Vaccines (疫苗) may soon make their first film appearance. Led by expert Maria A. Croyle, researchers have developed a thin sheet that preserves vaccines for long periods without using the cooling system. This means the carefully cooled small bottles now used to ship vaccines could potentially be replaced by lightweight films that can be mailed in an envelope and stored on a shelf.
Croyle’s laboratory began developing the technology in 2007. Inspired by amber’s ability to preserve the DNA of insects, the researchers set out to create their own version of the substance by mixing “a lot of sugar and a little bit of salt, much like hard candy,” Croyle explains. The vaccine-containing film is administered by mouth—sweet news for many who dislike needles.
The film is tailored to suit each specific vaccine candidate and provide a protective coating. “We’ve learned over time that the key to really stabilizing whatever the film holds is to have it intermixed with all the components,” Croyle says, adding that the process is quick and uses affordable, standard equipment. “We really wanted to come up with something that would be transported to developing countries.”
Immunization (免疫) programs depend heavily on keeping vaccines cold (2℃—8℃) as they are transported, sometimes over thousands of kilometers to far-away locations. Delivery can be difficult and costly, and transport delaying can cause the vaccines to be ineffective.
But this new product can store live viruses, bacteria and antibodies for several months at 20℃. In a paper published in Science Advances, the scientists show that the live viruses in one vaccine were preserved in the film even after 36 months. They also find that a flu vaccine suspended in their film compares favourably with a traditional flu shot. “The study demonstrates early proof of concept for an exciting platform for vaccine product development,” says Lisa Rohan, who was not involved in the study. She also notes that each vaccine type would need a custom formulation (配方) for future stages of development.
“Finding partners to mass-produce for clinical trials is the researchers’ most pressing problem,” Croyle says. They are also exploring packaging methods to keep their films stable up to 40℃.
Size is a major advantage—a letter-sized sheet of the film can carry more than 500 doses (剂) of vaccine, about 1/900 the weight of the same amount of traditional doses. “By making it easier and cheaper to ship and preserve vaccines efficiently,” Croyle says, “the technology could vastly improve immunization rates the world over, particularly in middle-to-low income countries.”
1. What can we learn about the film?| A．It contains animal’s DNA. | B．It will replace vaccines. |
| C．It comes in different flavours. | D．It can hold bio-products. |
| A．development schedule | B．possible advantages |
| C．key component | D．transportation requirements |
| A．advise personalizing vaccines | B．stress the functions of a new platform |
| C．suggest the product is promising | D．prove the study is supported widely |
| A．Reducing the shipping cost. | B．Seeking ideal producers. |
| C．Improving the film’s capacity. | D．Advertising the film worldwide. |
相似题推荐
You may drink water in a bottle when you are thirsty. But plastic bottles are bad for the environment. Is there a way not to use a bottle?
Try the Ooho bubble. It is a small ball of water. The water is in a soft container(容器). People use it instead of a water bottle. It has no colour, no smell and no taste. It is made from seaweed(海藻) and is safe for people to drink.
You can make a hole in the container to drink water from it. Or you can just put the whole thing into your month.
Three creators from the Imperial College London made the Ooho bubble. It is good for the environment. And people can only spend 0.14 yuan buying one container. It is much cheaper than plastic bottles. So many people like it.
________. For example, each water ball doesn’t hold much water. You may have to drink a lot of them before you are not thirsty any more. Or some may feel it’s not clean to hold the water bubble in their hands. What do you think about it?
1. The Ooho bubble is ___________.| A．a kind of water in soft bottles | B．a small ball of water in a container |
| C．bad for our environment | D．made from sea seaweed |
2. If you have 0.7 yuan, you can buy ___________ of the seaweed containers.
| A．two | B．three | C．four | D．five |
3. Which of the following can be put at the beginning of the last paragraph(段落)?
| A．The Ooho bubble has other good ways. | B．But there are still many problems. |
| C．All of the people will like the Ooho bubble. | D．Some people wonder if it is clean. |
| A．A new way to drink water | B．Bottled water is bad for the environment |
| C．Drink before you are thirsty | D．The Ooho bubble is safe to drink |
【推荐2】
China’s flying cars take wing on world stage
BY TOM GREEN|WORLDDAILY|Updated:2024-01-1708:31
With innovative (革新的) technological experience, Chinese high-tech products, from new robots, electric cars, to smart phones and so on, have shown a strong ability on the international stage and become the new favourites of CES participants.
At the CES 2024 in Las Vegas, which is the most powerful tech event in the world, China’s flying cars attracted media and people from all over the world.
