本文为大家带来雅思阅读全真练习(9)的内容，希望大家能够关注。本系列的模拟试题均以国外报刊上的文章为素材，按雅思阅读题型出题并提供答案及简单注释。相信大家在使用的时候也会十分方便。
Why did a promising heart drug fail?
Doomed drug highlights complications ofmeddling with cholesterol.
1. The failure of a high-profile cholesterol drug has thrown a spotlight on the complicatedmachinery that regulates cholesterol levels. But many researchers remain confident thatdrugs to boost levels of 'good' cholesterol are still one of the most promising means tocombat spiralling heart disease.
2. Drug company Pfizer announced on 2 December that it was cancelling all clinical trials oftorcetrapib, a drug designed to raise heart-protective high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). In atrial of 15000 patients, a safety board found that more people died or suffered cardiovascularproblems after taking the drug plus a cholesterol-lowering statin than those in a control groupwho took the statin alone.
3. The news came as a kick in the teeth to many cardiologists because earlier tests inanimals and people suggested it would lower rates of cardiovascular disease. "There have beenno red flags to my knowledge," says John Chapman, a specialist in lipoproteins andatherosclerosis at the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Paris whohas also studied torcetrapib. "This cancellation came as a complete shock."
4. Torcetrapib is one of the most advanced of a new breed of drugs designed to raiselevels of HDLs, which ferry cholesterol out of artery-clogging plaques to the liver for removalfrom the body. Specifically, torcetrapib blocks a protein called cholesterol ester transferprotein (CETP), which normally transfers the cholesterol from high-density lipoproteins to lowdensity, plaque-promoting ones. Statins, in contrast, mainly work by lowering the 'bad' low-density lipoproteins.
Under pressure
5. Researchers are now trying to work out why and how the drug backfired, something thatwill not become clear until the clinical details are released by Pfizer. One hint lies in evidencefrom earlier trials that it slightly raises blood pressure in some patients. It was thought thatthis mild problem would be offset by the heart benefits of the drug. But it is possible that itactually proved fatal in some patients who already suffered high blood pressure. If bloodpressure is the explanation, it would actually be good news for drug developers because itsuggests that the problems are specific to this compound. Other prototype drugs that arebeing developed to block CETP work in a slightly different way and might not suffer the samedownfall.
6. But it is also possible that the whole idea of blocking CETP is flawed, says Moti Kashyap,who directs atherosclerosis research at the VA Medical Center in Long Beach, California. WhenHDLs excrete cholesterol in the liver, they actually rely on LDLs for part of this process. Soinhibiting CETP, which prevents the transfer of cholesterol from HDL to LDL, might actuallycause an abnormal and irreversible accumulation of cholesterol in the body. "You're blocking aphysiologic mechanism to eliminate cholesterol and effectively constipating the pathway,"says Kashyap.
Going up
7. Most researchers remain confident that elevating high density lipoproteins levels by onemeans or another is one of the best routes for helping heart disease patients. But HDLs arecomplex and not entirely understood. One approved drug, called niacin, is known to both raiseHDL and reduce cardiovascular risk but also causes an unpleasant sensation of heat andtingling. Researchers are exploring whether they can bypass this side effect and whether niacincan lower disease risk more than statins alone. Scientists are also working on several othermeans to bump up high-density lipoproteins by, for example, introducing synthetic HDLs. "The only thing we know is dead in the water is torcetrapib, not the whole idea of raising HDL,"says Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland MedicalCenter, Baltimore.
(613 words nature)
Questions 1-7 This passage has 7 paragraphs 1-7.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number i-ix in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i. How does torcetrapib work?
ii. Contradictory result prior to the current trial
iii. One failure may possibly bring about future success
iv. The failure doesn’t lead to total loss of confidence
v. It is the right route to follow
vi. Why it’s stopped
vii. They may combine and theoretically produce ideal result
viii. What’s wrong with the drug
ix. It might be wrong at the first place
Example answer
Paragraph 1 iv
1. Paragraph 2
2. Paragraph 3
3. Paragraph 4
4. Paragraph 5
5. Paragraph 6
6. Paragraph 7
Questions 7-13 Match torcetrapib，HDLs，statin and CETP with their functions (Questions8-13)..
Write the correct letter A, B, C or D in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
7.It has been administered to over 10,000 subjects in a clinical trial.
8.It could help rid human body of cholesterol.
9.Researchers are yet to find more about it.
10. It was used to reduce the level of cholesterol.
11. According to Kashyap, it might lead to unwanted result if it’s blocked.
12. It produced contradictory results in different trials.
13. It could inhibit LDLs.
List of choices
A. Torcetrapic
B. HDLS
C. Statin
D. CETP
答案及解析 Key and Explanations：
1. vi
2. ii
3. vii 本段介绍了torcetrapib和statin的治病原理，但是同时短语“in contrast”与之前第二段后半段的内容呼应，暗示了这两种药在理论上能相辅相成，是理想的搭配。第一个选项无法涵盖整段意义，故选择i是错误的。
4. iii 本段分析了可能导致torcetrapibl临床试验失败的原因，后半段指出如果以上推测正确，那么未来的药物可借鉴这个试验，设法避免torcetrapib的缺陷，研制出有效的药物。viii选项无法涵盖后半段的意思。
5. ix 见首句。
6. v
7. A 见第二段。题目中administer一词意为“用药”，subject一词为“实验对象”之意。
8. B 见第四段“… to raise levels of HDLs, which ferry cholesterol out of artery-cloggingplaques to the liver for removal from the body.”即HDLs的作用最终是将choleserol清除出人体：“…for removal from the body”。
9. B 见第四段“But HDLs are complex and not entirely understood.”
10. C 见第二段“… plus a cholesterol-lowering statin”，即statin是可以降低cholesterol的。
11. D 见第六段“So inhibiting CETP, … might actually cause an abnormal and irreversibleaccumulation of cholesterol in the body.
12. A 见第三段。
13. C 见第四段“Statins, in contrast, mainly work by lowering the 'bad' low-densitylipoproteins.”
以上就是雅思阅读全真练习(9)的具体内容介绍，希望大家能够关注。相信本文内容，考生做起来还是有一定难度的，但是这是十分锲合雅思阅读考题的，考生必须多多练习。最后，祝大家取得满意的雅思阅读成绩。
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