What is blood? Blood is a thick, red fluid which carries oxygen, water and
food to all parts of the body. It keeps the body at the right temperature (溫度) and
protects it from disease.
If you lose a lot of blood, you need new blood. You can receive new blood
from other people. This
is called a blood transfusion (輸送).
People can donate (捐獻) blood at a Red Cross Blood Bank. People who
give blood are called blood donors (捐獻者). Some people sell their blood but
many others donate it.
Donating blood doesn’t hurt you and it doesn’t take long. First a nurse take a
drop of blood from your finger and tests it. She does this to make sure that your
blood is healthy. Then you lie down on a bed and another nurse checks your
blood pressu
re (血壓). After that the nurse puts a needl
e into a vein in your arm.
The needle is attached to a tube. The blood flows through the tube into a plastic
bag. After about 10 minutes, when the bag is full, the nurse takes the needle out of
your arm. You stay on the bed and rest for a few minutes. Finally you go into
another room and have something to ea
t.
For a healthy person, donating blood i
s not harmful or painful. Bu
t the
blood he or she donates may save someone's life.
1. Where can people go to donate blood?
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2. Why does the nurse first take a drop of blood from the finger?
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3. What do you do after the nurse takes the needle out of your arm?
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4. Do you think you need something to drink after donating blood?
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5. Is donating blood harmful for healthy people according to the passage?
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