Technology is a two-edged sword. Rarely is this as clear as it is in the realm of health care. Technology allows doctors to test their patients for genetic defects——and then to turn around and spread the results throughout the world via the Internet. For someone in need of treatment， that s good news. But for someone in search of a job or an insurance policy， the tidings can be all bad. Last week President Bill Clinton proposed a corollary to the patients bill of rights now before Congress： a right to medical privacy. Beginning in 2002， under rules set to become law in February， patients would be able to stipulate the conditions under which their personal medical data could be divulged. They would be able to examine their records and make corrections. They could learn who else had seen the information. Improper use of records by a caregiver or insurer could result in both civil and criminal penalties. The plan was， said Clinton， “an unprecedented step toward putting Americans back in control of their own medical records.” While the administration billed the rules as an attempt to strike a balance between the needs of consumers and those of the health-care industry， neither doctors nor insurance companies were happy. The doctors said the rules could actually erode privacy， pointing to a provision allowing managed-care plans to use personal information without consent if the purpose was “health-care operations.” That， physicians said， was a loophole through which HMOs and other insurers could pry into the doctor-patient relationship， in the name of assessing the quality of care. Meanwhile， the insurers protested that the rules would make them vulnerable to lawsuits. They were especially disturbed by a provision holding them liable for privacy breaches by “business partners” such as lawyers and accountants. Both groups agreed that privacy protections would drive up the cost of health care by at least an additional $3.8 billion， and maybe much more， over the next five years. They also complained about the increased level of federal scrutiny required by the new rules enforcement provisions. One aim of the rules is to reassure patients about confidentiality， thereby encouraging them to be open with their doctors. Today various cancers and sexually transmitted diseases can go untreated because patients are afraid of embarrassment or of losing insurance coverage. The fear is real： Clinton aides noted that a January poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates found that one in six U.S. adults had at some time done something unusual to conceal medical information， such as paying cash for services. 1. The author begins his article with “technology is a two-edged sword” to _____________. [A] show that doctor‘s improper use of technology can end up in bad results [B] call on people‘s attention to the potential danger technology can bring to us [C] warn of the harm patients are prone to suffer [D] show the advantages and disadvantages of technology 2. According to the proposal made by President Clinton， patients will be able to do the following EXCEPT _____________. [A] enjoy more rights to their medical records [B] be open with their doctors [C] decide how to use their medical information [D] sue their insurers for improper use of their medical records 3. Doctors tend to think that the rules _____________. [A] may ruin doctor-patient relationship [B] can do more harm than good [C] will prevent doctors from doing medical research [D] will end up in more health care cost and poorer medical service 4. The example of the January poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates is used to show that __________________. [A] American patients‘ concealment of their medical information has become a big concern [B] a large portion of patients would rather leave their diseases untreated [C] concealing medical information is widespread in the U.S. [D] paying cash for medical service is a common practice among American patients 5. From the article we can learn that ________________. [A] American government will tighten its control over the use of patients‘ personal information. [B] doctors and insurers are both against the rules for the same reasons [C] patients are entitled to have complete control of their medical information [D] the new rules put insurers in a very disadvantageous position

答案：ABBAD

篇章剖析

本文主要讲述了病人医疗隐私权立法及其引发的争议，采用的是指出问题——分析问题的模式。作者首先说明了病人医疗隐私泄露可能带来的问题，接着谈了提议中的病人医疗隐私权法案的内容。在第三段作者说明了反对该法案一方的观点。最后一段则强调了新法规的宗旨和不立法可能造成的不良后果。 词汇注释 brewing adj. 酝酿中的;逐渐形成的;即将发生的 HMO： Health Maintenance Organization 医疗保健机构 tidings n. 消息 corollary n. 必然的结果;推论 stipulate v. 规定，保证 divulge v. 泄露， 暴露 bill v. 宣布，宣告 managed-care plan： n. 管理式医疗保健计划 loophole n. 漏洞 pry v. 探查，侦查，窥探 provision n. 规定 liable adj. 有责任的 breach n. 违背;不履行

