1 . Have you ever heard of “children of the stars”? It might sound mysterious, but the expression refers to children with autism (自闭症). World Autism Awareness Day falls on April 2. It was initiated by the United Nations to raise awareness and promote acceptance of people with autism.
According to the US-based Autism Research Institute, autism is a disorder with symptoms (症状) that appear within the first three years of life. The condition is believed to involve deficits (缺陷) in social communication and interaction as well as restricted, repetitive behaviors, interests, or activities.
Meng Lingdi, whose daughter was diagnosed (诊断) with autism at 2 years old, shared that her daughter wouldn’t pay attention to her when Meng asked her to do something. “She made less eye contact with people compared to other kids,” Meng added.
Children with autism also suffer from physical pain. “Many children with autism experience epilepsy (癫痫) due to differences in brain activity,” said Sun Zhongkai at Beijing Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism. Epilepsy among people with autism becomes even more prevalent (普遍的) starting from adolescence (青春期), he added.
At present, the precise cause of autism remains unknown, but research indicates that it is likely a result of a mix of developmental, genetic (遗传的), and environmental factors.
“According to our statistics, older parents are more likely to have autistic children than younger parents,” said Sun. “If the first child in a family has autism, the chances of subsequent children also having autism are about 10 times higher than in families where the first child is not autistic. The likelihood of identical twins both having autism is also significant.”
Although autism is a lifelong condition, there are various treatments available. According to Liu Wei, a teacher at the institute with 20 years of experience in teaching people with autism, it is crucial not to view people with autism with a sense of strangeness. Affirmations (肯定) from others will make them feel proud, enabling them to interact with others more effectively. For those close to autism sufferers, such as friends or family, it’s useful to establish certain principles for the individual, such as what is permissible and what is not. They should also have a deep understanding of autism and how to deal with it, which, for children with autism, may “benefit them for a lifetime,” said Sun.
1. What is the purpose of the World Autism Awareness Day’s foundation?| A．To make people with autism easier to get various treatments. |
| B．To arouse people’s attention to autism and make people with autism easier to be accepted. |
| C．To make people with autism have a deep understanding of autism. |
| D．To enable people with autism to interact with others more effectively. |
| A．High anxiety. | B．Sleeping disorders. |
| C．Communication difficulties. | D．Exceptional athletic skills. |
| A．They are more active physically. | B．They exhibit heightened sensitivity. |
| C．Their condition worsens with age. | D．Their brain functions unusually. |
| A．Gender of the child. | B．Age of the parents. |
| C．Education of the parents. | D．Environmental pollution. |
| A．Offer encouragement and support. | B．Communicate our ideas clearly to them. |
| C．Be as generous as possible. | D．Allow freedom in their choices. |
2 . With artificial intelligence (AI) seemingly working its way into every technology out there, one area where it’s considered particularly promising is in helping doctors. And already, AI is entering some doctors’ offices.
Dr. Michael Mansour of Massachusetts General Hospital is an early user who’s helped by a form of AI that could someday change the way doctors get information. When a patient comes in with unknown infection (感染), Mansour turns to a computer program called UpToDate. It’s a common tool, with more than 2 million users at 44,000 health care organizations in over 190 countries. Basically, it’s Google for doctors — searching a huge database (数据库) of articles written by experts in the field, who are all getting information from the latest research.
Wolters Kluwer Health, the company that makes UpToDate, is trying to incorporate (整合) AI so that doctors can have more of a conversation with the database.
Some doctors hope to use AI to comb through a patient’s medical history before an appointment (预约). In some cases, Dr. June-Ho Kim, who directs a program on primary care at Ariadne Labs, says AI technology may also help primary care doctors look after patients without the help of specialists. “It will free up specialists’ time to focus on more difficult cases that they need to really home in on, rather than the ones that could be answered through a few questions,” he says.
Dr. Marc Succi, who was a co-worker of Kim, says, “AI will finally prove to be a trusted medical tool. AI won’t replace doctors, but doctors who use AI will replace doctors who do not. It will become very common just like designing a PPT on a computer. It’s that level of leap.”
