Question

Unlike chemists and physicists, who usually do their experiments using machines, biologists and medical researchers have to use living things like rats. But there are three Nobel prize-winning scientists who actually chose to experiment on themselves – all in the name of science, reported The Telegraph.

1. Werner Forssmann (Nobel prize winner in 1956)

Forssmann was a German scientist. He studied how to put a pipe inside the heart to measure the pressure inside and decide whether a patient needs surgery.

Experiments had been done on horses before, so he wanted to try with human patients. But it was not permitted because the experiment was considered too dangerous.

Not giving up, Forssmann decided to experiment on himself. He anaesthetized (麻醉) his own arm and made a cut, putting the pipe 30 centimeters into his vein. He then climbed two floors to the X-ray room before pushing the pipe all the way into his heart.

2. Barry Marshall (Nobel prize winner in 2005)

Most doctors in the mid-20th century believed that gastritis was down to stress, spicy food or an unusually large amount of stomach acid. But in 1979 an Australian scientist named Robin Warren found that the disease might be related to a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori.

So he teamed up with his colleague, Barry Marshall, to continue the study. When their request to experiment on patients was denied, Marshall bravely drank some of the bacteria. Five days later, he lost his appetite and soon was vomiting each morning – he indeed had gastritis.

3. Ralph Steinman (Nobel prize winner in 2011)

This Canadian scientist discovered a new type of immune system cell called the dendritic cell. He believed that it had the ability to fight against cancer.

Steinman knew he couldn’t yet use his method to treat patients. So in 2007, when doctors told him that he had cancer and that it was unlikely for him to live longer than a year, he saw an opportunity.

With the help of his colleagues, he gave himself three different vaccines based on his research and a total of eight experimental therapies. Even though Steinman eventually died from his cancer, he lived four and a half years, much longer than doctors had said he would.

1.What’s the main purpose of the article?

A. To introduce a few Nobel prize winners who did experiments on themselves.

B. To list difficulties that scientists went through in order to make important discoveries.

C. To explain why some scientists chose to experiment on themselves.

D. To introduce some dangerous experiments that Nobel prize winners did on themselves.

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?

A. Forssmann’s experiment ended in failure.

B. Forssmann had the pipe pushed all the way into his heart.

C. Barry Marshall succeeded by drinking some Helicobacter pylori.

D. Barry Marshall’s experiment on himself confirmed that most doctors’ belief about gastritis

was correct.

3.The underlined word “gastritis” in Paragraph 5 probably means ______.

A. a kind of bacteria

B. a kind of stomach disease

C. a new type of therapy

D. a large amount of stomach acid

4.From the text, we can conclude that Ralph Steinman ______.

A. discovered a new type of cancer cell called the dendritic cell

B. tried different therapies containing the dendritic cell on himself

C. had his request to experiment on patients denied

D. believed that he was better than doctors at treating cancer

 

Answer 1

1.A

2.C

3.B

4.B

【解析】

試題分析：不同于化學家和物理學家使用儀器進行試驗，生物學家、醫(yī)學專家使用像老鼠一樣的生物進行試驗。但是，有三個獲得過諾貝爾獎的科學家，他們是用自己的身體進行試驗的。

1.But there are three Nobel prize-winning scientists who actually chose to experiment on themselves”和文中的小標題可知，文章主要介紹了三個以自己作為研究對象的獲得諾貝爾獎的科學家，故選A。

2.Marshall bravely drank some of the bacteria.”可知，Barry Marshall親自喝下了幽門螺桿菌，故選C。

3.the disease might be related to a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori”可知，劃線詞指的是一種疾病，故選B。

4.With the help of his colleagues, he gave himself three different vaccines based on his research and a total of eight experimental therapies.”可知，Ralph Steinman給自己注射過三次基于他的研究的不同的疫苗，進行了八次實驗性治療，故選B。

考點：科學類短文閱讀