第三篇：　Some Sleep Drugs Do More Than Make You Sleep

The United States Food and Drug Administration1 has ordered companies to place strong new warnings on thirteen drugs that treat sleep disorders. It also ordered the makers of the sleeping pills to provide information for patients explaining how to safely use the drugs.

Last Wednesday, the FDA announced that some of these drugs can have unexpected and dangerous effects. These include the risk of life-threatening allergic reactions. They also include rare incidents of strange behavior. These include people cooking food, eating and even driving while asleep. The patients later had no memory of doing these activities while asleep.

Last year, a member of the United States Congress2 said he had a sleep-driving incident. Patrick Kennedy, a representative from Rhode Island3，crashed his car into a security barrier near the building where lawmakers meet. The accident happened in the middle of the night and no one was hurt. Mr. Kennedy said he had earlier taken a sleep medicine. He said he was also being treated with a stomach sickness drug that could cause sleepiness.

The FDA did not say in its announcement how many cases of sleep-driving it had documented. However, the New York Times4 reported last year about people who said they had strange sleep events after taking the drug Ambien. Some reported sleep-driving and sleep-walking. Others said they found evidence after waking in the morning that they had cooked food or eaten in their sleep. But they had no memory of carrying out the activities.

An FDA official says that these serious side effects of sleep disorder drugs appear to be rare. But, he also says there are probably more cases than are reported.5 He says the agency believes the risk of such behaviors could be reduced if people take the drugs as directed and do not drink alcohol while taking the drugs. The Food and Drug Administration has advised drug companies to carry out studies to investigate the problem.

41. The FDA announced that

A. thirteen drug companies were closed last Wednesday.

B. only thirteen drugs could treat sleeping disordera.

C. some sleep drugs could lead to serious side effects.

D. some makers of sleeping pills provided false information to their patients.

答案：C

42. The FDA warned that some sleeping pills

A. can help people to learn to cook

B. prevent people from driving while asleep.

C. present life-threatening risk to patients

D. have severe effect on a patient’s long-term memory

答案：D

43. What happened to Patrick Kennedy last year?

A. He crashed his car into a security barrier.

B. He was killed during a car accident.

C. His car broke down on the way home .

D. He was treated for stomachache.

答案：A

44. After taking the drug Ambien, some people

A. are unable drive.

B. don’t know how to cook.

C. suffer from eating problems.

D. fall asleep while walking.

答案：D

45. The risk of strange behaviors resulting from taking sleeping pills could be reduced it

A. the FDA takes more strict regulations.

B. drug companies listen to patients’ advice.

C. the New York Times releases more reports.

D. people don’t drink alcohol while taking these pills.

答案：D

（責任編輯：vstara）

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