The virus "Ebola" is named after the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That's where the virus was discovered in 1976. A per?son can only get Ebola through direct contact with an in?fected person's bodily fluids, for example, sweat or spit. Additionally, the virus can get into your body through your eyes and mouth if those areas come into contact with something that contains the bodily fluids of an infected person. That's why health care workers are supposed to keep themselves completely covered while treating patients.

The deadliest Ebola outbreak is spreading fast in West Africa, taking over 900 lives so far. The health systems in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia are severe?ly lacking resources, and health care workers may not have access to adequate protective clothing when work?ing in rural clinics, where the proper protections are lac?king. Since Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia share a border, it's easier for people to move from one country to another, increasing the risk for disease spread. Infec?ted people may be kept separate with other people infec?ted with the disease, making this kind of contact easier.

The virus has a 2-to-21-day incubation(潜伏)peri?od. It is systemic and can move to and affect every part of the body, causing direct damage to organs and inter?nal bleeding. This causes shock, dropping a person's blood pressure and causing multi-system organ failure.

For now, all doctors can do is treat the symptoms and provide supportive care like monitoring heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing while making sure the patients' fluids are supplied. Sometimes patients are given antibiotics(抗生素)to treat other possible infections. The hope is to make the patients pull through the infec?tion so their immune systems can eventually clear the vi?rus. The people who survive Ebola have created enough antibodies to kill it. This is harder to achieve in rural health systems in West Africa that are tasked with trea?ting thousands of patients with poor resources.

There are several promising drugs and vaccines in development, but since Ebola is less common―and re?search about it is not well funded―there is no drug or vaccine that has been approved for use in humans. Many of the other drugs and vaccines have not yet been tested in humans. The WHO (World Health Organization) is meeting next week to discuss whether experimental treatments should be used during this outbreak.

1.    According to the passage, Ebola spreads through

A. polluted air       B.  bodily fluids

C.  flying birds     D.  river water

2.    Which is not the possible reason why Ebola spreads in West Africa quickly?

A.    The health resources are poor.

B.    Infected people are kept together.

C.    The protective clothing is adequate.

D.    Three western countries share a border.

3.    Why have there been no cures used for Ebola in hu?mans so far?

A.    The drugs for Ebola are being developed now.

B.    Ebola is rare and its research money is lacking.

C.    Ebola does far more harm to patients than aids.

D.    The WHO hasn't decided whether to use them.

4.    Which of the following can be the best title?

A.    Help the poorest West Africa

B.    No cure for the virus "Ebola"

C.    The deadliest Ebola outbreak

D.    Introduction to the virus "Ebola"

Millions of families around the world have been giv?en a helping hand out of poverty by micro-credits. These very small loans, usually less than US $ 200, have ena?bled the very poorest people to set up or expand busines?ses and become self-sufficient.

The micro-credit movement started with Professor Muhammad Yunus, who founded the Grarneen Bank in Bangladesh. Professor Yunus, who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, used his own money to set up a bank to benefit the poorest people in Bangladesh―families living on less than US $ 1 a day. There are now hundreds of organizations around the world following his blueprint to help people escape from poverty.

So how does the system work? Local Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) make contact with families and offer loans, usually to women, to enable them to start or expand a business. These are very poor people who would not normally be able to get credit, but as no col?lateral (抵押品)is required they can get micro-credits. They pay back the loan on a weekly basis, over six months to a year.

A crucial aspect to the success of the micro-credit system is that receivers get local support. The MFIs educate local communities about ways to improve their

lives, and offer practical support as well as collecting weekly loans payments. They encourage people to help each other, so that the whole community can pull itself out of poverty. MFIs may also help with literacy and health problems.

Micro-credits are mainly given to women. Experi?ence has shown that women are more motivated to improve their children's lives and will spend the money they make on better nutrition and schooling for their children. This may be the first chance they've had to contribute financially to the family, and their status in the home and the local community is raised.

The micro-credit system is not charity. The payments are fixed-term loans and interest is charged. The costs of making such small loans, collecting them and giving personal support are high. This is reflected in the interest rates, which range from 15 to 35 per cent. Despite this, the repayment rate is very high, between 95 and 98 per cent, showing that micro-credit clients re?ally value this opportunity to leave poverty behind.

5.    Micro-credits are offered to the poorest people around the world in order to A.    make profits out of the poor

B.    support poor people out of poverty

C.    establish more micro-credit institutions

D.    promote the development of world economy

6.    Why are bank loans mainly made to women?

A.    Because they make more financial contribution to the family.

B.    Because they hold higher status in the home and community.

C.    Because they are more reliable and likely to repay the loan.

D.    Because they are more likely to spend the profits on their children.

7.    The high repayment rate of the loan suggests that

A.    people do hope to take advantage of the loan to get out of poverty

B.    it is easy to make money with the aid of micro?credits

C.    micro-credits are very popular with poor families

D.    most micro-credit clients keep their promises well

8.    The passage is most probably taken from the      

section of a magazine.

A. Health       B. Business

C. Finance      D. Education

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