【推荐1】How is this virus transmitted?

This is an outbreak of disease that started in Wuhan, one of the central Chinese cities. It’s caused by a novel corona virus that means it’s brand-new.     1    .

What are the symptoms?

The virus is from a family called the corona viruses. The symptoms of this illness are pretty mundane (平凡的) on the face of it: it’s a dry cough fever and then breathing problems.     2    . However, as for the more severe cases, people have gone on to develop viral pneumonia, and all the deaths have been among those people.

    3    .

This brand-new corona virus came from animals, and it’s believed that the source was actually a seafood market in Wuhan, which also sells wild animals. So far all the cases have come out of Wuhan. But some people haven’t picked it up there.

Should I be panicking about this outbreak?

As we can see, older people are ending up in hospital with the virus. They’re usually over 40.

    4    . Basically their immune systems are not very strong, and they’re gong to find it very hard to fight off a virus.

How is this virus transmitted?

We’ve only just discovered that the new corona virus is actually transmitted from one person to another. It was hoped at first actually that it just came from animals as all corona viruses do.     5    .So we’ve got people to people transmission, because the market has been closed for sometime, and there are cases in people who’ve never been near it.

A．It seems quite mild in lots of people.

B．Where have cases been confirmed so far?

C．So new that actually it doesn’t have a name yet.

D．People diagnosed with viral pneumonia will die.

E．It is a brand-new virus so we don’t know how it’s going to behave.

F．Those who have died tend actually to have heart disease or cancer already.

G．Now it looks as though it is actually passed from one human being to another, however.

【推荐2】They still bite, but new research shows lab-grown mosquitoes are fighting dengue fever — a dangerous disease that they normally would spread. Dengue infections appear to be dropping fast in communities in Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil and Australia that are filled with the specially grown mosquitoes.

Researchers first injected （注射）mosquito eggs with Wolbachia bacteria that's common in insects and harmless to people in a lab. Infected females then pass the bacteria on through their eggs. Releasing enough Wolbachia carriers, both the females that bite and the males that don't, allows mating（交配）to spread the bacteria through a local mosquito population.

Rather than using chemicals to wipe out pests, “this is really about transforming the mosquito," said Cameron Simmons of the nonprofit World Mosquito Program, which is conducting the research.

The first success came from Australia. Mosquitoes carrying Wolbachia were released in parts of North Queensland starting in 2011, and gradually spread through the local mosquito population. Dengue is spread when a mosquito bites someone who is infected, and then bites another person, but somehow Wolbachia blocks that — and local spread has nearly disappeared in those North Queensland Communities, Simmons said.

The studies are continuing in other countries. But the findings, presented at a meeting of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, suggest it's possible to turn at least some mosquitoes from a public health threat into annoying biters.

The work marks “exciting progress," said Michigan State University professor Zhiyong Xi, who wasn't involved with the project but has long studied how Wolbachia can turn mosquitoes against themselves.

More research is needed, specialists cautioned. "The results are pretty exciting — strong levels of reductions — but there clearly are going to be things to be learned from the areas where the reductions are not as great," said Penn State University professor Elizabeth McGraw.

1. What can we learn about the lab-grown mosquitoes?

A．They lose the ability to bite people.

B．They become harmful to human beings.

C．They carry dangerous Wolbachia bacteria.

D．They spread Wolbachia bacteria by mating.

2. What does the underlined word "that" refer to in Paragraph 4?

A．The bite from a mosquito.	B．The local community.
C．The spread of Dengue.	D．The infected person.

3. What do the last two paragraphs suggest?

A．This research proves a complete success.

B．Scientists agree on this research.

C．There is still room for improvement.

D．Mosquitoes turn themselves against harmful ones.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Bacteria- infected Mosquitoes Bite Deadly Dengue.

B．Transform Mosquitoes into Annoying Biters

C．Fight against Mosquitoes with Wolbachia

D．Harmless Mosquitoes Are on Their Way

【推荐3】People have smoked cigarettes for a long time now. The tobacco which is used to make cigarettes was first grown in what is now part of the United States. Christopher Columbus, who discovered America, saw the Indians smoking. Soon the dried leaves were transported to Europe. In the late 1800s, the Turks made cigarettes popular.
Cigarette smoke contains at least two harmful substances, tar and nicotine. Tar, which forms as the tobacco burns, damages the lungs and therefore affects breathing. Nicotine, which is found in the leaves, causes the heart to beat faster and increases the breathing rate. Nicotine in large can kill a person by stopping a person’s breathing muscles. Smokers usually take in small amounts that the body can quickly break down.
Nicotine can make new smokers feel dizzy(头晕) or sick to their stomachs. The heart rate for young smokers increases 2 to 3 beats per minute. Nicotine also lowers skin temperature and reduces blood flow in the legs and feet. It plays an important role in increasing smokers’ risk of heart disease and stroke.
Smoking cigarettes is dangerous. Cigarette smoking was the cause of lung cancer and several other deadly diseases.
1. Tobacco first appeared in ________.

