“Placebo” is a Latin word. It means “I shall please.” And, sometimes , it just might .
When scientists want to test a new drug, they usually divide a large number of people into two groups . One group takes the medicine; the other takes a substance known as a placebo . It may contain nothing more than sugar. The people do not know which pill they are taking —the active one or the inactive one. In this kind of experiment, the medicine must perform better than the placebo to prove it is effective.
Yet people who take a placebo sometimes experience improvements in their health . This is known as the “placebo effect”, the effect of something that is not supposed to have any effect .Some doctors even use the placebo effect in their treatments . They might tell patients that a new drug will stop their pain . The patient does not know that the pills are inactive . The patient takes the pills and later tells the doctor that the pain is gone .
Now , research in Sweden suggests that placebo treatments can also reduce the emotional effects of unpleasant experiences . The effects in the brain were similar to those seen when placebos have been used to ease pain . The researchers say that in both cases , expectations of improvement are a major influence on the effectiveness of placebos .
Predrag Petrovic of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm led the study . The findings appeared in the publication Neuron.
An influential study on placebos appeared in nineteen fifty-five . It said treatment with a placebo made patients feel better thirty-five percent of the time . But in two thousand –one , Danish researchers reported that they had examined more than one hundred studies . They found little evidence of healing as a result of placebos .
1．Why is “a placebo” used in the experiment ?
A．To test which medicine is active and which is inactive .
B．To compare a new drug to an existing drug .
C．To prove how active the “placebo effect” is .
D．To determine the effectiveness of a medicinal drug .
2．According to research in Sweden , the placebo can reduce the patient’s pain mainly because
.
A．the pill is very effective B．the pill can please them
C．they expect the improvement greatly D．they believe in the doctors
3．The figure “nineteen fifty-five” （in Paragraph 6 ） is probably
A．the page of a magazine in Stockholm
B．the number of patients involved in the experiment
C．they year when the findings were published
D．the time when Predrage Petrovic and his team tried their experiment
4．What would be the best title for this passage ?
A．The Placebo Effect B．A New Research in Sweden
C．A New Medicine Was Found D．Active or Inactive ?
科目：高中英语 来源：2008年普通高等学校招生全国统一考试全国卷Ⅱ英语试题 题型：阅读理解
Something in chocolate could be used to stop coughs and lead to more effective medicines, say UK researchers.
Their study found that theobromine, found in cocoa, was nearly a third more effective in stopping coughs than codeine, which was considered the best cough medicine at present.
The Imperial College London researchers who published their results online said the discovery could lead to more effective cough treatment. “While coughing is not necessarily harmful(有害的) it can have a major effect on the quality of life, and this discovery could be a huge step forward in treating this problem,” said Professor Peter Barnes.
Ten healthy volunteers(志愿者) were given theobromine, codeine or placebo, a pill that contains no medicine, during the experiment. Neither the volunteers nor the researchers knew who received which pill. The researchers then measured levels of capsaicin, which is used in research to cause coughing and as a sign of how well the medicine are stopping coughs.
The team found that, when the volunteers were given theobromine, the capsaicin need to produce a cough was around a third higher than in the placebo group. When they were given codeine they need only slightly higher levers of capsaicin to cause a cough compared with the placebo.
The researchers said that theobromine worked by keeping down a verve activity(神经活动), which cause coughing. They also found that unlike some standard cough treatments, theobromine caused no side effects such as sleepiness.
【小题1】According to Professor Barnes, theobromine ______.
| A．cannot be as effective as codeine |
| B．can be harmful to people’s health |
| C．cannot be separated from chocolate |
| D．can be a more effective cure for coughs |
| A．Theobromine. | B．Codeine. | C．Capsaicin. | D．Placebo. |
| A．were patients with bad coughs |
| B．were divided into the three groups |
| C．received standard treatments |
| D．suffered little side effects |
| A．Codeine: A New Medicine | B．Chocolate May Cure Coughs |
| C．Cough Treatment: A Hard Case | D．Theobromine Can Cause Coughs |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源：2011-2012学年浙江省北仑中学高一奖学金考试英语试题（带解析） 题型：阅读理解
Below is some advice on how to prevent cancer:
8 Ways to Avoid Cancer in Your Life
1. Eat Blueberries
Aside from being a healthy and delicious snack, blueberries contain pterostilbene, which has important colon（结肠） cancer-fighting prosperities. But wait, it gets better. Blueberries also offer a large dose of vitamins C (14 milligrams per cup). So at breakfast, try to take in a cup and a half of blueberries in your cereal or yogurt, or mixed with other berries.
