第一篇：2018年可銳考研英語復習閱讀文章推薦

可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

2018年可銳考研英語復習閱讀文章推薦

（七）Premarital sex

婚前性行為

The waiting game

等待的游戲

Chastity before marriage may have its uses afterall

婚前守貞可能的確有作用

WHEN is it the right time to do the deed?

什么時候做愛做的事情合適呢?

If priests had their way, it would be shortly after the wedding ceremony—but recent studiesshow such advice is rarely heeded.如果讓神父們來說，這檔事應當發生在在結婚典禮的不久之后—但是最近的研究顯示，這樣的建議很少得到人們的重視。

Roughly 85% of the American population, for example, approves of premarital sex.比如說，大約85%的美國人贊同婚前性行為。

Faced with numbers like that, what hope do the Vatican and its ilk really have?

面對這樣子的數據，梵蒂岡和它的同仁們又到底是做何想法呢?

More than they did a week ago.相對于已在一周前

Until now, the argument that couplesshould wait until they are married before they have sex has rested on mere assertion andanecdote.親熱過的情侶來說，現今依舊認為夫婦應將童貞留于婚后的論調，已僅僅成了一種口頭宣言或是奇聞軼事。

Dean Busby and his colleagues at Brigham Young University, in Utah, however, havegathered some data which support delay.可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

然而，猶他州楊百翰大學的院長Busby和他的同事卻收集了一些數據來支持延遲性行為的做法。

Little is known about the influence of sexual timing on how relationships develop.目前，還不清楚性交往的時間節奏安排對兩性關系發展會產生怎樣的影響。

Even so, opinions abound.但即便如此，各種意見觀點仍然比比皆是。

Some argue that the sexual organs, both physical and mental need a test drive to make surethe chemistry between a couple means they will stay together both in sickness and in health.有人認為，性器官包括生理和心理兩部分，它們需要一種驅動性的考驗以確保情侶兩人身上的化學吸引能夠維持長久，讓兩人能夠同甘共苦。

Others suggest that couples who delay or abstain from sexual intimacy early on allowcommunication to become the foundation of their attraction，還有人認為，推遲過早的親密性行為或者禁欲的情侶，他們之間的溝通理解成為了相互間吸引力的基礎，and that this helps to ensure that companionship and partnership keep them together whenthe initial flames of lust die down.這樣以來，即使他們最初燃燒著的愛之欲火慢慢熄滅，他們也可以保持長久的友誼和伙伴關系。

To examine these suggestions more closely, Dr Busby and his colleagues recruited 2,035married people ranging in age from 19 to 71, and in length of marriage from less than sixmonths to more than 20 years.為了更進一步的去檢驗這些意見觀點，Busby博士和他的同事征集到了2,035對已婚夫婦的數據，他們的年齡從19歲到70歲不等，婚齡從不滿六個月到超過20年不等，Their religious affiliations varied widely;many had none.而且他們的宗教信仰差異也非常之大，很多人沒有宗教信仰。

All were asked to complete an online questionnaire normally used to help couplesunderstand their strengths and weaknesses.可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

所有的夫婦都被要求填寫一份網上問卷調查，以幫助夫婦了解自己的長處和弱點。

Among the nearly 300 questions, participants were asked when they first had sex with theirpartners, whether their sex lives were currently good，在將近300個問題中，參與者被問及到他們第一次與自己伴侶發生性行為的時間，他們的性生活目前是否良好，how they resolved conflicts, and how often they thought of ending their relationship.和他們如何處理矛盾沖突以及他們考慮終結伴侶關系這種想法的頻繁程度。

In addition, the questionnaire had 14 items that evaluated how good participants were atexpressing empathy and understanding to their partners and how prone they were to becritical or defensive.此外，這項問卷調查還有14個項目，評估參與者能夠多好的向他們的伴侶表達自己的同情和理解，以及他們在面臨批評或自我防御辯護時將傾向于做什么。

All questions, apart from those about frequency of sex, were answered on a five-pointscale, with one indicating strong disagreement and five indicating strong agreement.所有的問題，除了性愛頻度以外，選擇的回答都是五分制計量的，由初始的1分表達強烈的反對到5分表達強烈的贊同。

Because religiosity delays sexual activity, Dr Busby and his colleagues also asked participantshow often they attended church, how often they prayed and whether they felt spirituality wasan important part of their lives.由于篤信宗教可以延緩性活動，Busby博士和他的同事同樣也詢問調查參與者他們出入教堂參與教會活動的頻率，他們多久禱告一次以及他們是否認為精神生活是他們生活中重要的一部分。

They used the answers to control for religiosity.They also controlled for income, education,race and length of relationship.他們采用的答案限定了信仰虔誠度，同樣他們的答案也劃分限制了不同的收入、受教育程度、種族以及兩性關系維系長度。

Their report, just published in the Journal of Family Psychology, suggests that people whodelay having sex do indeed have better relationships, on four different measures.他們剛剛在《家庭心理學雜志》發表的的報告認為，那些延緩推遲性行為的伴侶在四種不同的測量比較上的確擁有一份更良好的兩性關系。可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

That result applies to both men and women.并且這個結果同時適用于男性和女性。

Unfortunately, Dr Busby s method cannot distinguish the cause of this.但不幸的是，Busby的方法不能區分到底是什么原因導致的這個結果。

It could be, as many moralists preach, that the delay itself is improving.正如很多道德說教所言，這結果很有可能是因為延緩推遲本身就正在經歷改變。

It could, though, be that the sort of people who are happy to delay having sex are alsobetter at relationships.然而，這也有可能是因為樂于推遲性生活的人更善于經營兩性關系。

Correlation, in other words, rather than causation.換言之，這是一種相互左右的關系，而不是因果關系。

That is material for another study.談到婚姻則是另一份研究學問了。

If the result persists, though, even when personality is taken into account, it will provideuseful ammunition for priests and marriage-guidance counsellors.如果這個結論還是堅持其所持觀點，那么即使考慮到人不同的性格問題，它也不免成為神父和婚姻指導顧問的強力攻擊火藥。

詞語解釋

1.marriage n.結婚;婚姻

The news of their marriage knocked me for a loop.他們結婚的消息使我大吃一驚。

2.ceremony n.儀式;禮節

The marriage ceremony took place in the church.可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

婚禮在教堂舉行。

3.population n.人口

What is the population of this country? 這個國家的人口是多少?

4.approve v.批準;贊成

The city council approved the building plan.市議會批準了這項建筑計劃。

5.anecdote n.軼事;奇聞

He departs from the text to tell an anecdote.他沒講課文而講了一段軼事。

第二篇：2018年可銳考研英語復習閱讀文章推薦

可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

2018年可銳考研英語復習閱讀文章推薦

（五）Book Review;Queen Elizabeth II

書評;伊麗莎白二世

Royal bow;Why the queen has to be seen to bebelieved?

向女王致敬;女王為什么要與眾不同?

