1 . The British National Health Service (NHS) was set up in 1948 and was designed to provide equal basic health care, free of charge, for everybody in the countryside. Before this time health care bad to be paid for by individuals.
Nowadays central government is directly responsible for the NHS although it is administered by local health authorities. About 83 percent of the cost of the health service is paid for by general taxation and the rest is met from the National Insurance contributions paid by those in work. There are charges for prescription and dental care but many people, such as children, pregnant women, pensioners, and those on Income Support, are exempt from payment.
Most people are registered with a local doctor (a GP, or General Practitioner) who is increasingly likely to be part of a health centre which serves the community.
As the population of Britain gets older, the hospital service now treats more patients than before, although patients spend less time in hospital. NHS hospitals—many of which were built in the nineteenth century—provide nearly half a million beds and have over 480, 000 medical staff. The NHS is the biggest employer in Europe although Britain actually spends less per person on health care than most of her European neighbours.
During the 1980s there was considerable restructuring of the Health Service with an increased emphasis on managerial efficiency and the privatization of some services (for example, cleaning). At the end of the 1980s the government introduced proposals for further reform of the NHS, including allowing some hospitals to be self-governing, and encouraging GPs to compete for patients. Patients would be able to choose and change their family doctor more easily and GPs would have more financial responsibility. The political questions continue of how much money should be provided to support the NHS and where it should come from.
1. We can know from the first paragraph that ________.| A．patients were charged for receiving health care before 1948 |
| B．the NHS was an organization which gave free advice to villagers |
| C．people didn’t have to pay for health care since the NHS was set up |
| D．the original aim of the NHS was to provide equal basic health care for everybody |
| A．It’s managed by the central government. |
| B．It hires more people than any other unit in Europe. |
| C．Its cost is mainly paid for by the National Insurance contributions. |
| D．Fewer patients go to its hospitals than before because they spend less on health care. |
| A．suffering | B．different | C．prevented | D．free |
| A．many hospitals are too old to be used |
| B．some services are in the charge of individuals |
| C．there is not enough money for further reform |
| D．more and more patients go to GPs for treatment |
2 . While most of us are never without our smartphones, robots may also soon become important companions. It certainly seems so based on the recent experiments conducted by researchers in Japan, who developed a wearable soft robot for patients to use during treatments, such as injections and other unpleasant treatments, to reduce their pain and anxiety. On being subjected to a mild heat stimulus (刺激), the study participants who wore the robot experienced less pain than in the tests in which they did not wear the robot.
During the campaign to encourage vaccination (疫苗) against COVID-19, public health officials recognized that some people are simply afraid of needles, which resulted in reduced vaccination rates. While the problems of patients’ anxiety and pain during medical procedures have been well studied, there remain a need to test and a solution to help patients.
The soft fur-covered robot the scientists called Reliebo was designed to be attached to the participant’s hand. The researchers tested its effectiveness under various conditions based on the clenching (握拳) of the participant’s hand, while applying the painful stimulus to the other arm that was not being used to hold the robot. The researchers found that holding the robot helped relieve the experience for patients and concluded that the feelings of well-being that can be created by human touch may have also been activated by the robot. “It is well known that interpersonal touch can reduce pain and fear, and we believe that this effect can be achieved even with non-living soft robots,” states Professor Tanaka.
This may be useful when actual human contact is not possible. Future versions of the robot might use AR (Augmented Reality) technologies to help build a connection with the patient or distract them from feeling of pain in various situations.
1. What is the purpose of the robot?| A．To assist doctors in injecting accurately. |
| B．To help relieve people’s pain from injections. |
| C．To improve patients’ physical and mental health. |
| D．To assess the effects of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. |
| A．The robot is designed to be attached to the patients’ hand. |
| B．The robot’s soft fur gives the patients a feeling of well-being. |
| C．The robot’s “interpersonal touch” creates a feeling of well-being. |
| D．The robot instructs the researchers to relieve the experience for patients. |
| A．Develop more robots for medical treatments. |
| B．Promote the application of the robot worldwide. |
| C．Predict the possible risk of using the medical robot. |
| D．Carry out more tests to ensure the safety of the robot. |
| A．How to Reduce People’s Fear of Injections. |
| B．Advanced Technology Helps to Cure Patients. |
| C．Wearable Soft Robot Helps Reduce Pain of Patients. |
| D．Being Afraid of Needles Reduced Vaccination Rates. |
3 . Deveza’s mother was on the waiting list for a kidney transplant (肾移植). Deveza wanted to donate one of her own kidneys, but she was turned down because she might develop the same health problems as her mother in later life.
