1 . Painkillers (止痛药) are turning out to be a real pain: according to a new study in the British Medical Journal. Taking them for just a week can increase your risk of heart attack by 50%. The research suggested that the risk related to the use of certain drugs was greatest with higher doses (服用量) and during the first month of use. The potential risk may increase by 75% for medicines like ibuprofen (布洛芬) and naproxen, and more than 100% for rofecoxib.
It all sounds bad but, your risk is very low, — say, one in a million — a 100% increase means you still only have a two in a million chance. Of course, all painkilling medication that works can have side effects — nothing is safe and effective. Paracetamol (扑热息痛) has very few unless taken too much, in which case it can cause serious liver danger, but it isn’t very effective. Drugs like opiates are strong painkillers but easy to be addicted and often have other bad effects. Maybe you find that you are in a dilemma now. But don’t despair; you can refer to a pain clinic for some professional guidance. For ongoing pain, music and exercise may be the best choices to help you reduce the feeling of it.
Scientist at Harvard have recently done a quite horrible study on mice. They made the mice experience extremes of hot and cold, applied pressure to their back legs and injected the capsaicin (辣椒素) into their feet. And then they timed how long it took them to respond to the pain. Lack of sleep increased the discomfort, while stimulants (兴奋剂) such as caffeine made them less responsive to pain. This has been widely reported that a good night’s sleep and a cup of coffee in the morning may help reduce pain.
But anyway, don’t throw the pills away because the study also shows taking small doses of drugs, such as for short periods of time can be effective and safe as long as your heart is in good condition.
1. Which of the following painkillers has fewest side-effects?| A．Ibuprofen. | B．Naproxen. |
| C．Rofecoxib. | D．Paracetamol. |
| A．Take it seriously. | B．Take any risks. |
| C．Lose hope. | D．Feel doubtful. |
| A．mice can stand extreme pressure |
| B．good sleep and coffee may decrease pain |
| C．legs and feet are more sensitive to pain |
| D．capsaicin and stimulants can help reduce pain |
| A．How to stop taking painkillers. | B．A new way of reducing pain. |
| C．The risk of taking painkillers. | D．How to avoid painkillers’ side effects. |
2 . Heart disease is one of the major killers in the world today. Many who suffer from it must have heart transplants (移植). However, it’s difficult to get a suitable heart donation, and even if a patient survives the wait, his or her body often rejects (排斥) the heart.
But there is now new hope for sufferers of heart disease. According to a study published in the journal Advanced Science, researchers from Israel’s Tel Aviv University printed a 3D human heart on April 15.
“This is the first time anyone anywhere has successfully engineered and printed an entire heart,” professor Tal Dvir told CNN.
Unlike the previous 3D-printed heart structure, the new heart is complete with cells, blood vessels (血管), chambers (心室) and other structures a heart needs to function normally. But scientists still have more to figure out before the 3D-printed heart can be fitted into the body. For one thing, the experimental heart is only the size of a thumb (拇指). And, although it can contract (收缩) like a muscle, it cannot pump out blood like a real one. At present, the heart prototype (样品) is like a tiny airplane that has all of the right parts, but can’t fly.
However, the development is still regarded as a major breakthrough in medicine.
In the experiment, the researchers turned human fat tissue (脂肪组织) into human heart tissue with stem cell (干细胞) technology. The tissue was then turned into “bio-ink” for a 3D printer to ensure that tissue in the heart came from the patients themselves. So ideally, if it were to be placed in the body of someone in need of a transplant, there would be less risk of organ rejection.
“Patients will no longer have to wait for transplants or take medications to prevent their rejection,” researchers told USA Today. “Instead, the needed heart will be printed, fully personalized (个性化的) for every patient.”
But the scientists think that 3D printing can be used to create other human organs. They foresee a time when the 3D printing of organs will be an everyday medical practice.
“Maybe, in 10 years, there will be organ printers in the finest hospitals around the world and these procedures will be conducted routinely,” Dvir said.
