Serving Up Hope
Food allergies have been on the rise. In the US, it is now estimated that over 10 percent of the adult population has an allergy to peanuts, shellfish, dairy or another type of food. In the UK, the past three decades have seen hospital admissions for food allergies rise fivefold. Thankfully, we are building up the armory needed to reverse this trend so that, one day, such potentially deadly reactions become a thing of the past.
The most common types of food allergies are triggered by antibodies that we make called immunoglobulin (免疫球蛋白) E or IgE. These antibodies were discovered in the mid-1960s and kick-started an era of allergy research that is still going strong today. The early findings have spawned thousands of studies that paint an intricate (复杂的) picture of how allergies work, suggesting ways in which we can prevent and treat them.
When someone has a food allergy, IgE is involved in triggering a response when the immune system comes into contact with that food. Essentially, the body sees that part of your meal as an enemy, releasing histamine (组织胺) and other inflammatory chemicals in an attempt to deal with it. This causes symptoms ranging from itchiness and sneezes to wheezing (喘气) and anaphylactic shock (过敏性休克). The result can be anything from a mild inconvenience to death.
The old saying "prevention is better than the cure" holds true for food allergies. My colleagues and I use the so-called six Ds as a guide to preventative measures during childhood: diet, dirt, dogs, dry skin, detergents (清洁剂) and vitamin D. Studies have found that people have a lower risk of developing an allergy when, as youngsters, they eat a diverse diet and do so often, have healthy vitamin D levels, live in a home with a dog, avoid dry skin and are exposed to dirt, allowing them to develop a good microbiome (微生物组). The use of harsh detergents has also been associated with an increase in IgE.
Clearly, for many people that have food allergies, such early life prevention is no longer an option. However, other approaches are taking shape.
Most of the interventions we currently use target the immune system in an effort to retrain its response to allergens. One technique, known as allergen immunotherapy (免疫疗法), involves slowly building up exposure to a problem food. By starting in very small doses, the body appears to be able to be retrained to no longer see it as a threat. However, immunotherapy needs regular exposure to allergens, which can cause side effects.
Allergy vaccines are another option. These work by reshaping the body's immune response to a particular food so it doesn't end in illness.
As we gain evidence and experience with each of these approaches, we are moving closer to being able to treat all food allergies.
1. From the first two paragraphs, we can tell that __________.| A．one in ten people in UK is allergic to peanuts, shellfish, dairy or another type of food |
| B．immunoglobulin E only takes effect when we have food allergies |
| C．the research of allergies hasn't been conducted until recent years |
| D．more people in the UK now suffer from food allergies than it was 30 years ago |
| A．arouse readers' curiosity about the food allergies |
| B．assure readers of his unique method in the fight against food allergies |
| C．discuss the effectiveness of this potential method for curing food allergies |
| D．support the belief that the prevention of an allergy is more important than the cure |
| A．people are likely to get rid of food allergies through gradual adaptation to the specific problem food |
| B．some early prevention methods like the six Ds are no longer helpful in the curing of food allergies |
| C．immunotherapy brings more harm than good as it needs regular exposure to the specific problem food |
| D．since our body's immune response can be reshaped, a vaccine can be a very safe method for the curing of food allergies |
| A．objective | B．optimistic |
| C．skeptical | D．critical |
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【推荐1】Even tree-planting can increase health risks to local human populations if it focuses too narrowly on a small number of species, as is often the case in commercial forests. Outbreaks of infectious diseases are more likely in areas of monoculture plantations, according to a new study.
The researchers of the study said this was because diseases are filtered (过滤) and blocked by a range of predators (食肉动物) and habitats in a healthy, biodiverse forest. When this is replaced by a palm oil plantation or soy fields, the specialist species die off, leaving generalists such as rats and mosquitoes to thrive (繁殖) and spread pathogens across human and non-human habitats. The net result is a loss of natural disease regulation.
The researchers examined the correlation between trends for forest cover, plantations, population and disease around the globe using statistics from international institutions such as the World Health Organization and the Food and Agricultural Organization. Over the period of study from 1990 to 2016, this covered 3,884 outbreaks of 116 diseases that crossed the species barrier and 1,996 outbreaks of 69 vector-borne infectious diseases, mostly carried by mosquitoes, ticks or flies.
