Frazier and Mosteller assert that

medical research could be improved by

a move toward larger, simpler clinical

Line trials of medical treatments. Currently,

(5) researchers collect far more background

information on patients than is strictly

required for their trials—substantially more

than hospitals collect—thereby escalating

costs of data collection, storage, and

(10) analysis. Although limiting information

collection could increase the risk that

researchers will overlook facts relevant

to a study, Frazier and Mosteller contend

that such risk, nerver entirely eliminable

(15) from research, would still be small in most

studies. Only in research on entirely new

treatments are new and unexpected variables

likely to arise.

Frazier and Mosteller propose not

(20) only that researchers limit data collection on individual patients but also that

researchers enroll more patients in clinical

trials, thereby obtaining a more representative

sample of the total population with

(25) the disease under study. Often researchers

restrict study participation to patients

who have no ailments besides those being

studied. A treatment judged successful

under these ideal conditions can then

(30) be evaluated under normal conditions.

Broadening the range of trial participants,

Frazier and Mosteller suggest, would

enable researchers to evaluate a treatment’s

efficacy for diverse patients under

(35) various conditions and to evaluate its

effectiveness for different patient subgroups.

For example, the value of a

treatment for a progressive disease may

vary according to a patient’s stage of

(40) disease. Patients’ ages may also affect a treatment’s efficacy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GWD-8-Q4:

According to the passage, Frazier and Mosteller believe which of the following about medical research?

A. It is seriously flawed as presently conducted because researchers overlook facts that are relevant to the subject of their research.

B. It tends to benefit certain subgroups of patients disproportionately.

C. It routinely reveals new variables in research on entirely new treatments.

D. It can be made more accurate by limiting the amount of information researchers collect.

E. It cannot be freed of the risk that significant variables may be overlooked.

参考答案为E -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The author mentions patients’ ages(line 40) primarily in order to

A. identify the most critical variable differentiating subgroups of patients

B. cast doubt on the advisability of implementing Frazier and Mosteller’s proposals about medical research

C. indicate why progressive diseases may require different treatments at different stages

D. illustrate a point about the value of enrolling a wide range of patients in clinical trials

E. substantiate an argument about the problems inherent in enrolling large numbers of patients in clinical trials 参考答案为D