The Real Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait of QueenElizabeth II.By Andrew Marr.《真實的伊麗莎白：近觀伊麗莎白二世》安德·魯馬爾著。

Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Our Times.By SarahBradford.《伊麗莎白二世：她生活在我們這一代》莎拉·布萊德福德著。

A Brief Life of the Queen.By Robert Lacey.《女王一生簡觀》羅伯特·拉西著。

Our Queen.By Robert Hardman.《我們的女王》羅伯特·哈德曼著。

Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch.By Sally Bedell Smith.《伊麗莎白女王：一位現代君主的一生》莎莉·貝德爾·史密斯著。

Being on show is a serious business for Queen Elizabeth II who acceded to the throne 60years ago next month.On royal tours and walkabouts, she is careful to choose bright coloursand small-brimmed hats, glides through crowds “like a liner” and seemingly never tires.“Ohlook!She s keeled over again,” the queen once noted at a stifling-hot palace reception,spotting her then prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, pale and slumped in a chair.對于伊麗莎白二世來說，出席公眾場合是一項非常重要的任務，下個月就是她登基六十周年的紀念了。在參加皇室的出訪和視察時,她小心翼翼地選擇明亮色調的衣服和窄檐禮帽，優雅地走過人群，像“一艘遠洋油輪”靜靜駛過，看上去永遠都不知疲倦。“哦!看，她又跌倒了”在一次皇宮的招待宴會上，室內的溫度令人窒息，女王眼尖地發現了當時的首相撒切爾夫人臉色慘白，跌落于椅子中。

On several occasions she has been urged to retreat behind more obtrusive layers ofsecurity.Each time she has refused with something between a joke and a motto for her sixdecades on the 可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

throne, telling aides: “I have to be seen to be believed.”

有許多次，女王被勸說退居二線，每一次，她都以一個介于玩笑和座右銘似的話來描述她在位的六十年，她如此告訴副官：“我是如此與眾不同”。

Yet for the 85-year-old monarch, pictured above with Prince Charles shortly before hercoronation, belief requires distance, too.Younger generations of royals have kissed and told.But the queen has never given an interview.Though some of her 12 British prime ministerswere convinced they forged a special bond during weekly audiences with their sovereign,her personal politics remain unknown.上面圖片中和查爾斯王子的合照拍攝于女王加冕后不久。然而，對于八十五歲的女王來說，信仰也是需要距離的。皇室里年輕的一代受到寵愛，都被如此教育著。但是女王自己從來都不接受任何采訪。英國的十二任首相都認為自己是民眾和女王之間的特殊紐帶，女王對政治的看法仍不為大眾所知。

Over the years, various aristocrats, cousins and horse-racing grandees have been more orless plausibly identified as her friends.Even among such intimates, boundaries areobserved, for fear of crossing an unseen line and triggering a stare of blank, silent rebuke.“She is never—you know—not the Queen,” advises an unnamed friend, quoted in the openinglines of a new biography by the BBC s senior political interviewer, Andrew Marr.許多年來，各種貴族，皇親國戚，參加賽馬的顯貴們都或多或少地證實了哪些為女王的朋友。即使在和這些密友相處的過程中，也有界線需要遵守，朋友們害怕越過無形的界線會使女王受驚，從而招致無聲的指責。“她從來都不是-你知道的-不是女王”一位不愿透漏姓名的朋友說道，這句話被BBC資深政治記者安德魯· 馬爾所引用，寫在了關于伊麗莎白二世的一本新傳記的首頁幾行。

Yet as a constitutional monarch, ruling with the tacit consent of the majority, she is notthe only judge of the trade-off between necessary display and indispensable discretion.The public have a say as well.Some of the queen s closest brushes with disaster haveinvolved a lack of visibility, most painfully in 1997 when she remained in Scotland with theroyal family after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.She only returned to London afterpleas from her new, young prime minister, Tony Blair.作為一名立憲制君主，女王和大眾保持著一致。她不僅僅要為自己在公眾面前必要的露面負責，也要不失謹慎小心。因為公眾也有發言權。在一些事情上，女王對災禍的處理還缺乏透明度，最為深痛的是在1997年，當戴安娜--威爾士王妃去世時，女王仍留在蘇格蘭和皇室成員們在一起。在當時新上任的年輕的首相托尼·布萊爾的懇請下，女王才回到了倫敦。

The double nature of the queen—an unusually private woman with extraordinary publicduties—poses a test for all who try to write about her.Including Mr Marr s book, five newbiographies have been prepared for 2012, the queen s diamond jubilee year.The authorsboast of watching the queen at work, interviewing officials from the royal household and 可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

oftrawling through archives.They quote family members, friends and people with a claim toknow the queen.女王的雙重特性——一個非常低調的女子肩負著重大的公共責任——對于所有想描寫她的人都是一個難題。2012年，在女王登基60周年之際，紀念包括馬爾這本書在內的五本新傳記都將出版。作者們吹噓曾看過女王辦公的樣子，采訪了皇室家族的成員們，翻閱無數文獻資料。他們引用了皇室家族成員，朋友和一些自稱認識女王的人的話。

In the process, all five biographers wrestle with the question neatly framed by their subjectherself: if to see the queen is to believe in her, what vantage point allows the mostauthentic experience of faith? Which queen is the most “real”, the private woman or thepublic figure? Each offers a different answer.在此過程中，五本傳記都在試圖回答一個問題，這個問題都和女王有關：如果要信任我們所看到的女王，那么我們應站在什么角度來獲得這些最為真實的信任?哪一個女王是最“真實”的?那個低調的女子還是那個公共人物?每個人心中都有不同的答案。

Two of the authors, Sarah Bradford and Robert Lacey, are veteran royal historians, whose2012 biographies draw on previously published work.With the frankness of an old pro, atone point Ms Bradford names different schools of royal-watching.There is the “work of theQueen” genre, as pioneered by the 1969 television film “Royal Family”, which showed themonarch working through boxes of state papers, preparing state visits or relaxing with herfamily.Alas, she explains, once the public had seen inside royal drawing rooms, they soonwanted to peer into the bedroom.Thus arose the “royal soap opera” genre.Ms Bradfordtakes readers on a brisk, assured canter through the familiar landmarks of both genres,adding a dose of history as she goes.Mr Lacey, who has been writing about the queen fornearly 40 years, advertises his slim volume as a “pleasant afternoon s reading”, which it isnot.At once knowledgeable and jaundiced, Mr Lacey seems slightly sick of his royalsubjects, as do the unnamed courtiers and insiders whom he quotes.這其中的兩個作者，沙拉·布拉德福德和羅伯特·拉西都是經驗豐富的皇家歷史學家，他們在2012年出版的作品援引了之前已經出版著作的內容。布拉德福德女士坦白她是支持皇室的，她曾經將幾種關注皇室的不同行為進行了分類。有一種是“女王的工作”派別，是由1969年電視節目“皇室家族”開啟，展現女王伏案工作的場景，桌上堆滿了國務文件，準備國事訪問以及和家人休閑娛樂。啊，她解釋道，一旦公眾看到了皇家的畫室，他們會好奇臥室是什么樣子。因此出現了 “皇室肥皂劇”流派。布拉德福德女士引入一部分歷史事實，以輕松的筆調帶領讀者信步于這兩派熟知的情節之間。拉西曾用了將近40年的時間來寫女王，他將自己單薄的一本書定義為“午后休閑閱讀”，但事實上并非如此。拉西博學多才，對女王懷有偏見，他似乎有些反感這些皇室成員，在他書中一些沒有提及姓名的官員和圈內人也此表示了同感。

Robert Hardman, a royal correspondent for the Daily Mail, offers a convincing tour of theBritish monarchy as an institution, apeing the vantage point of the fly-on-the-walldocumentary.His access produces an interview with Prince William and several 可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

lesserscoops—a rarity in the world of royal biography, in which the same anecdotes turn up ineach book.But access has its limitations.The young prince is more loyal than revelatoryabout his grandmother, explaining that her “gravitas” awes even her family, that she offersgood advice and was “so excited” by her 2011 state visit to Ireland.Some lesser sourcesappear to be quoted largely to thank them for their time.羅伯特·哈德曼是《每日郵報》的一名王室事務記者，他模仿電視真人秀的紀實特點，展現了英國女王的生活中很重要的部分。他有機會接觸到皇室成員，在此過程中，他訪問了威廉王子，采訪幾個次要人物，獲取了一些獨家新聞—這在描寫皇室的傳記中是非常稀有的材料，以前的傳記中總是出現千篇一律的趣聞軼事。但是與皇室成員的接觸也是有其限制之處。年輕的王子對他的祖母十分忠誠，并不會透露女王的事情，他解釋道，祖母的“莊重”使她整個家族深感敬畏，女王也常常提出意見，2011年出訪愛爾蘭使她感到“很興奮”。一些次要人物在接受采訪中大都表示生正逢時的幸運。

