It is a sad truth that any health crisis (危机) will lead to a large outbreak of misinformation.
In the 80s, 90s, and 2000s we saw the spread of dangerous lies about AIDS - from the belief that the HIV virus was created by a government laboratory to the idea that it could be treated with goat’s milk. These claims increased risky behaviour and worsened the crisis.
Now, we are surrounded with unreal news - this time around Covid-19 (新冠肺炎). The Economist in March 2020 found 13% of Americans believed Covid-19 was a trick while 49% believed the virus might be man-made. While you might hope that greater brainpower or education would help us to tell facts from lies, it is easy to find examples of many educated people falling for false information. Kelly Brogan, who has a degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has refused clear evidence of the virus’s danger in countries like China and Italy and even questioned the health officials.
Part of the problem arises from the nature of the messages themselves. As BBC Future has described in the past, suppliers of false news can make their message feel “truthy” through a few simple tricks, which discourages us from using our critical thinking skills.
For example, a simple image alongside a statement increases our trust in its accuracy (准确)---even if it is only partly related to the statement. Moreover, even the simple repetition of a statement can increase the “truthiness” by increasing feelings of familiarity.
These tricks have long been known by peddlers (传播者) of misinformation, but today’s social media make the spread more easily. Recent evidence shows that many people share information on the Internet without even thinking about its truthfulness and ignoring the obvious question: is it true?
1. How does the author support his ideas in the text?| A．By giving examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By doing scientific research. | D．By explaining statistical data. |
| A．Covid-19 is not real but may be man-made |
| B．plenty of false news crowds into people’s daily life |
| C．even well-educated people may not tell facts from lies |
| D．countries like China and Italy have suffered greatly these days |
| A．it’s unfamiliar to them | B．it’s attached with clear evidences |
| C．it carries several messages at a time | D．it includes pictures and repeated statements |
| A．Many people share false information to attract more followers. |
| B．Fake news peddlers have long tricked people into ignoring truth. |
| C．Some tricks prevent people from applying critical thinking skills. |
| D．It’s today’s social media that speed up the spread of misinformation. |
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A new therapy that uses protons(质子) instead of X-ray energy could be the answer to the problem. In a project called PRaVDA, scientists from the UK and South Africa are working to this. If X-ray energy is like a shotgun, then protons can work more like a laser. Scientists can make protons travel through someone’s body without hurting them, and only damage the cancer.
The PRaVDA scientists use computers to make a 3-D model of the cancer cells to make sure the protons go to the right places. “It’s more accurate,” said Michaela Esposito, PhD, from the University of Lincoln.
Building this technology was very difficult, though. Professor Nigel Allinson from the University of Lincoln, the project leader, has put together a team of many different kinds of scientists with different skills. Those skills were all needed to make what he calls “one of the most complex” medical machines ever. It’s also 10 times more expensive than X-ray radiotherapy. Even so, Allinson believes that most cancer treatment will be done by protons in the future. “I think it will improve the quality of life of many cancer patients,” he says.
1. What point does the first paragraph make?
| A．Cancer is a really terrible disease. |
| B．Lots of people get cancer every year in the UK. |
| C．Radiotherapy isn’t a perfect way to cure cancer. |
| D．Radiotherapy is a commonly used therapy against cancer. |
| A．It’s much cheaper than X-ray radiotherapy. |
| B．It depends on protons to locate the cancer cells. |
| C．Damaging the cancer by replacing X-rays with lasers is much more accurate. |
| D．It uses protons to damage the cancer cells without damaging healthy cells. |
| A．will enable cancer patients to enjoy a better life |
| B．will cure most cancers in the future |
| C．will ensure that cancer patients live longer |
| D．will replace radiotherapy completely |
| A．Science and technology are a double-edged sword. |
| B．Not every cancer patient will be able to afford proton therapy. |
| C．Radiotherapy is completely the wrong way to cure cancer. |
| D．The complex medical machine mentioned will soon be put into use. |
【推荐2】What should we do if one of our classmates suddenly falls ill or gets hurt? Here are some steps you should follow. But always remember to look for medical care after first aid (急救) if the wound is serious.
