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

[A]

the prevalence of health apps 

[B]

the public concern over health 

[C]

the popularity of smartphones 

[D]

the advancement of technology 

37. What does the author imply about existing health privacy law?

[A]

Its coverage needs to be extended. 

[B]

Its enforcement needs strengthening. 

[C]

It has discouraged medical misconduct. 

[D]

It has disappointed insurance companies. 

38. Before sharing its users’ health information, Flo Health is required to

[A]

seek the approval of the FTC 

[B]

find qualified third parties 

[C]

remove irrelevant personal data 

[D]

obtain their explicit permission 

39. What challenge is the FTC currently faced with?

[A]

The complexity of health information. 

[B]

The rapid increase in new health apps. 

[C]

The subtle deceptiveness of health apps. 

[D]

The difficulty in assessing consumer harm. 

40. It can be learned from the last paragraph that health data protection

[A]

has been embraced by health app developers 

[B]

has been a focus of federal policy-making 

[C]

has encountered opposition in California 

[D]

has gained legislative support in some states 

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。

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。

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）。

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）。