Question

The right to die

It was 3:45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of arguing and final 16 hours of hot parliamentary(議會(huì)的) debates, Australia’s northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably sick patients who wish to die.

The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the Internet and was picked up, half a world away, by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on via the group's on line service, Death NET. Says Hofsess: "We posted bulletins all day long, because of course this isn't just something that happened in Australia. It's world history."

The NT Rights of the Terminally III law has left physicians and citizens alike trying to deal with its moral and practical implications. Some have breathed sighs of relief, others, including churches, right to life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the bill and the haste of its passage（通過(guò)）.

But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia - where an aging population, life extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part, other states are going to consider making a similar law to deal with euthanasia(安樂(lè)死). In the US and Canada, where the right to die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.

Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death, probably by a deadly injection or pill, to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed(診斷) as terminally ill by two doctors. After a "cooling off" period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54-year-old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally III law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition. "I'm not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid of was how I'd go, because I've watched people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks," he says.

1.This passage is mainly about ________.

A．the development and function of euthanasia

B．the passage（通過(guò)）of a law on euthanasia and its worldwide influence.

C．some successful examples about euthanasia

D．conditions and procedures to perform euthanasia in Australia.

2.What does “observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling” mean?

A．Observers are taking a wait-and –see attitude towards the future of euthanasia.

B．There is a possibility of similar bills being passed in the US and Canada.

C．Observers are waiting to see the movement end up in failure.

D．The process of the bill taking effect may finally come to a stop.

3. During a “cooling off” period, a patient will _________.

A．wait for two doctors’ diagnosis

B．sign a certificate of request

C．think over his decision of euthanasia

D．turn to his doctors for more advice

4.What’s the author’s attitude towards euthanasia?

A．Hostile           B．doubtful           C．Favorable         D．Indifferent

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.B

2.B

3.C

4.C

【解析】

試題分析：這篇文章主要講的是安樂(lè)死的通過(guò)和它對(duì)全球的影響。

1.主旨題：從第一段的句子：Australia’s northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably sick patients who wish to die. 可知這篇文章主要講的是安樂(lè)死的通過(guò)和它的全球的影響。選B

2.細(xì)節(jié)題：從第四段的句子：In the US and Canada, where the right to die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.可知在美國(guó)和加拿大有可能通過(guò)相似的法律。選B

3.猜詞題：從前面的句子：an adult patient can request death, probably by a deadly injection or pill, to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed(診斷) as terminally ill by two doctors.可知在 “cooling off”之前，病人提出了請(qǐng)求，醫(yī)生做過(guò)了診斷，這里的7天應(yīng)該是對(duì)安樂(lè)死的決定仔細(xì)的考慮。選C

4.作者態(tài)度題：從第四段的句子But the tide is unlikely to turn back.可知作者對(duì)于安樂(lè)死是贊同的。選C

考點(diǎn)：考查社會(huì)現(xiàn)象類短文

點(diǎn)評(píng)：本文考查題型多樣，在文章中搜查信息在閱讀中非常重要它包括理解作者在敘述某事時(shí)使用的具體事實(shí)、數(shù)據(jù)、圖表等細(xì)節(jié)信息。在一篇短文里大部分篇幅都屬于這類圍繞主體展開(kāi)的細(xì)節(jié)。做這類題一般采用尋讀法?即先讀題，然后帶著問(wèn)題快速閱讀短文，找出與問(wèn)題有關(guān)的詞語(yǔ)或句子，再對(duì)相關(guān)部分進(jìn)行分析對(duì)比，找出答案。