Deveza came up with a different plan. In 2017, she started the world’s first paired exchange of different organs between living donors, exchanging half her liver (肝) for someone else’s kidney. A case study of the organ exchange has now been published. And the surgeons who were involved are calling for more exchanges like this. “You can imagine the enormous impact for mixed organ extended chains,” says John Roberts, a surgeon at University of California, San Francisco.
Most organ transplants come from people who have died, but there are never enough organs. As most people can manage with just one of their kidneys, people with kidney failure are increasingly receiving donated organs from relatives or friends. If someone wants to donate but their immune (免疫的) system is unsuited, doctors may be able to find pairs of would-be donors who can each give a kidney to the other’s relative.
When Deveza was looking into such chains, she came across research describing the idea of trading a kidney with the only other organ generally taken from a living donor—the liver. She suggested the idea to many hospitals before she finally contacted Roberts, who saw the idea’s potential.
Deveza was assessed to be in good enough health to donate part of her liver. It then took 18 months to find Annie Simmons, in Idaho, whose liver was unsuitable to use as a transplant for her sister with severe liver disease. They drew up a plan: Simmons would donate a kidney to Deveza’s mother, and in return, Deveza would give half her liver to Simmons’ sister. The hospital gave the go-ahead and the four operations took place on the same day successfully.
The team hopes that the ground-breaking case will inspire more people to consider doing the same. Roberts says that direct exchanges involving two donors could enable up to thirty extra living donor liver transplants a year—a ten per cent increase.
1. What did Deveza do to save her mother?| A．Carrying out a case study. |
| B．Calling for kidney donations. |
| C．Launching a medical experiment. |
| D．Trading half her liver for a kidney. |
| A．Patients’ hopelessness to survive. |
| B．Several sources of organ donation. |
| C．Current situation of organ transplants. |
| D．Doctors’ efforts to improve organ transplants. |
| A．It discouraged organ donation. |
| B．It brought two families together. |
| C．It met with widespread approval. |
| D．It produced a desirable outcome. |
| A．My Liver, Your Kidney |
| B．Mother’s Love, Our Happiness |
| C．Organ Transplant: Blessing for Patients |
| D．Organ Exchange: Major Medical Advances |
Deeply
After graduating with the Wenhai Scholarship, Lin became
When the department
She held many important
Having delivered over 50,000 babies in her lifetime, she
Traditional Chinese Medicine finds new popularity abroad. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is being used increasingly in the United States
The practice which is more than 2,000 years old, dates back to Shang Dynasty. It is used to treat back, neck and knee pain, digesting disorders, high blood pressure, stress, anxiety,
A humble man of few words, Wu Yiqiao
Wu said: “I just use Chinese
Wu is one of the 27,000 licensed Chinese medical providers in the US.
6 . Therapy (治疗) dogs have long visited nursing homes and schools and even disaster sites, offering comfort to humans. A new study shows that a 10-minute visit from a therapy dog can help relieve patients’ pain in the emergency room.
The research from the University of Saskatchewan, published in the journal PLOS on Wednesday, found that emergency room patients who were visited by a therapy dog reported less pain than those who weren’t.
“Therapy dogs themselves are really friendly and are so excited to visit with people in places where they don’t typically have a pet.” Dr. Colleen Dell, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of the study authors, told NPR.
In a trial (试验), researchers asked more than 200 patients to report their pain levels. One group of patients received a 10-minute visit from a therapy dog and the other group did not. After the visit, researchers asked patients in both groups to report their pain levels again. Those who spent 10 minutes with the dog reported less pain, the study found.
“Many patients have experienced positive outcome from therapy dogs, but this study clinically proves them”, said Dell, herself a therapy dog handler.
Stempien, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Saskatchewan has seen the dogs in action at the hospital where he works. Before the pandemic (大流行病), a therapy dog would visit multiple times a week. During visits, the dog would often make a stop in the nursing lounge (休息室) before visiting with patients.
“I think it brought smiles on faces of almost all the staff they interacted with,” Stempien told NPR.
But the people aren’t the only ones getting something out of this. “Therapy dogs love their job. They love to interact with people.” Dell said, “Though we need more research on this, we believe they also gain something out of it as well as giving while visiting with people.”