Sally Bedell Smith, an American society biographer, offers her readers the illusion ofknowing the queen as a friend.Ms Bedell Smith brightly describes her own brief chats withthe monarch at a Washington garden party and a London reception, before sprinkling heraccount with minute indiscretions from other people who have met her.The elder PresidentBush reveals that Elizabeth II is “rather formal” but not “standoffish”.A witness describeshow a puppy defecated in front of the queen during a visit to a Kentucky horse-breeder,breaking the ice.Nancy Reagan recalls a breakfast with the queen, Prince Philip and PrinceCharles at Windsor Castle;she was surprised that everyone poured their own cereal fromthe box.It is reported that the queen likes a travel rug round her knees and used to wear ahard hat when watching stallions cover her mares.This footling stuff is only of any interest because it is aboutthe queen.But—fatally—those same domestic details have nothing to do with why ElizabethII, as queen, is interesting.美國的社會傳記作家莎莉·貝德爾·史密斯向讀者描述了女王作為朋友的一面。貝德爾·史密斯女士生動地記敘了她在華盛頓一個花園派對和在倫敦的一次招待會上同女王簡短的談話，也寫到了一些遇見女王的人的輕率之舉動。老布什總統透露，伊麗莎白二世“非常遵守禮節”但又不“冷淡”。一個目擊者描述，在女王去肯塔基州一戶養馬人家時，一只小狗當著女王的大便，這打破了沉默的氣氛。南希·里根回憶：有一次和女王，菲利普親王以及查爾斯王子在溫莎城堡里共進早餐，當她看到在座的每個人都自己從一個大盒子里倒出吃的食物，她很驚訝。據報道，女王喜歡在膝蓋上裹一條毯子，在看她的種馬和母馬交配時喜歡戴一頂安全帽。這些無足輕重的事情一點都不有趣，僅僅因為它們和女王有關。但不幸的是，這些家庭生活的細節和作為女王的伊麗莎白二世是否有趣一點關系都沒有。

Mr Marr, a former political editor of the BBC and author of some shrewd books on modernBritain, sets himself a more ambitious task: to explain what the queen s role and positiontell us about her subjects.It is an admiring portrait, of an unfashionably dutiful monarchwho in her weekly audiences offers prime ministers what he calls “a kind of highertherapy”—a chance to share anxieties or explanations which will never leak, with someonewho has read almost every state secret of the past 60 years.He describes the queen and her strong sense of vocation, as a monarch “God-called” togive her life to her people as a sacrifice.Only by understanding that calling, he writes, canthe queen be understood.可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

馬爾以前是英國廣播公司的一位政治編輯，曾寫過幾本關于現代英國的書，很有見地。現在他給自己定下了一個甚為龐大的目標：要解釋清楚女王的角色和位置，告訴我們她的民眾的看法。這是一本令人欽佩的傳記，它記述了一位守舊、盡職的女王每周會見首相時提供的 “高級療法”—用馬爾的話來說—這是首相和女王分擔焦慮、共謀計策的時刻，這些談話的內容永遠不會泄露出去。在過去的六十年，女王幾乎知曉所有的國家機密。在書中，馬爾描述了女王和她強烈的使命感：女王是“受到了上帝召喚”，要將自己的生命獻給民眾。“只有理解了這種召喚，才能理解女王”馬爾如此寫到。

In perhaps a claim too far, Mr Marr emphasises the comfort offered by the queen as asymbol of the continuing British state.By representing those who did not vote for thecurrent government or did not vote at all, she strengthens democracy, he suggests.It is aclever thought, but may overstate the degree to which most Britons suffer fromconstitutional angst.馬爾強調了女王作為大英帝國延續的標志給人們帶來的慰藉，這一點可能說的有些過頭了。為了那些反對現任政府和那些根本沒有投票的人，女王要推進民主。這個想法非常明智，但是這過度夸大了大多數英國人對現行體制的擔心。

But a symbol she certainly is.And in modern Britain—a restless, exhibitionist place—MrMarr s Queen Elizabeth stands out for her discretion, and for understanding that symbolsare “better off keeping mostly quiet”.There is a lesson there for her heir, the Prince of Wales,Mr Marr suggests sharply.但是女王肯定是一個標志。在現代英國—處于一個焦躁不安，要出風頭的位置—馬爾筆下的伊麗莎白二世以她的謹慎而名，也深知作為標志性的人物“最好保持沉默”。馬爾毫不留情的指出，對于她的繼承人--威爾士親王來說，還有許多經驗需要學習。

Mr Marr palpably likes the queen, whether for touring the country to greet and thank peoplemostly ignored by “London power brokers”, or for relaxing when her work is done with “aglass of something cheerful”.Yet liking is not really the point.In Mr Marr s words, there isonly a little space, though “an interesting space”, between the queen and the woman wholives her life.Her calling gives her meaning.She “is what she does”.能感覺的出來，馬爾是欣賞女王的。不論是出訪全國會見問候被““倫敦權勢掮客”忽略的人們，還是完成“很滿意的工作” 之后的放松。然而喜好無關緊要。用馬爾的話來說，在女王和過普通生活的女子之間只有一點點的距離，盡管這個距離很“有趣”。女王應有的使命感賦予了她意義。女王的言行舉止即代表了女王。

Mr Marr s sober conclusion feels right.To adapt the queen s one-liner: for all that thespectacle and unattainable glamour of royalty still fascinates , forBritain s jubilee monarch the show is a means to an end.Being seen is about being believed.馬爾發人深省的結論可能是正確的。為了改編了女王一脈相承的生活：所有的規模宏大的慶典和難以企及的皇室魅力仍然散發著強大的吸引力，對于已經登基了六十周年的英國女可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

王來說這場秀可能是一個結束。所見即所信。

第三篇：2018年可銳考研英語閱讀文章精選

可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

2018年可銳考研英語閱讀文章精選

（九）The view from the top, and bottom

老板與員工的意見分歧

Bosses think their firms are caring.Their minions disagree.老板們認為公司對員工關懷備至，但其下屬卻不以為然。

AS WALMART grew into the world s largest retailer, its staff were subjected to a long list ofdos and don ts covering every aspect of their work.隨著沃爾瑪發展成為全球最大零售商，其員工在工作的各方各面都受到了一大堆規則的限制。

Now the firm has decided that its rules-based culture is too inflexible to cope with thechallenges of globalisation and technological change，如今，沃爾瑪已經認識到其以規則為基礎的公司文化過于死板，無法應對全球化和科技變革所帶來的挑戰。

and is trying to instil a values-based culture, in which employees can be trusted to do theright thing because they know what the firm stands for.所以，沃爾瑪正嘗試逐漸培養一種以價值觀為基礎的公司文化，在這種文化中，員工了解公司的主張，所以能夠得到公司的信任，去做他們認為正確的事情。

Values is the latest hot topic in management thinking.價值觀念 是管理學思維最新的熱門話題。

PepsiCo has started preaching a creed of performance with purpose.百事可樂公司已開始宣揚一個信條： 目的性績效。

