第二篇：
　　U.S. to Start $3.2 Billion Child Health study in January (C级)卫生
　　A study that will cost $3.2 billion and last more than two decades to track the health of 100,000 U.S. children from before birth to age 21 will be launched in January, U.S. health officials said on Friday.
　　Officials from the U.S. government’s National Institutes of Health said they hope the study, to be conducted at 105 locations throughout the United States, can help identify early-life influences that affect later development, with the goal of learning new ways to treat or prevent illness.
　　The study will examine hereditary and environmental factors such as exposure to certain chemicals that affect health.
　　Researchers will collect genetic and biological samples from people in the study as well as samples from the homes of the women and their babies including air, water, dust and materials used to construct their residences, the NIH said.
　　Officials said more than $200 million has been spent already and the study is projected to cost $3.2 billion.
　　“We anticipate that in the long term, what we learn from the study will result in a significant savings in the nation’s health care costs,” Dr. Duane Alexander, who heads the NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, told reporters.
　　The study will begin in January when the University of North Carolina and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York start signing up pregnant women whose babies will then be followed to age 21.
　　Some of the early findings will be about factors behind pro-term birth, which has become more common in recent years, according to Dr. Peter Scheidt of the NIH, who heads the study.
　　The people taking part will be from rural, urban and suburban areas, from all income and educational levels and from all racial groups, the NIH said.
　　练习：
　　1.
　　1. The aim of the study is to find new ways to
　　A.
　　conduct research.
　　B.
　　track public health.
　　C.
　　prevent or treat illness.
　　D.
　　speed up development.
　　2.
　　2.Researchers will collect all the following EXCEPT
　　A.
　　genetic samples from people in the study.
　　B.
　　biological samples from people in the study.
　　C.
　　samples from the homes of the women and their babies.
　　D.
　　samples of air and water from hospitals.
　　3.
　　3. It is expected that through the study the nation’s health care costs
　　A.
　　will be lowered in the long run.
　　B.
　　will be significantly increased.
　　C.
　　will be more than $200 million.
　　D.
　　will reach $3.2 billion.
　　4.
　　4. The babies of the participants will be followed
　　A.
　　throughout their lives.
　　B.
　　for more than two decades.
　　C.
　　form birth to 21 months.
　　D.
　　until they get married.
　　5.
　　5.Which is NOT true of the people in the study?
　　A.
　　They’ll be from various areas.
　　B.
　　They’ll be from all income levels.
　　C.
　　They’ll be from all educational levels.
　　D.
　　They’ll be from all age groups.
　　答案：1.C
　　2.D
　　3.A
　　4.B
　　5.D
　　第二篇： 美国将在一月启动一项耗资三十二亿美元的儿童健康研究项目
　　美国卫生部门官员在星期五称：美国将在一月份启动一项耗资三十二亿美元的研究项目，此项目将对十万名美国儿童的健康状况进行跟踪研究，研究对象的年龄从出生前一直到二十一岁，这项研究预计将持续二十余年。
　　来自美国国立卫生研究院的官员称：他们希望此项将在全国范围内的一百零五个地点展开的研究，将有助于识别儿童早期生活对日后发展的影响。其目标是研究出新的治疗和防止疾病的方法。
　　此项研究将对遗传和环境两个因素进行测试。环境因素如使婴儿接触某种有损健康的化学品。
　　研究院表示，研究人员将收集研究对象的基因和生物样本，以及母婴生活环境当中的空气，水，灰尘和建筑材料的样本。
　　这些官员称目前此项研究已经花费两亿美元，而这项研究预计耗资三十二亿美元。
　　担任美国国立卫生院尤尼斯肯尼迪施莱佛美国国立儿童健康和人类发展中心的负责人的杜安亚历山大博士对记者说：“我们期待从长远来说，此项研究成果将有利于国家卫生保健费用开支的节约。”
　　此项研究将于一月开始，届时北卡罗琳娜大学和纽约西奈山医学将开始报名参加研究的孕妇签约，合约中规定这些将要出生的孩子将被此项目跟踪调查至二十一岁。
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