Saving Blood, Saving Lives 捐『血』一袋，救人一命
by Luke Dodds
Having a baby can inspire new parents to try the latest method for ensuring their child's health. _(1)_
Cord blood is collected immediately after a baby is born. The blood is valuable because it is rich in stem cells that can be used in treating diseases like childhood cancers and immune system disorders. _(2)_ Stem cells, on the other hand, can easily turn into useful red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets (血小板), which restore the immune system and help patients become healthy again. Although stem cells can also be taken from other sources, cord blood stem cells are especially valuable because they are easily accepted into a patient's body, _(3)_ The potential for future uses of stem cells, such as the creation of entire rgans, is another reason people are considering storing their baby's cord blood.
However, there are drawbacks. _(4)_ Second, the effort might be wasted since it's highly unlikely that a stem cell transplant will ever be needed. And third, if such a transplant were necessary, it's doubtful that the child's own cord blood would be better than that from another donor. Furthermore, even if a child's disease can be treated with cord blood, _(5)_ For these reasons, doctors discourage private cord blood storage, but support the donation of cord blood to public blood banks. If a transplant were necessary, a likely match could be found in a public bank.
Storing a child's cord blood could possibly save his or her life someday. However, it could also turn out to be a waste of resources and money. Despite the drawbacks, many parents are choosing to spend money on cord blood storage, just in case.
(A) Treatment of such diseases normally involves radiation that can be harmful to the patient.
(B) To begin with, storing cord blood is quite expensive.
(C) it may be likely that the child's own cord blood stem cells carry the same defect that caused the disease.
(D) while other types of stem cells are often rejected.
(E) Recently, that method has been storing the blood from newborn babies' umbilical cords (脐带).
原来如此
1. 第一题空格应选 (E)
理由:
a. 空格前一句提到，对于新手爸妈而言，新生儿的到来会促使他们尝试最新的方法（method）来确保孩子的健康。
b. (E) 选项的句子说，在最近，那种方法（method）便是储存新生儿的脐带血，语意连贯，因此 (E) 应为正选。
大补丸:
umbilical cord n. 脐带
umbilicus n. 肚脐
2. 第二题空格应选 (A)
理由:
a. 空格前一句表示，脐带血相当珍贵是由于它富含干细胞，可以用来治疗（can be used in treating）儿童癌症和免疫系统失调。
b. (A) 选项的句子主词是 Treatment of such diseases（这些疾病的治疗），和前一句的 treating 产生关联，故 (A) 应为正选。
大补丸:
a. treatment n. 治疗
b. involve vt. 包含，需要
例: I didn't know making a movie involved so much work.
（我不知道制作一部电影需要做这么多的工作。）
c. radiation n. 放射线
d. be harmful to... 对……有害
例: Secondhand smoke is harmful to your health.
（二手烟有害健康。）
3. 第三题空格应选 (D)
理由:
a. 空格前的句子提到，虽然干细胞可以从别的来源取得（be taken from other sources），但脐带血的干细胞特别宝贵，因为容易被病人接受（are easily accepted into a patient's body），且空格前为逗点，可知应置入小写开头的选项。
b. (D) 项的句子 为 while 开头，并提到其它来源的干细胞（other types of stems cells）则经常被人体排斥（are often rejected），与空格前的句子形成反差，因此 (D) 应为正选。
大补丸:
reject vt. 排斥；拒绝
例: David's body rejected the donor's liver.
（戴维的身体排斥捐赠者的肝脏。）
4. 第四题空格应选 (B)
理由:
a. 空格前的句子表示，脐带血也有其缺点，空格后则接连列举其缺点。
b. (B) 项的句子开头为 To begin with（首先），储存脐带血所费不赀，与空格后连续几个说明脐带血其它缺点的句子 "Second, ..."（第二，……）、"And third, ..."（第三，……）、"Furthermore, ..."（此外，……）等形成语意连贯，故 (B) 应为正选。
大补丸:
to begin with 首先（常用于句首）
例: I can't come out tonight. To begin with, I have a lot of homework, and I also have to clean my room.
（我今晚无法出门。首先，我有很多功课要做，而且还得打扫房间。）
5. 第五题空格应选 (C)
理由:
a. 空格前的句子提到，就算脐带血（cord blood）可以用来治疗孩童的疾病（a child's disease），且空格前为逗点，可知应置入小写开头的选项。
b. (C) 项的句子为 it 开头，并提到孩童自己的脐带血干细胞（the child's own cord blood stem cells）很有可能带有造成疾病的相同缺陷（the same defect that caused the disease），分别与逗点前的 cord blood 及 a child's disease 形成相关，故 (C) 应为正选。
大补丸:
a. it is likely + that 子句 很有可能……
例: If we go to the mountains, it's likely that Peter will want to come, too.
