1 . The development of the mRNA vaccine (疫苗) — a breakthrough in its field, instructing cells (细胞) to produce their own protection without the risk of giving someone the virus — was fast and effective, made possible through rapid genome sequencing (基因组测序).
So how does it work? Once mRNA is injected (注射), the vaccine attaches to a cell, instructing it to produce a harmless copy of the spike protein — the significant marker of the coronavirus, which allows COVID-19 to inject itself into human cells — causing an immune response. Because mRNA does not enter the cell nucleus (细胞核), it does not change human DNA.
Different from the time it takes to produce traditional vaccines，which are time-wasting and expensive, mRNA can be produced almost instantly.
It’s been a “game changer,” says Tom Kenyon, a former director of global health at the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “These are vaccines that give very strong immunity, which we never had in previous attempts.” Besides, its potential to treat cancer, which it can do by causing the immune system to target cancer cells, is especially exciting. Most traditional immune treatment for cancer uses “passive immunity,” where a drug doesn’t always last long. But active immunity, achieved with mRNA, means the body can remember how to create the response on its own. “That’s what gives everybody in the public health community hope,” Kenyon says.
The biggest drawback is production ability. Many parts of the world would need help setting up the ability to produce these vaccines. “The mRNA story is by far the greatest story of this pandemic (流行病), and it’s an amazing scientific achievement, but we haven’t translated that yet into programmatic results, and that’s what matters,” Kenyon said.
1. Which of the following can describe this new mRNA vaccine?| A．Rapid and risky. | B．Passive and efficient. |
| C．Effective and long-lasting. | D．Harmless and expensive. |
| A．mRNA can cause a problem to human’s DNA |
| B．realizing mass-production in the mRNA vaccine is the key |
| C．mRNA can work very well without entering human bodies |
| D．the mRNA vaccine has been used in cancer treatment |
a. experiment data
b. working process
c. history and origin
d. potential application
e. current limitation
f. people’s doubts
| A．acf | B．bde | C．bdf | D．ade |
| A．Negative. | B．Supportive. | C．Unclear. | D．Worried. |
2 . A seriously sick Maryland man named David Bennett Sr. who received a pig’s heart in a pioneering transplant surgery successfully on January 17th, 2022. However, this man who regained his life has a criminal record because of a violent attack 34 years ago in which he repeatedly stabbed a young man, Edward Shumaker, causing him paralyzed.
The Washington Post first reported the transplant patient s criminal record and the attack that led to it. The revelations have prompted debate about how patients are selected for high-tech medical care.
“The transplant gave him life,” Edward’s sister voiced her displeasure with the transplant for Bennett. “But my brother never got a second chance at life.”
But Bennett’s doctors said that such unsetting historical records do not disqualify patients from getting cutting-edge medical procedures.
Officials at the University of Maryland Medical Center, where the transplant operation was performed, said in a statement that health care providers were committed to treating all patients, regardless of their backgrounds or life circumstances.
“It is the solemn obligation of any hospital or health care organization to provide lifesaving care to every patient who comes through their doors based on their medical needs,” the officials said.
“There’s a long-existing standard in medical ethics that physicians or surgeons don’t pick and choose who they treat,” said Karen J. Maschke, a research scholar at the Hastings Center and editor of Ethics & Human Research.
The question has arisen in the context of imprisoned people and enemies in war, and more recently people with COVID who chose not to get vaccinated, she noted.
“Where would you draw the line if you picked and chose?” Maschke asked.
1. What criminal record did David Bennett Sr. have?| A．He repeatedly stabbed a young man, Edward Shumaker, to death. |
| B．He repeatedly stabbed a young man, Edward Shumaker, to being paralyzed. |
| C．That David Bennett Sr. received a pig’s heart disobeyed the conventional medical procedure. |
| D．That David Bennett Sr. received a pig’s heart disobeyed a long-existing standard in medical ethics. |
| A．Skeptical | B．Disapproving. | C．Impartial. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Patients with criminal records are disqualified from getting cutting edge medical procedures. |
| B．Imprisoned people can’t receive high-tech medical procedures. |
| C．Physicians shouldn’t provide lifesaving care to those who have unsettling histories. |
| D．People with COVID who chose not to get vaccinated could also receive pioneering medical treatment. |
| A．David Bennett Sr. received a pig’s heart transplant successfully. |
| B．David Bennett Sr. has no right to get high-tech medical procedures. |
| C．A patient with a violent criminal record got a breakthrough heart transplant. |
| D．Health care providers shouldn’t treat patients who have criminal records. |
