In a study involving sweat samples from 335 people, trained dogs sniffed out 97 percent of the coronavirus cases that had been identified by PCR tests and all 31 COVID-19 cases among 192 people who didn’t have symptoms, researchers reported.
These findings are evidence that dogs could be effective for mass screening efforts at places such as airports or concerts and may provide friendly alternatives for testing people who fear the tests, says Dominique Grandjean in France.
Dogs’ noses also identified more COVID-19 cases than did antigen (抗原) tests, but sometimes mistook another virus for the coronavirus, Grandjean and colleagues found. What’s more, evidence suggests the dogs can pick up cases 48 hours before people test positive by PCR.
In the study, dogs were trained in coronavirus detection by rewarding them with toys—usually tennis balls. “It’s playtime for them,” Grandjean says. It takes about three to six weeks, depending on the dog’s experience with odor detection, to train a dog to pick out COVID-19 cases from sweat samples. For detection, the dogs sniffed used face masks or housing sweat samples collected from human volunteers’ underarms. Results showed that dogs perform as well as or even better than PCR tests for detecting the virus that causes COVID-19, Furton says. He and colleagues have used dogs at schools, a music festival and in a small trial screening airline employees for coronavirus infections.
One of the biggest advantages dogs have over other tests is their speed, Furton says. “Even with what we call a rapid test, you’re still going to have to wait tens of minutes or even hours, where the dog in a matter of seconds can make a response.” However, dogs take time to train and there currently aren’t even enough dogs trained to detect explosives, let alone diseases, Otto says.
Another drawback is that people don’t think of them as high-tech, though they’re one of the highest-tech devices we have.
1. What can we learn about the study from the first paragraph?| A．Dogs were trained to test COVID-19. |
| B．Sweat samples are perfect to test COVID-19. |
| C．Dogs can identify most COVID-19 cases. |
| D．PCR tests failed to meet public expectation. |
| A．Dogs may be unfriendly to people when doing tests. |
| B．Dogs lack experience dealing with large screens. |
| C．Dogs may need a long time to identify the disease. |
| D．Dogs may recognize other diseases as coronavirus. |
| A．They perform well at detecting COVID-19 virus. |
| B．They do better at detecting explosives than viruses. |
| C．They are widely used in public places like schools. |
| D．They like to be rewarded with toys after training. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Disapproving. | C．Fearful. | D．Confident. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】We humans often navigate(导航) using road signs and GPS.
Allen and her colleagues investigated that idea by testing African elephants' ability to track a very specific smell: urine(尿液)．
But first, they needed some urine. So they headed to a spot along Botswana's River and waited. They waited for elephants to urinate. Within 20 minutes, they went and collected these fresh urine samples.
Then they set up camera traps on elephant trails.
Their findings appear in the journal Animal Behaviour. Based on these results, they hope conservationists might be able to use elephant urine to help with their work.
| A．Elephants don't, though |
| B．By catching the elephants along the trails |
| C．Elephants urinate some 12 to 15 gallons a day |
| D．Next, they placed those urine samples along the trails |
| E．Finally, they tested the chemicals of the urine samples |
| F．After observing the elephants' natural behavior on the paths |
| G．But she also suggests that maybe the smell is vital to the long movements |
【推荐2】A successful move of 21 eastern black rhinos (犀牛) to a new home of a grassy plateau that hasn’t seen them in decades will give them space to live and help increase the population of the critically endangered animals. It was Kenya’s biggest rhino relocation ever.
The rhinos were taken from three parks that are becoming overcrowded to the private Loisaba Conservancy, where rhinos were wiped out by poaching (偷猎) decades ago.
The 18-day exercise involved tracking the rhinos using a helicopter and then shooting them with tranquilizer darts(麻醉飞镖). Then the animals—which weigh about a ton each—have to be loaded into the back of a truck for the move. Disaster nearly struck early in the relocation effort, when a tranquilized rhino fell into a river. Workers held the rhino’s head above water with a rope to stop it from drowning while the tranquilizer drug took effect, and then the rhino was freed.
Some of the rhinos were transferred from Nairobi National Park and made a 300-kilometer trip. Others came from two parks closer to Loisaba.
