As a physician who travels quite a lot, I spend a lot of time on planes listening for that dreaded “Is there a doctor on board?” announcement. I’ve been 16 only once — for a woman who had merely fainted. But the 17 made me quite curious about how 18 this kind of thing happens. I wondered what I would do if 19 with a real midair medical emergency — without access 20 a hospital staff and the usual emergency equipment. So 21 the New England Journal of Medicine last week 22 a study about in-flight medical events, I read it 23 interest.
The study estimated that there are a(n) 24 of 30 in-flight medical emergencies on U.S. flights every day. Most of them are not 25 ; fainting and dizziness are the most frequent complaints. 26 13% of them — roughly four a day — are serious enough to 27 a pilot to change course. The most common of the serious emergencies 28 heart trouble, strokes, and difficulty breathing.
Let’s face it: plane rides are 29 . For starters, cabin pressures at high altitudes are set at roughly 30 they would be if you lived at 5,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level. Most people can tolerate these pressures pretty 31 , but passengers with heart disease 32 experience chest pains as a result of the reduced amount of oxygen flowing through their blood. 33 common in-flight problem is deep venous thrombosis — the so-called economy class syndrome (综合症). 34 happens, don’t panic. Things are getting better on the in-flight-emergency front. Thanks to more recent legislation (立法), flights with at 35 one attendant are starting to install emergency medical kits to treat heart attacks.
A.called B.addressed C.informed D.surveyed
A.accident B.condition C.incident D.disaster
A.soon B.long C.many D.often
A.faced B.treated C.identified D.provided
A.for B.to C.by D.through
A.before B.since C.when D.while
A.collected B.conducted C.discovered D.published
A.by B.of C.with D.in
A.amount B.average C.sum D.number
A.significant B.heavy C.common D.serious
A.For B.On C.But D.So
A.require B.inspire C.engage D.command
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A.enjoyable B.promoting C.dull D.stressful
A.who B.what C.which D.that
A.severely B.unwillingly C.easily D.casually
A.ought to B.may C.used to D.need
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A.Whatever B.However C.Whenever D.Wherever
A.most B.worst C.least D.best