| A．To visit the woman. | B．To see the doctor. | C．To check Mr. Brown’s schedule. |
Tu Youyou,
However, the discovery of artemisinin wasn’t easy. From then on, she and her team examined 2,000 old medical texts and
She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine on 6 October 2015 for the discovery of artemisinin, which could be thought
3 . Researchers discovered a new function for a common protein in the brain—a development that throws new light on the mysteries of the mind and holds promising implications for the treatment of memory loss and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The protein, called RPT6, normally performs necessary housekeeping in the brain’s hippocampus (海马体) by working as part of a larger protein complex called the proteasome to destroy other proteins. But researchers in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ School of Animal Sciences recently noticed this protein behaving in a previously undetected way.
“We have found that RPT6 is capable of this completely different function where it can combine with DNA and increase the expression of other genes or proteins during memory formation,” said Tim Jarome, associate professor of neurobiology. “This indicates that RPT6 plays a dual (双重的) role in memory formation, both inside and outside the proteasome complex.”
Gene expression is critical to memory formation. It helps to build the neural networks needed to form and strengthen memories. The discovery, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, opens up new avenues for exploration of how RPT6 functions in the brain and how it can be controlled to improve memory and reduce the harm of memory disorders like PTSD.
Researchers don’t yet understand why RPT6 has this dual function or how it is helping to control the cells that form a memory. “There has to be something else that’s working with it to control gene expression,” Jarome said. “We are trying to understand now how it’s doing that.”
Hopefully, the discovery will be helpful to the ongoing research in Jarome’s lab, which focuses on understanding and treating memory disorders.
“The discovery of RPT6’s new function is leading us somewhere new in revealing the complexities of the brain and how we learn and store memories,” said research scientist Kayla Farrell. “We believe that this will help to inform new directions into understanding how gene expression is controlled during memory. In the long term, this could lead to potential treatment of controlling and improving memory.”
1. What does Tim Jarome say about RPT6 in paragraph 3?| A．It is a new kind of protein. | B．It has little to do with DNA. |
| C．It can feed most of the cells. | D．It affects memory formation. |
| A．What contributes to RPT6’s dual function. |
| B．The role of gene expression in memory formation. |
| C．The discovery of RPT6’s dual function in the brain. |
| D．Whether RPT6 can increase the expression of other genes. |
| A．The brain is not complex to explore. |
| B．The finding is of great significance. |
| C．The new treatment of memory loss works. |
| D．The problem of storing memory is serious. |
| A．In a lab report. | B．In a chemistry textbook. |
| C．In a health magazine. | D．In a first aid brochure. |
4 . Ms. McIntyre, 38, worked as a publisher. She suffered brain cancer and her health got worse despite some medical treatment. But she realized that in a way, she was luckier than some other people. She had insurance to help pay for her medical care. But Ms. McIntyre and her husband, Mr. Gregory, knew that many people with cancer face tough decisions because of the costs of medical care and wind up owing far more than they can pay.
Though her health was failing, Ms. McIntyre decided to help pay off the medical debts of as many people as she possibly could. The couple began donating money to a group called RIP Medical Debt, which is committed to working to pay off the unpaid medical debts of others. The group can pay off medical bills for about 100 times less money than they cost. In other words, for every 100 donated, the group can pay off 10,000 in unpaid medical bills.
Unfortunately, Ms. McIntyre passed away before long. Mr. Gregory posted a message for Ms. McIntyre on her social media accounts. “If you’re reading this, I have passed away,” the post began. Then the post explained, “To celebrate my life, I’ve arranged to buy up others’ medical debts and then destroy the debts.”
The couple had set up a page on a website to raise money for this purpose. They had hoped to raise about $20,000. Nevertheless, Ms. McIntyre’s last post attracted a lot of attention. The donations on her web page quickly passed the total goal. In less than a week, the site had raised 10 times more than expected and the donations are still coming in. By November 22, 2023, Ms. McIntyre’s web page had raised over $627,000, or enough money to pay off about $60 million in medical debts.
