Instead of going on a trip or buying herself new clothes, Xiao Tong from Wuhan, Hubei province, chose to celebrate her senior high school graduation in a different way. She went to a beauty clinic to undergo plastic surgery (整容手术)on her nose.
“I want to make a good impression and start my university life with a brand new look, ” the 18-year-old told Changjiang Daily. Like Xiao Tong, many young Chinese are anxious about their looks, and subject (使经受)themselves to cosmetic surgery. A medical beauty industry white paper by Research Global said 19 percent of Chinese medical beauty consumers in 2020 were aged 18 or under.
Young people have cosmetic surgery for different reasons, and improving self-confidence is one of them. Wang Fang, 18, from Beijing, felt that her eyes were too small. In 2019, after she got in university, Wang had a minor operation done on her eyelids. “Before I had the surgery, I had a negative idea of myself. Therefore, I had low self-esteem and no confidence, ” Wang told Beijing Youth Daily. “The cosmetic surgery changed the situation. I was comfortable with that. ”
But Jiang Wenxiu of the Department of Psychiatry, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University in Jiangsu, advised that people should think twice before going under the knife. “Medical beauty apps only show how great plastic surgery can be, ” Jiang told China Daily. “They leave out all the negative stuff. ”
Today beauty clinics that see students as profitable plastic surgery customers are well aware that these young people are mostly short of money, so they use summer discounts, installment (分期付款) plans and other ways to attract their attention.Xiao Zhen, 17, from Chengdu, Sichuan province, is one of the victims.She took out a loan (贷款) of about 20, 000 yuan to get cosmetic surgery. But the large sum of money became a big burden. She had to drop out of school and go to work to pay off the loan. Besides the financial burden, potential health risks of plastic surgery also need to be considered. “If you have big problems with your look, you should wait until you are a full adult, then decide if you want to do something about it, ” Jiang said. “Then, with a stable mind, you can consider inner and outer beauty, and whether plastic surgery is for you. ”
1. Why is Xiao Tong’s experience mentioned in the beginning?| A．To introduce a different graduation celebration. |
| B．To describe how important appearances are to youths. |
| C．To give an example of students choosing plastic surgery. |
| D．To show the rising popularity of plastic surgery in China. |
| A．To feel better about herself. |
| B．To have a perfect appearance. |
| C．To avoid others’ bad comments. |
| D．To have a comfortable university life. |
| A．Most cases of plastic surgery are successful. |
| B．You need a loan to cover plastic surgery costs. |
| C．The number of students having plastic surgery is rising. |
| D．Promotions of plastic surgery do not give a full picture. |
| A．Inner beauty matters much more than outer beauty. |
| B．Risks of plastic surgery may affect your adult life. |
| C．People don’t need to be anxious about their looks. |
| D．Whether to have plastic surgery is decided when you are an adult. |
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【推荐1】A lack of scientific evidence has led some to question whether herbs used in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) actually relieve people’s illnesses. A new study, published in the journal Science Advances, might start to challenge that view. Scientists have developed a new tool that could be used to predict the effectiveness of these herbs. They’ve begun to confirm some of its predictions using clinical data from patients treated in a traditional Chinese medicine hospital.
“To our knowledge, this is the first scientific theory to explain how a traditional medicine system works,” lead study author Xiao Gan, a researcher at the Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology in China said.
In the new study, the authors looked at genes (基因) thought to be responsible for causing specific symptoms (症状) of disease. They relied on an already published dataset that connected the dots between disease symptoms and the underlying genes and proteins that give rise to those illnesses. Pulling this data together, the researchers were able to score how well these herbs might relieve specific symptoms of the disease. These scores were based on how close the herbs’ target proteins were to the proteins associated with various symptoms.
The authors then compared their predictions to herbs recognized by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia as effective against specific disease symptoms. They also used the model to review prescriptions(处方) that patients at the Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Wuhan received while being treated for liver disease. Gan said the herbs that they identified as effective from the two data sources supported their model’s predictions. The authors also used their model to identify potential new applications for the herbs, beyond what’s already recommended by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.
Testing natural products in clinical trials can be costly, so it is helpful to use computer simulations (模拟) to identify potential drug targets, said Xiang-Qun Xie, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Xie pointed out more data are needed to support these findings and that it would be useful to study how TCM herbs and modern medications may interact in patients who take them at the same time.
