Question

    In autumn of 1975, two mothers in Lyme, Connecticut, were desperate for answers their doctors could not provide. Their families and others in the Lyme area were suffering from a mysterious(神秘的)illness. Two doctors from Yale, Allan Steere and Stephen Malawista, began an investigation that would result in a groundbreaking medical discovery.

The doctors began by conducting individual examinations of each patient. They found patients of all ages were suffering from a set of symptoms (症状) rarely observed together. Blood samples revealed no virus that offered a clue about the cause. However, they found fruitful information in their interviews with patients: one quarter of them recalled a skin rash (皮疹) with a bull’s-eye pattern about four weeks before other symptoms arose.

Armed with this new clue, the Department of Health worked with the Yale doctors, conducting surveys to learn where the disease was most widely seen. It seemed that the majority of patients lived in heavily wooded areas, who spent a good deal of time outdoors, gardening, landscaping, or playing. The symptoms were nearly always experienced for the first time during summer. Crucially, some recalled having been bitten by a tick (蝉), which feeds mostly on the blood of mammals and birds.

By 1977, investigators confirmed that the deer tick was responsible. But no one could say why it was causing the illness or how patients could be treated. In 1982, a scientist named Willy Burgdorfer discovered a specific type of bacteria (细菌), carried by the deer tick, which was causing the disease. But how did the deer tick acquire the bacteria in the first place? Finally, scientists determined that the ticks picked up the bacteria from their hosts. As its name suggests, the deer tick often feeds on deer, carriers of the Lyme disease bacteria. Scientists concluded that the bacteria passed from wildlife to ticks to humans. All lived closely among one another in the area.

How could a disease from a common parasite（寄生虫）spring up so suddenly? Many areas of the northeast, including Lyme, were once farmland. The farmland was replanted with trees. After the forest grew in, the area was then developed with houses. Gradually, neighborhoods pushed deeper into the habitat of deer ticks and, more importantly, the wildlife they fed upon. As humans encountered more ticks, they became more likely to contract the disease.

One of the remaining mysteries about Lyme disease is where and when it truly began. This puzzle may never be solved. Today, Lyme disease——if caught early—is easily treated with antibiotics, thanks to the hard work of many scientists, doctors, and patients.

1.Which of the following method helped Dr. Steere and Dr. Malawista most?

A.Conducting patient interviews. B.Carrying out a field survey.

C.Studying patients^’ blood samples. D.Separating patients into age groups.

2.From the passage, we can learn that _______.

A.deer ticks were first carriers of the Lyme disease bacteria

B.patients^’ remembrance of tick bites was vital to the medical discovery

C.Lyme disease spread because deer ticks and humans both fed on deer

D.Lyme disease is less common now because people spend less time outdoors

3.What do the underlined words “spring up” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A.Worsen. B.Return.

C.Appear. D.Decrease.

4.Which of the following would be the best tide for the passage?

A.A Desperate Need B.An Unsolved Puzzle

C.A Medical Mystery D.An Effective Treatment

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。本文主要介绍了科学家们致力于研究一种神秘的疾病—莱姆病，最终找到这种疾病的来源、出现的原因及治疗方法。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段“However, they found fruitful information in their interviews with patients: one quarter of them recalled a skin rash (皮疹)with a bull’s-eye pattern about four weeks before other symptoms arose.”（然而，他们在病人的采访中发现了大量有效的信息：四分之一的人回忆起一种牛眼样式的皮疹，大约在其他症状出现的四周之前。）可知，采访病人这种方法对Dr. Steere 和Dr. Malawista的研究起到了极大的帮助。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段“Crucially, some recalled having been bitten by a tick (蜱), which feeds mostly on the blood of mammals and birds.”（重要地是，一些人回忆起了被蜱咬过，这种蜱多数以哺乳动物和鸟类的血液为食。）可知，病人回忆起被蜱咬过这件事对医学发现非常重要。其他三项文中均未提及。故选B。

3.词句猜测题。根据第五段内容：人们生活的区域与鹿蜱和鹿蜱赖以生存的野生动物越来越近。及关键句“As humans encountered more ticks, they became more likely to contract the disease.”（随着人们遇到更多的蜱，他们变得更有可能感染这种疾病。）可知，第五段在解释这种疾病是如何出现的。故推测划线词所在句子“How could a disease from a common parasite（寄生虫）spring up so suddenly?”意为一种来自寄生虫的疾病是怎样突然出现的呢？因此推测spring up意为突然出现。Appear意为“出现”。故选C。

4.主旨大意题。本文主要讲述了科学家们致力于研究一种神秘的疾病—莱姆病，最终找到这种疾病的来源、出现的原因及治疗方法。根据第一段的关键词“mysterious(神秘的)illness.”和最后一段的关键词“the remaining mysteries about Lyme disease”可知，本文最合适的标题是一种神秘的疾病。故选C。