Question

Our risk of cancer rises as we age. So it makes sense that the elderly should be routinely screened for new tumors(腫瘤)—or doesn't it?

While such careful tracking of cancer is a good thing in general, researchers are increasingly questioning whether all of this testing is necessary for the elderly. With the percentage of people over age 65 expected to nearly double by 2050, it's important to consider the health benefits of screening and the costs of routine testing.

In many cases, screening can lead to additional operations to remove cancer, which can cause side effects, while the cancers themselves may be slow-growing and may not cause serious health problems in patients' remaining years. But the message that everyone must screen for cancer has become so ingrained that when health care experts recommended that women under 50 and over 74 stop screening for breast cancer, it caused a strong reaction among doctors, patients and advocacy(擁護) groups.

It's hard to uproot deeply held beliefs about cancer screening with scientific data. Certainly, there are people over age 75 who have had cancers detected by routine screening, and gained several extra years of life because of treatment. And clearly, people over age 75 who have other risk factors for cancer, such as a family history, should continue to get screened regularly. But for the remainder, the risk of cancer, while increased at the end of life, must be balanced with other factors like a remaining life expectancy.

A recent study suggests that doctors start to make more right decisions about who will truly benefit from screening—especially considering the explosion of the elderly.

It's not an easy guess to make, but one that makes sense for the whole patient. Dr. Otis Brawley said, "Many doctors are ordering these tests purely to protect themselves against medical disputes(糾紛). We need to think about the good use of health care and stop talking about the rationing(定量配給制) of health care."

That means making some difficult decisions with elderly patients and going against the misguided belief that when it comes to health care, more is always better.

1. Some researchers now think that routine cancer screening for the elderly .

A. adds too much to their medical bills

B. helps contribute to a long life

C. can prevent tumor growth

D. is not always necessary

2.The underlined word "ingrained" in Paragraph 3 most probably means " ".

A. important B. reliable C. precious D. deep-rooted

3.According to Dr. Otis Brawley, why do many doctors recommend routine screening for cancer?

A. Because they want to get more money from the health care system.

B. Because they want to perform their normal duties actively.

C. Because they want to avoid possible trouble.

D. Because they want their patients to suffer less.

4. What does the author mainly argue for?

A. Screening tests must be effective and dependable.

B. Old people should be careful about routine cancer screening.

C. Screening increases the chances of detecting certain cancers earlier.

D. Whether old people should go for cancer screening should follow rules.

Answer 1