1 . Can a robot provide helpful answers to your health concerns? That’s the goal of Reach Digital Health, an organization that uses mobile technologies, like text messages, to provide helpful health-care information and guidance to people across Africa who can’t easily reach a health-care provider. The continent has 17.89% of the world’s population, 23% of the diseases that disable and kill people, and only a small part of the world’s health workers.

Reach Digital Health deals with millions of questions and sends millions of mostly automatic (自动的) and computerized answers per day. That is, “We first try to respond automatically to any question that they might have,” says Debbie Rogers, CEO of Reach Digital Health, “because we want to be able to give them an answer as quickly as possible.” Besides, some words or responses can bring other interventions (干预). If someone describes an emergency like “bleeding” in their message, for example, the system will instruct them to visit their nearest hospital as soon as possible. In addition, signs and diagnoses (诊断) reported through Reach Digital Health can be sent to governments in real-time so that informed public health decisions can be made quickly and responsibly.

Reach Digital Health also uses the information they collect to improve the health offerings of equipment, district or even entire country. It collects information from millions of women, which allows for shortcomings in training or medical supplies to be identified and corrected by providers and governmental health agencies.

The organization isn’t just in South Africa. It’s working in eight other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, through teamwork with the World Health Organization starting in 2020, they’ve enlarged their services across the globe and set up programs in Bangladesh and Indonesia.

1. Reach Digital Health was founded to _________.

A．prevent Africans from hunger	B．invent a powerful medical robot
C．offer Africans useful healthcare information	D．make medical investigation in Africa

2. How does Reach Digital Health help a bleeding man?

A．By directing him to the nearest hospital.	B．By sending him to a hospital.
C．By making diagnoses for him.	D．By giving him free medicine.

3. What is the author’s attitude toward Reach Digital Health?

A．Puzzled.

B．Unclear.

C．Doubtful.

D．Supportive.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Debbie Rogers: a far-sighted leader

B．Healthcare in Africa: a long way to go

C．Reach Digital Health: an incredibly profitable organization

D．Reach Digital Health: answering health concerns

2 . An experimental treatment rejuvenates (使...恢复活力) the immune (免疫的) systems of older mice, improving their ability to fight infections. If it works in humans, the treatment could reverse (逆转) age-related decreases in immunity that leave older adults susceptible to disease.

These decreases may be due to changes in our blood stem cells which can develop into any type of blood cell—including key parts that make up the immune system. As we age, a larger proportion (比例) of these stem cells tend to produce some immune cells over others, says Jason Ross at Stanford University in California. This imbalance damages the immune system’s defenses.

Ross and his colleagues have developed a treatment using antibodies (抗体), which are proteins that recognize and attack certain cells to target these abnormal stem cells. They tested the treatment in six mice between 18 and 24 months old, which is roughly equal to an age of 56 to 70 years in humans.

A week after receiving an antibody injection, the mice had about 38 percent fewer of these abnormal stem cells than six mice of the same age that didn’t receive the treatment. “You can think of it as kind of turning back the clock,” says Ross. “We’re making the proportion of these immune cells more similar to those of a younger adult mouse.”

To test if the changes resulted in a stronger immune system, the researchers vaccinated (打疫苗) 17 older mice against a mouse virus. Nine of these mice had received the antibody treatment eight weeks earlier. The researchers then infected (感染) the mice with the virus. Two weeks later, they measured the number of infected cells in the animals and found that nearly half of the treated mice had cleared the infection, compared with only one of the eight untreated mice.

The findings indicate that the antibody treatment rejuvenates the mouse immune system. “Since humans, like mice, also see abnormal blood stem cells increase with age, a similar antibody treatment may rejuvenate our immune systems,” says Ross.

1. What does the underlined word “susceptible” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Strongly resist.	B．Easily suffer from.
C．Completely unaffected by.	D．Highly immune to.

2. What may cause age-related decreases in immunity?

A．Changes in our nervous system.

B．An increase in antibodies in our body.

C．Changes in blood stem cells.

D．A decrease in the number of immune cells.

3. How did the researchers measure the effectiveness of the antibody treatment on the mice?

A．By analyzing changes in their lifestyle.

B．By observing differences in their behavior.

C．By conducting blood tests to measure immune cell counts.

D．By counting the number of infected cells after virus contact.

4. What conclusion can be drawn from the findings of the study?

A．The antibody treatment has no effect on the mouse immune system.

B．The antibody treatment increases the risk of infections in mice.

C．The antibody treatment only works on young mice, not older ones.

D．The antibody treatment improves the mouse immune system.

4 . With artificial intelligence (AI) seemingly working its way into every technology out there, one area where it’s considered particularly promising is in helping doctors. And already, AI is entering some doctors’ offices.

Dr. Michael Mansour of Massachusetts General Hospital is an early user who’s helped by a form of AI that could someday change the way doctors get information. When a patient comes in with unknown infection (感染), Mansour turns to a computer program called UpToDate. It’s a common tool, with more than 2 million users at 44,000 health care organizations in over 190 countries. Basically, it’s Google for doctors — searching a huge database (数据库) of articles written by experts in the field, who are all getting information from the latest research.

Wolters Kluwer Health, the company that makes UpToDate, is trying to incorporate (整合) AI so that doctors can have more of a conversation with the database.

Some doctors hope to use AI to comb through a patient’s medical history before an appointment (预约). In some cases, Dr. June-Ho Kim, who directs a program on primary care at Ariadne Labs, says AI technology may also help primary care doctors look after patients without the help of specialists. “It will free up specialists’ time to focus on more difficult cases that they need to really home in on, rather than the ones that could be answered through a few questions,” he says.

