1 . Shots to Shoot for

If you haven’t given much thought lately to smallpox, polio or diphtheria, that’s because these once-dangerous diseases either have been completely rid of or are now well controlled, thanks to the success of earlier vaccination (接种疫苗) programs. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that currently fewer than a quarter of American adults have received all age-appropriate vaccines (疫苗).

While some vaccines are given in childhood and give protection for life, others must be repeated into adulthood. The virus that causes measles, for instance, is a very stable virus, it doesn’t change — basically, the virus today is the same as it was in 1935, Flu and COVID viruses, on the other hand, change frequently, so the vaccine s need to be updated and repeated.

Here are the CDC’s vaccine recommendations for adults age 19 and older. (Note: Some guidelines change for adults with additional risk factors or health conditions. Ask your doctor for more information.)

Flu: One dose (剂量) annually.
COVID-19: Boosters on your doctor’s recommendation.
MMR: One to two doses for those born in 1957 or later who have not been fully immunized.
Hepatitis A: People with certain medical conditions or those traveling overseas may require two to three doses, depending on the vaccine.
Hepatitis B: Two to four doses for all adults, depending on the vaccine.
HPV: Two to three doses before age 26(or before age 45, depending on your doctor’s recommendation).
Pneumococcal: For all adults over age 65, one dose PCV15 followed by PPSV23 or one dose PCV20.
Meningococcal: Recommended for previously unvaccinated adults who are in college or the military, or have a weak immune system.
1. Which of the childhood vaccine can provide lifelong protection?

A．Measles.

B．Flu.

C．COVID-19.

D．MMR.

2. How many doses are needed for HPV?

A．One dose annually.	B．None before age 45.
C．Two to three doses before age 26.	D．Depending on the vaccine.

3. Who need to take Meningococcal shots?

A．Unvaccinated soldiers.	B．All unvaccinated adults.
C．People with a strong immune system.	D．Vaccinated college students.

2 . In recent years, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have brought both excitement and concerns to various fields. One area where AI is making a profound impact is the medical field, particularly in the domain of diagnostics.

Al-powered diagnostic systems leverage deep learning algorithms to analyze medical images, such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. These algorithms can detect subtle patterns and anomalies that might be missed by human radiologists, potentially leading to earlier and more accurate diagnoses.

However, the integration of AI in medical diagnostics raises complex ethical questions. For instance, who should be held responsible if an AI system misdiagnoses a patient’s condition? Should AI algorithms be treated as medical professionals, with legal and liability implications? These questions become even more intricate when considering that AI systems learn from vast datasets of medical information, which might contain biases or inaccuracies.

Furthermore, the adoption of AI diagnostics could impact the role of healthcare professionals. Some argue that AI could enhance doctors’ capabilities by providing them with additional insights, while others fear that it might replace human expertise, leading to job losses and a potential decrease in the quality of patient care. Despite these challenges, proponents of AI diagnostics emphasize its potential to improve healthcare accessibility, especially in underserved regions where there is a shortage of skilled medical professionals. Al-powered diagnostics could provide preliminary assessments and recommendations, helping to bridge the gap between patients and healthcare providers.

1. What is the primary advantage of AI-powered diagnostic systems in the medical field?

A．They provide additional insights to doctors.

B．They replace the need for human radiologists.

C．They analyze medical images using deep learning algorithms.

D．They focus on detecting visible patterns in medical images.

2. What is a potential ethical concern regarding AI in medical diagnostics?

A．The potential for AI algorithms to replace human doctors.

B．The reliability of AI algorithms in analyzing medical images.

C．The legal responsibility for misdiagnoses made by AI systems.

D．The biased data used for training AI algorithms.

3. How might the integration of AI diagnostics impact healthcare professionals?

A．AI could enhance doctors’ expertise and skills.

B．AI could lead to job losses in the medical field.

C．AI could decrease the quality of patient care.

D．AI could replace human doctors completely.

4. What potential benefit of AI diagnostics is highlighted in the text?

A．AI diagnostics could decrease the quality of patient care.

B．AI diagnostics could primarily serve regions with sufficient medical professionals.