1. How did researchers carry out their study?| A．Collecting numbers. |
| B．Organizing tests. |
| C．Studying previous study projects. |
| D．Conducting questionnaires. |
| A．Different patients received different treatments from the therapy dogs. |
| B．Those visited by the therapy dogs reported more positive results. |
| C．Those visited by the therapy dogs lessen their pain totally. |
| D．200 doctors and nurses took part in the trial. |
| A．Therapy dogs are only interested in helping people. |
| B．Therapy dogs fell less pain when staying with people. |
| C．Therapy dogs can also get something when helping people. |
| D．The present research is enough to prove that therapy dogs love their job. |
| A．A health magazine | B．An animal encyclopedia |
| C．A biology textbook | D．A science fiction |
7 . The National Health Service (NHS) in England is to pay for 10 people, to whom a “bionic eye” will be implanted (植入). It is a pioneering technology that can help those who have been blind for years to gain some sight.
Only a small number of people have received surgery in trials so far to equip them to use Argus Ⅱ, which uses a camera fixed in a pair of glasses and a tiny computer to send signals directly to the nerves (神经) controlling sight. Those who will get the equipment can currently see nothing more than the difference between daylight and darkness. The system allows the brain to decode (解读) flashes of light, so that they can learn to see movement.
One of three patients who have had the implant into the retina (视网膜) in trails at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital is Keith Hayman, 68, from Lancashire, who has five grandchildren. He was blind in his 20s. The disease causes cells in the retina gradually to stop working and die. Hayman was forced to give up his work. “Having spent half my life in darkness, I can now tell when my grandchildren run towards me and make out lights,” he said. “I would be talking to a friend, who might have walked off and I couldn’t tell and kept talking to myself. This doesn’t happen anymore, because I can tell when they have gone. They may seem like little things, but they make all the difference to me.”
After the surgery, 10 patients will be carefully followed, to gather data on their progress and assess how much the bionic eye improves their daily lives. If the results are good, more patients will be likely to receive the treatment in the future. The “bionic eye” treatment, including surgery, follow-up, equipment and recovery, costs £150,000.
1. What is Argus Ⅱ mainly made up of?| A．A camera, a pair of glasses and a bionic eye. |
| B．The nerves, a pair of glasses and some signals. |
| C．A camera, a pair of glasses and a tiny computer. |
| D．A new retina, a flash light and a tiny computer. |
| A．Hayman has become a normal person. |
| B．The retina is necessary for one to see well. |
| C．Blind people are eager to have a bionic eye. |
| D．The technology is of great importance to blind people. |
| A．They will be in very poor health after the surgery. |
| B．They won’t be used to the bionic eye for some time. |
| C．The exact result of the treatment needs to be known. |
| D．The bionic eye will be improved according to the data. |
| A．A Failure in Treating the Blind People |
| B．10 Blind Patients Will Be Fitted with a Bionic Eye |
| C．Blind People’s Daily Lives Improved with a Bionic Eye |
| D．The NHS in England Cares Much about the Blind People |
8 . When I was in nursing school, I had to focus more on my studies than other aspects of life, and learn so much in a short amount of time. However, the clinical experience of nursing school allowed me to have the opportunity to put what I learned in my classes and readings into action.
One of my favorite experiences during my clinical training was when I had a patient who was first starting chemotherapy (化疗). My nursing instructor Marie told me that patients often experience an anaphylactic (过敏性的) reaction to the medicine when they first start chemotherapy, so it is important to give the medicine at a slower rate. Marie said that if we had a patient who reacted to the medicine, we should stop running the chemotherapy, check the patient’s blood pressure, and then give the appropriate medicine from the emergency kit.
When I checked my patient a couple of minutes after starting his chemotherapy, I asked him questions related to an anaphylactic reaction. I also noticed his face was getting a little red and he looked short of breath. He mentioned having lower back pain, so I immediately stopped the chemotherapy, started taking his blood pressure, and reported it to Marie. His blood pressure was within his normal limits, so we gave him Benadryl via his IV. The Benadryl helped the patient, and we had the Benadryl running when we started his chemotherapy again, but at a slower rate. This time the patient did not have an anaphylactic reaction, and tolerated his chemotherapy well.
