Dangers Await Babies with Altitude Women who live in the world’s highest communities tend to give birth to underweight babies, a new study suggests. These babies may grow into adults with a high risk of heart disease and strokes. Research has hinted that newborns in mountain communities are lighter than average. But it wasn’t clear whether this is due to reduced oxygen levels at high altitude or because their mothers are under-nourished—many people who live at high altitudes are relatively poor compared with those living lower down. To find out more,Dino Giussani and his team at Cambridge University studied the records of 400 births in Bolivia during 1997 and 1998. The babies were born in both rich and poor areas of two cities: La Paz and Santa Cruz. La Paz is the highest city in the world, at 3. 65 kilometers above sea level, while Santa Cruz is much lower, at 0.44 kilometers. Sure enough, Giussani found that the average birthweight of babies in La Paz was significantly lower than in Santa Cruz. This was true in both high and low-income families. Even babies born to poor families in Santa Cruz were heavier on average than babies born to wealthy families in lofty La Paz. “We were very surprised by this result, “says Giussani. The results suggest that babies born at high altitude are deprived of oxygen before birth. “This may trigger the release or suppression of hormones that regulate growth of the unborn child,“ says Giussani. His team also found that high-altitude babies tended to have relatively larger heads compared with their bodies. This is probably because a fetus starved of oxygen will send oxygenated blood to the brain in preference to the rest of the body. Giussani wants to find out if such babies have a higher risk of disease in later life. People born in La Paz might be prone to heart trouble in adulthood, for example. Low birthweight is a risk factor for coronary heart disease. And newborns with a high ratio of head size to body weight are often predisposed to high blood pressure and strokes in later life.

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Ebola Outbreak 1 You are likely aware that several countries in West Africa are battling an Ebola outbreak. Ebola is a dangerous and often lethal viral infection. Scientists believe that humans contracted the virus by eating the meat of rare animals. It is now believed that bats are the primary carriers of the virus. 2 To date, there are only three major countries in West Africa experiencing a major outbreak: Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. However, other countries such as Nigeria have reported confirmed cases of Ebola with their border. 3 Unless you recently visited one of the three affected West countries, your risk of contracting the virus is virtually zero. Unlike other recent airborne virus outbreaks like SARS, the Ebola virus can only be spread through direct contact with an infected person. Specifically, Ebola is spread through contact with body fluids. Though the vims is transmittable, only an infected person exhibiting symptoms is communicable. 4 The signs and symptoms of Ebola are non-specific and patients typically exhibit them after a week of contracting the virus. Symptoms may appear as early as two days or as late as three weeks after initial infection. Symptoms include disgust, weakness and stomach pain. More uncommon symptoms include chest pain, bleeding and sore throat. 5 Ebola is devastating because of its ability to attack and replicate in every organ of the body. This causes an overstimulation of the body’s inflammatory response, causing the flu-like symptoms. The virus also causes bleeding and impairs the body’s normal clotting mechanism(凝血机制), making bleeding even more severe. Loss of blood volume and decreased organ perfusion(器官灌注)ultimately lead to organ failure and death. 6 The current outbreak is the deadliest viral outbreak in over 35 years. While diseases such as the malaria(疟疾)are far more communicable, Ebola is one of the world’s most fatal viral infections. Ebola’s fatality rate exceeds that of SARS. A Am I at risk of contracting the virus? B Is the current outbreak the deadliest? C How do I know if I have contracted the virus? D What areas are currently affected? E What exactly does Ebola do to the body? F What caused the Ebola outbreak?

Most Adults in U. S. Have Low Risk of Heart Disease More than 80 percent of U. S. adults have a less than 10-percent risk of developing heart disease in the next 10 years, according to a report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology(心脏病学). Just 3 percent have a risk that exceeds 20 percent. “ I hope that these numbers will give physicians, researchers, health policy analysts, and others a better idea of how coronary(心脏冠状动脉的)heart disease is distributed in the U. S. population,“ lead(带头的)author Dr. Earl S. Ford, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said in a statement. The findings are based on analysis of data from 13 ,769 subjects, between 20 and 79 years of age, who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition(营养的供给)Examination Survey from 1988 to 1994. Overall, 82 percent of adults had a risk of less than 10 percent, 15 percent had a risk that fell between 10 to 20 percent and 3 percent had a risk above 20 percent. The proportion of subjects in the highest risk group increased with advancing age, and men were more likely than women to be in this group. By contrast, race or ethnicity(种族划分)had little effect on risk distributions. Although the report suggests that most adults have a low 10 -year risk of heart disease, a large proportion have a high or immediate risk, Dr. Daniel S. Berman, from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and Dr. Nathan D. Wong, from the University of California at Irvine, note in a related editorial. Aggressive treatment measures and public health strategies are needed to shift the overall population risk downward, they add.

