1 . Medicine is not only a human invention. Many other animals, from insects to birds to nonhuman primates (灵长类), have been known to self-medicate with plants and minerals for infections and other conditions. Behavioral ecologist Helen of the Borneo Nature Foundation has spent decades studying the island’ s orangutans (红毛猩猩) and says she has now found evidence they use plants in a previously unseen medicinal way.
During more than 20,000 hours of formal observation, Helen and her colleagues watched 10 orangutans occasionally chew a particular plant (which is not part of their normal diet) into a juice and then rub it into their fur. They spent up to 45 minutes at a time rubbing the mixture onto their upper arms or legs. The researchers believe this behavior is the first known example of a nonhuman animal using an external pain-killer.
Local people use the same plant—Dracaena cantleyi (龙血树), an unremarkable-looking bush with stalked leaves—to treat aches and pains. Helens, co-authors studied its chemistry. They added chemicals from the plant to human cells that had been grown in a dish and had been artificially stimulated to produce cytokines (细胞因子), an immune system response that causes inflammation (炎症) and discomfort. The plant chemical reduced the production of several types of cytokines. The scientists reported the finding in a study published last November in Scientific Reports.
The results suggest that orangutans use the plant to reduce inflammation and treat pain. Such findings could help identify plants and chemicals that might be useful for human medications.
1. What does “They” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Birds. | B．Local people. |
| C．The ten orangutans. | D．The researchers. |
| A．It can produce cytokines. | B．It is effective as a pain-killer. |
| C．It is a special looking bush. | D．It can lead to inflammation and discomfort. |
| A．Orangutans mainly live on the particular plant. |
| B．Orangutans are the first animals to use a pain-killer. |
| C．Helens findings can be of great use for human drugs. |
| D．Helens co-authors added the chemicals from human cells to the plant. |
| A．By analyzing data. | B．By sharing experiences. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By giving examples. |
2 . An important drug that serves as the backbone of treatment for most childhood cancers, has become increasingly rare, and doctors are warning that they may soon be forced to consider rationing doses(定量供应剂量).
There have been long-term shortages of certain drugs and medical supplies in the United States for years, but doctors say the loss of this medication, vincristine(长春新碱) is leading to lots of problems, as there is no appropriate substitute. “This is truly a sad situation,” said Dr. Yoram Unguru, a doctor at the Herman and Walter Samuelson Children’s Hospital at Sinai in Baltimore. “Vincristine is our water. It’s our bread and butter. I can't think of a treatment for childhood cancer that doesn't use vincristine.” Shortages of the drug will likely affect children throughout the country, he said, forcing doctors to make difficult decisions. “There is no substitution for vincristine that can be recommended.” Dr. Unguru said. “You either have to skip a dose or give a lower dose or beg or borrow.”
Vincristine is one of the drugs used to manage leukemia, the most common childhood cancer. The Children’s Oncology Group, a group of researchers at hospitals and cancer centers, has made recommendations for changing clinical trial treatment rules involving vincristine, including checking the hospital’s supply before trial enrollment, and considering using half the dose if the full amount is not available.
“We are all disappointed,” said Dr. Michael Link, a doctor at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Without vincristine, many children with acute lymphoblasicleukemia will still be cured, “but this is a difficult disease to treat in general, and with one hand tied behind your back, it makes it much more difficult.” Dr. Link said.
Until earlier this year, there were two suppliers of vincristine: Pfizer and Teva. In July, Teva made a “business decision to discontinue the drug,” according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Since then, Pfizer has been the only supplier, and the company lately has been experiencing troubles with production. “Pfizer has experienced a delay, and we are working closely with them and exploring all ways to make sure this important cancer drug is available for the patients who need it,” the FDA said. Jessica Smith from Pfizer said the company would sped up additional shipments of the drug over the next few weeks in an effort to make up for Teva’s withdrawal from the market.
1. Which of the following statements of vincristine is TRUE according to the passage?| A．It is quite rare and expensive. | B．It is an irreplaceable drug. |
| C．It is widely used in adult cancers. | D．It used to be as common as bread and butter. |
| A．vincristine will cause back pain |
| B．the treatment without vincristine is almost impossible |
| C．the treatment without vincristine can still be carried out |
| D．lack of vincristine will promote drug research |
| A．Exploring new ways to ship cancer drugs. |
| B．Making an effort to produce vincristine. |
| C．Cooperating with Pfizer to get more vincristine produced. |
| D．Persuading Pfizer and Teva to deal with the problem together. |
3 . Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) has been greatly contributing to the treatment of the COVID-19, which changed the altitude of the western world to it to some extent. However, in the past, foreigners knew little about it. According to a government report, although TCM has been introduced into 183 countries and regions around the world, their understanding of TCM may be limited to acupuncture(针灸), cupping and massage(按摩) .For instance, the purple, injury-like marks left on a U. S. famous swimmers back from cupping to relax his muscles and reduce pain became the center of attention during the Rio Olympics in 2016.
