Cellphones: is there a cancer link?
Could your cellphone give you cancer? Whether it could or not, some people are worrying about the possibility that phones, power lines and wi-fi could be responsible for a range of illnesses, from rashes to brain tumors.
Some say there is evidence to support the growing anxieties. David Carpenter, a professor of environmental health sciences at the university at Albany, in New York, thinks there’s a greater than 95 percent chance that power lines can cause childhood leukemia(白血病). Also there’s a greater than 90 percent chance that cellphones can cause brain tumors. “It’s apparent now that there’s a real risk,” said Carpenter.
But others believe these concerns are unjustified. Dr Martha Linet, the head of radiation epidemiology(流行病学) at the US National Cancer Institute, has looked at the same research as Carpenter but has reached a different conclusion. “I don’t support warning labels for cellphones,” said Linet. “We don’t have the evidence that there’s much danger.”
Studies so far suggest a weak connection between EMFs(电磁场) and illness — so weak that it might not exist at all. A multinational investigation of cellphones and brain cancer, in 13 countries outside the US, has been underway for several years. It’s funded in part by the European Union, in part by a cellphone industry group. The final report should come out later this year, but data so far don’t suggest a strong link between cellphone use and cancer risk.
小题1:From the passage we can learn that some people are worried because .
A．they have evidence the use of cellphone can lead to cancer.
B．they make a fuss over cellphone use.
C．some expert has given a warning.
D．cellphones are responsible for brain tumors.小题2:By saying “I don’t support warning labels for cellphones,” Dr Martha Linet has the idea that .
A．the worrying is unnecessary.
B．cancer-warning labels should be on cellphones.
C．there is a link between cellphones and cancer.
D．cellphones have nothing to do with cancer.小题3:The underlined word “underway” is closest in meaning to .
A．started.
B．kept on.
C．gone on.
D．in progress.小题4:Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author towards the debate?
A．Optimistic.
B．Objective.
C．Disapproving.
D．Casual.
