研究生英语精读教程[上册]Unit 2

1、研究生英语精读教程研究生英语精读教程( (第三版第三版上上) ) Unit Two Unit TwoCancer & Chemicals 1. Text 2. Exercises 3. Supplementary ReadingCancer & Chemicals-Are We Going Too Far? Marla Coneimplement v. carry out执行proposition n. a suggested offer, arrangement or settlement提议，提案 1 Last year, California governor Georg

2、e Deukmejian called together many of the states best scientific minds to begin implementing Proposition 65, the states Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. This new law bans industries from discharging chemical suspected of causing cancer (carcinogens) or birth defects into water supplies.

3、 Some claim it will also require warning labels on everything that might cause cancer. 2 A day of esotericscience and incomprehensible jargonwas predicted. But Bruce Ames, chairman of the department of biochemistry at the University of California at Berkeley, had plans to liven the proceedings.esote

4、ric adj. mysterious, taught to a select few, (of knowledge, interests, etc. ) limited to a small circle of people神秘的；局限于少数人的jargon adj. the terminology of a profession, group, etc.行话 3 Walking into the room, Ames looked like the quintessential scientist: wire-rimmedbifocals, rumpled suit, tousled ha

5、ir and a sallow complexion that showed he spent more time in his laboratory than in the California sunshine. quintessential adj. of perfect example完美典型的rim n. the outside edge or border of, esp. a round or circular object (尤指圆形或环形物品的 )外缘，框架rumple v. disarrange (clothes, hair, etc. )弄皱tousle v. disar

6、range, esp. the hair弄乱 (尤指头发 )sallow adj. yellow and unhealthy-looking (指皮肤 )病黄色的complexion n. the natural colour and appearance of the skin, esp. of the face (脸部 )皮肤，肤色As someone intoned about the mechanisms of carcinogenesis, Ames began to interject his own one v. recite (a prayer, psalm,

7、 etc. ) in a singing tone;speak with a particular tone吟诵 (祈祷文、赞美诗等 )；以特殊音调说话carcinogen n. a substance which tends to produce a cancer in the body致癌物质interject v. make a sudden remark between others突然插入说话 4 The whole world is chock-full of carcinogens, Ames declared.“ A beer, with its 700 parts per b

8、illion of formaldehyde and five parts per 100 of alcohol is a thousand times more hazardous than anything in the water. If you have beer on your breath, does that mean you have to warn everyone who comes within ten feet of you? formaldehyde n. a type of colourless gas甲醛 5 In an era when headlines sh

9、out about the latest cancer scare, Ames has a different message: the levels of most man-made carcinogens are generally so low that any danger is trivial compared with the levels of natural carcinogens. 6 Ames is not a quack. At age 59, he is one of the nations most respected authorities on carcinoge

10、nesis. His resume is packed with honors, including the Charles. Mott Prize from the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation, one of the most prestigious awards in cancer research, and membership in the National Academy of Sciences. quack n. a person dishonestly claiming to have special, esp. medic

11、al knowledge and practising a skill he does not have冒充内行之人 (尤指医术方面 )；江湖医生 prestigious adj. having or bringing prestige有名望的，有威信的Even his critics say the Ames testhis simple, inexpensive laboratory procedure that helps determine whether a substance might cause canceris a remarkable achievement. 7 But

12、Ames slaughters sacred cows. Hes taking on the environmental movement, which some have called the single most important social movement of the 20th century. In April 1987, for instance, he and two colleagues, Renae Magaw and Lois Swirsky Gold, published a report in Science magazine that ranked vario

13、us possible cancer risks.slaughter vt. to kill (animals) for food屠宰 (动物 )a sacred cow any person or thing regarded as above criticism or attack 神圣不可侵犯的人或物Based on animal tests of nearly 1,000 chemicals, the data show that daily consumption of the average peanut-butter sandwich, which contains traces

14、 of aflatoxin (a naturally occurring mold carcinogen in peanuts), is 100 times more dangerous than our daily intake of DDT from food, and that a glass of the most polluted well water in the Silicon Valley is 1,000 times less of cancer risk than a glass of wine or beer is.aflatoxin n.黄曲霉毒素silicon n.硅

