阅读理解。
Thirty-six volunteers in South Africa will test the safety of an African-developed vaccine (疫苗) against
HIV. The tests are the first step in human clinical trials of two vaccine candidates developed at the University
of Cape Town.
These experimental AIDS vaccines are the first from Africa to reach testing in people. The National
Institutes of Health in the United States provided assistance. Testing with twelve people began earlier this year
in Boston, Massachusetts.
South Africa has more than five million people infected with HIV, the largest number of any country.
South Africa launched the tests last week as the International AIDS Society held a conference in Cape
Town. Other human trials of possible vaccines are taking place around the world. Scientists hope to get some
results later this year.
But during last week's conference, experts reported the first decrease in international financing for AIDS
vaccine research. They said funding dropped from about 930 million dollars in 2007 to 870 million last year.
Also at the conference, scientists presented the latest findings about new mothers infected with HIV. Two
studies showed ways in which anti-HIV drugs could permit infected women to breastfeed their new borns
with less risk of passing the virus to them. The research was done in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, South Africa
and Zambia.
In one study, infected mothers began to take three anti-HIV drugs while breastfeeding for up to six months.
In a second study, the babies were given medicine, instead of their mothers. The babies received one drug
every day during six months of breastfeeding.
The researchers said both methods greatly reduced the risk of HIV infection.
Laura Guay is Vice President of research at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, which
supported the research. Doctor Guay says the problem in sub-Saharan Africa is the limited availability of anti-
retroviral drugs.
LAURA GUAY:"We know that only about 33 percent of women have access to a program that actually
has services in place to prevent mother-to-child transmission. So the first challenge is, how do we reach all
the women who do not have access to a prevention program?"
1. That South Africa is chosen as the first country in Africa to test the safety of an African-developed vaccine against HIV is probably because ____.
A. it has the largest AIDS population
B. the vaccine has been developed in South Africa
C. the United Nations will offer it assistance
D. it has enough volunteers who are AIDS carriers
2. What does Paragraph 6 mainly talk about?
A. Women infected AIDS should not breastfeed their newborns.
B. Newborns are easily got infected with HIV if their mothers got AIDS.
C. Anti-HIV drugs help mothers infected with AIDS avoid transmitting HIV to their babies.
D. Both the mother and the newborn can take the anti-HIV drugs.
3. What can we learn from this passage?
A. The vaccine will not be used in clinical trial before it is proved to be safe.
B. South Africa was the first country which began the test of the vaccines.
C. Anti-HIV drugs have less effect on babies than on their mothers who are affected AIDS.
D. Only those women from rich families have access to anti-HIV drugs.
4. According to this passage, what is the problem that the vaccine research faced with?
A. The decrease in international financing.
B. The lack of volunteers.
C. The difficulty in human clinical trials.
D. Too many AIDS patients.
