1 . Scientists developed vaccines (疫苗)against a new disease in less than 12 months. And yet，18 months after the first of these vaccines, against COVID-19, were put on the market, just 15% of people in developing countries have been fully vaccinated. Such unfairness costs lives and uncovers a long-standing problem that some countries have been forced to depend on others for life-saving science and technology. It is unacceptable, for example, that in Africa, a continent of 54 independent countries and 1.2 billion people, 99% of vaccines are from other countries.
The World Health Organization (WHO)is searching for a way to get vaccines to more people more easily.Last year, the WHO started a program called the mRNA vaccine technology center. The goal of the program is to develop and produce mRNA vaccines and treatments(for COVID-19 and other diseases) in developing countries from the technology used in developed countries highly successful COVID-19 vaccines.
More importantly，the cooperation (合作)between universities and companies based in developing countries is needed to realize the goal. On July 8th,the USA National Institutes of Health, where much of the research on mRNA vaccines was carried out, joined this program to help build vaccine technology centers in developing countries.
Besides the necessity of fairness, outbreaks would end sooner if every country could depend on its own defence. As Larry Brilliant，a scientist of the US National Institutes of Health who helps wipe out smallpox(天花)，told Nature，“Fairness is often thought of as a burden(负担)，but it is a strategic need in the battle against COVID-19.”
1. Why does the author mention Africa in paragraph 1?| A．To lead in the topic. |
| B．To show the unfairness in vaccines. |
| C．To stress the importance of vaccines. |
| D．To say thanks to the help from developed countries. |
| A．To make more people in developing countries get vaccines. |
| B．To build up a center to attract experts in developing vaccines |
| C．To get the technology used in successful COVID-19 vaccines, |
| D．To strengthen the cooperation between universities and companies. |
| A．Fairness is a burden, so it is not necessary. |
| B．We’ll win the battle sooner if every country has its defence. |
| C．Fairness is necessary because it can stop COVID-19 from breaking out. |
| D．Wiping out smallpox is a strategic need in the battle against COVID-19. |
| A．Why fairness is necessary? |
| B．How did WHO start the program? |
| C．How did scientists develop vaccines? |
| D．Why is a vaccine center for developing countries a must? |
