Counterfeit ( 假的) medicines
are a widespread problem in developing countries. Like other counterfeits, they
look like real products. But counterfeit drugs may contain too little or none
of the active ingredients of the real thing.
People do not get the medicine they need. And in some
cases counterfeits cause death. Twenty children in Bangladesh died last year
after being given acetaminophen(醋氨酚). The
medications contained ingredients that looked, smelled and tasted like the real
thing. The medicine was produced by a local drug company that used a dangerous
substitute to save money.
The problem of counterfeit medicines is especially
serious in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The W.H.O. estimates that up to
thirty percent of medicines on sale in many of those countries are counterfeit.
The problem is less widespread among industrialized countries. The W.H.O. says
counterfeits make up less than one percent of the illegal drug market in
countries like the United States, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand.
But the agency also says as much as fifty percent of
the medicine sold on the Internet is counterfeit.
Much is being done to fight counterfeit drugs. Several
companies are developing ways to make counterfeits easier to identify. And
there are existing methods, like a machine that can quickly identify chemicals
in pills to confirm if the pills are real. Other ideas include things like
special tracking codes for drug packages. People could send a text message with
the code and get a message back, which proves that what they bought is listed
in a database. Some drug makers and other companies put three-dimensional
images called holograms (全息图)on their products as a security device.
1.Last year twenty children in Bangladesh died because
of _____.
A.online
medicines B.unreal drugs
C.acetaminophen D.unclean water
2.We can draw a conclusion from the passage
that______.
A.it is very
cheap and convenient to buy medicines online.
B.medicine
companies don’t pay much attention to counterfeit drugs.
C.more and more
people will buy products online.
D.we had better
not buy medicines online.
3.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.It reveals
the reasons why counterfeit drugs are widespread.
B.Some measures
are being taken to fight counterfeit drugs.
C.Special
tracking codes for drug packages are used to identify counterfeits.
D.It shows the
danger of counterfeit drugs.
4.Which of the following country may have serious
problems of counterfeit medicines?
A.Canada. B.Japan. C.New Zealand. D.India.