In a first-of-its-kind surgery, a 57-year-old patient with terminal (晚期的) heart disease received a successful transplant of a genetically-modified (转基因的) pig heart and is still doing well three days later. It was the only currently available option for the patient. The historic surgery was conducted by the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC).
This organ transplant showed for the first time that a genetically-modified animal heart can function like a human heart without immediate rejection by the body. The patient, David Bennett, a Maryland resident, is being carefully monitored over the next weeks to determine whether the transplant provides lifesaving benefits. He had been considered ineligible for a traditional heart transplant at UMMC and several other leading transplant centers that reviewed his medical records.
“It was either die or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice,” said Mr. Bennett, the patient, a day before the surgery was conducted. He had been hospitalized for the past few months.
Before the surgery, three genes, responsible for the rejection of pig organs by humans, were “knocked out” in the donor pig (供体猪). Six human genes responsible for immune acceptance of the pig heart were put in. Lastly, one additional gene in the pig was knocked out to prevent unreasonable growth of the pig heart tissue, which totaled 10 unique gene edits made in the donor pig.
“This was a breakthrough surgery and brings us one step closer to solving the organ shortage crisis. There are simply not enough donor human hearts available to meet the long list of potential receivers,” said Bartley P. Griffith, Doctor of Medicine, who surgically transplanted the pig heart into the patient. Daniel Maluf, Doctor of Medicine, said: “This event is the final achievement of years of research and testing from our multidisciplinary (多学科的) team and represents a beginning of a new era in the field of organ transplantation medicine.”
1. Why is the transplant seen as the first of its kind?| A．A major breakthrough to cure cancer. | B．A new technology to edit genes. |
| C．An available option for all patients. | D．A successful use of a pig heart. |
| A．Grateful. | B．Unqualified. | C．Suitable. | D．Irresponsible. |
| A．To increase the success rate of the surgery. |
| B．To give the donor pig a better survival rate. |
| C．To stop the overgrowth of the pig lung tissue. |
| D．To improve the acceptance of the additional gene. |
| A．The lack of heart medicine. | B．The lack of donor human organs. |
| C．The lack of clinical tests. | D．The lack of medical facilities. |
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【推荐1】When a bee stings (螫) you，it doesn't just ruin your fun.The insect puts venom (毒液) into your skin，causing pain and swelling.But a chemist in Denmark believes he's come up with a simple device that will draw the venom back out of the wound，bringing victims relief.
Martin Wenckens got the inspiration for the Bee－Patch (蜜蜂膏药) from a home treatment he saw shown on a Danish television program.After getting stung，a person would put a slight wet sugar cube over the wound.The idea is that through osmosis—the movement of a fluid from an area with a lower concentration of molecules (分子) to an area with a higher concentration—fluid moves from the small hole up into the sugar cube，carrying the venom along with it.
Because exposed sugar may attract more insects，Wenckens thought he could improve on the treatment.He put sugar inside a patch that can be worn like a bandage.The side touching the skin has a thin layer through which fluid can move.“After you get stung，place the patch on the injured skin and leave it for one hour，” Wenckens says.“This will lower both pain and swelling.” He cautions that people with insect allergies should continue to use medications recommended by their doctors.
Wenckens designed the Bee－Patch especially for children，but he reports that lifeguards and soccer players are also using it.“In many schools in Denmark，the Bee－Patch is already a part of first aid kits，” he says.“To have invented a small patch that can be used by so many people of course makes me very proud.”
1. Wenckens was inspired by ________．| A．his childhood | B．a TV program |
| C．a sugar producer | D．his private doctor |
| A．It is much safer. | B．It is more natural. |
| C．It is much cheaper. | D．It is more effective. |
| A．is not recommended to lifeguards |
| B．may not be helpful for some victims |
| C．will protect victims from bees for an hour |
| D．has an immediate effect on the injured skin |
| A．by adults | B．in hospitals |
| C．by students | D．on football fields |
【推荐2】Here’s an idea whose time has come: A flu shot that doesn’t require an actual shot.