15、Hes not advising people to stop consuming peanut-butter, beer and wine. What hes saying is that most cancer risks created by man are trivial compared with everyday natural risks, and its not clear how many of these are real risks. Both types distract attention from such enormous risk factors as toba

16、cco.distract v. draw away (persons attention from sth.) 转移（一个人的注意力），使分心 8 Amess cancer research began about 25 years ago over a bag of potato chips. Ames, then conducting research for the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, was reading the ingredients on the bag. It struck him that no one kne

17、w what each chemical did to human genes , and there was no easy way to find out.ingredient n. a particular one of a mixture of things (混合的 )成分gene n.基因 9 At that time, scientists testing for carcinogenicity had to set up time consuming and costly lab experiments on rats and mice. Armed with the know

18、ledge that bacteria are sensitive to substances that cause mutation, and that carcinogens were likely to be mutagens, Ames developed a carcinogen test using bacteria. The Ames test was hailed as a major scientific development and is now used worldwide.mutation n. sudden inheritable divergence from a

19、ncestral type突变，变异 10 One day in 1974 Ames, now teaching at Berkeley, suggested that some students test various household products. To his surprise, many common hair dyes tested positive, as did a flame retardant used in childrens pajamas. Almost overnight, Ames became a hero of environmentalists wh

20、en his findings led to new regulations and bans on certain chemicals.a flame retardant 阻燃剂pajamas n. (pl. )loose-fitting jacket and trousers for sleeping in宽松睡衣裤 11 For the next decade public concern over carcinogens continued to rise. Then, Ames says, I started realizing something wasnt right. Too

21、many natural substances also tested positive as carcinogens or mutagens: fruit juices, brown mustard , celery , parsley .mustard n.芥菜celery n.芹菜parsly n.欧芹In fact, about half of all chemicals tested by Amesboth natural and man-madeturned out to be potentially carcinogenic when given in enormous dose

22、s to rats and mice. 12 Ames at first assumed he had erred with his test. He hadnt. His error had been making the common, but naive, assumption that only man-made chemicals could be dangerous. Why assume nature is benign? he now says.err v. make mistakes; do or be wrong犯错，做错benign adj. (of a disease)

23、 not dangerous to life, not malignant (指病变 )无危险的，良性的 13 The campaign supporting Californias Proposition 65 convinced Ames that he had a duty to explain this to the public. When people said certain birth defects were caused by a part per billion of something in the water, I thought it irresponsible,

24、he says. Its just playing with peoples fears. You can always find a part per billion of something in the water. 14 In testimonybefore a California senate committee, Ames noted that tap water, for instance, contains the carcinogen chloroform at about 83 ppb due to chlorination. testimony n. a formal

25、statement that something is true, as made by a witness in a court of law (法庭上见证人所作的 )见证chloroform n. 氯仿chlorination n. 使氯化，用氯气处理But coffee contains two natural carcinogens at about 4,000 ppb each, while human blood averages 3,000 ppb of formaldehyde from normal metabolism.metabolism n. process by wh

26、ich food is built up into living matter or by which living matter is broken down into simple substances新陈代谢，代谢作用15 Some people assume Ames is a stooge for the chemical industry, which he is not. He does no consulting for the chemical, drug or food companies, or for law firms. And he accepts no grant

27、s from business.stooge n. any person who acts as a foil, (an underling, etc. ) to another陪衬；傀儡 16 Environmentalists reject Amess arguments, saying that we are obligated to keep the total exposure to carcinogens as low as possible. Somehow he thinks there has to be a choice, says Carl Pope of the Sie

28、rra Club. If we had to choose between TCE a suspected cancer causing solvent in drinking water and public education on cigarette smoking, maybe hes right. But we dont have to make a choice. obligate v. compel a person, esp. legally to do sth.强制 (某人，尤指依法 )做某事 17 Amess reply:You dont want every chemic

29、al company dumping their garbage out the back door. But the price you pay for living in a modern, industrial society is a few parts per billion of chemicals in the water. You can get rid of it, but at enormous cost. If you spend all your time chasing trivia, you lose sight of the important risks. tr