Broken bones: Take away clothing from the wound. Use an ice pack. Don’t move the hurt body part while waiting for the doctor to arrive.
Animal bites: Wash the bite area with soap and water. Pack the wound with a clean cloth if it is bleeding. If the bleeding has stopped, cover the area with a bandage and take the person to the hospital. Make sure you remember what kind of animal it is so the doctor can find the right way to treat him or her at once.
Fainting (昏厥): Have him or her lie with feet lifted a little. Don’t move the body if you think there might be wounds from the fall. Make sure he or she can breathe and let in fresh air. Clean the person’s face with a cool cloth.
Nosebleeds: Have the person sit up with his or her head tilted (倾斜) forward a little. Do not have the person tilt his or her head back because this may cause heavy breathing or coughing. Pinch (捏) the lower part of the nose for at least 10 minutes.
1. What should we do first when an animal bite happens?| A．Put an ice pack on the wound. |
| B．Wash the bite area with soap and water. |
| C．Try to stop the bleeding with a clean cloth. |
| D．Take the hurt person to the hospital. |
| A．Let his head not tilt back. |
| B．Let his head tilt forward a little. |
| C．Let him sit up. |
| D．Pinch his nose for less than l0 minutes. |
| A．Lifestyle. |
| B．Health |
| C．Sports. |
| D．Education |
| A．First aid for some accidental wounds. |
| B．Steps of looking for medical care. |
| C．Advice on ways not to get hurt. |
| D．Ways to ask for help in getting hurt |
【推荐3】When it comes to medical care, many patients and doctors believe “more is better.” But what they do not realize is that overtreatment—too many scans, too many blood tests, too many procedures—may bring harm. Sometimes a test leads you down a path to more and more testing, some of which may be attacking, or to treatment for things that should be left out.
Terrence Power, for example, complained that after his wife learned she had Wegener’s disease, an uncommon disorder of the immune system(免疫系统), they found it difficult to refuse testing recommended by her doctor. The doctor insisted on office visits every three weeks, even when she was feeling well. He frequently ordered blood tests and X-rays, and repeatedly referred her to experts for even minor complaints. Even when tests came back negative, more were ordered, and she was hospitalized as prevention when she developed a cold. She had as many as 25 doctor visits during one six-month period. The couple was spending about $30,000 a year for her care.
After several years of physical suffering and near financial ruin from the medical costs, the couple began questioning the treatment after discussing with other patients in online support groups. “It’s a really hard thing to determine when doctors have crossed the line,” Mr. Power said. “You think she’s getting the best care in the world, but after a while you start to wonder: What is the purpose?” Mr. Power then spoke with his own primary care doctor, who advised him to find a new expert to oversee Mrs. Power’s care. Under the new doctor’s care, the regular testing stopped and Mrs. Power’s condition was stable. Now she sees the doctor only four or five times a year.
1. What is the main idea of this passage?| A．Treatments do not always cause harmful side effects. |
| B．Patients tend to believe more testing is better treatment. |
| C．Too much medical care may not be beneficial to patients. |
| D．Doctors generally recommend office visits that are necessary. |
| A．She had to be hospitalized for three weeks whenever she had a cold. |
| B．When test results showed she was fine, her doctor still ordered more tests. |
| C．She did not have any insurance, so she became penniless. |
| D．Her doctor asked her to consult other experts for her complaints. |
| A．construct | B．improve | C．catch | D．attack |
| A．After knowing about other patients’ treatment. |
| B．After analyzing the results of her blood tests. |
| C．After curing Mrs Power of her illness. |
| D．After the new expert’s testing |
【推荐1】From Mozart to Metallica, tons of people enjoy listening to various types of music while they paint or write. Many believe that music helps boost creativity, but an international study conducted by British and Swedish researchers is challenging that belief. Their findings indicate that music actually stymies creativity.
To come to their conclusions, researchers had participants complete verbal insight problems designed to inspire creativity while sitting in a quiet room, and then again while music played in the background. They found that background music “significantly damaged” the participants’ ability to complete tasks associated with verbal creativity. The research team also tested background noises such as those commonly heard in a library, but found that such noises had no impact on subjects’ creativity. The tasks were simple word games. For example, participants were given three words, such as dress, dial, and flower. Then, they were asked to find a single word associated with all three that could be combined to form a common phrase or word. The single word, in this case, would be “sun” (sundress, sunflower, sundial). Participants completed the tasks in either a quiet room, or a room with 3 different types of music: music with unfamiliar lyrics (歌词), instrumental music, or music with familiar lyrics.