In fact, Chinese herbs(药草) play a more important role in curing diseases and keeping the body in good condition in the TCM treatment system than physical treatment. Therefore, it is disappointing to know that although 103 world Health Organization member countries have given approval to the practice of acupuncture, not many recognize Chinese herbal medicine. TCM is much less popular than Western medicine partly due to the slow development of Chinese herbs.
Herbs can be made into pills, powder and soup. The kind of herbs used, their quality, quantity and the processing together determine the effectiveness of the prescription (处方). Compared with Western medicine, which has standardized drug production processes and treatment methods, TCM lacks standardization. The chemical composition and functions of its medicine are still unclear and their effects are unstable. Fortunately, standardization has improved in recent decades and a number of factories are increasingly producing patented TCM drugs.
Another reason why TCM prescription drugs have developed slowly is that it lacks creativity. While Western medicine-making companies come up with new products every year, TCM drug producers tend to make medicine according to prescriptions handed down from the past. That Chinese chemist Tu Yoyo won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her research into malaria(痢疾) treatment may drive creativity to some extent in China's TCM industry.
However, Rome was not built in a day. The current situation cannot be changed within a short time.
1. Why did the US swimmer attract the audience's attention in the 2016 Rio Olympics?| A．The injury on his back. | B．The golden cup he won in the games. |
| C．His relaxed muscles and reduced pain. | D．The purple, injury-like marks left on his back. |
| A．Set standards and improve creativity. |
| B．Increase functions and decrease production. |
| C．Increase functions and improve creativity. |
| D．Set standards and create more prescriptions. |
| A．Anxious. | B．Negative. |
| C．Disappointed. | D．Positive. |
| A．acupuncture treatment is effective | B．cupping can cure some diseases |
| C．massage can relax body muscles | D．herbs can keep the body in good condition |
4 . In any given week, about four dozen kids visit Dr. David Abramson’s preschool-like clinic at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. And while most of them are barely old enough to speak, because of Dr. Abramson and the groundbreaking medical procedure he has created for a rare and potentially deadly eye cancer called retinoblastoma, they can see.
In the past, if the cancer didn’t respond well to then-available treatments, survival required removing the cancerous eye. The parents, however, will often choose to let their children die with their eyes intact rather than live without them.
“This was a transformational change in our field,” says Dr. Abramson, who began using the technique in 2006. “Overnight, we went from taking out children’s eyes to not taking out children’s eyes.”
But there’s an aspect of the technique that Dr. Abramson doesn’t talk about much, even though it is as inspirational as the technique itself. He refused to patent it. Pursuing a patent, he feared, would have meant the technique would be kept secret for a long period of time while the paperwork was approved by the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office. In the meantime, untold numbers of children would have suffered and perhaps died.
Patent experts wouldn’t make a guess on exactly how much money Dr. Abramson left on the Table by not patenting his procedure. But the purpose of a medical procedure patent is that it allows a doctor to profit by teaching others to perform the procedure.
“I want people to know that when I do something, it’s from my scientific heart, not because I have any financial benefit,” he says. “And ultimately, our goal is to help children. Our driving force in this is not to make money. ”
1. What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Eyes. | B．Parents. |
| C．Children. | D．Treatments. |
| A．He feared that the technique might be kept secret forever. |
| B．He didn’t like the idea of teaching others about the technique. |
| C．The application process meant many sufferings and even deaths. |
| D．The application process would require too much money and time. |
| A．To introduce an eye cancer. |
| B．To give credit to Dr. Abramson. |
| C．To recommend an evolutionary cure. |
| D．To show the difficulty of a patent application. |
Although Western medicine is
TCM theories began to take shape some 2,000 years ago,
With much
6 . Does listening to music make you feel relaxed? Could it even go further and help cure serious diseases? The Sync Project, a new company based in Boston, is trying to find out if this is possible. Its mission is to figure out if music can truly be used as medicine.
