1 . Chinese researchers have revealed the anti-cancer characteristic of neutrophils (中性粒细胞) — a type of white blood cells—and the related molecular regulation mechanism, providing new insights into cancer diagnosis and treatment. The discovery, made by researchers at the Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Fudan University, was published in Cell on Tuesday.
Neutrophils are the most abundant white blood cells in the human body. As the first line of defence against infections, they play a key role in anti-infection immunity. The researchers collected neutrophils from 143 patients with 17 different types of cancer and analyzed them. They revealed that neutrophils can adopt at least 10 highly specialized and distinct functional states related to inflammation (炎症) , blood vessel formation and—most excitingly—presenting antigens (抗体) to activate powerful cancer-killing T cells.
“We were surprised to find such complexity and different roles within neutrophils, which have been ignored for so long,” said Zhang Xiaoming, a researcher at the Institute. “What is especially remarkable is their newly discovered capacity to act as antigen-presenting cells, gathering T cells against cancer. In addition, the abundance of antigen-presenting neutrophils is associated with improved condition across many cancer types revealed in this study,” he said.
“This completely changes how we perceive neutrophils in the context of cancer,” said Gao Qiang, a professor at Fudan University. “Now we know we could employ the diverse hidden identities of neutrophils to strengthen the effectiveness of immunotherapy (免疫疗法). We’re thrilled to further explore the potential benefits of these newly uncovered mechanisms in clines.”
The study emphasizes the value of single-cell sequencing approaches to reveal new functional dimension even within seemingly well-understood immune cells. Tapping into the hidden potential of neutrophils may provide new insights into cancer diagnosis and treatment.
1. How was the anti-cancer function of neutrophils discovered?| A．By referring to previous research. |
| B．By collecting and analyzing data. |
| C．By seeking guidance from experts. |
| D．By observing patients with inflammation. |
| A．Getting together T cells when needed. |
| B．Preventing the formation of antigens. |
| C．Speeding up the blood flow. |
| D．Distinguishing different types of cancer. |
| A．Positive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Worried. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Blood Cells Successfully Fight Against Severe Cancer |
| B．China Makes Great Progress in Fighting Against Diseases |
| C．Further Research Is Needed to Fight Against Cancer |
| D．Researchers Discover New Cancer-fighting Mechanism |
2 . During the last week of Fu Bao’s public viewing earlier this month, visitors endured waiting for 5—6 hours just to give a glance at the panda for only five minutes, as Everland Panda World restricted viewing time to manage the flood of visitors.
Born to parents Ai Bao and Le Bao in July 2020, Fu Bao is South Korea’s first naturally-born panda. In the days following her birth, Everland’s social media channels offered fans a steady diet of Fu Bao videos, pulling in more than 1.2 million subscribers and, as of February, over 500 million accumulated views. The most recent videos are now filled with warm and sincere messages from viewers.
Thanks to Fu Bao’s widespread popularity, her zookeeper has also found himself in the spotlight, becoming a bit of a social media star himself. Often referred to as her grandpa, Kang Chul-won offered hi own farewell message to Fu Bao, noting that the South Koreans’ special love for her all began with social media videos shared during the pandemic when the zoo was closed. She brought help and happiness to a society in many ways that was having a difficult time due to the virus. He said people visited the social media sites every day so it felt like he was raising her together with them. They cared so much for her and shared the same emotions of raising a baby panda together during such difficult times.
Fu Bao will be transferred to China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan Province. Everland says that she will be kept alone at Everland Panda World for a month to prepare her to adjust to her new environment before her overseas transfer, which will be carried out in accordance with international rules.
1. What can we learn about Fu Bao from the first two paragraphs?| A．She has a balanced diet. | B．She is five years old. |
| C．She is very popular in South Korea. | D．She came from Sichuan, China. |
| A．She is a live symbol of luck and fortune. |
| B．She is an animal who can resist any virus. |
| C．She is an inspiration to overcome difficulties. |
| D．She is their common possession and business. |
| A．She will go on show in Everland. | B．She will be separated for adjustment. |
| C．She will leave Everland Panda World. | D．She will be moved to a research center. |
| A．On behalf of. | B．In terms of. |
| C．In company with. | D．In agreement with. |
3 . Recently, soap sales in the UK have more than doubled. This substance has a unique chemical make-up that allows it to get rid of viruses, breaking up bacteria in a short period of time. It has truly been a life-saving straw during fighting against dangerous diseases.
Invented in the ancient world, the first soap was just a paste made from fat and ash. People discovered it while trying to remove the substances with oil from wool, noticing that mixing burnt wood with water made the process easier. Over time, people improved the soap-making process, learning to boil the fat and ash together to create soap before applying it to their cloth. By the Middle Ages, soap makers had started to spring up in Europe, where cloth production was big business. They cut down huge forests to make ash and mixed that ash with whatever fat they had available.
It wasn’t until the 1800s that the cleaning power of soap was properly released. Around that time, illnesses like typhoid (伤寒) and cholera were widespread. Most people didn’t have easy access to running water, and many believed that washing their skin would cause disease. But this was the century of public health, and that was all about to change.
Louis Pasteur proved that viruses made people sick. John Snow noticed that cholera was spread by dirty water and doctors made the link between the degree of hand cleanness and the spread of dangerous diseases. As a result, local governments started to install public health equipment in towns and cities, dealing with waste water properly and supplying their populations with clean water.
