本文节选自《科学美国人》中一篇名为“ This Drug Ad Is Not Right for You” （《这个药品广告不适合你》）的文章。美国电视上的处方药广告满天飞，药厂声称这能够帮助观众增长健康知识，但是说得再天花乱坠也不能掩盖广告的本质——卖产品。现在终于有了一纸禁令，这项举措利国利民，只会让药厂不高兴。

原文

Ⅰ①Television ads for erectile dysfunction, stroke or toenail fungus treatments have been called both a boon and a curse. ②Drug makers assert that promoting their products makes patients aware of conditions they can then flag for their doctor.

erectile dysfunction 勃起障碍

dysfunction specialized noun countable 功能失调；机能不良

•There appears to be a dysfunction in the patient's respiratory system.患者呼吸系统似乎出现功能失调。

•Mushrooms and mould are funguses.蘑菇和霉菌都是真菌。

•Fungus can be poisonous.真菌类植物可能会有毒。

boon noun countable usually singular 提高生活素质的东西，有用之物

•Guide dogs are a great boon to the partially sighted.导盲犬对视力有障碍的人来说是非常有用的。

a boon or a curse 是很地道的表达“两面性、优缺点”的短语，类似的还有 “a coin has two sides”, “two-edged sword”

这些动词均含有“断言，声称”之意。
assert → 主观意味强，指自认为某事就是如此，而不管事实如何。
affirm → 侧重在作出断言时表现出的坚定与不可动摇的态度。
allege → 多指无真凭实据，不提供证据的断言或宣称。
maintain与assert近义，但前者指坚决维护某种主张或观点。
testify → 多指在法庭作证，庄严地宣称自己所说属实。
claim → 可与assert换用，但语气弱一些，侧重指行为自己的权利提出要求他人承认。

flagverb (-gg-) MARK 记号 给…做标记

•Flag any files which might be useful later.给日后可能有用的档做上标记。

transitive specialized

makes patients aware of conditions 指的是，不看不知道，看了广告之后才发现身体的一些状况居然是一种病，还有专门的名字，随后俨然成了专家，还严肃地告诉医生我得了什么什么病，给我开这个那个药。

Ⅱ①Yet every developed country except the U.S. and New Zealand prohibits such direct-to-consumer prescription drug ads. ②It is hard to see educational value in commercials on American TV that show radiant models relaxing before a tryst, accompanied by voice-overs that warn of possible side effects, including difficulty breathing and an unsafe drop in blood pressure.

radiant adjective HAPPY/BEAUTIFUL 开心的／美丽的

喜气洋洋的；容光焕发的；光彩照人的

•He gave a radiant smile when he heard her news.当他听到她的消息时，脸上绽放出灿烂的笑容。

tryst old use or humorous noun countable 约会；（尤指）幽会

Ⅲ①An ad that conflates an aura of glowing health and the prospect of an amorous liaison with a list of dire cardiovascular symptoms is a paradigm of confused messaging because it does not provide the viewer with a clear guide to weighing both benefits and costs entailed in using a prescription medicine. ②Absent further interpretation, the underlying message reduces to: Sex or death—which will it be? ③Of course, the ads always end with an admonition to “ask your doctor....”

conflate verb transitive 合并，结合，混合（尤指文本）

•She succeeded in conflating the three plays to produce a fresh new work.她成功地将三个剧本合并在一起，编出了一部令人耳目一新的新作品。

aura noun countable 气氛，氛围；气息

•The woods have an aura of mystery.这片树林透着神秘的气息。

amorous adjective 表示性爱的；色情的

•The film centres around the amorous adventures/exploits of its handsome hero.这部电影以英俊的男主角的艳遇为主线。

liaison noun LINK BETWEEN 联络，联系，沟通

•He blamed the lack of liaison between the various government departments.他指责各个政府部门之间缺乏沟通。

cardiovascular specialized adjective 心血管的

•cardiovascular disease心血管疾病

weighing both benefits and costs  权衡得失

 entail formal verb transitive 使必要；牵涉

•Such a large investment inevitably entails some risk.这样的钜额投资必然会有一定的风险。

admonition noun countable 劝诫；忠告；警告；责备

•The most common parental admonition must surely be "Don't stay out late".父母告诫孩子最多的话肯定是“别在外面呆到太晚”。

Ⅳ①Now, finally, the doctors are giving an answer. ②In November 2015 the American Medical Association asked for a ban on these ads, saying that they are partially responsible for the skyrocketing costs of drugs. ③The World Health Organization and other groups have previously endorsed such restrictions. 