Rhinos are generally animals enjoying being alone and are at their happiest in large living areas. As numbers in the three parks where the rhinos were moved from have increased, wildlife officials decided to relocate some in the hope that they will be happier and more likely to increase. David Ndere, an expert on rhinos at the Kenya Wildlife Service, said their reproduction rates decrease when there are too many in a territory.
Kenya has had relative success in recovering its black rhino population, which dipped from around 20, 000 in the 1970s to below 300 in the mid-1980s because of hunting, according to conservationists, raising fears that the animals might be wiped out completely in the country. Kenya now has around 1, 000 black rhinos, the third biggest population behind South Africa and Namibia. There are just over 6, 400 wild black rhinos left in the world, all of them in Africa, according to the Save the Rhino organization.
1. What’s the reason why the rhinos were moved to a new home?| A．Locals’ deadly effects. | B．Their limited living space. |
| C．Their too large population. | D．Their preference for a grassy plateau. |
| A．Moving rhinos safely was a very serious challenge. |
| B．The method of transporting rhinos was too backward. |
| C．Many disasters happened during the rhino relocation. |
| D．Most rhinos in the three parks migrated on their own. |
| A．A reintroduction of an endangered animal. | B．A gradual increase of the rhino population. |
| C．A much larger national natural park in Kenya. | D．A more booming tourism with rhino exhibitions. |
| A．Ways to Move Rhinos Safely | B．Black Rhinos’Situation in Kenya |
| C．Kenya’s Biggest Rhino Relocation | D．The Black Rhino Reserves in Kenya |
【推荐3】It sounds like something out of Dr. Seuss, but artist Sam Van Aken is developing a tree that blooms(开花)in pink, purple and red in the spring-and that is capable of bearing 40 different kinds of fruit.
No, it's not genetic engineering. Van Aken, an associate professor in Syracuse University's art department, used an age-old technique called grafting(嫁接)to attach branches from 40 different kinds of stone fruit onto a single tree. But during the process of creation, he soon discovered that it was actually pretty hard to find so many distinct varieties of stone fruit in New York. "I realized the extend which we've created these massive monocultures(单种作物)." Most grocery stores and markets only sell a few varieties-and most of them are grown in California.
Van Aken believes our national security is dependent upon our fond security. Now that we have created these monocultures that only grow a few varieties of each crop, if something happens to just one of those varieties, it can have a dramatic impact upon our food supply. And the key to maintaining our food security is preserving our biodiversity.
100 years ago, there were far more varieties of fruit growing in the backyards of the Americans. Today, only a small part of those remain, and what is left is threatened by industrialization of agriculture, disease and climate change. Most of those threatened varieties were introduced to the US by immigrants. They cared for and cultivated them, and valued them so much that they saw them as a connection to their home. "More than just food, embedded in these fruit is our culture…In many ways these fruit is our story. And I was fortunate enough to learn about it through an artwork that I created entitled the "Tree of 40 Fruit'," Van Aken says.
1. What delayed Van Aken's work?| A．His lack of experience. |
| B．The shortage of fruit varieties. |
| C．The low demand of fruit markets. |
| D．The distance from New York to California. |
| A．Insecurity of food. |
| B．Decreasing sale of fruit. |
| C．Lange production of crops |
| D．Highly industrialized agriculture. |
| A．Carried. | B．Located. | C．Enhanced. | D．Applied. |
| A．The richness of food culture. |
| B．The threat of industrialization. |
| C．The significance of biodiversity. |
| D．The seriousness of climate change. |
【推荐1】This 18-year-old dancer is now one of Gucci’s most well-known models. Elli Goldstein, who has Down Syndrome(唐氏综合征), stars in a Gucci beauty campaign for a mascara product. Her mom says the February photoshoot. now being featured in Italian Vogue, took around six hours.
Elli is from Ilford Essex in the UK. This isn't Elli’s first appearance in the worldwide spotlight. She’s been featured in London’s famous National Portrait Gallery and has danced at the Royal Opera House. The model has appeared in TV commercials and videos for a famous film festival. She even made a dance video of her own during the pandemic(流行病) to cheer people up.
