1 . A recent research suggests that artificial intelligence (AI) could hold the potential for predicting sudden cardiac (心脏的) death and assessing an individual’s risk to potentially prevent future deaths. This development may mark a novel step towards prevention and global health strategies.
Professor Xavier Jouven, lead author of the study, said, “Sudden cardiac death, a public health burden, represents 10% to 20% of overall deaths. Predicting it is difficult, and the usual approaches fail to identify high-risk people, particularly at an individual level. We proposed a new approach.”
The scientific team employed AI to analyze medical data obtained from registries and databases in Paris, France and Seattle. They examined records of 25,000 individuals who had experienced sudden cardiac arrest and compared them with data from 70,000 people from the general population. The matching process involved age, sex and residential area. Using AI, the scientists created about 25,000 personalized health models to evaluate the data and identify individuals at high risk of sudden cardiac death. Additionally, they established a risk file for each participant in the study.
The AI analysis was able to identify people who had more than 90% of risk dying suddenly, and it can predict about more than one-fourth of all cases of sudden cardiac death. “We have been working for almost 30 years in the field of sudden cardiac death prediction. However, we did not expect to reach such a high level of accuracy,” said Jouven, who is the founder of the Paris Sudden Death Expertise Center.
Jouven added. “While doctors have efficient treatments, the use of AI is necessary to detect in a given subject a succession of medical information registered over the years. We hope that with a personalized list of risk factors, patients will be able to work with their clinicians to reduce those risk factors and ultimately decrease the potential for sudden cardiac death.”
1. What can be known about sudden cardiac death?| A．It is hard to predict and prevent. |
| B．Researchers still can do nothing about it. |
| C．It accounts for the highest percentage of all deaths. |
| D．Old approaches can effectively identify its high-risk people. |
| A．Its result. | B．Its process. | C．Its purpose. | D．Its participants. |
| A．Worried. | B．Amazed. | C．Annoyed. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．The Biggest AI Development in 2024 | B．Using AI to Stop Future Cardiac Attack |
| C．Improved Prediction of Death in Patients | D．Predicting Sudden Cardiac Death Using Al |
2 . We watch our salt and fat intake to protect our hearts. We exercise and take calcium to protect our bones. We use sunscreen to protect our skin.
Invest in quality sunglasses. Protecting the eyes from ultraviolet rays (紫外线) is very important.
Take a break from screens.
Get your eyes checked regularly. That means having your eyes tested by an optometrist or health care provider every one to two years. Don’t forget to see an eye specialist for a checkup regularly, if possible.
| A．Stay away from dangerous work. |
| B．Wear safety glasses when needed. |
| C．But how can we protect our eyes from screen? |
| D．But what can we do to protect our eyes all year round? |
| E．Not all eye problems are noticeable, and all are best treated when found early. |
| F．It’s one of the biggest things in our environment to have an impact on the eyes. |
| G．There’s no scientific evidence that the light from electronic screens damages eyes. |
3 . Health is wealth.
A study published in 2019 concluded that consumption of more than 4 servings of extra-processed food was associated with a 62% increased danger for all-cause deaths. For each additional serving, all-cause deaths increased to 18%. These foods can cause chronic inflammation (慢性炎症), a normal bodily process that can contribute to heart disease, diabetes and even cancer.
Get your cholesterol (胆固醇) checked.
When checking your cholesterol, your test results will show your cholesterol levels in milligrams per decilitre. It’s crucial to get your cholesterol checked because your doctor will be able to advise you on how to maintain healthy levels.
Watch your blood pressure.
Get up and get moving.
