1 . From crystal-blue lakes to snow-capped mountains and thousand-year-old trees, Canada’s nature is admired around the world. Now it might also be just what the doctor ordered. An ambitious new programme allows doctors to write prescriptions (处方) for free annual passes to Canada’s national parks, encouraging their patients to improve their health — both mental and physical — by taking a stroll in nature.
The prescriptions are provided by PaRX, in partnership with Parks Canada. The first passes were handed out last month, giving holders access to more than 80 national parks, historic sites and nature reserves. PaRX, a health initiative (倡议) launched in 2019 by the British Columbia Parks Foundation, notes on its website that spending time in nature can lead to longer lives, increased energy, reduced stress and anxiety, improved heart health, less pain and better mood. Vitamin D from the sun’s rays has proven health benefits. The organization also hopes that the prescriptions will boost investment in conservation in Canada.
The initial provision covers four Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Manitoba. Participating doctors have only 100 annual passes to hand out for now, but PaRX hopes that the programme will be expanded.
“Medical research now clearly shows the positive health benefits of connecting with nature,” Steven Guilbeault, the environment minister, said. “I am confident this programme will quickly show its enormous value to the well-being of patients as it continues to expand throughout the country.”
Canada’s physicians are already in the habit of prescribing “nature therapy” as a treatment for anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, immune function and insomnia (失眠). Previously, though, they would write more general prescriptions, such as spending time in nature twice a week, for at least 20 minutes at a time. This is the first time that they have been able to equip their patients with tickets.
1. Why does the author mention Canada’s nature in paragraph 1?| A．To recommend doctors’ prescriptions. | B．To advertise Canada’s natural scenery. |
| C．To introduce a health initiative program. | D．To demonstrate health benefits of nature. |
| A．A boom in park visiting. | B．A rise in economy. |
| C．Investment in conservation. | D．Improvement in health. |
| A．Patients doubt the general prescriptions. |
| B．The previous “nature therapy” is popular. |
| C．It is a tradition to offer patients park tickets. |
| D．“Nature therapy” is no longer just on paper. |
| A．Nature Heals Mental Diseases |
| B．Canada Possesses Admirable Nature |
| C．Doctors Order A Walk in The Wilderness |
| D．Canadian Doctors Have Free Access to Parks |
Being a civilization with a long history, traditional Chinese medicine can date back nearly two thousand years. As many scholars pointed out, however, it wasn’t until the mid 20th century that China established its
Now every country is facing various challenges, yet I believe each will have its
3 . Researchers say a new electrical device placed in three paralyzed patients has helped them walk again. The lower bodies of the three patients were left paralyzed after they suffered spinal (脊柱的) cord injuries. But a device implanted in the spinal cord was able to send electrical signals to the muscles to permit them to stand, walk and exercise.
Scientists have discovered that neurons—which receive and send signals for muscle movements—often still work in injured patients with serious spinal cord injuries. However, past research into spinal cord injuries has centered on the stimulation of neurons. Now in the latest experiment led by Gregoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, three paralyzed men were implanted a new electrical device designed to copy an action of the brain, in which it sends signals to the spinal cord that result in muscle movement. When the spinal cord receives the brain signals, it stimulates a collection of nerve cells that can activate different muscles.
The researchers reported that all three patients who got the spinal cord implants were able to take their first steps within an hour after receiving them. Over the next six months, the patients regained the ability to take part in more advanced walking activities, the study found. They were also able to ride bicycles and swim in community settings.
Unlike other attempts to help paralyzed patients walk by stimulating nerves through the back of the spine, Courtine said that his team redesigned the devices so signals would enter the spine from the sides. This method permits more direct targeting and activation of spinal cord areas, he said.
The team then developed artificial intelligence (AI) systems linked to the device. The AI controls electrodes on the device to send signals to stimulate individual nerves that control muscles needed for walking and other activities. However, because the patients’ muscles were weak from not being used, they needed help with supporting their weight, the researchers said. It also took some time for them to learn to work with the technology. Still, Bloch said, “The more they train, the more they start lifting their muscles, the more fluid it becomes.”
