法律类文章精选:A QUESTION OF PRIVACY

时间:2006-09-13 02:59:45

(单词翻译:单击)

7 A QUESTION OF PRIVACY

  Behind the brewing1 war over protecting patients' records in an age of HMOs and online medicine.

  Technology is a two-edged sword. Rarely is this as clear as it is in the realm of health care. Technology allows doctors to test their patients for genetic2 defects--and then to turn around and spread the results throughout the world via the Internet. For someone in need of treatment, that's good news. But for someone in search of a job or an insurance policy, the tidings can be all bad.

  Last week President Bill Clinton proposed a corollary to the patients' bill of rights now before Congress: a right to medical privacy. Beginning in 2002, under rules set to become law in February, patients would be able to stipulate3 the conditions under which their personal medical data could be divulged5. They would be able to examine their records and make corrections. They could learn who else had seen the information. Improper6 use of records by a caregiver or insurer could result in both civil and criminal penalties. The plan was, said Clinton, "an unprecedented7 step toward putting Americans back in control of their own medical records."

  While the administration billed the rules as an attempt to strike a balance between the needs of consumers and those of the health-care industry, neither doctors nor insurance companies were happy. The doctors said the rules could actually erode8 privacy, pointing to a provision allowing managed-care plans to use personal information without consent if the purpose was "health-care operations." That, physicians said, was a loophole through which HMOs and other insurers could pry9 into the doctor-patient relationship, in the name of assessing the quality of care. Meanwhile, the insurers protested that the rules would make them vulnerable to lawsuits10. They were especially disturbed by a provision holding them liable for privacy breaches12 by "business partners" such as lawyers and accountants. Both groups agreed that privacy protections would drive up the cost of health care by at least an additional $3.8 billion, and maybe much more, over the next five years. They also complained about the increased level of federal scrutiny13 required by the new rules' enforcement provisions.

