Using a headset at home to deliver a low electrical current to the brain can relieve symptoms of depression. The approach, called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), is effective when used several times a week for half an hour at a time.
Previous trials have shown that the therapy works under medical supervision in a clinic or lab. Now, a randomised trial has demonstrated that a tDCS headset can also reduce depression symptoms when worn at home.
Several forms of electrical brain stimulation may have the potential to treat depression. With tDCS, sponge electrodes are placed on the left and right sides of the forehead, causing a mild current to flow from the left to the right. This makes brain cells on the left side more likely to fire, with some studies suggesting that activity in this region is low in people with depression.
Repeated sessions of stimulation may lead to longer term changes in the brain cells, increasing their activity levels, says team member Cynthia Fu at the University of East London. Affecting activity in this region probably alters activity in multiple areas, she says. “There are probably many brain regions causing depression.”
To see if people can benefit from using such a device at home, the team randomly assigned 174 people with moderate or severe depression to receive either a full session of stimulation from the headset or stimulation from the same device that lasted just a few seconds. People felt their skin aching at the start and end of each session.
While the depression symptoms of both groups improved on a 52-point scale, those who got the real treatment showed the most benefit, by about 9 points compared with 7, a degree of difference that is similar to that seen with antidepressants (抗抑郁药), “We found people liked having it at home,” says Fu. “Participants could build it into their day.”
1. What is the function of the headset?| A．Curing depression in patients. | B．Testing the degree of depression. |
| C．Adjusting brain’s electrical current. | D．Reducing symptoms of depression. |
| A．By making the left-brain cells active. | B．By causing a strong electrical current. |
| C．By changing the brain wave’s direction. | D．By stimulating all brain regions repeatedly. |
| A．Monitors. | B．Disturbs. | C．Limits. | D．Changes. |
| A．They feel relieved to some extent. | B．They remain relaxed in the session. |
| C．They use different kinds of headsets. | D．They are bound to rely on the headsets. |
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【推荐1】An Arkansas doctor, T. Atiq helped his former patients face the New Year with less debt, voiding (使无效) more than $650,000 of unpaid medical bills for those once under his care. Each patient received a card with a personal greeting from their doctor. The note thanked each patient for trusting Dr. Atiq with their care followed by the generous surprise. “If this gave them a little bit of assistance then I am grateful to have had the opportunity to do so,” the physician said.
Nearly 30 years ago, Dr. Atiq founded the Arkansas Cancer Clinic in the community of Pine Bluffto make cancer care available for the economically disadvantaged. Before its opening, Pine Bluff cancer patients traveled at least 50 miles for treatment. Dr. Atiq was clear that his patients’ needs were always his top concern—not their ability to pay.
Dr. Atiq knew all too well the huge financial pressure often faced by patients. Although he wished all of his patients could simply focus on recovery from disease, many were simply not in a position to—even if they had insurance. And, most of his patients had to work while receiving treatment. Some of his patients, including elderly grandmothers, were already working two jobs before getting sick.
In the same spirit of generosity that Dr. Atiq opened his clinic, he is now closing its doors to begin a new chapter. Dr. Atiq is a full-time professor of Head and Neck Surgery at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, part of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. His patients safely transitioned to a hospital to continue their cancer care.
Dr. Atiq feels his act of kindness was a small gesture in comparison to what his patients have given to him over the years. “The courage and resilience (适应力) that I have learned from my patients are invaluable,” he says. “The issue is their health. I am hoping that they can be cured of cancer. Or, it is controlled well to where they are living productive, happy lives with their families, their friends, and their loved ones.”
1. What did Dr. Atiq do for his former patients?| A．He paid off all their debts. |
| B．He forgave them their debts. |
| C．He made invitation cards for them. |
| D．He gave a New Year dinner for them. |
| A．It treated poor people free of charge. |
| B．It had a long history of about 50 years. |
| C．It was the first clinic of its kind in Pine Bluff. |
| D．It attracted cancer patients across the country. |
| A．Reasons why Dr. Atiq closed his clinic. |
| B．Problems that Dr. Atiq's former patients faced. |
| C．Suggestions that Dr. Atiq gave to elderly patients. |
| D．Challenges that Dr. Atiq met in the course of work. |
| A．He is pursuing a new career. |
| B．He has retired from his post. |
| C．He hopes to stay healthy to treat more patients. |
| D．He wants to raise public awareness about cancer. |
【推荐2】When a young physician appeared in a village to set up practice, she ran into a wall of distrust. Fourteen years on, the locals treat her as one of their own, Yang Feiyue reports.