Soap makers started to put effort into making gentler soaps for use on skin, adding perfumes and dyes to make their products more appealing. And people finally started using it to wash their hands and bodies, greatly improving their health.
1. What does the underlined word “process” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Inventing the first soap. | B．Breaking up bacteria. |
| C．Mixing burnt wood with water. | D．Removing oil from wool. |
| A．The development of soap making. |
| B．The benefit of using soaps regularly. |
| C．The cause of the increase of soap sales. |
| D．The side effect of soap industry on ecology. |
| A．To introduce the origin of running water. |
| B．To illustrate the background to the invention of soap. |
| C．To stress the importance of public health equipment. |
| D．To present the effectiveness of soap in preventing diseases. |
| A．The different opinions on soap. |
| B．The role of soap in our healthy life. |
| C．The application of soap in medicine. |
| D．The improvement of soap in the future. |
4 . Restaurants, farmers, and food businesses are turning to chemistry and physics to address the problem of food waste. Some companies are testing coverings to slow the ripening process in fruit and packets to keep food fresh. Others are developing digital sensors that can tell when meat is safe to eat.
Experts say growing awareness of the costs of food waste has led to more efforts to deal with the problem. ReFed is a group that studies food waste. It says new businesses raised $300 billion in 2021, double the amount raised in 2020, to solve the problem. The group says that in 2019, around 35 percent of food available in the US — worth about $418 billion — went unsold or uneaten. The US Environmental Protection Agency says that food waste is the largest kind of material placed in local waste areas. And the agency notes that rotting food gives off methane, a gas that is not good for the environment.
ReFed says 225,000 kilograms of food could be kept out of waste areas each year with special, high-tech coverings. Many companies are working on ways to help reduce food waste. Swedenbased Innoscentia is developing a sensor that can show if meat is safe to eat by measuring the buildup of microbes (微生物) inside its container. And Ryp Labs, based in the US and Belgium, is working on a sticker for fruits and vegetables that would give off gas to slow ripening. SavrPak has developed a plant-based packet that can fit inside a container and take in moisture (水分), helping the food inside stay crispy.
“The science is promising, but it’s only part of the solution,” said Yvette Cabrera, who is the director of food waste for the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Most food waste happens at home. Reducing food sizes, buying smaller quantities, or improving the accuracy of freshness date could have even greater effects than new technology. Overall as a society, we don’t value food as it should be valued,” Cabrera said.
1. According to paragraph 2, food waste in the US has caused ______.| A．great economic losses | B．seasonal food shortages |
| C．growing awareness of food safety | D．serious water pollution |
| A．Maintaining the freshness of meat. | B．Keeping food from getting wet. |
| C．Freeing food from microbes. | D．Preventing fruits and vegetables from ripening. |
| A．Developing new technology. | B．Promoting Empty Plate Campaign. |
| C．Shortening the process of producing food. | D．Changing people’s consuming habit. |
| A．Dealing with Food Waste Calls for Combined Efforts |
| B．Public Awareness Is the Key to Handling Food Waste |
| C．Food Waste Remains a Hard-to-handle Problem Worldwide |
| D．Companies Develop Technologies to Deal with Food Waste |
5 . Elito Circa is a Filipino artist who rose to fame for using his own blood to create canvas (油画布) paintings, which has attracted both praise and criticism over the years.
Born in a poor family that couldn’t afford to buy proper art supplies, Elito Circa experimented with a variety of unusual mediums as a child, including tomatoes, but it was when he accidentally scraped (刮破) his hand that he discovered the art medium that would mark his artistic career—his own blood. He quickly realized that the blood was not only harder to erase from the canvas, but it also made his artworks his own in a way that he had never imagined before.
Every time he scraped his body, young Elito used the blood as paint, but as he grew older he realized that his “paint” needed to be supplied stably, so he started visiting a clinic in Manila to have it drawn periodically. Nowadays, he stops by the clinic about once every three months. He then stores his blood in a freezer in his studio.
Although Elito has been criticized for his use of blood as paint in the past few years, the Filipino artist has always made it clear that he wants to change people’s view of blood through his art. “People are afraid of blood, because in their minds, blood means death,” Elito said in an interview. “But I want to twist that belief. That’s why I’m addressing its use because I want people to think that it’s not death, but love and life.”
It’s unclear how much of his own blood Elito Circa has stored in his art studio, but it must be a lot, because he has announced a plan to create the largest ever “blood painting” on a 100-meter canvas next year, expecting to set a new world record.
1. Why did Elito Circa become well-known?| A．Great details were reflected in his artworks. |
| B．He used a special art medium in his artworks. |
| C．He showed extraordinary skills in his artworks. |
| D．Unique thoughts were expressed in his artworks. |
| A．His family’s economic conditions. | B．His great interest in experiments. |
| C．His strong desire to stand out. | D．His rich artistic imaginations. |
| A．By keeping himself in shape. | B．By scraping his body periodically. |
| C．By having his blood drawn regularly. | D．By collecting blood from a local clinic. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. |
| B．He who laughs last laughs best. |
| C．God helps those who help themselves. |
| D．Go your own way regardless of what people say. |
