When colds and flu hit, many people automatically turn to over-the-counter (OTC) medicines to push through and treat their symptoms (症状). Although these medicines are easily accessible and widely used, it might come as a surprise to many people to learn that they are not risk-free. A study estimated that every year, over 26,000 people went to the emergency room for adverse (有害的) events related to OTC cold and cough medicines.

When two or more drugs are used together, their interaction can sometimes produce unexpected harmful effects. Physicians are typically knowledgeable about potential drug interactions, so it is very important for patients to ask their healthcare providers which OTC medicines are safe for them to use.

It is important to read the package ingredients of OTC medicines closely to avoid duplication of doses (剂量重复). Cold medicines are typically made up of multiple ingredients, including pain relievers, nasal decongestants and cough suppressants or expectorants. A person who takes a single-ingredient medicine paired with one of these multi-ingredient medicines can receive an unsafe dose of that ingredient.

While everyone could potentially experience adverse effects from cold and flu medicines, some groups-including older adults, children and pregnant women-may be at greater risk.

Older people who are using prescribed (处方的) drugs to treat multiple health conditions may have a higher risk of drug interactions because of the higher number of medicines being used at the same time to treat different conditions. The aging body is not expert at absorbing, distributing and clearing medicines as younger bodies are. This can put older adults at higher risk for an overdose and drug-to-drug interactions with some medicines.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not recommend giving cold medicine to children under age 4. Because of a variety of factors, young children have a higher risk of an accidental overdose and adverse events that could lead to death.

【小题1】Why did the author mention the study in paragraph 1?

A．To stress the easy access to OTC medicines.

B．To explain the dangers of using OTC medicines.

C．To emphasize the importance of OTC medicines.

D．To prove the potential risks of using OTC medicines.

【小题2】What advice does the author give to those who take different drugs at the same time?

A．Turn to doctors for advice.	B．Buy medicines from physicians.
C．Take only one drug instead.	D．Change the ingredients of drugs.

【小题3】What can we infer from the text?

A．Women cannot face aging positively.

B．Children are more easily affected by diseases.

C．Older people’s body cannot deal with medicines easily.

D．People’s desire for health makes them take more medicine.

【小题4】What is a suitable title for the text?

A．OTC medicines may not be safe.

B．Tips for taking over-the-counter drugs.

C．How to deal with an OTC drug overdose?

D．Should medicines be available “over the counter”?