For the first time, researchers have tested a flu vaccine patch (疫苗贴) in a human clinical experiment and found that it delivered as much protection as a traditional injection with a needle. Doctors and public health experts have high hopes that it will increase the number of people who get immunized (免疫的) against the flu.
Seasonal flu is responsible for up to half a million deaths around the world each year according to the World Health Organization. A team led by Georgia Tech engineer Mark Prausnitz has come up with an alternative method that uses “microneedles”. These tiny needles are so small that 100 of them, arranged in order on a patch, can fit under your thumb (拇指). Yet they’re big enough to hold vaccine for three types of flu.
None of the study volunteers had serious side effects. The groups that got patches had mild skin reactions that were not seen in the regular needle group, while the volunteers in the regular needle group were more likely to experience pain. Overall, 70 percent of the volunteers who got vaccine patches said they’d rather use them again than get a traditional flu shot. The study authors declared it a success on all fronts.
The biggest beneficiaries could be people in low- and middle-income countries, where flu vaccines are hard to come by. Reducing pain is nice, but other benefits—the patch costs less, is easier to transport, doesn’t require refrigeration, can be self-administered and doesn’t cause waste of needles—are even better.
“Microneedle Patches have the potential to become ideal candidates for vaccination programs,” wrote Katja Hoschler and Maria Zambon of Public Health England.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．A vaccine that cures people of their flu. |
| B．A team that does research on seasonal flu. |
| C．A patch that makes flu shots a thing of the past. |
| D．A method that makes traditional flu shot painless. |
| A．It causes slight side effects. |
| B．It causes serious skin reactions. |
| C．It delivers vaccine on the head. |
| D．It works badly on 30% of the volunteers. |
| A．it is provided free of charge |
| B．it can be used without doctors |
| C．it can be kept at room temperature |
| D．it needs less care in transportation |
| A．Cautious. | B．Favorable. |
| C．Unclear. | D．Disapproving. |
【推荐3】Do patients of female doctors seem to live longer? Study after study has shown that it may be true. A recent study looked at the outcomes of male and female heart patients. It found that death rates for both women and men were lower when the doctor was female. Women treated by male doctors had the highest death rate.
The reason is that women doctors are more likely to listen to their patients. They are more likely to take their patients seriously than male doctors do.
Another study focused on listening. It found female doctors spent more time listening to patients than their male colleagues did. But taking time to listen comes with a cost. By the end of the day, the women doctors fell an hour behind in their schedules.
Does this make women “better” doctors? Well, yes and no. Listening skills are the key. It follows that listening leads to taking patients seriously. Listening is particularly important for the well-being of heart patients. Heart attack symptoms can be different in men and women. Chest pains, for instance, are less common in women who are having a heart attack. If there is no chest pain, doctors often leave out a heart attack. Male doctors are less likely to listen to female patients. They may be more likely to miss other heart attack symptoms.
Why do female patients do better when treated by female doctors? It may be that women patients feel more comfortable talking to female physicians. Or it may be that women doctors are more focused on the unique heart disease symptoms that can occur in women. It could be that women doctors are better communicators. Or women doctors may be better at picking up clues from female patients.
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 1?| A．Men treated by male doctors had the highest death rate. |
| B．Women treated by male doctors had lower death rate. |
| C．Men treated by female doctors had the highest death rate. |
| D．Women treated by female doctors had lower death rate. |
| A．Because female doctors are more skilled. |
| B．Because female doctors are more charming. |
| C．Because female doctors know more about patients. |
| D．Because female doctors are unwilling to give up. |
| A．Their health will be badly damaged. |
| B．They won’t make as much money as men do. |
| C．They will miss the time spent with their families. |
| D．They have to spend more time finishing their work. |
| A．uncertain | B．unexpected | C．objective | D．obvious |
【推荐1】Ho Feng Shan, the Chinese Consul General in Vienna from 1938 to 1940, was recently recognized for his courageous actions during the race murder (屠杀). He received the Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award at the annual dinner of the Holocaust Museum Houston on April 30th.
During his time as Consul General, Ho issued thousands of visas to Jewish refugees, allowing them to escape the fate of concentration camps. His efforts resulted in approximately 18, 000 Jewish refugees finding shelter in Shanghai between 1938 and 1940.
