7．Because osteoporosis （'骨质疏松） often causes no symptoms at all until a fall snaps a bone，the only way to tell if you have it is through a bone mineral thickness test． This procedure is advised for anyone over 50who has suffered a broken bone and all women over 65．Right now，the test involves lying on your back while the arm of a special X-ray device moves over your body to measure the thickness of various bones．
CyberLogic，a New York R&D firm，has developed a simpler device that's nine inches high，runs on four AA batteries and scans bones with ultrasound （超声波）．If the portable machine proves as reliable as X-rays，it could be a breakthrough，says New York osteoporosis expert Dr．Ethel Siris．"A small device like this could make bone checkups part of a routine office visit，because it's both affordable and user-friendly．"If testing shows that you have osteoporosis，some major advances in treatment can help．While there are several effective medications on the market，including Fosamax，Actonel，Evista，Miacalcin and Forteo，the latest wonder drug is Boniva，me first once-a-month pill for osteoporosis．The FDA recently approved this drug，which works by reducing activity in cells responsible for bone breakdown．
Should osteoporosis get severe enough to collapse a vertebra （脊髓），doctors have a new way to make repairs：Two tiny balloons are inserted into the bone through surgical tubes．The balloons are expanded to push the bone back into its normal position，then bone cement is used to keep it from collapsing again．
59．What does the underlined word"This"in Paragraph 1refer to？B
A．A fall snaps a bone．
B．A bone mineral thickness test．
C．Osteoporosis often causes no sign．
D．The only way to tell if you have osteoporosis．
60．What can we infer from the passage？A
A．Women are more likely to get osteoporosis．
B．Men are are more likely to get osteoporosis．
C．Anyone over 50is likely to get osteoporosis．
D．Men and women share equal chances to get osteoporosis．
61．Which of the following is true about the portable scanner？C
A．It's a breakthrough． B．It's as reliable as X-rays．
C．It's easy to carry along． D．It's a routine office visit．
分析 本文是一篇科普类文章，主要讲述了骨质疏松症完全没有症状，能告诉你是否患有骨质疏松症的唯一方法是通过一个骨质厚度测试，建议50岁以上的人曾遭受骨折和所有超过65的女性都进行一下该测试．本文以此展开谈论，介绍了检测骨质的方法．
解答 59．答案：B．词义猜测题．根据"Because osteoporosis （'骨质疏松） often causes no symptoms at all until a fall snaps a bone，the only way to tell if you have it is through a bone mineral thickness test"可知，this应该指代的是上面提到的a bone mineral thickness test．故选B．
60．答案：A．推理判断题．由文章第一段第二句话"This procedure is advised for anyone over 50who has suffered a broken bone and all women over 65"可知，作者建议50岁以上有过骨折的人和所有65岁以上的妇女去做骨质疏松的测试，由此可推知，妇女更容易得骨质疏松．故选A．
61．答案：C．推理判断题．由第二段的前三句"CyberLogic，a New York R&D firm，has developed a simpler device that's nine inches high，runs on four AA batteries and scans bones with ultrasound （超声波）．If the portable machine proves as reliable as X-rays，it could be a breakthrough"可知，A、B、D三项都有是假设，故只有C项是正确的．
点评 本文是一篇科普类阅读，题目涉及词义猜测题，推理判断题，做题时应结合文章上下文内容，仔细阅读原文并根据所给选项的含义进行分析，从而得出正确答案．切记胡乱猜测，一定要做到有理有据．