According to the vice-president of a Hi-tech company, their flying car is for both road, driving and flying and has completed its first flight.“Drivers can easily switch between flying and driving modes,” he said. “When you’re driving on the road, it operates as an intelligent car. It’s about the size of a regular car. In flight mode, it can take off and fly over traffic jams and rivers.”
During the research and development process of flying cars, Chinese super-car companies have faced various challenges and difficulties. These challenges could be either good or bad, but they are normal. Challenge is a natural part of operating in any country. “Facing the challenges,” the manager of a super-car company said, “Our first method is to stick to our goal: Developing products to solve problems for human beings and consumers and building a new mode of transportation for the future—giving cars wings. Second, in key technologies, we insist on complete self-development. In this way, we not only can better control our costs and quality, but also improve our competitive strength.”
The influence of flying cars on human life could be great, affecting everything from daily routines to global transportation networks. However, achieving smarter travel will require further efforts.
1. Which of the following shows China’s progress in the field of high-tech?| A．Chinese Hi-tech products have received much attention from CES. |
| B．Hi-tech companies have made a lot of money from selling their products. |
| C．Chinese tech companies have invented a lot of intelligent robots. |
| D．Buyers around the world are satisfied with the price of Chinese products. |
| A．It can run at a high speed on land. |
| B．It can help drivers save much time. |
| C．It can switch into an intelligent car. |
| D．It is more convenient than a plane. |
| A．They reduce the price of the products so that they can sell more. |
| B．They ask other super-car companies from abroad for some help. |
| C．They try to avoid the difficulties when developing their products. |
| D．They stay focused on their goals and insist on self-development. |
| A．To discuss the challenges that super-car companies faced. |
| B．To explain the importance of the flying car in people’s life. |
| C．To show China’s high technology has achieved great success. |
| D．To let readers know more about the flying cars in Las Vegas. |
【推荐3】High-speed trains, Alipay ( 支付宝), shared bikes and online payment are seen as the new Four Great Achievements of China by young foreigners, according to a video survey by the Silk Road Research Institute of Beijing Foreign Studies University. In the video, young people from 20 countries along Belt and Road Routes were asked to name great inventions that had influenced their lives in China. The following is what they said from 4 young people of them.
“I’m Yala. I'm Nepal. I always go out by bike. Bicycle-sharing system allows people to borrow a bike from point “A” and return it at point “B”. It’s not only cheap but also a low-carbon and healthy way of life. I like it very much.”
“I’m Justin. I’m from Romania. China is really a great country and it’s high-speed railways are very fast, convenient and tidy. It takes me only about 6 hours from Beijing to Shanghai by train. It serves a lot of time and it’s cheaper than airplane. I wish we would have high-speed railways in our country someday.”
“I’m Archana. My life in Beijing is quite different from that in India. Here in China, I seldom take money with me when I go out. I can pay for almost everything by Zhi Fu Bao. Oh, it's amazing. However, in India, if you don't take a wallet with you, you'll be in a tough spot. ”
“I am Bond. You can find many wonderful things that we don’t have in Thailand. We don’t have Alipay or other online payment Apps with which I can go shopping without stepping out of the doors. If only I could bring them back to my country.”
1. What does Yala think of the bicycle-sharing system in China according to his words?| A．Convenient and relaxing. | B．Healthy and amazing |
| C．Fast and tidy. | D．Cheap and low-carbon |
| A．迷路 | B．陷入困境 | C．保持沉默 | D．付账单 |
| A．Bicycle- sharing system provides bikes for free. |
| B．Zhi Fu Bao is the only way of paying for things. |
| C．There is no Alipay in Thailand now. |
| D．There are high-speed railways in Romania. |
| A．They are the signs that China is improving rapidly. |
| B．They were created by young foreign people. |
| C．They were brought to the countries along Belt and Road Routes. |
| D．They are great inventions outside China. |
| A．introduce some wonderful things in China |
| B．teach us how to use the new great inventions |
| C．tell us the differences among the new Four Great Achievements |
| D．show the new Four Great Achievements that influence people’s lives |
The GPS, which means the Global Positioning System, is a small radio receiver. It looks like a mobile phone. You can hold it in your hand, or put it in your pocket. It is sometimes put into a watch or a telephone. We also find GPS devices in cars, planes, or boats. Some of these devices have electronic maps, so you know where you are. For example, in a city they can tell you the name of the street.
There are three parts to the Global Positioning System. The first part is the receiver. You can hold it in your hand, or have it fixed into your car, plane, etc. The second part is a group of satellites orbiting the Earth. The receiver contacts at least four of the satellites and calculates its position. The third part of the system is a network of ground stations. They are all over the world. They control the satellites and make sure they are working well.