Throw away any common misconceptions about exercising like that it has to be in a gym or a structured environment.
| A．Watch your body mass. |
| B．Make healthy food choices. |
| C．Frequency, intensity and time are what matter most. |
| D．Sleep restores us and has a huge effect on how we feel. |
| E．In turn it lowers your chances of getting heart disease and stroke. |
| F．Normal blood pressure is defined as blood pressure <120/80 mmHg. |
| G．This common saying holds a lot of weight because it has truth behind it. |
1. What is the matter with Mr. Smith?
| A．He is unqualified for his job. |
| B．His leg is broken. |
| C．He got a sore throat. |
| A．Chinese. | B．English. | C．Physics. |
| A．He has to help his students prepare for the exam. |
| B．He has trouble sleeping. |
| C．He wants to visit a friend. |
5 . Dementia (痴呆), a serious mental disorder caused by brain disease or injury, affects the ability to think, remember and behave normally. 160,000 people have some forms of dementia in Sweden, Alzheimer’s disease being the most common. At the same time, many new diagnostic (诊断的) methods and early-intervention treatment have been developed in recent years, which highlights the need to identify more risk factors for the disease.
Previous studies have demonstrated a possible association between depression and dementia. A present study now clearly shows that people who have been diagnosed with depression are more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Unlike the previous ones, the study was conducted using Region Stockholm’s administrative healthcare database, which contains all healthcare contacts recorded by the region. It shows that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease was more than twice as high in patients with stress and in patients with depression as it was in patients without either condition; in patients with both depression it was up to four times as high.
“The reason for it is unknown,” says the study’s last author Axel C. Carlsson. “The finding is important in that it enables us to improve preventative efforts and understand links with the other risk factors for dementia.”
The researchers focused on patients between the ages of 18 and 65 and between 2012 and 2013. They identified 44,447 people with a diagnosis of depression and followed them for eight years to see how many of them were later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. A comparison with all other 1,362,548 individuals in the age group showed that more people with depression had also been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
“It’s very uncommon for people in this age group to develop dementia, so we need to identify all possible risk factors for the disease,” says Dr Carlsson. “We show here that the diagnosis is more common in people who have suffered depression, but more studies will be required if we’re to demonstrate any reason there.”
1. What do the previous studies and the present one differ in?| A．The target. | B．The method. |
| C．The purpose. | D．The theory. |
| A．It clarifies the condition of dementia. |
| B．It makes clear the risks of depression. |
| C．It confirms the previous study finding. |
| D．It helps with the dementia prevention. |
| A．Its process. | B．Its background. |
| C．Its application. | D．Its assessment. |
| A．Why dementia spreads wide in Sweden. |
| B．What links exist among mental diseases. |
| C．How depression connects with dementia. |
| D．What other risk factors lead to dementia. |
6 . Traditionally, many decisions about medical treatment were left up to doctors: They decided, and patients agreed. Today, health care professionals are embracing the idea of shared decision-making, where patients become informed partners in their choices. Health care professionals now focus on placing the patient at the center of care, informing them about their options, and engaging them in treatment decisions. For example, they engage patients by asking, “What’s important to you? And what are your priorities and goals as we talk about a treatment plan?”
“I think there’s a strong recognition in American medicine, of the importance of patient engagement not only in their care, but in deciding what types of care and types of procedures they’re going to get,” said Dr. Allen, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora.
A 2017 study, published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes found that people with heart disease who went through-shared decision-making had better physical and mental health, better obedience to medication and lower rates of staying in hospital and emergency department use. Patients also reported better communication with their doctors. When people are more engaged in decision-making, they understand the pros and cons of various treatment options, and they’re more likely to stick to the treatment plan and to continue that communication.
But research on how to best approach different, cultural groups is lacking. Many doctors cite limited time as a barrier, although research shows that shared decision-making can be accomplished even within short clinic visits. Also, current models of payment for doctors’ visits do not always agree with the goals of shared decision-making. But underlying all that is that medical decisions can be “incredibly complicated”.
Making the practice work. on a wider scale is an evolving process. But in the long run, Allen said: “shared decision-making can ensure that with all the amazing new technologies and treatments that we will have in medicine, they really can be applied to more patients in a tailored, meaningful way that meets their own values, goals and preferences.”
1. What role do doctors play in shared decision-making?| A．They are at the center of care. | B．They ask questions to patients: |
| C．They follow patients’ opinions. | D．They present suggestions to patients. |
| A．Shortened time in hospital | B．Improved healthy awareness |
| C．Reduced mental problems | D．Enhanced communication skills |
| A．Lack of family support |
| B．Limited time and money |
| C．Uniqueness of medical treatment |
| D．Complicated medicine production process |
| A．Shared Decision Making: More than Technology? |
| B．Shared Decision Making: an Ideal Way for Patients |
| C．Shared Decision Making: a Future Model of Hospitals? |
| D．Shared Decision Making: Advantages and Disadvantages |
7 . How to Become Mentally Healthy
Exercise is one of the most effective ways.
