2022年江西省新余市公共英语五级(笔试)知识点汇总（含答案）

2022年江西省新余市公共英语五级(笔试)知识点汇总（含答案）学校:________班级:________姓名:________考号:________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15题)1.Youcanfindyournoseinthedarknessbecauseofyour"feltimage".

A.RightB.Wrong

2.WhendidDr.Huberbecomeinterestedinpiano?

3.Theystartedworkingin1968basedontheobservationmadebyJung,thefounderof______.

4.AsimplediethighinvitaminsandsugarbutlowinfatandchemicalsbenefitsthosepeopleinHunza.

A.TrueB.Fasle

5.WhendidDicksongotoBostonforeyetreatment?

A.In1848.

B.Intheearly1850s.

C.Inthelate1850s.

D.Intheearly1860s.

6.听力原文：Iwanttotalktodayaboutsomestudies.Theyseemtoindicatethatthereisastartlingworld-widedeclineinthenumberofamphibians,suchasflogs,toadsandsalamanders.There'slittledoubtthatonereasonwhythenumberofamphibiansisdecliningistheirhabitatshavebeendestroyedwhenthedevelopersfillinpondsandmarshestobuildhouses.Amphibianscan'tjustmovesomewhere.Theyneedwatertolaytheireggsin.Anotherproblemisthegrowingfishindustry.Anotherrangeofpopularpoolfishsuchascarphavebeenintroducedtomanylakesandpondsallovertheworld.Raisingandsellingthesefishcanbeprofitable,butthefisheattheeggsandoffspringofamphibiansthatwerealreadylivinginthelakesandponds.Otherfactorscouldbecontributingtothedeclineincludeacidrainandthespreadofpesticideresidues.Manypesticidesthatfarmersaddedtotheircropsareeventuallywashedawaybytherainandendupinpondsandotherbodiesofwaterwhereamphibianslive.Amphibiansareespeciallyvulnerabletopesticidesdissolvedinthewaterbecauseoftheirmoistskins.Watercanpassthroughamphibiansallowingtoxinsdissolvedinthewatertoentertheamphibians'body.

Whatdoesthespeakermainlydiscuss?

A.Thedistributionofdifferentspeciesofamphibians.

B.Possiblereasonsforreductioninthenumberofamphibians.

C.Theeffectsofenvironmentalchangeonthefishindustry.

D.Guidelinesfortheresponsibleuseofpesticides.

7.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

听力原文：Hello，everyone．TodayIwillintroduceyouthelearningchainsinBritain．Herethechainsrefertoschoolslinkedtogetheraspartofagroup．Theycanofferstudentsmanypracticaladvantages．

Whenpeopleareaskedtonamealanguageschool，moreoftenthannot．theythinkofoneofthelargeinternationalchainsofschools．Somearevastlanguageteachingorganizationswithschoolsinmanydifferentcountriesandmayteachjustonelanguage．

Oneofthemainstrengthsofthesechainsisthefactthattheirnameisfamiliartopeopleallovertheworld．Thiscanbeabigadvantageintheconfusingworldoflanguagelearning．Moststudentsarebewilderedbythelargechoiceofschoolsandcoursesonoffer．bothathomeandabroad．andsomanyprefertochooseaschoolwhichhasafamiliarnameandanestablishedreputation．Chainschoolsknowthis，andpartoftheirsuccessisduetoeffectivemarketingandadvertising，whichhelpstokeeptheirnamewell-known．

Butchainschoolsshouldnotbedismissedbyseriousstudentsjustbecausetheyuseclevermarketingtechniques．Theyhaveotherimportantstrengthenswhichcanprovideadvantagestostudents．Aschoolisonlyasgoodasitsteachersandfacilities，andmanychainsofferveryhighstandardsinboth．Morechainsrequirethattheirteachershaveinternationallyrecognizedqualificationsandamaximumamountofteachingexperience．Itisimportantforchainstomaintainthesestandardsatallschools．becausethereputationofthewholechaincanbeaffectedifoneschoolperformsbadly．

