The World Health Organization1 estimates that about one-third of all people are infected with bacteria that cause tuberculosis . Most times, the infection remains inactive. But each year about eight million people develop active cases of TB, usually in their ____1____. Two million people die ____2____ it. The disease has ____3____ with the spread of AIDS and drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis.
Current treatments take at least six months. Patients have to ____4____ a combination of several antibiotic drugs daily. But many people stop ____5____ they feel better. Doing that can ____6____ to an infection that resists treatment. Public health experts agree that a faster-acting cure for tuberculosis would be more effective. Now a study estimates just how ____7____ it might be. A professor of international health at Harvard University2 led the study. Joshua Salomon says a shorter treatment program would likely mean not just more patients ____8____. It would also mean ____9____ infectious patients who can pass on their infection to others.
The researchers developed a mathematical model to examine the effects of a two-month treatment plan. They ____10____ the model with current TB conditions in Southeast Asia. The scientists found that a two-month treatment could prevent about twenty percent of new cases. And it might ____11____ about twenty-five percent of TB deaths. The model shows that these ____12____ would take place between two thousand twelve and two thousand thirty. That is, if a faster cure is developed and in wide use by two thousand twelve.
The World Health Organization ____13____ the DOTS3 program in nineteen ninety. DOTS is Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course. Health workers watch tuberculosis patients take their daily pills to make ____14____ they continue treatment.
Earlier this year, an international partnership of organizations announced a plan to expand the DOTS program. The ten-year plan also aims to finance research ____15____ new TB drugs. The four most common drugs used now are more than forty years old. The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development4 says its long-term goal is a treatment that could work in as few as ten doses.
词汇：
bacterium n. 细菌
tuberculosis n. 结核
inactive adj. 不活跃的，非活动性的
antibiotic adj. 抗生的 n. 抗生素
alliance n. 同盟，联盟
注释：
1. World Health Organization ：世界卫生组织
2. Harvard University ：哈佛大学
3. DOTS ：短期直接观察治疗
4. Global Alliance for TB Drug Development：全球结核病药物开发联盟
练习：
1. A) kidneys B) lungs C) bones D) livers
2. A) with B) without C) of D) out of
3. A) increased B) decreased C) changed D) disappeared
4. A) make B) take C) try D) test
5. A) as if B) as though C) as far as D) as soon as
6. A) refer B) apply C) lead D) amount
7. A) effective B) ineffective C) expensive D) inexpensive
8. A) cured B) to cure C) being cured D) having been cured
9. A) many B) more C) few D) fewer
10. A) provided B) introduced C) tested D) tempted
11. A) bring about B) contributed to C) promote D) prevent
12. A) increases B) reductions C) creations D) collections
13. A) developed B) invented C) delayed D) refused
14. A) easy B) uneasy C) sure D) unsure
15. A) with B) to C) onto D) into
参考答案：
1.B 结核病多发于肺部，这是一般的常识。
2.C die of意思是死于某种疾病，其它三个介词都不与die搭配。
3.A 本句后半部说到，由于艾滋病的传播和抗药型结核病的出现，那么根据推理，结核病自然应该增加，而不可能减少或消失。至于变化，不应该是结核病本身发生变化，而应该是发病率发生变化。
4.B 从本句的前后句可以推测到本句想说的是病人每天必须服用几种抗生素药物，而服药只能选择take，其它几个动词都不合适。
5.D 答题时请注意句首的But这个词，显然与上句意思发生转折，而四个选项中as if、 as though都是仿佛，宛如的意思，as far as则是至于，就而言的意思，填在这里均不合适，只有as soon as 才恰当。
6.C 本空白处后面有介词to，虽然这几个选项均可与to连用，但意思各不相同：refer to：谈及，参考;apply to：接洽，适用于;lead to：导致;amount to：合计，总共达，只有选择lead才能使本句意思完整、准确。
7.A 只要用心注意上面那句话就可以很容易地找到答案，显然本句想说现在有一项新的研究想评估这种速效治疗剂究竟效力有多大。
8.A 本句考查的是语法。根据所给的动词，我们可以猜到本句想说的是Joshua Salomon说，疗程较短的治疗计划可能意味着不仅仅是更多病人被治好。这里从语法分析，应该是缺一个定语，修饰patients，cure是一个及物动词，病人应是被治疗者：B项to cure不能表示被动;C和D虽然有表示被动的意思，但是C是正在被治疗，D是已经被治疗，两者隐含的时态在这里均不合适，只有A才是恰当的。
9.D 前句说到更多病人可以被治愈，根据推理，后句应该是将感染传递给别人的传染病人就会更少，因为前后两句实际上具有因果关系。这里必须用比较级 fewer，因为few是表示不多的，几乎没有的，而fewer则只是与以前比较更少，并没有明确多少。
10.C 只有填C项tested才能符合上下文意思，其它三项不仅词义不合适，词的用法也不对。
11.D 空白处的上一句实际上起到提示作用：两个月的治疗方案可以防止大约20%的新病例，后句自然应是也可能防止大约20%的结核病死亡。其它三个选项词义均相反。
12.B 上面两句说到可以防止大约20%的新病例和可能防止大约20%的死亡，这自然是降低，绝不可能是增加，更不是创作品、收藏品。
13.A 空白处的上一句实际上也起到提示作用，可以推测，本句应该是制订DOTS计划，而四个选项中只有A项有制订的意思，计划也不可能是发明，从上下文分析，更不可能是推迟或拒绝。
14.C DOTS计划其中就包含直接观察的意思，本句中也说到医务人员看着结核病人每天服药，目的自然是要确信他们继续治疗，C项make sure正是确信的意思。
15.D research后面常用on或 into，偶尔也用 for或 after，例如：a research for/after facts，但不与其它三个选项连用。