Reading help you learn about life experiences and thought process of people that you will never meet in your life.
Avoid negative people. Every one of us has some people in our life whose only job is to demotivate others and make them feel low. If you have that kind of person in your life, it’s better to maintain some distance from them if you want to live peacefully.
These are some of the habits that you can apply in your life to become mentally healthy.
| A．Stay positive rather than passive. |
| B．Meditation helps us train our minds to live in the present. |
| C．These people will only make you feel worthless and nothing else. |
| D．Follow these habits, and we can certainly benefit from them and improve our mental health. |
| E．It makes people remove all the waste from their body and let only the positivity enter inside. |
| F．I hope you will love them and start living your new life by improving mental health with these habits. |
| G．Then, you can learn about many people and their stories to remove your mental blockage and learn a new way of living your life. |
8 . A brain implant allowed people with head injuries to function again. The deep brain stimulation implant, developed by researchers at Stanford University, aims to boost activity between the regions responsible for consciousness learning, memory, thinking and problem solving.
During the early trial, five people with brain injuries reported they were able to concentrate, read, remember and drive properly. The trial proved so effective that researchers had trouble completing the final stage, which was to switch off the device for three random participants after two of the patients declined.
Gina Arata, a trial participant, said, “I couldn’t remember anything. My left foot dropped, so I’d trip over things all the time. I was always in car accidents. Since the implant, I haven’t had any speeding tickets. I don’t trip anymore. I can remember how much money is in my bank account.”
Researchers selected patients for the trial who had recovered from comas (昏迷) with brain systems believed to be still well preserved, but not functioning as well as previously. “In these patients, those pathways are largely complete, but everything has been down-regulated (下降),” said Dr Jaimie Henderson, a professor of neurosurgery. “It’s as if the lights had been darkened and there just wasn’t enough electricity to turn them back up.” The researchers hoped that precise electrical stimulation of specific areas could turn the “lights” back up, and created a virtual model of each participant’s brain so they could trial stimulation at different locations ahead of surgery.
Guided by the theory, Dr Henderson implanted the device in the five participants who had sustained injuries between three and 18 years earlier. After allowing the device to bed-in for two weeks, the participants spent 90 days with it turned on for 12 hours a day. At the end of the 90-day treatment period, the participants had improved their mental processing speeds by an average of 32 percent.
“This is a pioneering moment,” said Dr Nicholas Schiff, co-senior author of the study. “Our goal now is to try to take the systematic steps to make this a therapy (疗法). This is enough of a signal for us to make every effort.”
1. What made it hard to end the last stage of the trial?| A．Researchers’ wrong solution to problems. |
| B．Participants’ refusal to turn off the device. |
| C．The decrease in the number of participants. |
| D．Patients’ unwillingness to pay for the trial. |
| A．To present the patient’s urgent need. |
| B．To warn about the dangers of speeding. |
| C．To prove the effectiveness of the device. |
| D．To show the difficulty of conducting trials. |
| A．Prove a finding. |
| B．Explain a theory. |
| C．Draw a conclusion. |
| D．Present a new topic. |
| A．The result of the trial is very encouraging. |
| B．He needs more evidence to support the trial. |
| C．The process of the trial is far from scientific. |
| D．The therapy has already been widely received. |
9 . Household chores (家务活) may contribute to healthy aging, according to a study published in the journal BMJ Open. Researchers from Singapore found that regular physical activity, including tasks like dusting, scrubbing floors, and washing windows, can improve physical and mental health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and decrease falls, immobility, dependency, and mortality among older adults.