2. Drink Pomegranate（石榴）Juice
The deep red juice of the pomegranate contains polyphenols, isoflavones and ellagic acid, which together create a powerful anticancer mixture. Most recently, researchers from the University of Wisconsin at Madison has discovered that 16 ounces of pomegranate juice per day also may inhibit the growth of lung cancer.
3. Relax
Feeling stressed or worried? Find ways to relax and you may reduce your chances of developing cancer. Purdue University researchers tracked 1,600 men over 12 years and found that half of those with high levels of worry died during the study period. Only 20 percent of the optimists died before the study were completed, while 34 percent of the extremely anxious men died of some type of cancer. Instead of stressing about the past or future, focus on the present and relax!
4. Take Selenium（硒）
Selenium is well known for its cancer-fighting properties. In a study of almost 1,000 men, researchers from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that when men with the lowest initial levels of selenium in their bodies received a daily supplement over a 4 year period, they cut their prostate（前列腺） cancer risk by a remarkable 92 percent. However, it is possible to get too much of a good thing, so monitor your intake of selenium-containing supplements, Brazil nuts, tuna, meats and grains carefully.
5. Eat Sushi（寿司）
Seaweed may not be your idea of a great snack, but it is high in fiber, calcium and iron, and dry, roasted seaweed sheets used in sushi provide the additional benefits of vitamins A and C. Sushi rolls are also high in protein— a typical spicy tuna roll has only 290 calories but packs 24 grams of protein. So don’t skimp（节省）on the Sushi!
6. Enjoy the Outdoors
Vitamin D causes early death of cancer cells. A study published in the American Journey of Clinical Nutrition reported that women who supplemented their diets with 1,000 international. Units of vitamin D every day had a 60 percent to 77 percent lower incidence of cancer ever a four-year period that did women taking a placebo(无效对照剂). Experts recommend supplementing your fun in the sun with 1,100 to 2,000IU of vitamin D each day.
7. Breathe Clean Air
There’s no question that secondhand smoke kills. A recent American Journal of Public Health study showed that nonsmokers working in smoky places had three times the amount of carcinogen（致癌物质） in their urine（尿） than nonsmokers working in smoke-free locations. What’s worse, their levels of the carcinogen rose 6 percent for every hour worked. Nine states have banned smoking in all workplaces, bars and restaurants. The message is clear: Do whatever you can to avoid the cloud of smoke.
8. Break a Sweat
Even a small amount of exercise can offer major cancer-fighting benefits. In a study of 29,110 men published in the International Journal of Cancer, men who exercised just once a week had a percent lower risk of metastasis(转移性) prostate cancer than men who didn’t work out at all. The better the frequency, duration and intensity of the exercise, the bigger the reduction in risk, according to the study.
【小题1】To prevent yourself from catching colon cancer, you should eat ____ as often as possible.
| A．sushi | B．blueberries | C．pomegranates | D．Vitamin D |
| A．he is very fond of exercise every day. |
| B．he is addicted to smoking |
| C．he is always feeling extremely stressed or worried |
| D．he likes to have meals in restaurants |
| A．Having a daily supplement of selenium |
| B．Drinking a cup of pomegranate juice every day |
| C．Breathing fresh air now and then |
| D．Taking exercise at least once a week |
| A．have a daily supplement of vitamins B and C |
| B．try to ignore the secondhand smoking |
| C．take in as many selenium-containing supplements as possible |
| D．having exercise as often as possible |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源：2012-2013学年浙江省北仑中学高二下学期期中考试英语试卷（带解析） 题型：阅读理解
Below is some advice on how to prevent cancer:
8 Ways to Avoid Cancer in Your Life
1. Eat Blueberries
Aside from being a healthy and delicious snack, blueberries contain pterostilbene, which has important colon（结肠） cancer-fighting prosperities. But wait, it gets better. Blueberries also offer a large dose of vitamins C (14 milligrams per cup). So at breakfast, try to take in a cup and a half of blueberries in your cereal or yogurt, or mixed with other berries.
