Being able to find high quality health care at an affordable price is an issue in many countries. In the United States, Walmart, a large chain store, is trying to help. It is offering something new to its employees: cutting the cost of a doctor’s appointment to only $4, but the patient and the doctor must meet electronically-over the Internet. This online service is called “telemedicine”.
Walmart is the latest major business in the United States to push its workers toward a high-tech way to be examined and treated by doctors. Thanks to telemedicine, people can talk with medical experts from the privacy of their own homes, often using a secure video connection.
Supporters say online visits make it easier for patients to see an expert or quickly find help for problems considered non-emergencies. Patients who have had medical treatments and cannot move around easily can use telemedicine for their follow-up visits. Also, people seeking help for mental health issues can benefit from the privacy that telemedicine gives.
But many people continue to go to the doctor’s office when they are sick. Compared with seeing a real doctor in person, some people may think the quality of telemedicine is not as good. Another reason why some adults may not use telemedicine services is trust. Tom Hill, aged 66, lives in the state of Indiana. He told The Associated Press he has no plans to ever use telemedicine. He does not buy anything online, let alone do something as personal as seeing a doctor. However, for some people — such as young people and busy students — telemedicine might be a good choice. It can cut down on the time away from work. It can also cut down on the cost of doctor visits.
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2 . Pay No Mind: People Admit to Driving, Texting, Drinking During Telehealth Visits
A recent study of 1,000 Americans revealed people are quite distracted during their virtual doctors and therapy appointments.
Hello, people of the technologically advanced world. Remember how we all hoped technology would make us better, more evolved? How’s that going for us lately? Great, I suspect — because look at how far we have come!
The only problem is that we all seem to be having a tough time concentrating. On Wednesday, a survey from a health company found people texting, driving, watching TV, playing video games and even drinking during telehealth visits.
The study was small, surveying only 1,000 Americans over the age of 18 — but people admitted to exercising (18%), scrolling through social media (21%) and even smoking (11%) during health visits.
Confused? Well, let’s talk it through…
Who decided we should be sober during health visits anyway?
To be fair, I have always thought that conversations about fungal infections, or having to strip off completely naked in front of a complete stranger, are things best done drunk. But if you really want to take your health seriously, perhaps it’s better to start with a clear mind.
Oh, so you mean there are downsides to visiting the doctors from the comfort of our homes?
Get used to it! Now people are pretty good in the art of multitasking.
Yes. And for us to truly move forward we must constantly disrupt! Or be disrupted! By, er…drinking beers. At least some people were exercising during their health visits, I suppose.
Are there any dangerous behaviors which have been reported?
Some have admitted to driving during their health appointments. In fact, one doctor told Forbes that she has had to ask patients to pull over on to the side of the road during their appointments so that they can concentrate.
Perhaps your life is not that interesting-your therapist might be busy doing more important things, like watching TV series.
| A．So that’s why my therapist just seems to be absent-minded. |
| B．Yes, the downside is that humans are fickle beings who can’t even look away from Twitter during a therapy session. |
| C．We can now have doctors’ visits from the comfort of our homes, phones and laptops. |
| D．We simply find it unable to enjoy the advances brought by technology. |
| E．A quarter of these people were doing so while in a virtual therapy session. |
| F．But it’s not just us patients that are feeling distracted. |
3 . It has now been more than six months since healthcare experienced a mass transition to telehealth, at least in wealthy countries. In less well-off places, medical care came to a standstill along with employment and education. Australian authorities rightly noted that changes that would have taken a decade happened more or less overnight. Last year, I had protested when asked to try just one video consultation. It took weeks to organize and then the patient cancelled anyway. Now, within days, clinics jammed with patients halved and then fell silent. Instead of noise and anticipation, what greeted me was a sheet of paper listing when my patients would “meet” me online.
The adjustment was hard. Many of my patients, who are often very elderly, non-English speaking and socioeconomically disadvantaged, were so perturbed by the concept of telehealth that they opted to wait until “this passed”. This made sense initially but as the lockdown continued, we acknowledged that health concerns couldn’t be ignored, and telehealth was the way forward.
In medicine, the line between “must see” and “should see” is not always clear. An 80-year-old widow says that my appointments are her greatest comfort, not least because our nurse always checks in too. Together we save her mental health from sliding but on paper, she is a “routine visit” now relegated to telehealth, which is just not the same. Another patient can chat a bit, but better than any test, serial visits help me track his cognitive decline and plan ahead. When I mention telehealth, he explains that his VCR is broken.