The new study adds to a growing body of evidence that viruses are more likely to transfer to humans or animals if they live in or near human-disturbed ecosystems. This is shaped by trade patterns and consumer behaviour. A quarter of global forest loss is driven by the production of commodities such as beef, soy, palm oil and wood fibre.
Morand, lead-author of the study, said his study showed that disease risks need to be added to risk-benefit analysis of new projects. “We should take the costs of public health into account when considering new plantations. The risks are first to local people, but then worldwide because we have seen with Covid how quickly diseases can spread.”
Morand is now working on a more detailed study that will use satellite analysis of forest cover to examine links with disease. With more information, he believes it may be possible to predict future outbreaks and to work with local communities to build ecologically diverse and economically productive landscapes that reduce the risks.
1. Why are outbreaks of infectious diseases more likely in areas of monoculture plantations?| A．The specialist species are wiped out by their predators. |
| B．Biodiversity decline destroys natural disease regulation. |
| C．Local human populations have no knowledge of health risks. |
| D．Commercial forests provide food for disease-carrying insects. |
| A．By conducting data analysis. | B．By referring to another study. |
| C．By making field investigation. | D．By consulting authoritative agencies. |
| A．Criticize policy-makers. | B．Offer a solution to Covid. |
| C．Make a suggestion. | D．Support evidence for her findings. |
| A．Its theoretical basis. | B．Its appeal to the public. |
| C．Expectations for future studies. | D．Researchers with new perspectives. |
【推荐2】Building on the success of the digital series of One World: Together at Home, Global Citizen and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are partnering for a special one-night event of the same name, which will screen across BET/Comedy Central/MTV/MTV base on Sunday, April 19. On MTV Base, DStv channel 322 and GOtv channel 72, it would air by 1am. (WAT), with a repeat broadcast same day by 8pm. (WAT).
Launched with Chris Martin of Coldplay on March 16, 2020, Together at Home has become an outlet for artistes to share music with their fans for a purpose to educate and inform millions around WHO’s critical effort to prevent, detect and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, One World: Together at Home is not a charity event, but a broad global entertainment special to support the World Health Organisation and the global fight to end COVID-19. The show will feature A-list superstars such as Lady Gaga, John Legend, Billie Eilish, and more.
The two-hour program will be hosted by marquee personalities from each of the major networks. It will include both live and pre-taped performances from the world’s most prominent artists with multimillion-naira pledges to the WHO’s Solidarity Response Fund.
The show will lift viewer’s spirits in these trying times with exclusive and unique cameos from the worlds of music and arts, sports superstars, and comedic sketches, while always drawing back to its core purpose to educate and inform on COVID-19 risks, prevention and response. The broadcast will also feature interviews with experts from WHO as well as stories of frontline healthcare workers from around the world.
With the confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States rising each day, the rich and famous aren’t staying quiet about their diagnoses. Instead, celebrities are speaking out on social media not only to keep fans informed but in some cases, to urge followers to stay home in order to help reduce the risk of transmission.
1. What will you see at this concert?| A．Covid-19 treatment method | B．Marquee production method |
| C．Anti-epidemic stories of medical staff | D．Music interview |
| A．Let the audience understand the music |
| B．Show the charm of superstars |
| C．Call on the public to raise awareness of health protection |
| D．Introducing Covid-19 |
| A．The stars participating in this activity have a sense of social responsibility |
| B．The performances are all live |
| C．World Health Organization donates to this event |
| D．American people are unaware of Covid-19 |
| A．The Medical Magazine | B．The Music Magazine |
| C．The Adevertisment | D．The Newspaper |
【推荐3】A research project jointly carried out by scientists from several British universities and institutes has drawn people’s attention to the toothbrush again.
Researchers have found that your toothbrush is home to more than 100 million bacteria. But there are hundreds of microorganisms in the mouths and your toothbrush probably won’t make you sick unless there is an unhealthy balance of bacteria. Our immune system can usually take care of bacterial invaders. However, if others use your toothbrush, or you use someone else’s, bacteria can be spread.
They have also found the toothbrush holders are the third-most dirty household items (behind dish sponges and kitchen sinks), thus advocating cleaning the toothbrush holder regularly.
