Unit 23 课时跟踪练(三) Lesson 2 & Lesson 3 - Prereading

　　Ⅰ.阅读理解

　　A

　　Many doctors know the story of "Mr Wright". In 1957 he was diagnosed (诊断) with cancer, and given only days to live. He heard that scientists had discovered a new medication, Krebiozen, which was effective against cancer and he begged the doctor to give it to him. His physician, Dr Philip West finally agreed. After Mr Wright had been given an injection on a Friday afternoon, the astonished doctor found his patient out of his "death bed"．

　　Two months later, Mr Wright read medical reports that the medication was fake. His condition immediately got worse again. "Don't believe what you read in the papers，" the doctor told Mr Wright. Then he injected him with what he said was "a new super­refined double strength" version of the drug. Actually, there was no drug, just a mix of salt and water. Later, Mr Wright was the picture of health for another two months until he read an official report saying that Krebiozen was worthless. He died two days later.

　　This story has gone unnoticed by doctors for a long time and the idea that a patient's beliefs can make a disease go away has been thought of as too strange. But now scientists are discovering that the placebo effect (宽慰作用) is more powerful than anyone has ever thought. They are also beginning to discover how such unbelievable results are achieved. Through new techniques of brain imagery, it can be shown that a thought, a belief or a desire can cause chemical processes in the brain which can have powerful effects on the body. Scientists are learning that some body reactions are not caused by information coming into the brain from the outside world, but by what the brain expects to happen next.

　　Placebos are "lies that heal"， said Dr Anne Harrington, a historian of science at Harvard University. "The word 'placebo' is Latin for 'I shall please' and it is typically a treatment that a doctor gives to anxious patients to please them，" she said. "It looks like medication, but has no healing ingredients whatsoever."

　　1．After being injected Krebiozen for the first time, Mr Wright ________.

　　A．got cancer　　　　　　 B．almost died

　　C．felt better D．gave up

　　解析：选C　细节理解题。由第一段的"the astonished doctor found his patient out of his 'death bed'"可知，第一次注射Krebiozen后，身患癌症的莱特先生恢复了健康。

　　2．What caused Mr Wright's death according to the story?

　　A．The fake drug.

B．His own beliefs.