Current research into how music affects the body and brain shows that there is at least some influence. For instance, research published in 2005 by Theresa Lesiuk at the University of Windsor in Canada found that music helped to improve the quality and timeliness of office work, as well as ameliorate positive attitudes while people were working. A review in 2012 by Costas Karageorghis, a sport psychologist at Brunel University in London found there was “evidence to suggest that carefully selected music can give physical and psychological benefits during high-intensity exercise”. The research by Jessica Grahn, an assistant professor at the University of Western Ontario, has shown that even when people aren’t tapping their foot or dancing to music, FMRI scans show that “quite a lot” of the brain is responding. A song’s rhythm, Grahn said, drives responses in the brain’s movement areas, and these responses tend to be stronger with music that has a clear beat that people can follow. “One thing that people have observed is that if you play Parkinson’s patients music that has a steady beat ... these patients seem to have improvements in their walking,” she added.
Grahn is realistic but excited. “I think there’s a lot of hype (炒作) about what music can do,” she said. “I don’t think it’s a sort of cure-all or replacement for a lot of things, but I certainly think it has potential. And the great thing about it is there are generally no bad side effects, it gives patients a sense of control over their treatment, and that’s really important.”
1. What’s the best title for the passage?| A．Music Could Be a Cure? | B．The Contributions of Sync Project |
| C．Music means a lot to researchers? | D．The Medical Promotion by Music |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By giving instructions. | D．By analyzing cause and effect. |
| A．Value. | B．Lack. | C．Improve. | D．Suspect. |
| A．music has potential to replace medicine |
| B．music controls quality and quantity of office work |
| C．music can cure physical and psychological problems |
| D．music of clear beats helps Parkinson’s patients walk better |
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) isn't
China has been making efforts
The inclusion of TCM in the ICD is a mainstream acceptance that will have significant influence around the world. TCM has seen some growth in other countries for all these years. It is reported
8 . Tests have shown robots can diagnose heart problems in as little as four seconds, as a review of artificial intelligence （Al） finds machines are now as good at spotting illness as doctors.
Analyzing a patient's heart function on a cardiac MRI （心脏磁共振成像）scan currently takes doctors around 13 minutes. But a new trial by University College London （UCL） showed an Al program could read the scans in less time with equal accuracy. There are approximately 150,000 such scans performed in the UK each year, and researchers estimate that fully using Al to read them could save 54 clinician-days （临床天数）at each cardiac centre per year. So it can make up for the shortage of doctors.
It is hoped that Al where computer systems are able to learn from data to identify new patterns with minimal human intervention will transform medicine by helping doctors spot dis- eases such as heart disease and cancer faster and earlier. However, most scans are still read by specially trained doctors.
Dr Charlotte Manisty, who led the UCL research, said, "Cardiovascular MRI offers in- comparable image quality for assessing heart structure and function. However, current manual analysis remains basic and outdated. Automated machine techniques offer the potential to change this and completely improve efficiency and accuracy, and we look forward to further research that could confirm the superiority to human analysis."
She added, “Our dataset of patients with a range of heart disease who received scans enabled us to demonstrate that the greatest sources of measurement errors arise from human factors. This indicates that automated techniques are at least as good as humans, with the potential soon to be 'super-human'—transforming clinical and research measurement precision."
Professor Alastair Denniston said, "Within those handful of high-quality studies, we found that by deep learning Al could indeed detect disease ranging from cancer to eye disease as accurately as health professionals. But it's important to note that it did not absolutely exceed human professional diagnosis. ”
1. Which of the following can best describe this Al program?| A．Time-consuming. | B．Environmentally friendly. |
| C．Extremely unpractical. | D．Labor-saving. |
| A．To treat eye disease faster and earlier. |
| B．To analyze heart disease efficiently and accurately. |
| C．To combine manual with automated analysis. |
| D．To confirm heart structure and function. |
| A．It would be super-human soon. |
| B．It couldn't completely replace expert doctors. |
| C．It would correct professionals' measurement errors. |
| D．It couldn't detect cancer as accurately as health professionals. |
| A．Al has many shortcomings in practice. |
| B．Al totally shows its superiority to human analysis. |
| C．Al can reduce medical errors arising from human factors. |
| D．Al can diagnose heart disease as well as doctors in less time. |
When people
| A．It isn't very effective. | B．It doesn't work at all. | C．It has harmful side effects. |
