1 . If you were to lift up the keys of your keyboard, and take a look below, you’d probably be met with a terrible scene. “We clean our homes but most of us never think to clean our keyboards,” Rebecca Park, an advanced practice nurse, says.
“Our keyboards can actually hold high levels of bacteria (细菌),” Park says. “The most common bacteria that are found on our keyboards tend to live on our skin, mouth, and nose. These are then carried to our keyboards, usually by our hands.”
And according to one study, this is more likely when many people use the same keyboard, and each brings their own bacteria to the table. That said, touching bacteria-covered surfaces all day long, and then touching your face, can impact your skin. “Dirty electronic devices are a common cause of more acne (粉刺) breakouts,” Dr Yoram Harth explains.
In another study, researchers collected samples (样本) from 300 keyboards and found that all of them had bacteria. “The authors concluded that the presence of infective (感染性的) bacteria on these objects indicates that they might be a cause for the spread of skin infections,” Harth says. “Similar overloads of bacteria were also found on smartphone touch screens and computer mice and headphones.”
It’s not something you necessarily have to think too much about, but it never hurts to be aware of surfaces with bacteria, and take a few extra prevention steps. “A good way to prevent the spread of infection from your keyboards is to wash your hands before and after using the computer,” Park says. “Soapy water is effective enough to kill most bacteria.”
Do this, and you won’t carry as much bacteria to your keyboard, and then back to your face, and so is the opposite. It can also ensure you won’t be clogging your keys with bits from food, especially if you get right back to typing after eating lunch.
1. What do the two studies find?| A．Most people never clean their keyboards. |
| B．Most of the bacteria on the keyboards are harmless. |
| C．Most acne breakouts are related to the keyboard use. |
| D．Most electronic devices have bacteria on their surfaces. |
| A．Clean the keyboard with soapy water. |
| B．Wash hands after using the computer. |
| C．Wear gloves when using the computer. |
| D．Avoid eating before using the computer. |
| A．Blocking. | B．Improving. | C．Destroying. | D．Replacing. |
| A．Useful Tips on Choosing a Proper Keyboard |
| B．Practical Ways to Protect Yourself from Bacteria |
| C．What You Should Keep in Mind About Infection |
| D．What Happens When You Don’t Clean Your Keyboard |
2 . The Ebola virus is an infectious disease that for years had almost no treatments, and it kill s about half the people it infects. Now a new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases shows that a promising vaccine (疫苗), named rVSV△G-ZEBOV-GP, doesn’t just help to reduce infections, it also can cut those death numbers in half.
The vaccine is a single-dose (单剂) muscular one that causes cells to produce one of the virus’s proteins. “Later, if the person is exposed to Ebola,”explains Rebecca Coulborn, a scientist with Epicentre, the medical research arm of Doctors Without Borders, “their immune system will recognize the viral protein. This recognition allows the immune system to be prepared to attack the virus and protect the person from Ebola virus disease.”
Researchers showed rVSV△G-ZEBOV-GP was effective at reducing the risk of infection, but no one knew how capable it was of preventing death in someone who was vaccinated after becoming infected during an epidemic (流行病). To figure it out, Coulborn and her colleagues focused their efforts on the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded, which occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2018 and 2020.
“Every single Ebola health facility across the entire Ebola epidemic had a standardized list of all admissions,” says Coulborn. This list included 2,279 confirmed Ebola patients, and it recorded whether or not each person had been vaccinated before they got sick—and if so, when they’d received the vaccine.
Coulborn found the death rate was 56% among the unvaccinated. But for those who’d received the vaccine, that rate was cut in half. This was true no matter when someone got vaccinated before the appearance of symptoms. Additionally, those who’d been vaccinated had less virus circulating in their bodies than those who hadn’t. So the vaccine played an important role.
Rebecca Coulborn says she feels buoyed by the results—since they offer clear evidence that people who’re at risk of contracting Ebola should be vaccinated early. It’s an opportunity to cut chains of transmission (传播) and prevent an outbreak before it gains speed.
1. What is Coulborn trying to talk about concerning the vaccine in paragraph 2?| A．Who it attacks. | B．Why it is developed. | C．How it works. | D．Where it comes from. |
| A．it listed health facilities | B．it was easy to analyze |
| C．it caused the fewest deaths | D．it had a detailed record |
| A．Avoid connecting with each other. | B．Get vaccinated as early as possible. |
| C．Stay at home to reduce the spread. | D．Learn to recognize the symptoms. |
| A．Encouraged. | B．Relaxed. | C．Astonished. | D．Honored. |
3 . Best Running Apps of 2024
Whether you’re new to running or a seasoned marathoner, finding the best running app to help you set goals, record metrics(指标), and track your progress is key to sticking with a training programme. Here are the best running apps to help you hit your running.