1. Why is the 3D-printed heart important?| A．It will be used on a patient. |
| B．It is the first 3D-printed heart. |
| C．It will replace a heart donation. |
| D．It has a complete heart structure. |
| A．They cost too much. | B．They are too small. |
| C．They can’t contract. | D．They are hard to produce. |
| A．It would be made with stem cell technology. |
| B．It would be made from human fat tissue. |
| C．It would come from a patient’s body. |
| D．It would be printed according to the patient’s condition. |
| A．Confident. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Worried. | D．Confused. |
3 . As they reach school age, about 90 percent of children will have experienced a condition in which fluid (液体) fills the middle ear, muffling (使模糊) sound and sometimes causing infection. The fluid usually clears on its own, but if not, it can lead to a painful ear infection called acute otitis (中耳炎) media. In some cases the fluid can persist for more than a year, causing hearing loss during this period, and slowing down their development of language and social skills.
Diagnosis usually requires a visit to a specialist—but researchers have now developed an app that detects this fluid just as accurately, with only a smartphone and a paper funnel (漏斗).
Doctors typically detect the problem by peering into the ear for a visual assessment. Yet, this method has only a 50 percent accuracy rate. “Right now, if you bring your child to a pediatrician, or to any urgent care family doctor, the way they look at whether or not there’s fluid in the middle ear is by looking at the eardrum,” says Sharat Raju, a surgeon in the department of head and neck surgery at the University of Washington.
For a cheaper and more accessible alternative, researchers at the University of Washington turned to smartphones. First the user follows a template to cut and tape a piece of paper into a funnel, which can be placed between a smartphone and the patient’s ear. Next the app plays a chirping sound through the phone’s speaker; the sound waves bounce off the eardrum and hit the phone’s microphone, where they register and are analyzed by the app. An eardrum with fluid behind it will vibrate (振动) differently than if the middle ear is full of air, as it normally is.
To develop the app, the researchers first played chirps for patients with and without fluid in their ears. They recorded the echoes (回音), which indicate the eardrum’s mobility. Then they used a machine learning model to classify the returning sound waves, determining which audio characteristics indicated a normal ear and which suggested the presence of fluid. Once they tested the app on 98 children, ranging from 18 months to 17 years old, at Seattle Children’s Hospital. It correctly detected fluid in 85 percent of cases, and correctly identified fluid-free ears in 82 percent.
The researchers are currently trying to get FDA approval for the app, and have founded a company to commercialize it. They hope to make it available by the end of the year, to help parents track children’s ear health at home.
1. What do we know about the fluid from the first paragraph?| A．It is mostly part of children’s growth. | B．It is unavoidable for any child. |
| C．It is a permanent physical condition. | D．It is beyond any medical means. |
| A．A hospital. | B．A specialist. |
| C．A relative. | D．An app. |
| A．The application of the app. | B．The causes of the kid’s ear problem. |
| C．The purpose of developing the app. | D．The experiment of the smartphone. |
| A．It will upgrade the medical technology. | B．It will hit the market in the near future. |
| C．It will help children do better academically. | D．It will save doctors medical operations. |
4 . An aspirin a day keeps the doctor away
Dr. Tim Johnson discusses evidence of a daily dose of aspirin’s benefits. That’s not the saying, but doctors have agreed, for about a generation, that an aspirin a day is good for you. It may reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes by 20 percent or more.
The US Preventive Services Task Force, an independent group convened by the Department of Health and Human Services, has published guidelines that it says should end the confusion.
The key points:
.1. Men should start a daily aspirin at age 45, mainly to protect against heart attacks.
.2. Women should start at 55, mainly to protect against stroke.
.3. For both sexes, a baby aspirin-typically 81 milligram a day-will do the job. There is no evidence that a large dose makes a difference.
.4. And both sexes should stop by age 80, unless their doctors say otherwise. As you get older, there’s a greater risk of bleeding in the brain or the digestive system, a risk that is small but can be deadly in some cases.
If people start taking aspirin as the guidelines, doctors say their risk of heart attacks will drop by about 20 percent. “People may ask themselves ‘Am I at risk for a heart attack or a stroke?’” said Dr. Randal Thomas, director ofcardiovas-cular health at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota “If. you are age 45 and male, if you’re above age 55 and female, the answer is most likely yes, and you will most likely benefit from taking a small dose of aspirin a day.