Dr. Marc Succi, who was a co-worker of Kim, says, “AI will finally prove to be a trusted medical tool. AI won’t replace doctors, but doctors who use AI will replace doctors who do not. It will become very common just like designing a PPT on a computer. It’s that level of leap.”

1. How does UpToDate help a doctor?

A．It looks after patients.	B．It does a temperature test.
C．It offers useful information.	D．It leads patients to doctors.

2. What do the underlined words “home in on” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Concentrate on.	B．Adapt to.
C．Waste time on.	D．Have interest in.

3. What does Succi want to explain by mentioning PPT in the last paragraph?

A．The difficulty of writing.	B．The user-friendlines s of AI.
C．The importance of a doctor.	D．The advantages of office software.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．AI in the Field of Medicine	B．The Challenges of AI
C．Changes That AI Has Brought	D．Doctors at Home or in the Office

7 . SarahRose Black isn’t a doctor or a nurse. Since 2013 she has played an important role for patients at the center as a music therapist (治疗师). One day, a nurse at a medical centre asked her if she could reach out to a patient who refused to take part in any activities. “He’s angry with us, and we wonder if you might have an interest in it.” the nurse told her.

The next day, Black offered to play music for the patient. “If you don’t like it, you can tell me to leave.” she said. After thinking for a while, the man wrote down the names of some music he liked and then looked out the window. However, as Black began to play one of his favorites, he cried. She stopped playing, saying, "Do you want me to continue?" "Certainly," he said through tears.

“It was as if the music went places," recalls Black.” He shared afterwards that he’d been holding in so much and had been unable to talk about anything —but the music felt like a hug."

It has been shown that music can be medicine. A study conducted in Barcelona’s Hospital del Mar found patients receiving music therapy experienced obvious decreases in anxiety and breathing difficulties, as well as an increase in feelings of well-being.

At the Dr Bob Kemp Hospice in Hamilton, Ont., music therapy is widely used. Doug Mattina experienced a music-therapy program when his father spent his last days there. "During the treatment, my mom and I danced around my dad’s bed. He would request high kicks from us as he clapped along. He was so weak that he sometimes fell asleep, but he was happy. It meant a lot to us." Mattina says.

Music has an especially important effect on sick children. Ruth Hunston, a music therapist at a children’s hospital, says her program gives patients back some sense of control. "When children are in hospital, their worlds get much smaller," she explains. "Music allows them to create something themselves."

Music does count in treatment, but Black notes that people actually connect with music for their whole lives.“ We have a heartbeat, so we have a drum inside us; we are born to be musical,”she says,“ Music relieves our sadness in ways words cannot.”

1. How did the patient react to Black’s appearance?

A．He asked her to leave.	B．He cried and hugged her.
C．He handed her a list of songs.	D．He turned away and walked to the window.

2. What do the underlined words “went places” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Got faster.

B．Went wrong.

C．Worked well.

D．Slowed down.

3. What is mentioned about Doug Mattina’s father?

A．He often did high kicks.	B．He was once a music therapist.
C．He didn’t like talking about his illness.	D．He fell in and out of sleep in the treatment.

4. How does music therapy help children according to Hunston?

A．It improves their social ability.	B．It helps them create something.
C．It helps them enjoy a sound sleep.	D．It excites their interest in medical treatment.

5. Which of the following can best describe Black?

A．Thoughtful and helpful.	B．Strong and talented.
C．Intelligent and honest.	D．Hardworking and humorous.

9 . With the development of the Internet, many of our activities take place online. Medicine is no exception. Patients can visit doctors by phone call and video chat. Online searches for telehealth increased sharply.

Online visits are best suited to simple tasks, like refilling prescriptions (doctor’s orders), as well as diagnosing (诊断) and treating conditions that rely on a doctor’s sense of sight — pink eye, rashes, etc. — or a patient’s description of symptoms, such as back pain. Telehealth also works better at monitoring chronic (慢性的) conditions, such as congestive heart failure, where doctors don’t need to provide a new diagnosis but simply check up on patients, monitor symptoms and discuss the side effects of medication. Diabetes (糖尿病) is also a good fit: people can upload blood sugar levels, dosing, and other information for a doctor to review electronically.

Mental health service is easy to access digitally, too, though it comes with advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, doctors may not be able to see body language, which can sometimes be a clue to understanding a client’s well being, and a poor Internet connection can be particularly unfavorable during a difficult conversation. On the other hand, there are patients who like it better. “Some health care providers even say having that extra bit of distance makes people more honest and less stressed to talk about difficult topics,” says Annette Totten, a professor who has studied telehealth.

When done right, Totten’s research shows telehealth benefits both health care providers and patients. It can significantly reduce hospital admissions, which frees beds for people in need of special care. And it’s a lot more convenient for patients, adds Michelle Greiver, a family doctor.

1. How is the medicine industry changing?

A．convenient

B．popular

C．difficult

D．digital

2. What kind of disease is fit for a virtual medical visit?

A．Heart attack

B．High fever

C．Uncomfortable eye

D．Back injury

3. Why do some mental health patients prefer online service according to the passage?

A．Because it reduces their pressure.

B．Because it saves them transportation cost.

C．Because it saves them time on the road.

D．Because it makes it easier for them to contact the doctor.

4. What’s the author’s attitude toward online medical visits?

A．Negative.

B．Supportive.

C．Doubtful.

D．Uncertain.

5. Which aspect of online healthcare does the text focus on?

A．application

B．effects

C．development

D．advantages

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How did the man probably injure himself?

A．Skateboarding.

B．Playing football.

C．Involving in a car accident.

2. What part of the body has the man injured probably?

A．His head.

B．His leg.

C．His stomach.

3. What day is it today probably?

A．Sunday.

B．Tuesday.

C．Wednesday.

4. How many painkillers can the man take daily at most?

A．6．

B．5．

C．4．