“Elli was born to have this outgoing personality. She loves the camera. She loves the films. ” Her mom says nothing holds her back. She lives life to the fullest. That positive energy appears to be paying off.
Elli’s modeling picture posted on the Gucci beauty Instagram account was the most liked post ever. “We want to increase the representation of people who have until now been excluded in the media,” said Peterson, Elli’s agent. “You know, it’s about time that we welcomed different models with different disability.”
“Just follow our dreams and add passions to our life.” The photographer for Elli’s Gucci photoshoot says he aims to show that beauty is everywhere. It exists in every person.
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．Elli’s birthplace. | B．Elli’s personality. |
| C．Elli’s childhood life. | D．Elli’s achievements. |
| A．Determined and positive. | B．Optimistic and easygoing. |
| C．Respectful and straight. | D．Honest and fashionable. |
| A．The media favors the disabled. | B．Discrimination exists in the media. |
| C．The models are in great demand. | D．Models should keep up with the times. |
| A．Better late than never. | B．Life is full of the unexpected. |
| C．Beauty has no boundaries. | D．Actions speak louder than words. |
【推荐2】Claire has worked at a major London-based consulting firm for six years. She enjoys her job and earns a comfortable salary, but recently, she’s started to feel restless about the future of her career. The reason: artificial intelligence.
In recent years, as headlines about robots stealing human jobs have ballooned, some workers report starting to feel anxious about their futures in the labour market. Generative OpenAI’s ChatGPT broke out seemingly overnight, creating continuing uncertainty for workers.
Carolyn Montrose, a career coach and lecturer at Columbia University, acknowledges the pace of technological innovation can be scary. “It is normal to feel anxious about the impact of AI, but workers don’t necessarily have to feel dread. Instead of shying away from AI, employees must lean into the technology to progress alongside these advancements by learning and using it to their advantage.”
Historically, this isn’t the first time we have encountered industry disruptions-from automation and manufacturing to e-commerce-we have found ways to adapt. Indeed, the introduction of new technology has often been unnerving for some people, but Montrose explains that plenty good has come from past new developments: technological change has always been a key push for society’s advancement.
Although some anxiety is justified, it may not be time to hit the panic button yet. Some research has shown fears of robots taking over human jobs might be overblown. The truth was that not only are robots not replacing human workers at the rate most people believe, but they also misunderstand the rate at which automation tools are taking over. While some new technologies would likely be adopted without considering all implications, that a technology can be used for something does not mean it will be implemented (实施).
“Humans will always have a role to play in business by performing the important work that robots cannot. This kind of work typically requires inborn human qualities, such as relationship building, creativity and emotional intelligence,” emphasizes Stefanie Coleman, a senior business advisor. “Recognizing the unique value of humans is an important step in navigating the fears surrounding this topic.
1. What does the author try to illustrate by mentioning Claire?| A．A recognition for the power of AI. | B．A well-paid post Claire can so easily land. |
| C．Workers’ concern about future employment. | D．The convenience AI has brought to employees. |
| A．Acknowledge and embrace the new. | B．Stay away from ChatGPT and the like. |
| C．Ignore AI’s existence for the time being. | D．Feel uncomfortable with new technology. |
| A．Disorders. | B．Revolutions. | C．Suspensions. | D．Products. |
| A．Robots are too costly. | B．AI has been unreliable. |
| C．AI is not advanced enough. | D．Humans have unique qualities. |
【推荐3】Parties and social gatherings no longer excite us the same way they once did. This is not due to a lack of desire to socialize, but the smartphone.
At parties, people focus more on their smartphones than on their drinks. According to a recent study from International Data Corporation，over half of all Americans have a smartphone and reach it the moment they wake up, keeping it in hand all day. In addition, too many people are using smartphones while driving and as a result, they get into car crashes. 34 percent of teens admit to text while driving，and they confirm that texting messages are the major interruption while driving. People’s attachment (依恋) to their smartphones is unbelievably becoming more important than the lives of themselves and others.
Just as drivers dismiss the importance of focusing while on the road, many people also fail to recognize the significance of human interaction. When with their friends, some people pointlessly (无谓地) check or send messages in the presence of their friends., which means that their friends are less important. In addition, relying on our smartphones to make friends does not give us the same advantages as making new friends in the real world. Face-to-face conversations will give us the chance to improve our communication skills in the long run.
