1 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

New Drug Slows Alzheimer, But Not a Cure

What a good piece of news! Last week, United States health officials finally     1     (approve) a new Alzheimer drug after enormous clinical trials. The drug, called Leqembi, is the first to slow the decline in memory by several months.

The Alzheimer’s Association describes Alzheimer     2     a brain disease that causes a decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills. One of the most common signs of Alzheimer’s disease is forgetting recently     3     (learn) information or dates and events. People with the disease have difficulty doing     4     they did before. Some may struggle with joining or following a discussion.

The newly approved Leqembi is a long-needed new treatment for the disease. But Dr. Joy Snider,     5     is a brain doctor at Washington University in St. Louis, warns that the drug isn’t a cure. It doesn’t stop people     6     (get) worse, but it does measurably slow the progression of the disease. She added. “That might mean someone     7     have an extra six months to a year of being able to drive.”

The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug through a speedier-than-usual process, which permits drugs     8     (launch) based on early results. The drug is only for early-stage patients and requires an injection by healthcare workers every two weeks. It is not yet clear     9     the drug can help people with the disease. There are also concerns about its safety. “Still, it’s a landmark.” said Dr. Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging. “It’s not enough, but it’s     10     (encourage) that there’s something we can do,” he added.

2 .

A．The final begins next week.

B．The man should check with his doctor again.

C．She wants the man to attend the final with her.

D．She hopes the man will be able to play in the final.

3 . It all began with an experience one of us (Arinzeh) had more than two decades ago. In 1991, a summer research experience at the University of California at Berkeley demonstrated how engineering could improve the lives of patients. Instead of working in a more traditional area such as automobile design, Arinzeh spent the summer after her junior year of college working in a rehabilitation laboratory.

Engineers there were designing new prosthetic (修复的) devices for patients who had lost limbs, and new assistive devices to help paralyzed patients move. The engineers would then collaborate with clinicians at a rehabilitation center to test their developments. Before that summer she hadn’t connected traditional engineering principles with the opportunity to solve biomedical problems. But by the end of those short months, Arinzeh was hooked on the promise of using mechanical engineering to help people move better.

Tissue engineering, a budding field at that time, offered a chance to move beyond building prosthetics. Damage to musculoskeletal tissues, such as bone and cartilage, and nervous tissue, such as the spinal cord, can be debilitating and can severely limit a person’s quality of life. In addition, such tissues cannot fully regenerate after a severe injury or in response to disease. Tissue engineers aim to fully repair and regenerate that tissue so that it regains complete function, but at that time researchers still had a lot to learn about cells and their support structures to solve these problems.

The earliest successes were with skin, in which researchers used dermal cells to generate grafts, leading to the first commercial products in the late 1990s. Researchers imitate nature, using cells as building blocks and developing strategies to guide the cells to form the appropriate tissue. Because stem cells (干细胞) are precursor (前身) to almost all tissue types, such cells are a promising source of these critical building blocks. But cells don’t grow and differentiate on their own. The cell’s microenvironment can influence stem-cell function in critical ways. Engineered microenvironments, or scaffolds, can effectively promote stem cells and other cell types to form tissues. To construct such scaffolds, some important tools are what are called functional biomaterials. These materials respond to environmental changes such as PH, enzymatic activity, or mechanical load, and their composition can mimic or replicate components of native tissue.

One of us (Arinzeh) wanted to use functional biomaterials to create three-dimensional tissue-like structures where cells can grow, proliferate (增殖), and differentiate, ultimately forming and regenerating tissue. Our group’s work started with bone studies in the 1990s, eventually moving into cartilage and the spinal cord over the past decade. The overall goal is to produce structures that could someday help patients struggling with severe injuries and movement disorders to move freely. For bone repair, our group has studied composite scaffolds consisting of polymers and ceramics that provide both mechanical and chemical cues to repair bone. Piezoelectric materials, which respond to mechanical stimuli by generating electrical activity, are used to encourage the growth of nerve tissue as well as cartilage and bone. Glycosaminoglycans (GACs), a major component of native cartilage tissue, provide growth factors to promote tissue formation, and Arinzeh has designed biomimetic scaffolds that incorporate these molecules. After all these years, the promise that seemed so enticing in 1991 is becoming a practical reality, with huge implications for human health.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Before working with patients, Arinzeh was an automobile designer.

B．Since 1991, tissue engineering has been mainly applied to building prosthetics.

C．It’s hard for musculoskeletal tissues to fully recover from disease or injury.

D．In the late 1990s, the lack of knowledge about cells and their support structures prevented researchers from making any achievement in tissue engineering.

2. The underlined word “differentiate” is close in meaning to ________.

A．change

B．divide

C．alternate

D．reproduce

3. “Scaffolds” are, in essence, ________.

A．tissues from one part of a person’s body used to repair another damaged part

B．stem cells and other cell types in an engineered microenvironment

C．structural support for damaged tissue repair

D．functional biomaterials to replace native tissues.

4. What can we learn about the study introduced above?

A．It was inspired by the team members’ internship.