Better Control of TB Seen If a Faster Cure Is Found The World Health Organization estimates that about one-third of all people are infected with bacteria that cause tuberculosis(结核病). Most times, the infection remains inactive(不活跃的). But each year about eight million people develop active cases of TB, usually in their lungs. Two million people die of it. The disease has increased with the spread of AIDS and drug - resistant forms of tuberculosis. Current treatments take at least six months. Patients have to take a combination of several antibiotic(抗生素)drugs daily. But many people stop as soon as they feel belter. Doing that can lead to an infection(传染病)that resists treatment. Public health experts agree that a faster-acting cure for tuberculosis would be more effective. Now a study estimates just how effective it might be. A professor of international health at Harvard University led the study. Joshua Salomon says a shorter treatment program would likely mean not just more patients cured. It would also mean fewer infectious patients who can pass on their infection to others. The researchers developed a mathematical(数学的)model to examine the effects of a two -month treatment plan. They tested 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 prevent about twenty-five percent of TB deaths. The model shows that these reductions 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 developed the DOTS program in nineteen ninety. DOTS(短期直接观察治疗)is Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course. Health workers watch tuberculosis patients take their daily pills to make sure 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 into new TB drugs. The four most common drugs used now are more than forty years old. The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development(全球结核病药物开发联盟)says its long-term goal is a treatment that could work in as few as ten doses.

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Baseline Exam Is Key to Eye Health Even people with no signs or risk factors for eye disease can suffer vision loss and need to get baseline(基线)eye exams at age 40, says the American Academy of Ophthalmology(AAO)(美国眼科学会) The reminder(提示)is part of the AAO’s EyeSmart campaign to mark Save Your Vision Month in February. “ Many eye diseases progress without any warning signs, “ Dr. Stephanie Marioneaux, a clinical correspondent for the AAO, said in a prepared statement. “Gradual changes in vision can affect your ability to function independently and have confidence in your abilities. Based on the findings from the initial screening, an eye doctor will create a schedule for follow-up eye exams. People of any age who have symptoms of eye disease or are at high risk due to family history, diabetes(糖尿病)or high blood pressure should consult with their eye doctor to determine how often they should have their eyes checked, the AAO recommends. By 2020, 43 million Americans will be at significant risk for vision loss or blindness due to age-related eve diseases such as cata-racts(白内障)and glaucoma(青光眼). That’s a more than 50 percent increase over the current number of Americans with such vision-threatening diseases. But many Americans are unconcerned about the risk of vision loss. Only 23 percent of Americans are very concerned about losing their vision, while most feel weight gain or joint or back pain are greater worries than vision loss, according to an AAO survey conducted for its EyeSmart campaign.

Stage Fright Fall down as you come onstage. That’s an odd trick. Not recommended. But it saved the pianist Vladimir Felts man when he was a teenager back in Moscow. The veteran cellist Mstislav Rostropovich tripped him purposely to cure him of pre-performance panic, Mr. Felts man said, All my fright was【C1】______. I already fell. What else could happen?“ Today, music schools are addressing the problem of anxiety in classes that 【C2】______ with performance techniques and career preparation. There are a variety of strategies that musicians can learn to【C3】______stage fright and its symptoms; icy fingers, shaky limbs, racing heart, blank mind. Teachers and psychologists offer wide-ranging advice, from basics like learning pieces inside out, 【C4】______mental discipline, such as visualizing a performance and taking steps to relax. Don’t【C5】______that you’re jittery,they urge; some excitement is natural, even necessary for dynamic playing. And play in public often, simply for the experience. Psychotherapist Diane Nichols suggests some【C6】______for the moments before performance, “Take two deep abdominal breaths, open up your shoulders, then smile,“ she says. “And not one of these ’ please don’t kill me’ smiles. Then【C7】______three friendly faces in the audience, people you would communicate with and make music to, and make eye contact with them. “ She doesn’t want performers to think of the audience【C8】______a judge. Extreme demands by mentors or parents are often at the【C9】______of stage fright,says Dorothy Delay, a well-known violin teacher. She tells other teachers to demand only what their students are able to achieve. When Lynn Harrell was 20, he became the principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra, and he suffered extreme stage fright. “There were times when I got so【C10】______I was sure the audience could see my chest responding to the throbbing. It was just total panic. I came to a 【C11】______where I thought,If I have to go through this to play music, I think I’m going to look for another job.“ Recovery, he said, involved developing humility—recognizing that 【C12】______his talent, he was fallible,and that an imperfect concert was not a disaster. It is not only young artists who suffer, of course. The legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz’s nerves were famous. The great tenor Franco Corelli is another example. “They had to push him on stage,’’ Soprano Renata Scotto recalled. 【C13】______, success can make things worse. “In the beginning of your career, when you’re scared to death, nobody knows who you are, and they don’t have any【C14】______, “Soprano June Anderson said. “There’s【C15】______to lose. Later on, when you’re known, people are coming to see you, and they have certain expectations. You have a lot to lose. Anderson added, “I never stop being nervous until I’ve sung my last note. “

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What does the new study discover?

Giussani and his team are sure that______.

It can be inferred from what Giussani says in Paragraph 4 that______.

The results of the study indicate the reason for the birth of underweight babies is______.

It can be learned from the last paragraph that______.