1 . Rolland and Adeline are proud parents to nine beautiful children. Their youngest two, daughter Lanto, and son, Rindra, were both born with cleft lip (唇裂) conditions. In Madagascar, many families have never seen a cleft lip before, so it’s a condition often greeted with fear and misfortune in some rural communities.
However, the news of Lanto and Rindra’s cleft lip wasn’t much of a shock for Rolland and Adeline because Rolland’s cousin—a man in his fifties — had lived his entire adult life with an untreated cleft lip. Although seeing a relative with a cleft lip meant the family weren’t fearful of the condition, they knew the negative impact an untreated cleft lip can have on a person’s health and life. As all loving parents would, Rolland and Adeline wanted a better future for their children.
Rolland heard an advertisement on the radio about an Operation Smile surgical programme in Antsirabe, Madagascar. Finding out that Rindra and Lanto could have the cleft lip surgery they needed, for free, was a dream for the family. Unlike here in the UK, health services aren’t free in many parts of the world, and the costs of treatment — or even travelling to reach medical facilities — are out of reach for most families.
When Rolland and his children arrived at the patient village, they were surprised to see so many other families in the same position. After a thorough medical evaluation by medical volunteers, Lanto was found to be fit enough for surgery, and later got the new smile her parents had dreamed of for her. But, for younger brother Rindra, the journey to a new smile would take a little longer.
Operation Smile has provided hundreds of thousands of safe surgeries for children with cleft lip conditions worldwide. For more information about our work or to find out how you can help, visit www.operationsmile.org.
1. What do most people think of cleft lip in Madagascar?| A．It is incurable. | B．It is normal. | C．It is unavoidable. | D．It is unlucky. |
| A．Their relative’s experience. | B．Their children’s smile. |
| C．Their love for their children. | D．The advertisement they saw. |
| A．Paying for the surgery. | B．Staying in hospital. |
| C．Having a health check. | D．Seeking for a doctor. |
| A．For donations. | B．For copyright. | C．For commitment. | D．For clarification. |
2 . In the 19th century, an Arab physician known as Ibn Zuhr conducted some animal research to assess the surgical procedures that could be applicable to humans. Since then, animal testing has been considered to be the most efficient way to develop new drugs. New medical treatments and drugs are tested on animals first to determine their effectiveness or safety levels before they are finally tested on humans. However, it remains controversial whether it is morally right or wrong to use animals for medical or commercial experiments.
The use of animals for medical purposes is seen to be necessary by many scientists. Researchers usually begin their trials using rats. If the tests are successful, further tests are done on monkeys before using human beings. For testing, such tiered (分层的) rounds are important because it reduces the level of error and any negative side effects. Some argue that animal testing has contributed to many life-saving cures and treatments and that there is no adequate alternative to testing on a living, whole-body system. Moreover, there are regulations for animal testing that limit the misuse of animals during research, which serves as evidence that animals are well taken care of and treated well instead of being intentionally harmed.
However, some other experts and animal welfare groups have opposed such practice, terming it inhumane and claiming it should be banned. According to Humane Society International, animals used in experiments are commonly subjected to force-feeding, radiation exposure, operations to deliberately cause damage and frightening situations to create depression and anxiety. They also hold the view that animals are very different from human beings and therefore make poor test subjects. Drugs that pass animal tests are not necessarily safe. Animal tests on the arthritis (关节炎) drug Vioxx showed that it would have a protective effect on the hearts of mice, yet the drug went on to cause more than 27,000 heart attacks before being pulled from the market.
It’s safe to say that using animals for tests will continue to be debated in many years to come. Despite the benefits of animal testing, some of the animal welfare organizations’ concerns need to be addressed with adequate regulations to ensure that animals are treated humanely.
