Part A: Reading Comprehension
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If you look at the apps on your phone, chances are you have at least one related to your health—and probably several. Whether it is a mental health app, a fitness tracker, a connected health device or something else, many of us are taking advantage of this technology to keep better track of our health in some shape or form. Recent research from the Organization for the Review of Care and Health Applications found that 350,000 health apps were available on the market, 90,000 of which launched in 2020 alone.
While these apps have a great deal to offer, it is not always clear how the personal information we input is collected, safeguarded and shared online. Existing health privacy law, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is primarily focused on the way hospitals, doctors’ offices, clinics and insurance companies store health records online. The health information these apps and health data tracking wearables are collecting typically do not receive the same legal protections.
Without additional protections in place, companies may share (and potentially monetize) personal health information in a way consumers may not have authorized or anticipated. In 2021, Flo Health faced a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation. The FTC alleged in a complaint that “despite express privacy claims, the company took control of users’ sensitive fertility data and shared it with third parties.” Flo Health and the FTC settled the matter with a Consent Order requiring the company to get app users’ express affirmative consent before sharing their health information as well as to instruct the third parties to delete the data they had obtained.
Section 5 of the FTC Act empowers the FTC to initiate enforcement action against unfair or deceptive acts, meaning the FTC can only act after the fact if a company’s privacy practices are misleading or cause unjustified consumer harm. While the FTC is doing what it can to ensure apps are keeping their promises to consumers around the handling of their sensitive health information, the rate at which these health apps are hitting the market demonstrates just how immense of a challenge this is.
As to the prospects for federal legislation, commentators suggest that comprehensive federal privacy legislation seems unlikely in the short term. States have begun implementing their own solutions to shore up protections for consumer-generated health data. California has been at the forefront of state privacy efforts with the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018. Virginia, Colorado and Utah have also recently passed state consumer data privacy legislation.
36. The research findings are cited in Paragraph 1 to show
37. What does the author imply about existing health privacy law?
38. Before sharing its users’ health information, Flo Health is required to
39. What challenge is the FTC currently faced with?
40. It can be learned from the last paragraph that health data protection
答案解析 (Answers & Explanations)
36. [A] the prevalence of health apps
解析：例证题。第一段提到研究发现市场上共有35万款健康APP，仅2020年就推出了9万款。作者列举这组庞大的数据，是为了证明第一段前两句的观点：“我们许多人都在利用这项技术来追踪健康”。这说明健康类应用程序极其“普遍/流行（prevalence）”，选A。
37. [A] Its coverage needs to be extended.
解析：推理题。第二段指出，现有的健康隐私法（如 HIPAA）主要集中在医院、诊所等存储数据的方式上，而“这些APP和可穿戴设备收集的信息通常得不到相同的法律保护（typically do not receive the same legal protections）”。这暗示现有法律管不到这些新兴的健康APP，因此其“覆盖范围需要扩大（Its coverage needs to be extended）”，选A。
38. [D] obtain their explicit permission
解析：细节题。第三段最后一句指出，Flo Health 和 FTC 达成了和解协议，协议要求公司“在分享用户的健康信息之前，必须获得APP用户的明确肯定同意（get app users’ express affirmative consent before sharing...）”。“express affirmative consent（明确肯定的同意）”完美对应选项D的“obtain their explicit permission（获得他们的明确许可）”。
39. [B] The rapid increase in new health apps.