B．So far, the study has covered multiple musculoskeletal tissues, including bone, cartilage and nervous tissues.

C．The electrical activity caused by Piezoelectric materials will generate mechanical stimuli that encourage the growth of musculoskeletal tissues.

D．The researchers of this study are the best designers of modern tissue engineering.

5 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. accompanied       B. allowed       C. feasibly       D. fueled E. intensity       F. option       G. prompting       H. routine I. surgically       J. underlying       K. varied

Brain Signals for Lasting Pain

Brain signals that reveal how much pain a person is in have been discovered by scientists who say the work is a step towards new treatments for people living with lasting pain.

It is the first time researchers have decoded the brain activity     1     patients’ lasting pain. That has raised the hope that brain stimulation treatment already used for Parkinson’s and major depression can help those running out of any other     2    . “We’ve learned that lasting pain can be tracked and predicted in the real world,” said Prasad Shirvalkar, lead researcher on the project at the University of California.

Lasting pain affects nearly 28 million adults in the UK alone, and the causes are     3    . ranging from cancer to back problems. That being the case, lasting pain has     4     a rise in taking powerful painkillers. But no medical treatments work well for the condition,     5     experts to call for a complete rethink in how health services handle patients with lasting pain.

For the latest study, Shirvalkar and his colleagues     6     implanted electrodes(电极) into four patients with lasting pain hard to deal with after the loss of legs. The devices     7     the patients to record activity and collect data in two brain regions— the ACC and the OFC—at the press of one button on a remote handset. Several times a day, the volunteers were asked to complete short surveys on the     8     of pain, meaning how strong the pain was, and then record their brain activity. These scientists, armed with the survey responses and brain recordings, found they could use computers to predict a person’s pain based on the electrical signals in their OFC. “We found very different brain activity     9     severe pain and have developed an objective biomarker for that kind of pain,” said Shirvalkar. The finding may explain, at least in part, why     10     painkillers are less effective for lasting pain. “The hope is that we can use the information to develop personalized brain stimulation treatment for the most severe forms of pain.”

7 . Global Rise of TCM

Phan Thi Kim Chi’s connection with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) began at an early age. Growing up in a small village in Vietnam, it was inconvenient for Phan to travel to hospitals in neighboring cities. Whenever she caught a cold or experienced a headache as a child, her family would seek the help of a local TCM practitioner.     1     According to Phan, even though TCM has long been commonly practiced and accepted in Vietnam, finding a good school to learn TCM in Vietnam is not easy.

As a foreign student, Phan finds the TCM basic theory course to be the most challenging one in the curriculum.     2     It requires years of learning and practice to truly understand the concepts of yin and yang, harmony between human and nature, and the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Sometimes she even translates the TCM vocabulary and scripts into Vietnamese so she can remember and comprehend them better.

    3     According to a report, the total number of international students studying TCM in China was 8, 187 last year, with the largest population of 6, 441 coming from Asian countries, followed by 832 from Africa and 432 from Europe. Also, many Chinese medical universities had projects that sent professors overseas to teach TCM.

The booming situation of TCM is not limited to schools and clinics. It has also become a lifestyle choice for many young people. There is a trend among young people to place more emphasis on health conditioning and preservation. However, experts remind that TCM emphasizes the importance of diagnosing and treating based on identifying syndromes (症状). It is impossible to offer a one-size- fits-all approach to all patients.     4    

A．They highly recognized the effectiveness of TCM, especially its use in pain treatment.

B．Even when drinking herbal milk tea, it’s best to make choices accordingly.

C．Being extensive and far-reaching, TCM is deeply connected with Chinese philosophy.

D．Overseas students of TCM, like Phan, are not rare.

E．This led her to major in TCM at a traditional medical school in China.

F．Many other Chinese medicine institutions have adopted similar strategic initiatives.

8 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. launched     B. utilized     C. complete     D. jointly     E. further     F. realized G. currently     H. accessible     I. specifically     J. recognized     K. reliable

Sanofi Launches Grant (拨款) to Help Children with Dlabetes (糖尿病)

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of China-Franco diplomatic ties, the French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi cooperated with the Shanghai Soong Ching Ling Foundation to     1     unveil the Sanofi China Charity Grant on Thursday, as part of the company’s efforts to     2     participate in the Chinese market and contribute to local people’s livelihoods.

As one of the first French companies to enter China, Sanofi has continuously increased investment and promoted innovation in the health care sector over the past few decades. The company has been committed to making innovative medicine and medical services more     3     to Chinese people, said Wayne Shi, president of Sanofi Greater China.

Olivier Charmel, the company’s executive vice-president, said Sanofi has benefited a lot from its long-term investment in China and will always stand as a     4     partner. The company expects to further contribute to the exchanges between China and France not only in the field of health care, but also in science, economy, and culture.

Shi said the company     5     the Sanofi China Charity Grant with an aim to better meet the health needs in China, and its first project will     6     focus on diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents.