Runkeeper
Runkeeper allows you to set goals and watch your progress to stay motivated. If you’re into biking or fitness walking, you can track those activities as well. For runners training for races, Runkeeper has tailored training programmes, complete with helpful reminders to keep you on track.
MapMyRun
MapMyRun is a running app that has stood the test of time. It first served as a way to measure running routes, but the latest version offers runners many more cool and helpful features. You can use it to track your runs, find running routes locally or in new cities, and get feedback on your statistics so you can improve your performance.
Strava
If you love the social and competitive aspects of running, Strava is the app for you. You can compare your times with other members of the Strava community or with your own group of friends to boost your motivation. It also has a safety feature called Beacon which allows you to share your real-time location with up to three people while you’re running.
C25K 5K Trainer
C25K features the popular walk/run method of training for 5K distances designed for entry-level runners wanting to ease into running or train for races. With pre-designed training plans, C25K guides you through three workouts a week and keeps track of your progress and routes.
1. What is unique about Runkeeper?| A．It tracks running activities. | B．It offers personalized programmes. |
| C．It boosts runners’ motivation to run. | D．It gives runners feedback on running. |
| A．Measuring running routes. | B．Charting fitness and health progress. |
| C．Recording runners’ real-time location. | D．Helping runners stay focused on track. |
| A．Runkeeper. | B．MapMyRun. |
| C．Strava. | D．C25K 5K Trainer. |
4 . Scientists from Tufts University have developed tiny groups of human cells that can move on their own-and in a lab experiment, these so-called “anthrobots” inspired sheets of human neurons to repair themselves when damaged. The researchers hope the collections of cells could one day be used to treat diseases or aid with healing in humans.
The study comes on the heels of earlier work from one of its authors, who produced tiny robots by stitching together frog embryo cells. These robots, known as “xenobots”, could assemble themselves, move across surfaces and travel through liquid.
Since they're not made from human cells, xenobots can't be used to treat humans, writes Matthew Hutson, a freelance science writer. But the anthrobots in the new study could theoretically. Each anthrobot started with a single cell from an adult human lung. It then grew into a multicellular biobot after being cultured (培养) for two weeks.
These lung cells are covered in cilia. But at this point in the research, the cilia were growing inside the clumps of cells. So, for the next week, the researchers grew the cells in a solution (溶液) that caused the cilia to face outward instead, enabling these structures to move the anthrobots, which could move in tight loops, travel in straight lines or wiggle in place. Their speed varied as well.
The researchers also tested how these robots might heal wounds. They mimicked (模拟) a wound by scratching a layer of neurons in a dish. Then, they introduced anthrobots to the site of the scratch, and within days, the neurons regrew, bridging the gap created by the wound. The findings show new structures that might have uses in biomedical settings can be developed without gene editing and without having to design the structures manually, the study authors write.
“Unlike xenobots, anthrobots don't require tools to give them shape, and we can use adult cells-even cells from elderly patients-instead of embryonic cells,” says Gizem Gumuskaya, the paper's lead author. "We can produce these robots in large amounts in parallel, which is a good start for developing a therapeutic tool.”
1. How are the advantages of the anthrobot highlighted in the text?| A．By showing comments from users. | B．By explaining some terms. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By listing the data of questionnaires. |
| A．The weaknesses of the anthrobot. | B．The culture of the anthrobot. |
| C．The structure of the anthrobot. | D．The application of the anthrobot. |
| A．It can travel both on land and in water. | B．It requires no genetic modification. |
| C．It can be applied in a controlled way. | D．It can develop from any cells of humans. |
| A．Regenerative medicine. | B．New materials. |
| C．Environmental protection. | D．Individualized education. |
Dr Jian Zhou was a molecular biologist and virologist who worked with Professor Ian Frazer to develop the technology toward the Gardasil and Cervarix vaccines (疫苗),
Born in Hangzhou, China, Dr Zhou graduated from Wenzhou Medical College and went on
6 . The Carter Center said recently that only 13 human cases of Guinea worm disease were reported worldwide last year. That is a major drop from 3.5 million cases of infected people in 1986, in which year the Atlanta-based Carter Center joined the World Health Organization( WHO) in the fight against Guinea worm disease. The center said the remaining infection occurred in four countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Six human cases were reported in Chad, five in South Sudan, one in Ethiopia and one in the Central African Republic. And the Central African Republic case remains under investigation.