Studentsalsobenefitfromthestandardizedstructureofchains．Mostchainsusethesametextbooksinalltheirschools．andoftentheyproducetheirowncourseworkmaterials．Theyalsoorganizetheircoursesinthesamewaywhichmeansthatstartingdatesandcourselengthsareusuallythesameatallschools．

Forstudents,oneofthemainadvantagesofthisstandardizedstructureissimplicity．IfyoucannotdecidewhethertostudyintheU.S.orBritain．forexample，mostchainsallowstudentstostarttheirlanguagecourseatoneschoolandcontinueatanother，sotheycanexperiencedifferentregionsordifferentcountries，aspartofthesamestudytrip．

Chainschoolstendtobelargerthansinglecenterschools，whichcanalsohaveadvantagesforstudents．Withlargernumbersofstudents．schooladministratorscanachieveabettermixtureofnationalitiesinclassrooms．Thismeansthatstudentscanavoidbeingwithotherstudentswhospeaktheirlanguage．Thisgivesthemthechancetomeetstudentsfromothercountries，andtopracticetheirEnglishwiththem．

Somechainsofferstudentsaverysimplebookingandenrolmentprocedurewhichisalsouseful．Applicationformsandenrolmentproceduresarethesameforallschools，sostudentsneedonlysupplytheirdetailsonce．Studentsmayfindthattheycanbooktheircourseabroadthrougharepresentativeofachainschoolintheirowntownorcity．Otherchainsofferacentralizedbookingfacility，sostudentsonlyhavetocontactonecentertomakeabookinganywhereintheworld．

Chainschoolsoftenoperateindifferentlocations，whereasasingleschoolislikelytobebasedpermanentlyinonebuilding．Manychainschoolsoperatetemporaryschools，particularlyduringthesummerholidays．InBritain，theyoftenusesecondaryschoolpremiseswhichareemptyduringtheschoolholidays．

StudyingEnglishinanEnglish-speakingcountryisthemosteffectivewaytolearnthelanguage，butformanystudentsthisisonlyonestageoftheirlearningcareer．MoststudentsstartlearningEnglishintheirowncountryandtheywillprobablywanttocontinuelearningoncetheyreturnfrom

A.RightB.Wrong

8.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

听力原文：Inyouruniversitywork．youwillbeexpectedtogiveoralpresentationsintheform.ofreportsorsimplyintheformsofanswerstoquestions．Thereareseveralthingsyouoraldotomakeyouroralpresentationsclearandeasytounderstand．

Thefundamentalpointtorealizeisthatspeechandwritingaredifferent．Ifyouwanttobebestunderstood．youcan'tsimplyreadyourwrittenreportaloud．Thebiggestdifferencebetweenspokenandwrittenlanguageisthatreaderscanlookbackovertheprintedwordswhentheydon'tunderstand．Inspokenlanguage，however，listenerscan'tgobackandcheckthewords．Theycanrelyonlyonmemory．Sothefirstprincipletokeepinmindwhenyou'replanningtospeakinpublicisthatyouhavetohelpthelistener'smemory．Thismeansthatanoralreportcan'tdeliverinformationasrapidlyasawrittenreport．Thatis，youcan'thaveasmanypiecesofnewinformationpackedintothesamenumberofwords，becausetheywillcomeattoofastarateforthelistenertounderstand．

Inanoralreport，therateofdeliveryhastobeslower．Oneofthebestwaystohelpyouraudienceissimplytospeakslowly．Manypeoplespeaktoofastwhentheyspeaktoagroup．Thisisamistake，especiallyifyouhaveaforeignaccent，becauseitmakeslisteningmoredifficult．Beyondthesimpletechniqueofspeakingmoreslowlywhenyouspeakbeforeagroup，therearewaysoforganizingyourpresentationthatcanhelpthelistenerbeclearandunderstandyourmainpoints．

