本文選自吳應時主編的《大學英語六級閱讀真題精讀——晨讀伴侶》。本書對歷年國家大學英語六級考試（CET-6）的仔細閱讀部分進行了詳盡而精準的分析、翻譯和注釋，對四六級考生有著事半功倍的效果，對提升整體英語能力也很有幫助。
學習導讀：
醫(yī)療問題歷來為人們所關心，而藥品的研發(fā)需要大量的資金和科研人才的投入，全靠政府資助顯得不切實際。那么制藥廠倘若要研發(fā)新藥，其科研成本勢必從已有的藥品利潤中來，于是為了支持開發(fā)新藥而高價賣舊藥是否恰當呢？到頭來沒有醫(yī)保的患者是否是最大的受害者呢？圍繞這個問題，看看文章作者是如何展開討論的吧。
You’re in trouble [if you have to buy your own brand-name prescription?1??drugs.] [Over the past decade], prices leaped [by more than double the inflation rate]. Treatments [for chronic conditions?2? ?] can [easily] top $2,000 a month – no wonder that one in four Americans can’t afford to fill their prescriptions. The solution? A hearty chorus?3?of “O Canada.”?4?[North of the border], ^where price controls reign?5^, those same brand-name drugs cost 50% to 80% .
如果你要自己購買大牌處方藥，那你就麻煩了。在過去的十年里，藥價是通貨膨脹率的兩倍還多呢。治療慢性疾病一個月很容易就會花到2000美元以上——難怪每四個美國人中就有一個買不起處方所列之藥。該如何解決呢？人們或許會異口同聲地說：“加拿大唄”。在北部邊界——價格統(tǒng)一控制區(qū)——同樣牌子的藥可以少花50%至80%。
注：1. prescription n. 處方, 指示, 命令。例：
The doctor gave me a prescription for pain-killers.
醫(yī)生給我開了個止痛藥方。
2. condition n. 疾病。這是熟詞生意，可理解成disease，最常用的意思是條件。例：
I received several compliments on the condition of my skin.
我得到好幾次有關我皮膚的狀況的夸贊。
[這里指健康方面的狀況]
Stephen's condition was diagnosed by accident, after going to the doctor with a persistent cough.
史蒂芬的疾病是在他持續(xù)咳嗽不止而去看醫(yī)生時意外診斷出來的。
[be diagnosed by被診斷出][選自：BBC: NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | My life with coeliac disease]
3. chorus n. 合唱; 齊聲; 合唱隊
v. 合唱; 一齊說, 異口同聲地說; 齊聲朗誦; 合唱; 異口同聲地說話; 齊聲朗誦。例：
The proposal was greeted with a chorus of approval.
大家對該建議異口同聲表示贊成。
4. 這里可理解成將“The solution is a hearty chorus of O Canada.”拆成了自問自答的兩句話。
5. reign n. 統(tǒng)治; 在位期間, 統(tǒng)治時期; 支配
v. 君臨; 支配; 統(tǒng)治; 盛行, 占優(yōu)勢。原文中price controls是物價管制，作名詞理解，所以后面的reign作動詞，表明該地區(qū)施行物價管制。例：
The revolution was followed by a reign of terror, ie a time of violence.
革命之後隨即出現(xiàn)了恐怖統(tǒng)治。
He wants to reign in regulatory excess and restore the plain meaning of the Constitution?
他想以強權進行統(tǒng)治，并且恢復憲法的本意？
[選自：FORBES: Book Review: This Is Herman Cain!]
The Canadian option is fast becoming a political wake-up call. “[If our neighbors can buy drugs [at reasonable prices],] why can’t we?” [Even to whisper] that thought provokes?1???anger. “Un-American!” And – the propagandists’?2trump card – “wreck?3?our brilliant health-care system.” Supersize drug prices, they claim, fund the research (that sparks the next generation (of wonder drugs).) [No sky-high drug price [today],] no cure [for cancer tomorrow]. So shut up and pay up.
選擇到加拿大買藥正迅速成為政治上的訴求。“如果我們的鄰居能夠以合理的價格買到同樣的藥品，為什么我們不能？”哪怕私下說說也令人怒火中燒。“這些非美國人?。 币约啊麄骷覀兊耐跖啤捌茐牧宋覀冏吭降男l(wèi)生保健系統(tǒng)”。宣傳家們聲稱，超高的藥價資助了下一代特效藥的研制。沒有今天的高藥價就沒有明天的抗癌藥。所以少廢話，買買買。
注：1. provoke v. 激怒, 煽動, 挑撥。例：
He was provoked by their mockery to say more than he had intended.
他受到他們嘲笑惱羞成怒, 說了一些過頭的話。
Why do some Newsnight reports provoke storms of controversy and others barely cause a ripple?
為什么有些晚間新聞報道會激發(fā)起暴風驟雨般的爭議，而其它報道則無法激起一絲漣漪？
[選自：BBC: A cat]
2. propagandist n. 宣傳者, 傳道者。例：
He never ceased from his activities as a propagandist.