2. Drink Pomegranate（石榴）Juice
The deep red juice of the pomegranate contains polyphenols, isoflavones and ellagic acid, which together create a powerful anticancer mixture. Most recently, researchers from the University of Wisconsin at Madison has discovered that 16 ounces of pomegranate juice per day also may inhibit the growth of lung cancer.
3. Relax
Feeling stressed or worried? Find ways to relax and you may reduce your chances of developing cancer. Purdue University researchers tracked 1,600 men over 12 years and found that half of those with high levels of worry died during the study period. Only 20 percent of the optimists died before the study were completed, while 34 percent of the extremely anxious men died of some type of cancer. Instead of stressing about the past or future, focus on the present and relax!
4. Take Selenium（硒）
Selenium is well known for its cancer-fighting properties. In a study of almost 1,000 men, researchers from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that when men with the lowest initial levels of selenium in their bodies received a daily supplement over a 4 year period, they cut their prostate（前列腺） cancer risk by a remarkable 92 percent. However, it is possible to get too much of a good thing, so monitor your intake of selenium-containing supplements, Brazil nuts, tuna, meats and grains carefully.
5. Eat Sushi（寿司）
Seaweed may not be your idea of a great snack, but it is high in fiber, calcium and iron, and dry, roasted seaweed sheets used in sushi provide the additional benefits of vitamins A and C. Sushi rolls are also high in protein— a typical spicy tuna roll has only 290 calories but packs 24 grams of protein. So don’t skimp（节省）on the Sushi!
6. Enjoy the Outdoors
Vitamin D causes early death of cancer cells. A study published in the American Journey of Clinical Nutrition reported that women who supplemented their diets with 1,000 international. Units of vitamin D every day had a 60 percent to 77 percent lower incidence of cancer ever a four-year period that did women taking a placebo(无效对照剂). Experts recommend supplementing your fun in the sun with 1,100 to 2,000IU of vitamin D each day.
7. Breathe Clean Air
There’s no question that secondhand smoke kills. A recent American Journal of Public Health study showed that nonsmokers working in smoky places had three times the amount of carcinogen（致癌物质） in their urine（尿） than nonsmokers working in smoke-free locations. What’s worse, their levels of the carcinogen rose 6 percent for every hour worked. Nine states have banned smoking in all workplaces, bars and restaurants. The message is clear: Do whatever you can to avoid the cloud of smoke.
8. Break a Sweat
Even a small amount of exercise can offer major cancer-fighting benefits. In a study of 29,110 men published in the International Journal of Cancer, men who exercised just once a week had a percent lower risk of metastasis(转移性) prostate cancer than men who didn’t work out at all. The better the frequency, duration and intensity of the exercise, the bigger the reduction in risk, according to the study.
【小题1】To prevent yourself from catching colon cancer, you should eat ____ as often as possible.
| A．sushi | B．blueberries | C．pomegranates | D．Vitamin D |
| A．he is very fond of exercise every day. |
| B．he is addicted to smoking |
| C．he is always feeling extremely stressed or worried |
| D．he likes to have meals in restaurants |
| A．Having a daily supplement of selenium |
| B．Drinking a cup of pomegranate juice every day |
| C．Breathing fresh air now and then |
| D．Taking exercise at least once a week |
| A．have a daily supplement of vitamins B and C |
| B．try to ignore the secondhand smoking |
| C．take in as many selenium-containing supplements as possible |
| D．having exercise as often as possible |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源：2012-2013学年江苏盐城中学高三第一次模拟考试英语卷（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
Antidepressant（抗忧郁）drugs such as Prozac were viewed in the early 1900's as wonder pills that would remove depressive blues for good. But in the past five years, growing scientific evidence has shown these drugs work for only a minority of people. And now a research journal says that these antidepressants can make many patients' depression worse. This alarming suggestion centres on the very chemical that is targeted by antidepressants-serotonin（血清素）. Drugs such as Prozac are known as selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors（or SSRIs）. Their aim is to increase the level of this “feel-good” chemical in the brain.