Theorganizationofyourtalkshouldallowenoughtimeforthelistenertothinkbothbeforeandaftereachnewidea．Thepurposeofthetimebeforethenewinformationistogivetheaudienceachancetounderstandthebackgroundclearly．Knowledgeofthebackground，orsettingoftheinformation，makesitmucheasiertoanticipatewhatkindofinformationiscomingnext．Ifthenewinformationoccurstooearly，withoutenoughbackground，thelistenersshouldnotbepreparedwithenoughbackgroundtobeabletopredictwhat'scoming．

I'vebeendescribingthetimeforthinkingbeforethenewinformation．It'salsoimportanttoprovidetimeforthinkingafterthenewinformation．Thisthinkingtimeallowslistenerstofittheideaintotheirgeneralknowledgeofthesubject．Thinkingtimegivesthelistenerachancetomakesurethattheideawasunderstoodbeforegoingontothenextnewidea．

Therearethreegeneralwaystogivethelistenertimeforthinkingandtimeafterapointofnewinformation．Onewayissimplytopause．Amomentofsilencegivesthelistenertimetotakeinthenewinformation，butthereareotherways．Asecondmethodistouseaparaphrase．Thatis，yousaythesamething，butindifferentwords．Thisparaphrase，orrepetitionoftheidea，helpsthelistenerstofixthethoughtintheirmemory．Athirdwaytogivethelistenertimetothinkistousewordsthatdon'tmeanmuch．Thesearewordsthatconveynoinformation，butjustfillintime．Forinstance，youmightsaysomethinglike“asI'vebeensaying”or“andsoforth”and“andsoon”．Thatkindofexpressiondoesn'treallysayanything．It'sjustmadeofwhatwecall“fillerwords”．Thewordshavenorealmeaning．buttheydoperform.ausefulfunction．sincetheyallowthelistenertimetothink．

Insummary，then，weknowthatorallanguageshoulddeliverinformationataslowerratethanyoucanuseinwrittenlanguage．Newinformationshouldbepresentedmoregradually．Thinkingtimeshouldbeprovidedbothbeforeandaftereachimportantnewitem．Thetimebeforeistoprovideabackgroundsothatthelistenerscanhaveachancetoanticipat

9.Waterisasimportantasvitamins,mineralsandproteinsforlife.

A.RightB.Wrong

10.PartB

Directions:Youwillhear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.

听力原文：M:Ireallydon'tknowwhattodothissummer.Ican'taffordtojustsitaround,andtheredon'tseemtobeanyjobsavailable.

W:Whydon'tyoutryhouse-sitting?LastsummermyfriendSallyhouse-satfortheGammonswhentheywentawayonvacation.Mrs.GammonhiredSallytostayintheirhousebecauseshedidn'twantitleftempty.

M:YoumeantheGammonspaidSallyjusttoliveintheirhouse?

W:Itwasn'teasy.Shehadtomowthelawnandwaterthehouseplants.AndwhenJodihouse-satforMr.Johnson,hehadtotakecareofhispets.

M:House-sittingsoundslikeagoodjob.Iguessit'salittlelikebaby-sitting—exceptyou'retakingcareofahouseinsteadofchildren.

W:Thestudentemploymentofficestillhasafewjobsposted.

M:DoIjusthavetofilloutanapplication?

W:SallyandJodihadtointerviewwiththehomeownersandprovidedthreereferenceseach.

M:Thatseemslikealotoftroubleforasummerjob.

W:Well,thehomeownerswantsomeguaranteesothattheycantrustthehouse-sitter.Youknow,theywanttomakesureyou'renotthetypewho'11throwwildpartiesintheirhouse,ormoveagroupoffriendsinwithyou.

M:House-sitterswhodothatsortofthingprobablyaren'tpaidthen.

W:Usuallythey'repaidanywayjustbecausethehomeownersdon'twanttomakeafuss.Butifthehomeownerreportedit,thenthehouse-sitterwouldn'tbeabletogetanotherjob.Soifthehomeownerreportedit,thenthehouse-sitterwouldn'tbeabletogetanotherjob.Sowhydon'tyouapply?

