It was a big week for Alzheimer's disease, and not just because PBS aired The Forgetting, a first-rate documentary about Alzheimer's worth catching in reruns if you missed it the first time. There was also a flurry of scientific news that offered hope to the families already struggling with Alzheimer's, as well as to the baby-boom generation that's up next. Unless something dramatic happens, the number of Americans living with this terrifying brain disease could triple, to about 16 million, over the next 50 years. There's still no cure in sight, but there is progress on several fronts. Among them:

　　MEGADOSE VITAMINS Doctors knew vitamins E and C, both antioxidants, help stave off Alzheimer's, at least in folks who haven't already developed the disorder. What they didn't know--but a big study involving 4,740 participants published in the Archives of Neurology showed--was that the two vitamins taken together in huge daily doses (at least 400 IU of E and more than 500 mg of C) could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's a remarkable 78%.

　　COMBINATION THERAPY A yearlong study of more than 400 Alzheimer's patients showed that two drugs that work differently on the brain's chemistry act well together to help slow down the disease. Patients who were being treated with donepezil (sold as Aricept), an older drug that preserves the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, were also given memantine (Namenda), a new drug approved by the FDA last October that blocks overproduction of a harmful brain chemical called glutamate. The two drugs worked even better in combination than they did alone, providing substantial benefit for patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

　　BRAIN IMAGING Finally, scientists at the University of Pittsburgh announced that they had successfully developed a procedure that allows them to peer into the brains of Alzheimer's patients with positron emission tomography (PET) scans to see telltale plaque deposits. Before now, doctors could not track the progress of these plaques until after the patient died, when the brain could be autopsied. Using the new technique, doctors may be able to begin treatment long before the first symptoms appear.

　　None of these advances is a magic bullet for Alzheimer's disease. If you or your loved ones are concerned, the first step is careful evaluation by your doctor. Not all memory lapses are Alzheimer's, and there are reversible causes of forgetfulness that can be treated if caught early. Also, remember the old adage "use it or lose it." Mental exercise--reading, doing crossword puzzles, playing chess or Scrabble--is as good for preserving your mind as physical exercise is for your body.

1.From the first paragraph, we learn that_________.
　　[A] the baby-boom generation will not suffer from Alzhemer’s disease
　　[B] recent progress brings hope for Alzheimer victims
　　[C] the week was very important for Alzheimer’s because a documentary about it was shown on PBS
　　[D] the new achievements made on several fronts show that Alzheimer’s disease can be cured

2.The phrase “stave off” (line 1, paragraph 2) most probably means “________”.
　　[A] getting
　　[B] treating
　　[C] curing
　　[D] preventing

3.The report in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that ____________.
　　[A] combination therapy refers to combining two different ways of treatment
　　[B] donepezil helps blocks overproduction of a harmful brain chemical called glutamate
　　[C] combination therapy is of great benefit to all patients with Alzheimer’s
　　[D] Aricept and Namenda have better effect when used together than used separately

4.Why is brain imaging considered progress in treating Alzhemer’s?
　　[A] Because it helps doctors diagnose and treat the disease in an early phase by tracking the progress of plaques in the brain.
　　[B] Because it helps doctors autopsy the brains of the patients after they died.
　　[C] Because it helps doctors see the plaque desposits clearly so that they can operate on the brain.
　　[D] Because it helps doctors develop a new procedure of tracking the progress of the disease.

5.To which of the following is the author likely to agree?
　　[A]. Alzhemer’s disease can be cured thanks to the new advances.
　　[B] Forgetfulness can be cured by doing mental exercise.
　　[C]. Careful evaluation is important because it can tell Alzheimer’s from curable memory lapses, which can be treated if found in an early phase.
　　[D]. Mental exercises do good only to forgetfulness caused by reversible causes.

　　答案：B D D A C

　　篇章剖析

　　本篇文章介绍了阿尔茨海默病研究领域取得的新成果。第一段，作者介绍了两件对阿尔茨海默病来说非常重要的事情：其一，纪录片《遗忘》播出；其二，对该疾病的研究取得新发现。第二段介绍了新发现之一： 大量服用维生素C和E有助于预防阿尔茨海默病。第三段介绍了药物治疗上的新发现：同时服用两种对大脑的化学特性起不同作用的药品有助于延缓病情。第四段介绍了新成果之三：大脑成像技术。用正电子放射X显断层摄影术自动程序控制技术检查大脑内的斑块，能够及早发现疾病隐患，及早治疗。第5段里，作者指出新的科研成果并不能治愈阿尔茨海默病。重要的是要多做脑力训练。

　　词汇注释

　　Alzheimer's disease 阿尔茨海默病，最常见的老年期痴呆类型。

　　PBS Public Broadcasting Service （美国）公共广播公司

　　rerun: [5ri:5rQn] n. 重播

　　flurry: [5flQri] n.一阵，

　　baby-boom n. 生育高峰

　　megadose: [`me^EdEJs] v. 给予······大剂量

　　antioxidant: [5Anti5CksidEnt] n. （化）抗氧化剂

　　stave off 避开，延迟

　　chemistry: [5kemistri] n. 化学特性

　　neurotransmitter: [7njuErEtrAns5mitE] n. （生化）神经传递素

　　acetylcholine: [E7si:tEl5kEulin] n. 乙酰胆碱

　　FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration （美国）食品及药物管理局

　　glutamate: [5^lu:tEmeit] n. 谷氨酸盐

　　substantial: [sEb5stAnFEl] adj. 巨大的

　　the American Medical Association 美国医学协会

　　imaging: [i5mAdViN] n. 成像

　　peer into 窥视

　　PET: positron emission tomography 正电子放射X线断层摄影术

　　scan: [skAn] n. 扫描

　　telltale:[ 5telteil] adj. 泄密的

　　plaque: [plB:k] n. 斑

　　deposit: [di5pCzit] n. 沉积物

　　autopsy:[5C:tEpsi] v. （为查明死因而做的）尸体解剖

　　lapse: [lAps]] n. 丧失

　　reversible: [ri5vE:sEbl] adj. 可逆的

　　adage:[5AdidV] n. 格言，谚语

　　scrabble:[5skrAbl] n. 一种拼字游戏

　　preserve: [pri5zE:v] v. 保护，保持，保存

　　难句突破

　　1． W