But the new research, published in the journal Frontiers In Evolutionary Psychology, points out that serotonin is like a chemical Swiss Army knife, performing a very wide range of jobs in the brain and body. And when we start changing serotonin levels purposely, it may cause a wide range of unwanted effects. These can include digestive problems and even early deaths in older people, according to the study's lead researcher Paul Andrews. “ We need to be much more cautious about use of these drugs,” says Andrews, an assistant professor of evolutionary psychology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.
Previous research has suggested that the drugs provide little benefit for most people with mild depression, and actively help only a few of the most severely depressed. Famous psychologist Irving Kirsch has found that for many patients, SSRIs are no more effective than a placebo pill. A research in 2010 on Danish children found a small, but significant, increase in the risk of heart problems among babies whose mothers had used SSRIs in early pregnancy. The key to understanding these side-effects is serotonin, says Andrews. Serotonin is also the reason why patients can often end up feeling still more depressed after they have finished a course of SSRI drugs. He argues that SSRI antidepressants disturb the brain, leaving the patient an even greater depression than before.
“After long use, when a patient stops taking SSRIs, the brain will lower its levels of serotonin production,” he says, adding that it also changes the way receptors in the brain respond to serotonin, making the brain less sensitive to the chemical. These changes are believed to be temporary, but studies indicate that the effects may continue for up to two years.
Most disturbingly of all, Andrews' review features three recent studies which, he says , show that elderly antidepressant users are more likely to die earlier than non-users, even after taking other important variables into account. One study, published in the British Medical Journal last year, found patients given SSRIs were more than 4 per cent more likely to die in the next year than those not on the drugs.
“Serotonin is an ancient chemical,” says Andrews. “It is regulating many different processes, and when you disturb these things, you can expect that it is going to cause some harm.”
Stafford Lightman, professor of medicine at the University of Bristol, and a leading UK expert in brain chemicals and hormones, says Andrews’ review highlights some important problems, yet it should also be taken with a pinch of salt. “This report is doing the opposite of what drug companies do,” he says. “Drug companies selectively present all the positives in their research, while this search selectively presents all the negatives that can be found. Nevertheless, Andrews' study is useful in that it is always worth pointing out that there is a downside to any medicine. ” Professor Lightman adds that there is still a great deal we don't know about SSRIs-not least what they actually do in our brains.
When it comes to understanding why the drugs work only for a limited part of patients, U.S. scientists think they might now have the answer. They think that in many depressed patients, it’s not only the lack of feel-good serotonin causing their depression, but also a failure in the area of the brain that produces new cells throughout our lives. This area, the hippocampus, is also responsible for regulating mood and memory. Research suggests that in patients whose hippocampus has lost the ability to produce new cells, SSRIs do not bring any benefit.
1.According to paragraph 2, serotonin, like a chemical Swiss Army knife, can .
A. make many patients' depression worse
B. cause a wide range of unwanted effects
C. affect human body and brain in various ways
D. provide little benefit for most depressed people
2.In Stafford Lightman's opinion, .
A. drug companies don't know the negative effect of antidepressants
B. Andrews focused on different things from the drug companies
C. scientists have found what SSRIs do in the brain
D. Andrews' research has no medical value
3.Which of the following is TRUE about SSRIs?
A. They are used to increase the “feel-good” medical in the brain.
B. They can work even when the hippocampus can't produce new cells.
C. They create a risk of heart problems in pregnant women.
D. They are responsible for controlling mood and memory.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. The aim of drug companies
B. The function of SSRIs
C. The side-effects of antidepressants
D. The cause of depression
查看答案和解析>>
科目：高中英语 来源：2014届浙江省高一奖学金考试英语试题（解析版） 题型：阅读理解
Below is some advice on how to prevent cancer:
8 Ways to Avoid Cancer in Your Life
1. Eat Blueberries
Aside from being a healthy and delicious snack, blueberries contain pterostilbene, which has important colon（结肠） cancer-fighting prosperities. But wait, it gets better. Blueberries also offer a large dose of vitamins C (14 milligrams per cup). So at breakfast, try to take in a cup and a half of blueberries in your cereal or yogurt, or mixed with other berries.
