学进去

For nearly three decades, we have waited anxiously for an effective drug that could defeat Alzheimer’s disease. We believed we had identified the root cause behind this condition: sticky clumps of the protein beta- amyloid (β淀粉样蛋白) in the brain. Even as drug after drug on this target failed to make a difference to symptoms, we continued to pour more money into the effort.

Regrettably, it is now becoming clear that this time could have been better spent zooming out (相机镜头变焦以使景物缩小) from beta-amyloid, to look at the big picture of possible Alzheimer’s causes.

Doing so reveals a far more complicated and dangerous illness. It seems to be a condition that doesn’t have a lone underlying trigger, but instead results from multiple processes and risk factors.

By thinking of Alzheimer’s in the same way as we do various conditions like heart disease, researchers are now combining knowledge from across disciplines (学科) to identify, and tackle, the many known risk factors.

This new approach comes not a moment too soon, because 10 million new cases of dementia (痴呆) are diagnosed globally each year. The vast majority of these, between 60 and 70 per cent, are Alzheimer’s disease. As people are living longer than ever, the number of people living with dementia is predicted to almost double every 20 years.

Accepting that Alzheimer’s is more complicated than we thought might seem discouraging. And yet, targeting the many factors in the disease, including the role of infections, diet, sleep habits and inflammation (发炎), puts some control back in our own hands, because these are things we can all do something about. It means we don’t have to simply wait for drug companies to deliver: we can also cut our own chances of getting dementia.

Tunnel vision has held us back for too long. With this new approach, a single effective drug might well be out of the picture, but instead, there is a real possibility that we could break down Alzheimer’s by a thousand tiny cuts.

1．We can learn from the first and second paragraphs that the author believes that _________.

A．we have been focusing on a single cause for far too long

B．developing an effective drug was worth our money and efforts

C．there will be one effective drug that can cure Alzheimer’s disease

D．the protein beta-amyloid has nothing to do with Alzheimer’s disease

2．By mentioning heart disease in the fourth paragraph, the author intends to _________.

A．emphasize that we should attach great importance to tackling Alzheimer’s disease

B．show the unexpected difficulty in identifying the causes of Alzheimer’s disease

C．explain that the causes of Alzheimer’s disease are various and multidisciplinary

D．predict that Alzheimer’s disease will be cured in the same way as the heart disease

3．With the new approach to viewing Alzheimer’s disease, people are more likely to__________.

A．kill Alzheimer’s disease for good

B．live 20 years longer than their expected lifespan

C．suffer from heart disease than from Alzheimer’s disease

D．reduce the possibility of getting Alzheimer’s disease

4．What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．There will be a drug developed to defeat Alzheimer’s in the future.

B．The growing seriousness of Alzheimer’s is beyond people’s expectations.

C．People should rely on themselves instead of drugs to deal with diseases.

D．Zooming out for a big picture helps to lower the risks of getting Alzheimer’s.