1 . On Monday, a lawsuit (诉讼) in the US got huge headlines around the world. It deals with a truly 21st century issue—whether human genes (基因) may be patented.

Myriad Genetics, a biotechnology company, discovered two genes — BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 — that are highly related to breast cancer. Myriad patented its discoveries and a group of researchers challenged that the patent was illegal.

The US patent law protects the temporary economic rewards inventors get from their inventions. But it also says a product of nature or a law of nature can’t be patented. For example, Einstein couldn’t patent on his discovery of E=mc².

And until relatively recently, many of the medical researchers voluntarily gave up patents on their inventions. When Dr. Jonas Salk, the inventor of the polio vaccine (小儿麻痹症疫苗), was asked in 1955 whether he had a patent on the vaccine, he replied, “Could you patent the sun?”

Myriad Genetics, however, says that the genes it identified are not like the sun. It notes that there are 20,000 genes in the human body and that it has sorted through all those genes and found the two that are closely related to breast cancer.

Not so, say those challenging the patent. Human genes are products of nature. They are just a part of the human body. “All Myriad does is take the part out of the body,” says the challengers’ lawyer, Christopher Hansen. “Can the person who first takes the heart out of the body patent on hearts?”

Rochelle Dreyfuss, a patent expert who is not associated with this case, is a little more down to earth. “At some level it is about money,” he says, “because medicine doesn’t happen for free. The patent system is very important to encourage companies to spend more money on scientific research and development.”

Then how do other countries handle this tricky situation? Most countries approve patents on genes, but they also allow other scientists to use the genes freely to do research and develop new medicines and testing methods.

1. Which of the following can be patented according to the US patent law?

A．The law of gravity force.	B．A unique orbit found in space.
C．A new medicine based on BRCA 1.	D．The basic working principle of planes.

2. What is Christopher Hansen’s argument against the patent?

A．A product of nature can’t be patented.

B．Public interests should be put before profits.

C．It is unacceptable to the other countries in the world.

D．The connection between genes and cancers is not obvious.

3. What does the underlined phrase “down to earth” in paragraph 7 mean?

A．Angry.

B．Rude.

C．Smart

D．Practical.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The consequences of the lawsuit.	B．Other countries’ solution to the case.
C．The public reactions to the news.	D．Some scientists’ support for the patent.

2 . Mental health is something individuals should be taking care of, and here we recommend the following apps for you.

Meru Health

The app offers coaching and therapy programmes, which consist of 8-12 weeks of one-on-one consultations, ongoing chats with a personal coach or licensed doctor, and daily activities including mindfulness and emotional intelligence practices. The chat feature in the app offers users a mixture model where they can engage in texting, phone calls, coaching or clinical support. The app is free, but a referral (推荐) from a healthcare professional is a must to register for the programme.

Insight Timer

This meditation (冥想) app features a wide range of free meditation libraries, and offers guided meditations, music tracks and talks by leading researchers, psychologists and mindfulness experts. It also has live events like yoga, mood tracking, private mentoring, and workshops available. The advanced version, Member Plus, is $60 per year with a 30-day free trial if you sign up on their website.

Headspace

The app offers guided meditations, sleep meditations and breathing exercises that help users deal with stress and anxiety. It includes user-friendly content and appealing animations that help attract users from all meditation expertise levels. Headspace features a free ten-day introductory programme, but it also has two subscription choices: 12. 99 per month or $69. 99 per year.

Calm

The app offers “Sleep Stories” narrated by famous speakers, ten-minute Daily Calm sessions as well as a music library, short videos and mindful movement activities. Calm also provides a range of guided meditations with lengths of 3-25 minutes to fit the user’s schedule. The platform offers a seven-day trial programme at no cost and then has the choice of an annual subscription costing $ 69. 99 or a one-time purchase of $ 399. 99.

1. Which app can be used only through an expert’s recommendation?

A．Meru Health.

B．Insight Timer.

C．Headspace.

D．Calm.

2. What is the benefit of using the app Headspace?

A．It can receive users’ texts.	B．It can help users to feel relaxed.
C．It makes users enjoy music tracks.	D．It provides users with stories.