C．AI diagnostics could bridge the gap in healthcare accessibility.

D．AI diagnostics could replace the need for skilled radiologists.

3 . When colds and flu hit, many people automatically turn to over-the-counter (OTC) medicines to push through and treat their symptoms. Although these medicines are easily accessible and widely used, it might come as a surprise to many people to learn that they are not risk-free. A study estimated that every year, 26,735 people went to the emergency room for adverse (不利的) events related to OTC cold and cough medicines.

When two or more drugs are used together, their interactions can sometimes produce unexpected harmful effects. Physicians are typically knowledgeable about potential drug interactions, so it is very important for patients to ask their healthcare providers which OTC medicines are safe for them to use.

It is important to read the package ingredients of OTC medicines closely to avoid duplication of doses (剂量重复). Cold medicines are typically made up of multiple ingredients. A person who takes a single-ingredient medicine paired with one of these multi-ingredient medicines can receive an unsafe dose of that ingredient.

While everyone could potentially experience adverse effects from cold and flu medicines, some groups — including older adults, children and pregnant women — may be at greater risk. Older people who are using prescribed drugs to treat multiple health conditions may have a higher risk of drug interactions because of the higher number of medicines being used at the same time to treat different conditions. The aging body is not as expert at absorbing, distributing and clearing medicines as younger bodies are. This can put older adults at higher risk for an overdose and drug-1o-drug interactions with some medicines.

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not recommend giving cold medicines to children under age 4. Because of a variety of factors, young children have a higher risk of an accidental overdose and adverse events that could lead to death.

1. What does the author advise patients to do in paragraph 2?

A．Buy medicines from hospitals.	B．Take drugs as early as possible.
C．Ask for suggestions from doctors.	D．Read the package ingredients of drugs.

2. what’s the purpose of mentioning cold medicines in paragraph 3?

A．To provide a medical choice for people who catch a cold.

B．To show cold medicines are more likely to cause bad effects.

C．To explain OTC medicines often have more than one ingredient.

D．To stress the importance of learning about medicines’ ingredients.

3. What do we infer about older people in paragraph 5?

A．They cannot cope with aging positively.

B．They are more easily affected by diseases.

C．Their body cannot handle medicines easily.

D．Their desire for health makes them unwise.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．OTC medicines may not be safe.

B．Tips for taking over-the-counter drugs.

C．How to deal with an OTC drug overdose.

D．Should medicines be available “over the counter”?

4 . Imagine a future where science has created your twin. Not a flesh-and-blood twin, but one that recreates your flesh and blood, your bones, your heart, your brain — your whole body, in fact — as an extremely complicated computer model.

Your doctors can use this digital twin to work out how you will respond to a particular drug or medical procedure. They can even look further into the future, creating a “healthcast”, to forecast what diseases might happen to you or how your lifestyle will affect your health as you age. It is the ultimate in personalized medicine. This is the bold vision set out in Virtual You: How building your digital twin will revolutionize medicine and change your life by Peter Coveney, director of the Centre for Computational Science, and Roger Highfield, science director of the Science Museum Group, UK.

Digital twins are already in widespread use in industries such as civil engineering. But these model systems are much simpler than the complex human body. Imagine all the parts that come together to make you work: from the 3 billion letters of your genome (基因组), the numerous molecules (分子) that make up your cells, the trillions of cells building your tissues and organs, and the environment having its input too. Now, imagine trying to create a model of this that is made to each unique individual and that predicts the changes that will take place over a lifetime. This is easier said than done. Changes in the systems biologists want to describe are usually different from what mathematicians describe as “non-linear” (非线性的). Another complication is “emergence”: where the whole of a system is greater than the sum of its parts. This complexity challenges mathematics and pushes computing to the limit too.

But getting to the next level — a whole human individual — is going to require yet more data and a revolution in computing technology far beyond what is currently possible. Whether we will get there is an open question, but Virtual You shows us what scientists from different fields can achieve when they all work together.

1. What be learned about your science-made twin according to Paragraph 1?

A．Your twin looks just like you.

B．Your twin knows your thoughts.

