英语（外研版）作业手册：必修4Module1LifeintheFuture.doc

第  PAGE 5 页 共  NUMPAGES 5 页 英语（外研版）作业手册：必修4 Module 1 Life in the Future [必修4　Module 1 Life in the Future] (限时：35分钟) 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Ⅰ. 阅读理解 It is almost like a reflex(条件反射) whenever we have a runny nose or a cough we reach for the antibiotics(抗生素). But maybe you should think twice before you start taking those pills next time you have got a bit of a cold. Many doctors warn that we are overusing and sometimes misusing antibiotics to treat common diseases. This could have bad results. Across the world, the problem of antibiotics is growing, and the situation is especially bad in China. The average amount of antibiotics each Chinese person takes every year is almost three times the international level and ten times the level in the United States, Xiao Yonghong, a professor in Beijing University, told the Guangming Daily on October 19. It is a common wrong idea that antibiotics work for all diseases right down to everyday coughs and colds. In fact, antibiotics only work against bacteria, and not viruses. Most forms of the common cold and flu are caused by viruses, so antibiotics are useless against them. The process of curing a disease is like a war. Antibiotics kill many kinds of bacteria which make you sick, but sometimes they also get “confused” and kill antibodies(抗体) in your body that should be helping to kill viruses. Sometimes the enemy bacteria may change themselves in order to fight back. When antibiotics are used wrongly or too often, the bacteria can develop faster. This worsens the infection and makes it harder to treat. Because of resistance to antibiotics, once treatable diseases are becoming fatal(致命的) again. In recent years, different kinds of “superbugs” have been showing themselves in many parts of the world. They can avoid any antibiotics we have and have caused many deaths. Since penicillin(青霉素) was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1929, it has saved many lives worldwide. Before this discovery was made, eve