1 . Using needles to deliver drugs has been common for more than a century. The past hundred years have seen all manner of medical advances, from life-saving medicine and X-rays to mRNA vaccines and special cancer treatments. Yet the needle has stayed mostly unchanged. Although now available in a variety of different sizes, it remains a hollow (having a hole or empty space inside), pointy tube.
With luck, that may soon change. As Yichi Ma, a scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, and his colleagues outline in a review paper, researchers around the world are looking for ways to ease the pain when needles go into the skin. Many have been inspired by nature.
The team got their idea from mosquitoes, which manage to get their blood meals without causing great pain to people. One reason is that the insects use painkilling chemicals when they first puncture (刺穿) the skin. But there is another reason, The point of a mosquito's saw-like proboscis (锯齿状的喙) is softer at its tip. The insect makes the skin of its target tight before biting, and shakes its proboscis as it pushes the proboscis in. All of this helps reduce the force needed to puncture the skin.
One paper, published in 2020 by a group of researchers in America and China, found that a mosquito-inspired needle required 27% less puncturing force than an ordinary one. And less force means less pain Mosquito-inspired needles might also be useful for delicate procedures such as biopsies (the examination of tissue taken from a living body). A paper from the University of Michigan, also published in 2020, found that scientists could improve biopsies of tissue in some body organs. The lower force led to less movement of the organ itself, ensuring that the needles were guided accurately to the area that needed sampling.
For now, such devices remain limited to labs. But there is a big market for better needles. According to WHO, around 16 billion injections were given in 2018. With one person in four saying they suffer from a fear of needles, the savings on stickers and sweets for the brave souls who roll up their sleeves would be considerable.
1. What can we infer about needles from Paragraph 1?| A．Their importance has been ignored for long |
| B．They fall behind other medical innovations. |
| C．Their size remains the same for over a century |
| D．They had a poor source of supply for decades. |
| A．To lessen discomfort. |
| B．To deliver much more drugs. |
| C．To make the needles flexible. |
| D．To increase the frequency of needle use. |
| A．The source of scientists' inspiration |
| B．The chemical compounds found in mosquitoes. |
| C．The unique structure of a mosquito's proboscis. |
| D．The harmful effects of mosquito bites on humans. |
| A．To show people's anxiety about injections. |
| B．To highlight the limitations of current needle designs, |
| C．To draw attention to the dangers of too many injections. |
| D．To emphasize the potential demand for improved needles. |
2 . Paintings and sculptures can be a feast for the eyes of visitors to art museums, but today their viewing is also an unconventional treatment for people with mental illness.
Last month, a group of Canadian doctors started to write a new kind of prescription（处方）,which gives patients free access to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts（MMFA）. There, they will have a "relaxing, revitalizing experience" looking at the museum's collections, according to MMFA.
Nathalie Bondil, the museum's director general, believes that being in contact with culture and arts can help with wellbeing. "In the 21st century, culture will be what physical activity was for health in the 20th century," she said.
Each prescription will allow not only the patients but also their families or friends to go with them. In the museum, the visitor can appreciate the artworks, and take part in a wide range of activities including drawing, sewing（缝纫）and making a sculpture with recycled materials.
The new treatment is said to be the first of its kind in the world. But there's increasing evidence that the display of visual art, especially art depicting（描绘）nature, can have positive effects on people with depression, anxiety and self-esteem（自尊）problems.
In 2017, the UK's All Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing（APPGAHW）also released a report stating that "the time has come to recognise the powerful contribution the arts can make to our health and wellbeing".
Is it possible for art to improve overall health? We may not know the answer yet. But one thing is certain, more and more people today are persuaded by the idea that "art is good medicine".
