WELL—do they or don’t they? For years, controversy has raged over whether the electromagnetic fields produced by power lines cou

admin2013-10-31 51

问题 WELL—do they or don’t they? For years, controversy has raged over whether the electromagnetic fields produced by power lines could cause cancer especially leukemia in young children. But in Britain last week confusion reached new heights.
One team from Bristol announced that it had evidence to back a controversial but plausible theory which would explain how power lines might cause cancer(electric fields attract airborne pollutants). Only to be followed by the release of results by another group in London which suggested there is nothing to worry about. What is going on?
Actually, the confusion may be more apparent than real. There can be no doubt that the effects of power lines on water droplets, pollutants and naturally occurring radon uncovered by the Bristol team are real and interning. But to suggest that they have anything to do with leukemia in children is premature. The extra exposure to pollution for a child living near power lines would be tiny, and it is not obvious why radon, a gas normally associated with lung cancer—would cause leukemia in children.
The second study, which drew reassuring blank, is the world’ s biggest ever probe of the statistical link between childhood cancers and magnetic fields of the sort produced by power lines and electrical appliances. It is one of several recent studies that have failed to find a link.
Unlike earlier research, these newer studies involved going into homes to measure the electromagnetic fields. The fields they measured included input from major power lines if they were.
Which is not to say the research is perfectly. Critics argue that Britain’ s childhood cancer study, for example, has not yet taken into account the surges in exposure that might come from, say, switching appliances on and off. And some people might wonder why measurements of the electric fields that are also produced by power lines did not figure in last week’ s study. But neither criticism amounts to a fatal blow. Electrical fields cannot penetrate the body significantly, for example.
A more serious concern is whether the British research provides an all-clear signal for such countries as the US where power lines carry more current and therefore produce higher magnetic fields. Pedants(书呆子)would conclude that it doesn’ t. But these counties will not have long to wait for answers from a major Japanese study.
In Britain the latest epidemiological study can be taken as the final word on the matter. If the electromagnetic fields in British homes can in some unforeseen way increase the risk of cancer, we can now be as certain as science allows that the increase is too tiny to measure.
It can be inferred from the passage that the British outcomes______.

选项 A、are expected to convince nobody but pedants
B、were found to have left much room for doubt
C、could have implications in such countries as the US
D、will be consistent with the Japanese ones in the near future

答案D

解析第七段提到Pedants(书呆子)would conclude that it doesn’t．即Pedants对英国的研究提出质疑，排除A项。由文章最后一段可看出作者对英国的研究持肯定态度，排除B项。第七段还提到一个更受关注的问题是英国的调查是否会为像美国这些输电线输送的电流更大，因此也就会产生更高的电磁场的国家提供all—clear signal，但作者对此问题并没有给出明确的回答，因此C项说法错误。由第七段最后一句话But thesecounties will not have long to wait for answers from a major Japanese study．可推知答案选D项。

转载请注明原文地址:https://jikaoti.com/ti/uxNDFFFM

本试题收录于：医学博士外语题库考研分类

医学博士外语

考研

相关试题推荐

随机试题

最新回复(0)

WELL—do they or don’t they? For years, controversy has raged over whether the electromagnetic fields produced by power lines cou

医学博士外语

考研

ThecontroversyaboutabortionhasbeengoingonintheUnitedStatesformorethantwentyyears.