A woman eight months pregnant covered head to toe with skin damage. Small children suffering with fevers and painful sores. A father asking for money to buy medicine for his affected five-year-old son after he’d buried two other small children infected with monkeypox.
Monkeypox, a smallpox-related viral disease with two known variants (变种), was named in 1958 after it was identified in a group of research monkeys in a laboratory in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Clade II, also known as the West African variant, is mild. Meanwhile, another variant — ten times deadlier — exists in Central Africa. The Africa Centers for Disease Control reports that the majority of the 3,500 suspected Clade I (or Congo Basin strain) cases this year, including more than 120 deaths, are in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Nigeria, where the Clade II outbreak began, has had about 700 suspected cases, with fewer than 10 deaths. Health experts from National Geographic referred to the steady rise of the Clade I variant in Central Africa, saying countries should be concerned about its threat to global communities and take stronger action to prevent it and other animal-borne diseases from bursting around the world.
“If the West African variant can spread to Europe, America, and other parts of the world, the more harmful and pathogenic (致病的) Congo Basin variant can also go there,” says infectious disease expert Dimie Ogoina at Niger Delta University, in the southern part of Nigeria. “International health organizations must be thoughtful to help address monkeypox and other diseases in Africa. Because if we don’t do this, it will come back to haunt us.”
Some disease experts say we missed an important opportunity to stop the outbreak before it took off. “Monkeypox should be considered a canary (金丝雀) in the coal mine, so that we should do much better disease surveillance (监管) in high-risk populations,” says Anne Rimoin, an infectious disease researcher. “The hardest and most expensive places to do this are in rural, remote parts of Africa,” she says. “But with growing human populations, mobility, and trade, these viruses can just as easily land on our doorstep.” Rimoin says, “Monkeypox cases have continued to increase over the past 12 years in the DRC, as well as other countries in Central and West Africa.” If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything,” she says, “it’s that an infection anywhere is potential for an infection everywhere.”
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?| A．An introduction to the main topic. |
| B．A general description of the whole article. |
| C．The background information of the story. |
| D．Raising a problem for later solution. |
| A．Indifferent | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Concerned. | D．Ambiguous. |
| A．It was impossible to prevent the outbreak of Monkeypox. |
| B．Monkeypox viruses are easily attached to the doorstep. |
| C．Prevention measures are badly in need in remote parts of Africa. |
| D．African locals brought the outbreak of monkeypox to a close before it took off. |
| A．Measures Taken to Prevent Monkeypox. |
| B．Monkeypox Breaking Out in Africa. |
| C．Scientific Research into Monkeypox. |
| D．African Monkeypox Spreading in the World. |
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【推荐1】Asthma (哮喘) is a condition that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It is a lung disease that affects your airways—the tubes that carry air to and from your lungs. It causes the muscles in these tubes to contract, the tubes themselves to swell and sticky mucus to be produced. All of these factors can make it very difficult for a sufferer to breathe properly.
Shortness of breath, especially after exercise, coughing or difficulty breathing while sleeping are all common symptoms. These can be described as mild asthma attacks; however, they can usually be controlled by medication. A severe asthma attack, on the other hand, where a sufferer finds it very difficult to breathe, may require hospital treatment. How badly you are affected by these symptoms depends on what types of asthma you have—from mild to chronic—and how well you are able to control the disorder.
Mild or moderate asthma can be easily controlled through medication or lifestyle changes. Additionally, all attacks need a trigger, and if these triggers can be identified and avoided, the likelihood of an attack decreases. Triggers can include: pollution, smoking, dust, animal hair, stress, pollen, exercise and cold air. These triggers are personal to each individual sufferer, so if you have asthma, make sure you know what is causing your attacks.
In the last half-century there have been many developments in the treatment of asthma. There are presently two main types of medicine: preventers and relievers. A preventer is used every day and reduces the swelling of the airways, cutting the risk of an attack. A reliever is taken when breathing has become (or is going to become) difficult; this actually relaxes the muscles of the airways, reducing constriction and improving the airflow.
Prevention is also good treatment. So if you have asthma, remember to keep generally healthy, take regular exercise and lots of vitamin C to avoid colds and flu —which can be dangerous for asthma sufferers. A healthy diet is also important, and do watch what you eat, as certain foods or food additives can be asthma triggers.
