1 . LONDON—A smart toilet could offer a mini health check every time you take a seat, scientists said recently, but privacy campaigners and potential users said the idea sat uncomfortably with them.
The device would identify users through an anal(肛门) scan using a camera fitted under the seat before checking their waste for disease markers, including early signs of cancer, says the US-led team who developed the prototype(原型).
“We know it seems strange, but as it turns out, your anal print is unique,” said Sanjiv Gambhir, a radiology professor at Stanford University, who led work on the project. “The smart toilet is the perfect way to make use of a source of data that’s typically ignored,” Gambhir said. “Everyone uses the bathroom—there’s really no avoiding it—and that enhances its value as a disease-detecting device.”
A set of devices fitted inside the toilet bowl identifies the users and monitors their waste for signs of ill health which could be shared with their doctors, researchers said in the scientific journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. Such devices could become common place in homes, said Gambhir, as consumers accept health monitoring tools like smartwatches and internet-connected home devices. But many were concerned about releasing their privacy, the researchers found following a 300-person survey to assess acceptance. Three in ten respondents said they would not want to use a smart toilet, with only about half reporting they would be “somewhat” or “very” comfortable with it. The most commonly reported concerns were over privacy and data security, found researchers, who said information gathered would be stored in a secure, cloud-based system.
Despite those assurances, privacy campaigners expressed fears about security problems. “Health data contains the most sensitive and revealing information about anyone,” said Edin Omanovic, advocacy director at London-based charity Privacy International. “Linking it to someone’s biometric ID risks exposing private details to third parties, either through data sharing or security drawbacks which leave back doors exposed.”
1. What does this smart toilet use to detect disease?| A．A smartwatch. | B．A seat. |
| C．A cloud-based system. | D．A camera. |
| A．They are widely accepted. |
| B．Gamhhir has confidence in their future. |
| C．Their function has been improved recently. |
| D．Signs of illness can he removed through them. |
| A．It needn’t be taken seriously. | B．It will be treated properly. |
| C．It may not be shared publicly. | D．It can be exposed illegally. |
| A．The use of a smart toilet | B．The value of a smart toilet |
| C．A smart toilet without privacy | D．A smart toilet with good intention |
1. Why is the man making the call?
| A．To change the medicine. |
| B．To make an appointment. |
| C．To know about the meeting. |
| A．Go to Dr. Lee's office. |
| B．Get in touch with Dr. Johnson. |
| C．Put the man through to Dr. Lee. |
1. Where are the speakers?
| A．In the doctor's office. | B．In the ski field. | C．In the drugstore. |
| A．She did some tests. |
| B．She moved into a new place. |
| C．She helped her brother do something. |
| A．She hurt herself while skiing. |
| B．She lifted something too heavy. |
| C．She stretched out her back too much. |
| A．She loves skiing. |
| B．Her office job is boring. |
| C．She needs holiday expenses. |
4 . China is one of the first countries to breed a medical culture. In comparison with Western methods, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) adopts a vastly different approach. For thousands of years, Chinese people have accumulated rich experience in fighting all sorts of diseases, therefore forming a unique medical theory under the guidance of ancient Chinese philosophies (哲学).
The core behind TCM is that the human body's life is the consequence (结果) of the balance between Yin and Yang. Yang functions to safeguard us against outer harm, and Yin is the inner base to store and provide energy. When the balance between the two aspects is disturbed, people fall ill.
One of the traditional techniques of TCM, acupuncture (针刺疗法) means insertion of needles into superficial (表面的) structures of the body—usually at acupoints (穴位)—to restore the Yin Yang balance. It is often accompanied by moxibustion (艾灸疗法), which involves burning mugwort on or near the skin at an acupoint.
The first known text that clearly talks about something like acupuncture and moxibustion as it is practiced today is The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon. It is the earliest and most important written work of TCM and is considered the fundamental and most representative medical text in China.
Acupuncture and moxibustion have aroused the interest of international medical science circles. And TCM is gradually gaining worldwide recognition. The WHO issued a document in 2002 that appealed to more than 180 countries to adopt TCM as an alternative in their medical policies. In 2010, acupuncture and moxibustion of traditional Chinese medicine were added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO. Presently, TCM has been back in the news for its effectiveness in improving the cure rate of the COVID-19 since its outbreak in January 2020.