1. How does UpToDate help a doctor?| A．It looks after patients. | B．It does a temperature test. |
| C．It offers useful information. | D．It leads patients to doctors. |
| A．Concentrate on. | B．Adapt to. |
| C．Waste time on. | D．Have interest in. |
| A．The difficulty of writing. | B．The user-friendlines s of AI. |
| C．The importance of a doctor. | D．The advantages of office software. |
| A．AI in the Field of Medicine | B．The Challenges of AI |
| C．Changes That AI Has Brought | D．Doctors at Home or in the Office |
3 . Adding salt to already prepared meals is linked to dying prematurely, according to a new study. Researchers found always adding salt to food knocks 2.3 years off life expectancy for men and 1.5years for women.
The study did not rule out other factors, but researchers said the evidence was compelling enough that people should consider avoiding seasoning their meals. The findings were based on research involving over 500,000 participants, who were followed for an average of 9 years. Compared with those who never added salt, those who always seasoned their food had a 28% increased risk of dying earlier. “To my knowledge, our study is the first to assess the relation between adding salt to foods and earlier death,” said Prof Lu Qi, who led the work. “Even a modest reduction in sodium (钠) intake can result in remarkable health benefits.”
Salt intake is difficult to accurately track because many processed foods contain high levels of salt. Roughly 70% of sodium intake in western populations comes from processed foods, with 8-20% from salt added at the table. However, adding salt is a very good indicator of a person’s preference for salty tasting foods, so the team focused their analysis on this measurement.
Prof Annika Rosengren, a researcher who was not involved with the research, said that there is an ideal level for salt to different people. It’s hard to figure out the best level in terms of health for any given individual. “So far, what the evidence seems to indicate is that healthy people consuming normal levels of salt need not worry too much about their salt intake,” she said. However, those at high risk of heart disease should probably cut down. “Not adding extra salt to already prepared foods is one way of achieving this.”
1. What does the underlined word “compelling” probably mean?| A．Interesting. | B．Convincing. | C．Fascinating. | D．Stimulating. |
| A．Adding salt can suggest a person’s favor. |
| B．Western populations prefer salty foods relatively. |
| C．The study centered on tracking salt intake accurately. |
| D．More than 70% of sodium intake comes from processed foods. |
| A．There is an ideal level for salt to all people. |
| B．It’s appropriate to add more salt while cooking. |
| C．Occasional addition of salt has no effect on health. |
| D．Patients with heart disease should control their salt intake. |
| A．A biology textbook. | B．An official report. | C．A health magazine. | D．A science fiction. |
4 . Many people do not fully understand what self-care means. So they may view self-care as a form of selfish behavior.
Take regular exercise.
It’s important to listen to your body and take a break.
Discover the source of your stress.
Make a list of things that cause your stress in all ways of your life.
Money matters can be a significant source of stress and anxiety. But practising financial self-care through planning and budgeting can help to lessen this burden. No, it’s not as fun as treating yourself on payday, but creating a budget and sticking to it can enable you to take control of your financial wellbeing.
| A．Manage your finance. |
| B．Perfect oneself by any means necessary. |
| C．The next step is to do your best to avoid them. |
| D．However, don’t let every day become a rest day! |
| E．After completing these three steps, you can begin to make a plan you can work on. |
| F．But in fact, the act of caring for oneself is an important part of a person’s wellbeing. |
| G．Self-care is a lifestyle that enables you to ensure your wellbeing now and for years to come. |
5 . After staring at a computer screen for hours at a time, the body often gives us a clue that it is stressed: unbearable neck and back pain. To fix the problem, you might have gotten advice to focus on posture, but exercise research points to another strategy as well — taking short-term exercise throughout the day to relieve tension and stress in the body.
Fitness specialists at NASA, an agency where people work in high-stress seated positions, developed a set of 20 one-minute exercises to prevent pain that anyone can do at their desk. “Movement is hydrating (补水) for connective tissues and joints, changing the stiffness that arises from too much sedentary behavior.” says Dr. Helene Langevin, director of the National Institute of Health, which recently funded more than a half-dozen studies on connective tissue and pain. “Taking small breaks and moving around throughout the day prevents your body from congealing (凝结),” Langevin says.