Some people think that in the future the GPS will be as common as the mobile phone. They are becoming cheaper and more and more accurate. There are also new uses for the GPS. Perhaps they will become like watches. Everyone will have one and you will never be lost again.
1. According to the passage, with the help of the GPS, people ____________.
| A．can’t be lost in a new city |
| B．can’t find their way in different countries |
| C．can learn about the culture of an unknown place |
| D．can spend the least time getting to another place |
| A．a GPS can help you start your car |
| B．a GPS can’t be put into a watch |
| C．there are three parts to the GPS |
| D．the GPS are becoming more and more expensive |
| A．Receivers | B．GPS devices |
| C．Satellites | D．Ground stations |
| A．the history of the GPS | B．the introduction of the GPS |
| C．the shape of the GPS | D．the three parts of the GPS |
| A．All GPS devices have electronic maps. |
| B．The GPS can not only start your car but also know where you are. |
| C．The receiver of the GPS contacts all the satellite to calculate its position. |
| D．The GPS will become more and more common in everyday life. |
The designer says he came up with the idea after watching people get wet on streets in Russia. “Once, I was driving on a central Saint Petersburg street and saw the street lamps lighting up people trying to hide from the rain. I thought it would be fit to have a canopy(伞篷) built into a street lamp，” he said.
The Lampbrella is a post－looking street lamp fitted with an umbrella canopy. It has a built－in electric machine which can open or close the umbrella. Sensors(传感器) then make sure that the umbrella offers walkers shelter（遮蔽） whenever it starts raining.
Besides the rain sensor, there's also a 360° moving sensor on the street lamp which finds whether anyone is using the Lampbrella. After three minutes of not being used the canopy is closed.
According to the designer, the Lampbrella would move at a rather low speed, in order not to hurt the walkers. Besides, it would be fixed on the ground to protect from possible lightning strike. Each Lampbrella would offer enough shelter for several people. Being fixed at 2 meters off the ground, it would only be a danger for the tallest of walkers.
While there are no plans to take the Lampbrella into production, Belyaev says he recently introduced his creation to one Moscow Department, and believes that his creation could be fixed on any street where a lot of people walk but there are no canopies to provide shelter.
1. . What does the underlined word “forecast” mean in Chinese?
| A．预报 | B．情况 | C．查询 |
| A．To remind people to take an umbrella. |
| B．To check the weather forecast. |
| C．To protect people from the rain. |
machine sensorsA． | B． | C． |
| A．His creation was inspired by an experience from Belyaev's words in Paragraph 2. |
| B．Paragraph 5 mainly tell us about the Lampbrella’s safety. |
| C．The Lampbrella will be put into immediate production. |
| A．THE USE OF THE LAMPBRELLA |
| B．HOW TO PREVENT RAIN |
| C．THE NEW INVENTION－LAMPBRELLA |
On 20 July 1969, the world celebrated an important moment in history when American astronaut, Neil Armstrong, became the first man to walk on the moon, making a giant leap for humanity. For more than 50 years, human beings have tried many times to understand the space environment. These efforts have paid off. Today, we are in a better position to understand our universe in which we live, thanks to space exploration.
Space exploration has triggered advances in science and technology which have benefitted humans and improved the quality of life on Earth. These benefits are related to space technology such as satellite communications, global positioning system(GPS) and weather forecasting. The development of satellite technology, for instance, makes telecommunications possible, connecting people from different parts of the world through satellite television, phones, radio and Internet access. Today, space technology also enables us to have virtual (虚拟的) meetings and lessons, making work and study from home possible during the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the excitement and curiosity generated (产生), space exploration is attracting young people to careers in engineering, science, technology and mathematics, which creates innovations (创新) in science and technology. In countries such as America, Canada and Europe, space exploration has also generated jobs in fields related to engineering, technology and science. Even if interested youngsters do not end up in a job in these areas, space technology enriches their imagination about the possibility of life beyond Earth and space travel. To this end, space exploration continues to encourage human imagination, inspiring (激励) people to write stories and create movies, photographs and songs about space exploration.
Although there are many benefits, space exploration has often been criticized (批评)for its high cost. According to the University of Florida, it costs about $500 million to launch (发射) a space shuttle and many argue that this money could be better spent on solving the problems on Earth such as hunger, pollution, diseases and climate change. Although space exploration cannot directly provide immediate solutions to these problems, it generates many useful technologies and new knowledge in sciences necessary to improve the conditions of human life on Earth.
Every year, about a thousand innovations in the space programmes find their way into earthly technology that leads to better farming; better medical instruments; and more energy-efficient vehicles(交通工具). As a result, the money spent on space exploration does finally benefit human beings.