30、ivia n. (pl.) trifles; unimportant details 不重要的事，琐事Exercises . Comprehension . Vocabulary . Cloze . Translation (English to Chinese) . Translation (Chinese to English) . Writing. ComprehensionAnswer the following questions or complete the following statements by choosing the best alternative A, B, C

31、 or D under each. You are allowed 2 minutes 30 seconds for this part.1. Amess appearance at last years meeting showed that _.he liked to enjoy the California sunshinehe was too busy to care for himselfhe was particular about his clothesA.he paid no attention to himself. Comprehension2. According to

32、Ames, in our era man-made carcinogens are _.less dangerous than natural carcinogensas dangerous as natural carcinogensmore dangerous than natural carcinogensthe latest cancer scare3. Ames slaughters sacred cows“ means that _.Ames often kills cowsAmes likes to eat beefAmes doesnt believe in any relig

33、ionA.Ames defies anything regarded as above criticism4. What Ames really wants to say in his report in Science magazine is that _.daily consumption of the average peanut-butter sandwich is 100 times more dangerous than our daily intake of DDT from fooda glass of the most polluted well water in the S

34、ilicon Valley is 1,000 times less of cancer risk than a glass of wine or beer ispeople should stop consuming peanut-butter, beer and wineA.most man-made cancer risks are trivial compared with daily natural risks and its not clear how many of these are real risks. Comprehension5. Before Ames develope

35、d a carcinogen test using bacteria, scientists _.made their experiments on bacteriadid not know that bacteria were sensitive to mutagenshad known that bacteria were sensitive to carcinogensA.had spent much time and money making experiments on bacteria. Comprehension6. In 1974, Ames suddenly became a

36、 hero of environmentalists as _.he suggested that some students test various household productsmany common hair dyes tested positivea flame retardant used in childrens pajamas tested positiveA.his findings resulted in new regulations and laws on certain chemicals. Comprehension7. People tend to assu

37、me nature is benign because _.they believe only man-made chemicals could be dangerousAmes had erred with his teststhey are naive and ignorant about the Ames TestA.most natural substances have been tested negative as carcinogens or mutagens. Comprehension8. Environmentalists argument against Ames is

38、that _.Ames is a stooge for the chemical industryAmes does consulting for the chemical drug and food companies or law firmsAmes has erred in supposing that we have to make a choice between cancer risksA.More attention should be paid to TCE in drinking water than public education of cigarette smoking

39、. Comprehension9. Amess reply to the environmentalists is that _.we have to pay for living in a modern industrial societywe should not waste time on trivia at the expense of real riskswe have to get rid of harmful chemicals in the water at any costsA.every chemical company should dump its garbage ou

40、t the back door. Comprehension10. From the text we can infer that man-made carcinogens are _. no more harmful to the American public than a peanut-butter sandwich not more harmful to the American public than a peanut-butter sandwich more harmful to the American public than a peanut-butter sandwich A

41、.harmful to the American public while a peanut-butter sandwich is not. Comprehension11. Ames has adopted a _ attitude towards Californias Proposition 65. watch-and-wait B. no-comment C. critical D. respectful . Comprehension. VocabularyA. Identify one of the four choices A, B, C, or D which would ke

42、ep the meaning of the underlined word or phrase.1. After his father died, Bill took on the management of the factory. got B. undertook C. organized D. held2. Those students who have access to his esoteric discussions were impressed by the scope of his thinking. known by few B. known to all C. very l

43、ively D. quite popular . VocabularyA. Identify one of the four choices A, B, C, or D which would keep the meaning of the underlined word or phrase.3. The music of the radio distracted me from my reading. A. engrossed B. confused C. refrain D. diverted 4. Abraham Lincoln was quintessential American p

44、atriot. A. great B. famous C. typical D. revered. VocabularyA. Identify one of the four choices A, B, C, or D which would keep the meaning of the underlined word or phrase.5. Every now and then, the speaker interjected some witty remark. A. rejected B. criticized C. inserted D. jeered 6. Why do you

45、get angry over such trivial matters? A. of great worth B. of great benefit C. of little worth D. of little help . VocabularyA. Identify one of the four choices A, B, C, or D which would keep the meaning of the underlined word or phrase.7. The youngest boy was laughed at for his naive remarks. innoce