3. What do the four apps have in common?

A．They are totally free for users.	B．They provide outdoor activities.
C．They focus on our mental health.	D．They teach people how to use apps.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

3D bio-printing inside the human body could be possible thanks to a new soft robot. The device features    1    printing head directly mounted onto the tip of a soft robotic arm. This printing head,     2     consists of soft artificial muscles that allow it to move in three directions, works very    3    (similar) to conventional desktop 3D printers.

The soft robotic arm can bend and twist and can be made at any length    4     (require). The printing nozzle (喷嘴) can be programmed to print per-determined shapes, or operated manually.     5     addition, a research team used a machine learning-based controller which can aid the printing process.

The team    6    (explain) how the device could potentially be used as an all-in-one surgical tool to perform a range of    7    (function). They said this could be especially important in surgery    8    (remove) certain cancers.

The ability to carry out such multi-functional procedures    9    (demonstrate) on a pig’s intestine (肠) last month and the researchers say the results show that the device is a     10    (promise)candidate for the future development of an all-in-one endoscopic surgical tool. The next stage of development for the system is in vivo (活体的) testing on living animals to demonstrate its practical use.

4 . People think they can just boost the immune system as if it were a muscle, but it’s far from that simple. But like any bodily function, immunity works best when we support our general health.    1    

Take your shots. When it comes to powering up the immune system, vaccines(疫苗) are the most important breakthrough in history. Childhood vaccinations, for instance, have been a key factor in our longer lifespan today.     2     A vaccine provides a training session for our adaptive immunity, showing it how to fight an invader it’s never seen before.

Watch what you eat.     3     But if it features consistently in your diet, you’ re in danger of replacing the healthier foods and nutrients that you need for your immune system. For most of us, a balanced and varied diet gives us most of the nutrients we need. If you aren’t getting a lot of sun exposure, you may require vitamin D.

Get moving.     4     And it doesn’t take much. People with inactive lifestyles have a higher risk of hospitalization, while people who exercise, even a bit, are more likely to get better on their own. Aim for 10 to 30 minutes of exercise every day to get the immune benefits.

    5     Time outdoors gives you a break from indoor air, where infectious bugs may circulate, and it also has benefits for your immune function. A bout of sunlight during the day improves your sleep rhythm at night and allows your body to produce essential vitamin D. Also, exposure to natural environments reduces stress and anxiety.

A．Breathe fresh air.

B．Keep yourself free from anxiety.

C．Doing regular exercise helps you go on a diet.

D．Regular physical activity improves immune function.

E．Here are practical approaches proven to show some results.

F．Vaccines don’t fix all problems, but they’re really effective.

G．Having junk food once in a while isn’t going to impact your health.

5 . Why late-night eating is something you should absolutely avoid? It’s long been popular advice for people looking to lose weight to avoid late night eating. It’s no wonder, with a host of research showing that late-night eating is linked to greater body weight. But until now, few studies have actually investigated why. This is what a recent U.S. study set out to uncover.

Researchers had 16 participants follow two different meal schedules, each for a period of six days total. The first group had their meals early in the day with the last meal consumed six hours and 40 minutes before bedtime. The second group had their daily meals four hours later. This meant they skipped breakfast and instead had lunch, dinner and an evening meal. Their last meal was consumed only two and a half hours before sleep. All the participants consumed an identical diet, and all of their meals were equally spaced with around four hours between them.

The researchers looked at three measures associated with weight gain: the influence of appetite, the impact of eating time on calories burned, and changes of fat tissue. They found that compared to an early eating pattern, late eating not only increased feelings of hunger the following day, it also increased the rate of “hunger” hormones (激素) in the blood. Late eating also caused a decrease in calories burned the following day. Fat tissue samples taken from the participants also showed the increased fat storage. These results indicate that late eating could lead to weight gain.

Given the study was only conducted on a limited number of participants and over a very short time, more research will be needed to further understand whether these changes are only temporary, and what effects long-tern late-night eating can have on the weight gain mechanisms (机制).