1. Why is animal testing considered necessary?| A．Because other testing alternatives may not replace the need for animals. |
| B．Because animal testing has been in practice since the 19th century. |
| C．Because animal testing can spare humans any side effect. |
| D．Because rats are more like humans than monkeys. |
| A．Having unnecessary operations. |
| B．Eating poisonous food. |
| C．Being killed deliberately. |
| D．Breathing in polluted air. |
| A．Arthritis is hard to cure. |
| B．Some drugs need to be pulled from the shelves. |
| C．A drug should be tested many more times before its release. |
| D．Animal tests cannot necessarily produce accurate results. |
| A．Experts try hard to determine whether animal tests are harmful. |
| B．Scientists reduce the number of animals used in research. |
| C．The authorities issue a new law to guarantee animal rights during research. |
| D．Relevant organizations show more concern about the animals’ welfare. |
To write his own medical text, Li Shizhen referenced over 800 medical texts, countless books on history and geography, and works of literature. He even studied the complete works of many ancient poets, from
After over a decade of field research, Li
Since its first publication in 1596, the book
Today, there are a
Incense (香) boasts a long history,
Since the Tang and Song dynasties, burning incense, hanging paintings, making tea, and enjoying music have been known as the “four arts for literati (文人)”.
Moreover, medical incense is an essential part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which considers preventative healthcare as
5 . Using needles to deliver drugs has been common for more than a century. The past hundred years have seen all manner of medical advances, from life-saving medicine and X-rays to mRNA vaccines and special cancer treatments. Yet the needle has stayed mostly unchanged. Although now available in a variety of different sizes, it remains a hollow (having a hole or empty space inside), pointy tube.
With luck, that may soon change. As Yichi Ma, a scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, and his colleagues outline in a review paper, researchers around the world are looking for ways to ease the pain when needles go into the skin. Many have been inspired by nature.
The team got their idea from mosquitoes, which manage to get their blood meals without causing great pain to people. One reason is that the insects use painkilling chemicals when they first puncture (刺穿) the skin. But there is another reason, The point of a mosquito's saw-like proboscis (锯齿状的喙) is softer at its tip. The insect makes the skin of its target tight before biting, and shakes its proboscis as it pushes the proboscis in. All of this helps reduce the force needed to puncture the skin.
One paper, published in 2020 by a group of researchers in America and China, found that a mosquito-inspired needle required 27% less puncturing force than an ordinary one. And less force means less pain Mosquito-inspired needles might also be useful for delicate procedures such as biopsies (the examination of tissue taken from a living body). A paper from the University of Michigan, also published in 2020, found that scientists could improve biopsies of tissue in some body organs. The lower force led to less movement of the organ itself, ensuring that the needles were guided accurately to the area that needed sampling.
For now, such devices remain limited to labs. But there is a big market for better needles. According to WHO, around 16 billion injections were given in 2018. With one person in four saying they suffer from a fear of needles, the savings on stickers and sweets for the brave souls who roll up their sleeves would be considerable.
1. What can we infer about needles from Paragraph 1?| A．Their importance has been ignored for long |
| B．They fall behind other medical innovations. |
| C．Their size remains the same for over a century |
| D．They had a poor source of supply for decades. |
| A．To lessen discomfort. |
| B．To deliver much more drugs. |
| C．To make the needles flexible. |
| D．To increase the frequency of needle use. |
| A．The source of scientists' inspiration |
| B．The chemical compounds found in mosquitoes. |
| C．The unique structure of a mosquito's proboscis. |
| D．The harmful effects of mosquito bites on humans. |
| A．To show people's anxiety about injections. |
| B．To highlight the limitations of current needle designs, |
| C．To draw attention to the dangers of too many injections. |
| D．To emphasize the potential demand for improved needles. |
6 . Have you ever had cataracts (白内障) removed? Then you may see a bit more clearly due to the achievements made by Dr. Patricia Bath. She was born on November 4, 1942 in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Different from girls of her time, she was fond of science as a young girl and greatly contributed to a cancer study while in high school. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Hunter College in New York City in 1964, Bath attended Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. and got a medical degree there in 1968.
