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  3. It seems unlikely that Andrew Speaker, the Atlanta lawyer who has been widely reviled for traveling by air after being diagnosed

It seems unlikely that Andrew Speaker, the Atlanta lawyer who has been widely reviled for traveling by air after being diagnosed

admin2016-10-15  27
问题     It seems unlikely that Andrew Speaker, the Atlanta lawyer who has been widely reviled for traveling by air after being diagnosed with drug-resistant tuberculosis, infected anyone.
    Notably, both those who condemn Speaker’s recklessness and those who sympathize with him agree the relevant question is the danger he posed to other people, which was the justification for his forcible isolation in a Denver hospital. The case, of the TB-infected traveler helps clarify the grounds for government interventions aimed at preventing disease or injury.
    When Speaker left for his wedding and honeymoon in Europe on May 12, he knew he had a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis but did not know he had extensively drug-resistant(XDR)TB, a rare variety that’s very hard to treat. He had no fever, he was not coughing, and tests of his sputum found no TB bacteria. He says his doctors had assured him he was not contagious.
    According to Speaker, local public health officials, while recommending that he not fly, repeatedly told him he would not pose a significant threat to fellow passengers. That account is confirmed by Speaker’s father, who says he has an audio recording to prove it.
    While Speaker was in Rome, the CDC informed him he had XDR TB, told him he was on the U. S. "no fly" list, and recommended that he report to an Italian hospital for indefinite isolation. Knowing his best shot at successful treatment was in Denver, Speaker took a circuitous route home, flying to Montreal and driving across the U. S. border.
    Speaker and his family insist he never would have traveled if he thought he might transmit tuberculosis to others.
    In situations like this, there is room for argument about how to balance the safety of bystanders against the civil liberties of disease carriers.
    But at least in dealing with potentially deadly microorganisms that move from person to person, the rationale for government action is to prevent people from harming each other. By contrast, much of what passes for "public health" today is aimed at preventing people from harming themselves.
    Activists and politicians use the language of public health to legitimize government efforts to discourage a wide range of risky habits, including smoking, drinking, overeating, underexercising, gambling, driving a car without a seat belt, and riding a motorcycle without a helmet. Unlike tuberculosis, the risks associated with these activities are not imposed on people; they are voluntarily assumed.
    In a society that loses sight of that crucial distinction, the government has an open-ended license to meddle in what used to be considered private decisions. Anyone who exposes himself to the risk of disease or injury becomes a menace to public health.
The author argues that the civil liberties of a patient with contagious disease are ______.
选项 A、generally reckoned to be of much value
B、less valuable than the safety of other people
C、of more value than the safety of other people
D、not necessarily more important than others’ safety
答案D
解析 根据第七段“In situations like this，there is room for argument about how to balance the safetyof bystanders against the civil liberties of disease carriers”，D应为答案。
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