Anyway this study adds to a growing body of evidence showing just how important meal timing can be when it comes to body weight. Therefore, people who are watching their weight may want to ditch the late-night snacks and favor eating most of their meals earlier.

1. What is the study designed to do?

A．To promote suggestions on losing weight.

B．To prove the findings of the past research.

C．To see why late-night meal causes weight gain.

D．To figure out which is the better meal schedule.

2. Which of the following is a result of late eating?

A．The slow intake of nutrition.

B．The decreasing feeling of hunger.

C．The increase of blood pressure.

D．The great accumulation of fat.

3. Which of the following best explains “ditch” underlined in the last paragraph?

A．Sell.	B．Quit.
C．Delay.	D．Taste.

4. In which part of a newspaper may the text appear?

A．Medical Stories.	B．Healthy Eating.
C．Life and Fashion.	D．Sports and Fitness.

6 . Humans have two different ages. There is chronological age(时序年龄), which measures how much time a person has spent on Earth, and then there is biological age, referring to how old a person seems. Many lifestyle factors like diet, exercise and psychological state can impact someone’s biological age.

A new study from Deep Longevity, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Stanford University found that feelings that cause poor mental health like sadness, loneliness and general unhappiness add an extra 1.65 years to a person’s biological age. Meanwhile, smoking can add up to 1.25 years and suffering from restless sleep can add 0.44 years to a person’s biological age, according to the study.

As part of the study, researchers said they came up with a new “aging clock” based on data from 4,846 Chinese adults in 2015 as part of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).

The data included 16 blood biomarkers like cholesterol and glucose levels as well as other health information like blood pressure, body mass index, lung function and sex.

Researchers compared the chronological age of CHARLS participants with the ages predicted by their new “aging clock.“ The results found that the new age was roughly 5.6 years older than the CHARLS participants’ actual ages. The team also found that smokers and those with a history of stroke, liver or lung disease were predicted to be older than the remaining 4,451 healthy adults in the cohort.

“Chronological age isn’t how old we really are,” said Professor David Sinclair, co-director of the Paul F.Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging at Harvard Medical School. We all age biologically at different rates according to our genes, what we eat, and how much we exercise. Biological age is what determines our health and ultimately our lifespan. Biological age is a number of candles we really should be blowing out. In the future, with advances in our ability to control biological age, we may have even fewer candles on our cake than the previous one.“

1. Which of the following has the biggest negative effect on our biological age?

A．Smoking.

B．Poor sleep.

C．Being married.

D．Feeling lonely.

2. What’s Professor David Sinclair’s attitude to the future of human’s biological age?

A．Concerned.

B．Indifferent.

C．Optimistic.

D．Ambiguous.

3. Where can the text be found?

A．In a novel.	B．In a health magazine.
C．In a biography.	D．In a travel brochure.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．What Decides a Person’s Chronological Age.

B．What Adds Years to a Person’s Biological Age.

C．Chronological Age-How Old Are You Really?

D．Biological Age-You May Be Older than You Are.

7 . Limiting your child’s candy this Halloween might be more of a trick than a treat, experts say. Once you’re a grown-up raising kids, that bag full of candy might be the scariest part of Halloween — whether it’s concern about a potential sugar rush, worries of parenting perfectionism or diet culture anxiety.

“It makes sense to be scared, because we’ve been taught to be scared,” said Oona Hanson, a parent coach based in Los Angeles. “Sugar is sort of the boogeyman in our current cultural conversation.”

But micromanaging your child’s candy supply can backfire (适得其反)，leading to an overvaluing of sweets，binge (暴食) behavior or unhealthy restriction in your child，said Natalie Mokari, a registered dietitian-nutritionist in Charlotte, North Carolina.

As stressful as it may be to see your child faced with more candy in one night than they would eat in an entire year, the best approach may be to lean into the joy, she added. “They are only in that age where they want to trick or treat for just a small glimpse of time — it’s so short-lived,” Mokari said. “Let them enjoy that day.”

Experts aren’t suggesting kids have sugar all day every day. The American Heart Association and the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee — groups charged with providing science-based recommendations every live years — have recommended lower daily levels of sugar. Too much added sugar has been associated with cardiovascular disease and lack of essential nutrients.