Chevron, an oil firm, brands itself as a purveyor of human energy , though presumably itdoes not really want you to travel by rickshaw.石油公司雪佛龍在自己的商標上印上 ‘人類體能 的供應商 的字樣，盡管它大概并非真的希望你用人力車代步。

Nearly every big firm claims to be building a more caring and ethical culture.可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

幾乎每一家大型企業都宣稱自身正在發展更為關懷體貼、合乎道德的企業文化。

A new study suggests there is less to this than it says on the label.一項新的研究顯示，實際情況與商家們所標榜的有差距。

Commissioned by Dov Seidman, boss of LRN, a firm that advises on corporate culture, andauthor of How ，LRN的老板、同時也是《怎么做到的?》

a book arguing that the way firms do business matters as much as what they do, andconducted by the Boston Research Group, the National Governance, Culture and LeadershipAssessment is based on a survey of thousands of American employees, from every rung ofthe corporate ladder.的作者多弗?塞德曼委托波士頓研究集團進行這項 國家治理、文化和領導能力評估 的研究，該研究是以對來自公司各個級別的數千位美國雇員的調查為基礎的。

It found that 43% of those surveyed described their company s culture as based oncommand-and-control, top-down management or leadership by coercion—what MrSeidman calls blind obedience.研究發現，有43%的調查對象對其公司的文化有以下描述：以命令和指揮為基礎、自上而下的管理模式或強制式的領導——塞德曼先生稱之為 盲目服從型。

The largest category, 54%, saw their employer s culture as top-down, but with skilledleadership, lots of rules and a mix of carrots and sticks, which Mr Seidman calls informedacquiescence.所占百分比最多的調查對象，即有54%的人認為其公司文化自上而下型的，但公司的領導也有技巧可言，只是規則繁多并存在軟硬兼施的手段，塞德曼先生稱這種為 知情服從型。

Only 3% fell into the category of self-governance , in which everyone is guided by a set ofcore principles and values that inspire everyone to align around a company s mission.只有3%的調查對象屬于 自我管理型，即每個員工都被一套 核心原則和價值 所引導，這套原則和價值激勵每個員工以公司的宗旨為中心進行工作。

The study found evidence that such differences matter.研究也發現一些證據，證明這些公司文化之間的差異事關重大。

Nearly half of those in blind-obedience companies said they had observed 可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

unethicalbehaviour in the previous year, compared with around a quarter in the other sorts of firm.在盲目服從型企業中，幾乎有過半數員工都稱在前一年目睹過有違職業道德的行為，而在其他類型的企業中只有四分之一的員工有此經歷。

Yet only a quarter of those in the blind-obedience firms said they were likely to blow thewhistle, compared with over 90% in self-governing firms.但是，在盲目服從型企業中只有約四分之一的員工說他們可能會揭發這種行為，而在自我管理型企業中卻有90%的員工會進行揭發。

Lack of trust may inhibit innovation, too.同樣，上下級之間缺乏信任會抑制員工創新。

More than 90% of employees in self-governing firms, and two-thirds in the informed-acquiescence category, agreed that good ideas are readily adopted by my company.自我管理型公司中超過90%的員工承認 絕妙的想法很容易會被公司采納，選擇性順從型公司中也有三分之二的員工這樣認為。

At blind-obedience firms, fewer than one in five did.而在盲目服從型公司中，持這種想法的人少于五分之一。

Tragicomically, the study found that bosses often believe their own guff, even if theirunderlings do not.令人哭笑不得的是，研究還發現老板們時常對自己瞎掰的那一套信以為真，即便員工們不以為然。

Bosses are eight times more likely than the average to believe that their organisation is self-governing.老板們相信其公司是自我管理型公司的程度比普通員工高八倍。

Some 27% of bosses believe their employees are inspired by their firm.大約27%的老板認為自己公司的員工能夠被公司所激勵。

Alas, only 4% of employees agree.奈何，只有4%的員工同意此說。可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

Likewise, 41% of bosses say their firm rewards performance based on values rather thanmerely on financial results.同樣，41%的老板稱其公司對績效的獎勵是建基于價值觀之上的，而不僅是業績。

Only 14% of employees swallow this.然而只有14%的員工接受此說。

二．

A big, bad business

點肥成金不現實

Medical firms struggle to profit from weight-loss treatments

制藥公司試圖從減肥治療中獲利

OBESITY is an epidemic to some and an opportunity to others.肥胖癥對某些人來說是傳染病，對別的一些人來說則是機遇。

More than two-thirds of Americans are overweight.超過三分之二的美國人已經超重。

Find a way to battle the bulge and a huge profit might be made.找個辦法和肥胖對抗，說必定就此大賺一筆。

On February 22nd one pharmaceutical firm, Vivus, took a small step towards this goal.找個辦法和肥胖對抗，說必定就此大賺一筆。

A committee advising America s Food and Drug Administration recommended that itapprove Vivus s diet drug, Qnexa.2月22日，Vivus制藥公司朝著這個目標前進了一步。給美國食品藥物管理局做咨詢的一家委員會推薦，Vivus公司的減肥藥Qnexa。

However, the pill s long-awaited final approval may not come until April, if at all.可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

但是，如果獲得批準，該藥品的漫長的最終肯定直到四月份才會到來。

The announcement mostly served as a reminder of what a struggle it is to turn fat intogold.公告主要是提醒人們，這是一場點肥成金的抗爭。

Pharmaceutical and medical-device companies are quite good at treating the conditions thatcome with obesity.制藥和醫療器械公司非常善于解決肥胖帶來的問題。

However, they are dismal at helping consumers lose weight.但是他們無法幫助消費者戰勝肥胖本身，減少體重。

This is not for lack of trying.這不是因為缺乏嘗試。

Take the curious case of the gastric band.以古怪的胃部束帶為例。

Bariatric surgery can lead to weight loss in the long term.Hospitals can make money fromall bariatric procedures, including gastric bypasses , but the gastric band is a rareexample of an opportunity for device-makers to profit from weight loss.肥胖治療手術可以幫助患者在較長的時間內減少體重。醫院就是從這些減肥療程中賺錢，包括胃繞道手術，但是胃部束帶卻是一個罕見的例子，被當成一個器械制造商用來從減肥中賺錢的法子。

Allergan, best known for selling Botox, has tried to use its Lap-Band to tap the obesitymarket.Allergan公司以銷售肉毒桿菌而出名，嘗試用產品Lap-Band打入減肥市場。

It is an inflatable loop which the surgeon fits near the top of the stomach, which helps thepatient feel sated earlier.Lap-Band是一圈松緊帶，外科醫生可以用它繞住患者胃的上部，這樣患者會提前有腹飽感。

Allergan has captured about 70% of the worldwide market for gastric bands and balloons, 可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

butsales are now shrinking.Allergan公司在全球胃部束帶和充氣袋市場占有率達70%，但是如今銷量卻有所下降。

The recession has sapped consumers desire for expensive surgery.經濟不景氣讓消費者忍住做昂貴的手術的欲望。

Some patients have had bands removed because they slipped or proved ineffective.有些病人甚至連束帶也不用了，因為束帶打滑或者沒有效果。

Last year the FDA approved the Lap-Band s use in patients who are only slightly overweight,but insurers have refused to pay.去年，美國食品藥物管理局同意，微超重病人使用 Lap-Band，但是保險公司卻拒絕付款。

In January David Pyott, Allergan s chief executive, said he would scrap an effort to marketthe band for teenagers.一月份，Allergan公司首席執行官David Pyott說，他將放棄在年輕人束帶市場的努力。

He is now trying to convince insurers of Lap-Band s merits, arguing that the $20,000surgery is recouped in saved medical costs within four years.他目前試圖讓保險公司也看到Lap-Band的優點，他認為兩萬美元手術費可以在四年之內通過減少醫療支出收回。