1. What prescription did the group of Canadian doctors give to mental patients?| A．Get conventional treatment. |
| B．Relax by experiencing nature. |
| C．Join in some physical activities. |
| D．Appreciate paintings and sculptures. |
| A．Contacting culture and arts can make people rich. |
| B．Visiting art museums can help keep people healthy. |
| C．Culture will replace physical activities in the 21st century |
| D．Mental patients should go to museums with their families. |
| A．It can help with mental problems. |
| B．Nothing has proved it right so far. |
| C．It was used before by visual artists. |
| D．APPGAHW doubted its value. |
| A．Will MMFA be open to patients? |
| B．Is there a new treatment for artists? |
| C．Will fine arts improve mental health? |
| D．Is there a better medicine than art? |
3 . 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. |
4 . Good health is a precious thing. When we are healthy, we can learn, work, and support ourselves and our families. When we are sick, we struggle, and our families and communities fall behind.
That's why the World Health Organization is needed. Working with 194 Member States, across six regions, and from more than 150 offices, WHO staff are united in a shared commitment to achieve better health for everyone, everywhere.
The purpose that all people should enjoy the highest standard of health, regardless of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition, has guided WHO's work for the past 72 years, since it was first set up as the lead agency for international health in the United Nations, which was founded in 1945.
Since 1970, the world has seen a rise in noncommunicable（非传染性的）diseases such as cancer, diabetes（糖尿病）and heart disease. Driven by forces such as rapid unplanned urbanization, globalization of unhealthy lifestyles and population ageing, these diseases now account for 70% of all deaths. So WHO has shifted focus, along with health authorities around the world, to promote healthy eating, physical exercise and regular health checks.
The organization has run global health campaigns on the prevention of diabetes and high blood pressure and on healthy cities. It negotiated（谈判）the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a powerful tool to help reduce diseases and deaths caused by tobacco.
Achieving these goals will require unfailing political and financial commitment, from Member States and donors, and continued and expanded collaboration with colleagues from academia, Partners on the ground, and other members of the UN family.（From the official website of WHO, 2020. ）
1. What is the goal of WHO?| A．To work with more countries. |
| B．To unite everyone in the world. |
| C．To try to make everyone healthy. |
| D．To stop our families falling behind. |
| A．In 1918. | B．In 1945. | C．In 1948. | D．In 1970. |
| A．The world population has stopped ageing. |
| B．WHO has succeeded in controlling tobacco. |
| C．The people's lifestyles have become healthier. |
| D．The noncommunicable diseases have increased. |
| A．The Goals of WHO | B．A Health Organization |
| C．The History of WHO | D．An Organization Foundation |
5 . Raluca Corneanu was waiting at a London Underground station to meet friends when she spotted a man lying on the floor. Another
The 35-year-old had recently learnt
The doctors
"I think people often
| A．woman | B．station | C．friend | D．man |
| A．further | B．forward | C．downstairs | D．sideways |
| A．first aid | B．sign language | C．table manners | D．nursery rhymes |
| A．anxious | B．cautious | C．confident | D．shocked |
| A．taxi | B．doctor | C．expert | D．ambulance |
| A．loudly | B．publicly | C．directly | D．freely |
| A．hear | B．recover | C．respond | D．understand |
| A．bleeding | B．breathing | C．struggling | D．thinking |
| A．back | B．side | C．hands | D．feet |
| A．choked | B．worked | C．depended | D．concentrated |
| A．treating | B．defending | C．measuring | D．comforting |
| A．came to | B．behaved | C．talked to | D．enjoyed |
| A．plan | B．name | C．story | D．train |
| A．blamed | B．called | C．praised | D．excused |
| A．simple | B．typical | C．professional | D．helpful |
| A．money | B．energy | C．lives | D．hours |
| A．missed | B．announced | C．witnessed | D．prevented |
| A．escape | B．hesitate | C．regret | D．apologize |
| A．strangely | B．secretly | C．luckily | D．actually |
| A．unusual | B．important | C．likely | D．scientific |
注意：1. 词数100左右；2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Peter,
I’m sorry to learn that …
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Yours,
Li Hua
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