1. What happens to the organs in an asthma attack?| A．Lungs expand. | B．Tubes tighten. |
| C．Airways narrow. | D．Muscles swell. |
| A．Common symptoms. | B．Types of attack. |
| C．Medical treatment. | D．Severity of disorder. |
| A．Cause. | B．Treatment. | C．Relief. | D．Result. |
| A．Advance prevention. | B．Healthy diet. |
| C．Proper medication. | D．Excessive exercise. |
【推荐2】Peanuts are among the most popular snack foods in the United States. Millions of American children are raised on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. PB&Js, as we like to call them, are found in children’s lunchboxes around the country. Or at least they used to be.
Now, many school officials ban peanuts or any products containing peanuts from school property. About 2 percent of U.S. schoolchildren will have an allergic reaction to peanuts. And that number is growing.
People allergic to peanuts can develop skin conditions or watery eyes. Children with a peanut allergy can develop a skin condition called eczema.
Some reactions are so severe they can result in death. So far, doctors have advised parents against serving peanut-containing foods to children under the age of 3. But a 2015 British study found that waiting too long most likely is partly to blame for the peanut allergy problem.
Anthony Fauci is head of America’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Fauci spoke to VOA on Skype. He notes that m Israel, people have a tradition of feeding peanuts to babies.
He says a team of experts have agreed on new guidance for U.S. pediatricians who specialize in children’s allergies.
Fauci calls giving children peanuts a way of “challenging” their bodies. He thinks it could be done safely with some boys and girls, but not with others.
1. Which statement is true according to the passage?| A．American doctors see peanuts as a common food. |
| B．Peanuts have an important position in American life. |
| C．A number of children refuse the peanut foods. |
| D．Leaders and children have been allergic to peanuts. |
| A．Skin conditions. | B．Water eyes. |
| C．Fever. | D．Eczema. |
| A．The peanut allergy problem is complicated. |
| B．Scientists discover the truth behind the problem. |
| C．Children’s physical adaptation to peanuts is different. |
| D．Schoolchildren should be persuaded to like peanuts. |
| A．To put a humorous food advertisement. | B．To search the special value of plants. |
| C．To review a new scientific article. | D．To guide people to care for their health. |
【推荐3】How to Overcome Depression
Suffering from depression means more than just dealing with a bad week or even a bad month. Depression is a weakening condition that can make it impossible for you to enjoy your daily existence. To overcome your depression, you have to first determine if what you’re feeling are the symptoms of depression.
Keep yourself busy. Fill your schedule with events and activities you love. Keeping a busy schedule will force you to stay active, focused, and thinking about the next thing on your plate. You can draw up a schedule for each day at the start of the week, or simply plan out each day the night before.
Improve your diet.
Think positively. Being a more positive thinker will help you look at your life and world in a way that fills you with hope instead of despair. To think more positively, you should learn how to recognize your negative thoughts and to fight them with stronger positive thoughts whenever you can. For a jump start, find at least five things to be grateful for.
| A．Control your emotions. |
| B．Improve your appearance. |
| C．Most importantly be happy about every single day. |
| D．Whichever method you choose, make a goal of sticking to it. |
| E．However, not everyone knows depression has a positive side. |
| F．Eating a healthy, balanced diet can also help you beat depression. |
| G．If you are feeling sad, lonely, or worthless, you may be suffering from depression. |
【推荐1】The interview is an important event in the job-hunting process, because the 20 or 30 minutes you spend with the interviewer may decide whether or not you get the particular job you want. Therefore, it is important to remerber that your purpose during the interview may differ from that of the potential employer. You want to make yourself stand out as a whole person who has personal strengths and should be considered the right person for the job. It is encouraging to know that the interviewer’s task is not to embarrass you, but to hire the right person for the job.
Remember, job hunting is very competitive. Anything you can do to improve your interview techniques will be to your advantage. The following suggestions may help you land the most important job.
Your goal in this interview is to make sure your good points get across. The interviewer won’t know them unless you point them out, so try to do this in a factual and sincere manner.
Don’t say anything bad about your former employers. If you have been fired from a job and the interviewer asks about it, be honest.
Show the interviewer that you are interested in the company by asking questions. Ask about responsibilities, working conditions, promotions opportunities and benefits of the job you are interviewing for.
If at some point you decide the interview is not going well, do not let your discouragement show. You have nothing to lose by continuing a show of confidence, and you may have much to gain. It may be real, or it may be a test to see how you react to adverse conditions.
Some interviesers may bring up salary early in the interview. At this time, you may indicate that you are more interested in a job where you can prove yourself that a specific salary. This politely passes the question back to the interviewer. If possble, you should negotiate for salary after you have been offered a job and have completed the paperwork.
