It was 3:45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of

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It was 3:45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of arguing and final 16 hours of hot parliamentary debates, Australia’s Northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably ill patients who wish to die. The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the Internet and was picked up, half a world away, by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on by way of the group’s online service, Death NET. Says Hofsess: “We posted bulletins all day long, because of course this isn’t just something that happened in Australia. It’s world history.”
The full import may take a while to sink in. The NT Rights of the Terminally Ill Law has left physicians and citizens alike trying to deal with its moral and practical implications. Some have breathed sighs of relief, others, including churches, right-to-life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the bill and the hurry of its passage. But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia—where an aging population, life-extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part—other states are going to consider making a similar law to deal with euthanasia (安乐死). In the US and Canada, where the right-to-die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes (多米诺骨牌) to start falling.
Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death — probably by a deadly injection or pill — to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed (诊断) as Terminally Ill by two doctors. After a “cooling off” period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54-year-old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally Ill Law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition. “I’m not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid of was how I’d go, because I’ve watched people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks,” he says.
小题1: Which of the following has the similar meaning to “But the tide is unlikely to turn back.”?

A．What happened in Australia can change world history.

B．It is impossible to pass the NT Rights of the Terminally Ill Law.

C．Doctors are allowed by law to take the lives of the ill patients.

D．That the Law has been passed probably can’t be changed.

小题2: From the second paragraph we learn that __________.

A．the objection to euthanasia is slow to come in other countries

B．physicians and citizens share the same view on euthanasia

C．changing technology is chiefly responsible for the hurry passage of the law

D．it takes time to realize the significance of the law’s passage

小题3:By saying “observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling”, the author means __________.

A．observers are taking a wait-and-see attitude towards the future of euthanasia

B．similar bills are likely to be passed in the U.S., Canada and other countries

C．observers are waiting to see the result of the game of dominoes

D．the effect-taking process of the passed bill may finally come to a stop

小题4: We can learn from the passage that Lloyd Nickson __________.

A．will face his death with calm when dying

B．experiences a lot the suffering of a lung cancer

C．has an intense fear of terrible suffering

D．undergoes a cooling off period of seven days

小题5: The author’s attitude towards euthanasia seems to be that of __________.

A．opposition

B．doubt

C．approval

D．anxiety

答案

小题1:D
小题2:D
小题3:B
小题4:A
小题5:C

解析

作者在本文中叙述了澳大利亚北部地区通过了安乐死这一法案，同时也告诉我们很多人对此有不同的看法。
小题1:D
【试题解析】推理题。根据Some have breathed sighs of relief, others, including churches, right-to-life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the bill and the hurry of its passage. But the tide is unlikely to turn back. 可知这项法律引起了人们的广泛争论，有人支持，有人反对。但是这项法律已经被投票通过了，不能再被更改了。所以D项是正确的。
小题2:D
【试题解析】推理题。根据本段第一句The full import may take a while to sink in.可知要过一段时间以后这项法律才真正地被人们所了解。本句中的sink in表示理解。故D正确。
小题3:B
【试题解析】推理题。根据本句In the US and Canada, where the right-to-die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes (多米诺骨牌) to start falling.
可知在美国和加拿大，很多人都支持这样的法律，也许人们都希望在美国和加拿大都能够通过类似的这样同意安乐死的法律。故B正确。
小题4:A
【试题解析】推理题。根据最后一段4,5行For Lloyd Nickson, a 54-year-old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally Ill Law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition.可知她现在患有肺癌，如果她同样安乐死，她的死亡将没有任何痛苦，会非常平静。故A正确。
小题5:C
【试题解析】推理题。在本文中作者先说明澳大利亚北部地区通过了这一法律，然后又列举了多个例子证明这一法律在很多情况下都是有利的。说明作者是赞成这一法律的。故C正确。
【长难句解析】
I’m not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid of was how I’d go, because I’ve watched people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks,” he says.
【翻译】他说：我并不害怕死亡，但是我害怕的是我如何死去。因为我看见医院里的人死于缺氧，用手抓他们的面罩。
【分析】本句中的but连接的是两个并列句，but后面的并列句里有一个what引导的主语从句what I was afraid of, what 既是这个主语从句的引导词也在句中作为介词of的宾语。同时句中还有一个表语从句how I’d go。