1 . Acupuncture (针灸) is a traditional Chinese medical practice of treating various physical and mental conditions. It won respect and interest in the United States after New York Times reporter James Reston visited China with President Nixon and needed an operation.
Chinese doctors used acupuncture on James after surgery (外科手术) to reduce his pain, and his recovery was quick. Curious about this, James was allowed to watch surgery on patients who received acupuncture for anesthesia (麻醉). Patients talked with their doctors during the operation and then walked back to their rooms on their own.
Acupuncture left James such a deep impression that he wrote a front-page article in New York Times about his operation upon returning to the United States. “A leading medical expert sent by Premier Zhou Enlai removed my appendix (阑尾). I was awake in the whole process.”
The National Institutes of Health began to organize some of their top doctors to visit China to investigate acupuncture and its possible functions in western medicine. With years going by, acupuncture has become popular across the world with magical effect.
1. What did James Reston do?| A．A reporter. | B．A doctor. | C．A translator. | D．A scientist. |
| A．Receive. | B．Study. | C．Create. | D．Develop. |
| A．It is a traditional Chinese medical practice. |
| B．It treats physical and mental conditions. |
| C．It is a kind of surgery to reduce pain. |
| D．It is popular for its magical effect. |
2 . Physical weakness, lack of energy, severe hair loss, and pain in the neck, are more common among young people recently. More people are now turning to TCM for help, which stands for traditional Chinese medicine.
Wang Louda, 30, who works in the social media industry, has gained a new respect for TCM after suffering from cervical(颈椎) pain.
Six months ago, while driving home from work, Wang suddenly felt weakness in his left arm. He thought it was due to the hard work he was doing and that a good rest over the weekend would relieve it.
However, the situation worsened after a week. He had no choice but to go to the hospital for an examination, which showed something wrong with his cervical.
A friend recommended that he try acupuncture(针灸). After over a month of treatment with TCM, his pain had gradually disappeared.
“TCM is relatively gentle and suitable for treating chronic (慢性的) diseases,” Wang says.
Modern people, due to the endless use of mobile phones and computers, spend up to 10 hours a day sitting to study or work. This sedentary lifestyle, lacking in enough physical activity, means that the muscles and bones cannot receive enough relaxation and exercise, gradually leading to damage. Problems such as neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain, and leg pain are becoming increasingly common.
Yao Jingyi, who works at a TCM clinic in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has been engaged in the clinic for over 30 years. He is skilled in treating sports injuries, cervical pain, and chronic diseases.
“Acupuncture is one of the treasures of traditional Chinese medicine,” Yao explains.
According to him, the ancient practice of acupuncture woks well in treating “modern illnesses”, such as headache, backache and cervical pain.
1. How did Wang Louda recover from cervical pain?| A．By taking enough exercise. |
| B．By visiting clinics of TCM. |
| C．By taking his friend’s medicine. |
| D．By having good rests every day. |
| A．The lack of sleep. |
| B．Endless use of Mobile phones. |
| C．Long hours’ sitting. |
| D．Enough relaxation and exercise. |
| A．Inactive. | B．Unusual. | C．Flexible. | D．Common. |
| A．The history of traditional Chinese medical treatment. |
| B．An advertisement for traditional Chinese medicine. |
| C．The modern popularity of traditional Chinese treatment. |
| D．The future development of Chinese acupuncture. |
3 . When it comes to medical care, many patients and doctors believe “more is better”. But what they do not realize is that over-treatment-too many scans too many blood tests too many procedures (步骤) -may bring harm.
Terrence Power, for example, complained that after his wife learned she had Wegener’s disease, they found it difficult to refuse testing suggested by her doctor. The doctor insisted on office visits every three weeks, even when she was feeling well. He frequently ordered blood tests and X-rays, and repeatedly referred her to specialists for even minor complaints (疾病). Even when tests came back negative, more were ordered and she was hospitalized as prevention when she developed a cold. She had as many as 25 doctor visits during one six-month period. The couple was spending about $30, 000 a year for her care.
After several years of physical suffering and near financial ruin from the medical costs, the couple began questioning the treatment after discussing with other patients in online support groups. “It’s a really hard thing to determine when they’ve crossed the line,” Mr. Power said. “You think she’s getting the best care in the world, but after a while you start to wonder: What is the purpose?” Mr. Power then spoke with his own main care doctor who advised him to find a new specialist to oversee (监视) Mrs. Power’s care. Under the new doctor’s care, the regular testing stopped and Mrs. Power’s condition became stable.
Now she sees the doctor only four or five times a year.
1. What do many patients and doctors believe?| A．Less is better. | B．More is better. | C．More may not be better. |
| A．Every week. | B．Every two weeks. | C．Every three weeks |
| A．Be sent to a hospital. |
| B．Be sent to home |
| C．Be sent to a church. |
| A．After knowing about other patients treatment. |
| B．After having many doctor visits during one six-month period. |
| C．After discussing with other patients in online support groups. |
4 . 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 |