The storage of your toothbrush in your bathroom is also important. Here are some storage tips from the researchers to keep your toothbrush as healthy as possible:
Put your toothbrush as far away as possible from the toilet flushing.
Let your toothbrush dry thoroughly between brushings.
Don’t use toothbrush covers, which can create a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
Keep your toothbrush upright in a holder. rather than lying down.
Keep toothbrushes separate. If toothbrushes touch, they can exchange and spread bacteria.
There are products available that claim to sanitize（消毒）your toothbrush. While some of these products do kill some bacteria, there is no evidence that using them will reduce your risk of illness, according to the researchers.
They recommend replacing your toothbrush every three to four months or more often if you are sick or if you have a weakened immune system. Children’s toothbrushes may need to be replaced more often than adult brushes.
1. Who will probably find this text helpful?| A．People concerning their health |
| B．People decorating their house |
| C．People caring about their diets |
| D．People carrying out experiments |
| A．Products of sanitizing the tooth brush are of no use at all. |
| B．Adults need to replace toothbrushes more often than children. |
| C．Sharing your toothbrush with others may be harmful to your health. |
| D．Your toothbrush will probably make you sick if there is a healthy balance of bacteria. |
| A．Clean the toothbrush holder regularly. |
| B．Keep the toothbrush covered after the use. |
| C．Keep the toothbrush lying down after using it. |
| D．Have the toothbrush dry partly between brushings |
| A．How to Replace Your Toothbrush Economically? |
| B．How to Clean Your Toothbrush Correctly? |
| C．How to Store Your Toothbrush Healthily? |
| D．How to Use Your Toothbrush Properly? |
【推荐1】Robot Surgeon (外科医生) Succeeds without Help from Human Doctors
Humans make mistakes. Even surgeons with years of experience are not infallible. But what if these doctors could pool their knowledge and experience together and create a surgical standard of care, to be carried out by machines?
That’s the idea behind surgical robots, which may soon perform most surgeries, from sewing up tiny wounds to performing heart procedures. Many of these operations are, in fact, already completed with the assistance of robots. But a recent test suggests that robots in the operating room may soon go a step further, performing on soft tissue completely on their own, from start to finish.
The Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR), successfully completed surgeries on pigs. “We’re the first group to develop autonomous robotic surgery with soft-tissue surgery, and when compared to standard operation, it’s better, ”says Peter Kim, professor of surgery. “The idea is not to replace surgeons; it will make the surgeons better and make the procedures safer.”
A recent Mayo Clinic study found that major surgical errors-including operating on the wrong site or side of the body, or even leaving tools or objects inside the patient-occur every one out of 22, 000procedures. That’s rare, but robots like STAR would aim to lower the number even further.
In the da Vinci surgical system, surgeons place their arms inside instruments and use their hands to control the movement of robotic tools on the operating table from afar. The robot’s every major move is controlled by surgeons, and thus its results may vary based on the surgeon’s training or experience.
STAR, on the other hand, is entirely autonomous. It’s not only able to work on its own and perform surgeries with a more flexible “hand”, but it’s able to react to the unexpected incidents. Cutting into hard tissue like bones is one thing, but operating on moving soft tissue is far more complex. STAR reacts to a changing environment, similar to how self-driving cars are programmed to not only drive on the highway, but also react to another driver making a mistake and getting in your way.
1. The underlined word “infallible” in Paragraph 1 probably means ________.| A．always right | B．really creative |
| C．rather responsible | D．quite smart |
| A．has been widely used in the operating room |
| B．can perform the operation on its own |
| C．can make surgeries much faster |
| D．will take the place of surgeons |
| A．robots are trained from afar |
| B．surgery results depend on surgeons |
| C．robots always make mistakes |
| D．surgeons have trouble controlling robots |
| A．how bad getting in another driver's way might be |
| B．how difficult self﹣driving on the highway is |
| C．how smart an autonomous robot can be |
| D．how dangerous operating on people is. |
【推荐2】Each year，millions of children around the world are unable to go to school. To draw attention to this widespread problem，the United Nations（UN）is putting education first. Recently，the UN screened a documentary film called Back to School. The film is the second in a series of documentaries（纪录片）for the project Time for School.