Two pairs of old-fashioned black shoes with rugged cotton soles (鞋底) stand out among a pile of items, including awards certificates that exemplify Zhong Jing’s work in improving rural health over the past 14 years.
The shoes are by no means finely finished and point to the tough manual labor of a 90-year-old villager who touched Zhong’s soul and made her decide to put down roots in Longhe village, Longchang town, Qianxi-nan Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefecture in Guizhou province.
“I’ve never been able to get over how she must have struggled across several kilometers of rough mountain roads just to send me these shoes,” Zhong says.
The anecdote is one of many that tell of the bond between Zhong and the village’s 3,000 or so residents. Rain or shine, Zhong opens the door of her clinic in the village no later than 7: 30 am each day. The clinic is the only place where the villagers can see a doctor and have their ailments (疾病尤指慢性病) tended without trekking (艰苦跋涉) further afield.
Zhong, 39, knows every one of her patients and their conditions, so her diagnoses are done efficiently, with prescriptions that almost always seem to do the trick. When villages are on their work breaks, Zhong makes calls to some who have chronic (长期的) diseases, such as high blood pressure, and diabetes.
When Zhong settled down in Longhe in 2008, villagers’ worries of having nowhere to turn to in a medical emergency evaporated.
1. What’s the local villagers’ reaction when Zhong first appeared in the village?| A．They relied on her treatment very much. |
| B．They did not have belief in her very much. |
| C．They just completely ignored her effort. |
| D．They treated her as one of their own. |
| A．To illustrate that Zhong lived a poor life. |
| B．To illustrate that Zhong walked a long way. |
| C．To illustrate Zhong’s simple lifestyle. |
| D．To illustrate the local’s appreciation for her. |
| A．Because she has advanced diagnose skills. |
| B．Because she has confidence in her medial knowledge. |
| C．Because she thoroughly knows her patients’ conditions. |
| D．Because the local patients have no other clinic to go. |
| A．Disappeared. | B．Declined. | C．Established. | D．Confirmed. |
【推荐3】Health care is regarded as an important way to improve the health and well-being of people around the world. In many countries of the world, free health care is provided by the government.
Clearly, we all have to pay for this service through our taxes.
Finally, I would like to say that I think free health care is a good thing. I understand that the system is not perfectly fair because some people use it more than others. Besides, not all the medical treatment is really necessary for the health of the patient. The taxpayer should not have to pay the costs of such treatment.
| A．It helps you make money. |
| B．Personally, I disagree with this point of view. |
| C．However, some people think this is basically unjust. |
| D．This means that everybody has a chance to see a doctor. |
| E．Free health care will decrease the economy of the country. |
| F．Besides, fire fighters take risks, but they are necessary risks. |
| G．However, in my opinion, this is a small price to pay for a healthier society. |
【推荐1】When Sally Millsopp, 53, with her 17-year-old daughter, Eleanor, participated in Race for Life in 2019. She had no idea if she would get to see her mother Jennifer Earnshaw again, who was desperately ill with a form of lung cancer, but she encouraged the pair to take part in the event as she knew the fundraising would help others.
They managed to make it back to her bedside just in time to show her the photographs. Jennifer, who was a former head teacher, passed away the following day, aged 76.
Ms Millsopp and her daughter are once again participating in the Race for Life on May 13 this year to the memory of Jennifer, and will be speaking on stage to inspire others.
“Mum was a selfless person. I knew she really wanted us to do Race for Life but it was hard not knowing if I would be there with her at the end. When we reached the finish line, Eleanor and I both felt elated that we’d done something so positive at such a sad time. We had a big hug and knew it was something Mum would be proud of,” said Ms Millsopp.
One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer, but the good news is more people are surviving the disease now than ever before. Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, is an inspiring women—only series of 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy and Hiking events which raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer sooner by funding vital research.
Gemma Turpin, Cancer Research UK’s Norwich event manager, said, “We are very grateful to Sally and Eleanor for their story that highlights how special Race for Life is to people. By following them, women in Norfolk can make a real difference in the fight against cancer. Money raised through Race for Life is helping beat over 200 different types of cancer—that’s why every step, every person and every penny raised counts.