2. Drink Pomegranate（石榴）Juice
The deep red juice of the pomegranate contains polyphenols, isoflavones and ellagic acid, which together create a powerful anticancer mixture. Most recently, researchers from the University of Wisconsin at Madison has discovered that 16 ounces of pomegranate juice per day also may inhibit the growth of lung cancer.
3. Relax
Feeling stressed or worried? Find ways to relax and you may reduce your chances of developing cancer. Purdue University researchers tracked 1,600 men over 12 years and found that half of those with high levels of worry died during the study period. Only 20 percent of the optimists died before the study were completed, while 34 percent of the extremely anxious men died of some type of cancer. Instead of stressing about the past or future, focus on the present and relax!
4. Take Selenium（硒）
Selenium is well known for its cancer-fighting properties. In a study of almost 1,000 men, researchers from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that when men with the lowest initial levels of selenium in their bodies received a daily supplement over a 4 year period, they cut their prostate（前列腺） cancer risk by a remarkable 92 percent. However, it is possible to get too much of a good thing, so monitor your intake of selenium-containing supplements, Brazil nuts, tuna, meats and grains carefully.
5. Eat Sushi（寿司）
Seaweed may not be your idea of a great snack, but it is high in fiber, calcium and iron, and dry, roasted seaweed sheets used in sushi provide the additional benefits of vitamins A and C. Sushi rolls are also high in protein— a typical spicy tuna roll has only 290 calories but packs 24 grams of protein. So don’t skimp（节省）on the Sushi!
6. Enjoy the Outdoors
Vitamin D causes early death of cancer cells. A study published in the American Journey of Clinical Nutrition reported that women who supplemented their diets with 1,000 international. Units of vitamin D every day had a 60 percent to 77 percent lower incidence of cancer ever a four-year period that did women taking a placebo(无效对照剂). Experts recommend supplementing your fun in the sun with 1,100 to 2,000IU of vitamin D each day.
7. Breathe Clean Air
There’s no question that secondhand smoke kills. A recent American Journal of Public Health study showed that nonsmokers working in smoky places had three times the amount of carcinogen（致癌物质） in their urine（尿） than nonsmokers working in smoke-free locations. What’s worse, their levels of the carcinogen rose 6 percent for every hour worked. Nine states have banned smoking in all workplaces, bars and restaurants. The message is clear: Do whatever you can to avoid the cloud of smoke.
8. Break a Sweat
Even a small amount of exercise can offer major cancer-fighting benefits. In a study of 29,110 men published in the International Journal of Cancer, men who exercised just once a week had a percent lower risk of metastasis(转移性) prostate cancer than men who didn’t work out at all. The better the frequency, duration and intensity of the exercise, the bigger the reduction in risk, according to the study.
1.To prevent yourself from catching colon cancer, you should eat ____ as often as possible.
|
A．sushi |
B．blueberries |
C．pomegranates |
D．Vitamin D |
2.A person is very likely to catch some type of cancer if ______.
|
A．he is very fond of exercise every day. |
|
B．he is addicted to smoking |
|
C．he is always feeling extremely stressed or worried |
|
D．he likes to have meals in restaurants |
3._____ will remarkably reduce the risk of men’s prostate cancer.
|
A．Having a daily supplement of selenium |
|
B．Drinking a cup of pomegranate juice every day |
|
C．Breathing fresh air now and then |
|
D．Taking exercise at least once a week |
4.If you want to keep cancer away, it is particularly important to ______.
|
A．have a daily supplement of vitamins B and C |
|
B．try to ignore the secondhand smoking |
|
C．take in as many selenium-containing supplements as possible |
|
D．having exercise as often as possible |
查看答案和解析>>
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