M:Yeah,IthinkIwill.

Whichjobdocsthewomansuggesttotheman?

A.Baby-sitting.

B.House-cleaning.

C.House-sitting.

D.Mowingthelawn.

11.PartB

Directions:Youwillhear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.

听力原文：M：Now，I'dliketosaythatIthinkthatthisgovernmentproposingtobuildmorenuclearpowerstationsinthiscountryisreallybeingstupid．Thepointaboutnuclearpoweristhatwehaven'tlearnttodoawaywiththewaste．Wehaven'tlearnttocopewiththewastefromityet．

W：Well，Isometimesthinkthat，youknow，they'vegotanimpossiblejob．ImeanalltheimpressionIgetisthatthereisnoalternative…well,that'stheimpressionIget．

M：No，no，noI…Idon'tagreewiththatatall.Thereareplentyofalternatives．There'sthesun…solarpower…thatisasourcethatisalwaysthere，wealwayshaveit．

W：Idon't…Idon'tquiteseewhatyou'regettingatactually，solarpower，what'sthat?

M：Well，theheatfromthesun，itcanbeusedinsolarpanelsonthetopsofhousesforheating，storinguppowertoheatwaterandtoheatthehouses，youknow，somesolarpanelsareinoperationalreadyandtheyaresavingmoney…

W：That'sagoodpointactually，butisitreallyviable，that，ImeanbecauseI'd…

M：Sorryitmustbe!AndtheonegreatadvantageisthatIcansee，ifthegovernmentsetupsmallunitstobuildsolarpanelsandtoinstallthem，itwouldbecreatingemploymentwhichwouldimprovetheunemploymentsituationandbringterrificadvantages．

W：IhaveheardthatinEngland，Imean，there'snotenoughsun，isthere?For，Imean，solarpanelshere?

M：Yes，well，that'snotquitetrue．I…thereisquiteabitofsun…youmaynotfeeltheactualheatofitonsomeoccasions．

W：No，youarefightthere!

M：Butthelightpowerfromthesunwill…

Whatdoesthemanthinkofthegovernment'spresentproposalaboutbuildingmorepowerstationsinthecountry?

A.It'sadangerousproposal.

B.It'sastupidproposal.

C.It'sanadvantageousproposal.

D.It'saviableproposal.

12.Wangdecidestotakecoursesandpassexams.

A.RightB.Wrong

13.Accordingtothefigureoftheacademicyear1995/96,wheredothelargestnumberofforeignstudentscomefrom?

14.WhatdoesthespeakersayaboutLowTillFanning?

A.It'sanewwayofapplyingchemicalfertilizer.

B.It'sanimprovedmethodofharvestingcrops.

C.It'sacreativetechniqueforsavinglabor.

D.It'safanningprocesslimitingtheuseofplows.

15.Whatistherelationshipbetweenthemanandthewomaninthedialogue?

A.Reporterandfashiondesigner.

B.Husbandandwife.

C.Shopassistantandcustomer.

D.Teacherandstudent.

二、2.UseofEnglish(10题)16.(33)

17.

【C4】

18.(43)

19.(50)

20.(48)

21.(37)

22.

【C13】

23.

【C8】

24.(35)

25.

【C2】

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15题)26.(78)

27.

Whycouldnotceramicsbeusedwidelyinthepast?

A.Becauseoftheirbrittleness.

B.Becausepeopledidn'tknowhowtousethem.

C.Becausetheywerenotuseful.

D.Becausetheycouldnotresistheat.

28.PartA

Directions:ReadthefollowingtextsandanswerthequestionswhichaccompanythembychoosingA,B,CorD.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Inrecentyears,therehasbeenasteadyassaultonsaltfromthedoctors:Saltisbadforyou—regardlessofyourhealth.Politiciansalsogotonboard."Thereisadirectrelationship,"UScongressmanNealSmithnoted,"betweentheamountofsodiumapersonconsumesandheartdisease,circulatorydisorders,strokeandevenearlydeath."