解析：细节题。第四段最后一句指出，尽管 FTC 正在尽其所能，但“这些健康应用涌入市场的速度（the rate at which these health apps are hitting the market）证明了这是一个多么巨大的挑战”。“涌入市场的速度”即对应选项B中的“新健康APP的快速增加（The rapid increase in new health apps）”。
40. [D] has gained legislative support in some states
解析：细节推断题。最后一段第一句说联邦层面的立法短期内不太可能，但第二句马上指出：“各州（States）已经开始实施自己的解决方案来巩固对数据的保护”。随后列举了加州处于前沿，弗吉尼亚、科罗拉多和犹他州也“最近通过了州消费者数据隐私立法（recently passed state... legislation）”。这说明健康数据保护“在某些州获得了立法支持（has gained legislative support in some states）”，选D。
全文翻译
如果你看看手机上的应用程序，很可能你至少有一个与健康相关的——也许有好几个。无论是心理健康应用、健身追踪器、联网健康设备还是其他什么，我们中的许多人都在利用这种技术以某种形式更好地追踪自己的健康状况。护理和健康应用审查组织最近的研究发现，市场上有35万个健康应用，其中仅2020年就推出了9万个。
虽然这些应用提供了很多价值，但我们输入的个人信息如何被收集、保护以及在线共享并不总是清楚的。现有的健康隐私法律，如《健康保险流通与责任法案》，主要关注的是医院、医生诊所、诊所和保险公司在线存储健康记录的方式。这些应用和健康数据追踪可穿戴设备收集的健康信息通常不受同样的法律保护。
在没有额外保护措施的情况下，公司可能以消费者可能未授权或未曾预料的方式分享（并可能变现）个人健康信息。2021年，Flo Health面临美国联邦贸易委员会（FTC）的调查。FTC在一份投诉中称，"尽管声称保护隐私，该公司却控制了用户敏感的生育数据并将其与第三方共享。"Flo Health与FTC通过一份同意令解决了此事，要求该公司在分享用户的健康信息之前获得用户明确的肯定性同意，并指示第三方删除他们已获得的数据。
《FTC法案》第5条授权FTC针对不公平或欺骗性行为发起执法行动，这意味着FTC只能在事后采取行动——即当一家公司的隐私做法具有误导性或造成不合理消费者伤害时。虽然FTC正在尽其所能确保应用程序履行其对消费者处理敏感健康信息的承诺，但这些健康应用投放市场的速度恰恰说明了这是一项多么巨大的挑战。
至于联邦立法的前景，评论人士表示，全面的联邦隐私立法在短期内似乎不太可能。各州已开始实施自己的解决方案以加强对消费者生成的健康数据的保护。加州凭借2018年的《加州消费者隐私法案》一直处于州级隐私保护努力的前沿。弗吉尼亚州、科罗拉多州和犹他州最近也通过了州级消费者数据隐私立法。
核心长难句精解 (High-Light)
1. 定语从句的省略与主谓识别：
"The health information [that/which] these apps and health data tracking wearables are collecting typically do not receive the same legal protections."
【解析】句子的主语是 `The health information`，谓语是 `do not receive`。主语后面紧跟了一个省略了关系代词 `that/which` 的定语从句（因为关系代词在从句中作 collecting 的宾语，所以可以省略），用来修饰 information，说明是“哪些信息”得不到保护。
"The health information [that/which] these apps and health data tracking wearables are collecting typically do not receive the same legal protections."
【解析】句子的主语是 `The health information`，谓语是 `do not receive`。主语后面紧跟了一个省略了关系代词 `that/which` 的定语从句（因为关系代词在从句中作 collecting 的宾语，所以可以省略），用来修饰 information，说明是“哪些信息”得不到保护。
2. 现在分词短语作后置定语及并列的不定式：
"Flo Health and the FTC settled the matter with a Consent Order requiring the company to get app users’ express affirmative consent before sharing their health information as well as to instruct the third parties to delete the data they had obtained."
【解析】`requiring...` 是现在分词短语，作后置定语修饰前面的 `Consent Order`（一项要求……的同意令）。在 `requiring the company` 之后，由 `as well as` 连接了两个并列的动词不定式短语：`to get...` 和 `to instruct...`，规定了公司必须做的两件事（获得用户同意，以及指示第三方删数据）。
"Flo Health and the FTC settled the matter with a Consent Order requiring the company to get app users’ express affirmative consent before sharing their health information as well as to instruct the third parties to delete the data they had obtained."
【解析】`requiring...` 是现在分词短语，作后置定语修饰前面的 `Consent Order`（一项要求……的同意令）。在 `requiring the company` 之后，由 `as well as` 连接了两个并列的动词不定式短语：`to get...` 和 `to instruct...`，规定了公司必须做的两件事（获得用户同意，以及指示第三方删数据）。
3. 复杂的介词+关系代词引导的定语从句及名词性从句嵌套：
"While the FTC is doing what it can to ensure [that] apps are keeping their promises to consumers around the handling of their sensitive health information, the rate at which these health apps are hitting the market demonstrates just how immense of a challenge this is."
【解析】这是全篇结构最复杂的一句话。 1. `While` 引导让步状语从句。从句中 `what it can` 充当 doing 的宾语。 2. `ensure` 后面跟了一个省略 `that` 的宾语从句。 3. 主句的主语是 `the rate`，后面跟着 `at which` 引导的定语从句修饰 rate（APP涌入市场的速度）。 4. 主句的谓语是 `demonstrates`，其后跟着 `how` 引导的宾语从句（这是一个多么巨大的挑战）。
"While the FTC is doing what it can to ensure [that] apps are keeping their promises to consumers around the handling of their sensitive health information, the rate at which these health apps are hitting the market demonstrates just how immense of a challenge this is."
【解析】这是全篇结构最复杂的一句话。 1. `While` 引导让步状语从句。从句中 `what it can` 充当 doing 的宾语。 2. `ensure` 后面跟了一个省略 `that` 的宾语从句。 3. 主句的主语是 `the rate`，后面跟着 `at which` 引导的定语从句修饰 rate（APP涌入市场的速度）。 4. 主句的谓语是 `demonstrates`，其后跟着 `how` 引导的宾语从句（这是一个多么巨大的挑战）。