难句突破

1.The doctors said the rules could actually erode privacy， pointing to a provision allowing managed-care plans to use personal information without consent if the purpose was “health-care operations.” 主体句式：The doctors said … 结构分析：本句中pointing to 这个作伴随状语的分词短语又包含了一个介词without引出的方式状语和由if引导的条件状语从句，使得句子的结构变得较为复杂。 句子译文：医生认为这些法规实际上是在破坏隐私权，因为其中一条规定允许管理式医疗保健计划在“开展医疗保健工作”时可以不经许可使用个人信息。

2.题目分析

1. 答案为A，属推理判断题。文章以医生利用先进的互联网技术传播病人医疗信息会有助于治疗某些病人的疾病，但同时又给一些病人在就业和购买保险方面带来困难为例说明保护病人医疗信息的重要性，以及不当使用技术可能带来的不良后果。 2. 答案为B，属事实细节题。“be open with their doctors ”只是这项法规试图达到的效果，并不是该法规赋予病人的权利。因此答案应该是B. 3. 答案为B，属事实细节题。文章引用医生的观点认为新法规不但不利于保护病人的隐私，反而会actually erode privacy，由此可见答案应该是B. 4. 答案为A，属推理判断题。前文讲到了病人因为羞于启齿或者担心失去保险赔付而隐瞒病情，使疾病得不到治疗;然后说The fear is real. 继而引用普利斯顿调查研究协会的调查结果，意在说明这一问题的严重性。 5. 答案为D，属事实细节题。文章中提到保险公司的反对意见时，引用了保险公司的说法：the rules would make them vulnerable to lawsuits.由此可见答案应该是D.A项中提出的政府加强对病人私人信息的控制的说法是不正确的，因为保险公司抗议的是政府要加强对法规实施情况的审查。 参考译文 技术是一把双刃剑。这一点在医疗保健领域尤为明显。借助技术，医生可以测试病人的遗传缺陷——并通过互联网很快将结果传遍全世界。对于那些需要治疗的人来说，这是好消息;但对于那些正在找工作，或者想要买一份保险的人来说，这样的消息可能非常糟糕。 上周比尔。克林顿总统向国会提交了一份病人权利法案的推论：医疗隐私权。从2002年开始，根据2月即将生效的法规，病人将有权规定透露其个人医疗资料的条件。他们可以检查自己的病历并进行更正。他们也可以了解哪些人曾看过他们的信息。医护人员或者保险公司对病历使用不当将会导致民事或者刑事处罚。克林顿说，这一提案“在促使美国人重新获得对自己的病历控制权方面迈出了极其重要的一步。” 虽然政府称这些法规旨在平衡消费者和医疗保健行业的需求，但医生和保险公司对此都颇有微词。医生认为这些法规实际上是在破坏隐私权，因为其中一条规定允许管理式医疗保健计划在“开展医疗保健工作”时可以不经许可使用个人信息。医生们称其为一个漏洞，它使得医疗保健机构和其他保险公司可以打着评估医疗保健质量的旗号窥探医患关系。同时，保险公司也对这些法规持反对意见，他们认为这些法规很容易让他们惹上官司。其中一条法规令他们尤为不满，该法规规定：保险公司对律师和会计这样的“商业伙伴”的侵犯隐私行为负责。这两个群体都一致认为，保护隐私会使医疗保健成本增加至少38亿美元，在接下来的五年里也许还会增加更多。根据新法规的执行条例，联邦政府将加大对医疗保健行业的审查力度，他们对此也表示不满。 新法规的目标之一就是要让病人不再担心自己的隐私被泄漏，从而鼓励他们对医生坦诚相告。今天各种各样的癌症和性病可能会因为病人羞于启齿或者担心失去保险赔付而得不到治疗。这种担心并非无中生有：克林顿的助手补充说，由普林斯顿调查研究协会在一月份进行的一项民意测试显示，在美国，每六个成年人中就有一个曾经做过刻意隐瞒医疗信息的事情，比如用现金支付服务费。

二.