Frightening,iftrue!Butmanydoctorsandmedicalresearchersarenowbeginningtofeelthesaltscarehasgonetoofar."Allthishueandcryabouteatingsaltisunnecessary,"Dr.Dustaninsists."Formostofusitprobablydoesn'tmakemuchdifferencehowmuchsaltweeat."Dustan'smostrecentshort-termstudyof150peopleshowedthatthosewithnormalbloodpressureunderwentnochangeatallwhenplacedonanextremelylow-saltdiet,orlaterwhensaltwasreintroduced.Ofthehypertensivesubjects,however,halfofthoseonthelow-saltdietdidexperienceadropinbloodpressure,whichreturnedtoitspreviouslevelwhensaltwasreintroduced.

"Anadequatetosomewhatexcessivesaltintakehasprobablysavedmanymotelivesthanithascostinthegeneralpopulation,"notesDr.JohnH.Largh."Soarecommendationthatthewholepopulationshouldavoidsaltmakesnosense."

Medicalexpertsagreethateveryoneshouldpracticereasonable"moderation"insaltconsumption.Foranaverageperson,amoderateamountmightrunfromfourtotengramsaday,orroughly1/2to1/3ofateaspoon.Theequivalentofonetotwogramsofthissaltallowancewouldcomefromthenaturalsodiuminfood.Therestwouldbeaddedinprocessing,preparationoratthetable.

Thosewithkidney,liverorheartproblemsmayhavetolimitdietarysalt,iftheirdoctoradvises.Buteventheveryvocal"lowsalt"exponent,Dr.ArthurHullHayes,Jr.admitsthat"Wedonotknowwhetherincreasedsodiumconsumptioncauseshypertension."Infact,thereisincreasingscientificevidencethatotherfactorsmaybeinvolved:deficienciesincalcium,potassium,perhapsmagnesium;obesity(muchmoredangerousthansodium);geneticpredispotition;stress.

"Itisnotyourenemy,"saysDr.Laragh,"SaltistheNo.1naturalcomponentofallhumantissue,andtheideathatyoudon'tneeditiswrong.Unlessyourdoctorhasproventhatyouhaveasalt-relatedhealthproblem,thereisnoreasontogiveitup."

Accordingtosomedoctorsandpoliticians,theamountofsaltconsumed

A.exhibitsasanaggravatingfactortopeopleinpoorhealth

B.curesdiseasessuchasstrokeandcirculatorydisorders

C.correlateshighlywithsomediseases

D.isirrelevanttopeoplesufferingfromheartdisease

29.(80)

30.ShortagesoffluvaccinearenothingnewinAmerica,butthisyear'sisawhopper.Untillastweek,itappearedthat100millionAmericanswouldhaveaccesstoflushotsthisfall.ThenBritishauthorities,concernedaboutquality-controlproblemsataproductionplantinLiverpool,barredallfurthershipmentsbytheChironCorp.Overnight,theU.S.vaccinesupplydwindledbynearlyhalfandfederalhealthofficialsfoundthemselvesmakinganunusualplea.Insteadofbeseechingusalltogetvaccinated,they'renowurgingmosthealthypeoplebetweentheagesof2and64notto."Thisreemphasizesthefragilityofourvaccinesupply,"saysDr.MartinMyersoftheNationalNetworkforImmunizationInformation,"andthelackofredundancyinoursystem."

Whyissuchabasichealthservicesoeasilyknockedout?Mainlybecauseprivatecompanieshavehadlittleincentivetopursueit.Tocreateasingledoseoffluvaccine,amanufacturerhastogrowlivevirusina2-week-oldfertilizedchickenegg,thencracktheegg,harvestthevirusandextracttheproteinsusedtoprovokeanimmunere-sponse.Profitmarginsarenarrow,demandisfickleand,becauseeachyear'sfluvirusisdifferent,anyleftovervaccinegoestowaste.Asaresult,theUnitedStatesnowhasonlytwomajorsuppliers(ChironandAventisPasteur)—andwhenoneofthemrunsintotrouble,thereisn'tmuchtheothercandoaboutit."Avaccinemakercan'tjustcallupandorder40millionmorefertilizedeggs,"saysManonCox,ofConnecticut-basedProteinSciencesCorp."There'sawholeindustrythat'sscheduledtoproduceacertainnumberofeggsatacertaintime."