C．Your twin exists on the computer.

D．Your twin is created out of your DNA.

2. Why is it difficult to build a digital twin?

A．Human body is more complicated than models.

B．Digital twins are not widely used in industries.

C．Scientists lack enough data in building it.

D．Mathematicians and biologists hold different opinions.

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards the idea of a digital twin?

A．Optimistic.

B．Uncertain.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Skeptical.

4. What is the purpose of this text?

A．To stress the necessity of digital twins.

B．To show the effects of digital twins on future health.

C．To explain the building of digital twins in health.

D．To introduce new treatments for diseases in the future.

5 . PRACTITIONERS

Jacqueline Felice de Almania (c.1322) highlights the suspicion that women practicing medicine faced. Born to a Jewish family in Florence, she moved to Paris where she worked as a physician and performed surgery. In 1322 she was tried for practicing unlawfully. In spite of the court hearing testimonials (证明) of her ability as a doctor, she was banned from medicine.	James Barry (c.1789 — 1865) was born Margaret Bulkley in Ireland but, dressed as a man, she was accepted by Edinburgh University to study medicine. She qualified as a surgeon in 1813, then joined the British Army, serving overseas. Barry retired in 1859, having practiced her entire medical profession living and working as a man.
Tan Yunxian (1461 — 1554) was a Chinese physician who learned her skills from her grandparents. Chinese women at the time could not serve apprenticeships (学徒期) with doctors. However, Tan passed the official exam. Tan treated women from all walks of life. In 1511, Tan wrote a book, Sayings of a Female Doctor, describing her life as a physician.	Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831 — 1895) worked as a nurse for eight years before studying in medical college in Boston in 1860. Four years later, she was the first African American woman to receive a medical degree. She moved to Virginia in 1865, where she provided medical care to freed slaves.

1. What did Jacqueline and James have in common?

A．Doing teaching jobs.	B．Being hired as physicians.
C．Performing surgery.	D．Being banned from medicine.

2. How was Tan Yunxian different from the other practitioners?

A．She wrote a book.	B．She went through trials.
C．She worked as a dentist.	D．She had formal education.

3. Who was the first African American with a medical degree?

A．Jacqueline Felice de Almania.	B．Tan Yunxian.
C．James Barry.	D．Rebecca Lee Crumpler.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the man’s problem?

A．He has a backache.

B．He took too many pills.

C．He lost contact with his doctor.

2. Why does Doctor Green break the rule for the man?

A．He is very polite.

B．He is seriously ill.

C．He can’t afford a full checkup.

7 . An extremely rare disease called monkeypox is spreading around the world. More than one thousand cases have been reported in at least 30 countries, according to the World Health Organization. The countries that are reporting monkeypox now are countries that do not normally have outbreaks of monkeypox. Since first identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it has rarely spread elsewhere, so these unusual cases outside the African continent, which experts viewed as “rare”, have caused global concerns.

Monkeypox often begins with fever, headache, muscle aches and exhaustion. Usually a patient develops a rash within one to three days, often beginning on the face and then spreading to other parts of the body. The illness usually lasts two to four weeks. Monkeypox is spread when you come into contact with an animal or a person infected with the virus. Anyone can get monkeypox. It would be extremely dangerous for monkeypox to occur in a pregnant woman. However, it’s more common in children. Of cases in Africa, 90% were among children under 15 years old.

How does monkeypox compare to COVID-19? Actually, monkeypox is far less transmissible. “One big difference is that people will know they have monkeypox due to the symptoms, meaning they’ll likely be isolated and see a doctor once they know they’re sick. COVID-19 is much more deceptive. One of the hardest things about COVID-19 is that there was a lot of transmission where you were infectious to other people and you didn’t even know it,” said Dr. Nicholas Lehnertz, medical specialist with the Minnesota Department of Health.

There is no specific treatment but vaccination against smallpox has been found to be about 85% effective in preventing monkeypox. Godwin Mollel, Tanzania’s deputy minister for health, said that even though monkeypox has not been detected in the country, people should make preparations for the disease. “I advise members of the public to avoid touching or eating a sick animal as well as touching any object used by a sick animal or person. The ministry continues to monitor disease trends and take appropriate control measures,” he said.

