The right to die
It was 3:45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of arguing and final 16 hours of hot parliamentary(議會的) debates, Australia’s northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably sick patients who wish to die.
The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the Internet and was picked up, half a world away, by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on via the group's on line service, Death NET. Says Hofsess: "We posted bulletins all day long, because of course this isn't just something that happened in Australia. It's world history."
The NT Rights of the Terminally III law has left physicians and citizens alike trying to deal with its moral and practical implications. Some have breathed sighs of relief, others, including churches, right to life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the bill and the haste of its passage（通過）.
But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia - where an aging population, life extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part, other states are going to consider making a similar law to deal with euthanasia(安樂死). In the US and Canada, where the right to die movement is gathering strength,
observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death, probably by a deadly injection or pill, to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed(診斷) as terminally ill by two doctors. After a
"cooling off" period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54-year-old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally III law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition. "I'm not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid of was how I'd go, because I've watched people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks," he says.
小題1:This passage is mainly about ________.
| A．the development and function of euthanasia |
| B．the passage（通過）of a law on euthanasia and its worldwide influence. |
| C．some successful examples about euthanasia |
| D．conditions and procedures to perform euthanasia in Australia. |
小題2:What does “observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling” mean?
| A．Observers are taking a wait-and –see attitude towards the future of euthanasia. |
| B．There is a possibility of similar bills being passed in the US and Canada. |
| C．Observers are waiting to see the movement end up in failure. |
| D．The process of the bill taking effect may finally come to a stop. |
小題3: During a “cooling off” period, a patient will _________.
| A．wait for two doctors’ diagnosis |
| B．sign a certificate of request |
| C．think over his decision of euthanasia |
| D．turn to his doctors for more advice |
小題4:What’s the author’s attitude towards euthanasia?
| A．Hostile | B．doubtful | C．Favorable | D．Indifferent |