（如果我们要去爬山，彼得可能也想一同前往。）
b. defect n. 缺陷
难句分析
＊ ..., it's doubtful that the child's own cord blood would be better than that from another donor.
= ..., it's doubtful that the child's own cord blood would be better than the cord blood from another donor.
（……，婴儿自身取得的干细胞也不见得会比来自其它捐赠者的好。）
精解字词词组
1. inspire sb to V 激励某人（做）……
例: The article about Picasso inspired me to try to paint in a cubist style.
（这篇关于毕加索的文章激励我尝试立体派的画法。）
2. be rich in... 含有丰富的……；富含……
例: Greece is rich in history, and many of its ancient buildings are still standing.
（希腊有悠久的历史，许多古老的建筑仍屹立不摇。）
3. on the other hand 另一方面
on (the) one hand...on the other (hand)...
一方面……，另一方面……
例: On one hand, we could go to see a movie. On the other hand, we could just rent one.
（一方面来说，我们可以去看电影；但另一方面，我们也可以去租片子来看。）
4. restore vt. 恢复，修复
例: The good job you did on the last project restored my confidence in you.
（上个项目你做得非常好，让我重拾对你的信心。）
5. transplant n. 移植 & vt. 移植
例: Daniel hurt his face badly, so the doctor transplanted skin to his face.
（丹尼尔的脸伤得很重，所以医生把皮肤移植到他的脸上。）
6. doubtful a. 不明确的，令人怀疑的
例: It is highly doubtful that the police will find the real murderer.
（警方能否找到真凶实在令人非常怀疑。）
7. discourage vt. 劝阻；使沮丧
discourage sb from V-ing 劝某人不要（做）……
encourage sb to V 鼓励某人（做）……
例: She tried to discourage him from climbing the mountain by telling him that there were monsters at the top.
（她试图用山顶上有怪物来劝他不要爬那座山。）
8. turn out (to be) + N/adj. 结果是……
例: I thought the show was going to be great, but it turned out to be pretty bad.
（我原本以为这场秀会很棒，结果却糟透了。）
单字小铺
1. ensure vt. 确保
2. stem cell n. 干细胞
3. immune system n. 免疫系统
4. disorder n. 失调
5. platelet n. 血小板
6. potential n. 潜力，可能性
7. organ n. 器官
8. drawback n. 缺点
9. donor n. 捐赠者
donation n. 捐赠
10. storage n. 贮藏
11. someday adv. 有朝一日
词组小铺
1. immediately after... ……之后立即
2. turn into... 变成……
3. spend + 金钱 + on... 花费……（金钱）在……上
4. just in case 以防万一
中文翻译＆标准答案
对于新手爸妈而言，新生儿的到来会促使他们尝试最新的方法来确保孩子的健康。最近，那种方法便是储存新生儿的脐带血。
脐带血在婴儿一出生后就立刻被采集。脐带血的珍贵之处在于它富含干细胞，可以用来治疗儿童癌症和免疫系统失调等疾病。这些疾病的治疗往往含有放射线，会对病人造成伤害。另一方面，干细胞可以轻易转换成有用的红血球、白血球和血小板，重建免疫系统，帮助病人早日康复。虽然干细胞可从别的来源取得，但脐带血的干细胞特别宝贵，因为它容易被病人接受，而其它来源的干细胞则经常被人体排斥。未来使用干细胞的可能性，像是器官重建等，也是人们考虑储存脐带血的另一个原因。
然而，脐带血也有其缺点。首先，储存脐带血所费不赀。第二，需要移植干细胞的可能性并不高，可能会白白浪费脐带血的储存。第三，即使需要这类的移植，婴儿自身取得的干细胞也不见得会比来自其它捐赠者的好。此外，就算脐带血可以用来治疗孩童的疾病，孩童自己的脐带血干细胞很有可能带有造成该疾病的相同缺陷。基于以上理由，医师并不鼓励自存脐带血，但支持把脐带血储存到公家的血库中。如果需要这类移植，或许就能在血库中找到适合的配对。
有朝一日，孩童储存的脐带血或许能救他们一命。不过也可能变成浪费资源和金钱。尽管有这些缺点，许多父母仍选择花大把钞票储存脐带血，因为不怕一万，只怕万一。
标准答案: 1. (E) 2. (A) 3. (D) 4. (B) 5. (C)
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