As many people risk their lives and the lives of people around them just to send a text or mindlessly check their messages, smartphones are in many ways more dangerous to people. The technology shows the achievement weaken the value of communication. Not only is the smartphone affecting our desire to interact face to face, but it is also lowering people’s ability to communicate.
1. The purpose of this text is to _______________.| A．express a concern about the overuse of the smartphone. |
| B．appeal to us to pay attention to communication skills. |
| C．call for an end to the use of the smartphone while driving. |
| D．advise us to be cautious about the addiction to the smartphone. |
| A．analyzing the effects. | B．listing figures. |
| C．giving examples. | D．comparing facts. |
| A．under a free circumstance. | B．in different ways. |
| C．in a face-to-face way. | D．by using smartphones. |
| A．people are more and more narrow-minded. |
| B．parties and gatherings limit people’s social circle. |
| C．face-to-face communication becomes less important. |
| D．people’s communication skills are weakened. |
【推荐1】The COVID-19 vaccination（接种疫苗） rate in the US has fallen to new lows in recent weeks, threatening President Joe Biden’s goal of having 70 percent of American adults with at least one shot by July 4.
With just less than one month from July 4, the current vaccination rate will put the US at somewhere between 67 percent and 68 percent of the adult population with at least one dose（剂量） by Independence Day. To reach 70 percent by July 4, around 1.6 percent of the population needs to get their first dose per week from now until July 4.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention（CDC） reported last week that 63 percent of adults had received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That was up slightly from 62 percent from the report a week before. The additional 1 percent of adults completing their first dose is the lowest since the CDC started tracking the vaccination rate in mid-February.
On average, fewer than 1 million shots are given out per day, a decline of more than two-thirds from the peak of 3.4 million in April, The Washington Post reported. In South Carolina, about 71,000 residents got a shot in the week leading up to June 3, compared to a high of nearly 300,000 in one week in early April, according to data from the CDC.
The slowdown is more prominent across the South and Midwest. Twelve states have seen vaccinations fall to 15 daily shots per 10,000 residents. Less than a quarter of black Americans had received their first COVID-19 shot as of June 7.
James Hildreth, CEO of Meharry Medical College, told Politico, “We need to make a stronger effort to bring the vaccine to the communities, rather than relying on the communities to come to vaccination centers.”
The sharp decline in vaccination began in mid-April when federal officials temporarily stopped the use of the Johnson＆Johnson vaccine while they investigated rare blood-clotting（凝血） reactions.
The “low-hanging fruit—those people who absolutely want to get vaccinated without you telling them anything” have already been vaccinated, which has led to the slowdown, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on a White House-organized call with community leaders last week, according to the Post.
1. What can we learn from the text?| A．Dr Anthony Fauci is in charge of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
| B．In South Carolina, about 300,000 residents got a shot in the week leading up to June 3 |
| C．In mid-April federal officials temporarily suspended the Johnson＆Johnson vaccine. |
| D．Less than one fourth of Americans had received their first COVID-19 shot by June 7. |
| A．Meaningful. | B．Obvious. | C．Inspiring. | D．Complex. |
| A．By giving the vaccine shot at the communities. |
| B．By offering the vaccine to the public for free. |
| C．By frequently informing the public of the vaccine. |
| D．By urging the communities to come to vaccination centers. |
| A．Biden wishes to have 70% of adults with one shot by July 4 |
| B．CDC has been tracking the vaccination rate since mid-February |
| C．Some Americans need to get vaccinated without telling them to |
| D．Biden’s July 4th vaccine goal may be missed |
【推荐2】After schools moved online a year ago because of COVID-19, Jonte Lee, a teacher in Washington, DC. was determined to make his chemistry labs interactive and accessible. He figured the way to do so was to connect to the students on social platforms.
As a result, Lee has been livestreaming (网络直播) his lessons on Instagram and Facebook, inspiring students to follow along at home. Lee’s principal suggested he livestream a lab last April. “Our thought behind it was students know how to use Instagram and Facebook,” Lee said,
Realizing that most of his students would not have access to lab equipment when they had online lessons, Lee largely uses items that can be found in most kitchens. “And if there’s something a student doesn’t have, I don’t mind shipping it to the student,” he said.