“We found strong evidence of damaged performance when playing background music in comparison to quiet background conditions,” says co-author Dr. Neil McLatchie of Lancaster University.
Dr. McLatchie and his colleagues theorize that music interferes (干涉) with the verbal working memory processes of the brain, blocking creativity. Also, as far as the library background noises having seemingly no effect, the study’s authors believe that was the case because library noises create a “steady state” environment that doesn’t disrupt concentration. It’s worth mentioning that even familiar music with well-known lyrics damaged participants’ creativity, regardless of whether or not it caused a positive reaction, or whether participants typically studied or created while listening to music.
1. Why are Mozart and Metallica mentioned at the beginning?| A．To prove they are very creative. | B．To introduce the topic of the text. |
| C．To show the importance of music. | D．To offer some background information. |
| A．Blocks. | B．Boosts. | C．Inspires. | D．Strengthens. |
| A．man | B．store | C．work | D．boy |
| A．The tasks were very difficult for participants to finish. |
| B．All participants were exposed to two different types of music. |
| C．Music with famous lyrics didn’t harm participants’ creativity. |
| D．Library background noises hardly affected participants’ creativity. |
【推荐2】When Mrs．Joseph Groeger died recently in Vienna，Austria，people asked the obvious，“Why did she live to be 107?”Answers were provided by a survey conducted among 148 Viennese men and women who had reached the age of 100．Somewhat surprising was the fact that the majority had lived most of their lives in cities．In spite of the city’s image as an unhealthy place，city living often provides benefits that country living can lack．One factor seems to be important to the longevity(长寿)of those interviewed．
This factor is exercise．in the cities it is often faster to walk short distances than to wait for a bus．Even taking public transportation often requires some walking．Smaller apartment houses have no elevators(电梯)，and so people must climb stairs．City people can usually walk to local supermarkets Since parking spaces are hard to find，there is often no alternative to walking．
On the other hand，those who live in the country and suburbs do not have to walk every day．In fact，the opposite is often true．To go to school，work，or almost anywhere else，they must ride in cars．
1. The purpose of the second paragraph is to list some _____| A．benefits of walking | B．occasions for walking in city life |
| C．comments made by city people | D．problems of city living |
| A．to take the elevator | B．to walk up the stairs |
| C．to ride in a car | D．to find an alternative to walking |
| A．they don’t live near business areas | B．they don’t need the exercise |
| C．they never have parking problems | D．they can’t afford to take the bus |
| A．air pollution is not serious | B．anyone can live to be 107 |
| C．country people should move to the city | D．walking is a healthful exercise |
【推荐3】After erupting almost continuously for over three decades — from 1983 to 2018 — Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano finally seemed to lose steam , producing no lava (岩浆) for nearly two years. The stillness ended on the night of December 20, 2020, when the active volcano began erupting lava fountains, gas and steam from a crack in the northwest wall of the Halema’uma’u crater (火山口).
By December 31, 2020, the volcano had erupted over 27 million cubic meters of molten rock — enough to fill more than 8000 Olympic-sized swimming pools — and replaced the existing water lake with a nearly 600-foot-deep lava lake. Fortunately, the magma (岩浆) is contained inside the volcano’s crater and does not bring a risk to people or property as it did in 2018, when the molten rock flowed through a residential neighborhood, destroying over 700 homes.
Residents have, however, been asked to limit outdoor activities in areas with high volcanic smog, which is a form of air pollution created when sulfur dioxide and other pollutants sent out from volcanic activity interact chemically with atmospheric steam, oxygen, dust, and sunlight. While not deadly, it can bring unpleasant feelings to skin, eyes, nose and throat, and it can be particularly harmful to individuals with breathing problems.