A．Asia

B．Africa

C．Europe

D．America

2. What is the main purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To tell us the bad effects caused by smoking cigarettes.

B．To introduce the history of smoking.

C．To let us know what the cigarettes are made from.

D．To tell the readers that Columbus found the Indians smoking.

3. The following effects are caused by Nicotine EXCEPT that ________.

A．it can make new smokers feel dizzy or sick to their stomachs

B．it lowers skin temperature

C．it causes the heart to beat less fast

D．Nicotine will probably kill a person if a smoker takes in too much of it.

4. What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．Where did cigarettes come from?

B．The effect of smoking on your body.

C．How to smoke is healthy?

D．Who is the first smoker?

【推荐1】“I invented a new word. How do I get it into the dictionary?”

This is, by far, the question lexicographers (词典编纂者) hear the most. People invent new words all the time, but which ones actually make it into the dictionary? When lexicographers decide what words to add to dictionaries, they try to imagine what words users actually want to look up. There are important factors to keep in mind here.

Is the word in widespread usage?

The usage question is an important one that gets at the heart of how dictionaries are written. When modem lexicographers try to add words to dictionaries, they tend to approach their work from the angle of descriptivism — that is, they observe how the language is being used, see if it’ s a common phenomenon, and then write definitions based on their research.

Does the word have staying power?

Widespread usage does not, however, guarantee a word a shiny new definition in a dictionary. Is the word going to stay around for a while, or is it just a passing fad? Is it likely to be in use in 5, 10, 20, or even 100 years? These are important questions to ask because there are far more updates and new words to be added to dictionaries than lexicographers have time to write.

Are you famous? Do you have influence?

If you’re famous, that could definitely up your chances of getting a word into a dictionary. Are you a writer? That could help. Take, for example, William Shakespeare, who invented (or at least popularized) hundreds of words and phrases commonly used today. Politicians also make their contributions. Abraham Lincoln invented the word neologize, and Winston Churchill has the first citation (引语) in the OED for many words, including fluffily and fly-in. So if you’re a person with influence and a following, the words you use can spread into common usage, which, as discussed above, is very important when it comes to gaining dictionary-entry.

Does the word fill a gap in the language?

If you’re not famous, there are other ways. Maybe you’re a scientist introducing new concepts to the public. Take, for example, the Higgs Boson particle (粒子), named after physicist Peter W. Higgs. But you don’t have to be a scientist to get your word a dictionary entry. Just look at Dominique Ansel, the pastry chef (糕点师) who captured the stomachs of New Yorkers with his dessert, the cronat. His invention even inspired copycats in the form of doissants and daffins.

Apart from these, it does sometimes help if the word is fun to say. The term blog is relatively new, which arose in 1999 when Peter Merholz made a light-hearted comment on the sidebar of his “weblog” telling his readers “I’ve decided to pronounce the word ‘weblog’ as wee’-blog. Or ‘blog’ for short.” And there’s also Dr. Seuss, who invented the term nerd.

So, why do some words make it into dictionaries while others don’t? With the knowledge discussed above in hand, the answer is more than obvious. Go forth! Use language creatively! Lexicographers are listening![

Title: How does a word gain     1     into the dictionary?
Reasons	Details	Examples
Being used     2	With the approach of descriptivism, modem lexicographers will observe how commonly a word is used and     3     it according to their research.
Having staying power	The     4     a word remains in use, the more likely it is to be put into the dictionary.
Being invented by famous people	Chances of dictionary entry also     5     if the new word is invented by people of importance and influence.	Hundreds of words and phrases invented by literary figures and     6    .
7     a gap in the language	If a word introduces new scientific concepts, or     8     new inventions, it will probably get into the dictionary.	the Higgs Boson particle; cromit, doissants, duffins
Being fun to say	Some words make it into dictionaries because they carry a     9     of fun when you use them.	10     nerd