1. What do we know about Jennifer Earnshaw?| A．She used to take part in Race For Life. |
| B．She worried about her cancer’s influence on Sally. |
| C．She died without seeing Sally and Eleanor. |
| D．She had a sense of social responsibility. |
| A．Really interested. | B．Desperately tired. |
| C．Extremely excited. | D．Deeply embarrassed. |
| A．Living life with a selfless heart. | B．Running in memory of mother. |
| C．Joining the race to keep healthy. | D．Struggling to survive from cancer. |
【推荐2】One CT image of a brain changed science and medicine forever.
Half a century ago, the first CT image of a patient lifted the veil (面纱) of invisibility that covers the interior of the human body, providing scientists a window on our innards (内脏) unlike any before.
Today, doctors in the United States alone order more than 80 million scans per year. X-ray computed tomography, or CT, is frequently the quickest way of getting a handle on what’s causing a mysterious problem. CT scans can find out heart disease, tumors, blood clots, internal bleeding and more. The technique can give surgeons a heads-up about what they will encounter inside a patient, and guide treatment for cancer and other diseases.
“It answers so many questions quickly. That’s why it’s used,” says medical physicist Cynthia McCollough of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
A CT scan involves thousands of X-ray measurements taken from multiple angles. Here's how it works: A source of X-rays moves around the body, sending a beam (光束) of radiation through bone, blood and tissue, while moving detectors measure the beam that makes it through.
Different materials in the body absorb X-rays differently. The calcium (钙) in bone actively absorbs X-rays, for example, while soft tissues absorb less. So when the data collected by the detectors are joined together by a computer, it can form a cross-sectional view of what’s inside based on where X-rays are absorbed more or less. Moving the table holding the patient so that the X-ray beam and detectors slide along the body enables 3-D reconstructions of organs and other parts.
Over the years, scientists have continually improved the technology, making it faster and higher resolution (清晰度), and cutting the amount of radiation that patients receive. These improved CT scans have painted ever more detailed landscapes of the human body. It’s hard not to be impressed by the beauty of the inner world that the scans bring to the surface.
1. What does the underlined word “heads-up” in paragraph 3 mean?| A．Measure. | B．Choice. | C．Forecast. | D．Treatment. |
| A．By using different materials to absorb X-rays. |
| B．By collecting and sending data to the computer. |
| C．By checking the amount of calcium in the bone. |
| D．By scanning what’s inside based on different X-rays absorption. |
| A．Lower speed. | B．More radiation. | C．Higher resolution. | D．Fewer details. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. | C．Disapproving. | D．Indifferent. |
【推荐3】All day long, litter builds up between brain cells.A study now finds that trash(垃圾)is washed away by fluids in the brain during sleep.That's potentially good news because such garbage(废物) includes a substance linked to Alzheimer's disease.
Evidence of this brain washing emerged in a study on mice.But the finding gave researchers an idea of what may happen in the brains of sleeping people.
A sleep researcher at the University of WisconsinMadison, Chiara Cirelli called the new finding “eyeopening and exciting”.
Maiken Nedergaard is a neuroscientist.Her team had been studying a drainage process in the brain that acts like a sewer system(排水系统). What the scientists hadn't expected was to find that this system performs a different role during sleep than it does while animals are awake.As animals slept, fluids began flowing from the brain into the spaces between brain cells.These fluids washed away the junk that had built up while animals were awake.
Other studies had shown that during waking hours, brain cells pump out bits of protein and other substances.The longer someone stays awake, the more litter builds up.That trash includes proteins that gather in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, which causes people to lose the ability to think, learn and remember.
Once mice fell asleep, fluids flowed into their brains.“It was almost like you opened a tap”, Nedergaard said.As the fluid passed through the spaces between brain cells, it washed away the litter.The tap slowed to a trickle(涓流) when mice woke up.
The scientists then looked closely at the brain cells.They found that the cells shrank during slumber(睡眠)—enough to open space through which the fluid can flow freely.When mice were awake, the cells swelled, lessening the fluid's flow.
The newfound housecleaning activity occurs in a part of the brain that few people study, noted scientist Houzel.“That space between brain cells is usually disregarded.It's considered just space, ”she said.
