Valeta Young, 81, a retiree from Lodi, Calif., suffers from congestive heart failure and requires almost constant monitoring. But she doesn't have to drive anywhere to get it. Twice a day she steps onto a special electronic scale, answers a few yes or no questions via push buttons on a small attached monitor and presses a button that sends the information to a nurse's station in San Antonio, Texas. "It's almost a direct link to my doctor," says Young, who describes herself as computer illiterate but says she has no problems using the equipment.
Young is not the only patient who is dealing with her doctor from a distance. Remote monitoring is a rapidly growing field in medical technology, with more than 25 firms competing to measure remotely--and transmit by phone, Internet or through the airwaves--everything from patients' heart rates to how often they cough.
Prompted both by the rise in health-care costs and the increasing computerization of health-care equipment, doctors are using remote monitoring to track a widening variety of chronic diseases. In March, St. Francis University in Pittsburgh, Pa., partnered with a company called BodyMedia on a study in which rural diabetes patients use wireless glucose meters and armband sensors to monitor their disease. And last fall, Yahoo began offering subscribers the ability to chart their asthma conditions online, using a PDA-size respiratory monitor that measures lung functions in real time and e-mails the data directly to doctors.
Such home monitoring, says Dr. George Dailey, a physician at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego, "could someday replace less productive ways that patients track changes in their heart rate, blood sugar, lipid levels, kidney functions and even vision."
Dr. Timothy Moore, executive vice president of Alere Medical, which produces the smart scales that Young and more than 10,000 other patients are using, says that almost any vital sign could, in theory, be monitored from home. But, he warns, that might not always make good medical sense. He advises against performing electrocardiograms remotely, for example, and although he acknowledges that remote monitoring of blood-sugar levels and diabetic ulcers on the skin may have real value, he points out that there are no truly independent studies that establish the value of home testing for diabetes or asthma.
Such studies are needed because the technology is still in its infancy and medical experts are divided about its value. But on one thing they all agree: you should never rely on any remote testing system without clearing it with your doctor.
1. How does Young monitor her health conditions?
[A] By stepping on an electronic scale.
[B] By answering a few yes or no questions.
[C] By using remote monitoring service.
[D] By establishing a direct link to her doctor.
2. Which of the following is not used in remote monitoring?
[A] car
[B] telephone
[C] Internet
[D] the airwaves
3. The word “prompted” (Line 1, Paragraph 3) most probably means ________.
[A] made
[B] reminded
[C] aroused
[D] driven
4. Why is Dr. Timothy Moore against performing electrocardiograms remotely?
[A] Because it is a less productive way of monitoring.
[B] Because it doesn’t make good medical sense.
[C] Because it’s value has not been proved by scientific study
[D] Because it is not allowed by doctors
5. Which of the following is true according to the text?
[A] Computer illiterate is advised not to use remote monitoring.
[B] The development of remote monitoring market is rather sluggish.
[C] Remote monitoring is mainly used to track chronic diseases.
[D] Medical experts agree on the value of remote monitoring.
答案：CADBC
篇章剖析
本文是一篇说明文，介绍了远程监护目前的发展状况，它的优势，相反的意见等。第一段以一位病人通过远程监护就医的例子引入话题。第二段介绍了远程监护市场的情况。第三段介绍了远程监护在医疗保健领域的应用。第四段引用医生的话说明这种监护方式的好处。第五段介绍反对的声音，最后一段得出结论：在没有得到医生的许可下，决不能依赖任何远程测试系统。
词汇注释
congestive[kEn5dVestiv] adj. 【医】充血的， 充血性的
diabetes[7daiE5bi:ti:z, -ti:s] n. [医] 糖尿病, 多尿症
glucose[5^lu:kEus] n. 葡萄糖
asthma[5AsmE] n. [医]哮喘
PDA n. Personal Digital Assistant 个人数字助理（又称掌上电脑）
respiratory[ris5paiErEtEri] adj. 呼吸的
lipid[5lipid] n. 脂质
electrocardiogram[ilektrEJ5kB:dIEJ^rAm] n. .[医]心电图, 心动电流图(略作ECG)
ulcer[5QlsE] n. 溃疡
infancy[5infEnsi] n. 开始；初期
难句突破
1. And last fall, Yahoo began offering subscribers the ability to chart their asthma conditions online, using a PDA-size respiratory monitor that measures lung functions in real time and e-mails the data directly to doctors.
