第二篇

　　Easy Death

　　In ancient Greece, the term euthanatos meant "easy death". Today euthanasia (安乐死)generally refers to mercy killing, the voluntary ( 自愿的 ) ending of the life of someone who isterminally ill. Like abortion, euthanasia has become a legal, medical, and moral issue over whichopinion is divided.

　　Euthanasia can be either active or passive. Active euthanasia means that a physician or othermedical personnel take an action that will result in death, such as giving an overdose of deadlymedicine. Passive euthanasia means letting a patient die of lack of treatment, or stopping thetreatment that has begun. Examples of passive euthanasia include taking patients off a breathingmachine or removing other life-support systems. Stopping the food supply is also considered passive.

　　A good deal of debate about mercy killing originates from the decision-making process. Whodecides whether a patient is to die? This issue has not been solved legally in the United States. Thematter is left to state law, which usually allows the physician in charge to suggest the option ofdeath to a patient's relatives, especially if the patient is brain dead. In an attempt to make decisionsabout when their own lives should end, several terminally ill patients in the early 1990s used acontroversial suicide device, developed by Dr. Jack Kevorkian, to end their lives.

　　In parts of Europe, the decision-making process has become very flexible. Even in caseswhere the patients are not brain dead, patients have been put to death without their approval at therequest of relatives or at the suggestion of physicians. Many cases of passive euthanasia involve oldpeople or newborn infants. The principle justifying this practice is that such individuals have a "lifenot worthy of life".

　　In countries where passive euthanasia is not legal, the court systems have proved very tolerantin dealing with medical personnel who practice it. In Japan, for example, if physicians followcertain guidelines they may actively carry out mercy killings on hopelessly ill people. Courts havealso been somewhat tolerant of friends or relatives who have assisted terminally ill patients to die.

　　36. A terminally ill patient is one who __________.

　　A. gets worse every day

　　B. can never get well again

　　C. is very seriously ill in the end

　　D. is too ill to want to live on

　　37. The difference between active and passive euthanasia is whether __________.

　　A. there is an action that speeds up the death of the patient

　　B. the breathing machine is taken off the patient

　　C. an overdose of deadly medicine is used

　　D. the patient is denied food supply

　　38. According to the passage, who has the legal responsibility to decide on euthanasia?

　　A. The national or state government.

　　B. The patient's relatives.

　　C. Physicians in charge of the patient.

　　D. The answer varies from country to country.

　　39. The principle justifying passive euthanasia in Europe is that terminally ill patients are __________.

　　A. living a life without consciousness

　　B. living a life that can hardly be called life

　　C. too old or too weak to live on

　　D. too old or too young to approve of euthanasia

　　40. The attitude of the writer toward euthanasia is __________.

　　A. negative

　　B. positive

　　C. objective

　　D. casual