This experience taught me how important it is to assess your patient and to teach your patient beforehand about the reaction the patient could have due to the medicine. Marie and I taught our patient about the reactions he could have due to the chemotherapy; due to our teaching, our patient recognized his symptoms and was able to know that what he was experiencing was an expected reaction. During the clinical training, I had many experiences where I had to think on my feet and conduct nursing care quickly. These experiences taught me a lot about how to be a nurse and emphasized the importance of conducting proper patient care.
1. Why did the author stop giving the patient chemotherapy?| A．He had high blood pressure. |
| B．He had a reaction to the medicine. |
| C．He failed to tolerate the back pain. |
| D．He refused to answer her questions. |
| A．Giving the patient immediate first aid. |
| B．Making adequate preparations in advance. |
| C．Assessing the effectiveness of the medicine. |
| D．Telling the patient the possible reactions of the medicine. |
| A．Rewarding. | B．Dangerous. |
| C．Interesting. | D．Painful. |
| A．To express gratitude to her instructor. |
| B．To encourage others to take up nursing. |
| C．To share her clinical training experience. |
| D．To stress the importance of medical treatment. |
9 . Prihardinni, from the Indonesian city of Surabaya, is amazed at how traditional Chinese medicine (TCM中医) has continued to develop since she began studying it a year ago.
When Prihardinni was 10 years old, she suffered from serious headaches. So, her mother took her to see a TCM doctor near their home. The doctor checked her pulse, examined her face and tongue, and wrote down a prescription(处方). After several weeks of drinking Chinese medicine, she didn’t have headaches any more.
“His medical skills were like magic,” Prihardinni recalled. The experience of being cured by TCM impressed her and it encouraged her to choose TCM study. Now, she is a freshman at the Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, which has thousands of years of history and widespread international popularity.
“TCM is becoming more and more popular worldwide and has become an important cultural symbol(象征) for China,” said Zhao Zhongting, a professor at the Gansu University of Chinese Medicine. “Many foreign students face difficulties in fully understanding the meaning and function of TCM medical terms because of cultural and language barriers,” Zhao said, adding that in order to help them, the university offers various training courses for freshmen, including chemistry, language study and Chinese medicine culture. Activities between local and international students, lectures and study tours are also provided to help students better understand the courses.
“More people in my country are becoming interested in TCM. Many social media(媒体) are sharing their experiences with Chinese medicine,” Prihardinni said, adding that she plans to return to her hometown after graduation and open a TCM clinic(诊所). “I want to tell my parents and friends that Chinese medicine is also a good and believable choice.”
1. Why did Prihardinni choose TCM study?| A．She is very interested in TCM. | B．TCM is a magical medical science. |
| C．She was forced by her mother. | D．TCM made her get well from illness. |
| A．Too many courses. | B．Chinese medicine cultures. |
| C．Difficult medical terms. | D．Cultural and language barriers. |
| A．Learning TCM has become a fashion. |
| B．TCM will be accepted by more foreigners. |
| C．Pribardinni plans to be a TCM doctor in China. |
| D．Many people want to share their learning experiences. |
| A．TCM Has Become More and More Important. |
| B．TCM Is a Well-accepted Course in Universities. |
| C．TCM Becomes Popular among Foreign Students. |
| D．TCM Is Hard for Foreign Students to Understand. |
10 . Wu Ming, a young German born after 1995, is a big fan of Chinese culture. As he thought some diseases can’t be treated
Studying TCM also
Wu
Wu thinks there’s no big difference between China and Western countries. “
| A．immediately | B．gradually | C．thoroughly | D．consistently |
| A．depend on | B．dig into | C．look up | D．work out |
| A．created | B．enjoyed | C．advanced | D．acknowledged |
| A．overcame | B．seized | C．divided | D．shifted |
| A．raised | B．sorted | C．cooked | D．tasted |
| A．aspects | B．standards | C．themes | D．means |
| A．enriched | B．secured | C．expanded | D．changed |
| A．exposed | B．reduced | C．restricted | D．addicted |
| A．businesses | B．recreations | C．routines | D．tasks |
| A．balanced | B．wealthy | C．humble | D．efficient |
| A．employs | B．promotes | C．outlines | D．conveys |
| A．scanning | B．checking | C．exploring | D．comparing |
| A．concern | B．wish | C．demand | D．passion |
| A．Misunderstanding | B．Destruction | C．Stress | D．Failure |
| A．source | B．basis | C．bridge | D．tool |