1. What might Dr. Tim Johnson think of taking an aspirin a day?| A．It is useless for the old. | B．It will keep the doctor away. |
| C．It is beneficial to health. | D．It will have harmful side effects. |
| A．The aspirin has the same effect on both men and women. |
| B．A large dose of aspirin will cause bleeding in the brain. |
| C．People should start taking aspirin at age 45. |
| D．It will be a waste if you take more than 81 milligram of aspirin a day. |
| A．Critical. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Cautious. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．How to keep the doctor away. | B．How to reduce the healthy risk. |
| C．What are benefits of aspirin. | D．Who should take aspirin and when. |
5 . William Cary said he has learned to appreciate small victories with his 17-year-old son Ben, who has autism and doesn’t speak, so he choked up while describing how proud he was when Ben buttoned his pants for the very first time after going to the bathroom. But one victory that Ben achieved long ago was surfing. Since the age of six, he has been participating in Surfers Healing surf camps for children with autism.
The annual event returned recently to Tourmaline Surf Park in California. More than 150 children took turns riding the waves with 15 professional surfers as well as a small group of volunteers. Ben could hardly wait to get in the water with surfer Graham. Within minutes of hitting the sand, Ben mounted a long board (冲浪板) and Graham gently pushed him out into the thigh-high surf. Graham, who has an 11-year-old son with autism, said he’s seen firsthand how children immediately transform when they’re rolling in the ocean waves.
Surfers Healing was started 20 years ago by surfer Izzy Paskowitz and his wife, Danielle. One day while in Hawaii, their son Isaiah had a meltdown (情绪失控) on the beach and Izzy tried to distract the boy by tossing him into the waves. Suddenly, the boy’s anger was replaced by smiles and wonder, and Surfers Healing was born. Each year, the foundation hosts 25 camps around the world serving more than 5,000 autistic children, ranging in age from 3 to 25. About half of the group participating recently was new to the sport.
Paskowitz said the ocean has a healing power on people with autism. The rhythm of the waves calms them, and the sounds, sights, textures and temperatures create such a sensory overload (负荷) that it forces the mind to focus. Many of the children arriving at the beach initially covered their ears from the crash of the waves, but gradually these sensitivities disappeared. One teen camper who traveled with her mom from Arizona wouldn’t get out of the car for more than an hour. Finally, she was coaxed (哄骗) to take a brief ten-minute ride in the knee-high waves on a body board. As she returned to shore, a volunteer awarded her a small trophy for participation.
1. What was most probably the reason why Cary choked up?| A．He was proud that his son was a good surfer. |
| B．He achieved a small victory. |
| C．He took pride in his autistic son learning to take care of himself. |
| D．He was too surprised to see his autistic son button his own pants. |
| A．Ben has suffered from autism since he was six. |
| B．Around 150 people took part in the recent surfing event in Tourmaline Surf Park. |
| C．Autistic people usually range in age from 3 to 25. |
| D．Surfing is so stimulating to our senses that it forces autistic children to focus. |
| A．It was initiated 20 years ago by a foundation. |
| B．A boy went crazy on the beach of Hawaii two decades ago. |
| C．Surfer Izzy Paskowitz and his wife realized the healing effects of surfing 20 years ago. |
| D．Surfer Izzy Paskowitz’s son was cured of autism by surfing two decades ago. |
| A．From Chaos to Peace | B．Surfing Washes Away Autism Symptoms |
| C．The Surfers’ Club | D．Transforming Powers of Surfing |
In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days.But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were known to decide the final death.Cells(细胞) are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever.But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs(器官). The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on—in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.
1. According to the passage,human death is now mainly caused by _______.
| A．diseases and aging | B．accidents and war |
| C．accidents and aging | D．heart disease and war |
| A．medicine | B．the Internet |
| C．brain cells | D．human organs |
| A．heart disease will be far away from us |
| B．human brains can decide the final death |
| C．the basic materials of cells will last forever |
| D．human organs can be repaired by new medicine |
| A．human life will not last more than 120 years in the future |
| B．humans have to take medicine to build new skin cells now |
| C．much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life |
| D．we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells |
7 . Bethany Simpson, a pupil at St Columb Major Academy, bravely stepped in when her stepfather Robert Hoskins stopped breathing on March15. She delivered CPR(心肺复苏法) before the ambulance arrived.