There is some scepticism about his chances of success: The fact that banding is not as goodas bypass has been known by everybody except the PR firms for the band, says LeeKaplan, director of the Weight Centre at Massachusetts General Hospital.至今仍有人懷疑他是否能成功：“事實上使用束帶不必胃繞道手術好，所有人都知道，除了束帶的公關公司，”馬薩諸塞州中心醫院體重中心主任Lee Kaplan如是說。

Drug companies have had even more trouble than device-makers.制藥公司的麻煩甚至比醫療器械公司的還要多。

It has been 13 years since the FDA approved a prescription diet pill.從美國食品藥物管理局批準減肥藥為處方藥到如今已經過了十三年。可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

That drug, Roche s Xenical, has notorious gastrointestinal side-effects.瑞士羅氏制藥公司的Xenical臭名昭著，該藥會引發胃腸功能的副作用。

The FDA rejected Vivus s Qnexa in 2010 over concerns for the safety of pregnant women andthe quickening of patients heart rates.美國食品藥物管理局于2010年拒絕批準Vivus公司的Qnexa，因為擔心該藥對孕婦的安全造成傷害，擔心該藥會加快患者的心率。

Vivus s new data apparently satisfied the FDA s advisory committee.Vivus公司新的數據顯然讓管理局的咨詢委員會滿意。

However, the agency may yet reject the drug.但是該局還是可能拒絕批準該藥。

Even if Qnexa is approved, it is unclear that patients will buy it.就算Qnexa獲得批準，患者會不會買賬仍不明了。

Qnexa combines two treatments that are already on the market.Qnexa結合了兩種市面上上有的療效。

Both medicines are generic, which means that doctors may prescribe the existing drugsrather than Qnexa s more expensive version.這兩種藥物都是非專利藥，這說明醫生可能會給患者開已有的藥而不選擇Qnexa，后者更貴。

For now, it is more profitable to treat fat patients than to try to make them slim.到目前為止，治療肥胖患者還是要比讓他們減肥更有利可圖。

第四篇：2018年可銳考研英語閱讀文章精選

可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

2018年可銳考研英語閱讀文章精選

（三）Facebook and privacy Sorry, friends

臉譜和用戶隱私 對不起，朋友

The giant social network is castigated for serious privacy failings

社交網巨頭因嚴重隱私缺陷而遭受公眾譴責

FACEBOOK has been playing with fire and has got its fingers burned, again.臉譜一直在玩火，這次它又燒傷了自己的指頭。

On November 29th America s Federal Trade Commission announced that it hadreached a draft settlement with the giant social network over allegations that it hadmisled people about its use of their personal data.11月29日美國聯邦貿易委員會聲明已和該社交網巨頭關于公眾對它欺騙用戶、濫用用戶個人信息的控訴初步達成解決方案。

The details of the settlement make clear that Facebook, which boasts over 800m users,betrayed its users trust.這份解決方案的細目明確說明，臉譜網背叛了它所聲稱的八億用戶的信任。

It is also notable because it appears to be part of a broader attempt by the FTC to craft anew privacy framework to deal with the swift rise of social networks in America.FTC有個更大的計劃，那就是創建一個新的隱私框架以應對美國快速攀升的社交網用戶。而這份方案似乎是這個計劃中的一部分，這也是它受到廣泛關注的另一個原因。

The regulator s findings come at a sensitive time for Facebook, which is said to be preparingfor an initial public offering next year that could value it at around $100 billion.調解員的調查對這個時候的臉譜網來說很敏感。據說它正在準備明年的首次招股，這將使它的價值達到一千億。

To clear the way for its blockbuster flotation, the firm first needs to resolve its privacytussles with regulators in America and Europe.為了給這次非同一般的上市計劃掃清障礙，臉譜網必須首先解決與美國和歐洲協調員關于用戶隱私的爭端，因此這周它公開了商談意向。可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

Hence its willingness to negotiate the settlement unveiled this week, which should befinalised at the end of December after a period for public comment.經過征詢公共意見后，商談結果將在十二月底最終敲定。

Announcing the agreement, the FTC said it had found a number of cases where Facebook hadmade claims that were unfair and deceptive, and violated federal law.宣布協議時，FTC說發現有好幾回臉譜的聲明都是 不公平，虛假并觸犯聯邦法 的，For instance, it passed on personally identifiable information to advertisers, even though itsaid it would not do so.比如，它把用戶身份信息透露給廣告商，但是嘴上卻聲稱不會做此類事情。

And it failed to keep a promise to make photos and videos on deactivated and deletedaccounts inaccessible.還有，賬戶不再活動或取消后，上面的相片和視頻卻仍然可以被搜索到，這完全與它的承諾不相符。

The settlement does not constitute an admission by Facebook that it has broken the law.臉譜沒有在這份協議中承認自己觸犯法律。

But the regulator s findings are deeply embarrassing for the company nonetheless.但是，協調員的調查結果已經讓這個公司陷入極為尷尬的境地。

In a blog post published the same day, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook s boss, tried to play downthe impact of the deal.同一天，臉譜老板Mark Zuckerberg在一篇博文上極力淡化這份協議的影響。

First he claimed that a small number of high-profile mistakes were overshadowing thesocial network s good history on privacy.在這篇博文中他首先聲明 一小部分被高調炒作的錯誤 正在掩蓋臉譜網關于用戶隱私的 良好記錄。

Then he confessed that it could still do better and said he had hired two new chief privacyofficers.接著，他承認確實有一些地方需要改進，并說明他已經雇用了兩名新的 首席隱私官。可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

The FTC is not relying on Facebook to police itself.FTC不指望臉譜自我監督。

Among other things, the company will now have to seek consumers approval before itchanges the way it shares their data.And it has agreed to an independent privacy auditevery two years for the next 20 years.此外，在改變用戶信息共享方式前，它還必須征詢用戶的同意，并且它也同意在未來二十年里每兩年進行一次獨立的隱私審核。

Jeff Chester of the Centre for Digital Democracy reckons this will make it somewhat easier forprivacy activists to hold the social network to account.數字民主中心的Jeff Chester認為，這從某種程度上讓隱私主義者更容易相信臉譜會為自己的行為負責。

There is a clear pattern here.這里有個很清晰的模式。

In separate cases over the past couple of years the FTC has insisted that Twitter and Googleaccept regular external audits, too, after each firm was accused of violating its customers privacy.從過去幾年里Twitter和Google各自的案例來看，在這兩家公司分別被指控觸犯用戶隱私后，FTC也堅持要求兩家公司接受定期的外部審核，The intent seems to be to create a regulatory regime that is tighter than the status quo,but one that still gives social networks plenty of room to innovate.目的似乎就是為了給此類社交網絡創造一個比現狀嚴格卻又有足夠空間革新的管理制度。

The audits can be used to tweak the framework in the light of new developments.從發展的角度講，這些審核有助于打破原本框架。

Some observers reckon web firms have agreed to all this in the hope that it will deflect apush for more onerous privacy legislation in America.一些觀測者認為，這些網絡公司全盤接受這些審核，希望借此擺脫美國更為繁瑣的隱私保護法。可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

But outrage over Facebook s behaviour could spur Congress into action anyway.And it willcertainly not be lost on regulators in Europe who are scrutinising the social network sprivacy record too.但是公眾對臉譜行為的不滿終將刺激國會做出反應，而正在審閱該社交網隱私記錄的歐洲協調員們也必然會給予這些不滿的呼聲以相應的重視。

Mr Zuckerberg s latest mea culpa is unlikely to be his last.看來Zuckerberg先生最近的這次檢討不會是最后一次。