The study involved 249 participants aged 21 to 64 and 240 participants aged 65 to 90. Participants completed cognitive (认知) function tests and physical capability assessments. They were asked about their levels of physical activity, including light housework (such as dusting) and heavy housework (such as floor-scrubbing). The researchers found that older adults who engaged in high amounts of heavy housework had higher cognitive and attention scores compared to those who did low levels or no heavy housework at all. These participants also had lower sit-to-stand times and were at a lower risk of falling. Similarly, older adults who reported high levels of light housework had higher cognitive and memory scores compared to those who did low levels of such tasks.
Dr. Shiou-Liang Wee, co-author of the research, emphasized that health messaging on staying active should not only focus on recreational physical activities. He highlighted that housework is a purposeful activity performed by many older adults and is linked to sharper memory and better fall protection.
However, experts urge caution when interpreting the study’s findings. Professor Gill Livingston from University College London noted that people who are not well may be expected to do less housework, and the study did not establish a causal relationship between housework and health outcomes. Professor Charlie Foster from the University of Bristol highlighted that the study relied on self-reported levels of household chores, which may be inaccurate, and did not fully consider other factors that could influence the results. While the study suggests that household chore may have benefits for older adults’ health, further research is needed to better understand the relationship between housework and healthy aging.
1. How did the researchers measure the participants’ levels of physical activity?| A．By analyzing the participants’ daily routines. |
| B．By doing household chores with the participants. |
| C．By carrying out a test on the participants. |
| D．By listening to the participants’ spoken reports. |
| A．Household chores, heavy or light, do help. |
| B．The more housework for the elderly, the better. |
| C．The subjects are of similar age. |
| D．Light housework improves health better. |
| A．Objective. | B．Meaningless. | C．Partial. | D．Successful. |
| A．Definite limitation of a study on healthy aging. |
| B．The introduction to a study on household chores. |
| C．Housework arguments among different experts. |
| D．Possible function of household chores for healthy aging. |
10 . Scientists have discovered a new way of administering oxygen to the blood which could allow people to stay alive without breathing. The procedure, which works by injecting oxygen molecules enclosed in fatty molecules directly into the bloodstream, could extend an extra 30 minutes of life when they cannot breathe.
John Kheir, a doctor of the Boston Children’s Hospital, was inspired to begin his groundbreaking research after he experienced a patient’s tragic death, according to Science Daily. He was operating on a young girl whose pneumonia led to deadly brain damage after doctors were unable to place her on a breathing machine in time to save her.
In response, Dr Kheir started working on the idea of inserting oxygen directly into the blood. Early experiments showed that the intervention could in theory be very successful, he said, “We drew each other’s blood, mixed it in a test. tube with the microparticles, and watched blue blood turn immediately red, right before our eyes.” However, injecting pure oxygen into the bloodstream in gas form failed miserably when it was attempted 100 years ago, as it formed dangerous bubbles in the veins.
Much of Dr Kheir’s research therefore involved finding a substance which could surround the oxygen and allow it to be suspended in a liquid for injection into the body. He found that using fatty molecules was the best way to keep oxygen after using sound waves to trap the two substances together into small particles that can only be seen with the help of a. microscope. The particles were then made up into a liquid which is very heavily oxygenated—carrying “three to four times the oxygen content of our own red blood cells”, according to Dr Kheir.
When used on humans, the oxygen could probably last for up to 30 minutes, though injecting it for any longer could damage the patient’s blood. “This is a short-term oxygen substitute—a way to safely inject oxygen gas to support patients during a critical few minutes,” Dr Kheir said. He added that he thought the technique could become routine for doctors dealing with emergency situations.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．John Kheir made a mistake in an operation. |
| B．An incident enlightened John Kheir’s research. |
| C．John Kheir failed to inject oxygen to a girl’s blood. |
| D．A young patient died tragically in John Kheir’s research. |
| A．The blue blood can turn red only in theory. |
| B．The microparticles fail to mix with oxygen. |
| C．Administering oxygen to the blood is difficult. |
| D．Oxygen gas inserted may cause more serious problems. |
| A．To surround oxygen molecules with fat. | B．To use sound waves to turn gas into liquid. |
| C．To involve more oxygen into red blood cells. | D．To find a liquid with the aid of a microscope. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Doubtful. | C．Subjective. | D．Hopeful. |
