全国通用2011届高考英语专题复习阅读理解（九）

1

“In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight.”

“Two full inches in the first three days ！”

These are the kinds of statements used in magazine, newspaper，radio and television ads, promising new shapes and new looks to those who buy the medicine or the device. The promoters of such products say they can shape the legs, slim the face, smooth wrinkles，or in some other way add to beauty or desirability.

Often such products are nothing more than money-making things for their promoters. The results they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health.

To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public，it is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug, FDA ( Food and Drug Administration) can require proof(证明) under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that it is safe and effective before it is put on the market. But if the product is a device，FDA has no authority to require pre-marketing proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the market is a danger to health, FDA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily, or it can take legal action, including seizure (查封) of the product.