A new study that examined the effects of mask-wearing on the spread of COVlD-l9 found that even partial adoption helps to limit the spread.
The study, led by researchers at Stanford Medicine and Yale University, was a large-scale, randomized trial using 350,000 people from 600 villages in rural Bangladesh. Those living in villages were assigned a number of interventions to promote the use of masks.
Researchers found that those living in the villages with such interventions were around 11% less likely to develop COVID-19 than those who did not. The effectiveness increased to nearly 35% for people over 60 years old, according to Stanford Medicine.
“Our study is the first controlled trial exploring whether facial masking prevent COVID-19 transmission at the community level,” said Ashley Styczynski, one of the lead authors and an infectious discase fellow at Stanford. “It’s notable that even though fewer than 50% of the people in the intervention villages wore masks in public places, we still saw a significant risk reduction in symptomatic COVID-19 in these communities, particularly in elderly people.”
“We saw an opportunity to better understand the effect of masks, which can be a very important way for people in low-resource areas to protect themselves while they wait for vaccines,” said Laura Kwong, a former postdoctoral scholar at Stanford and assistant professor at the University of California-Berkeley. “So we will collaborate with behavioral scientists, economists, public health experts and religious figures to design ways to promote mask use at a community level.”
In villages without these interventions, around 13% of people wore masks properly compared to 42% in villages with the guidance. Social distancing only slightly improved with 24. l% in the control villages versus 29.2% in the intervention villages.
1. What does the underlined word “interventions” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Measures. | B．Presents. | C．Messages. | D．Souvenirs. |
| A．35% of the old began to wear masks. | B．It was hard for some to put on masks. |
| C．Less people suffered from COVID-19. | D．The old suffered from COVID-19 easily. |
| A．The first controlled trial. | B．COVID-19’s spread in the community. |
| C．Wearing masks in the public places. | D．The good effects of facial masking. |
| A．Help to get more vaccines. | B．Encourage more to wear masks. |
| C．Persuade people to keep social distance. | D．Carry on another scientific experiment. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】A theme at this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting was the perceived need to “accelerate breakthroughs in research and technology”. Some of this framing was motivated by the climate emergency, some by the opportunities and challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence. Yet in various conversations, it seemed to be taken for granted that to address the world’s problems, scientific research needs to move faster.
The WEF mindset resonates (产生共鸣) with the Silicon Valley dictate — usually credited to Mark Zuckerberg — to move fast and break things. But what if the thing being broken is science? Or public trust?
The WEF meeting took place just a fortnight after Harvard University President Claudine Cay stepped down after complaints were made about her scholarship. Gay’s troubles came on the heels of the resignation of Stanford University President Mare Tessier-Lavigne, after an internal investigation concluded that his neuroscience research had “multiple problems”. In response. Gay requested corrections to several of her papers; Tessier-Lavigne requested retraction (撤回) of three of his. Although it may be impossible to determine just how widespread such problems really are, it’s hard to imagine that the spectacle of high-profile scholars correcting and retracting papers has not had a negative impact on public trust in science and perhaps in experts broadly.
In recent years we’ve seen important papers, written by prominent scientists and published in prestigious journals, retracted because of questionable data or methods. In one interesting case, Frances H. Arnold of the California Institute of Technology, who shared the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, voluntarily retracted a paper when her lab was unable to replicate her results — but after the paper had been published. In an open apology, she stated that she was “a bit busy” when the paper was submitted and “did not do my job well”. Arnold’s honesty is admirable, but it raises a question: Are scholars at super competitive places really taking the time to do their work right?
The problem is not unique to the U. S. In Europe, formal research assessments — which are used to allocate future funding — have for years judged academic departments largely on the quantity of their output. Due to the fact that the existing system has created a counterincentive to advancement in science, a reform is underway urging an emphasis on quality over quantity.
Good science takes time. Nearly a century passed between biochemist Friedrich Miescher’s identification of the DNA molecule and suggestion that it might be involved in inheritance and the elucidation of its double-helix structure in the 1950s. And it took just about half a century for geologist and geophysicists to accept geophysicist Alfred Wegener’s idea of continental drift.