主体句式：Yahoo began offering subscribers the ability…
结构分析：这是一个复杂句，不定式短语to chart…作定语，修饰the ability，现在分词using及其后面的成分则在句中作方式状语，其中包含有一个that引导的定语从句，修饰measures。
句子译文：此外，雅虎在去年秋季也开始为用户提供了解他们哮喘情况的在线绘图服务，用户使用的是一个大小和掌上电脑差不多的呼吸监视器，它可以实时测量他们肺部功能并且直接将数据通过电子邮件发送给医生。
2. He advises against performing electrocardiograms remotely, for example, and although he acknowledges that remote monitoring of blood-sugar levels and diabetic ulcers on the skin may have real value, he points out that there are no truly independent studies that establish the value of home testing for diabetes or asthma.
主体句式：He advises…and he points out that…
结构分析：这个句子是一个复杂句，主体结构为并列句结构，在第二个并列分句里有一个although引导的让步状语从句，这个从句里还含有一个that引导的宾语从句，第二个并列分句里的宾语由宾语从句充当，这个从句里包含有一个that引导的定语从句。
句子译文：比如，他反对做远程心电图，虽然他承认远程监控血糖水平和糖尿病性皮肤溃疡也许会有实际价值，但他指出并没有真正独立的研究证实家庭测试糖尿病或者哮喘的价值。
题目分析
1. 答案为C，属事实细节题。文中第一段讲Young在家中每天上两回电子称，通过电子秤上的一台小型监视器上的按钮回答一些答案为“是”或“否”的问题，然后再按一个按钮把信息送到德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥的一个护士台。第二段开头说，Young并不是远程就医的唯一病人，可见她是通过远程监护服务来监测自己的健康情况的。
2. 答案为A，属事实细节题。第一段提到Young的身体监护时说，“she doesn't have to drive anywhere to get it”。第二段提到各种测量数据是通过“phone, Internet or through the airwaves”传送的，可见汽车是不用于远程监护的。
3. 答案为D，属猜词题。根据上下文，“医疗保健成本的增加和医疗保健设备的不断计算机化”显然和医生们开始利用远程监护有着因果联系，所以“prompted”表示“促使”的意思，D项意义最为接近。arouse通常都表示“引起或者唤起某种情感”。
4. 答案为B，属事实细节题。文中第五段提到Dr. Timothy Moore时说，“他警告说，那种做法并不总是make good medical sense。”接下来就举他反对performing electrocardiograms remotely为例。可见做远程心电图的医学价值不大。
5. 答案为C，属事实细节题。文章第二段第二行提到医生们正在利用远程监护监测a widening variety of chronic diseases。可见远程监护主要是用于监测慢性疾病。这个答案也可以从文中提到的应用远程监测的充血性心力衰竭，糖尿病，哮喘等疾病推断出来。
参考译文
81岁高龄的瓦勒塔·扬是来自加利福尼亚劳地的退休老人，她身患充血性心力衰竭，需要长时间的监护。但她不必外出求医。每天她到一台电子秤上秤两回，通过电子秤上的一台小型监视器上的按钮回答一些答案为“是”或“否”的问题，然后再按一个按钮把信息送到德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥的一个护士台。“这跟直接同我的医生联系差不多，”扬说道。她说自己是个电脑盲，但用这台设备并没有问题。
扬并不是远程就医的唯一病人。远程监护是目前医学技术快速发展的一个领域，有超过25家公司正在竞争远程测量业务---并且通过电话，互联网或者电视广播来发送---包括病人心律，咳嗽频率在内的各种测量信息。
由于医疗保健成本的增加和医疗保健设备的不断计算机化，医生们目前正在运用远程监护来监测各种慢性疾病，而且监测范围也在不断扩大。三月，宾夕法尼亚州匹兹堡的圣弗朗西斯大学和一家名为“波递米达”（BodyMedia）的公司联合进行了一项研究，让居住在农村的糖尿病患者使用无线血糖仪和绑在胳膊上的传感器来监测他们的病情。此外，雅虎在去年秋季也开始为用户提供了解他们哮喘情况的在线绘图服务，用户使用的是一个大小和掌上电脑差不多的呼吸监视器，它可以实时测量他们肺部功能并且直接将数据通过电子邮件发送给医生。
圣迭戈斯克里普斯诊所的医生乔治·戴利说，这种家庭监测“将会取代那些效果略差的方法，让病人记录自己的心律，血糖，血脂水平，肾功能甚至视力方面的变化。”
阿勒尔医疗公司是生产扬和其他一万多位病人所使用的那种小型秤的企业。该公司的执行副总裁蒂莫西·莫尔医生认为，从理论上讲，任何重大病兆都可以在家里监测到。但是，他警告说，那种做法并不总是可行。比如，他反对做远程心电图，虽然他承认远程监控血糖水平和糖尿病性皮肤溃疡也许会有实际价值，但他指出并没有真正独立的研究证实家庭测试糖尿病或者哮喘的价值。
由于该技术尚处于初期，医学专家对其价值意见分歧，因而有必要进行这类研究。但医学专家都一致同意：在没有得到医生的许可下，决不能依赖任何远程测试系统。