1. What is the purpose of the new study?| A．To study the side effects of TCM herbs. |
| B．To analyze the genetic makeup of TCM herbs. |
| C．To forecast the effectiveness of TCM herbs. |
| D．To compare TCM herbs with modern medications. |
| A．By analyzing their chemical makeup. |
| B．By carrying out clinical trials on patients. |
| C．By asking patients about their experiences of using them. |
| D．By comparing their target proteins with disease-related proteins. |
| A．Some TCM herbs tested by the model are rarely used. |
| B．The model may be used to develop new medicines. |
| C．The data sources used by the model are not big enough. |
| D．More models should be created to review prescriptions. |
| A．Researchers should try to cut the cost of their study. |
| B．It is necessary to find new ways to figure out potential drug targets. |
| C．The weaknesses of computer simulations in drug development are ignored. |
| D．The interaction between TCM herbs and modern medications needs to be studied. |
【推荐2】Nowadays medical technology seems to be advanced enough for doctors to perform brain transplants (移植). Though this procedure has only been successfully performed on animals so far, doctors are still hoping to perform this procedure on humans. However, in my opinion, brain transplants should not be performed at all, especially not on humans because of the large number of problems and side effects that could come along with. Hopefully these dangerous side effects will convince doctors not to perform this procedure on humans.
Despite many benefits technology brings, I do not think this medical technology of brain transplants will help. We were all born with one brain and through childhood to adolescence our mind developed into who we are, so if with a different brain we would no longer be unique. A person with a different brain would seem to be a total stranger and in many ways they would be. No one should steal our identity from us, even if we are seriously injured, and change it to a completely new one. Also for the people who have died with healthy brains, that was their identity and it should not be given to anyone else.
Another problem with brain transplants is how doctors can choose what are “healthy” or “normal” brains. An elderly person who has died would have an aged brain that would not be as efficient as a younger person’s brain. Then would doctors have to find healthy brains of the same age as the person who needs it? This could also bring up other factors such as intelligence, gender, or physical problems that a person might have had before death. Also another problem might be how long a brain can be kept “alive” after death and how it can be kept “alive” without damage.
Overall, my feelings about this surgery are that it should not be done on humans until doctors have overcome all the problems and obstacles (障碍) that stand in their way of making human brain transplants successful.
1. Why does the author think brain transplants should not be performed at all?| A．The cost of the surgery is extremely high. |
| B．Doctors are not able to perform brain transplants. |
| C．A good many problems and side effects may arise. |
| D．This procedure has only been successful on animals. |
| A．People shouldn’t give their healthy brains to others. |
| B．Having a brain transplant means losing one’s identity. |
| C．Transplanting brains is changing old brains into new ones. |
| D．Having brain transplants indicates stealing identity from others. |
| A．Aged brains aren’t healthy brains. | B．Young brains are always healthy. |
| C．Healthy brains cannot be kept “alive”. | D．It’s very difficult to tell healthy brains. |
| A．To encourage brain donation. |
| B．To stress the importance of brain operation. |
| C．To argue against brain transplants on humans. |
| D．To introduce the technology of brain transplants. |
【推荐3】Imagine a future where science has created your twin. Not a flesh-and-blood twin, but one that recreates your flesh and blood, your bones, your heart, your brain — your whole body, in fact — as an extremely complicated computer model.
Your doctors can use this digital twin to work out how you will respond to a particular drug or medical procedure. They can even look further into the future, creating a “healthcast”, to forecast what diseases might happen to you or how your lifestyle will affect your health as you age. It is the ultimate in personalized medicine. This is the bold vision set out in Virtual You: How building your digital twin will revolutionize medicine and change your life by Peter Coveney, director of the Centre for Computational Science, and Roger Highfield, science director of the Science Museum Group, UK.
Digital twins are already in widespread use in industries such as civil engineering. But these model systems are much simpler than the complex human body. Imagine all the parts that come together to make you work: from the 3 billion letters of your genome (基因组), the numerous molecules (分子) that make up your cells, the trillions of cells building your tissues and organs, and the environment having its input too. Now, imagine trying to create a model of this that is made to each unique individual and that predicts the changes that will take place over a lifetime. This is easier said than done. Changes in the systems biologists want to describe are usually different from what mathematicians describe as “non-linear” (非线性的). Another complication is “emergence”: where the whole of a system is greater than the sum of its parts. This complexity challenges mathematics and pushes computing to the limit too.
But getting to the next level — a whole human individual — is going to require yet more data and a revolution in computing technology far beyond what is currently possible. Whether we will get there is an open question, but Virtual You shows us what scientists from different fields can achieve when they all work together.
