1 . Shenzhen in Guangdong province has become the first city in China to allow specialist nurses to prescribe (开药方) selected drugs and order tests, in a move that is expected to increase efficiencies in the healthcare system and reduce the patient-load burden on physicians.

Under a new rule in October that took effect in January, eligible nurses will be permitted to order examinations, treatments considering their expert skills and knowledge of specialist nursing or community healthcare. Their prescriptions must be based on existing diagnoses (诊断) made by physicians.

To become a nursing specialist, applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, five years of working experience, obtained an advanced nursing qualification and have attended a months-long specialist training program and passed a final test.

“Medical institutions must review inappropriate prescriptions given by nurses,” said the regulation. “Nursing specialists who are found to have given three or more improper prescriptions will have their prescribing power stopped for three to six months and will have to undergo retraining before regaining the authorization,” it added.

“Considering the difference in professional positioning, medical education background and work experience between physicians and nurses, it is necessary to fully analyze the necessity and practicability of the nurses’ prescriptive authority,” the commission said.

Zhou Wensi has a bachelor’s degree in nursing and is now a specialist nurse in periodontitis (牙周炎) , or gum disease, at Shenzhen Stomatology Hospital in the city’s Pingshan district.

“Our hospital has not begun allowing us to prescribe. If the rule goes into effect in the future, we’ll likely be able to directly prescribe mouthwash, anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers to patients,” she said.

   However, she also noted that most patients visiting the hospital are in need of treatment delivered by doctors with assistance from nurses like her, so the new regulation is not expected to have a major impact.

1. Why does Shenzhen give permission for specialist nurses’ special rights?

A．To improve the overall ability of the specialist nurses.

B．To speed up the development of the healthcare system.

C．To enhance the work efficiency and lighten doctors’ load.

D．To respond to the demands of doctors, nurses and patients.

2. What does the word “eligible” underlined in the second paragraph refer to?

A．well-recognized

B．Qualified

C．flexible

D．hard-working

3. What do we learn about the new regulation?

A．A specialist nurse should follow the rules strictly.

B．No institutions take charge of the prescriptions .

C．Not all specialist nurses can prescribe drugs freely .

D．A specialist nurse always has the prescribing power.

4. What is Zhou Wensi’s attitude toward the prospect of nurses’ prescribing drugs?

A．Doubtful.

B．Indifferent.

C．Neutral.

D．Hopeful.

2 . Professors at the University of California San Diego have developed microrobots, which can be a potential treatment for life-threatening cases of bacterial pneumonia, a serious disease affecting lungs and making breathing difficult. In mice, the microrobots safely removed pneumonia-causing bacteria in the lungs and resulted in 100% survival while untreated mice all died within three days after infection.

The microrobots are made of algae (藻类) cells whose surfaces are covered with substances that are filled with antibiotics (抗生素). The algae provides movement, which allows the microrobots to swim around and make antibiotics go directly to more bacteria in the lungs, helping absorb bacteria and clear them of infected cells. This give the microrobots the ability to reduce bacterial infection, which in turn makes them more effective at fighting lung infection.

The work is a joint effort by engineering professors Joseph and Zhang Liangfang. Together, they have pioneered the development of tiny drug-delivering robots that can be safely used in live animals to treat bacterial infections in the stomach and blood. Treating bacterial lung infection is the latest in their line of work.

“In the traditional treatment, sometimes only a very small number of antibiotics will get into the lungs. That’s why many current antibiotic treatments for pneumonia don’t work as well as needed,” said Victor Nizet, a co-worker of Joseph and Zhang “Based on these mouse data, we see that the microrobots could potentially improve the use of antibiotics to kill bacteria and save more patients’ lives.”

The work is still at the proof-of-concept stage. The team plans to do more basic research to understand exactly how the microrobots interact with the immune system (免疫系统). Next steps also include studies to confirm the effectiveness of the microrobot treatment before testing it in larger animals and eventually, in humans. “We’re pushing the boundary further in the field of targeted drug delivery,” said Zhang.

1. How do microrobots work?

A．By doing targeted drug delivery.

B．By interacting with antibiotic-filled matter.

C．By producing algae cells in lungs.

D．By separating harmful cells from healthy ones.

2. What is Victor Nizet’s attitude towards the invention?

A．Doubtful.

B．Subjective.

C．Cautious.

D．Favorable.

3. What does the team expect of the microrobots?

A．They’ll inspire a new line of research.

B．They’ll help strengthen the immune system.

C．They’ll have a wider range of application.

D．They’ll be a further proof of their concept.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A scientific invention treating deadly cancers.

B．Tiny swimming robots helping treat pneumonia.

C．A major breakthrough made in antibiotic research.

D．Microrobots employed in the engineering field.

3 . About five days ago, my back started tightening in the middle region. A couple of days ago, I was trapped in my bed, unable to move.     1     So here I was, determined to make an appointment at an Eastern medicine school for my first experience getting acupuncture.

It was a wonderful experience. The room looked no different from a Western medicine examination room.     2     However, it differed from Western medicine in the way they sought to treat me.

    3     I was asked about things in my entire life, from my sleep patterns to my physical processes, to current life stressors. Then the medical student discussed a plan with the doctor. They came back, asked me to lie on my stomach, and started placing the needles. The needles didn’t hurt. I could barely feel their presence.

After they placed the needles, the doctor asked me how I felt. I told her I couldn’t feel any pain.    4     So they left me in the room with a heat lamp for about twenty minutes. This “baking” time was amazing. It was subtle, but strong.     5     When the appointment was over, I felt super relaxed, almost drunk. I would highly recommend this treatment option for anybody who thinks they may benefit.

A．The mysterious ancient healing art of acupuncture was amazing.

B．Chinese medicine tend to regard the patient’s symptoms as a whole.

C．I hated the looks from my doctor for symptoms that Western technology can’t handle perfectly.

D．I felt like I was in an altered state of relaxation, a different dimension, even.

E．The doctor told me to be patient and wait for the needles to take effect.

F．I sat down and discussed my symptoms with the medical student.

G．This actually indicated that I was responding well to the treatment.