Pain will propel most people to a doctor’s office faster than just about any other complaint．It’s usually a sign that something is wrong--though it’s not always clear just what the problem is．Doctors can’t measure pain objectively the way they can measure blood pressure or cholesterol levels．So when pain doesn’t immediately respond to treatment, physicians and patients often--too often--accept it as just another symptom that has to be lived with．

The suffering and confusion should begin to lift this year，however，thanks to the efforts of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations，the group responsible for certifying the quality and safety of the majority of hospitals，nursing homes and clinics in the U．S．Starting January 1，these medical facilities will have to show that they meet certain standards for the assessment and treatment of pain in all their Patients.

Failure to meet the standards，which were jointly developed with the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison，could lead to a financially devastating loss of the right to treat Medicare and Medicaid patients．

Among the new requirements：all patients have the right to have their pain assessed and managed appropriately；medical facilities must ask their patients to rate their level of pain；and the results must be documented．Of course，those rules only apply in the U.S. But you don’t have to live there to get relief from pain．Just follow these simple guidelines. Surveys have shown that many patients don’t tell doctors or nurses about their pain for fear of being labeled cranky or difficult or because they assume that their discomfort will go away. Yet，says June Dahl，professor of pharmacology at the University of Wisconsin，that reluctance can backfire．Left uncontrolled，the pain you thought was temporary can trigger a long-term chronic condition．It can also interfere with the healing process and lengthen your recovery time．

Find out before you are wheeled into the operating room what the various treatment options for pain are—as well as their side effects．Learn what pain killers can and can't do． Lots of folks fear they will get“hooked”on strong medications. In fact，though most patients build a tolerance to pain drugs，they don’t become addicted.

Unfortunately，says Dr．Kathleen Foley，an attending neurologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City，not all pain can be controlled. “But you know what?”she says．“We’11 never do anything if we don’t try.”And no one can even begin to help you until you say where and how much it hurts•

31．A1l the following statements are true except ______.

A．most people find pain less tolerable than other physical discomforts

B．pain usually indicates the malfunction of the human body

C．pain can be measured like blood pressure or cholesterol levels

D．pain is sometimes a stubborn symptom subject to no immediate treatment

32．In the U．S．hospitals，medical facilities are now required to______.

A．develop the standard for pain assessment and treatment

B．maintain the hospital’s rights against heavy financial losses

C．assess and manage patients’ pain properly

D．relieve patients’ suffering and confusion

33．Patients with pain are advised _______．

A．to go to U．S．hospitals ，

B．to endure in silence

C．to plan pain treatment ahead

D．to seek doctor’s help as soon as possible

34．According to Prof．Dahl，pain can ______．

A．seldom go away itself

B．not be controlled by pain killers

C．trigger a long—term chronic condition

D．prevent patients from their recovery

35．The passage can be best entitled ______.

A．Feel No Pain B．Seek No Doctor

C．Take No Medication D．Endure No Operation

答案：31C 32C 33D 34C 35A

Text 4

American auto makers are responding more rapidly than ever to the wants of American drivers．So you can have your dream car soon in your driveway．When you drive down the interstate highway，you can set the cruise control at the speed limit，then listen to Mozart，while the kids are in the back seat watching“Rugrats”on the built—in television．Then you glance at the screen of your personal computer，docked in the dashboard．

You say“map，”and a detailed route to your destination flashes on-screen．Then you say“traffic，”and you see a live video of the traffic flow two miles ahead．If it looked congested you’d say“reroute”and the computer would offer several alternatives．

There’s no need to reroute today，but as you listen to your voice—synthesized e-mail，you’re distracted from the tractor—trailer that pulls into your lane ahead．Your car senses it，and the cruise control automatically decelerates to maintain proper highway space between you and the truck．

America’s love affair with the car is back，and one of the chief reasons is that car makers can deliver more quickly on what the consumer wants--from better cup holders to concert-quality sound systems to vastly improved child seats．

It used to take up to six years to bring a car from concept to reality．

The automatic temperature control sensors can sense the surface body temperature of each front-seat passenger and help the on-board computer decide how to mix hot and cold air for perfect comfort．But we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible．Computers can also keep the engine running cleanly and efficiently，and to monitor performance．

Car cell phones will be linked with the Global Positioning System，a wireless data modem，and voice-recognition and text-to-speech software，all running through a laptop．

Your car will be able to take dictation，read your e-mail and make reservations for

dinner．Happily，the cost of such technology is plummeting. On-board computers win provide many other important safety and convenience features as well．Cars in the near future will be economical and safer．But most of a11，they’1l be fun.

36．According to the author，American car makers are ______.

A．providing flashy devices in cars

B．investigating the drivers constantly

C．corresponding with their consumers frequently

D．meeting the market demands quickly

37． According to the author，when a driver says“reroute”，it means that ______.

A．he needs to type the word“reroute”on his personal computer

B．he wants to compare all of the possible routes to his destination

C．he has been caught in a traffic jam two miles long

D．he wants to find another way to avoid the traffic jam

38．America’s love affair with the car ______ .

A．has a long history

B．has been backward

C．has its own background

D．is coming back again

39．The designer of the dream cars ______ .

A．stresses the perfect comfort of the front-seat passenger

B．stresses the perfect surface of the cars

C．pays attention to the functions of the cars

D．pays attention to the cleaning of the engine

40．From the information given in the passage，we can conclude that ______.

A．dream cars will be out of the reach of ordinary people

B．dream cars will not be too expensive

C．dream cars will not be in the market very soon

D．dream cars are designed to satisfy the special needs

答案：36D 37D 38D 39C 40B