Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
A yearly meeting of all the member countries in the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) was held this week in Geneva, Switzerland. Delegates from 193 countries discussed the progress and set policy for the coming year. The W.H.O., a United Nations’ agency, is 60 years old this year.
But Director-General Margaret Chan, as she opened the World Health Assembly, noted that the delegates were meeting at a time of tragedy. She expressed sympathy to millions of people affected by the recent cyclone in Burma, also known as Myanmar, and the earthquake in China.
Doctor Chan said three crises lie ahead that threat international security and will affect human health. One is food security, another is climate change and the third is the threat of a worldwide outbreak of influenza. She said the world produces enough food to feed everyone —in fact, she added, far too many people are overfed. Yet now, food prices have risen sharply. She noted that the crisis hits the poor the hardest, and that the more a family spends on food, the less it has for health care. The W.H.O. chief said climate change will also hit the poor the hardest but, to a greater or lesser extent, will affect all countries. She said more droughts, floods and storms mean greater demands for humanitarian aid. And, she warned, it will mean a growing number of environmental refugees. And, thirdly, Doctor Chan warned of a continued threat of pandemic influenza. She said it would be very unwise for governments not to prepare. She urged delegates to support a W.H.O. resolution on the sharing of influenza viruses for research and to make vaccines (疫苗) widely available.
The W.H.O. this week also released its "World Health Statistics Report for 2008". Agency officials said fewer people are dying of infectious diseases. In more and more countries, they said, the chief causes of death are conditions such as heart disease and stroke. By 2030, non-communicable conditions are expected to cause more than 3/4 of all deaths. Almost 1/3 of all deaths will result from cancer, heart disease and traffic accidents. The number one cause of preventable deaths is tobacco. More than 8 million tobacco-related deaths are predicted in 2030 —80% of them in developing countries.
26. What do we know about the W.H.O.?
A) There will be a yearly meeting of all the member countries held in Geneva, Switzerland.
B) It is a United Nations’agency.
C) There are 190 member countries in the W.H.O.
D) It is fifty years old this year.
27. Why did Doctor Chan say the delegates were meeting at a time of tragedy?
A) Oil prices are increasing sharply in 2008.
B) Food prices have been going up recently.
C) More people are dying of diseases now than in the past.
D) There have been many natural disasters recently like the cyclone in Burma and the earthquake in China.
28. What are the three crises lying ahead that will affect human health?
A) Food security, heart disease and influenza.
B) Food security, climate change and influenza.
C) Cancer, heart disease and influenza.
D) Cancer, heart disease and climate change.
29. What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A) In more and more countries, the chief cause of death is cancer.
B) Almost 1/4 of all deaths will result from cancer, heart disease and traffic accidents.
C) Agency officials said that fewer people are dying of infectious diseases.
D) More than eight million tobacco-related deaths are predicted in 2020.
30. What is the main idea of this passage?
A) Three growing threats the world faces.
B) The continued threat of pandemic influenza.
C) Millions of people affected by the recent cyclone.
D) Non-communicable conditions causing lots of deaths. |