skyrocket verb intransitive 暴涨，飞涨

•Housing prices have skyrocketed in recent months.近几个月房价飞涨。

endorse verb transitive
SUPPORT 支援  ADVANCED  （公开）赞同，认可，支援

•The National Executive is expected to endorse these recommendations.预计全国执委会将赞同这些提议。

②句saying...现在分词短语作状语，解释禁止原因，这些广告让药费大大增长。

Ⅴ①In 2014 pharmaceutical companies spent $4.5 billion on consumer ads, mostly for television, a 30 percent rise from two years before. ②The pitches can drum up sales on higher-priced medications that can drive up drug costs when less expensive alternatives are sometimes available. 

pitch noun PERSUASION 说服 countable 推销用语；推销

•The man in the shop gave me his (sales) pitch about quality and reliability.商店里的那个男人向我大谈最高品质，信誉可靠之类的推销行话。

 Phrasal Verbs   [M] drum sth up 激起，鼓动

•He was trying to drum up some enthusiasm for the project.他正试图激发人们对该企划案的热情。

drive sth∽'up / 'down • 抬高(或压低)；使上升(或下跌)

这些动词均含“促使，驱使”之意。
motivate → 强调驱使人们采取行动的原因或动机。
drive → 侧重外来的驱策力和内心的感情力量的驱使。
prompt与motivate近义，强调起因。

Ⅵ①Many of the newest ads are for premium drugs for life-threatening diseases or rare conditions that can cost tens of thousands of dollars and require large, out-of-pocket patient co-payments. ②After seeing an ad, patients may press physicians for a prescription without understanding the complex criteria needed to determine eligibility for treatment. 

be at a premium 奇缺，非常稀罕

•Free time is at a premium for working parents.对于上班的父母来说，空余时间非常宝贵。

out-of-pocket  adj  : paid for with your own money rather than with money from another source (such as the company you work for or an insurance company)
   out-of-pocket medical expenses
  You can be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses when you are on a business trip.
  

physician◙ noun • 医师；(尤指)内科医生
--› compare surgeon

【HELP】This word is now old-fashioned in BrE. Doctor or GP is used instead.
• 在英国英语中,本词现已过时,而代之以 doctor 或 GP。

“医生”在英国通常用 doctor，不用 physician，但在美国往往用 physician。下面三句里的 physician 都有些美国英语味，在英国通常改用 doctor：
Why not consult a physician?
My physician tells me my heart is weak.
He wishes to be a physician.

这些名词都有“医生”之意。
doctor → 普通用词，泛指各科医生，即一切有行医资格的人。
physician → 指医院的内科医生。
surgeon → 指专修外科或专修人体某个部分的外科专科医生，这种医生一般需对患者进行手术治疗。
dentist → 指专门从事治牙的医生。

Ⅶ①Despite industry rhetoric about educating the consumer, the ads do what ads do—promote the advertiser's product while failing to note these complexities or alternative options. ②Last October a Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that 28 percent of people who viewed a drug ad subsequently asked a physician about the medicine and that 12 percent walked out with a prescription.

rhetoric noun uncountable  ADVANCED  雄辩言辞；煽动性语言

•How far the president will be able to translate his campaign rhetoric into action remains to be seen.总统在大选中作出的冠冕堂皇的承诺能够兑现多少尚待观察。

subsequently ◙ adv. • 随后；后来；之后；接着:
 »The original interview notes were subsequently lost.
  采访记录原稿后来丢失了。

Ⅷ①A ban would be a welcome step toward trimming the nation's lofty drug bills—and it would rid the airwaves of purported health messages that baffle more than they inform. ②It is unclear, though, whether any prohibition passed by Congress would pass muster in the courts. ③Pharma would undoubtedly mount a legal challenge, claiming that the law violates First Amendment protections for commercial speech. 

trimming noun countable or uncountable 镶边饰物；花边

•I want a plain black jumper with no fancy trimmings.我要一件素净的黑色套头外衣，没有花哨镶边的。

Lofty 高傲的，自大的

•a lofty attitude/air/tone高傲的态度／神情／语气

purported ◙ adj. [only before noun]• 据称的；传言的:
 »the scene of the purported crime
  传闻中的罪案发生地点

baffle verb transitive 使困惑，使迷惑

•She was completely baffled by his strange behaviour.她完全被他怪异的举动弄迷糊了。

  Phrasal Verbs   muster sth up 鼓起（勇气）；激起（力量）

•[+ to infinitive] She finally mustered up the courage to ask him for more money.她最终鼓起勇气向他要更多的钱。