These films follow seven children from seven different countries. This 12-year project began in 2006，when the children first started school. "This is something we could do to help the education crisis in the world，"said producer and writer Judy Katz. “Documentary film-makers can get deeply involved in a problem and do something about it.”
More than 100 million children will never set foot in a school. Sixty percent of those children are girls. Cheryl Faye，head of the UN Girls Education Initiative，spoke about the many factors that prevent girls from getting an education. One problem is the long distance many children must travel to get to school. Also，girls in many cultures are traditionally expected to marry early and work to help their families. “We need to make a special effort for girls，”Faye said.
As part of the UN's Millennium goals，the organization wants every single child to get at least an elementary education by 2018.
Students from Lawrence Middle School in New York were deeply moved after they saw the film. The seventh grade class is raising money to help build a library on the outskirts of Nairobi，Kenya（肯尼亚），where Joab-a child in the documentary-lives. The class teacher，Karen Weiner，and the class are known in their school as the “Kenya crew”. All the kids were really happy to support Joab and said they felt great about their fund-raising efforts. Like the seventh graders at Lawrence Middle School，kids can work together to make a difference in places like Nairobi. By raising money for education，kids can help children on the other side of the world have a chance of a better，happier life.
1. What's the purpose of the UN screening the documentary film Back to School？| A．To raise funds for global education. |
| B．To raise awareness of the need for global education. |
| C．To encourage all the children to come back to school. |
| D．To show the achievements which have been made in the past few years. |
| A．sixty percent of the children in the world are girls |
| B．more than 100 million girls will never go to school |
| C．most of the girls are tired of going to school |
| D．more than one half of the children who never go to school are girls |
| A．Long distance from school. | B．Being born weak. |
| C．Helping work for the family. | D．Early marriage. |
| A．Because they are trying their great efforts to raise money for the education of Kenya Children. |
| B．Because they are actors in the documentary film Back to School. |
| C．Because they are mostly from Kenya，where the child in the documentary lives. |
| D．Because they all have the same experience as Joab，the Kenya child. |
| A．American middle school students' desire to go to Kenya |
| B．the content of the documentary film Back to School |
| C．an example of being inspired to take action after seeing the film |
| D．how students from Lawrence Middle School raise money for their education |
【推荐3】One overlooked benefit of lab-grown food is that it may help the UK deal with the crisis in housing affordability. As farming is replaced by precision fermentation (发酵) , the significant amount of land currently used for livestock farming(including parts of the green belt) will be freed up for development in places that people actually want to live.
However, we’d take a different lesson from the promise of lab-grown meat. Free-market environmentalism and harnessing the power of innovative technologies — supported by market-based measures like a border-adjusted carbon tax — can successfully tackle the problem of man-made climate change without fundamentally uprooting the way we run society. Saving the planet doesn’t have to cost us the earth.
It is important to acknowledge that certain types of livestock farming may have issues with sustainability and climate change. But it is not true of all farming systems; and the issues that do exist are being dealt with using the latest research into genetics and biotechnology-for example, recent research has shown that certain types of seaweed can reduce methane emissions from cattle to close to zero.
Farmer data also shows that increased sales of milks have not seen a corresponding reduction in dairy sales.
The global food system, consumer choices and climate change are incredibly complex issues, and anyone who proposes simple solutions is almost certainly not in possession of all the relevant facts and data. Livestock are an important part of humanity’s future food needs.
1. Why does lab-grown food help Britain to solve the housing affordability crisis?| A．As farming is replaced by precision fermentation, the level of agricultural development is improved. |
| B．The significant amount of green belts are used for development in places that people actually want to live. |
| C．Lab-grown food is more environmentally friendly and beneficial to human health. |
| D．A large amount of land used for livestock farming will be freed up for residence. |
| A．Free-market environmentalism can change the way society operates. |
| B．Adjusting carbon tax can successfully solve the problem of climate change. |
| C．Adopting the power of innovative technologies is useful for saving the earth. |
| D．Saving the earth requires changing the way society operates. |
| A．obtain | B．exploit | C．inherit | D．develop |
| A．global food issue is so complex that there are no complete research data. |
| B．sustainability and climate change are common problems in agricultural systems. |
| C．some kinds of seaweed can make the amount of methane emitted by cattle ineffective. |
| D．the sales of substitute dairy products increased, and the sales of dairy products decreased accordingly. |