  One aim of the rules is to reassure14 patients about confidentiality15, thereby16 encouraging them to be open with their doctors. Today various cancers and sexually transmitted diseases can go untreated because patients are afraid of embarrassment17 or of losing insurance coverage18. The fear is real: Clinton aides noted19 that a January poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates found that one in six U.S. adults had at some time done something unusual to conceal20 medical information, such as paying cash for services.

  ~~~~~~~~

  By EVAN THOMAS Newsweek; 11/08/99, Vol. 134 Issue 19, p67, 1/2p, 1c

  注(1):本文选自By EVAN THOMAS Newsweek; 11/08/99, Vol. 134 Issue 19, p67, 1/2p, 1c

  注(2):本文习题命题模仿对象2003年真题text 2

  1.The author begins his article with “technology is a two-edged sword” to _____________.

  [A] show that doctor’s improper use of technology can end up in bad results

  [B] call on people’s attention to the potential danger technology can bring to us

  [C] warn of the harm patients are prone21 to suffer

  [D] show the advantages and disadvantages of technology

  2.According to the proposal made by President Clinton, patients will be able to do the following EXCEPT _____________.

  [A] enjoy more rights to their medical records

  [B] be open with their doctors

  [C] decide how to use their medical information

  [D] sue their insurers for improper use of their medical records

  3.Doctors tend to think that the rules _____________.

  [A] may ruin doctor-patient relationship

  [B] can do more harm than good

  [C] will prevent doctors from doing medical research

  [D] will end up in more health care cost and poorer medical service

  4.The example of the January poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates is used to show that __________________.

  [A] American patients’ concealment22 of their medical information has become a big concern

  [B] a large portion of patients would rather leave their diseases untreated

  [C] concealing23 medical information is widespread in the U.S.

  [D] paying cash for medical service is a common practice among American patients

  5.From the article we can learn that ________________.

  [A] American government will tighten24 its control over the use of patients’ personal information.

  [B] doctors and insurers are both against the rules for the same reasons

  [C] patients are entitled to have complete control of their medical information

  [D] the new rules put insurers in a very disadvantageous position

  答案:ABBAD

  篇章剖析

  本文主要讲述了病人医疗隐私权立法及其引发的争议,采用的是指出问题---分析问题的模式。作者首先说明了病人医疗隐私泄露可能带来的问题,接着谈了提议中的病人医疗隐私权法案的内容。在第三段作者说明了反对该法案一方的观点。最后一段则强调了新法规的宗旨和不立法可能造成的不良后果。

  词汇注释

  brewing [ `brU:IN ] adj. 酝酿中的;逐渐形成的;即将发生的

  HMO: Health Maintenance Organization 医疗保健机构

  tidings [5taIdINz] n. 消息

  corollary [kE5rRlErI]n. 必然的结果;推论

  stipulate [5stIpjJleIt] v. 规定,保证

  divulge4 [daI5vQldV]v. 泄露, 暴露

  bill [bIl]v. 宣布,宣告

  managed-care plan: n. 管理式医疗保健计划

  loophole [5lu:phEJl]n. 漏洞

  pry [praI]v. 探查,侦查,窥探

  provision [prE5vIV(E)n]n. 规定

  liable [5laIEb(E)l]adj. 有责任的

  breach11 [bri:tF]n. 违背;不履行

  难句突破

  1.The doctors said the rules could actually erode privacy, pointing to a provision allowing managed-care plans to use personal information without consent if the purpose was "health-care operations."

  主体句式:The doctors said …

  结构分析:本句中pointing to 这个作伴随状语的分词短语又包含了一个介词without引出的方式状语和由if引导的条件状语从句,使得句子的结构变得较为复杂。

  句子译文:医生认为这些法规实际上是在破坏隐私权,因为其中一条规定允许管理式医疗保健计划(managed-care plan)在“开展医疗保健工作”时可以不经许可使用个人信息。

  题目分析

  1.答案为A,属推理判断题。文章以医生利用先进的互联网技术传播病人医疗信息会有助于治疗某些病人的疾病,但同时又给一些病人在就业和购买保险方面带来困难为例说明保护病人医疗信息的重要性,以及不当使用技术可能带来的不良后果。

  2.答案为B,属事实细节题。”be open with their doctors ”只是这项法规试图达到的效果,并不是该法规赋予病人的权利。因此答案应该是B。

  3.答案为B,属事实细节题。文章引用医生的观点认为新法规不但不利于保护病人的隐私,反而会actually erode privacy,由此可见答案应该是B。

  4.答案为A,属推理判断题。前文讲到了病人因为羞于启齿或者担心失去保险赔付而隐瞒病情,使疾病得不到治疗;然后说The fear is real. 继而引用普利斯顿调查研究协会的调查结果,意在说明这一问题的严重性。

  5.答案为D,属事实细节题。文章中提到保险公司的反对意见时,引用了保险公司的说法:the rules would make them vulnerable to lawsuits.由此可见答案应该是D。A项中提出的政府加强对病人私人信息的控制的说法是不正确的,因为保险公司抗议的是政府要加强对法规实施情况的审查(the increased level of federal scrutiny required by the new rules' enforcement provisions)。

  参考译文:

  一个隐私问题

  在医疗保健机构和在线医疗时代,即将发起的一场保护病人病历的战争背后的故事

  技术是一把双刃剑。这一点在医疗保健领域尤为明显。借助技术,医生可以测试病人的遗传缺陷---并通过互联网很快将结果传遍全世界。对于那些需要治疗的人来说,这是好消息;但对于那些正在找工作,或者想要买一份保险的人来说,这样的消息可能非常糟糕。

  上周比尔·克林顿总统向国会提交了一份病人权利法案的推论:医疗隐私权。从2002年开始,根据2月即将生效的法规,病人将有权规定透露其个人医疗资料的条件。他们可以检查自己的病历并进行更正。他们也可以了解哪些人曾看过他们的信息。医护人员或者保险公司对病历使用不当将会导致民事或者刑事处罚。克林顿说,这一提案“在促使美国人重新获得对自己的病历控制权方面迈出了极其重要的一步。”

  虽然政府称这些法规旨在平衡消费者和医疗保健行业的需求,但医生和保险公司对此都颇有微词。医生认为这些法规实际上是在破坏隐私权,因为其中一条规定允许管理式医疗保健计划(managed-care plan)在“开展医疗保健工作”时可以不经许可使用个人信息。医生们称其为一个漏洞,它使得医疗保健机构(HMO)和其他保险公司可以打着评估医疗保健质量的旗号窥探医患关系。同时,保险公司也对这些法规持反对意见,他们认为这些法规很容易让他们惹上官司。其中一条法规令他们尤为不满,该法规规定:保险公司对律师和会计这样的“商业伙伴”的侵犯隐私行为负责。这两个群体都一致认为,保护隐私会使医疗保健成本增加至少38亿美元,在接下来的五年里也许还会增加更多。根据新法规的执行条例,联邦政府将加大对医疗保健行业的审查力度,他们对此也表示不满。

