MBA英语阅读精讲汇粹(31)

QQ：760189864400-618-2500MBA英语阅读精讲汇粹（31）PassageThirtyOne(TheAffectofElectricityonCancer)Canelectricitycausecancer?Inasocietythatliterallyrunsonelectricpower,theveryideaseemspreposterous.Butformorethanadecade,agrowingbandofscientistsandjournalistshaspointedtostudiesthatseemtolinkexposuretoelectromagneticfieldswithincreasedriskofleukemiaandothermalignancies.Theimplicationsareunsettling,tosaytheleast,sinceeveryonecomesintocontactwithsuchfields,whicharegeneratedbyeverythingelectrical,frompowerlinesandantennastopersonalcomputersandmicro-waveovens.Becauseevidenceonthesubjectisinconclusiveandoftencontradictory,ithasbeenhardtodecidewhetherconcernaboutthehealtheffectsofelectricityislegitimate—ortheworstkindofparanoia.NowthealarmistshavegainedsomequalifiedsupportfromtheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency.Intheexecutivesummaryofanewscientificreview,releasedindraftformlatelastweek,theEPAhasputforwardwhatamountstothemostseriousgovernmentwarningtodate.Theagencytentativelyconcludesthatscientificevidence“suggestsacasuallink”betweenextremelylow-frequencyelectromagneticfields—thosehavingverylongwave-lengths—andleukemia,lymphomaandbraincancer,WhilethereportfallsshortofclassifyingELFfieldsasprobablecarcinogens,itdoesidentifythecommon60-hertzmagneticfieldas“apossible,butnotproven,causeofcancerinhumans.”Thereportisnoreasontopanic—oreventolostsleep.Ifthereisacancerrisk,itisasmallone.TheevidenceisstillsocontroversialthatthedraftstirredagreatdealofdebatewithintheBushAdministration,andtheEPAreleaseditoverstrongobjectionsfromthePentagonandtheWhitHouse.Butnownoonecandenythattheissuemustbetakenseriouslyandthatmuchmoreresearchisneeded.Attheheartofthedebateisasimpleandwell-understoodphysicalphenomenon:Whenanelectriccurrentpassesthroughawire,titgeneratesanelectromagneticfieldQQ：760189864400-618-2500thatexertsforcesonsurroundingobjects,Formanyyears,scientistsdismissedanysuggestionthatsuchforcesmightbeharmful,primarilybecausetheyaresoextraordinarilyweak.TheELFmagneticfieldgeneratedbyavideoterminalmeasuresonlyafewmilligauss,oraboutone-hundredththestrengthoftheearth’sownmagneticfield,Theelectricfieldssurroundingapowerlinecanbeashighas10kilovoltspermeter,butthecorrespondingfieldinducedinhumancellswillbeonlyabout1millivoltpermeter.Thisisfarlessthantheelectricfieldsthatthecellsthemselvesgenerate.Howcouldsuchminusculeforcesposeahealthdanger?Theconsensususedtobethattheycouldnot,andfordecadesscientistsconcentratedonmorepowerfulkindsofradiation,likeX-rays,thatpacksufficientwalloptoknockelectronsoutofthemoleculesthatmakeupthehumanbody.Such“ionizing”radiationshavebeenclearlylinkedtoincreasedcancerrisksandthereareregulationstocontrolemissions.Butepidemiologicalstudies,whichfindstatisticalassociationsbetweensetsofdata,donotprovecauseandeffect.ThoughthereisabodyoflaboratoryworkshowingthatexposuretoELFfieldscanhavebiologicaleffectsonanimaltissues,amechanismbywhichthoseeffectscouldleadtocancerousgrowthshasneverbeenfound.ThePentagonisforfrompersuaded.Inablistering33-pagecritiqueoftheEPAreport,AirForcescientistschargeitsauthorswithhaving“biasedtheentiredocument”towardprovingalink.“Ourreviewersareconvincedthatthereisnosuggestionthat(electromagneticfields)presentintheenvironmentinduceorpromotecancer,”theAirForceconcludes.“ItisastonishingthattheEPAwouldlenditsimprimaturonthisreport.”ThenPentagon’sconcernisunderstandable.Thereishardlyaunitofthemodernmilitarythatdoesnotdependontheheavyuseofsomekindofelectronicequipment,fromhugeground-basedradartowerstothedefensesystemsbuiltintoeverywarshipandplane.1.Themainideaofthispassageis[A].studiesonthecauseofcancer[B].controversialview-pointsinthecauseofcancer[C].therelationshipbetweenelectricityandcancer.QQ：760189864400-618-2500[D].differentideasabouttheeffectofelectricityoncaner.2.Theview-pointoftheEPAis[A].thereiscasuallinkbetweenelectricityandcancer.[B].electricityreallyaffectscancer.[C].controversial.[D].lowfrequencyelectromagneticfieldisapossiblecauseofcancer3.WhydidthePentagonandWhitHouseobjecttothereleaseofthereport?Because[A].itmaystiragreatdealofdebateamongtheBushAdministration.[B].everyunitofthemodernmilitaryhasdependedontheheavyuseofsomekindofelectronicequipment.[C].thePentagon’sconcernwasunderstandable.[D].theyhaddifferentarguments.4.Itcanbeinferredfromphysicalphenomenon[A].theforceoftheelectromagneticfieldistooweaktobeharmful.[B].theforceoftheelectromagneticfieldisweakerthantheelectricfieldthatthecellsgenerate.[C].electromagneticfieldmayaffecthealth.[D].onlymorepowerfulradiationcanknockelectronoutofhumanbody.5.Whatdoyouthinkordinarycitizensmaydoafterreadingthedifferentarguments?[A].Theyareindifferent.[B].Theyareworriedverymuch.[C].Themayexerciseprudentavoidance.[C].Theyareshocked.Vocabulary1.preposterous反常的，十分荒谬的，乖戾的2.leukemia白血病3.malignancy恶性肿瘤4.legitimate合法的，合理的5.paranoia偏执狂，妄想狂。这里指：无根据的担心。6.lymphoma淋巴瘤7.carcinogen致癌物QQ：760189864400-618-25008.minuscule很小的，很不重要9.consensus舆论10.wallop乱窜，猛冲，冲击力11.epidemiological流行病学的12.blistering罗嗦的，胡扯的13.critique评论，批评14.imprimatur出版许可（官方审查后的），批准难句译注1.Becauseevidenceonthesubjectisi