The new discovery also may help scientists solve an ageold mystery：Why do animals sleep？Every animal does it.Without it, they die, although no one knows why.Some studies suggest that the brain solidifies memories during sleep.However, Nedergaard notes, “You don't die from forgetting what you learned yesterday.”
1. According to the text, Maiken's discovery was________.| A．a real surprise | B．a natural result |
| C．a big reward | D．a personal purpose |
| A．brain cells take in more proteins |
| B．litter of proteins build up in our brains |
| C．fluids in the brain continue flowing |
| D．our brains have more fluids flow |
| A．is in fact a kind of space |
| B．has ever been carefully studied |
| C．used to be regarded as unimportant |
| D．is where litter is stored in the end |
【推荐1】When I give public lectures about the climate crisis, the most common question people pose is: “Are you an optimist or a pessimist?”
My answer is yes. California has achieved dramatic emissions reductions in a thriving economy, which makes me hopeful, yet in general the fossil-fuel industry is determined not to change. The second most common question is: “What can I, personally, do?”
That’s a tough one. The major drivers of climate change are collective enterprises such as power grids, industry, large-scale agriculture and transportation systems. Substantial emissions reductions in these settings most likely will not come from personal actions; they will come from laws and policies such as carbon-pricing systems, revised building codes and supports for green investment.
Some people have argued that calls for individual action actually distract us from corporate responsibility. That could explain why the fossil-fuel industry is fond of such requests. Oil giant BP popularized and promoted the idea of a carbon footprint, deflecting attention to its customers who, it suggests, should take personal responsibility by lowering their carbon footprints. One study found that focusing on individual activity actually undermines support for more effective policy initiatives such as a carbon tax. Another problem with personal behavior is that people do not like to be told what to do.
Yet individual acts can grow into influential group activity. One effective act, and one that can be amplified, is to eat less red meat. Cutting meat consumption is a powerful and personal thing most Americans can do to tackle the climate crisis, and they can do it immediately. About 40 percent of greenhouse gases come from agriculture, deforestation and other land-use changes. Meat — particularly beef — drives climate change in two ways: first, through cows’ emission of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and second, by destroying forests as they are converted to grazing land to satisfy the global demand for beef. By eating less beef, we can start to decrease that demand. You do not have to become a vegan to do this. If every person in the U.S. cut their meat consumption by 25 percent, it would reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 1 percent. That might not sound like a lot, but it would help protect the rain forest, so the positive effects — including reduced water and fertilizer use, improved biodiversity and safeguarded rights of indigenous peoples — would be amplified.
Perhaps most important, social action is contagious — in a good way. If lots of us begin to eat less meat and if we talk about it constructively, we will likely influence others. Pretty soon the 1 percent reduction becomes 2 percent or more. Reduced demand for meat could motivate my local supermarket to carry better produce, making it easier for me and my neighbors to prepare a few more satisfying meat-free meals. Ultimately changes in demand will influence industry. Forty years ago few mainstream supermarkets carried organic products; now nearly all do. Consumer demand did that.
Cutting back on red meat also has the added benefit of being good for your health. So while I wouldn’t advise governments to order people to stop eating hamburgers, if anyone asks, “What can I do?” a simple and accurate answer is: “Eat less meat. It’s in your control, and you can begin right now. It benefits both you and the planet.”
1. Which one plays the most decisive role in emissions reductions according to the passage?| A．Individual actions. | B．Fossil-fuel industries. |
| C．The thriving economy. | D．Effective laws and policies. |
| A．Indigenous peoples turn forests into grazing land. |
| B．Meat is considered as the biggest driver of climate change. |
| C．Small individual acts can make a big difference collectively. |
| D．Most Americans have to become vegans to tackle the climate crisis. |
| A．Appealing. | B．Poisonous. | C．Harmonious. | D．Spreading. |
| A．To explain ways to reduce carbon footprint. |
| B．To persuade people to cut meat consumption. |
| C．To evaluate the effects of healthy eating habits. |
| D．To argue against the emission policies of industries. |
【推荐2】During the annual political sessions, environmental protection was definitely among the biggest concerns. Actually, it was also an issue that ancient Chinese paid great attention to. In fact, the world’s earliest environmental protection concept, ministry and laws were all born in China. So how did the ancient Chinese protect the environment?