While elderly patients with travel barriers or needing a quick consult may be considered ideal for telehealth, the situation is subtle. Physicians like me feel the poverty of body language. Surgeons find it harder to share sketches. Nurses find patients are distracted. More tragically, a school teacher died at a rural hospital where the only available doctor was via a video link.
Yet, there’s no denying that telehealth has changed the face of healthcare. And nostalgia aside, it has forced a conservative profession to rethink how it can better serve all patients.
In taking stock of the last few months, we must give credit to the people who made telehealth happen. “Tech support” falls into the invisible but indispensable category of help, without which frontline workers would be nowhere.
1. The underlined word “perturbed” most probably means “________”.| A．pleased | B．calm | C．bothered | D．composed |
| A．Healthcare all over the world has gone through a mass transition to telehealth. |
| B．Healthcare has experienced a mass transition to telehealth for at least half a year. |
| C．Last year, the writer objected when asked to try just one video consultation. |
| D．Patients consulting doctors online are in good order. |
| A．Elderly patients with travel barriers may be considered ideal for telehealth. |
| B．Nurses are not fond of telehealth because they find patients are distracted. |
| C．There are still a lot of drawbacks and challenges faced by telehealth. |
| D．A school teacher died at a rural hospital due to the use of telehealth. |
| A．Pessimistic. | B．Positive. | C．Indifferent. | D．Critical. |
4 . Alifa Chin is a 13-year-old Bangladeshi girl whose last name sometimes leads to her being mistaken for a Chinese.
“I like my name very much. I think my name is the
This year, Chin wrote a letter to President Xi Jinping to
“To
The girl’s father said, “We didn’t
“We have seen how people in other countries have gained a better understanding of China through the medical
| A．presence | B．symbol | C．signal | D．proof |
| A．pick up | B．hand over | C．give birth | D．work out |
| A．show | B．perform | C．follow | D．load |
| A．Luckily | B．Originally | C．Obviously | D．Gradually |
| A．transportation | B．shelter | C．budget | D．treatment |
| A．thankful | B．generous | C．proud | D．sympathetic |
| A．contribute | B．supply | C．express | D．release |
| A．relief | B．embarrassment | C．credit | D．surprise |
| A．called | B．offered | C．fought | D．encouraged |
| A．temporary | B．traditional | C．unique | D．contemporary |
| A．live up to | B．figure out | C．make up for | D．account for |
| A．agree | B．exhibit | C．expect | D．charge |
| A．unnecessary | B．unavoidable | C．uneventful | D．unbelievable |
| A．benefit | B．assistance | C．concern | D．agreement |
| A．helpful | B．grateful | C．wealthy | D．creative |
5 . Most people would be
But the Americans are in a mess. The problem is the way in which health care is organized and financed.
But even with this
The basic problem,
Two thirds of the population are
The rising cost of medicine in the USA is among the most worrying problems facing the country. In 1981 the country’s health bill climbed 15.9 per cent-about twice as fast as prices in general.
1.| A．depressed | B．impressed | C．frightened | D．pleased |
| A．money | B．energy | C．attention | D．information |
| A．advanced | B．absorbed | C．old | D．attractive |
| A．treat | B．deal | C．meet | D．handle |
| A．Contrary to | B．According to | C．Compared with | D．Based on |
| A．public | B．medical | C．private | D．financial |
| A．looking for | B．looking into | C．looking after | D．looking over |
| A．profitable | B．little | C．huge | D．worthless |
| A．over | B．out | C．off | D．away |
| A．manage | B．bound | C．decide | D．fail |
| A．however | B．still | C．therefore | D．besides |
| A．for | B．over | C．of | D．in |
| A．need | B．doubt | C．limit | D．use |
| A．charged | B．covered | C．influenced | D．attracted |
| A．pay | B．take | C．send | D．charge |
| A. instead B. exposed C. lifts D. credited E. involve F. option G. prescribed H. sessions I. rather J. tonic K. restoration |
Natural Therapy
The great outdoors: it's the place to head for when you're in need of peace and quiet, open spaces, beautiful scenery and exercise. Whether a huge mountain range or a local country park, these natural areas are a perfect
As an example, in the foothills of the Snowdonia National Park in the UK, specialist therapy
It's true that for most of us connecting with the natural world definitely
Evidence has shown there are many benefits of this "green" therapy, including improving social contact, social and work skills and coping abilities. It's what Dr Rachel Bragg from the University of Essex calls "psychological
Of course, eco-therapy won't cure everything, but it is a（n）
7 . Researchers say public mistrust of vaccines (疫苗) is causing diseases like measles (麻疹) and yellow fever (黄热病) to spread.
The scientists said the lower levels of trust can lead to people refusing vaccines.