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 2?| A．Courtine and Bloch have found that neurons in paralyzed patients still work. |
| B．The new electrical device can imitate the brain to send signals to the spinal cord. |
| C．Three paralyzed men recovered with the help of a new electrical device. |
| D．Stimulating the neurons is the focus of the latest research into spinal .cord injuries. |
| A．By stimulating nerves through the back of the spine. |
| B．By using the AI system. |
| C．By making signals enter the spine from the sides. |
| D．By sending the signals to the brain. |
| A．Every garden has its weeds. |
| B．Put the cart (运货马车) before the horse. |
| C．It's hard to please all. |
| D．Practice makes perfect. |
| A．To report the consequence of spinal cord injuries. |
| B．To introduce the findings of a recent research. |
| C．To compare a recent research with other previous researches. |
| D．To recommend a treatment for paralyzed patients. |
4 . A walk in the park may be just what the doctor ordered. A new program launched last month in Canada gives some doctors the option of providing patients with a free annual pass to the country's national parks as part of an effort to increase access to nature and the health benefits.
PaRx, a health initiative launched by the BC Parks Foundation in 2019, partnered with Parks Canada to provide doctors across four provinces with an initial run of 100 passes that can be prescribed (开处方). The program allows doctors to write more general prescriptions for time spent out in nature; two hours a week, at least 20 minutes at a time, is what PaRx director Dr. Melissa Lem suggests.
“Given the growing body of evidence that indicates nature time can improve all kinds of different physical and mental health conditions, we’re hoping that our PaRx program not only improves patient health, but reduces costs to the health-care system, and helps to grow the number of people who are more engaged environmental advocates,” said Prama Rahman, a coordinator for the BC Parks Foundation.
Doctors have been catching on, instructing their patients to turn to nature to improve their health and they're getting creative in how they do it. Dr. Robert Zarr, a doctor based in Washington, began prescribing accessible outdoor activities for his young patients and even created a searchable online database of local parks to make it easier.
But getting outside isn’t always as easy as it might sound. Income can affect one’s access to nature, an issue that PaRx is trying to address in Canada. Doctors utilizing the new national parks pass program are urged to prioritize patients who might not otherwise be able to afford these passes.
While only 100 adult passes, which give holders access to more than 80 national parks, historic sites and nature reserves, have initially been made available, organizers plan to routinely reassess this number as the program grows, the BC Parks Foundation told NPR
1. What is PaRx intended to do?| A．Qualify doctors to prescribe. | B．Give patients free access to parks. |
| C．Promote free admission to parks. | D．Advocate 20 minutes’ walk a day. |
| A．Financing. | B．Setting up. | C．Evaluating. | D．Carrying out. |
| A．The BC Parks Foundation is expanding rapidly. |
| B．The program has signed up 80 national parks. |
| C．More people will benefit from the program. |
| D．Those living close to parks can gain priority. |
| A．PaRx, a Nature Prescription Program. | B．BC Parks Foundation in Canada |
| C．Year-long Passes to National Parks | D．A New Study on Benefits of Walk |
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a health care system in which patients
According to the World Health Organization, nearly 80 percent of the world's population depends for its primary health care needs
Increasingly, however, modern medicines also contain substances from animals and plants. Given growing populations, increasing wealth, and the spreading
6 . Hundreds of millions have rolled up their sleeves for the COVID-19 vaccine, but why haven’t they rolled up their pant legs instead? Why do we get most shots in our arms? What s the science behind why we get most vaccines in our arm? It’s worth noting that most, but not all, vaccines are given in the muscle. Some vaccines are given orally. Others arc given just beneath the skin. But why is the muscle so important, and does location matter?
There are important immune cells in muscle tissue. These immune cells recognize the antigen, a tiny piece of a virus or bacteria introduced by the vaccine that stimulates an immune response. Thus, muscles make an excellent vaccine administration site.
In the ease of the COVID-19 vaccine, the immune cells in the muscle tissue pick up these antigens and present them to the lymph nodes. Injecting the vaccine into muscle tissue keeps the vaccine in a small area, allowing immune cells to sound the alarm to other immune cells and get to work. Once a vaccine is recognized by the immune cells in the muscle, these cells carry the antigen to lymph vessels, which transport the antigen-carrying immune cells into the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes, key components of our immune system, contain more immune cells that recognize the antigens in vaccines and start the immune process of creating antibodies.
