学位英语

The Case of the Disappearing Fingerprints

One useful anti-cancer drug can effectively erase the whorls and other characteristic marks that give people their distinctive fingerprints. Losing __1__ could become troublesome. A case released online in a letter by Annals of Oncology indicates how big a __2__ of losing fingerprints is.

Eng-Huat Tan, a Singapore-based medical doctor describes a 62-year old man who has used capecitabine to __3__ his nasopharyngeal cancer. After three years on the __4__ ，the patient decided to visit U. S. relatives last December. But he was stopped by U. S. customs officials __5__ 4 hours after entering the country when those officials couldn't get fingerprints from the man. There were no distinctive swirly __6__ appearing from his index finger.

U. S. customs has been fingerprinting incoming foreign visitors for years, Tan says. Their index fingers are __7__ and screened against digital files of the fingerprints of bad guys— terrorists and potential criminals that our federal guardians have been tasked with keeping out of the country. Unfortunately, for the Singaporean traveler，one potential __8__ effect of his drug treatment is a smoothing of the tissue on the finger pads. __9__ ，no fingerprints.

“It is uncertain when fingerprint loss will __10__ to take place in patients who are taking capecitabine，” Tan points out. So he cautions any physicians who __11__ the drug to provide their patients with .a doctor’s note pointing out that their medicine may cause fingerprints to disappear.

Eventually, the Singapore traveler made it into the United States. I guess the name on his passport didn’t raise any red flags. But he，s also now got the explanatory doctor’s note — and won’t leave home __12__ it.

By the way, maybe the Food and Drug Administration, __13__ approved use of the drug

11 years ago, should consider __14__ its list of side effects associated with this medicine. The current list does note that patients may experience vomiting, stomach pain and some other side effects. But no where __15__ it mention the potential for loss of fingerprints.

词汇：

fingerprint n.指纹

whorl n.罗纹，箩状指纹

annals n.年报

oncology n,肿瘤学

capecitabine n.卡培他滨

nasopharyngeal adj. 鼻炎的

swirly adj. 旋涡状的

digit n. 开始

vomit v. 呕吐

注释： 1. capecitabine卡培他滨。是一种口服的化疗药物，用于治疗转移性乳腺癌、大肠癌、咽喉癌等，以减缓肿瘤生长。

2. index finger:食指

3. U. S. customs: 美国海关。customs视作一个组织，用作单数名词，所以在文章中后接has。

4. terrorists and potential criminals that our federal guardians have been tasked with keeping out of the country:我们的联邦卫士的职责是要把那些恐怖分子和疑似罪犯档在国门之外。关系代词that引导的是一个限制性定语从句，修饰terrorists叫d potential criminals。that在定语从句中作keeping的宾语。

5. traveler:旅行者。traveler是美国英语的拼法。英国英语的拼法是traveller。

6. the tissue on the finger pads:指尖上的肉垫组织

7. Eventually, the Singapore traveler made it into the United States:那位新加坡旅客终于进入了美国。make it into金为“进入”。

8. red flags:(表示危险的)红旗，即危险信号。挥动红旗表示危险，最初用于铁路，后来西方公司等用英文词red flags或红色小旗表示业绩下降等。

9. the Food and Drug Administration:美国食品和药物局

10. The current list does note:现有的副作用清单中确实列出。在肯定句谓语动词前加用do/ does/did,是为了强调该动词，汉语可译为“确实”。如：

He speaks Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian.

He does speak Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian.(他确实会说汉语，英语，法语，西班牙语和俄语。)

练习：

1. A. he. B. them. C. her. D. him

2. A. theme. B. topic. C. creation. D. problem

3. A. treat. B. cut. C. find. D. smooth

4. A. recovery. B. diet. C. drug. D. diagnosis

5. A. in. B. at. C. for. D. on

6. A. digits. B. marks. C. images. D. pictures

7. A. printed. B. located. C. cured. D. placed

8. A. normal. B. good. C. main. D. side

9. A. However. B. Hence. C. Moreover. D. Furthermore

10. A. begin. B. like. C. decide. D. have

11. A. prevent. B. preserve. C. presume. D. prescribe

12. A. off. B. on. C. without. D. with

13. A. who. B. where. C. when. D. which

14. A. updating. B. using. C. printing. D. cancelling

15. A. must. B. does. C. may. D. should

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