46、nt B. witty C. amusing D. foolish8. The lady rumpled her skirt by sitting on the seat while flying.A. disordered B. disarranged C. creased D. crashed. VocabularyA. Identify one of the four choices A, B, C, or D which would keep the meaning of the underlined word or phrase.9. Thousands of people are

47、needlessly slaughtered in road accidents in his country each year.wounded B. killedC. injured D. crushed10. I bought this cloth cheap because there is a small defect in it.A. spotB. dotC. flawD. point. VocabularyB. Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.11. Your job is not to make dec

48、isions but to _ the decisions we make. complete B. accomplishC. ImplementD. affect12. Would you _ him among the worlds great statesmen?A. rank B. callC. nameD. hail. VocabularyB. Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.13. Understanding is one of the most important _ of a successful ma

49、rriage. ingredientsB. standardsC. keysD. methods14. There are _ of poison in the dead mans blood.A. pieces B. tracesC. slicesD. lots. VocabularyB. Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.15. He had been ill for months, and we were disturbed by his _ complexion.fair B. sallow C. darkD.

50、white16. A witness in court is _ to tell the truth.temptedB. obligatedC. urgedD. praised. VocabularyB. Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.17. A _ swelling or tumour can usually be cured. malignant B. benignC. small D. mild18. It is better to _ on the side of mercy.A. errB. add C.

51、work D. offer. VocabularyB. Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.19. He has a very _ address; he lives in the best part of town. wealthy B. comfortableC. prestigiousD. Accessible20. We all listened to the priest _ the psalm. intoning B. utteringC. speaking D. delivering. ClozeRead t

52、he passage through and choose one suitable word or phrase marked A, B, C or D for each blank in the passage. We all know that normal human daily 1 of activity is of some 78 hours sleep 2 with some 1617 hours wakefulness and that, broadly speaking, the sleep normally coincides with the hours of 3 .A.

53、 lifeB. cycleC. operationD. planA. alternating B. keepingC. goingD. shiftingA. dawnB. quietnessC. darknessD. mid-night Our present concern is with how easily and to what extent this normality can be modified. The question is no more an academic one. The ease, for example, with which people can chang

54、e from working in the day to working at night is a question of growing importance in industry where 4 calls insistently for round-the-clock working of machine. It normally takes from five days to one week for a person to adapt to a 5 routine of sleep and wakefulness, sleeping during the day and work

55、ing at night.A. productionB. automationC. managementD. manufactureA. fixedB. reservedC. givenD. reversedUnfortunately, it is often the case in industry that shifts are changed every week, a person may work from 12 mid-night to 8 a.m. 6 week, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. the next, and 4 p.m. to 12 mid-night the

56、third and so on. This means that no sooner has he got used to one routine 7 he was to change to another, so that much of his time is spent neither working nor sleeping efficiently.A. aB. firstC. oneD. theA. thanB. whenC. oneD. whileOne answer would seem to be longer periods on each shift, a month, o

57、r even three months. Recent research, however, has shown that people on such systems will get back into their normal habits of sleep and wakefulness during the weekend and that this is quite enough to 8 any adaptation to night work built up during the week.A. harmB. changeC. demolishD. reduceThe onl

58、y real solution appears to be to hand 9 the night shift to a 10 of permanent night workers whose adaptation to night work may persist 11 all weekends and holidays. An interesting study of the domestic life and health of night-shift workers was carried out by Brown in 1967.A. downB. overC. fromD. InA

59、. corpsB. crowdC. gangD. flockA. inB. forC. throughD. onShe found a high 12 of disturbed sleep, digestive disorder and domestic disruption among those on alternating day and night shifts, but no abnormal occurrence of these 13 among those on permanent night work.A. incidenceB. happeningC. levelD. po

60、ssibilityA. diseasesB. symbolsC. signsD. symptoms This latter system then appears to be the best long-term policy, but, for the time being, something may be done to relieve the 14 of alternate day and night work by selecting those people who can adapt most 15 to the changes of routine.A. taskB. hardshipC. s