Sleekertechnologiesarenowintheworks,andexpertsarehopingthatthisyear'sfiascowillspeedthepaceofinnovation.Themainchallengeistoshiftproductionfromeggsintocellcultures—amediumalreadyusedtomakemostothervaccines.Fluvaccinesareharderthanmosttoproducethisway,butseveralbiotechcompaniesarenowpursuingthisstrategy,andoneculture-basedproduct(SolvayPharmaceuticals'Invivac)hasbeenclearedformarketinginEurope.

ForAmericans,theimmediatechallengeistomakethemostofalimitedsupply.Thegovernmentestimatesthat95millionpeoplestillqualifyforshotsunderthevoluntaryrestrictionsannouncedlastweek.That'snearlytwicethenumberofdosesthatclinicswillhaveonhand,butonly60millionAmericansseekoutshotsinanormalyear.Infact,manyexpertsarehopingtheshortagewillserveasanawarenesscampaign—encouragingthepeoplewhoreallyneedaflushottogetone.

Shortagesoffluevaccineshowthat______.

A.Americareliestoomuchonforeignsuppliers

B.thedemandoffluevaccinesishighthisyear

C.qualityproblemisaseriousprobleminfluvaccineproduction

D.thesupplyoffluvaccinesisratherweakandAmericahasnoback-upmeasurestomakeitup

31.(77)

32.

Theword"fib"inthefourthsentenceofParagraph5,probablymeans______.

A.totellthetruth

B.toreduce

C.toincrease

D.totellasmalllie

33.PaulStraussmann,retiredvicepresidentofXerox,indicatesinhisbookInformationPay-offthat"almosthalfoftheU.S.informationworkersareinexecutive,managerial,administrativeandprofessionalpositions."Hefurtherstatesthat"managersandprofessionalsspendmorethanhalfoftheirtimeincommunicatingwitheachother."

Inotherwords,peopleareacorporation'smostexpensiveresource.Foratypicaloffice,over90percentoftheoperatingbudgetisforsalaries,benefitsandoverhead.Withthisinvestment,isitanywonderthatmanagersarefocusingmoreandmoreattentiononemployeeproductivity?Theyrealizethatthepaperjunglecannotbetamedsimplybyhiringmorepeople.Toreceiveareturnontheirinvestment,wisecorporateexecutiveofficersarerealizingwhatindustrialistsandagriculturistslearnedlongago—efficienttoolsareessentialforincreasedproductivity.

Adirectrelationshipexistsbetweenefficientflowofinformationandthequalityandspeedoftheoutputoftheendproduct.Forthosecompaniesusingtechnology,theperdocumentcostofinformationprocessingisonlyafractionofwhatitwasafewyearsago.Thedecreasingcostofcomputersandperipherals(equipmenttiedtothecomputer)willcontinuetomaketechnologyacost-effectivetoolinthefuture.AnexampleofthistypeofsavingisillustratedinthecaseoftheWesternDivisionofGeneralTelephoneandElectronicsCompany(GTE).Bymakingaone-timeinvestmentof$10milliontoautomateitsfacilities,managementestimatesanannualsavingof$8.5millionforthecompany.Thissavingsisgainedmainlythroughtheeliminationofsupportpeopleonceneededforproposalprojects.Throughatelecommunicationsnetworkthatsupports150computerterminalswithgoodgraphicscapabilities,theengineerswhoconceptualizetheprojectsarenowdirectparticipants.Theyusethegraphicscapacitiesofthecomputerratherthanrelyondrafterstopreparedrawings,theyentertheirowntextratherthanemploytypists,andtheyusethenetworktotrackprojectprogressratherthanconductingmeetings.