There is no doubt that space exploration has produced many benefits for humanity. It has also encouraged many to understand Earth and the universe in a deeper way. In the coming decade, we can continue to expect more exciting discoveries. We may eventually even find another planet where humans can live.
1. The words “triggered advances” in Paragraph 2 probably mean” ________” .| A．led to great progress | B．slowed down the speed |
| C．set back future growth | D．caught up the development |
| A．The benefits created by space exploration. |
| B．The high-tech jobs generated by space exploration. |
| C．The imaginative art works inspired by space exploration. |
| D．The abilities youngsters developed through space exploration. |
| A．solves the worst problems on Earth directly | B．benefits humans through space programmes |
| C．fails to improve the conditions of human life | D．limits the development of earthly technology |
| A．To introduce technology programmes in space exploration. |
| B．To compare different jobs generated by space exploration. |
| C．To present the benefits brought by space exploration. |
| D．To encourage people to carry on space exploration. |
Strict Japanese rules
Most schools ask students to wear uniforms, such as sports suits or skirts. But Japanese schools even have rules about the colour of underwear! They also need that girls' socks should be folded(折叠) in a certain way and boys' heads should be shaved(剃).Other Japanese schools tell students that they can't go to the movies after sunset.
Different shoes in the USA
At some American schools, students have to change their shoes when they go into the schools every day. This makes sure students won't fall over on the floors and keeps the schools clean.
No strange hair in the UK
Students can’t have strange hairstyles in some British schools. But they can wear certain hairstyles during the World Cup years. There were two students who had special hairstyles during the 2002 World Cup. After the World Cup, their teachers asked them to go to the barber's at once.
1. How many strange or funny school rules are mentioned(提到) in this passage?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．uniforms | B．indoor shoes |
| C．shirts | D．strange hairstyles |
| A．Because in that way they won't hurt if they fight. |
| B．Because in that way they will feel comfortable. |
| C．Because in that way they won't fall and can keep the schools clean. |
| D．Because in that way they won't make any noise when walking. |
| A．Schools in Japan only. | B．Schools in the USA and the UK. |
| C．Schools in Japan and the UK. | D．Schools in the UK only. |
| A．Different school uniforms | B．Different hairstyles |
| C．Different shoes | D．Different school rules |
【推荐2】
Bathing in Hot Chocolate Do you like chocolate? How about bathing in it? There is a chocolate hot spring (温泉) in Japan! Families go there together. They paint their bodies with sweet chocolate sauce (酱). They get chocolate skincare masks (护肤面膜). It looks a little scary, but hot chocolate is good for our skin! Finding the Best Pigeon  The UK holds the pigeon show every January. More than 2,500 pigeons join it. They are the best in the country. Around 25,000 fans of pigeons come together and choose (选择) the best. A good pigeon should have strong bones, thick feathers, big wings and bright eyes. ____________________  In Italy, there are not just ice cream and pizza. There are fancy masks (面具), too! Venice is a city in Italy. Every year from February to March, Venice holds a big carnival (狂欢节). People wear masks. They walk on the streets and dance in parties. Why wear masks? Masks in Venice are beautiful! Some people wear them to perform (表演). Some people wear them to have fun. |
| A．travel | B．sports | C．nature | D．fashion |
| A．Put Your Masks on | B．Carnival in March |
| C．Beautiful Venice | D．Performance or Fun |
| A．let pigeon join it | B．attract people to the UK |
| C．pick out the best pigeon | D．sell pigeon to the fans |
| A．over 25,000 pigeons will join the pigeon show |
| B．sweet chocolate sauce can be used for skincare |
| C．Italy is best-known for its ice cream and pizza |
| D．it’s not easy to set the standard (标准) for a good pigeon |
| A．people like wearing masks | B．there aren’t ice cream and pizza in Italy |
| C．carnival is popular in Italy | D．we should learn more language |
Never accept an invitation unless you really plan to go. You may refuse by saying, “Thank you for inviting me, but I may not be able to come.” If you are unable to come after accepting the invitation, be sure to tell those who invite you in advance（提前）that you will not be there.
When you have accepted the invitation to a party or a dinner, it is polite to bring small gifts with you, such as bottles of drink, flowers and chocolate. Sometimes Westerners may take you out to dinner in a restaurant and it does not necessarily mean that he is going to pay the bill at the end of the meal. He might want you to “
1. The best title of this passage is ________.
| A．Drop in anytime |
| B．Come and see me soon |
| C．Invitation in western countries |
| D．Westerners |
| A．go to Holland | B．go to a Dutch restaurant |
| C．pay your own bill | D．pay for him |