  新法规的目标之一就是要让病人不再担心自己的隐私被泄漏,从而鼓励他们对医生坦诚相告。今天各种各样的癌症和性病可能会因为病人羞于启齿或者担心失去保险赔付而得不到治疗。这种担心并非无中生有:克林顿的助手补充说,由普林斯顿调查研究协会在一月份进行的一项民意测试显示,在美国,每六个成年人中就有一个曾经做过刻意隐瞒医疗信息的事情,比如用现金支付服务费。

 


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1 brewing eaabd83324a59add9a6769131bdf81b5     
n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然,一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
  • She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。
2 genetic PgIxp     
adj.遗传的,遗传学的
参考例句:
  • It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
  • Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。
3 stipulate shhyP     
vt.规定,(作为条件)讲定,保证
参考例句:
  • International rules stipulate the number of foreign entrants.国际规则规定了外国参赛者的人数。
  • Some manufacturers stipulate the price at which their goods are to be sold.有些制造商规定出售他们生产的商品的价格。
4 divulge ImBy2     
v.泄漏(秘密等);宣布,公布
参考例句:
  • They refused to divulge where they had hidden the money.他们拒绝说出他们把钱藏在什么地方。
  • He swore never to divulge the secret.他立誓决不泄露秘密。
5 divulged b0a9e80080e82c932b9575307c26fe40     
v.吐露,泄露( divulge的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He divulged nothing to him save the terrible handicap of being young. 他想不出个所以然来,只是想到自己年纪尚幼,极端不利。 来自辞典例句
  • The spy divulged the secret plans to the enemy. 那名间谍把秘密计划泄漏给敌人。 来自辞典例句
6 improper b9txi     
adj.不适当的,不合适的,不正确的,不合礼仪的
参考例句:
  • Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
  • Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。
7 unprecedented 7gSyJ     
adj.无前例的,新奇的
参考例句:
  • The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
  • A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。
8 erode NmUyX     
v.侵蚀,腐蚀,使...减少、减弱或消失
参考例句:
  • Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外,土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
  • Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。
9 pry yBqyX     
vi.窥(刺)探,打听;vt.撬动(开,起)
参考例句:
  • He's always ready to pry into other people's business.他总爱探听别人的事。
  • We use an iron bar to pry open the box.我们用铁棍撬开箱子。
10 lawsuits 1878e62a5ca1482cc4ae9e93dcf74d69     
n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权,耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
  • I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多,赢的也多,输的也多。 来自辞典例句
11 breach 2sgzw     
n.违反,不履行;破裂;vt.冲破,攻破
参考例句:
  • We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
  • He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。
12 breaches f7e9a03d0b1fa3eeb94ac8e8ffbb509a     
破坏( breach的名词复数 ); 破裂; 缺口; 违背
参考例句:
  • He imposed heavy penalties for breaches of oath or pledges. 他对违反誓言和保证的行为给予严厉的惩罚。
  • This renders all breaches of morality before marriage very uncommon. 这样一来,婚前败坏道德的事就少见了。
13 scrutiny ZDgz6     
n.详细检查,仔细观察
参考例句:
  • His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好,但是经不起仔细检查。
  • Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。
14 reassure 9TgxW     
v.使放心,使消除疑虑
参考例句:
  • This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点,于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
  • The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。
15 confidentiality 7Y2yc     
n.秘而不宣,保密
参考例句:
  • They signed a confidentiality agreement. 他们签署了一份保守机密的协议。
  • Cryptography is the foundation of supporting authentication, integrality and confidentiality. 而密码学是支持认证、完整性和机密性机制的基础。
16 thereby Sokwv     
adv.因此,从而
参考例句:
  • I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市,因此对它不怎么熟悉。
  • He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民,因而得到了投票权。
17 embarrassment fj9z8     
n.尴尬;使人为难的人(事物);障碍;窘迫
参考例句:
  • She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
  • Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。
18 coverage nvwz7v     
n.报导,保险范围,保险额,范围,覆盖
参考例句:
  • There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
  • This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。
19 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
20 conceal DpYzt     
v.隐藏,隐瞒,隐蔽
参考例句:
  • He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方,他只好隐瞒身份。
  • He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。
21 prone 50bzu     
adj.(to)易于…的,很可能…的;俯卧的
参考例句:
  • Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
  • He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。
22 concealment AvYzx1     
n.隐藏, 掩盖,隐瞒
参考例句:
  • the concealment of crime 对罪行的隐瞒
  • Stay in concealment until the danger has passed. 把自己藏起来,待危险过去后再出来。
23 concealing 0522a013e14e769c5852093b349fdc9d     
v.隐藏,隐瞒,遮住( conceal的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • Despite his outward display of friendliness, I sensed he was concealing something. 尽管他表现得友善,我还是感觉到他有所隐瞒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • SHE WAS BREAKING THE COMPACT, AND CONCEALING IT FROM HIM. 她违反了他们之间的约定,还把他蒙在鼓里。 来自英汉文学 - 三万元遗产
24 tighten 9oYwI     
v.(使)变紧;(使)绷紧
参考例句:
  • Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
  • Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策,以避免通货膨胀。

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