共用题干Jamie Stephenson has seen first-hand what mod

共用题干

Jamie Stephenson has seen first-hand what modern genetic science can do for a family.When her son David was 2 years old,a pediatrician noticed signs of mental retardation and developmental delays.A lab test confirmed the diagnosis,and(46)__________.When David was 6,he visited a neurologist,who scribbled"hereditary mental retardation"on an insurance-company claim form. The company responded promptly by canceling coverage for the entire family of six. There is no medical treatment for his mental retardation,and none of David’s siblings had been diagnosed with the condition."The company didn’t care,"Stephenson says."( 47)________"
No one would argue that genetic tests are worthless.Used properly,(48)________.Prospective parents who discover they’re silent carriers of the gene for a disease like Tay-Sachs,which causes death by the age of 3,can make better-informed decisions about whether and how to have kids. Some genetic maladies can be managed through medication and lifestyle changes once they’re identifled.And while knowing that you’re at special risk for cancer may be an emotional burden,it can also alert you to the need for intensive monitoring.
The federal government is now taking steps to make genetic information less threatening. A recently enacted health insurance act bars insurers from treating genetic mutations as"pre-existing conditions"unless they are causing illness.The act also guarantees coverage to anyone leaving one group plan for another,whatever his pre-existing conditions.That will make switching jobs easier for many people,but ethicists say the act is only a first step.(49)_________.
Lawmakers are now racing to strengthen the protections.(50)______,and Congress will consider several bills in the new session.The insurance industry argues that it should be free to charge people rates that reflect their risks,at least when dealing with individuals and small compames.But most ethicists contend that where health coverage is concerned,people shouldn’t be penal-ized for risks they can’t modify.
Discrimination isn’t the only potential downside to genetic testing. Some of the new susceptibility tests can only vaguely predict illness and no one forces the companies that offer them to counsel patients about what the results actually mean.Even when the tests are sound and the results secure, the knowledge they create can dash hopes and divide families.

________（46） A:they can give people unprecedented power over their lives B:the Stephensons spent several years learning to live with it C:People from high-risk families have come to fear tests almost as much as the disease D:They just saw a positive genetic test and said,"You’re out" E:Because it covers only group plans and doesn’t deal with disability insurance F:At least 15 states in the U.S.have recently placed restrictions on insurers or employers