Ho's daughter, Ho Manli, accepted the award on behalf of her late father. She spoke about how proud she was of her father’s bravery and how important it is to remember his actions during such a dark period in history.
Lotte Marcus, a Jewish refuge whose family obtained visas from the Chinese Consulate, told her story by video. Her family escaped to Shanghai and she spent more than seven years there before heading to the US. “14 people of our family who did not leave, were all killed,” said Marcus, who called Ho “the bright light in the darkness of the race murder”.
The recognition of Ho Feng Shan serves as a reminder of the importance of moral courage and standing up for what is right, even in the face of danger. It also highlights the role that individuals can play in making a positive impact on the world.
The Holocaust Museum Houston's decision to honor Ho Feng Shan is significant, as it brings attention to the often-forgotten stories of those who risked their lives to save others during the race murder. It is through the recognition of these individuals that we can continue to learn from the past and seek for a better future.
Overall, the story of Ho Feng Shan is one of bravery, compassion, and humanity. It is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there are those who are willing to stand up and make a difference.
1. What did Ho Feng Shan do during his time in Vienna?| A．He issued thousands of visas to Jewish refugees. | B．He tried to help the Chinese refugees. |
| C．He worked in a concentration camp. | D．He helped her daughter escape. |
| A．A family escaped to Shanghai. | B．A family obtained visas for the US. |
| C．A family was saved by Ho Feng Shan. | D．14 people of Marcus' family were killed. |
| A．Standing up for what is right. | B．Staying out of conflicts. |
| C．Bringing attention. | D．Taking pride. |
| A．Forgetting about the past and focus on the present. |
| B．Honoring individuals directly affected by the race murder. |
| C．Learning from the past and struggle for a better future. |
| D．Forgiving individuals risking their lives to save others. |
ALCS NEWS Autumn 2021 Mavis Cheek (born 1948) is an English novelist, author of 15 novels. Mavis Cheek in conversation about her writing life  Q: What initially inspired you to become a writer? A: Being unqualified to do any other job was a great help – or rather spur (激励). If I’d been able to be a secretary or a typist, for example, then economics might well have overtaken me in the years I spent improving my craft and trying to get published. Of course, the great inspiration was having my daughter and wanting to be at home with the baby while using my brain. Q: What’s been your most exciting book and why? A: My latest Amenable Women, from the point of view of all the research I had to do – which I hugely enjoyed, by the way. The most exciting book to have published was my first (Pause Between Acts, 1988), which had absolutely wonderful reviews everywhere (except the New York Times – and I didn’t mind that at all – just to be in the NYT was thrilling). It gave me extreme excitement, when the first of those came out. Q: You once said that “any writer with a mortgage (贷款) never gets writer’s block”. Do your views differ now you have had 12 commercially successful books? If so, why? A: I still think that one of the best (and worst) spurs to writing and for continuing to write is a requirement to earn a living. The road to publication is littered with the corpses (尸体) of would-be authors who can’t make it to the second or third book. I’ve just recently been sent a new novel by a really good author who were less successful for years and I am sure it was largely due to her having a private income. Believe me, if I didn’t have a mortgage in the bank, I’d be lying on Greek beach right now, not struggling to make sense of yet another novel. Q: The more successful you become, do you find it harder to come up with concepts for a new novel? A: It’s harder to believe you are getting better at the job, though obviously that’s what I and most writers want. Basically, we compete with ourselves while trying to continue pleasing our audience. Finding new ways of pleasing the readers one more time gets harder— at least for me. I always have to start with an idea that’s suddenly entered my head, and which won’t go away. Currently I’m suffered by thoughts of truth and how hard it is to maintain in an ordinary life. |
| A．The expectation of the worthy financial rewards. |
| B．The desire to combine the role of a mother and a career. |
| C．The established idea of gaining reputation of a famous writer. |
| D．The wish of encouraging people through the power of literature. |
| A．motivating but struggling | B．respectable but impersonal |
| C．stressful and unfulfilling | D．exciting and financially rewarding |
| A．Mavis Cheek had earned a lot before she became a writer. |
| B．The income from writing has removed Mavis Cheek’s material worries. |
| C．Mavis Cheek’s career once almost came to an end due to unfavorable comments. |
| D．Successful as she is, Mavis Cheek still feels it hard to satisfy the readers continuously. |
Queen Elizabeth shared the pain she felt after the death of her husband, Prince Philip, as she encouraged people everywhere to celebrate Christmas with friends and family, despite the grief caused by the ongoing pandemic.
