U. S. to Start $3.2 Billion Child Health Study in January
A study that will cost $3.2 billion and last more than two decades to track the health of 100,000 U.S. children from before birth to age 21 will be launched in January, U. S. health officials said on Friday.
Officials from the U.S. governments National Institutes of Health said they hope the study, to be conducted at 105 locations throughout the United States, can help identify early-life influences that affect later development, with the goal of learning new ways to treat or prevent illness.
The study will examine hereditary and environmental factors such as exposure to certain chemicals that affect health.
Researchers will collect genetic and biological samples from people in the study as well as samples from the homes of the women and their babies including air, water, dust and materials used to construct their residences, the NIH said.
Officials said more than $200 million has been spent already and the study is projected to cost $3.2 billion.
We anticipate that in the long term1，what we learn from the study will result in a significant savings in the nations health care costs, Dr. Duane Alexander, who heads the NIHs Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, told reporters.
The study will begin in January when the University of North Carolina and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York start signing up2 pregnant women whose babies will then be followed to age 21.
Some of the early findings will be about factors behind pre-term birth3, which has become more common in recent years, according to Dr. Peter Scheidt of the NIH, who heads the study.
The people taking part will be from rural, urban and suburban areas, from all income and educational levels and from all racial groups, the NIH said.
词汇：
hereditary adj.遗传的
注释：
1.in the long term：从长远说来
2.sign up：使报名从事
3.pre-term birth：早产
练习：
1.The aim of the study is to find new ways to
A. conduct research.
B. track public health.
C. prevent or treat illness.
D. speed up development.
2.Researchers will collect all the following EXCEPT
A. genetic samples from people in the study.
B. biological samples from people in the study.
C. samples from the homes of the women and their babies.
D. samples of air and water from hospitals.
3.It is expected that through the study the nations health care costs
A. will be lowered in the long run.
B. will be significantly increased.
C. will be more than $200 million.
D. will reach $3.2 billion.
4.The babies of the participants will be followed
A. throughout their lives.
B. for more than two decades.
C. from birth to 21 months.
D. until they get married.
5.Which is NOT true of the people in the study?
A. Theyll be from various areas.
B. Theyll be from all income levels.
C. Theyll be from all educational levels.
D. Theyll be from all age groups.
答案与题解：
1.C短文的第二段提到了此项研究的goal，即aim，这便是learning new ways to treat or prevent illness。
2.D前三项在短文的第四段都有题记，第四项应该是参加研究的妇女及其婴儿家中的空气与水等物质，而不是医院中的空气与水。
3.A短文的六段说到，预计从长远的角度此项研究将有利于国家卫生保健费用开支的节约。
4.B短文的第一段以及倒数第三段都说到，这些婴儿将从出生前一直被跟踪到21岁。
5.D前三项在短文的最后一段都有提及，只有第四项是错误的，因为研究对象都是怀孕的妇女，不可能是所有年龄段的人们。
译文：美国将在一月启动一项耗资32亿美元的儿童健康研究项目
美国卫生部官员在星期五称：美国将在一月启动一项耗资32亿美元、将持续20余年的研究项目，此项目将对10万名美国儿童从出生前到21岁的健康状况进行跟踪研究。
来自美国国立卫生研究院的官员称：他们希望此项目在全国范围内的105个地点展开的研究，将有助于识别儿童早期生活对日后发展的影响，其目标是研究出新的治疗和防止疾病的方法。
此项研究将对遗传和环境两个因素进行测试。环境因素如婴儿接触的某种有损健康的化学品。
研究院表示，研究人员将收集研究对象的基因和生物样本，以及母婴生活环境当中的空气、水、灰尘和建筑材料的样本。
这些官员称目前此项研究已经花费2亿美元，而这项研究预计耗资32亿美元。
担任美国国立未生育尤尼斯肯尼迪施莱佛国立儿童健康和人类发展中心的负责任的杜安亚历山大博士对记者说：我们期待从长远来说，此项研究成果将有利于国家卫生保健费用开支的节约。
此项研究将于一月开始，届时北卡罗琳娜大学和纽约西奈山医学院将开始与报名参加此研究的孕妇签约，合约中规定这些将要出生的孩子将被此项目跟踪调查至21岁。
据此项目的负责人国立卫生院皮特沙伊特博士称，早期的研究将围绕导致早产现象的因素展开，这种现象近年来已越发普遍。
国立卫生院称，研究对象将从农村、城市和郊区广泛选取，他们涵盖不同的收入阶层和受教育程度，以及不同的种族。