1. What makes people concerned about monkeypox?

A．It is difficult to treat.	B．It is an entirely new disease.
C．It has caused many cases of death.	D．It spreads outside the African continent.

2. Who are most likely to get monkeypox?

A．Elderly people.	B．Pregnant women.
C．Children under 15 years old.	D．People infected with COVID-19.

3. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．COVID-19 is more deadly.	B．COVID-19 is not easily noticed.
C．COVID-19 can be infected by various routes.	D．COVID-19 takes patients longer to recover from.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The prevention of monkeypox.	B．The symptoms of monkeypox.
C．The importance of vaccination.	D．The growing trend in monkeypox.

9 . 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。

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a health care system in which patients     1     (treat) with natural plant, animal, and mineral remedies (药物). It is assumed, for a person to be healthy,     2     yin and yang forces should he in balance. Imbalance causes illness or injury. TCM is about     3     (restore) the balance between yin and yang forces in patients. It has been a major part of traditional Chinese culture and continues to play     4     vital role in medical treatment in China today.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 80 percent of the world's population depends for its primary health care needs    5     medicines from plants and animals. This is especially true in countries where traditional medicines are     6     (wide) used.

Increasingly, however, modern medicines also contain substances from animals and plants. Given growing populations, increasing wealth, and the spreading    7     (popular) of natural remedies around the world, the demand for these medicines and remedies     8     (rise) now. The rising demand,     9     (combine) with reduced habitat, has caused an alarming increase in the number of plant and animal species used for medicinal purposes at risk for many years. For instance, TCM uses about 1,000 plant and 36 animal species, including the tiger, rhinoceros, and sea horse,     10     are all in danger.

10 . Walker didn't realize the dangers of e-cigarettes last December when he bought his first one. "I thought it was cool," says Walker, who moved to Florida Atlantic University a month later. Within weeks, given the pressures of adjusting to a new campus, he was smoking a pack or more a day. "After about a week and a half," he says, "I'd get nervous and anxious if I didn't have it."

In early March, Walker went to a hospital emergency room near campus complaining of chest pain, fever and feeling sick. "Eleven days later my chest hurt so bad that I couldn't even sit straight," says Walker. X-rays showed that Walker had what looked like pneumonia (肺炎) in his left lung. Within days, Walker was put on a respirator (呼吸器) and later sent by air to another hospital. "He was dying," says his mom, Candy, a nurse.

It took seven days for doctors to confirm that Walker's infection was caused by the adenovirus (腺病毒). But they were at a loss to explain how the virus had nearly killed an otherwise strong and healthy college student. The answer became clear in mid-April after his father Dave was terrified by what he found — so many e-cigarettes. "Most likely," says Dr. Hunley, "it was the e-cigarettes that led to his breath failure, which contributed to the spread of the adenovirus."

By the time Walker finally left the hospital in July he'd lost 80 pounds, and his left lung and both his kidneys(肾) had been destroyed. Doctors say he now needs to have the kidney transplanted. Walker admits he is shaken by his experience. Meanwhile, Candy says, "Every time I see someone smoking e-cigarettes, I show them pictures of Walker in the hospital and ask, 'Do you understand that you could end up like this?'"

1. Why did Walker smoke e-cigarettes heavily?

A．He thought smoking e-cigarettes cool and safe.

B．He unwillingly entered a new environment.

C．He couldn't adapt to the new campus quickly.

D．He was given much pressure by his teachers.

2. How did the e-cigarettes cause Walker's disease?

A．By reducing his weight sharply.	B．By giving off poisonous gas.
C．By spreading the adenovirus.	D．By speeding breath failure.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Walker has realized the dangers of e-cigarettes.

B．Walker promises to warn others of e-cigarettes.

C．Walker had kidneys transplanted before leaving hospital.

D．Walker has recovered completely from his disease.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．The Smoking Expenses	B．Walker and E-cigarettes
C．The Harm of E-cigarettes	D．A Brave Teenager—Walker