二．

Drugmakers Cliffhanger

制藥企業 懸念

Big Pharma struggles to protect its blockbusters as they lose patent protection

大型制藥企業艱難保護著專利失效的 重磅炸彈 藥物

FOR some years the big drugmakers have been dreading an approaching patent cliff —aslump in sales as the patents on their most popular pills expire or are struck down by legalchallenges, with few new potential blockbusters to take their place.多年來，大型制藥企業一直擔心 專利懸崖 出現——最暢銷藥品的專利到期或專利因訴訟而中止，而市場上鮮有新的 重磅炸彈 藥物，這時企業的銷售額將會銳減。

This week the patent on the best-selling drug in history expired—Lipitor, an anti-cholesterolpill which earned Pfizer nearly $11 billion in revenues last year.本周，史上最暢銷的藥物 立普妥 專利到期，這種降膽固醇藥去年就為輝瑞公司賺了近110億美元。

In all, blockbusters with a combined $170 billion in annual sales will go off-patent by 2015.到了2015年，多種 重磅炸彈 藥物的專利都將失效。

What is supposed to happen now is that lots of copycat firms rush in with generic versions of Lipitor at perhaps one-fifth of its price.可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

很多仿制藥公司現在大概正忙著推出與立普妥的非專利藥，價格僅為立普妥的1/5。

Patients and health-care payers should reap the benefit.病人和醫療費用支付方會收益，而輝瑞的收入會縮水。

Pfizer s revenues should suffer.The same story will be repeated many times, as otherbest-selling drugs march over the patent cliff.同樣的事件將反復上演，因為其他暢銷藥也要臨近專利懸崖。

But generics makers may face delays getting their cheaper versions to market.然而，非專利制藥企業卻發現仿制藥上市一拖再拖。

Ranbaxy, a Japanese-owned drugmaker, struggled to get regulators approval for itsgeneric version of Lipitor, and only won it on the day the patent expired.蘭伯西這家日本制藥企業歷盡艱辛，獲得了立普妥非專利藥的生產許可，但該許可要到專利失效那天才生效。

More important, research-based drug firms are using a variety of tactics to make the patentcliff slope more gently.更重要的是，以研發為基礎的制藥公司正使用各種方法緩沖 專利懸崖 效應。

Jon Leibowitz, chairman of America s Federal Trade Commission , is concerned bydrugmakers filing frivolous additional patents on their products to put off the day whentheir protection expires.美國聯邦貿易委員會主席Jon Leibowitz注意到，制藥商們千方百計地為產品增加后續專利，以延緩保護的失效，但其實那些專利沒什么價值。

Another tactic is pay-for-delay , in which a drugmaker facing a legal challenge to itspatent pays its would-be competitor to put off introducing its cheaper copy.另一種戰術是 有償延遲 協議，也就是說在專利訴訟時，制藥企業會付給未來競爭對手一筆錢，以延遲價錢更低的仿制藥進入市場。

In the year to October the FTC identified what it believes to be 28 such settlements.截止到10月，FTC就發現了28起類似事件。

American and European regulators are looking into these deals.可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

美國和歐洲的監管部門也開始調查這些協議。

However, legal challenges against them have faltered, and a bill to ban them is stuck inCongress.然而，反對這些協議的訴訟一再擱淺，而美國國會也未能通過禁止此類事件的一項法案。

To encourage generics makers to challenge patents on drugs, and introduce cheapercopies，為了鼓勵非專利制藥企業挑戰藥品專利、生產價錢更低的仿制藥，an American law passed in 1984 says that the first one to do so will get a 180-day exclusivityperiod，美國于1984年通過一項法案，其中提到 第一個挑戰成功的仿制藥企能獲得180天市場獨占期，in which no other generics maker can sell versions of the drug in question, as Ranbaxysupposedly won with Lipitor.在此期間其他仿制藥企不能販售同一專利藥的其他仿制藥，就像蘭伯西獲得立普妥仿制藥的生產權一樣。

However, Pfizer is exploiting a loophole in the 1984 law, which lets it appoint a second,authorised copycat—in this case, Watson, another American firm.然而，輝瑞鉆了這個法案的空子，它讓第二家授權仿制藥企業——華生制藥公司來仿制。

According to BernsteinResearch, under the deal between the two drugmakers Pfizer willreceive about 70% of Watson s revenues from its approved copy of Lipitor.根據BernsteinResearch的分析，在此交易期間，華生公司獲得立普妥的仿制權，輝瑞將獲得華生公司年收入的70%。

More unusual, Pfizer has cut the price of its original version, and will keep marketing itvigorously.更為不同的是，輝瑞將降低立普妥專利藥的價格，并對其采取積極的營銷策略。

So Ranbaxy faces not one, but two competitors.所以說，蘭伯西的對手是兩個，而非一個。可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

This strategy has precedent, says David Risinger of Morgan Stanley, but the scale andstructure of Pfizer s scheme is unmatched.摩根士丹利的David Risinger認為，這項策略雖有先例，但就規模和結構而言絕對不能與輝瑞的計劃相比。

Patients with a special discount card from Pfizer will make co-payments of just $4 for a month s worth of the originalLipitor, compared with about $10 for many generic medicines.輝瑞的患者，若使用一種特殊打折卡，通過共同支付方式，只花4美元就可以獲得一個月用量的立普妥專利藥，而其他仿制品需要花費約10美元。

Pfizer is also offering Lipitor for a generic price to big firms such as Medco, which managehealth schemes prescription costs.輝瑞還以仿制藥價格向美可保健等大型公司提供立普妥。

All this may raise Pfizer s sales by nearly $500m in the first half of 2012 compared with whatthey would otherwise have been, says Tim Anderson of BernsteinResearch, with revenuesthen falling after the 180 days are over.BernsteinResearch的Tim Anderson認為，所有這些舉措將使得輝瑞2012年上半年的銷售額比不采取措施時增加近5億美元，總收入在180天市場獨占期后會下降。

Medco argues that Pfizer s scheme will save money for all parties, and ensure a steadysupply of the drug.美可保健公司辯解說，輝瑞的項目是為各方省錢，并保證穩定供貨。

Others fear that Pfizer s tactics may drive up costs for the employers who sponsor healthplans, thanks to the complexities of co-payment schemes, and confuse patients lectured foryears about the merits of generics.也有人擔心，由于共同支付計劃很復雜，輝瑞的戰術會增加雇主門支付健康計劃的成本，也讓患者們在數年內都不明白仿制藥的重要意義。

Express Scripts is advising the health plans it works for to reject Pfizer s deals for Lipitor.快捷藥方公司正建議其所屬的健康計劃反對輝瑞的立普妥交易。

The biggest worry is that Pfizer s strategy, if copied, will make the 180-day exclusivityperiod worth far less, and thus discourage generics firms from challenging patents in thefirst place.他們最擔心，如若輝瑞的做法被仿制，那么180天專有期的價值會縮水，而仿制藥公司可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

挑戰專利的動力也會在初期被抑制。

第五篇：2018年可銳考研英語閱讀文章精選

可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

2018年可銳考研英語閱讀文章精選

（五）Gene therapy

基因療法

Genetic mutations predict which cancers willrespond to treatment

基因突變將預測某種治療會對哪些癌癥起作用

THE International Cancer Genome Consortium, analliance of laboratories that is trying to produce adefinitive list of the genetic mutations that causecancer, is accumulating data at an astonishing rate.About 3,000 individual breast tumours,for example, have now had their genotypes published.But these data will not, bythemselves, help patients.For that, they have to be collected in the context of a drug trial.And this is just what Matthew Ellis and his colleagues at Washington University in St Louishave done for women suffering from breast cancer.Their methods, if they prove to work forother cancers too, may revolutionise treatment.國際癌癥基因組協作組是試圖建立一份會引起癌癥的基因突變完整清單的實驗室聯盟，它積累數據的速度讓人吃驚。例如，它已經發表了大約3000種不同的乳房腫瘤的基因型。但光憑這些數據本身無法幫助患者。要醫治病人，人們必須結合藥物試驗采集數據。而這正是在圣路易斯市的華盛頓大學工作的馬修?埃利斯及其同事們為罹患乳腺癌的婦女們所作的工作。如果事實證明他們的方法對其他癌癥也有用的話，這可能會是癌癥治療的一次革命。