There’s plenty of circumstantial evidence that scientists and other scholars are pushing results out far faster than they used to. Some of this growth is driven by more scientists and more co-authorship (papers, but it also suggests that the research world has prioritized quantity over quality. Researched may need to slow down — not speed up — if we are to produce knowledge worthy of trust.
1. What can we learn from the first three paragraphs?| A．Tessier-Lavigne resigned from Sandford after Gay stepped down. |
| B．Gay gave back her scholarships due to students’ complaints. |
| C．Faster scientific development has led to climate change. |
| D．Public trust in science may have already been shaken. |
| A．To question the works of Nobel Prize winners. |
| B．To show the practice of paper retraction is common. |
| C．To indicate even the influential scientists are in a rush. |
| D．To highlight scientists’ quality of honesty in academia. |
| A．unfair | B．indecisive | C．discouraging | D．irrational |
| A．The Danger of Fast Science | B．The Battle between Quality and Quantity |
| C．The Crisis among Top Scientists | D．The Principle behind Research Assessments |
【推荐2】3D printing is becoming more and more popular. We are now able to create things we need very quickly and easily using 3D printers. But can you imagine printing food?
Some scientists are trying to revolutionize the dining experience by doing this. They hope that having a 3D printer in the kitchen will be as common as the microwave oven or blender.
Scientists say that it’ll be quite easy: You simply have to select a recipe and put the raw food “inks” into the printer. You can also modify the instructions to make the food exactly how you want it. This means that it would be very quick and easy to create tasty and nutritious meals.
Using 3D printers to create your meals would also be saving the environment. There would be less need for traditional growing, transporting and packaging processes as food production would be a lot more efficient. For example, alternative ingredients(原料)such as proteins from algae, beetroot leaves and insects could be converted into tasty products.
Printing food could also help people who suffer from dysphagia (a swallowing disorder). They could program the printer to print softer versions of their favorite foods so that they would not have trouble swallowing them.
However, some people think that a future of 3D food printing would be a disaster. It could take away many jobs, including those from growing, transporting and packaging food. Imagine a world where there was no need for farming or growing crops and the same tastes could be printed from a raw “food ink”. Likewise, traditional cafes and restaurants might lose business. Also, there are concerns about the nutritional value of printed food: Is it really possible to get the nutrients we need from food-based inks and gels(凝胶)?
What’s more, cooking and eating together with family and friends has long been a traditional and enjoyable activity. It is hard to imagine a world where the pleasure of cooking is dead and meals can be created at the touch of a button.
1. Which of the following best describes 3D food printing?| A．Quick and popular. | B．Easy and efficient. |
| C．Nutritious and tasty. | D．Soft and convenient. |
| A．Traditional food would disappear. | B．Many people could lose their jobs. |
| C．It would affect the people’s health. | D．We could all eat the same food. |
| A．3D food printing will replace traditional cooking. |
| B．3D printing food can treat dysphagia. |
| C．3D food printing would hurt our tradition of food culture. |
| D．3D food printing would be a failure. |
| A．3D Food “Printing”: Coming to the Kitchen. |
| B．Can 3D Printing Create Everything? |
| C．3D Printing Food Will Be in Fashion! |
| D．The Disadvantage of 3D Food Printing. |
【推荐3】In the near future, IOT (Internet of Things) will drive huge innovation in the way our food is grown. Plants will have a “voice”, not a human voice, but a voice based on data that can tell people, computers, and machines when, for example, they are thirsty, or need more sun, medicine, etc.
Take vertical (垂直的) farms for example. Farming is moving indoors where the growth of plants can be monitored and controlled. The facilities are built vertically, so growing areas can be put in piles. This greatly reduces the amount of land needed for farming.
From an IOT point of view, vertical farms are connected in two ways. First, small sensors in the soil or connected to plants tell a control system exactly how much light, water, and nutrients are needed to grow the healthiest crops. Sensors will also tell vertical farmers when crops are nearing their peak for harvesting at just the right time to make sure that they are still fresh when they reach their final destination.
Second, vertical farms will be connected to other networks and information systems, including databases that track the local demand. For example, local restaurants may input when they need fresh food supplies. And vertical farmers could get that information so they know which crops to grow in what quantities. This type of IOT system would have been unimaginable a generation ago.