Now recognized as one of the world’s youngest and most active volcanoes, Kilauea was initially believed to be one offshoot of a bigger volcano. It was only after researchers discovered a magma system extending over 37 miles inside its crater in 1884 that the volcano was finally accepted as a separate unit.
Many locals believe that Kilauea’s eruptions are caused by Pele, a Hawaiian volcano goddess who lives in the mountain. According to a popular folk story, the goddess was forced to leave Tahiti. Upon arriving at Hawaii, she burst with anger, creating destructive fire caves and volcanoes. While Pele was killed during an historic battle with her sister Nāmaka on the island of Maui, her spirit lives on inside the Halema’uma’u crater.
1. What can we infer from Paragraph 2?| A．The volcano is located near a lake. | B．Kilauea was completely dead in 2020. |
| C．Magma seldom erupts out of craters. | D．The 2018 eruption did some damage. |
| A．The roads were ruined after the eruption. | B．The volcano may erupt at any time. |
| C．The volcanic smog can be harmful to people. | D．The atmosphere outside was deadly. |
| A．Branch. | B．Mixture. | C．Ancestor. | D．Product. |
| A．How Kilauea got its name. | B．Why Kilauea became active. |
| C．The origin of Kilauea. | D．A tale about Kilauea. |
【推荐1】The world is being alerted to the possibility of a severe drought crisis caused by the recent heatwave that has affected much of Asia and the arrival of El Niño, which can cause intense drought for 2 − 3 years, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Varawut Silpa-archa has warned.
Thailand is susceptible (易受影响的) to the effects of El Niño, which is forecast to start in June. The world is expected to face an intense drought due to the occurrence of El Niño, leading to reduced rainfall during the rainy season, or possibly no rain at all.
In addition to the ongoing drought, Thailand is also facing another unprecedented (前所未有的) phenomenon, the so-called “Monster Asian heatwave”. This extreme heatwave underlined growing global warming concerns and has made it even more important to recognise the need to reduce plastic wastes and industrial air pollutants. There is no quick fix, however. Because we have been worsening the environment for many decades, it will take many years of intensive efforts to tackle the global warming problem.
“Preparing to deal with the severe drought crisis for the next 2 − 3 years is urgent,” Varawut stressed. In the past, Bangkok has experienced flooding and a rising sea level due to the melting of the polar ice caps. If the situation worsens beyond the current level, the El Niño issue will become even more severe in the next 2 − 3 years.
Solutions to this problem include building more reservoirs (水库) and expanding the waterways to accommodate rainfall during this rainy season. Although this year’s dry season is a concern, there are still adequate water reserves in the dams. However, the situation is expected to worsen next year and in 2025. Therefore, sufficient water storage facilities and efficient farmland irrigation system are vital preparations.
“Whether the issue of climate change will lead to the collapse of our world, or not, is still up in the air. We may not have reached that stage yet but if we do not speed up efforts to tackle this issue seriously, we may face a loss of biodiversity,” Varawut said.
1. What are the two main factors of the possible drought crisis?| A．Flooding and sea level rising. | B．Extreme heat and the El Niño. |
| C．Melting polar ice caps and plastic waste. | D．Industrial air pollutants and global warming. |
| A．Good result. | B．Big decision. | C．Easy solution. | D．Perfect excuse. |
| A．By reducing plastic waste. |
| B．By expanding more farmland. |
| C．By increasing the amount of rainfall. |
| D．By constructing enough water storage facilities. |
| A．The collapse of the world is on the way. |
| B．The loss of biodiversity is not a major concern. |
| C．The effects of climate change are still uncertain. |
| D．Efforts to address climate change need to be sped up. |
【推荐2】Why can friendships be hard? Because often people aren't as honest and open as they should be. Sometimes, people end up getting hurt.
Most problems with friendships come up because people are just too selfish to care about the things that their friends need. They care about their own needs much more, which makes it hard for friendships to work. However, being selfish is part of human nature. A person is put together in order to take care of himself and his own needs, not necessarily those needs of other people. Even though being selfish is something that all humans are born with, it is something that everyone should guard against.
The best thing to remember when you are a friend to anyone is that you need to treat your friend the same way as you'd like to be treated. This is wonderful advice for a friendship, because it is really the only way to make sure that you are giving your friend everything you would want to be given in a friendship. Whenever you have a question about how you should treat a friend, it is easy to find an answer simply by asking yourself what you would like your friend to do for you, if he or she is in your shoes.