After graduating from Howard University, Bath worked at Harlem Hospital; later she noticed that in her neighborhood, people leading a hard life suffered from blindness that could have been prevented. From then on, Bath determined to create a new field called “community ophthalmology (眼科学)”. It aims to offer eye care to patients who have a hard time gaining regular eye care. Volunteers are trained to examine patients in senior centers or day care programs to test for serious eye conditions and to do vision (视力) testing. Community ophthalmology led to Bath and two others founding the non-profit American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness in 1976. The purpose of the organization is to protect, preserve and restore the sight of patients all over the world.
Bath’s work with patients with cataracts inspired her to develop a new surgical technique. Cataracts are cloudy things on the eyes that, if not removed, will lead to blindness. Bath wanted to use lasers (激光) to remove them, but the technology did not exist at that time. She spent almost five years researching and developing the technique and equipment. Because of that, Bath earned a medical patent in 1988. Her technique of using lasers to remove cataracts has improved and restored the vision of millions of patients around the world.
1. What do we know about Bath from the first paragraph?| A．She showed interest in science. | B．She treated a lot of cancer patients |
| C．She received no formal education. | D．She failed to get along with others. |
| A．To train volunteers to do vision testing. |
| B．To raise people’s awareness of eye care. |
| C．To help patients lacking access to regular eye care. |
| D．To protect and restore the sight of patients worldwide. |
| A．Because she established community ophthalmology. |
| B．Because she suggested new ideas of protecting eyes. |
| C．Because she applied lasers to the removal of cataracts. |
| D．Because she helped all the blind people see clearly. |
| A．Bath’s dream of becoming a scientist. |
| B．A new method to cure all the blindness. |
| C．The start of community ophthalmology. |
| D．Bath’s achievements as an eye doctor. |
Traditional Chinese medicine originated in ancient and developed for
TCM is an important part of Chinese culture. It has made great
8 . First aid is emergency care for a victim of sudden illness or injury until more skillful medical treatment is available. It may save a life. In minor emergencies, first aid may prevent a victim’s condition from turning worse and provide relief from pain.
First aid measures depend upon a victim’s needs and the provider’s level of knowledge and skill. Knowing what not to do in an emergency is as important as knowing what to do. Improperly moving a person with a neck injury, for example, can lead to permanent spinal (脊柱) injury and paralysis (瘫痪).
Despite the varieties of injuries, several principles of first aid apply to all emergencies. The first step is to call for professional medical help. Next, assess the scene, asking other people or the injured person’s family or friends about details of the injury or illness, and preexisting conditions such as diabetes (糖尿病) or heart trouble. The victim should be checked for a medical card that describes special medical conditions. Unless the accident scene becomes unsafe or the victim may suffer further injury, do not move the victim.
First aid requires rapid assessment of victims to determine whether life-threatening conditions exist. One method for evaluating a victim’s condition is known by the acronym (字母缩写词) ABC, which stands for:
A-Airway: is it open and clear?
B-Breathing: is the person breathing? Look, listen, and feel for breathing.
C-Circulation: is there a pulse? Is the person bleeding extremely? Check skin color and temperature for additional indications of circulation problems.
1. First aid may bring about all the following results EXCEPT _________.| A．saving a victim’s life |
| B．preventing a victim’s condition from getting worse |
| C．relieving a victim from pain |
| D．helping a person avoid sudden illness or injury |
| A．to make sure what to do and what not to do |
| B．to refer to all kinds of handbooks on first aid |
| C．to remove the ring he/she may be wearing |
| D．to take him/her to a hospital at once |
| A．remove him from the accident scene | B．call for professional medical help |
| C．turn him over | D．examine him carefully |
| A．the importance of protecting the accident scene |
| B．what professional medical help is |
| C．some basic facts about first aid |
| D．who can offer first aid |
First Aid for Burns
The skin, which acts as a barrier against disease, toxins and the sun’s rays, is
Depending on the
We should do some first aid if burns happen. If the burns are slight, place burns under cool running water, which can stop the burning process and reduce the pain and swelling. If the burns are severe, remove any clothes using scissors unless it is stuck
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has its roots in the Chinese civilization. It is a scientific understanding that