The existence of both racial and sexual discrimination in employment is well documented，and policymakers and responsible employers are particularly sensitive to the plight of the black female employee on the theory that she is doubly the victim of discrimination.That there exist differences in income between whites and blacks is clear，but it is not so clear that these differences are solely the result of racial discrimination in employment.The two groups differ in productivity，so basic economics dictates that their incomes will differ. To obtain a true measure of the effect of racial discrimination in employment it is necessary to adjust the gross black/white income ratio for these productivity factors.White women in urban areas have a higher educational level than black women and can be expected to receive larger incomes.Moreover，State distribution of residence is important because blacks are overrepresented in the South，where wage rates are typically lower than elsewhere and where racial differentials in income are greater.Also，blacks are over-represented in large cities，and incomes of blacks would be greater if blacks were distributed among cities of different sizes in the same manner as whites. After standardization for the productivity factors，the income of black urban women is estimated to be between 108 and 125 percent of the income of white women.This indicates that productivity factors more than account for the actual white/black income differential for women.Despite their greater education，white women’s actual average income is only 2 to 5 percent higher than that of black women in the North.Unlike the situation of men，the evidence indicates that the money income of black urban women was as great as，or greater than，that of whites of similar productivity in the North，and probably in the United States as a whole. At least two possible hypotheses may explain why the adjustment for productivity more than accounts for the observed income differential for women.First，there may be more discrimination against black men than against black women.The different occupational structures for men and women give some indication why this could be the case.Second，the data are consistent with the hypothesis that the intensity of discrimination against women differs little between whites and blacks.Therefore，racial discrimination adds little to effects of existing sex discrimination.These findings suggest that a black woman does not necessarily suffer relatively more discrimination in the labor market than does a white woman.Rather，for women，the effects of sexual discrimination are so pervasive that the effects of racial discrimination are negligible. 1.The primary purpose of the passage is to____. [A] explain the reasons for the existence of income differentials between men and women [B] show that racial discrimination against black women in employment is less important than sexual discrimination [C] explore the ways in which productivity factors influence the earning power of black workers [D] sketch a history of racial and sexual discrimination against black and female workers in the labor market 2.The difference between income levels for black and white women is____. [A] less than that for black and white men [B] greater than that for black and white men [C] greater since black women are subject to more discrimination [D] smaller since women can only do low-paying jobs 3.Which of the following best describes the logical relationship between the two hypotheses presented in the fourth paragraph? [A] They may both be true since each phenomenon could contribute to the observed differential. [B] They are contradictory，and if one is proved to be correct，the other is proved incorrect. [C] They are independent of each other，and it is hard to establish any relationship between them. [D] The two hypotheses are logically connected so that it is impossible to prove either one to be true without also proving the other to be true. 4.If the second hypothesis mentioned by the author is correct，a general lessening of discrimination against women should lead to a ____. [A] higher white/black income ratio for women [B] lower white/black income ratio for women [C] lower female/male income ratio [D] increase in the productivity of women 5.The author’s attitude toward racial and sexual discrimination in employment is one of____. [A] apology [B] concern [C] indifference [D] indignation

1.[B] 文章最后一段是作者的结论，这段提到两个假设，一是对男性黑人的歧视可能比对女性黑人的歧视更严重;二是对妇女的歧视在黑人和白人之间没有多大区别。因此作者的结论是：就黑人妇女而言，种族歧视并没有使性别歧视加重——黑人妇女并没有受双重歧视，由于对任何种族的妇女的歧视占主导地位，种族歧视的影响几乎可以忽略不计了。

2.[A] 最后一段提到，有数据显示支持如下假设：对妇女的歧视在白人和黑人之间差别不大，因此，种族歧视在性别歧视之外几乎没有再添加影响。这些发现表明：在劳动力市场上，黑人妇女不一定比白人妇女遭受更多的歧视，更确切地说，对妇女来说，性别歧视是如此广泛存在，以至于种族歧视的影响可以忽略不计。

3.[A]

4.[A]

5.[B] 意为：关注。作者对黑人妇女在就业上可能存在的受歧视现象进行了实事求是的分析，并借助于数据进行了说明。作者的目的当然是找出根本原因，以便切实解决问题。从这个角度来看，作者对黑人妇女在工作中的地位是关心的。