作為宣傳員他的活動從未停止過。
3. wreck n. 失事, 破壞, 殘骸
v. 使失事, 使瓦解, 拆毀; 毀滅, 營救失事船只, 船失事。例：
His life has been wrecked by the tragedy.
他的生活被這場悲劇給毀了。
You know a train wreck will occur, but you can't turn your eyes away of it.
你明明知道火車即將失事，但你無法移開雙眼。
[選自：CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS]
Common sense tells you that’s a false alternative. The reward (for finding, ^say^, a cancer cure) is so huge that no one’s going to hang it up. [Nevertheless], [if Canada-level pricing came to the United States,] the industry’s profit margins?1?would drop and the pace (of new-drug development) would slow. [Here] lies the American dilemma?2. Who is all this splendid?3?medicine for? Should our healthcare system continue its drive [toward the best of the best], [even though rising numbers of patients can’t afford it?] Or should we direct our wealth [toward letting everyone in on today’s level of care]? [Measured by saved lives], the latter is [almost] [certainly] the better course.
常識告訴你這（通過高價藥來補貼抗癌藥的研發(fā)）是一個錯誤的替代方案。攻克癌癥的回報是如此豐厚以致于沒有人會將其擱置不理。不過，如果美國也是加拿大的藥價水平，制藥行業(yè)的利潤率將減少，而新藥的研發(fā)步伐也將放緩。這就是美國的困境。所有的這些靈丹妙藥是給誰用的呢？我們的醫(yī)療體系應該力臻完美，哪怕置越來越多的病人買不起藥于不顧嗎？或者我們應該把財富致力于，在現(xiàn)今的醫(yī)療水平下，讓每個人都能吃得起藥？按被救治的生命來算，后者理應是更好的道路。
注：1. margin n. 頁邊的空白; 極限; 邊緣 ；【經(jīng)濟學】margin在經(jīng)濟學中可以采用marginal來表示邊際的意思，比如邊際成本marginal cost。原文中profit margin是利潤率的意思。例：
As a result, it trimmed its profit margin forecast to about 60% from 62%.
于是，這將其預計利潤率削減至60-62%。
[選自：BBC: NEWS | Business | Intel sales get mobile phone lift]
而邊緣的含義則司空見慣，例：
She added her comments in the margin.
她在頁邊空白處加上了她的評語。
2. dilemma n. 困境, 進退兩難; 兩難推理。詞組be caught in a dilemma 陷入進退兩難之境。例：
Nevertheless, the government is still caught in a dilemma about how to address this downturn.
然而，政府仍舊為如何表述這次衰退而犯難。
[選自：BBC: Gloomy forecast for Irish economy]
3. splendid adj. 光亮的, 了不起的。例：
The peacock spreads its splendid tail.
孔雀開屏，燦爛奪目。
[To defend their profits], the drug companies have warned Canadian wholesalers?1?and pharmacies [by mail?2], and are cutting back?3supplies [to those who dare].
為維持利潤，制藥公司已警告加拿大的批發(fā)商和藥房，要求他們不要通過郵購的方式售藥給美國人，如無視警告則削減其藥品供貨。
注：1. wholesaler n. 批發(fā)商。而wholesale則為批發(fā)的名詞和動詞。例：
Buying a loose diamond from a wholesaler can save you hundreds of dollars.
從批發(fā)商那里買一顆切割不那么精密的鉆石可以節(jié)省數(shù)百美元。
One leather goods wholesaler from Bournemouth, who asked not to be named, agreed.
一位不愿透露姓名的伯恩茅斯皮革制品批發(fā)商表示贊同。
[選自BBC: Shoppers split over VAT increase]
2. by mail，在這里是作方式狀語，表明是通過郵寄的方式來賣藥品的。隨著淘寶等電子商務平臺的興起，網(wǎng)購日漸頻繁地出現(xiàn)在生活之中，寄快遞就可以用這個短語表示，也可以用send by post來表達。例：
I bought a new iPhone 6 in Tmall, and the saler send it by post last week.
我在天貓上買了個新的蘋果6手機，店小二上周發(fā)快遞了。
You can either take the course on the Web site, download it, or, for a small fee, order it by mail.
你既可以在線上課或者下載修讀，再或者付一點費用來郵購。
[選自：CNN: Site-Seer: See the future in these sites]
3. cut back削減，可接經(jīng)費，使用時也可加on。例：
We shall have to cut back on our spending.
我們將不得不削減我們的經(jīng)費。
[在翻譯中可以去掉“將”字，因為中文并不需要單獨把時態(tài)寫出來。]
Rugby teams have to cut back on their training because the ground is so hard.
因為場地太干了，橄欖球隊不得不縮減訓練。
[選自BBC: NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Living with Australia's drought]
[Meanwhile], the administration is playing the fear card. Officials (from the Food and Drug Administration) will argue that Canadian drugs might be fake, mishandled?1, or even a potential threat to life?2? ?.
