Every newborn baby is dealt a hand of cards which help to determine how long he or she will be allowed to play the game of life. Good cards will help those who have them to have a long and healthy existence, while bad cards will bring to those who have them terrible diseases like high blood pressure and heart disease. Occasionally, cards are dealt out that doom their holders to an early death. In the past, people never knew exactly which cards they had been dealt. They could guess at the future only by looking at the kind of health problems experienced by their parents or grandparents. Genetic testing, which makes it possible to find dangerous genes, has changed all this. But, until recently, if you were tested positive for a bad gene you were not obliged to reveal this to anyone else except in a few extreme circumstances. This month, however, Britain became the first country in the world to allow life insurers to ask for test results. So far, approval has been given only for a test for a fatal brain disorder known as Huntington"s disease. But ten other tests (for seven diseases) are already in use and are awaiting similar approval. The independent body that gives approval, the Department of Health"s genetics and insurance committee, does not have to decide whether the use of genetic information in insurance is ethical. It must judge only whether the tests are reliable to insurers. In the case of Huntington"s disease the answer is clear-cut. People unlucky enough to have this gene will die early, and cost life insurers dearly. This is only the start. Clear-cut genetic answers, where a gene is simply and directly related to a person"s risk of death, are uncommon. More usually, a group of genes is associated with the risk of developing a common disease, dependent on the presence of other genetic or environmental factors. But, as tests improve, it will become possible to predict whether or not a particular individual is at risk. In the next few years researchers will discover more and more about the functions of individual genes and what health risks — or benefits — are associated with them. Health authorities allow insurers to use genetic information for the purpose of
A. improving genetic testing technology.
B. safeguarding patients" interests.
C. promoting disease prevention.
D. reducing insurance payments.
One country that is certain of the effect of films on tourism is Australia. The Tourist Office of Queensland say that Crocodile Dundee,【C1】______Paul Hogan, made Australia the popular【C2】______it is today. In the three years after Crocodile Dundee was【C3】______, visitor numbers doubled. 【C4】______what makes people want to visit the place where a movie was filmed In many cases the reason is【C5】______the film makes audiences【C6】______of the existence of a place. 【C7】______the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun was filmed in Phuket, Thailand, most Westerners had never heard of it. Today it is a major destination. Leonardo di Caprio"s film The Beach has【C8】______tourism in another part of Thailand. The film is about the discovery of the most idyllic beach in the world. As a result the Thai authorities are【C9】______a tourist boom in the film"s【C10】______, Koh Phi Phi. Some people are influenced by a movie"s【C11】______as much as its location, especially if it is a romance. Four Weddings and a Funeral has【C12】______that "The Crown" hotel in Amersham has been busy ever【C13】______the movie was first shown. In fact the bedroom where the【C14】______played by Hugh Giant and Andie McDowell spend their first night together is【C15】______for years ahead. "We" ve【C16】______the number of marriage proposals that have been made there, " says the hotel【C17】______. It is not just the tourist boards who are happy【C18】______the influence of films on a destination. Residents of a rather run-down area of London have seen house prices almost double 【C19】______Julia Robert"s romance with Hugh Grant in Notting Hill . Film stars, such as Madonna, who had previously thought of Notting Hill as a good place for a party, have now bought【C20】______there. Perhaps they hope to revive their romances. 【C6】
A. acquainted
B. ignorant
C. aware
D. known