Inthefirstparsgraph,theauthorquotesStraussmann'swordsinordertomakeclear______.

A.theimportanceofcommunicativecapabilityinbusiness

B.theneedibrpeopleofhigherpositionsinacompany

C.theimportanceofassigningpeopletoproperpositions

D.thenecessityforpeopleinhigherpositionstoknowinformationscience

34.PartB

Directions:Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66-70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA-Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66～70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA～Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

DoesthepublisherofDouglasStarr'sexcellentBlood--AnEpicHistoryofMedicineandCommerceactuallyexpecttosellmanycopies?Whoeverchosethetitleiscertaintoscareoffthesqueamish,andthesubtitle,whichmakestheeffortsoundlikeadry,densesurveytext,hasreallydonethisbookadisservice.Infact,thebraveandcuriouswillenjoyabrightlywritten,intriguing,anddisquietingbook,withsomeimportantlessonsforpublichealth.

66.______

Thebookbeginswithahistoricalviewoncenturiesofloreaboutblood--inparticular,thebeliefthatbloodcarriedtheevilhumorsofdiseaseandrequiredoccasionaldraining.AsrecentlyastheRevolutionaryWar,bloodlettingwaswidelyappliedtotreatfevers.Theideaofusingoneperson'sbloodtohealanotherisonlyabout75yearsold—althoughroguescientistshadexperimentedwithtransfusinganimalbloodatleastasearlyasthe1600s.Thefirsttransfusionexperimentsinvolvedstitchingadonor'svein(inearlycasesthephysician's)toapatient'svein.

67.______

Sabotagedbynotionsaboutthe"purity"oftheirgroups'blood,JapanandGermanylaggedwellbehindtheAlliesintransfusionscience.OncetheyrealizedtheywerelosinginjuredtroopstheAllieshadlearnedtosave,theytriedtocatchup,conductinghorribleandunproductiveexperimentssuchasdrainingbloodfromPOWsandinjectingthemwithhorsebloodorpolymers.

68.______

Duringtheearlytomid-1980s,Startsays,10,000Americanhemophiliacsand12,000otherscontractedHIVfromtransfusionsandreceiptofbloodproducts.Bloodbanksbothhereandabroadmovedslowlytoacknowledgethethreatofthevirusandinsomecasesevenactedwithcriminalnegligence,allowingthedistributionofbloodtheyknewwastainted.Thisisnotnewmaterial.ButStarr'sinsightsaddadimensiontoastoryfirstexploredinthelateRandyShilts'sAndtheBondPlayedOn.

69.______

Isthebloodsupplysafenow?Screeningproceduresandtechnologyhavegottenmuchmoreadvanced.Yetit'sdisturbingtoreadStarr'scontentionthatapersonreceivingmultipletransfusionstodayhasaboutalin90,000chanceofcontractingHIV--farhigherthanthe"oneinamillion"figurethatbloodbankersonceblithelyandfalselyquoted.Moreover,newpathogensthreatentoemergeandspreadthroughtheincreasinglyhigh-speed,globalblood-productnetworkfasterthansciencecanstopthem.ThispromptsStarttoarguethattoday'sbloodstoresare"simultaneouslysaferandmorethreatening"thanwhendistributionwaslesssophisticated.

70.______

A.Themassivewartimeblooddriveslaidthegroundworkformodernblood-banking,whichhassavedcountlesslives.Unfortunately,thesedevelopmentsalsosetthestageforagreatmoderntragedy--thespreadofAIDSthroughtheinternationalbloodsupply.

B.Thereissomuchdrama,power,resonance,andimportantinformationinthisbookthatitwouldbeashameifthesqueamishwerescaredoff.Perhapsthekeylessonisthis:Thepublichealthmustalwaysbeguardedagainstthepressuresandpitfallsofcompetitivemarketsandhumanfallibility.

C.Inhischronicleofaresource,Startcoversanenormousamountofg