The Case of the Disappearing Fingerprints
One useful anti-cancer drug can effectively erase the whorls and other characteristic marks that give people their distinctive fingerprints. Losing 1 become troublesome. A case released online in a letter by Annals of Oncology indicates how big a 2 of losing fingerprints is.
Eng-Huat Tan, a Singapore-based medical doctor describes a 62-year old man who has used capecitabine1 to 3 his nasopharyngeal cancer. After three years on the 4 , the patient decided to visit U.S. relatives last December. But he was stopped by U.S. customs officials 5 4 hours after entering the country when those officials couldnt get fingerprints from the man. There were no distinctive swirly 6 appearing from his index finger2.
U.S. customs3 has been fingerprinting incoming foreign visitors for years, Tan says. Their index fingers are 7 and screened against digital files of the fingerprints of bad guys -- terrorists and potential criminals that our federal guardians have been tasked with keeping out of the country4. Unfortunately, for the Singapore travelers, one potential 8 effect of his drug treatmerit is a smoothing of the tissue on the finger pads6. 9 , no fingerprints.
It is uncertain when fingerprint loss will 10 to take place in patients who are taking capecitabine, Tan points out. So he cautions any physicians who 11 the drug to provide their patients with a doctors note pointing out that their medicine may cause fingerprints to disappear.
Eventually, the Singapore traveler made it into the United States7. I guess the name on his passport didnt raise any red flags8. But hes also now got the explanatory doctors note and wont leave home 12 it.
By the way, maybe the Food and Drug Administration9, 13 approved use of the drug 11 years ago, should consider 14 its list of side effects associated with this medicine. The current list does note10 that patients may experience vomiting, stomach pain and some other side effects. But no where 15 it mention the potential for loss of fingerprints.
词汇：
fingerprint n.指纹 nasopharyngeal adj.鼻咽的 whorl n.罗纹，箩状指纹 swirly adj.旋涡状的
annals n.年度 digit n.数字 oncology n.肿瘤学 onset n.开始 capecitabine n.卡培他滨 vomit v.呕吐
注释：
1. capecitabine 卡培他滨。是一种口服的化疗药物，用于治疗转移性乳腺癌、大肠癌、咽 喉癌等，以缓解肿瘤生长。
2. index finger：食指。
3. U.S. customs：美 国 海 关 。Customs 视作一个组织，用做单数名词，所以在文章中后接has。
4. terrorists and potential criminals that our federal guardians have been tasked with keeping out of the country：我们的联邦卫士的职责是要把那些恐怖分 子和疑似罪犯挡在国门之外
。关系代词 that 引导的是一个限制性定语从句，修饰 terrorists and potential criminals。That 在定语从句中做 keeping 的宾语。
5. traveler：旅行者。traveler 是美国英语的拼法。英国英语的拼法是 traveller。
6. the tissue on the finger pads：指尖上的肉垫组织。
7. Eventually, the Singapore traveler made it into the United States：那位新加 坡旅客终于进入了美国。make it into 意为进入。
8. red flags：红旗，即危险信号。挥动红旗表示危险，最初用于铁路，后 来西方公司等用英文 red flags 或红色小旗表示业绩下降等。
9. the Food and Drug Administration：美国食品和药物局。
10. The current list does note：现有的副作用清单中确实列出。在肯定句谓语动词前加do/does/did，是为了强调该动词，汉语可译为确实。如：
He speaks Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian.
He does speak Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian.
练习：
1. A he B them C her D him
2. A theme B topic C creation D problem
3. A treat B cut C find D smooth
4. A recovery B diet C drug D diagnosis
5. A in B at C for D on
6. A digits B marks C images D pictures
7. A printed B located C cured D placed
8. A normal B good C main D side
9. A However B Hence C Moreover D Furthermore
10. A begin B like C decide D have
11. A prevent B preserve C presume D prescribe
12. A off B on C without D with
13. A who B where C when D which
14. A updating B using C printing D cancelling
15. A must B does C may D should
答案与题解：
1. B 根据上下文的意思，失去的应该是 fingerprints。Fingerprints 是复数 形式，指代它的带刺是 them。其他三个代词都不合适。
2. D 前面两个句子说，失去指纹是一大问题。本句说，要举出一个实例以说明失去指纹会 造成极大的困扰。所以只有选项 D 最合适。
3. A第二段描述了实例的细节。第一句说病人用一种药名为卡培他滨的抗癌药治疗他的鼻 咽癌。所以 treat 是必然的选择。cut，find和 smooth都与 上下文接不上。
4. C 从上下文判断，After three years on the后面应该接用 药、治疗等字眼，所以选 drug 是正确的。选 recovery，diet 或 diagnosis都与后面提到的病人进入美国受阻的事件接不上。
5. C for 表示时间上达到，for 4 hours 意为长达四小时。
6. B 美国海关因为采集不到那为癌症患者的指纹样本，于是盘问了他 4 小时。所以本句提 到的 swirly 应该与 marks 搭配，意思是旋涡状指纹标记。
7. A 为了防止恐怖分子和罪犯进入美国，美国海关通过电脑对入境者进行指纹采样，然后 与指纹库进行比照。根据常理，海关要检查每一位外国人的指纹。采样的手指是食指。 后面的 screened是解题的重要线索，引导读者选 A，即 printed。这里， printed=finger-printed。其他三个选项，即 located、cured和 placed，都与上下文的意思接不上。
8. D 实例中的新加坡人用了抗癌药后的一个副作用是指纹消失，这是一种不良反应。所以 ， 选 good，main，normal都不符合上下文的意思，只有 side 才是答案。Side effect 意为副作用。
9. B 前面句子提及的服用抗癌药是因，本段最后一句是果，连接词应该用 Hence。而 However 表示转折关系，Moreover 和 Furthermore 表示进一步的关系，与上文连 接不上。
10. A 本段表达的意思是：由于癌症病人服用了卡培他滨后指纹何时开始消失还不清楚， 所以主治医生要提前为病人开具指纹可能会消失的证明。to take place之前 填上 like，decide 或 have 都与上下文的意思接不上，唯有 begin 最合适。
11. D 参阅上一题的题解。本题四个选项中的英语单词的前三个字母都是 pre-，只要知道prescribe 的词义是开处方，就会选 D。
12. C第五段的意思是，那位病人已经拿到医生开具的指纹消失证明单，现在他们出门旅 行不会不带上它。本题 without 是答案。
13. D 哪一个政府机构许可使用该类抗癌药?就是本段第一句提到的 the Food and Drug Administration。四个选项中，只有关系代词 which 能指代 the Food and Drug Administration，它是 approved 动作的发出者。
14. A 最后一段表达的意思是：过去该药列出的不良反应只包括呕吐等，没有列出指纹消 失这一副作用，现在应该补上这一条。所以，updating是答案。
15. B 最后一段最后一句中，为了强调 no where，将它移到句首，这时，原句的it does not mention the potential for loss of fingerprints就要写成强调句形式的no where does it mention the potential for loss of fingerprints。所以，答案 是 B。
下一篇： 全国职称英语考试综合类完型填空训练(5)