Question

                               B 

            Many doctors know the story of Mr Wright .In 1957 he was diagnosed(诊断) with cancer,and given only days to live. He heard that scientists had discovered a new medication, Krebiozen, which was effective against cancer and he begged the doctor to give it to him. His physician,Dr Philip West finally agreed. After Mr Wright had been given an injection on a Friday afternoon,the astonished doctor found his patient out of his “death bed”.

            Two months later,Mr Wright read medical reports that the medication was fake. His condition immediately got worse again. “Don’t believe what you read in the papers,” the doctor told Mr Wright. Then he injected him with what he said was “a new super-refined double strength” version of the drug. Actually,there was no drug,just a mix of salt and water. Later,Mr Wright was the picture of health for another two months until he read an official report saying that Krebiozen was worthless. He died two days later.

             This story has gone unnoticed by doctors for a long time and the idea that a patient's beliefs can make a disease go away has been thought of as too strange. But now scientists are discovering that the placebo effect(宽慰作用) is more powerful than anyone has ever thought. They are also beginning to discover how such unbelievable results are achieved. Through new techniques of brain imagery,it can be shown that a thought,a belief or a desire can cause chemical processes in the brain which can have powerful effects on the body. Scientists are learning that some body reactions are not caused by information coming into the brain from the outside world,but by what the brain expects to happen next.

              Placebos are “lies that heal”，said Dr Anne Harrington,a historian of science at Harvard University. “The word ‘placebo’ is Latin for ‘I shall please’ and it is typically a treatment that a doctor gives to anxious patients to please them,” she said. “It looks like medication,but has no healing ingredients whatsoever.^"”

25. After being injected Krebiozen for the first time,Mr Wright.

   A. got cancer    B. almost died

   C. felt better   D. gave up What caused

26. Mr Wright's death according to the story?

   A. The fake drug.

   B. His own beliefs.

   C. His damaged brain.

   D. The doctor's wrong diagnosis.

27. What's the purpose of Paragraph 3 ?

   A. To explore the biology of human brains.

   B. To explain why people get cancer.

   C. To analyse how placebos work.

   D. To question Mr Wright's story.

28. What does Dr Anne Harrington think of the placebo effect?

   A. It is limited.

   B. It is effective.

   C. It can cheat patients.

   D. It goes against science.

Answer 1

25. C 26. B 27. C 28. B

B篇(科普知识)

本文是说明文。多年来被忽视的宽慰作用被证实是有效的。

25. C. 细节理解题。由第一段的the astonished doctor found his patient out of his “death bed” 和第二段的 Mr Wright was the picture of health for another two months可知，第一次注射 Krebiozen后，身患癌症的莱特先生恢复了健康。

26. B. 推理判断题。由第一、二段可知，不知情的莱特先生注射了Krebiozen并得到医生的宽慰后奇迹般地好了，但得知医生给他注射的药物被官方证实是假的后他很快就死了，由此可知，真正导致他死亡的原因其实是他自己的信念。

27. C. 段落大意题。由第三段料学家对宽慰作用的研究可知，本段旨在解释信念 这样的安慰剂是如何对人起作用的。

28. B. 推理判断题。最后一段Dr Anne Harrington说宽慰剂是一种起治愈作用 的谎言，并作为一种治疗方法用于开导焦虑的病人，故推测她认为宽慰作用是

有效的。