But a healthy relationship with food has balance, and you can keep your kids’ diets full of nutrients while allowing them lo eat sweets, Mokari said.

1. Why are the grown-ups raising kids scared at Halloween?

A．Because they don’t look perfect enough.

B．Because their children faced too much candy.

C．Because they’ve been taught to be.

D．Because they don’t know the diet culture.

2. Which of the following best explains “Sugar is sort of the boogeyman” underlined in Paragraph 2?

A．Sugar can make us scared.

B．Sugar is a sort of healthy food.

C．Sugar is harmful to our health.

D．Sugar is a sort of essential nutrient.

3. Which of the following statements will Natalie Mokari probably agree with?

A．Kids should have sugar all day every day.

B．It makes sense to be scared with that bag full of candy.

C．It’s a good idea to micromanage your child’s candy supply.

D．Kids would have much joy when treated to candy at Halloween.

4. What are the last two paragraphs mainly about?

A．Diseases associated with sugar.

B．The right attitude towards sugar.

C．Allowing your kids to eat sweets.

D．Keeping your kids’ diets full of nutrients.

8 . Spring fatigue(困倦), also known as spring lethargy, refers to a state of fatigue, lowered energy, or depression, associated with the onset of spring.    1    The good news is that something can be done to avoid it.

Take in more protein and fruits, and less greasy foods

Modern research finds that sleepiness in spring is usually accompanied by insufficient protein, vitamins, and an imbalance of internal acid. To feel light and alert, eat more food that is high in protein, such as salmon and eggs; and fruits rich in vitamins, such as lemon and fresh vegetables.    2    

Get some fresh air

Make sure that air flows properly in your office and bedroom.     3     Also, you can go outdoors to get close to nature.

    4    

Try to always have a bottle of water next to you, as it can help to eliminate accumulated toxins and help to fight spring fatigue. You can also add slices of lemon to ginger it up and make it vitamin-rich.

Don’t sleep more, exercise more

Eight hours of sleep is usually enough for adults.    5    Instead, slightly increase the level of your physical activity, which will help to send more oxygen to the brain, making us feel awake and energetic.

A．Drink enough water.

B．Don’t leave out vitamin.

C．Greasy foods and alcohol will have the reverse effect.

D．You can have more milk and cheese, which is high in calcium.

E．Bad airflow will lead to insufficient oxygen, which will affect the brain's performance.

F．Getting longer sleep may reduce activity in the cerebral cortex, making people sleepier.

G．Experts say that spring lethargy could be a warning sign of cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, or diabetes.

9 . It’s never been easier to deal with well-being, yet many of us focus on our physical health but _______ our psychological well-being, an expert says. For those _______ at home during the coronavirus pandemic(冠状病毒大流行), _______ well-being is more important than ever.

The _______ the coronavirus pandemic brings can seriously challenge our mental health. If you are struggling or feeling _______, you are not alone. The global health crisis has _______internal health issues to the fore(在显眼位置).

Communities and workplaces are more open to _______ and understanding psychological health issues than they were a year ago. This could be an _______ to make some positive changes in your life. “Feelings of struggle and stress are not _______ that you are unwell or ‘broken’; they are signals that something important needs your attention,” says ________ Dr Michelle McQuaid, who has a decade of experience ________ positive psychology interventions in workplaces.

“Provided you have the ________ knowledge, tools and support to respond to these signs, such struggles don’t have to ________ your well-being or performance. In fact, they can enhance your learning and growth.” McQuaid is working with the Hong Kong-based ________ Just Challenge on a recently launched virtual employee wellness platform for corporate clients. The company, which is ________ good at offering physical challenges and programmes for companies, has ________ this platform to help companies looking to ________ their staff, who are often working remotely, ________ stress.

Delivered through video tutorials, the Wellness Programme offers mental and physical health education. That is great if you’re working for an ________ company that cares about the personal health and success of its staff, but ________ your firm has not subscribed to the programme, there is still a lot you can do.

1.

A．care

B．mind

C．neglect

D．watch

2.

A．raised

B．kept

C．ran

D．stuck

3.