1. To get the job you want, during the interview you should _________________ .| A．avoid the interviewer’s questions that are designed to embarrass you |
| B．remember that you are the best |
| C．make yourself stand out as the right person for the job |
| D．tell yourself that you want to get the job |
| A．should tell a lie to the interviewer |
| B．should not speak ill of him |
| C．should refer to him in a factual manner |
| D．should never mintion it |
| A．difficult | B．friendly |
| C．opposite | D．different |
| A．how to make your strengths understood | B．how to show your interest in the job |
| C．how to be frand and sincere | D．how to deal with an interview |
【推荐2】With innovative (创新的) ideas, 10 teams of student groups competed at UR’s Hult Prize competition on Nov. 3 to skip the selection process for the regional competition. “If you ever had a crazy idea, now it is time to explore it.” senior and Hult Prize competitor Sharfuz Shifat said. The Hult Prize is an international competition where undergraduate and graduate students alike compete to win a $ 1 million prize to start a company based on their ideas.
For many competitors, this competition is an outlet for innovative ideas that can speed up change in the world. “I believe in social entrepreneurship and the power of business to create social change,” said senior Shelly Chen from Team Boodana.
In addition to wanting to make a lasting social effect, some competitors have personal connections to their ideas and a strong motivation to bring them to reality. “We’re enthusiastic about this because it comes from our life,” sophomore Cherine Ghazouani and Team Forty-Two member said. “We’re trying to make our family’s, our country’s and our people’s lives better.”
After the event, the award ceremony announced the winner: the first and second runner-ups as Team BestBeing, Team Forty-Two and Team Boodana, respectively. Although the ruling ideas of the winners were mainly meant to provide jobs for unemployed youth, many of the proposed solutions also handled other problems in today’s society. Team Forty-Two worked on re-inventing the impractical tutoring system in Mediterranean countries;Team BestBeing aimed to provide a solution for the lack of availability of mental health services all over the world.
“Usually some of the most simple and practical solutions are the ones that are the most beautiful and effective,” judge Anna Schreyer said. “The challenge is being able to look at things in a completely new way that’s very simple. Try to step out of the box of how we do things and how we think about things.”
1. What is the purpose of the UR’s Hult Prize competition?| A．Not to let go of innovative ideas. |
| B．To award the most hardworking students. |
| C．Not to be crazy about changing the reality. |
| D．To stress the importance of regional competition. |
| A．A graduate degree. | B．A job in a company. |
| C．A position in UR’s Hult Prize. | D．A starting fund of a company. |
| A．The impractical tutoring system. | B．A solution to mental health. |
| C．Youth unemployment. | D．The way of innovative thinking. |
| A．Effective and old. | B．Simple and practical. |
| C．Long-lasting and simple. | D．Changeable and practical. |
【推荐3】Different weather makes people feel different. It influences health, intelligence (智力) and feelings.
In August, it is very hot and wet in the southern part of the United States. People there have heart trouble and other kinds of health problems during this month. In the Northeast and the Middle West, it is very hot at some times and very cold at other times. People in these states (州) have more heart trouble after the weather changes in February or March.
The weather can also influence intelligence. For example, in a 1983 report by scientists, IQ (智商) of a group of students was very high when a very strong wind came, but after the strong wind, their IQ was 10% lower. The wind can help people have more intelligence. Very hot weather, on the other hand, can make it lower. Students in many schools of the United States often get worse on exams in the hot months of the year (July and August).
Weather also has a strong influence on people’s feelings. Winter may be a bad time for thin people. They usually feel cold during these months. They might feel unhappy during cold weather. But fat people may have a hard time in hot summer. At a-bout 18℃, people become stronger.
Low air pressure (气压) may make people forgetful (健忘). People leave more bags on buses and in shops on low-pressure days. People feel best at a temperature of about 18℃.
Are you feeling sad, tired, forgetful, or unhappy today? It may be the weather’s problem.
1. What can cause problems on health?| A．Hot and wet weather | B．A strong wind |
| C．Warm weather | D．Low air pressure |
| A．rain | B．a strong wind |
| C．very hot weather | D．low air pressure |
| A．hot and cold weather influences all people in the same way |
| B．weather influences people’s behaviour |
| C．IQ changes when weather changes |
| D．people feel good on low pressure days |
| A．Hot Weather Causes Health Problems. |
| B．Different Weather Makes People Feel Bad. |
| C．Weather Influences Feelings. |
| D．Weather Influences Health, Intelligence and Feelings. |
