading accurate information.

1.We can learn from Paragraph 2 that ________.

A.the woman paid little attention to her daily diets

B.the woman didn’t take the prescription due to fake medical news

C.the symptom of the heart attack was familiar to the woman

D.the unhealthy lifestyle might lead to the woman’s heart attack

2.According to the passage, the placebo effect functions because patients_______.

A.receive proper treatment B.discontinue the harmful drugs

C.believe the benefits of an intervention D.are relieved from more side effects

3.What does the author mean by claiming that “I am not a free-speech lawyer” in the last paragraph?

A.He is a lawyer not easy to speak to.

B.He is very cautious when speaking something.

C.He is available to give a speech on the law.

D.He is good at speaking because of his job.

4.The main purpose of the passage is to_______.

A.remind us to take medication as prescribed

B.teach us how to distinguish fake medical news on the Internet

C.encourage journalists to report more positive news events

D.warn us against fake medical news on the Internet

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇夹叙夹议的文章。文章主要通过一个虚假医药信息导致的事件揭示了网络传谣尤其是关于医药方面的传谣造成的危害，同时希望网络媒体和记者能够对此关注。

1.推理判断题。根据文章第二段末尾内容“she never picked up the prescription because of the scary things she had read about statins on the Internet. She was the victim of fake medical news.( 她从来没有拿过这个处方，因为她在网上读到关于他汀类药物的可怕事情。她是假医疗新闻的受害者。)”可知，这位女士相信了网络上的关于这种药物的假新闻而没有服用处方。故选B项。

2.细节理解题。根据文章第四段第2句内容“Sometimes patients benefit from an intervention simply because they believe they will — that’s the placebo effect.(有时患者从干预中获益仅仅是因为他们相信他们会——这就是安慰剂效应))”可知，安慰剂效应之所以会起作用是因为患者自己相信干预会给自己的身体带来好处。故选C项。

3.词义猜测题。根据该句所在句的后半句内容“but when human health is at risk, perhaps search engines, social media platforms and websites should be held responsible for promoting or hosting fake information. Meanwhile, journalists should do a better job of spreading accurate information.(当人类健康受到威胁时，或许搜索引擎、社交媒体平台和网站应该为推广或提供虚假信息负责。)”可知，之后的but句为作者要强调和表达的内容。因此可推知，作者在这件事情上持有比较谨慎的态度，不能通过网络随意传播谣言或相信网络谣言，希望媒体平台或新闻记者能够站出来澄清事实。选项B. He is very cautious when speaking something. (他说话很谨慎) 表述正确。故选B项。

4.推理判断题。通读全文可知全文的主要目的是通过举例论证了网络谣言的危害，尤其是关于药物的网络谣言有着巨大的杀伤力。选项D“warn us against fake medical news on the Internet (警告我们不要在网上看到假的医疗信息)”揭示了文章的目的。故选D项。