A．mental

B．original

C．physical

D．social

4.

A．capability

B．experience

C．uncertainty

D．stability

5.

A．excited

B．honored

C．relaxed

D．stressed

6.

A．brought

B．bought

C．fought

D．thought

7.

A．acknowledging

B．forgetting

C．declining

D．imagining

8.

A．activity

B．anxiety

C．identity

D．opportunity

9.

A．orders

B．descriptions

C．signs

D．statements

10.

A．artist

B．psychologist

C．economist

D．journalist

11.

A．designing

B．implementing

C．planning

D．wondering

12.

A．strange

B．obvious

C．special

D．relevant

13.

A．assist

B．improve

C．level

D．influence

14.

A．agency

B．firm

C．institute

D．university

15.

A．commonly

B．traditionally

C．especially

D．usually

16.

A．point out

B．rolled out

C．stand out

D．put out

17.

A．examine

B．monitor

C．support

D．train

18.

A．cope with

B．go with

C．meet with

D．play with

19.

A．developing

B．considerate

C．interesting

D．cautious

20.

A．even if

B．due to

C．as if

D．if only

10 . Have you ever had the 24-hour bug? You have a fever, you ache and you have to stay in bed. Well, most people have had it sometime, and can _______ it in 24 hours. Most people, that is, except mothers.

Mother gets the _______ that’s going around. When the children _______ home from school, hungry, they find her in bed with a _______ of over 38 ℃.

“I’m sick,” she says. “I can’t do anything. I’ll just have to leave it all to you. Cook the potatoes..._______ the baby...set the table...” The children dash off like soldiers going into _______.

Then Father comes home, looking _______. Mother starts worrying about him. “It’s nothing, darling. I can get up and do dinner and—”

Father _______ his head. “You stay right there. Don’t worry about a thing. The kids and I will take over.”

Suddenly there is a _______, followed by Father’s voice. “Get the baby out of the way before he cuts himself! Where’s the broom? Don’t ________ your mother!”

Then the house grows________. It is clear to Mother that the family is eating dinner while she lies there sick and ________.

They’ve ________ all about her. They’re doing fine without her.

Suddenly, to her surprise, the children________, beaming, with her dinner. There’s a glass of water, a plate with three beans, a cold boiled potato, a tiny slice of burned meat loaf. “Can we stay with you while you eat?” the children ask. “The kitchen is a ________. And Dad’s kind of ________.”

As the children watch ________, she eats her cold dinner. “Everything ________ so good,” she tells them. She notices, without surprise, that her ________ and pains are gone.

“I hope you feel better tomorrow, Mum. We miss you,” the boy says.

Mother smiles. “I feel better already.”

SO YOU SEE HOW IT IS with mothers. Other people have the 24-hour bug for 24 hours. But if a mother feels ________ enough, she can recover from it in 12 hours or less!

1.

A．look for

B．run into

C．get over

D．put aside

2.

A．course

B．bug

C．worry

D．rest

3.

A．burst

B．leave

C．approach

D．stay

4.

A．atmosphere

B．weather

C．experiment

D．temperature

5.

A．cheer for

B．look after

C．come across

D．laugh at

6.

A．yard

B．kitchen

C．battle

D．playground

7.

A．tired

B．grateful

C．delighted

D．familiar

8.

A．claps

B．shakes

C．waves

D．raises

9.

A．whistle

B．splash

C．crash

D．ring

10.

A．attack

B．blame

C．touch

D．disturb

11.

A．quiet

B．clean

C．modern

D．remote

12.

A．silent

B．alone

C．awake

D．asleep

13.

A．forgotten

B．supported

C．prohibited

D．allowed

14.

A．stop

B．escape

C．hide

D．appear

15.

A．puzzle

B．fight

C．mess

D．challenge

16.

A．relaxed

B．mad

C．frightened

D．cautious

17.

A．carefully

B．angrily

C．unwillingly

D．bravely

18.

A．sounds

B．looks

C．tastes

D．keeps

19.

A．desires

B．excuses

C．demands

D．aches

20.

A．used

B．limited

C．ignored

D．needed