Even if you're always thinking about how you'd like to be treated, and your friends are too, there are issues that come up from time to time in each friendship, and it is important to understand how to deal with these issues so that you can build stronger and healthier friendships. Issues like friends getting boyfriends or girlfriends and not spending enough time with their friends, or even friends finding new friends and leaving old friends behind are issues that will probably come up with one or more of your friendships. It is important to know how to deal with these issues so that you can keep your friends and make new ones. No one wants to have a broken friendship.
1. Why may problems with friendships appear?| A．One is selfish. | B．One is alone. |
| C．One is too anxious. | D．One is too busy. |
| A．Not to hurt your friends' feelings. |
| B．To give your friends whatever you have. |
| C．To treat your friends as fairly as possible. |
| D．Not to think of your own needs any more. |
| A．The Meaning of Friendships |
| B．The Importance of Friendships |
| C．The Advantages of Friendships |
| D．The Problems with Friendships |
| A．How to make many friends. |
| B．How to keep friends happy. |
| C．How to treat friends correctly. |
| D．How to solve friendship issues. |
【推荐3】“I’ve had my heart broken more badly by friends, than I have by lovers,” says a friend. “Yet people dismiss the end of a friendship so easily, as if it doesn’t matter as much and isn’t as painful as the break-up of a relationship.”
It was her use of the word “heartbroken” that hit me so hard. Two of the most harmful phrases in the English language are “I am so disappointed in you” and “You broke my heart”. Both, in their own way, are unbearable, emotional daggers (匕首) that are not easily removed.
Friends are the foundation that support our lives, the comfort of long continuity, shared emotional confidences, a shoulder to weep on, a hand to hold, a safe and peaceful place during the breakdown of a relationship or marriage. When those friendships end, our hearts are broken. We will lose all those assurances that we too often take for granted.
And too often, we are even not allowed to mourn (哀悼) it. We all believe friendships fade like the mist as we go our separate ways. We might feel a lingering affection, or a faint sense of loss, but they leave no empty spaces in our lives. I once talked to a woman who mourns the loss of her friends. Years later, the space they had left was still harmful in its loneliness. “But when I try to talk about it, people think I’m being ridiculous. You can always make more friends.”
It is not true and, at heart, we all know it. Friendships require history, layer upon layer of intimacy (亲密) and memory. We might not see friends for months, or even years, but the moment we are back in contact it’s as if time stood still.
I lost a good friend recently. I know, it sounds so careless, but it was, truly, nobody’s fault; simply a set of emotional circumstances that meant we both had to step away. It seemed so sensible, and still does, but what I hadn’t expected was the fierceness of the pain. The phone still rings with calls from other friends but within it there is a weird and unsettling silence because she is not there. My heart is broken, even if I wouldn’t have thought of phrasing it in so dramatic, or perhaps bitter, a way. I know the pain will fade eventually. We might, even, at some time in the future be friends again, but not in the same way. Something has been broken and however skillful the mending, the cracks will still be faintly visible. It is a sharp reminder of how much we should cherish our friendships because it is all too easy to take them for granted and forget how much it means to us when they are lost.
1. According to the author, people will feel heartbroken when friendships end because .| A．people dismiss the end of a friendship too easily |
| B．“heartbroken” is one of the most harmful words |
| C．friendships are the basis of a relationship or marriage |
| D．friends’ supports thought to be always there are lost |
| A．it is normal for a friendship to end without scars left |
| B．friendship usually leaves behind a faint sense of loss |
| C．we needn’t mourn the lingering affection from lost friends |
| D．long-term friendships can be harmful in its loneliness |
| A．The woman wanted to talk about her loss of friends. |
| B．People thought the woman was being ridiculous. |
| C．That people can always make more friends is not true. |
| D．Friendships require history, intimacy and memory. |
| A．show how heartbreaking the end of a friendship is |
| B．appeal to people to cherish their friendships |
| C．demonstrate the skillful mending of friendships |
| D．illustrate that friends lost are friends lost forever |