Bethany's mother Jane and Robert were watching TV in bed when both of them had fallen asleep, but Jane woke up and noticed Robert's breathing had become weak and hard. Jane quickly called 999 and followed the operator's advice, including moving him onto his side to make him more comfortable.But when Robert stopped breathing completely and the operator told her to give CPR, Jane completely froze.
“ I panicked(恐慌) and said“I can' t do it',” said Jane.“ Fortunately, Bethany heard me scream, came into the bedroom and said ‘ it's OK, Mum. I know what to do. 'She was so confident and took charge.”Bethany performed CPR that kept Robert alive.
Robert, who is now recovering at home, said, “I would just like to sincerely thank St John Ambulance for teaching the children first aid. If it wasn't for them and Bethany, I wouldn't be here. ”The ten-year-old says she doesn't believe she is a hero. “I am just glad my dad is still here, ”she added.
Both Robert and Jane believe the government should ask all schools to teach first aid. “This incident just shows why it's important to teach everyone first aid -especially in schools, ”said Jane.“ Without my daughter and the training St John Ambulance gave her, Robert would be dead and I would be heartbroken. I am so proud of Bethany and so grateful.”
1. When the operator told Jane to give CPR, she____| A．followed the advice |
| B．called an ambulance |
| C．didn't know what to do |
| D．asked her daughter for help |
| A．had trouble performing CPR |
| B．hadn't learned CPR before the incident |
| C．was taught how to perform CPR by phone |
| D．had some knowledge of CPR before the incident |
| A．It is easy for one to master first aid |
| B．First aid is especially useful to kids |
| C．Everyone should be equipped with first-aid knowledge |
| D．Children should be taught first aid as early as possible |
8 . The health of millions could be at risk because supplies of medicinal plants are being used up. These plants are used to make traditional medicine, including drugs to fight cancer. “The loss of medicinal plants is a quiet disaster,” says Sara Oldfield, secretary general of the NGO Botanic Gardens Conservation International.
Most people worldwide rely on herbal (药草制的) medicines which are got mostly from wild plants. But some 15,000 of the 50,000 medicinal species are under threat of dying out, according to report from the international conservation group Plantlife. Shortages have been reported in China, India, Kenya, Nepal, Tanzania and Uganda.
Over-harvesting does the most harm, though pollution and competition from invasive species (入侵物种) and habitat destruction all contribute. Businessmen generally harvest medicinal plants, not caring about sustainability (可持续性),” the Plantlife report says, “damage is serious partly because they have no idea about it, but it is mainly because such collection is unorganized”. Medicinal trees at risk include the Himalayan yew (紫衫) and the African cherry, which are used to treat some cancers.
The solution, says the report’s author, Alan Hamilton, is to encourage local people to protect these plants. Ten projects studied by Plantlife in India, Pakistan, China, Nepal, Uganda and Kenya showed this method can succeed. In Uganda, the project has kept a sustainable supply of low-cost cancer treatments, and in China a public-run medicinal plant project has been created for the first time.”
“Improving health, earning an income and keeping cultural traditions are important in encouraging people to protect medicinal plants,” says Hamilton, “You have to pay attention to what people are interested in.”
Ghillean Prance, the former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London, agrees that medicinal plants are in need of protection. “Not nearly enough is being done,” he told New Scientist. “We are destroying the very plants that are of most use to us.”