1. What is the key feature of TCM?| A．It adopts different medical approaches. | B．It's based on ancient Chinese philosophies. |
| C．It helps to restore body's self-balance. | D．It's gained experience through rich practice. |
| A．It distinguishes acupuncture from moxibustion. |
| B．It's a foundation of world medical research. |
| C．it stresses the importance of using acupoints. |
| D．It greatly contributes to the development of TCM. |
| A．To review the development of TCM. | B．To introduce TCM to the world. |
| C．To tell TCM and Western medicine apart. | D．To argue for TCM in fighting COVID-19. |
| A．How TCM helps in the current situation. | B．Why TCM is gaining popularity. |
| C．Why TCM gets recognition from WHO. | D．How other countries adopt TCM. |
| A．Her good friend. | B．Her doctor. | C．Her personal trainer. |
6 . Robotic surgery is one thing, but sending a robot inside the body to carry out an operation is quite another, which has long been a goal of some researchers to produce tiny robotic devices being capable of traveling through the body to deliver drugs or to make repairs without the need for a single cut, the possibility of which has just got a bit closer.
However, unlike the plot of one film—which featured a microscopic crew and submarine traveling through a scientist's bloodstream—this device could not be put into blood vessels because it is too big. While other types of miniature swallow able robots have been developed in the past, their role has mostly been limited to capturing images inside the body. In a presentation this week to the International Conference, Daniela Rus and Shuhei Miyashita of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology described a robot they have developed that can be swallowed and used to collect dangerous objects accidentally taken in.
To test their latest version, Dr. Rus and Dr. Miyashita designed a robot as a battery hunter, which might seem to be an odd task, but more than 3,500 people in America alone, most of them children, swallow the tiny button cells used in small electronic devices by accident every year. To start with, the researchers created an artificial esophagus (食道) and stomach made out of silicone. It was closely modeled on that found in a pig and filled with medical liquid; the robot itself is made from several layers of different materials, including pig intestine (肠),and contains a little magnet. This is folded up and wrapped in a 10mmx27mm capsule of ice. Once this reaches the stomach, the ice melts and the robot unfolds which is moved and guided with the 1se of a magnetic field outside the body. In their tests, the robot was able to touch a button battery and draw it with its own magnet, and during dragging it along, the robot could then be directed towards the intestines where it would eventually be gotten rid of through the anus (肛门). After it, the researchers sent in another robot loaded with medication to deliver it to the site of the battery bum to speed up healing.
The artificial stomach being transparent (透明的) on one side, the researchers can see the batteries and visually control the robots. If not, that will require help with the help from imaging system, which will be a bit more of a challenge, but Dr. Rus and Dr. Miyashita are determined to succeed.
1. According to the passage, the robot operation will probably be able to ________.| A．travel through a scientist's bloodstream | B．photograph the body to convey to the doctor |
| C．enter the body to deliver drugs or make repairs | D．operate on a person outside the body completely |
| A．the researchers did the experiment on a chosen animal |
| B．the robot took necessary drugs besides a little magnet |
| C．digesting the swallowed batteries is difficult for children |
| D．the actual size of the robot may be larger than the capsule of ice |
| A．The surgeries will cost patients. much money. | B．Patients will suffer less for some surgeries. |
| C．Fewer children will swallow the button cells. | D．A robot will be invented traveling blood vessels. |
| A．An Experiment on Robot | B．Tiny Robot, Significant Role |
| C．The Fantastic Robotic Voyage | D．The Exploration of Robot Technology |
| A．Her good friend. | B．Her doctor. | C．Her personal trainer. |
| A．It doesn’t work. | B．It makes her tired. | C．It makes her have no appetite. |
9 . Did you know it’s possible to swim with whales in the ocean while lying on a hospital bed? Have you imagined experiencing your 74th birthday as a 20-something? Medical virtual reality is an area with interesting an attractive possibilities. Although the field is brand new, there are already great examples of VR having a positive effect on health care. Here are some.