Today, vertical farms are being experimented. Yet, the numbers point to a bright future for the industry, especially as the world’s population continues to grow. For example, Green Sense Farms in Chicago is able to harvest crops 26 times a year using 85 percent less energy, one tenth of the water, and no pesticides. A side benefit of lower energy use is lower CO2 output of two tons per month, with the added benefit of creating 46 pounds of oxygen every day.
1. How do sensors attached to plants work?| A．By recording farmers harvesting crops. |
| B．By monitoring farmers working their fields. |
| C．By analyzing information to preserve crops. |
| D．By passing information to a control system. |
| A．Helping expand the output of crops. |
| B．Helping match supply with demand. |
| C．Helping determine the needs of farmers. |
| D．Helping move restaurants onto farms. |
| A．Negative. | B．Indifferent. | C．Optimistic. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Voice machines help plants speak up. |
| B．Farmers are all turning to vertical farming. |
| C．IOT has brought great innovation to our future life. |
| D．Vertical farms driven by IOT are a future for agriculture. |
【推荐1】Remember the woman in Port Hood, N. S. whose recipe for meat rolls spread all over the internet? The dog from Quebec that attracted hundreds of thousands of followers for its advice on surviving social isolation? The pilot whose path over Nova Scotia formed the shape of a heart?
All of their stories, and dozens more, are collected in a new book by two Canadian authors. It took Heather Down and Catherine Kenwell just a little more than seven weeks to collect the stories behind the 49 uplifting moments they recorded during the pandemic.
The book includes everything from the tale of Robbie Griffiths, the father from Paradise, N. L. who dressed up as Spider-Man so kids could have something positive in their day, to Carter Mann, the Grade 5 student from Sudbury, Ont, who wrote a poem to encourage front-line heroes including his own father, who is a health carer.
“Not Canceled: Canadian Caremongering in the Face of COVID-19” is a reminder that a lot of positive things happened during lockdown. The book’s title is a nod to the Canadian attitude and reaction to the pandemic, as the word “caremongering” has Canadian roots. Even the number of stories is no accident: it’s a reference to the 49th parallel, along which runs the Canada-U. S. border between Manitoba and B. C.
One of the stories in “Not Canceled” centers on the marriage of a couple in B. C. They may have had to shift their celebrations to a living room, but the ceremony was far from lonely. Friends showed up in their cars outside, with everyone tuned into the same radio station, so the bride and groom could have their first dance in the middle of the street.
Down wanted to document how the nation navigated such dark times with kindness. She told CTV News that “the response has been amazing. I’m so pleased.”
The stories included in the book are just the tip of the iceberg. Down says that there are so many stories left over that she and Kenwell might just have to do a second book.
1. What does the underlined word “uplifting” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Inspiring. | B．Embarrassing. | C．Mysterious. | D．Humorous. |
| A．He trained hard to become a health carer. |
| B．He wrote poems with the help of his father. |
| C．He used words to cheer up essential workers. |
| D．He dressed up as Spider-Man to please other kids. |
| A．It shows Canadian attitude and response. |
| B．It shows the total number of the stories. |
| C．It has the new-made word “caremongering”. |
| D．It contains Canada’s geographical information. |
| A．It was canceled halfway. | B．It was held completely indoor. |
| C．It was witnessed by a group of friends. | D．It was broadcast live by a radio station. |
【推荐2】Vaccines may soon make their first film(薄膜) appearance. Led by expert Maria A. Croyle, researchers have developed a thin sheet that preserves vaccines for long periods without refrigeration. This means the carefully cooled small bottles now used to ship vaccines could potentially be replaced by lightweight films that can be mailed in an envelope and stored on a shelf.
The film is tailored to suit each specific vaccine candidate and provide a protective coating. “We’ve learned over time that the key to really stabilizing whatever the film holds is to have it intermixed with all the components,” Croyle says, adding that the process is quick and uses affordable and standard equipment. “We really wanted to come up with something that would be transferable to developing countries.”
Immunization(免疫) programs depend heavily on keeping vaccines cold (2℃-8℃) as they are transported, sometimes over thousands of kilometers to faraway locations. Delivery can be difficult and costly, and transport disruptions can cause the vaccines to be ineffective.