Dr Ellis and his team sequenced the whole genomes of both cancerous and normal tissuefrom 46 women with tumours of a type called oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer.They also sequenced just the gene-containing regions of the genome-about 1% of totalDNA-from an additional 31 women, and parts of the sequences of 240 more.They thencompared the healthy and tumorous genomes of each patient, in order to discover whichgenes had mutated in the cancer.埃利斯博士及其團隊對46名身患雌激素受體陽性乳腺癌的婦女的癌組織和正常組織進行了全基因組測序。他們也對另外31名病人的基因組中含有基因的那些區域進行了測序，并對其他240 名病人的這些部分做了部分測序。此后，為找出癌細胞中哪些基因發生了突變，他們比較了每個病人的健康和癌變基因組。

In this, they were following the normal protocol of the cancer genome consortium.Thenovelty of their approach was that the women in question had each been involved in one oftwo clinical trials of a drug called letrozole.These trials established letrozole as a standardtreatment for people with this type of breast cancer, but not all patients benefit equally fromthe drug.Dr Ellis hoped to find out why.他們在這一工作中是按癌癥基因組協作組的標準程序操作的，但其方法的新穎之處是，他們還同時進行一種名為來曲唑的藥物的臨床試驗。該試驗有兩種，每個病人都接受其中的可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

一種。這些試驗證實來曲唑是這類乳腺癌的標準治療方法，但它對每個病人的療效并不一樣。埃利斯博士希望找出其原因。

As they report in Nature, he and his team discovered 18 genes that were often mutated.Some were the usual suspects of cancer genetics.These included p53, a gene that, whenworking properly, suppresses cancer by regulating DNA repair, cell division and cellularsuicide, and MAP3K1 and MAP2K4, which both promote cell growth.Others, though, were asurprise.At the top of that list were five which had previously been linked to leukaemia, butwere not thought to affect solid tumours.正如他們在《自然》雜志中所報告的那樣，埃利斯和他的團隊發現了18種經常發生突變的基因，其中有些是癌癥遺傳學通常懷疑的對象。這中間包括p53，這種基因在正常工作時通過調節DNA對的修復、細胞分裂和細胞自殺來抑制癌癥;還有MAP3K1和MAP2K4，它們都能促進細胞生長。但也有些令人吃驚的其他結果。高踞名單前列的5種基因是人們過去認為與白血病有關的，沒想到它們也會影響實體瘤。

By combining their newly acquired genetic data with clinical data from the participants, DrEllis and his colleagues showed that those whose tumours carried mutations in p53 were less likely to have responded to letrozole than women whose tumours hadnormal p53.Conversely, those whose tumours had changes in either MAP3K1 or MAP2K4 had better than average responses to the drug.將他們新得到的基因數據與參與試驗者的臨床數據結合，埃利斯博士等人證明了，來曲唑對腫瘤中有p53基因突變的病人的療效不如對腫瘤中p53基因正常的病人那樣顯著。與此相反，這一藥物對腫瘤中MAP3K1或MAP2K4有變化的病人的療效高于平均水平。

This sort of information has obvious implications for treatment.And the cheapness ofmodern gene-sequencing methods, particularly those that are looking for specific mutationssuspected in advance, means that a tumour s mutational complement can be worked outeasily in an appropriately equipped pathology laboratory.In the case of oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, the genetic analysis has not yet gone so far as to be able to say withcertainty which drug will produce the best result for a given individual, but Dr Ellis s resultlays a foundation on which such an edifice might be built for breast cancer and perhaps forother types of tumour, too.這種信息對治療的含義是明顯的。而且，現代基因測序法價格低廉，尋找預先已有懷疑的某些特別的基因突變尤為便宜;這意味著，在擁有合適裝備的病理實驗室里，人們可以很容易地找出腫瘤基因突變的補體。就雌激素受體陽性乳腺癌來說，基因分析還無法肯定地告訴我們，哪種藥物對某個病人療效最佳;但埃利斯博士的結果打下了一個基礎，或許可以在此之上為乳腺癌——甚至其他種類的癌癥——的治療建立有效的預測方法。

可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

Medical implants

醫用植入設備

A sweet idea.一個甜美的想法。

Researchers are trying to harness glucose-the body s own fuel-to power implantablegadgets such as pacemakers.研究人員正試圖利用葡萄糖-人體自身的燃料-作為像起搏器這樣的可植入設備的能源

LIKE any other electrical device, a pacemaker needs a power source.Since the firstpermanent pacemaker was installed in 1958, manufacturers of implantable medical devices have tinkered with many different ways of supplying electricity to their products.Avariety of chemical batteries have been tried, as well as inductive recharging schemes andeven plutonium power cells that convert the heat from radioactive decay into electricity.Plutonium-powered pacemakers still turn up from time to time in mortuaries and hospitals,and a failure to dispose of them properly keeps America s Nuclear Regulatory Commissionbusy handing out citations to unsuspecting hospitals.和其他所有的電子設備一樣，一個起搏器同樣需要能源。自從1958年第一個永久起搏器被植入后，可植入醫療設備的制造商就在不斷嘗試為其產品提供電能的各種方法。嘗試了各種化學電池以及感應充電計劃，甚至是將放射衰變的熱能轉換為電能的钚電源單元格。現在，钚電源起搏器還是時不時的出現在停尸房和醫院中，并且使得美國核管理委員忙于忙于處罰那些疏于妥善處理钚電源起搏器的醫院。

Today, non-rechargeable lithium-based batteries are common.Used in many cardiologicaland neurological implants, they provide between seven and ten years of life.That is morethan enough: the speed of medical progress is such that by the time the battery has run downit is generally time to replace the whole device with a newer model in any case.如今，不可充電的鋰電池較為普遍。應用在心臟病和神經源性疾病的移植設備中，一般能夠提供7年到10年的使用時間。這么長的使用時間顯得綽綽有余：醫學發展的速度意味著等到設備的電量用光就到了用一個更先進的型號來替換整個設備的時候。

But that has not dissuaded researchers from continuing to seek perfection, in the form of acompact, perpetual energy source which does not require external recharging.Now,several researchers are closing in on just such a solution using glucose, a type of sugar thatis the main energy source for all cells in the body.然而這并沒有阻止研究人員繼續尋找完美的，緊湊型的永久能源，從而使得這些移植設備不再需要外部充電。現在，幾個研究人員正在接近一個能夠提供這樣能源的方法，使用葡可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

萄糖，即為人體所有細胞提供主要能源的一種糖。

Many other ideas have been tried down the years.The kinetic energy of the human body, forexample, has long been harnessed to power watches, and should also be enough to keep apacemaker ticking.Temperature differences between the body and the ambient air meanthat thermoelectric couples can generate useful quantities of juice.A properly tuned devicecould capture background radio-frequency energy and rectify it into small amounts ofusable power.這些年還有許多其他想法也被嘗試。比如，很久以前人體動能就用來為手表提供能量，這種動能也足夠維持起搏器的運轉。人體與外部環境的溫差意味著熱電偶能夠產生一定數量能量。一個適當調諧裝置能夠捕獲北京射頻能量并且將其轉換成少量可用能源。