Muscle tissue also tends to keep vaccine reactions in the local area. If certain vaccines are injected into fat tissue, the chance of painful redness or swelling increases because fat tissue has poor blood supply, leading to poor absorption of some vaccine components.
Another deciding factor in vaccine administration location is the size of the muscle. Adults and children aged three and older tend to receive vaccines in their upper arm. Younger children receive their vaccines in the middle part of the leg because their arm muscles are smaller and less developed. Convenience and social acceptability should also be considered. As is known, rolling up your sleeve is way easier and more preferred.
All things considered, when it comes to the flu shot and the COVID-19 vaccine, for most adults and kids, the arm is the preferred vaccination route.
1. Why do muscles make a good vaccine administration site?| A．Muscles can easily recognize bacteria. | B．Muscle tissue stimulates immune response. |
| C．Muscle tissue contains vital immune cells. | D．Muscles can prevent reproduction of viruses. |
| A．Lymph vessels perform transporting function. |
| B．Lymph vessels is critical to creating antibodies. |
| C．Immune cells can automatically sound the alarm. |
| D．Immune cells give antigens to lymph vessels. |
| A．Poor blood supply. | B．Better absorption. | C．Local pain. | D．Rapid fat loss. |
| A．an advertisement | B．a journal | C．a speech | D．a novel |
Berhanu Kedir, 34, is one of the many patients who have been receiving the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for treatment at the Tirunesh Beijing Hospital in Ethiopia. Kedir suffered a car accident seven months ago. He
“The Chinese doctors use acupuncture(针灸), cupping and other techniques
According to Liu, the two highly
Kedir, who was in a coma(昏迷) and could not speak for months due to the damage on his head during
8 . Online crowdfunding(众筹) for medical expenses raises less money than social media has made us believe and deepens health care inequalities, a new study reports.
The first large-scale assessment of medical crowdfunding in the United States shows That people instates with higher medical debt and lower rates of insurance(保险)coverage are more likely to try to raise money through crowdfunding websites, but less likely to succeed. From 2016 through 2020, more medical campaigns on the crowdfunding site GoFundMe were started in low-income and under-insured communities, researchers report February 3 in the American Journal of Public Health. But campaigns in wealthier communities with higher rates of insurance coverage raised significantly more money.
The study matched state and county census (人口普查) data with outcomes from more than 437,000 GoFundMe campaigns over the five-year period. During that time, more than $2 billion was raised, with the average campaign earning just under $2,000. The study also found that 16 percent of campaigns raised nothing, while less than 2 percent met their goal.
“The returns were notably low compared with the needs people have for medical expenses,” says sociologist Mark Igra of the University of Washington in Seattle.
Mississippi, for example, has the highest percentage of population with medical debt and is among the highest in percentage of uninsured, but crowdfunding campaigns there raised the least money of all 50 states. Vermont, on the other band, raised the most. Its population had one of the lowest percentages of uninsured people.
While GoFimdMe’s previous chief executive Robert Solomon has called concerns that crowdfunding increases socioeconomic inequalities “nonsense,” the new study disproves that, says Jeremy Snyder, a health researcher at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada, who was not involved with this research.
“Crowdfunding relies heavily on social networks that typically have similar characteristics, including income, to the campaigner, themselves," says Snyder, who wrote an analysis to accompany the study. ”If GoFundMe has data that suggests otherwise, then they have a duty to make it public.
1. What did researchers do during the study?| A．They raised money | B．They analysed data |
| C．They interviewed patients | D．They carried cut a census |
| A．It is relatively poor. |
| B．People there care little about health |
| C．It is no use crowdifunding there. |
| D．It has the highest number of uninsured people |
| A．Poor people are less likely to have health insurance. |
| B．Poor people tend to be-less skilled in campaigning. |
| C．The social-networks of poor people tend to have low income |
| D．Rich people are unlikely to use crowdfundiug. |
| A．Crowdfunding - the future of medical care |
| B．Crowdfunding - the reasons for its decline |
| C．Crowdfunding -a dangerous trend |
| D．Crowdfunding –less effective than thought |
1. 简要介绍该活动；
2. 实施急救的过程；
3. 你的感想。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
TCM is short for Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM, which has a history of more than 2,500 years in China,
In early February, 102 mild patients in Wuhan received therapy with Jinhua Qinggan Granule (颗粒). As