The NASA program included seated marches, standing calf raises, push-ups with hands on the desk, and neck, shoulder, and back stretches. “Your body is always talking to you,” said Marceleus M. Venable, a personal trainer in Washington D.C. and co-author of the NASA exercise program. “Your hands cramp (抽筋), you have hip pain and neck pain ... it’s saying: ‘Hey, can you stretch me?’ ”
No one set of exercises works for every body. Rather, people should focus on movements that challenge areas of weakness, strengthen multiple parts and that they enjoy, says Katy Bowman, a biomechanist and author of the book Move Your DNA. “It’s not as simple as asking everyone with back pain to do these four moves,” says Bowman. “It’s just like dietary nutrition. You need a range of movements that make the body strong from head to toe.”
In July 2023, Langevin published a video, demonstrating some of the movements she recommends, including taking one arm in a large gentle circle, while stretching the neck in the opposite direction and then repeating the move in the opposite direction, and on the opposite side. “Even if you are feeling sore, gentle motion can be soothing.” she says, “For musculoskeletal (肌肉骨骼) pain in general, movement is a really good thing.”
1. What does it indicate when there is unbearable pain in your neck and back?| A．You have to stare at the computer screen. |
| B．Your body is suffering from tension. |
| C．You have got advice to focus on posture. |
| D．Your body has released its stress. |
| A．Remaining too busy. | B．Staying up late. |
| C．Spending much time sitting. | D．Taking exercise overly. |
| A．Resigning from NASA and taking a light job. |
| B．Providing sufficient water for various tissues of the body. |
| C．Promoting a set of exercises to benefit everyone. |
| D．Stretching your body whenever there is a chance. |
| A．Health and Life. | B．Astronomy and Space. |
| C．Computer and Technology. | D．Office and Efficiency. |
1. Where are the speakers?
| A．At a school. | B．At the man’s office. | C．At a doctor’s office. |
| A．Quit his current job. |
| B．Change his habits and lifestyle. |
| C．Attend meetings with the woman. |
| A．$25. | B．$100. | C．$400. |
7 . Sensory-based food education given to 3-5 year-old children in the kindergarten increases their willingness to choose vegetables and fruit, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland.
The researchers used the sensory-based food education method Sapere, which makes use of children’s natural way of relying on all of the five senses when learning new things. In the Sapere method, children are given an active role around food, and they are encouraged to share their sensory experiences. For example, kindergartens can introduce different vegetables and fruit to children in hands-on sessions, they can involve children in baking and cooking, and they can offer children opportunities for growing their own vegetables in the kindergarten backyard. Food-related themes can also be included in books and games.
“There are several different ways to do this. However, it always starts from sensory-based learning and child engagement. Doing and experiencing things together is also an important aspect,” says Kaisa Kähkönen, a researcher and nutritionist from the University of Eastern Finland.
The researchers compared children in different kindergarten groups. Some were offered sensory-based food education, while others weren’t. Children were offered a snack buffet containing different vegetables and fruit to choose from, and the researchers took photos of their plates to analyse their willingness to choose and eat these food items.
The findings show that sensory-based food education increased children’s willingness to choose vegetables and fruit, especially among children whose mothers have a lower educational background. On average, children of lower educated parents tend to eat less vegetables and fruit. This is how food education given in the kindergarten can help even out dietary gap between families.
“Another interesting finding is that the Sapere food education method also seems to improve the eating atmosphere in kindergarten groups. This encouraged children who were picky eaters to choose a more diverse selection on their plate,” Kähkönen explains.
Positive and personal food-related experiences gained in the kindergarten can help adjust dietary preferences in a direction that is beneficial for health. Dietary preferences learned in early childhood often stick with a person all the way to adolescence and adulthood.
1. What can we know about the Sapere method?| A．It improves kids’ five senses. |
| B．It enables kids to read more books. |
| C．It supplies various healthy food to kids. |
| D．It involves kids in active food-related activities. |
| A．The research purpose. | B．The research process. |
| C．The research findings. | D．The research evaluation. |
| A．Narrow. | B．Identify. |
| C．Analyze. | D．Examine. |
| A．Benefits of eating fruit and vegetables. |
| B．Differences in family dietary preferences. |
| C．Necessity for kids to form learning habits. |
| D．New method to promote kids’ healthy eating. |
8 . A study following nearly 30,000 older adults for more than 10 years has found six key healthy lifestyle factors can significantly reduce memory loss and those adults engaging in between four and six of the healthy lifestyle behaviors could dramatically reduce their risks of developing dementia (痴呆), even when carrying genes that increase their risks of Alzheimer’s disease.