Ji Linong, director of Department of Endocrinology at Peking University People’s Hospital, highly     7     the importance of the diabetes project at a panel discussion held after the launch ceremony. He said China     8     ranks fourth in the world for the number of children and adolescents suffering from type I diabetes.

With the help of the charity grant, Ji said he expects China to establish a more     9     health care system especially for type I diabetes. Doctors, professional equipment and nutritionists should be provided to help patients correctly inject insulin and effectively control blood sugar levels.

In addition to diabetes, the Sanofi China Charity Grant will also be     10     to combat other diseases such as immunity diseases. It is expected to directly benefit over 10, 000 people and indirectly benefit more than one million people in the next three years.

9 . A cure for the future in the past?

For over fifty years, the people of Britain have relied on the welfare state to make sure they have adequate health services. But now the National Health Service is sick. Government _____ and underfunding are forcing hospitals to close, and waiting lists for treatment are getting longer. Under such circumstances, it is no surprise that more people are turning to private (but expensive) healthcare.

For some, however, there are _____. They are turning their back on modern pills, tablets and resorting to other conventional medicine. It seems paradoxical, but in an age of microchips and high technology, traditional medicine, the old-fashioned cures that our grandparents relied on, is making a _____.

Consider these case studies:

Maude is 76 years old and has been suffering from arthritis for almost ten years. “The pain in my joints was almost _____, and my doctor referred me to a surgeon at the London Hospital. I was told that I needed _____, but would need to wait for at least two years before I could have the operation. In _____, I started having massage sessions. To my surprise, these were very therapeutic, and while they didn’t cure the disorder, they did _____ it to some extent”.

Ron is 46. His high-powered city job was _____ for a series of stress-related illnesses, and the drugs he took didn’t work well on the nervous strain. “I read about _____ which involve the whole person rather than the individual symptoms, but I had always doubted about such kind of medicine for all diseases. However, my friend _____ a dietician who told me that part of my problem was diet-related. Basically, the food I was eating was _____ to my disorder. She gave me a list of foods that would provide the right vitamins and minerals to keep me in good health. At the same time, she advocated a more _____ lifestyle-running, swimming, that kind of thing. I’ m a bit of a couch potato, and this kind of lifestyle I had lived was _____ the problem. Now I feel great!”

So is there still a place in our lives for modern medicine? While it is true that some infections and viruses may be _____ by turning to traditional medicine, more serious illnesses such as cancer need more extreme measures. We do need our health service at these times, and we shouldn’t stop _____ in its future. But we mustn’t forget that for some common illnesses, the cure may lie in the past.

1.

A．support

B．restrictions

C．cutbacks

D．concern

2.

A．programs

B．alternatives

C．measures

D．scales

3.

A．comeback

B．living

C．change

D．mess

4.

A．unique

B．uncertain

C．universal

D．unbearable

5.

A．permission

B．surgery

C．supervision

D．strength

6.

A．condition

B．desperation

C．general

D．particular

7.

A．protect

B．recover

C．relieve

D．treat

8.

A．eager

B．grateful

C．famous

D．responsible

9.

A．treatments

B．sources

C．spirits

D．comments

10.

A．supervised

B．declared

C．recommended

D．tempted

11.

A．contributing

B．adapting

C．subjecting

D．objecting

12.

A．moderate

B．active

C．negative

D．suitable

13.

A．identifying

B．investigating

C．estimating

D．worsening

14.

A．prevented

B．empowered

C．indicated

D．restored

15.

A．undertaking

B．invading

C．investing

D．evolving

10 . Google is my doctor

When illustrator Scott Adams lost his voice, his doctors were confused.     1     It turned out that Scott was suffering from spasmodic dysphonia-a neurological disorder affecting the muscles to voice. With the help of Google Alerts and advice from his doctors, Scott got in touch with an expert in the US and had special surgery on his throat to cure his problem. He is now a firm believer of using the Internet for self-diagnosis.

Adams is one of an increasing number of people who have started using the Internet to get health advice. The advantages are numerous, starting of course with the obvious convenience of getting a diagnosis from the comfort of your own home.     2     But the Internet can provide a vast number of specialized experts, and Googling can help you tap in to that.

Diagnosing minor medical problems from information on the Internet can also have an impact on society’s medical costs. You can compare insect bites with Internet pictures, ask what type they are and whether they are dangerous without wasting your busy doctor’s precious time.

However, it must be said that diagnosis is tricky, and comparing your rash(疹子) with an online photo may lead you down the wrong path.     3     Doctors also take into account your medical history, state of mind, etc. So no computerized symptoms checklist can equal a complete professional assessment.

In conclusion, the Internet is a good starting point in diagnosing your health problems, but you should always consult your doctor before acting on anything you find there.     4    .

A．On a professional level, there is no way one doctor car be an expert in everything.

B．It was not until he turned to the Internet that he managed to identify his condition.

C．This condition was the very one that made him unable to speak

D．Appearance provides only ten percent of the information needed to make a diagnosis.

E．Do not underestimate the value of talking to real people — doctors and telephone helplines will help you put what you read into context.

F．To sum up, if your doctor refuses to talk to you, the Internet will give you a better solution.