But this new product can store live viruses, bacteria and antibodies for several months at 20℃. In a paper published in Science Advances, the scientists show that the live viruses in one vaccine were preserved in the film even after 36 months. They also find that a flu vaccine suspended in their film compares favourably with a traditional flu shot. “The study demonstrates early proof of concept for an exciting platform for vaccine product development,” says Lisa Rohan, a pharmacologist, who was not involved in the study. She also notes that each vaccine type would need a custom formulation(配方) for future stages of development.
Finding partners to mass-produce for clinical trials is the researchers’ most pressing problem, Croyle says. They are also exploring packaging methods to keep their films stable up to 40℃.
Size is a major advantage—a letter-sized sheet of the film can carry more than 500 doses of vaccine, about 1⁄900 the weight of the same amount of traditional doses. By making it easier and cheaper to ship and preserve vaccines efficiently, Croyle says, the technology could vastly improve immunization rates the world over, particularly in middle to low income countries.
1. What can we learn about the film?| A．It contains animal’s DNA. |
| B．It will replace vaccines. |
| C．It comes in different flavours. |
| D．It can hold bio-products. |
| A．Its transportation requirement. |
| B．Its development schedule. |
| C．Its possible advantages. |
| D．Its key components. |
| A．advise personalizing vaccines. |
| B．suggest the product is promising. |
| C．prove the study is supported widely. |
| D．stress the functions of a new platform. |
| A．Immune system will be improved a lot all over the world. |
| B．A new type of affordable vaccine will benefit low-income countries. |
| C．Vaccines would be transferable to developing countries. |
| D．A new type of film preserves vaccines for long periods without being cooled. |
【推荐3】Hazel Mayfield usually cooks the Thanksgiving meal for her extended family in Houston, Texas. She usually welcomes friends and neighbors who are eager to taste her fried turkey, green bean casserole, candied yams, homemade cornbread dressing, and dirty rice — just a few of her signature dishes (招牌菜). Known as Sugar Mama, because her grandchildren think she’s so sweet, the 91-year-old typically likes to do her own shopping for the ingredients to make her special dishes.
“My mother is the head cook of the family,” said Panulette Mouton, Mayfield’s daughter. “Because of her reputation (名声), you know, there’re people in and out all day and every family comes through. They want to get some of Sugar Mama’s cooking, and some of them would like to learn from her how to cook the food.”
But Mayfield hasn’t been to the grocery store since March. And there is little about Thanksgiving in 2020 that’s usual. Because of Covid-19, the deadly virus (病毒) that has killed so many people in the U.S. and spoiled life around the world, everything is different. Since limiting close face-to-face contact with others is the best way to reduce its spread, hundreds of thousands of American families have re-imagined the holiday with virtual celebrations and called off or delayed travel plans. There can only be small gatherings with people in their households in response to COVID-19.
This year, Mayfield’s family members, without exception, are lamenting the absence of a big gathering. They’ve explained to their young children and grandchildren why this year’s Thanksgiving is different. Mayfield’s youngest daughter, Michelle Sanders, says it’s difficult to help her grandchildren understand why they can’t see some of their other family members and why they have to stay at home, celebrating Thanksgiving all by themselves.
“It’s really hard, trying to explain to them,” Sanders said. “When you’re talking to them and they want to come over, you have to tell them no. They really don’t know how to be careful.” Sanders added, “And, they don’t understand that, being three, four, and six, you know they don’t really understand that. So, it’s...it’s really, really hard, and heartbreaking.”
1. Which of the following best describes Hazel Mayfield?| A．Helpful and kind-hearted. |
| B．Creative and enthusiastic. |
| C．Talented and practical. |
| D．Grateful and responsible. |
| A．People are cutting down holiday celebration expenses. |
| B．People are trying hard to get together to have more fun. |
| C．People have to make changes in their lifestyle to stay safe. |
| D．People have put more emphasis on the traditional customs. |
| A．Fascinated by. | B．Upset about. |
| C．Ignorant of. | D．Embarrassed at. |
| A．Children are always careless on Thanksgiving Day. |
| B．It’s hard to help children deal with their problems. |
| C．Adults should show patience when talking with kids. |
| D．Children are too young to understand the situation. |