“Six healthy lifestyle aspects were assessed: a healthy diet, regular physical exercise, active social contact, active cognitive (认知的) activity, never smoking, and never drinking alcohol,” the researchers explained in the new study. Participants were classified (分类) into the favorable group if they had four to six healthy lifestyle factors, into the average group for two to three factors, and into the unfavorable group for zero to one factor.
The study found that people with four to six healthy habits had a much slower loss of memory than those with fewer healthy habits. People with these good habits were also much less likely to get dementia than those with one or no healthy habits. Those who had two or three good habits were 30% less likely to get dementia.
The study didn’t figure out which of the six healthy habits is the best for stopping dementia or which combination is the best. However, the information did show that eating healthy seemed to help prevent memory loss the most, with brain exercise and regular physical exercise also very helpful.
About 20% of the people in the study had a gene that makes Alzheimer’s disease more likely. Even so, having several good health habits helped slow down memory loss. This shows that changing how we live can really help.
Even though each health habit helped in a different way, overall, the study found that people with more good health habits had much less memory loss than those with fewer good habits. This suggests that the choices we make in how we live can help protect our memory. The study adds to the evidence that we might be able to change our risk of memory loss.
1. What were the groups categorized based on?| A．The participants’ age. | B．What hobbies the participants got rid of. |
| C．The healthy lifestyles the participants had. | D．What the participants’ attitudes to factors were. |
| A．The favorable group was happier than the other two. |
| B．More healthy lifestyles were of more benefit to health. |
| C．Healthy habits had little impact on memory or dementia. |
| D．People with a healthy diet wouldn’t suffer a loss of memory. |
| A．A healthy diet. | B．Active social contact. |
| C．Active cognitive activities. | D．Never drinking alcohol. |
| A．Healthy Lifestyles Slowing Memory Loss | B．A Study Making A Great Breakthrough |
| C．A Healthy Diet Being The Best Lifestyle | D．Old Adults Suffering From Health Problems |
1. According to the man, what mistake do dieters make?
| A．Their goals are too specific. |
| B．They occasionally eat sweets. |
| C．They don’t eat enough. |
| A．Doing different types of exercises. |
| B．Doing challenging exercises. |
| C．Drinking water when they exercise. |
| A．An expert. | B．A TV host. | C．A salesman. |
10 . In a study from Washington State University, researchers have uncovered a significant correlation between the closeness of older adults to green and blue spaces and their mental and physical well-being. The study offers convincing evidence that even small increases in access to nature can remarkably improve the health outcomes of older adults.
A mere 10% increase in forest space within a person’s living environment is linked to a noticeable decrease in serious psychological conditions. This type of suffering includes mental health challenges that need treatment and block normal social, occupational, or educational functioning. Similarly, the new study proves that enhancing green spaces, water bodies, or trail lengths by 10% appears to lower the likelihood of older individuals reporting their overall health as poor.
The researchers analyzed health survey data from over 42,000 people aged 65 and above living in urban areas of Washington state, spanning (跨越) the years 2011 to 2019. The experts related the health outcomes of these individuals to various measures quantifying their access to nature within their living areas.
Initially presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in April 2023, the research focused only on the link between psychological depression and closeness to natural spaces. The final study expanded to include additional metrics (指标) such as green space percentage and trail length, also taking into account demographic variables (人口统计变量) like race and education.
“Our findings suggest that abatement of our urban green and blue spaces due to rapid urbanization may not just have an environmental impact but could have a public health impact as well,” said Adithya Vegaraju, first author of the study.
Vegaraju said this research is among the first in the U. S. to specifically investigate the relationship between access to nature and health in the older population.
1. What does the author intend to stress in the second paragraph?| A．Access to nature can improve the elders’ mental health. |
| B．Older individuals are more likely to get close to nature. |
| C．Green space is an ideal place for educational functioning. |
| D．A person’s social interaction is linked to more green space. |
| A．By changing old people’s living habits. | B．By tracking and recording the aged people. |
| C．By comparing various measures in the study. | D．By analyzing the participants’ related data. |
| A．Solution. | B．Impact. | C．Loss. | D．Power. |
| A．It needs further research. | B．It’s a pioneer research work. |
| C．It is beneficial to everyone. | D．It will be used in other fields. |