Scientists from Britain and Singapore reported the findings. They work for the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Imperial College London and the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health in Singapore. The researchers questioned 66, 000 people in 67 countries to discover their ideas on whether vaccines are important, safe and effective.
The survey showed people in Southeast Asia had the highest level of trust in vaccines. Africa showed the second highest level of confidence. Europeans showed the lowest level of confidence in vaccines.
In France, 41% of the population questioned the safety of vaccines. Heidi Larson is with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The findings come as a major yellow fever vaccination programme has been launched in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. The disease has already killed hundreds of people in the area.
| A．She says recent reports of problems involving vaccines have hurt public confidence in France. |
| B．They also wanted to know whether the use of vaccines agrees with their religious beliefs. |
| C．The limited access to vaccines is a common concern facing the whole world, especially France. |
| D．This, in turn, may cause diseases to spread quickly, they warned. |
| E．The problems have become so serious that nothing can be done to ease them effectively. |
| F．The World Health Organization aims to vaccinate over 15 million people in both countries. |
8 . Hospitals in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province for the first time used 5G technology for disaster medical rescue, after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit Changning county on 17 June, 2019. This is the world’s first case of applying 5G technology to disaster medical rescue.
According to the official Weibo account of Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, at 1:25 p.m. on 18 June, an ambulance equipped with a 5G emergency rescue system — the first of its kind in the country — carrying a medical team from Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital and engineers from China Mobile Sichuan Company and China Mobile (Chengdu) Industrial Research Institute assisting in the joint rescue efforts arrived at Changning County Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). At around 9:30 p.m. Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital launched a 5G realtime remote video consultation with its medical team on a patient admitted to Changning County Hospital of TCM for a suspected spleen rupture (脾脏破裂).
According to Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, the 5G emergency rescue system, which puts artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (增强现实), virtual reality and drone (无人机) applications together, allows a series of medical checks including blood tests, electrocardiograms and ultrasounds (心电图和超声波) to be given to patients right away.The information can then be transferred back to the hospital in real time, which greatly saves time in rescuing patients.
The rescue system also helped a 72yearold patient who had his bone broken in the earthquake. According to a report from Chinanews.con, a temporary ward supported by 5G technology was established at the epicentre of the disaster zone for consultation with doctors from Chengdu, as the aged patient had a previous history of high blood pressure and cerebral infarction (脑梗塞), which made him need more careful treatment.
“The 5G-based network thoroughly solved the problems of poor definition and distortion (失真) of images, as well as interupted signal transmission,” said Li Wei, director of the emergency centre of Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital.
1. Who did the disaster medical rescue with 5G technology?| A．Doctors and engineers. |
| B．Firefighters and soldiers. |
| C．Earthquake professionals. |
| D．5G rescue system’s inventors. |
| A．By consulting online in real time. |
| B．By performing an operation on the patient’s spleen. |
| C．By sending patients to Chengdu. |
| D．By giving patients remote medica/checks. |
| A．Spending less time in rescuing patients. |
| B．Treating all patients without any doctors. |
| C．Using an advanced technology. |
| D．Promoting the accuracy of medical diagnosis. |
| A．He was too old to be curred. |
| B．He had diseases of old age. |
| C．He had the worst injury to his legs. |
| D．He didn’t follow doctors’advice. |
9 . In the past, westerners were not familiar with Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM), but now it is becoming globally popular. According to a government report, TCM has been introduced into 183 countries and regions around the world.
However, westerners only have a little knowledge of TCM. 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 swimmer’s back from cupping to relax his muscles and reduce pain became the centre 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 Organisation member countries have given approval to the practice of acupuncture, not many recognise 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 standardised drug production processes and treatment methods, TCM lacks standardisation. The chemical composition and functions of its medicine are still unclear and their effects are unstable. Fortunately, standardisation 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 Youyou won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her research into malaria(疟疾)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. What does the example of an American swimmer in Paragraph 2 show?| A．Westerners know a little about TCM. |
| B．Cupping is a kind of important TCM treatment. |
| C．He was injured in his swimming. |
| D．TCM is very popular among westerners. |
| A．Chinese herbs can get rid of diseases. |
| B．They only approve the practice of acupuncture. |
| C．Western medicine is more effective. |
| D．Medicine made out of Chinese herbs develops slowly. |
| A．Anxious. | B．Negative. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．The Effectiveness of TCM. |
| B．The Barriers to TCM’s Development. |
| C．The Weakness of TCM. |
| D．The Future of TCM. |
At the Nobel Prize Lecture, Tu Youyou talked about the life- saving drug, artemisinin