Mr. Gregory planned a special event in December to celebrate Ms. McIntyre’s life and to announce how many millions of dollars of medical debts her efforts had paid for.
1. Why did Ms. McIntyre feel luckier than some other people?| A．The doctors eventually cured her. | B．Her disease didn’t become worse. |
| C．She had a decent job before being ill. | D．She had security about medical care. |
| A．By paying for their daily debts. | B．By giving away money to them. |
| C．By ridding them of debts from treatments. | D．By purchasing medical insurance for them. |
| A．The public involvement. | B．The couple’s commitment. |
| C．The operation of a website. | D．The increase of medical debts. |
| A．Humorous and elegant. | B．Influential and understanding. |
| C．Cautious and promising. | D．Enthusiastic and adaptable. |
5 . Growing up in a small village in southern Ghana, Osci Boateng watched many of his family members and neighbors struggle to access basic health care. In many regions of the country, it can take hours to get to the nearest hospital. Boateng said many people lost their lives due to preventable or treatable diseases. His grandmother and aunt were among them.
Feeling an urgent call to help, Boateng decided he would make it his life’s mission to bring health care to remote communities in Ghana where education and preventative health care were lacking.
Boateng wanted to find a way to remove these barriers to health care access and education. He started his nonprofit organization, OKB Hope Foundation. In 2021, he converted (转变) a van (面包车) into a mobile doctor’s office and started bringing health care directly to those in need. A few times a week, the mobile clinic and medical team travel long distances to remote communities and provide free routine medical care.
On each trip, Boateng’s team consists of a nurse, a physician assistant, a doctor, and an operation assistant. In the van, they can run basic labs like bloodwork and urinalysis (尿液分析) as well as provide medicine. “It’s like a one-stop shop for people, ” said Boateng, adding that most of the people they see have one health issue or another. Since its launch, the Hope Health Van has served more than 4,000 Ghanaians across more than 45 rural communities who otherwise don’t have easily accessible medical care, according to Boateng.
Boateng has gone all in on his OKB Hope Foundation, recently quitting his job to dedicate his time to bringing health care to his home country. But for him, the sacrifices (牺牲) are well worth. “Words cannot describe the feeling that you provide care for someone who otherwise wouldn’t be alive if your mobile health van wasn’t there.” He has big plans for the future. He hopes to expand them to provide more consistent and high-quality medical care not only to those living in remote areas of Ghana but those in other countries.
1. What is the purpose of mentioning the example in paragraph 1?| A．To show the importance of life. | B．To describe how hard Boateng’s family lived. |
| C．To point out what’s wrong with the hospital. | D．To stress the seriousness of lacking health care. |
| A．He operates on patients in the van. | B．He rents a doctor’s office wherever he goes. |
| C．He provides medical care by charging some fees. | D．He offers people health care using mobile clinic. |
| A．It really works. | B．It makes a profit. |
| C．It serves the whole Ghana. | D．It produces some good medicine. |
| A．Reliable and creative. | B．Caring and ambitious. |
| C．Considerate and humorous. | D．Determined and demanding. |
| A．In a store. | B．In an office. | C．In a dentist’s. |
1. Who is the speech targeted for?
| A．American private doctors. |
| B．American college students. |
| C．Overseas students. |
| A．Public clinics. |
| B．Private clinics. |
| C．Private doctors. |
| A．Travel with their family. |
| B．Take their personal health records. |
| C．Have a yearly medical examination. |
1. What does the woman probably do?
| A．A doctor. | B．A professor. | C．An assistant |
| A．On Wednesday. | B．On Friday. | C．On Thursday. |
1. What caused the woman’s problem?
| A．Studying late into the night. |
| B．Feeling nervous about her match. |
| C．Getting up too late in the morning. |
| A．Take some medicine. | B．Get more fresh air. | C．Get more sleep. |
| A．He was sick. |
| B．His wife was sick. |
| C．He was visiting his daughter. |