Guinea worm disease is a disease that affects poor communities in distant parts of Africa and Asia where people do not have safe water to drink. People who drink unclean water can get parasites (寄生虫) that can grow up to 1 meter. The worm grows in people for up to a year before painfully coming out, often through the feet or other sensitive parts of the body.
The WHO says there is neither a drug treatment for Guinea worm disease nor a vaccine to prevent it. But it can be prevented by training people to filter (过滤) and drink clean water.
Guinea worm disease could be the second human disease to be ended after smallpox, according to the Carter Center. Adam Weiss, a director of a program to fight against the disease, says that eradicating the disease finally could be difficult, for the populations where Guinea worm disease still exists often face insecurity, including conflict, which can prevent workers and volunteers from going house to house to offer support.
Weiss warns, “If support for these communities slows or stops, there’s no question that you’re going to see a sudden increase in Guinea worm.” However, he adds, “We’re continuing to make progress — even if it is not as fast as we all want it to be, that progress continues.”
1. What do we know about Guinea worm disease from the text?| A．It’s still a big problem worldwide. | B．It was first found in the year 1986. |
| C．It has been well controlled in the past years. | D．It once existed in most countries worldwide. |
| A．He can be in great pain within a few days. | B．He will end up becoming very sensitive. |
| C．He will mainly suffer stomachaches. | D．He may suffer a lot in the end. |
| A．By having a vaccine to prevent it. | B．By ensuring drinking water is clean. |
| C．By receiving a good drug treatment. | D．By avoiding getting into unclean water. |
| A．Completely ending. | B．Carefully studying. |
| C．Exactly knowing. | D．Suddenly changing. |
1. What is the man going to do?
| A．Hold a party. |
| B．Watch a basketball game. |
| C．Organize a basketball team. |
| A．25 years. | B．20 years. | C．More than 5 years. |
| A．It’s funny. |
| B．It will be harmful to his health. |
| C．It needs to be considered seriously. |
| A．Going to bed earlier. |
| B．Eating more fatty food. |
| C．Choosing a personal fitness instructor. |
8 . 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 |
1. What does “toxicity” refer to?
| A．Harmful chemicals. | B．Anything too much. | C．Negative thoughts. |
| A．Nutrients. | B．Change. | C．Self-love. |
| A．It leads to physical pain. | B．It results in a bad smell. | C．It causes emotional stress. |
| A．At a cafe. | B．In a classroom. | C．In a studio. |
A few years ago, as a teenager, I experienced daily migraines (偏头痛) that made me want to hit my head against a brick wall. I was desperate to find a cure. For those of you who have experienced this pain, I can sense you silently nodding in agreement, while for those of you who have not experienced it, it is by no means an overstatement to say that the experience is suffering.
I had tried everything. Unfortunately, nothing worked as a continuous cure for my unfortunate painful condition. In my hopelessness, my father told me to try acupuncture (针灸), which he had experienced once in Hong Kong. It had helped cure his lower back when no other forms of therapy or medicine had worked.
I had no idea about acupuncture and had never experienced traditional Chinese medicine before. With no expectations due to my previous dis- appointments in my search for a treatment, I went on my journey of acupuncture, and soon found myself in a middle-aged woman’s office which was surrounded by Chinese herbal medicines.
After I sat myself down on the patient chair, she asked me why I had come in. Then, she placed three fingers on my wrist and silently felt my pulse. I was then taken to a room and told to lie down. Soon, she took out the needles which made me quite worried because such objects make me uneasy.
The initial procedure of receiving acupuncture proved to be quite surprising. To address my migraines, acupuncture was first administered to the back of my hand, which is nowhere near my head. The feeling was quite unexpected too: as the doctor carefully tapped and twisted the needle in, I did not sense the needle itself, but rather an effect that rippled (起伏) throughout my entire body. The doctor then continued to tap and twist more needles throughout my entire body: head, face, stomach, legs, arms, and toes. The entire process was over in 20 minutes. She then gave some herbal medicine to me to drink every day for five days.
注意：1. 续写词数为150 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I returned to the doctor for a total of 10 times.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Acupuncture did change my life.
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