Screen Test
1. Every year millions of women are screened with X-rays to pick up signs of breast cancer. If this happens early enough, the disease can often be treated successfully. According to a, survey published last year, 21 countries have screening programmes. Nine of them, including Australia, Canada, the US and Spain, screen women under 50.
2. But the medical benefits of screening these younger women are controversial, partly because the radiation brings a small risk of inducing cancer. Also, younger women must be given higher doses of X-rays because their breast tissue is denser.
3. Researchers at the Polytechnic University1 of Valencia analysed the effect of screening more than 160, 000 women at 11 local clinics. After estimating the women’s cumulative dose of radiation, they used two models to calculate the number of extra cancers this would cause.
4. The mathematical model recommended by Britain’s National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB)predicted that the screening programme would cause 36 cancers per 100,000 women, 18 of them fatal. The model preferred by the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation led to a lower figure of 20 cancers.
5. The researchers argue that the level of radiation-induced cancers is “not very significant” compared to the far larger number of cancers that are discovered and treated. The Valencia programme, they say, detects between 300 and 450 cases of breast cancer in every 100,000 women screened.
6. But they point out that the risk of women contracting cancer from radiation could be reduced by between 40 and 80 percent if screening began at 50 instead of 45, because they would be exposed to less radiation. The results of their study, they suggest, could help “optimise the technique” for breast cancer screening.
7. “There is a trade-off between the diagnostic benefits of breast screening and its risks,” admits Michael Clark of the NRPB. But he warns that the study should be interpreted with caution. “On the basis of the current data, for every 10 cancers successfully detected and prevented there is a risk of causing one later in life. That’s why radiation exposure should be minimised in any screening programme.”
詞匯：
polytechnic 多工藝的 cumulative 遞增的
radiological 放射性的 contract 感染
optimize最大限度地完善 trade-off n.平衡
注釋：
Polytechnic University:理工大學
練習：
1.Paragraph 2 ________________
2.Paragraph 3 ________________
3.Paragraph 4 ________________
4.Paragraph 5 ________________
A Harm Screening May Do to a Younger Woman
B Investigating the Effect of Screening
C Effects Predicted by Two Different Models
D Small Risk of Inducing Cancers from Radiation
E Treatment of Cancers
F Factors That Trigger Cancers
5.Early discovery of breast cancer may________________.
6.Advantages of screening women under 50 are________________.
7.Delaying the age at which screening starts may________________.
8.Radiation exposure should be ________________.
A be costly
B harmful
C save a life
D still open to debate
E reduce the risk of radiation triggering a cancer
F reduced to the minimum
答案與題解：
1.A A說的是:用X射線檢查可能對年輕女人不好。下面是第二段講的意思:但是,用X射線檢查年輕女人,就醫(yī)學上的好處而論,是有爭議的,部分原因是輻射有誘發(fā)癌癥的小小的危險。另外,年輕女人乳房組織緊密,給予的X射線的劑量要多一些。
2.B B說的是:調查用X射線檢查的結果。第三段的第一句話是這么說的:Valencia理工大學的研究人員分析了11個社區(qū)診所用X射線檢查16萬以上女人的結果。
3.C C說的是:兩種不同的模型預測的結果。第四段講的是,兩種不同的數(shù)學模型在預測用X射線檢査女人誘發(fā)癌癥的結果是不一樣的。C概括了這段話。
4.D D說的是:輻射誘發(fā)癌癥的危險是很小的。第五段的第一句話是這么說的:The researchers argue that the level of radiation-induced cancers is “not very significant” compared to the far larger number of cancers that are discovered and treated.研究人員爭辯說,與發(fā)現(xiàn)后接受治療的癌癥數(shù)字相比,由輻射誘發(fā)癌癥的數(shù)字是很小的。
5.C C與題干生成:Early discovery of breast cancer may save a life.乳腺癌發(fā)現(xiàn)得早也許能挽救生命。答案可以從第一段中找到。
6.D D 與題干生成:Advantages of screening women under 50 are still open to debate.對50歲以下的女人用X射線檢查的好處仍然是有爭議的。第二段的第一個句子是這么說的:But the medical benefits of screening these younger women are controversial... 但是,用X射線檢查年輕女人,就醫(yī)學上的好處而論,是有爭議的……這兩個句子用詞有些差別,基本意思是相同的。
7.E E 與題干生成:Delaying the age at which screening starts may reduce the risk of– radiation triggering a cancer.延緩用X射線檢查的年齡也許能減少輻射誘發(fā)癌癥的危險。答案在第六段。
8.F F 與題干生成:Radiation exposure should be reduced to the minimum.應把接受福射降低到最小的程度。答案在文章的最后一句。
譯文：透視檢查
每年上百萬的女性都做X射線透視，檢查是否有乳腺癌跡象。如果檢查得足夠早，疾病就可 以被成功地治療。根據(jù)去年公布的一項調查，21個國家有透視計劃。其中9個國家，包括澳大利 亞、加拿大、美國和西班牙為50歲以下女性進行透視。
但是，用X射線檢查年輕女性，就醫(yī)學上的好處而論，是有爭議的，部分原因是輻射有誘發(fā) 癌癥的小小的危險。另外，年輕女人乳房組織緊密，給予的X射線的劑量要多一些。
Valencia理工大學的研究人員分析了 11個社區(qū)診所用X射線檢查16萬以上女性的結果。估 測了女性的輻射累積劑量之后，他們用兩種模型計算由此導致額外癌癥數(shù)量。
英國國家輻射保護委員會推薦的數(shù)學模型預言，透視計劃會導致每10萬個女性中有36人患 上癌癥，18人致死。聯(lián)合國原子輻射影響科學委員會首選的模型得出了一個較低的數(shù)字^20人 患上癌癥。
研究人員爭辯說，與發(fā)現(xiàn)后接受治療的癌癥數(shù)字相比，由輻射誘發(fā)癌癥的數(shù)字是很小的。他 們說，Valencia計劃在每10萬接受透視的婦女中發(fā)現(xiàn)300到450個乳腺癌病例。
但是他們指出如果X射線檢查從50歲而不是45歲時開始，會使婦女由于輻射而患癌的危險 減少40%到80% ,因為她們可以接受更少的輻射。他們暗示說，他們研究的結果有助于使乳腺癌 透視的技術更加完善。
英國國家輻射保護委員會的Michael Clark承認“在胸透的診斷益處和危險之間有一個平衡”。 但是他警告說應該謹慎地解釋此項研究。“基于目前的數(shù)據(jù)，每成功地發(fā)現(xiàn)10例癌癥就有可能導 致今后出現(xiàn)一例癌癥。這就是為什么在所有的透視計劃中，輻射應該減少到最小的原因�！�
