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If you have a serious illness, or if you want a drug that is carefully regulated by the U.S.government, then you will need a prescription from a doctor and will not be able to buy it over the counter, whether at pharmacies such as Longs or Walgreens or any others.

Going about getting prescription drugs in the United States is quite a longer process than in China.In China, you can simply go to the local pharmacy and choose for yourself which drugs you want to buy.In the United States, the process is a lot more controlled.You cannot buy prescription drugs over the counter.

First of all, you must make a doctor’s appointment.It is not always easy to make a doctor’s appointment because their offices are often very busy with only few slots open for appointments.If you are really desperate, you can go to a local minor emergency clinic and see any doctor.

When you go to your appointment, the doctor will ask you many questions about your illness, such as the duration and severity of your condition.He will check you thoroughly before deciding to give you a prescription for drugs.

After the diagnosis, the doctor will write out a prescription on a special piece of paper with his office’s heading.He will sign his name at the bottom and tell you go to the pharmacy to have your prescription filled.

In such situation, the following dialogues may take place.

Clerk:Hello! Doctor’s office.

Patient:Hello.This is Peter Chen.I want to make an appointment.

Clerk:What’s the problem?

Patient:I have a bad stomachache.

Clerk:Can you come in tomorrow at 2:15 p.m.?

Patient:Yes.That’s fine.

Clerk:Good morning.This is Doctor Johnson’s office.What can I do for you?

Mrs.Reed:Yes, this is Mrs.Reed.I’d like to make an appointment to see the doctor this week.

Clerk:Well, let’s see.I’m afraid he is fully booked on Monday and Tuesday.

Mrs.Reed:How about Thursday?

Clerk:Sorry, but I have to say he is also occupied on Thursday.So, will Wednesday be OK for you, Mrs.Reed?

Mrs.Reed:I have to work on Wednesday.By the way, is Dr.Johnson available on Saturday?

Clerk:I’m afraid the office is closed on weekends.

Mrs.Reed:Well, what about Friday?

Clerk:Friday.Let me have a check.Oh, great.Dr.Johnson will be available on Friday afternoon this week.

Mrs.Reed:That’s fine.Thank you, I’ll come then.

An old man is knocking at the doctor’s office.

Doctor:Come in and take a seat.What’s your complaint?

Patient:I have a sore throat.

Doctor:Now open your mouth as widely as you can and let me take a look.

Doctor:Would you come toward me just a little? I want to look in your throat with my mirror.

Patient:By the way, I coughed a lot last night.

Doctor:When did this start?

Patient:Oh, it has been bothering me for three days.

Doctor:Do you feel chilly?

Patient:Yes.A little.

Doctor:Don’t worry.I think you get a cold with a deep hacking cough.I will write a prescription for you.

Patient:Thank you so much.

Doctor:Don’t mention it.It’s my job.

A week later the elderly man comes to see the doctor again.

Doctor:You look better now?

Patient:Yes.I feel better than before.

Doctor:Do you cough now.

Patient:Sometimes cough without sputum.

Doctor:Well, follow this prescription.I’m sure you will recover soon.

Doctor:What symptoms do you have?

Patient:There is something wrong with my belly.

Doctor:In this part of your belly is the pain?

Patient:Yeah, right here.The pain is getting worse and worse.

Doctor:Do you have diarrhea?

Doctor:How is your appetite?

Patient:Not so good.

Doctor:You may have a gastroscopy first.

Finally, you drop off the doctor’s prescription at your nearby pharmacy.The wait is anywhere from 20 minutes to a whole day.Most people just drop off the prescription and then go home to rest and have another family member pick up the drugs later in the day.When you pick up your prescription, the well-educated pharmacist will talk over with great care the details of the drugs and the most effective way for you to use them.When you follow their advice properly, you will soon be on your way to recovery.

1.How can you buy a drug carefully regulated by the U.S.government?

2.Why is it not easy to make an appointment to see a doctor?

3.What choice does a patient have when feeling desperate in making an appointment with a doctor?

4.What questions may the doctor ask you when seeing a doctor?

5.When is the doctor available for Mrs.Reed according to Conversation 2?

6.What’s the patient’s complaint in Conversation 3?

7.According to Conversation 4, what symptom does the patient complain of to the doctor?

8.What examination does the doctor advise the patient to receive first?

9.What will most Americans do when buying prescription drugs in a pharmacy?

10.What will a well-educated pharmacist do when a patient picks up his prescription?