Saying she understood the difficulty of spending the holiday season “with one familiar laugh missing,” the monarch delivered her speech beside a framed photograph of her arm-in-arm with Prince Philip, who died in April at age 99. On her right shoulder was the same sapphire chrysanthemum brooch she wore in the photo——a glittering statement pin that she also wore as a newlywed.
“Although it’s a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones,’’ the queen said in the prerecorded message broadcast when many British families were enjoying their traditional Christmas dinner. ”This year, especially, I understand why.’’said the queen.
(Partly extracted from www.foxnews.com)
Part II
Next summer, we look forward to the Commonwealth Games. The baton is currently travelling the length and breadth of the Commonwealth, heading towards Birmingham, a beacon of hope on its journey. It will be a chance to celebrate the achievements of athletes and the coming-together of like-minded nations.
And February, just six weeks from now, will see the start of my Platinum Jubilee year, which I hope will be an opportunity for people everywhere to enjoy a sense of togetherness, a chance to give thanks for the enormous changes of the last 70 years——social, scientific and cultural——and also to look ahead with confidence.
I am sure someone somewhere today will remark that Christmas is a time for children. It’s an engaging truth, but only half the story.Perhaps it’s truer to say that Christmas can speak to the child within us all.Adults, when weighed down with worries, sometimes fail to see the joy in simple things, where children do not.
And for me and my family, even with one familiar laugh missing this year, there will be joy in Christmas, as we have the chance to reminisce, and see anew the wonder of the festive season through the eyes of our young children, of whom we were delighted to welcome four more this year.They teach us all a lesson——just as the Christmas story does——that in the birth of a child, there is a new dawn with endless potential.
It is this simplicity of the Christmas story that makes it so universally appealing, simple happenings that formed the starting point of the life of Jesus——a man whose teachings have been handed down from generation to generation, and have been the bedrock of my faith.
His birth marked a new beginning. As the carol says:’The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.’
I wish you all a very happy Christmas.
(Partly extracted from Her Majesty’s Christmas speech)
Part III
📓 statement
①noun——a single sentence or assertion.
②noun——a communication or declaration in speech or writing, setting facts, particulars, etc.
📓 address
①noun——a direction as to the intended recipient, written on or attached to a piece of mail.
②noun——a speech or written statement, usually formal, directed to a particular group of persons.
③verb——to direct a speech or written statement to somebody.
④verb——to use a specified form or title in speaking or writing to somebody.
📓 oration
①noun——a public speech characterized by a studied or elevated style, diction, or delivery.
②noun——a public speech, especially one delivered on a special occasion, as on an anniversary, at a funeral etc.
📓 allegation
①noun——the act of alleging.
②noun——an assertion made with little or no proof.
③noun——an assertion made by a party in a legal proceeding, which the party then undertakes to prove.
④noun——a statement offered as a plea, excuse, or justification.
(Partly extracted from a dictionary)
1. What does the underlined word newlywed mean in Chinese?
| A．新生儿 | B．新婚夫妇 |
| C．刚入学的女孩 | D．新女王 |
| A．To express hope for the coming New Year. |
| B．To express her sincere happiness of her Platinum Jubilee year being celebrated around the Game. |
| C．To get people forget how COVID-19 has disrupted their normal lives and look ahead for the New Year. |
| D．To show the Unity of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Nations thus looking forward to it. |
| A．Calmly. | B．Heartbreakingly |
| C．Meaningfully | D．Movingly. |
| A．A clear statement by Her Majesty on Christmas. |
| B．An address to the public from Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of the nation. |
| C．A moving oration delivered by Queen Elizabeth II. |
| D．An allegation of Her Majesty to show the importance of family togetherness at Christmas. |