Since beginning his lessons, Lee has heard from viewers across the country about how his classes have improved their experience of attending online school. One woman told Lee she had been worried about supervising her grandchildren’s classes at home. “She was like, ‘I know nothing about science, what’s going to happen?’ and then she came across my page,” said Lee. “Stories like that really touch my heart.”
Lee also has bought and delivered backpacks, school supplies, and even Amazon Fire tablets to each of his students. Lee poured his summer school teaching salary into the endeavor, calling is an “incredible experience”. Lee’s favorite lesson described how to make ice cream in three different ways, because of how engaged his students were even after the livestream ended.
Lee plans to continue posting videos even after students go back to school in person. “As a public school teacher, I have no intention to be famous or make money. I simply want to give back to all the taxpayers that fund my salary,” said Lee. “This allowed me to be a community teacher, and not a teacher that is bound by the four walls in my classroom.”
1. What can we learn about Jonte Lee?| A．He didn’t know how to make his online classes interesting. |
| B．His idea was not supported by the principle in his school. |
| C．He mostly chose items found in kitchen for his online lessons. |
| D．He guided students to use Instagram and Facebook. |
| A．managing |
| B．skipping |
| C．teaching |
| D．attending |
| A．Lee’s classes have a negative effect on people. |
| B．Lee’s students show no interest in his classes at all. |
| C．Lee plans to continue posting videos to earn money. |
| D．Lee’s purpose is to pay back to society as a teacher. |
| A．Cautious. |
| B．Determined. |
| C．Humorous. |
| D．Awkward. |
【推荐3】First launched in 2010 by China’s e-commerce giant Jingdong, the 618 shopping event has developed into a major mid-year shopping event that has driven online consumer spending over the decade. However, consumers are becoming more cautious during a pandemic-hit economic downturn and growing tired of more frequent shopping events stimulation over the past decade.
The event was originally created as a competition for the Alibaba-backed Singles’ Day shopping event on November 11. And similar to Singles’ Day, the 618 shopping festival has grown out of its founding platform and become a promotional event across all major Chinese e-commerce platforms. The event is also considered a barometer (指标) for consumer spending capacity and new shopping trends in China.
For those who are taking a close look at the country’s second-largest shopping carnival, this year’s edition of 618 might seem like 2020’s all over again, yet if anything the situation is even more serious.
In both years, China was just coming out of lockdowns which had taken a toll on the country’s economy and led to negative consumer consumption concept. But the timing is different. In 2020, Covid-19 broke out in January and most pandemic-related lockdowns were removed in early April. By the time 618 arrived in June, the state had already stepped in to boost consumption by launching a series of digital subsidy programs over April and May. On top of that, the two-month gap allowed more time for manufacturing and logistics (物流) companies to recover from the lockdowns ahead of the shopping festival.
This year, however, there’s less time for the market—either consumer consumption concept, merchants (商人), or logistics companies—to react since the months-long lockdowns to control new Covid-19 outbreaks in cities like Beijing and Shanghai only ended on June 1, just as many retailers were preparing for the 618 shopping festival with pre-promotion and early deals. Moreover, recent trends make it obvious that Chinese consumers will be even more cautious in 2022 than they were near the start of the pandemic.
1. What was the reason for JD to establish the 618 shopping events?| A．To attract customers to shop in malls. |
| B．To celebrate Jingdong’s establishment. |
| C．To compete with Alibaba for customers. |
| D．To create opportunities for single person. |
| A．Because of its leadership in fashion. |
| B．It is China’s second-largest shopping festival. |
| C．Because of JD company’s popularity. |
| D．It is organized by China’s largest online platform. |
| A．The absent logistics assistance. |
| B．The same tough timing for selling. |
| C．The pandemic-hit economic decline. |
| D．The sales restrictions set by government. |
| A．Lockdowns just ended in early April. |
| B．There is less time for the market to respond. |
| C．Covid-19 outbreaks are more serious in cities. |
| D．Chinese customers are more lacking in money |
| A．measures to close cities | B．limited activities | C．locks to the door | D．downtowns |