Have you ever lain down on a hospital bed counting the days until you leave the hospital? Brennan Spiegel and his team at the Cedarssinai hospital in Los Angeles introduced VR worlds to their patients to help them reduce stress and pain. With the special glasses, they could escape the four walls of the hospital and enjoy amazing scenery in part in the work of an art studio or swim together with whales in the ocean. So the hospital experience is improved.
As we know, the experience in a hospital is even more stressful for small children who miss their parents and friends. Now, a Dutch company made their dream possible. Through a smart and virtual glasses, VisitU makes live contact possible with a 360-degree camera at the patients’ home, school or special occasions like a birthday celebration or a football game. Though staying in hospital, young patients can relax and still enjoy their lives.
Did you wonder what it feels like to grow old? Embodied Labs created “We Are Alfred” by using VR to show young medical students what ageing means. Everyone can be the imagined Alfred for 7 minutes, and experience what it feels like to live as a 74-year-old man. Thus it's possible to solve the disconnection between young doctors and elderly patients due to their huge age difference.
Mindmotionpro, produced by the Swiss Mindmaze allows patients with a brain injury to “practice” how to lift their arms or move their fingers with the help of virtual reality. The app makes the practice of repetitive movements fun for patients. The mental effort helps their damaged nervous systems to recover much faster than lying helplessly in bed.
1. What is implied in the questions raised in paragraph 1?| A．The characters of medical VR. | B．The function of medical VR. |
| C．The popularity of medical VR. | D．The imagination about medical VR. |
| A．Being given a smart phone. | B．Having fun in the hospital. |
| C．Having access to various activities. | D．Being together with familiar people. |
| A．To make doctors trust their patients |
| B．To help young doctors know much about elderly patients . |
| C．To increase doctors’ interest in their work . |
| D．To help doctors experience the life of an elder. |
| A．Spiegel’ special glasses. | B．The application of VisitU. |
| C．The use of MindMotionPro. | D．The creation of “We Are Alfred”. |
10 . Gene therapy (基因治疗) is a revolutionary new technique for treating people with health problems. Up until very recently, the most commonly available methods for treating patients were either through drugs or operations. Gene therapy provides a third option for treatment by transforming or replacing cells with new genetic materials and instructions. Scientists can be very precise in the kinds of changes they make in patients.
Gene therapy works by using a delivery system, such as a virus, to enter a patient's body. Once inside the body, the virus combines with a host cell and delivers the new DNA. The proteins then begin to repair the affected cells. New techniques have focused on removing cells from the patients and transforming them outside the body before reintroducing them to the patients.
The two types of gene therapy are called somatic and germline. Somatic therapy refers to changing or replacing a body cell. In this case, the treatment is restricted to the patient only. This will not affect the patient's future children because the patient's germ (生殖) cells are unaffected. In germline therapy, the patient germ cells are treated, which may affect the patient's future generation.This is highly controversial (有争议的) because it is not clear exactly how this might affect them and further generations. For this reason, many countries have passed laws that prohibit this kind of treatment.
Despite the promise of gene therapy, there are still many barriers that need to be overcome before it comes into widespread use. One of the issues is that the use of viruses to deliver DNA may actually cause unexpected problems in patients if the virus grows and attacks the body. Another problem is the nature of many diseases is very complex and spread throughout multiple genes. The use of gene therapy to change a single gene in the body would probably not be sufficient as a cure. Finally, the costs of gene therapy are high. Some gene therapy procedures may cost over$1 million to undertake and require specialized doctors and equipment.
1. What does the underlined word ''them'' in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Techniques. | B．Cells. | C．Patients. | D．Proteins. |
| A．Gene therapy has been put into practice widely. |
| B．The cells of patients are developed in healthy people. |
| C．Viruses entering the body can mix with host cells and form new DNA. |
| D．Both somatic and germline therapy have side effects on later generations. |
| A．The disadvantages of gene therapy. |
| B．The promising future of gene therapy. |
| C．The high costs of treatment procedures. |
| D．The issues related to viruses and complex genes. |
| A．Why Gene Therapy Procedures Are Extremely Expensive |
| B．Gene Therapy: A Dangerous New After-operation Treatment |
| C．Gene Therapy: A Contemporary Progressive Treating Method |
| D．Scientists Are Accurate in Performing the Categories of Surgery |
