The Apgar Test
The baby was born at 3:36 p. m. At 3:37, she scored 4 out of 10 on her first test. At 3:41, she scored 8 out of 10. The doctor was glad.
Another baby, born at 8:24 p. m., scored 3 out of 10 on his first test. He scored 4 out of 10 on his second test. He took another test at 8:34 and scored 5. ___1___ He called for help1.
These newborn babies took a test called the Apgar test. This test helps doctors diagnose problems. ___2___ Most babies take two tests. The first is at 1 minute after birth, and the second is at 5 minutes after birth. If a baby’s score at 5 minutes is less than 6, the baby takes another test at 10 minutes after birth.
The Apgar test is not an intelligence test. It’s a test that shows a baby’s health right after it is born. The Apgar test measures things such as a baby’s color, heart rate, and breathing. The test has five parts, and the score for each part can be 0, 1, or 2. ___3___
A doctor named Virginia Apgar developed the test. Apgar went to medical school at Columbia University in New York City in 1929. She faced many challenges because she was the first woman in the program. However, she was one of the best students in her class. After medical school, she started treating patients2.
Apgar also became a researcher in anesthesiology, a new topic in medicine at the time3. During her studies, she learned how to give patients anesthesia. ___4___
In the 1940s, many women started to have anesthesia when they gave birth. Apgar had a question: How does anesthesia affect newborn babies? In 1949, when Apgar was a professor at Columbia’s medical school, she created her simple test. She wrote a paper about her methods in 1953. Soon after, people started using the Apgar test around the world.
In her work, Apgar saw that many newborns had problems. She wanted to help these babies survive. She stopped practicing medicine in 1959, and she went back to school to get a master’s degree in public health. ___5___
Today, the Apgar test is still used all over the world. Newborn babies don’t know it, but Virginia Apgar is a very important person in the first few minutes of their lives.
词汇：
diagnose /'dai gn uz/ vt. & vi. 诊断（疾病）
anesthesiology /, nis,θizi’ l d i/ n. 麻醉学
anesthesia /, nis'θizi / n. 麻醉
注释：
1.called for help：需要帮助，求救。call for：需要，要求，提倡；来找（某人），来取（某物）。
2.she started treating patients：她开始治疗病人。treat sb.有三种意思，分别是“对待某人”“治疗某人”和“款待某人”。treat作“治疗”讲，是普通用语的治疗，意义广泛，cure多用于疾病方面，heal多用于创伤或外伤方面。
3.at the time：当时，在那时。同义短语有at that point, at that time, on the occasion。
练习：
ADoctors add the scores together for the total Apgar score.
BShe spent the rest of her life doing research and raising money to help newborn babies.
CA score of 10 is uncommon.
DThe doctor was worried.
EThey decide if a baby is normal or needs special care.
FAnesthesia is a procedure that makes patients lose consciousness, so they do not feel any pain during surgery.