Although all these ideas have been shown to work in theoretical tests on lab benches, theyall suffer from the same handicap: intermittent operation.Unconscious patients, forinstance, generate little kinetic energy.Sitting in a warm room reduces the poweravailable from thermocouples.And radio waves are common but not ubiquitous.These areserious drawbacks for an IMD that may be responsible for keeping someone alive.盡管這些想法在實驗的理論測試中運轉正常，但是他們都有一個同樣的缺陷：間歇運行。例如，處于昏迷的患者產生的人體動能很少。處于溫暖的房間中會減少熱電偶產生的可用能量。另外射頻很常見，但是也不是處處可見。這些問題對于維持生命的可移植醫療設備來說都是十分嚴重的缺陷。

Power in the blood

血液中的能量。

A glucose-powered implant would solve such problems.Glucose is continuously deliveredthroughout the body by its circulatory systems.A sugar-powered device would thereforehave access to a constant supply of fuel, and could be implanted almost anywhere.而一個葡萄糖供能的移植設備可以解決這些問題。葡萄糖由人體的循環系統被源源不斷的輸送到人體各處。一個糖分供能的設備因此能夠取得持續供給的能量并且幾乎可以在任何位置進行移植。

One approach, which has been employed by Sameer Singhal, a researcher at the CFDResearch Corporation in Alabama, involves the same enzymes that break down glucosewithin a living cell.Using carbon nanotubes, he and his colleagues immobilised two differentenzymes on the electrodes of a fuel cell, where they generated electricity by freeingelectrons from glucose.At present, only two of the 24 available electrons in a single glucosemolecule can be harnessed, but refinements to the technology should boost that number.就職于Alabama的CFD Research Corporation的研究人員Sameer Singhal所使用的方法涉及利用酶將活細胞中的葡萄糖分解。利用碳納米管，他和他的同事在燃料電池的電子上找到可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

了2種不同的酶，在燃料電池中他們通過釋放葡萄糖的電子來產生電能。現在，在一個葡萄糖分子中的24個可用電子中只有2個可以利用，但是對這項技術的后續完善應該會使得可以利用的電子數量有所增加。

Dr Singhal has implanted prototype devices into live beetles.Fitted with a fuel cell about thesize of a penny, the bionic bugs were able to generate over 20 microwatts during a two-week trial.Singhal博士將設備原型移植進了甲蟲活體。放入了一個一便士大小的能量池，這些甲蟲在2周實驗期內產生了20微瓦。

That is only around a fifth of the power that a pacemaker requires, but Dr Singhal reckonsthat a human-sized version of his cell would be able to deliver enough juice.There is a catch,though: a process called biofouling, in which foreign objects implanted in the body becomeencrusted with proteins and tissue.That could render Dr Singhal s device inoperable afteronly a few months.Equally worrying are the enzymes, which tend to break down over time.Losing enzymes means losing power.這只是一個起搏器所需能量的15分之一，但是Singhal博士認為人類體積大小的細胞量能夠產生足夠的能量。這里有個欠缺點：被稱做生物污垢的過程，即被移植進人體的外來物會嵌入蛋白質和組織中。這會使得Singhal博士的設備在移植后的幾個月內便無法使用。同樣使人擔憂的是酶，這種物質隨著時間的推移會被分解。而丟失酶就意味著丟失能量。

Rahul Sarpeshkar, an electrical engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has asolution to both these problems.In a paper published on June 12th in Public Library ofScience, Dr Sarpeshkar and his colleagues describe building a glucose fuel cell which uses aplatinum catalyst that does not degrade over time.一位MIT的電子工程師Rahul Sarpeshkar有個方法可以解決這兩個問題。6月12號發表于Public Libraryof Science的一篇論文中，Sarpeshkar博士和他的同事證實用鉑催化劑打造的葡萄糖能量池，其效果不會隨著時間被削弱。

The downside is that platinum is a less efficient catalyst than the enzymes used by DrSinghal, and so Dr Sarpeshkar s cell works less well.But it might be able to generateenough electricity to run the next generation of ultra-low-power IMDs.該方法的缺點是鉑催化劑與Singhal博士所用的酶相比效率不高，因此，Sarpeshkar博士的能量池運轉效果不好。但是它也許能夠生產足夠的電能來運轉下一代超低功耗的可移植醫療設備。

Dr Sarpeshkar also has a novel solution to the biofouling problem: implant the fuel cell inthe cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain.Although the CSF has only half theglucose concentration of the bloodstream, it is virtually free of the proteins and cells whichwould foul a device implanted in other areas of the body, and thus its life would be greatlyextended.可銳教育官網http://www.tmdps.cn

另外，Sarpeshkar博士還有一個針對于生物燃料問題的新型解決方法：在大腦周圍的腦脊液中植入能量池。盡管腦脊液僅含有體液中葡萄糖濃度的一半，但是這樣做幾乎可以使其免于植入人體其他部位而被蛋白質和細胞包圍的命運，因此使其使用壽命大大延長。

Other approaches could yield more energy.Some soil-dwelling bacteria have evolved todeposit the electrons from glucose oxidation onto iron molecules, which allows researchersto trick them into living on the anode of a fuel cell.A colony of microbes like these, properlyisolated from the host s immune system, might be coerced into trading electrons fornutrients from the bloodstream.The bacteria can renew their own enzymes, so such asystem should last indefinitely.But the idea of implanting a bacterial colony into a patientmight be a tricky one to get past medical regulators-not to mention public opinion.其他一些方法則需要更多的能量。用一些土壤細菌將葡萄糖氧化過程所產生的電子安置在鐵分子上，這樣研究人員就可以誘使這些細菌存活在能量池的陽極上。像這樣的克隆微生物，與寄主的免疫系統相分離，可能被迫的用電子與體液交換營養成分。細菌可以重新激活他們自身的酶，因此這樣的系統能夠永久的持續下去。然而將細菌克隆體移植進病人的身體這種想法可能無法通過醫療監管人員的監管，就更不要說公眾輿論了。

A better idea might be to retrain some of the body s own cells to do the work.Just as anoutdated procedure called a cardiomyoplasty involved severing a seldom-used upper-backmuscle and wrapping it around the heart to assist in pumping blood, muscle fibres might beretrained to crank an electromechanical generator.Such a setup would be capable ofproducing enough electricity to drive even the most power-hungry of devices, like artificialhearts.一個更好的想法可能是將一些人體自身的細胞進行再培訓來完成這個工作。正如一個已過時的手術，叫做心肌成形術，將較少用到的上背部肌肉切斷并將它包絡再心臟周圍來協助心臟輸送血液，肌肉纖維也許可以經過在訓練后來驅動機電發電機。這樣的方法能夠產生足夠的電能來驅動哪怕是最耗費能源的設備，比如人造心臟。

The energy density of lithium batteries has come a long way in the past few decades, but thechemical reaction on which they rely will never be able to match the energy available fromthe metabolisation of glucose.The chemical energy in a gram of glucose is nearly half theamount available from petrol, a famously energy-dense fuel.With a bit of refinement,sugar could prove a very sweet solution for powering the next generation of IMDs.在過去的幾十年間，鋰電池的能量密集度取得了長足的發展，但是鋰電池所依賴的化學反應永遠也無法產生與葡萄糖代謝所產生的能量相匹敵的數量。一克葡萄糖所含有的化學能量相當于半克汽油能產生的能量，原油是眾所周知的能源密集型燃料。再經過一點優化，糖就有可能為下一代可移植醫療設備的能源問題提供一個十分完美的解決辦法。