同時，政府正在打恐懼牌。美國食品和藥品管理局[即FDA]的官員認為加拿大的藥物可能是假冒偽劣產(chǎn)品，嚴重的可能會危及生命。
注：1. mishandle v. 粗魯?shù)貙Υ? 錯誤地處理; 虐待。例：
He mishandled the meeting badly and lost the vote.
他沒有主持好會議, 結果落選。
Companies still mishandle hacking incidents, of course.
公司仍舊對黑客事件理所當然地錯誤處理。
[選自：WSJ: Firms Adjust to Hacks]
2. a threat to sb./sth. 對某人某物有威脅，在新聞報道中經(jīng)常用到。例：
In America, this was widely seen as a threat to the country's dominance of space.
在美國，這被普遍認為對國家的太空優(yōu)勢構成了威脅。
[選自：ECONOMIST: China's space programme]
Do bad drugs fly [around the Internet]? Sure – and [the more] we look, [the more] we’ll find. But I haven’t heard of any raging?1?epidemics?2?[among the hundreds of thousands of people] (buying cross-border).
不合格的藥品在互聯(lián)網(wǎng)上四處橫飛？是的，而且我們越看就會發(fā)現(xiàn)越多。但是我還沒聽說過有任何傳染病在千千萬萬跨國買藥的人中傳播蔓延。
注：1. rage v. 發(fā)怒, 怒斥; 流行, 盛行; 猖獗, 激烈進行, 肆虐。例：
A flu epidemic raged through the school for weeks.
流感在這所學校里蔓延了幾個星期。
2. epidemic n. 傳染病, 流行病
adj. 流行的, 傳染性的。例：
Despite a spreading AIDS epidemic, many countries spend more money servicing debt than on health.
盡管艾滋病流行開來，很多國家仍舊將經(jīng)費用在償還債務上而非投入到健康領域。
[serve one’s debt 償還債務][選自：CNN: African leaders to meet Annan, discuss flash points]
Most users (of prescription drugs) don’t worry about costs [a lot]?1. They’re sheltered [by employee insurance], [owing just a $ 20 co-pay]. The financial blows?2? ?rain, [instead], on?3?the uninsured, [especially] the chronically?4???ill (who need expensive drugs [to live].) This group will [still] include middle-income seniors [on Medicare], (who’ll have to dig [deeply] into their pockets?5?[before getting much from the new drug benefit] (that starts [in 2006].))
大多數(shù)服用處方藥的患者不太擔心藥價。他們得益于員工保險的庇護，個人只需支付20美元。金融風暴反倒如雨般淋在那些沒投保的人身上，尤其是慢性病患者，他們更依賴高價藥來維持生命。這一群體中仍然包括依賴醫(yī)保的老年中產(chǎn)階級，他們在享受到從2006年起實施的新藥改福利之前仍需自掏腰包。
注：1. 這里的a lot是程度狀語，從about后面接的是costs而非costing可知，這里cost作名詞，花費，句中指藥價，所以這里特別注意不是在說不擔心花太多錢，而是不太擔心花錢。例：
Of course, that became a lot less practical last winter, when I moved to London.
當然，去年冬天，當我搬去倫敦之際，那里變得明顯不那么實用了。
[選自：BOINGBOING: Another chance to have Cory's books signed and shipped to your door]
2. financial blow，金融危機。blow作名詞，有壞事情發(fā)生之意。例：
The demise of MF Global represents a financial blow.
環(huán)球曼氏金融的破滅表明了經(jīng)濟危機。
[選自：WSJ: Jon Corzine and J. Christopher Flowers Friendship Tossed in MF Global Storm]
3. rain on使大量降下來。在分析成分時，將其作為動詞短語充當謂語，所以the uninsured和the chronically ill均作其賓語。這里引申一個習語，rain on someone's parade，通過破壞或批評某人的計劃或抱負而讓其失望和受挫 (idiomatic) To disappoint or discourage someone by ruining or criticising their plans or aspirations. 例：
Democrats hope to rain on Bush's pre-convention parade.
民主黨員想讓布什總統(tǒng)感到難堪。
[選自：CNN: / - On campaign trail, Bush touts his wife's Monday night convention]
4. chronically adv. 慢性地; 長期地; 習慣性地。例：
In this mountainous country with little arable land, food is chronically in short supply.
在這個可耕種土地稀少的多山國家（根據(jù)全文，該國指朝鮮），食物長期供應不足。
[選自：NPR: NKoreans Stock For Cold, Build To Kim Anniversary]
5. dig into one’s pocket自掏腰包。例：
And he is having to dig into his pocket at this point to make sure that some of them are able to deal with the economic impact.
而且，奧巴馬總統(tǒng)在這個時刻也自掏腰包，以確保他們中的一些人能夠經(jīng)受得起經(jīng)濟沖擊。
[選自：WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Assesses BP Oil Spill Response]