1. What be learned about your science-made twin according to Paragraph 1?| A．Your twin looks just like you. |
| B．Your twin knows your thoughts. |
| C．Your twin exists on the computer. |
| D．Your twin is created out of your DNA. |
| A．Human body is more complicated than models. |
| B．Digital twins are not widely used in industries. |
| C．Scientists lack enough data in building it. |
| D．Mathematicians and biologists hold different opinions. |
| A．Optimistic. |
| B．Uncertain. |
| C．Unconcerned. |
| D．Skeptical. |
| A．To stress the necessity of digital twins. |
| B．To show the effects of digital twins on future health. |
| C．To explain the building of digital twins in health. |
| D．To introduce new treatments for diseases in the future. |
【推荐1】In the past, video conference technology was mainly used for just a few elements of business meetings or hangouts (聚集处) with friends and family. Now, video conference tools are important for our productivity, learning and social interaction. We use them not only for fun, but mainly as a meaningful part of our work.
However, once we start to join endless video calls for a few hours each day, we become very tired. This term is called “zoom tiredness”, and it’s related to overusing virtual (虚拟的) communication platforms.
There are some advantages of using video conferencing tools. Without them, it might be impossible for us to work from home. But what we haven’t expected is a price that we need to pay for that sort of convenience.
When we are having a face-to-face conversation with others, everything seems pretty natural. While speaking, you look into the eyes, sometimes slightly moving your stare onto something else. You know when to stop talking and when to speak up. Even if you’re in a conference room with 10 people, you don’t have a terrible feeling of being observed all the time. You notice that people mostly look at the person who is speaking, and then they move their attention onto someone else. But when you use a teleconferencing tool, things are different. Being physically on camera makes you very aware of being watched all the time, because you don’t know who is looking at you. You just see many faces on your screen.
Marissa Shuffler from Clemson University once said, “When you’re on a video conference, you know everybody’s looking at you; you are on stage, so there comes the social pressure—a feeling like you need to perform. Being performative is stressful.”
Moreover, there is another interesting tendency as far as video calls are concerned. Who are you looking at most of the time? The answer is yourself. For most people, it’s hard not to look at their own face if they can see it on the screen. We are likely to make sure that our head is at the right angle and that our shirt is tidy.
1. What might cause the so-called “zoom tiredness”?| A．The fast pace of modern life. |
| B．Getting bored with video calls. |
| C．The wide spread of video technology. |
| D．Spending too much time on video calls. |
| A．Higher cost | B．More pressure |
| C．More free time | D．Better performance |
| A．The popularity of video calls | B．People’s attitude towards video calls |
| C．Some unexpected effects of video calls | D．Changes in people’s way of communication |
【推荐2】You are seated in class as your teacher explains and points things out on the white board. You accidentally dropped your pencil on the floor. As you lean over to pick up your pencil, your cell phone falls out of your coat pocket! Luckily you catch it without your teacher seeing, but it is in plain view of the video camera's shiny lens (镜头) that points straight at you. The classroom phone rings, and after a brief conversation, your teacher walks over to your desk and kneels down beside you. “About that cell phone of yours. …” How did that get you in trouble? How could it possibly be a good idea to put cameras in classrooms?
When students are in their classrooms, teachers are in the classroom too, usually. But when a teacher goes out of the classroom, what usually happens is either everything goes on as usual, or the students talk a little more. It is the teacher's job to keep people quiet. If something horrible happened, somebody in class would usually report it, or it would just be obvious to the teacher when he came back that something had happened.
If we already have cameras in the halls, why spend the money to get thirty more cameras for all the different classrooms? Our school district already has a low budget, so we would be spending money on something completely unnecessary.
Different students react differently when there is a camera in the room. Some students get nervous, trying hard to stay focused on their work with a camera focused on them. 90% of students say that they do better work when they are calmer, and cameras are not going to help. Other students look at cameras as a source of entertainment. These students will do things such as wave at the camera, make faces, or say hi to the people watching through the camera. This could be a big distraction for others who are trying to learn and participate in class.
Instead of solving problems, cameras would cause the problems. That is why I disagree with the idea of putting cameras in classrooms. This plan should not be put to action.