In early ancient China, environmental protection was promoted to the political level. Xunzi, a famous thinker in Warring States Period, brought up the concept of “managing state affairs through environmental protection”. He stated in his book that vegetation should not be damaged at will. Guan Zhong, an official 400 years ahead of Xunzi, was also an environmental protection expert. During his term of office, he claimed that “a King who cannot protect his vegetation is not qualified to be a king”.
According to a record in Qing dynasty, the environmental protection ministry in early ancient China was called “Yu”, standing both for the institution and the official title. Although most of its functions were similar to such ministries today, the administration range of it was much larger, including the mountains, forests, rivers, lakes and so on.
The nine ministries established by Shun, an ancient Chinese emperor, already included “Yu”, the environmental protection ministry. The first “Yu” official was a man called Boyi, who was indeed an environmental protection expert. He was a capable assistant to Dayu, an ancient Chinese water-control expert. He invented wells, protecting people’s drinking water from pollution. He knew a lot about animals and also called for animal protection.
Environmental protection laws dated back to the ruling period of Dayu, which was more than 4,000 years ago. During his rule, he issued a ban, forbidding people to cut down wood in March or catch fish in June, the time when they were supposed to boom.
In Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period almost 3,000 years ago, “environmental protection laws” appeared in its true sense in Qin, which was recorded in Law of Fields and regarded as China’s earliest “environmental protection laws”.
1. What can we know about Xunzi?| A．He was against any destruction of vegetate on. |
| B．He was an environmental protection expert. |
| C．He removed the disqualified king from the position. |
| D．He brought up the thought of environmental protection. |
| A．The ministry of Yu. | B．The Qing dynasty. |
| C．The term of office of Yu. | D．The modern environmental ministry. |
| A．Shun. | B．Boyi. | C．Xunzi. | D．Guan Zhong. |
| A．Politics and Environment | B．The Earliest Environmental Laws |
| C．Dayu — a Great Environmental Protector | D．How the Ancient Chinese Protect the Environment |
【推荐3】In recent years, a growing body of research has shown that our appetite and food intake are influenced by a large number of factors besides our biological need for energy, including our eating environment and our perception (感知) of the food in front of us.
Studies have shown, for instance, that eating in front of the TV or a similar distraction(分心) can increase both hunger and the amount of food consumed. Even simple visual cues, like plate size and lighting, have been shown to affect portion size and consumption.
A new study suggested that our short-term memory also may play a role in appetite. Several hours after a meal, people’s hunger levels were predicted not by how much they’d eaten but rather by how much food they’d seen in front of them—in other words, how much they remembered eating.
This difference suggests the memory of our previous meal may have a bigger influence on our appetite than the actual size of the meal, says Jeffrey M. Brunstrom, a professor of experimental psychology at the University of Bristol.
“Hunger isn’t controlled solely by the physical characteristics of a recent meal. We have identified an independent role for memory for that meal,” Brunstrom says. “This shows that the relationship between hunger and food intake is more complex than we thought.”
These findings echo earlier research that suggests our perception of food can sometimes trick our body’s response to the food itself. In a 2011 study, for instance, people who drank the same 380-calorie milkshake on two separate occasions produced different levels of hunger-related hormones (荷尔蒙), depending on whether the shake’s label said it contained 620 or 140 calories. Moreover, the participants reported feeling more full when they thought they’d consumed a higher-calorie shake.
What does this mean for our eating habits? Although it hardly seems practical to trick ourselves into eating less, the new findings do highlight the benefits of focusing on our food and avoiding TV and multitasking while eating.
The so-called mindful-eating strategies can fight distractions and help us control our appetite, Brunstrom says.
1. What is said to be a factor affecting our appetite and food intake?| A．How we feel the food we eat. | B．What elements the food contains. |
| C．When we eat our meals. | D．How fast we eat our meals. |
| A．Food labels may mislead consumers in their purchases. |
| B．Food labels may influence our body’s response to food. |
| C．Hunger levels depend on one’s consumption of calories. |
| D．People tend to take in a lot more calories than necessary. |
| A．Trick ourselves into eating less. | B．Choose food with fewer calories. |
| C．Concentrate on food while eating. | D．Pick dishes of the right size. |
| A．Eating distractions often affect our food digestion. |
| B．Psychological factors influence our hunger levels. |
| C．Our food intake is determined by our biological needs. |
| D．Good eating habits will contribute to our health. |
