Face Masks May Not Protect from Super-flu

　　If a super-flu strikes, face masks may not protect you. Whether widespread use of masks will help or harm during the next worldwide flu outbreak is a question that researchers are studying furiously. No results have come from their mask research yet. However, the government says people should consider wearing them in certain situations anyway, just in case.

　　But it's a question the public keeps asking while the government are making preparations for the next flu pandemic. So the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came up with preliminary guidelines. "We don't want people wearing them everywhere," said the CDC. "The overall recommendation really is to avoid exposure."

　　When that's not possible, the guidelines say to consider wearing a simple surgical mask if you are in one of the three following situations. First, you're healthy and can't avoid going to a crowded place. Second, you're sick and think you may have close contact with the healthy, such as a family member checking on you. Third, you live with someone who's sick and thus might be in the early stages of infection, but still need to go out.

　　Influenza pandemics can strike when the easy-to-mutate flu virus shifts to a strain that people never have experienced. Scientists cannot predict when the next pandemic will arrive, although concern is rising that the Asian bird flu might trigger one if it starts spreading easily from person to person.

　　During the flu pandemic, you should protect yourself. Avoid crowds, and avoid close contact with the sick unless you must care for someone. Why aren't masks added to this self-protection list?

　　Because they can help trap virus-laden droplets flying through the air with a cough or sneeze.

　　Simple surgical masks only filter the larger droplets. Besides, the CDC is afraid masks may create a false sense of security. Perhaps someone who should have stayed home would don an ill-fitting mask and hop on the subway instead.

　　Nor does flu only spread through the air. Say someone covers a sneeze with his or her hand,then touches a doorknob or subway pole. If you touch that spot next and then put germy hands on your nose or mouth, you've been exposed. It's harder to rub your nose while wearing a mask and so your face may get pretty sweaty under masks. You reach under to wipe that sweat, and may transfer germs caught on the outside of the mask straight to the nose. These are the problems face masks may create for their users.

　　Whether people should or should not use face masks still remains a question. The general public has to wait patiently for the results of the mask research scientists are still doing.

　　31. What is the passage mainly about?

　　A. Widespread use of face masks.

　　B. Possibility of a worldwide flu outbreak.

　　C. New discoveries of a face mask research.

　　D. Effectiveness of wearing face masks.

　　32. The CDC suggests that people__________.

　　A. stay alone when being sick.

　　B. wear face masks when going to a crowded place.

　　C. wear face masks wherever possible.

　　D. remain at home if living with someone who's sick.

　　33. The word "that" in Paragraph 3 refers to__________.

　　A. making preparations.

　　B. avoiding exposure.

　　C. coming up with guidelines.

　　D. wearing face masks everywhere.

　　34. Which of the following statements is true?

　　A. Scientists warn the next flu is coming soon.

　　B. Asian bird flu is spreading easily from person to person.

　　C. Masks protect people because they keep viruses away.

　　D. Masks are not effective if a flu strikes.

　　35. One of the concerns the CDC has is that__________.

　　A. masks may give people a wrong assumption of being safe.

　　B. the sick may not wear masks and go out.

　　C. flu virus may spread via public transportation.

　　D. healthy people may not know how to protect themselves.

　　31.D。主旨题。题干：该篇文章主要是关于什么的?从题目看，口罩可能不能防御超级流感;再从各段的首尾句来看，主要谈论的是流感期间戴口罩是否有效，例如首段的首句“如果发生超级流感，口罩可能无法保护你”，再如尾段的首句“人们是否应该使用口罩仍旧是个问题”，故该题的答案为D。其中，选项c具有迷惑性，但是从尾段可以看出“公众不得不耐心等待科学家仍在进行的口罩研究的结果”，所以排除c。

　　32.B。细节题。题干：CDC建议人们__________。利用题干关键词CDC可定位到文章第二段的最后一句，及CDC认为“我们不想要人们到处戴口罩，我们总体的建议是尽量避免暴露”，同时根据选项可以定位到第三段，其中CDC认为三种情况下要考虑戴口罩：到人口密集的地区;你生病同时可能与家人有亲密接触时;与你同住的人生病了，但是需要出门。由此可知该题答案为B。

　　33.B。猜词题。题干：第三段的“that”指的是__________。第三段首旬“When that’s not possible”意为“当那不可避免时”，显然that指代的是该句前所提到的信息，即第二段最后一句，意为“我们不想要人们到处戴口罩，我们总体的建议是尽量避免暴露”，由此推断that指代的是“尽量避免暴露”，所以该题答案为B。

　　34.D。判断题。题干：下列哪一项是正确的?因为题干无明显关键词，可以改为定位选项，利用四个选项中的关键词分别定位选项。根据选项A的关键词scientists和next flu可以定位到第四段的第二句，可知“科学家不能预测下一场流感什么时候到来”，由此判断选项A与原文不一致：根据选项B的关键词Asian bird flu可以定位到第四段的第二句，可知“如果亚洲地区的禽流感开始在人与人之间轻松传播，那么就会导致下一场流感的爆发，对此人们的焦虑日益增长”，可知亚洲的禽流感还未在人与人之间传播，由此判断选项B与原文不一致;利用选项c的关键词masks和virus可以定位到第五段，可知“为什么不把口罩列为自我保护的清单之中呢?因为口罩可以限制咳嗽或者喷嚏造成的那些在空中传播的病毒。简单的手术口罩只能过滤较大的病毒颗粒”，由此可知口罩并不能完全隔离病毒，所以选项C与原文不一致。

　　35.A。细节题。题干：CDC的关注之一是__________。利用题干关键词CDC和concern可以定位到文中第五段的倒数第二句，可知“CDC担心口罩可能知道虚假的安全感”，原文中的be afraid of与题干中的concern为同义改写，所以该题答案为A。分别定位其他选项的关键词，发现其他选项与原文的信息都不一致。

（编辑：何莹莹）