1. How does the author show his point of view in the first paragraph?| A．By analyzing the causes. | B．By describing a scene. |
| C．By making a comparison. | D．By trying an experiment. |
| A．It keeps everything in its usual state. |
| B．It is a waste of money and unnecessary. |
| C．It helps teachers watch over students' behavior. |
| D．It costs more than putting cameras in school halls. |
| A．They help students calm down. |
| B．They force students to learn more. |
| C．They make classes more lively and interesting. |
| D．They take students ' attention away from their study. |
【推荐3】The technology that connects us has revolutionized the world over the past decade, changing how people interact and in many ways changing our lives for the better. However, some say the most significant development in tech is its unexpected consequences.
Robert Scoble, the chief strategy officer at the spatial computing agency Infinite Retina, said that the “biggest change over the last decade is how technology has appeared in almost every part of our lives.” Everything from smartphones to TVs to daily items like barbecue grills has become available with the Internet connected. But with many of our devices “always on”, a certain mistrust of technology has appeared. The FBI just issued a warning about smart TVs, saying there is the potential that “TV producers and app developers may be listening in on and watching you” via an internet-connected TV.
Meanwhile, over the past decade, a new social rule has been formed that remains almost impossible to escape: If you participate in most of the online world, your activity and data will most likely be monitored and stored somewhere, by someone.
“It’s a fact of our digital life now, that everything we do online now is monitored and someone will find a way to make a profit on it,” said Santo Domingo, a reporter.
As more people become aware of not only the benefits but also the threats of new technologies, Scoble said he has noticed “there’s much resistance to new technology now”. One example is the resistance many are putting up to facial recognition technology.
Some big tech companies have started to make changes after being faced with criticism, although some critics say it’s still not enough, including lawmakers who blamed Mark Zuckerberg at a recent hearing for Facebook’s ad policy. The major tech giants like Facebook, Google and Twitter have also strengthened their security and content moderation teams in recent years and do more to cooperate with each other about threats than they did before.
1. Why do some people refuse to accept technology?| A．It changes their lifestyles. | B．It affects their life quality. |
| C．It may disturb their privacy. | D．It will break with tradition. |
| A．To show people’s attitudes to new technology. | B．To further explain the side effects of technology. |
| C．To encourage people to use technology smartly. | D．To make a list of the limitations of technology. |
| A．They have been kept in control. | B．They are ignored around the world. |
| C．The survival of humans is under threat. | D．Some measures are being taken to avoid them. |
【推荐1】China’s artistic swimming duo (双人表演) Ms Jiang and her twin sister made history on Tuesday by gaining a sixth gold at the Asian Games, the most earned by any athletes in artistic swimming in its history. What makes the twin sisters’ achievement more remarkable is the fact that both of them returned from giving birth to baby daughters to do so.
"I’ve been their coach for over 20 years," said Ms Zheng. Women’s Duet coach, "ever since they were 8 years old. When they came back after having babies, their training plans were completely changed. I think they have already showed that female athletes can return to their best form after having a baby. "
The twin sisters announced their retirement after finishing a third at the 2013 China National Games. They went on to get married on the same day and their baby daughters arrived in 2015 and 2016. And after a three-year absence, the twins decided to come back to the pool.
"I think to reach a mature state in artistic swimming, athletes have to go through years of training. What keeps us going is our love of the sport," said one of them.
The 31-year-old twins won a well-deserved gold at the 2017 China National Games. At the third Asian Games, they claimed their sixth gold at the multi-sports meet to be a record in artistic swimming at the Games, and a result their coach wasn’t sure could happen when they first decided to come back.
"Because of our love of the sport, we overcame many hard times, especially the physical obstacles. After all, we’re no longer young. But now I think we are even better than before," said the other.
To be a mother while training and competing at the highest level means this gold medal seems much more than any of the others from before.
1. Why was the twins' achievement regarded to be extraordinary?| A．They won six gold medals at the Asian Games. |
| B．They got trained by plans that were totally different. |
| C．They got the most medals in artistic swimming in history. |
| D．They returned from giving birth to baby daughters to do so. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Determined. |
| C．Confident. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Failure is the mother of success. |
| C．Knowledge comes from practice. | D．Nothing is too hard for a determined mind. |
| A．A sports textbook. | B．A research paper. |
| C．A news report. | D．A sports brochure. |
【推荐2】BUENOS AIRES-Tributes (悼念) have been pouring in for Argentinian soccer legend Diego Maradona, who has died at the age of 60. Maradona, who is regarded as one of the game's greatest players of all time- died of a heart attack at his home in Buenos Aires. He captained Argentina's 1986 World Cup-winning team, memorably scoring two goals in the quarter-final win over England, including the infamous “Hand of God” goal. Maradona also had a glittering club career, playing for clubs such as Barcelona and Napoli. His death conies just weeks after he underwent surgery for a subdural haematoma (硬脑膜下的血肿).