1. From the first two paragraphs, we can learn that ________.| A．millions of people are threatened with cancer |
| B．most countries see a shortage of herbal medicines |
| C．about two thirds of medicinal species will disappear |
| D．a number of medicinal species are in danger of extinction |
| A．over-harvesting | B．habitat destruction |
| C．pollution | D．invasive species |
| A．pollution | B．other species’ invasion |
| C．sustainability | D．over-harvesting |
| A．Protecting medicinal plants has a long way to go. |
| B．Local people don’t know how to protect medicinal plants. |
| C．Ghillean Prance is optimistic about medicinal plants’ future. |
| D．China has made great progress in protecting medicinal plants. |
9 . On July 24, 1916, a natural gas explosion trapped 32 men working in a tunnel 250 feet below Lake Erie. The first rescuers who entered the tunnel were
Then, late that night, someone had an idea:
In the early 1900s, factory buildings were crowded and untidy. They were often
Morgan knew smoke rises during a fire.
Called to the scene on the night of the tunnel explosion, Garrett arrived with samples of his safety hood. Still in their nightwear, he and his brother Frank put on the hoods and
The daring
| A．lit | B．powered | C．overcome | D．overheated |
| A．changeable | B．remarkable | C．cautious | D．poisonous |
| A．show off | B．send for | C．rule out | D．take away |
| A．factory | B．slave | C．restaurant | D．store |
| A．declined | B．decided | C．expanded | D．exported |
| A．afraid | B．true | C．consisted | D．made |
| A．business | B．damage | C．illness | D．doubts |
| A．experimented | B．associated | C．equipped | D．struggled |
| A．exist | B．communicate | C．breathe | D．listen |
| A．Therefore | B．However | C．Anyway | D．Besides |
| A．cleaner | B．thicker | C．colder | D．warmer |
| A．ceiling | B．ground | C．roof | D．window |
| A．feel | B．trap | C．cool | D．heat |
| A．put on | B．get off | C．pollute | D．release |
| A．unwillingly | B．bravely | C．gradually | D．simply |
| A．task | B．test | C．game | D．part |
| A．overlooked | B．identified | C．recovered | D．buried |
| A．gap | B．case | C．deal | D．site |
| A．rescue | B．attempt | C．reform | D．escape |
| A．fortune | B．comfort | C．achievement | D．reward |
10 . Five weeks ago I had total hip replacement surgery (髋关节置换手术). In Canada, we have a great healthcare system. That means we get our new hips for free.
My hip had been hurting me for years before I went to the doctor. Of course, it was free. She referred me to a surgeon, but the earliest appointment was in 10 months. That is what being free gets you. Ten months later, after some free X-rays, the surgeon told me I needed surgery, which was about an 18-month wait, for some senior citizens had been on the operation list. Another 18 months! I dragged myself out of the surgeon’s office.
Walking through the hospital, I thought about the situation. As the breadwinner of a large family, I couldn’t wait that long, so I had to get to the front line. I was fully aware of what a Canadian should be like (Canadians are usually considered gentle and ca-ring), but this time I really needed to fight for myself. At that very moment, in the shop window of the hospital, I saw a sign which read, “Volunteers Needed.” Suddenly, an idea occurred to me—I would get the job. Fortunately, they signed me up immediately because the average age of the volunteers at the shop was 75. They were desperate for some young blood.
Every Friday morning, I was at the shop. While seeing the hospital staff, I’d casually be asked, What do you do? Then I'd tell them, Well, I'm getting my hip replaced—in 18 months. It’s going to be so great when the pain stops. Soon, all the staff got to know me. Naturally, in my next appointment, the surgeon recognized me. Moments later, I had a surgery date just weeks away.
I had to say it was actually my volunteering that got me to the front of the line. And I’m not ashamed of it, for I intend to stick with the volunteering. Also, even when I cheated the system, I did it in a way that benefits society.
1. What can we infer from the second paragraph?| A．She felt rather disappointed. |
| B．She couldn’t walk because of the pain. |
| C．She was too scared to have the surgery. |
| D．She didn’t believe what the surgeon said. |
| A．To donate blood to the hospital. |
| B．To get her new hip free of charge. |
| C．To receive some tiny gifts from others. |
| D．To approach the doctor for early surgery. |
| A．It was a shame. |
| B．It was a pride. |
| C．It was beneficial. |
| D．It was a fair deal. |
| A．How I Got My New Hip |
| B．The Doctor Who Saved My Life |
| C．How to Be a Volunteer in Hospital |
| D．The Problem of Canada’s Healthcare System |