The sporting world has been paying tribute. Brazil legend Pele said he had “lost a dear friend” adding that “one day, I hope we can play ball together in the sky.”
In a statement, FC Barcelona expressed “its deepest condolences regarding the death of Diego Armando Maradona, a player for our club and an icon of world football. Rest in peace Diego.” Barcelona's fierce rival Real Madrid also paid tribute saying the club was “deeply saddened on the passing of a true legend of world football”. “Real Madrid extends its condolences to his family and friends, his former clubs and football fans worldwide, particularly those in Argentina.”
Former England striker Gary Lineker, who played in the 1986 game. said Maradona was “by some distance, the best player of my generation and arguably the greatest of all time”.
Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez described Maradona as “the greatest of them all”. “You took us to the top of the world. You made us immensely happy. You were the greatest of them all,”he wrote on social media. “Thank you for having existed, Diego. We are going to miss you all our lives. ”The Argentine Football Association said on Twitter :“The Argentine Football Association, through its president Claudio Tapia, expresses its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend, Diego Armando Maradona. You will always be in our hearts.”
1. What does the underlined word “condolences” in Para. 3 mean?| A．Affection. | B．Respect. | C．Crises. | D．Sympathies. |
| A．Claudio Tapia. | B．Brazil legend Pele. |
| C．Alberto Fernandez. | D．Former England striker Gary Lineker. |
| A．By getting two scores. |
| B．By playing wonderfully in defence. |
| C．By score two “Hand of God" goals. |
| D．By helping his teammates score two goals. |
| A．Diego Maradona. Argentina legend, dies aged 60 |
| B．Maradona's death comes just weeks after he underwent surgery |
| C．Tributes pour in for Argentinian soccer legend Diego Maradona |
| D．Maradona is regarded as one of the game's greatest players of all time |
【推荐3】Young Chinese are increasingly making their voices heard and influencing world opinion as they take on more important roles in international organizations and global projects, at a ceremony in Beijing in April, singer and actor Karry Wang was made the national goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme by Eric Solheim, the organization’s executive director.
“The youth are no longer merely onlookers when it comes to environmental action, nor should they be. I will spare no effort in doing everything I can to take care of our Earth, and I invite everyone to join me in generating a wave of positive action,” Wang said in his speech after the appointment. In 2016, Wang widely shared the online Wild for Life campaign, which gained 400 million views. A year later, he publicly spoke out on the urgent need to protect endangered wildlife, calling the animals the “superstars of the planet.”
Beyond drawing attention to wildlife, he called on his followers to pledge to reduce their electronic waste, using the hashtag BEATPOLLUTION to highlight the issue. Within 24 hours, his post was retweeted 1.67 million times and more than 400,000 followers had pledged to reduce waste.
“Our actions will soon be the leverage to change the world,” Wang says, calling on the younger generation in China and around the world to raise their awareness of environmental issues.
Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment says, “It is inspiring to see the strong and determined voice of Chinese youth when it comes to the environment. When young people set their minds to change, it is incredible to see the great things that can be accomplished, We are very excited to work with Wang Junkai to create even more awareness about the environmental problems and solutions for these times.”
According to the UN report Youth in the Core of Sustainability in Asia Pacific published in March 2016, young people’s participation will help achieve the sustainable development goals in the Asia-Pacific region set for 2030.
Besides Wang, other UNEP goodwill ambassadors include actress Li Bingbing, actor Li Chen, Ellie Goulding, Bertrand Piccard and celebrities from all walks of life both from China and abroad.
1. What made Karry Wang the national goodwill ambassador?| A．drawing attention to wildlife | B．being a singer and actor |
| C．focusing on environmental protection | D．effort in reducing waste |
| A．He made a speech on the issue. | B．He asked his fans to make a vow on the net. |
| C．He retweeted a relevant post. | D．He called on his followers to pick up the waste. |
| A．Hardly had Karry Wang been the goodwill ambassador when he delivered a speech. |
| B．Many young people are influenced by Karry Wang’s action. |
| C．Chinese youth are making a difference to the sustainable development. |
| D．The UNEP goodwill ambassadors are celebrities from Asia. |
| A．Karry Wang’s contribution to environmental action |
| B．The strong and determined voice of Chinese youth |
| C．Safeguarding our earth by the new generation |
| D．Making waves on the global stage |
