Scientists say they have discovered a promising treatment for sleeping sickness, a killer disease that infects(感染) about 60,000 people in Africa a year.
British and Canadian experts say drugs could attack the parasite(寄生虫) causing the illness.They say the drug could be ready for human medical test in about 18 months.
The disease, spread by the bite of a fly, is caused by a parasite attacking the central nervous system.It has similar symptoms(症状) to malaria(疟疾), making it difficult to diagnose.Left untreated, it moves to the brain, resulting in mental confusion and final death
The "breakthrough" came at the University of Dundee in Scotland, where scientists were offered money to research diseases ignored by major drugs companies.
Professor Paul Wyatt, director of the programme, said: "This is one of the most significant findings made in recent years in terms of drug discovery and development for ignored diseases."
He said the research, published in the journal Nature, represented "significant progress" in the development of a full blown drug against the disease.
The World Health Organization said there are between 50,000 and 70,000 cases of the disease a year, with a further 60 million people at risk of infection.
The research in Dundee was backed by partners at the University of York in England and the Structural Genomics Consortium in Toronto, Canada.The two drugs currently available to treat sleeping sickness both have problems.One is with side effects that kill one in 20 patients and the other is costly, only partially effective and requires long-time hospital treatment, the scientists said.The word backedin the last paragraph probably means_____.
A.conducted | B.supported | C.believed | D.managed |
What the World Health Organization said suggested that______.
A.about 60000 people died of the disease each year |
B.about 60000 people were cured of the disease each year |
C.600 million people are likely to get infected |
D.the disease is spreading fast in Africa |
We can read this passage______.
A.in the journal Nature |
B.in a newspaper of the University of Dundee |
C.in a book about flies |
D.in a newspaper about medicine |
We can learn from the passage that______.
A.big drug companies play an important role in the research of the new drug |
B.people who get infected with the disease are mentally disturbed |
C.among 200 people infected with the disease, 5 may die because of the old drug |
D.Professor Paul Wyatt may be a professor at the University of York |
International Studies (BA)
Key features
● Recognizes the “global community”(国际社会)
● Has close connections with practical research
● Much of the teaching is done in small discussion groups
About the course
The course gives you chances to know great power polities between nation states. It will provide more space to study particular issues such as relationship among countries in the European Union, third world debt, local and international disagreement, and the work of such international bodies as the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, and the World Bank.
The course puts theories into the working of the international system with close attention to particular countries. You will also have a better knowledge of methods of solving the international problems.
Related(相关的)courses
BA (Hons) Community Management
BA (Hons) Public Policy and Management
Employment possibilities
International organizations
International business
Earth Science (BSc)
Key features
● Based on key courses and the latest research findings
● Pays much attention to practical skills
● Offers chances for fieldwork(实地考察)
About the course
The demand for natural resources is becoming an increasingly serious problem for the future of mankind. Graduates in Earth Science will play an important role in meeting this demand, and in knowing the meaning of using the natural resources.
The course covers geography and geology. You will carry out fieldwork in the UK and possibly overseas, and a research in an area of interest to you in the final year.
Related courses
BSc (Hons) Geograhpy
BSc (Hons) Geology
Employment possibilities
Mineral, oil, water or other related engineering industries
64.International Studies is a course in ________.
A.international polities B.international business
C.international systems D.international bodies
65.After taking the course of International Studies, the students will _______.
A.become practical and open-minded B.have a greater ability to discuss theories
C.know how to settle international problems
D.have good jobs in any international organizations
66.Earth Science, as described in the second text, ________.
A.is attractive because of the chances for fieldwork
B.pays more attention to practical skills than theories
C.is built on important courses and the results of recent studies
D.encourages students to play a role in using natural resources
67.It can be inferred that the above two texts are written for the students who _______.
A.enjoy research work B.plan to choose courses
C.study in the UK D.are interested in overseas fieldwork
Besides giving off gases and dusts into the air, humans produce waste that is poured on the environment. Often, this waste produced by major industries and people is harmful to both nature and human life.
One of the main causes of the large amount of dangerous waste is that people do not realize how large a problem it is. Because it can be simply removed and sent to a landfill(废渣填埋场), the problem is often believed to end there. In addition, industries have often shown an unwillingness to find ways to deal with dangerous waste because of the related expenses. Many industries and governments build simple landfills to store waste, and often just pour waste chemicals into nearby bodies of water. Often, chemicals used for industrial production cause dangerous forms of waste. The amount of these chemicals has increased greatly in the past, but it is often difficult and expensive to get rid of these chemicals or to store them in a way safe to human life and the environment.
Every year, major health problems result from dangerous waste. Sadly, it is often only after someone has died or become seriously ill that governments will take measures to reduce levels of harmful waste.
Some governments have realized how serious the dangerous waste problem is and are now trying to settle this problem. They are also trying to limit the amount of waste industries are allowed to produce.
Not only governments but ordinary people as well must work together to solve the problem. They can choose not to buy those products which require the production of dangerous waste, and produce less harmful waste themselves. Many scientists think that waste production can be cut. The waste can be reduced by at least one third using existing technologies and methods.
72. What would be the best title for the text?
A. Measures of Reducing Dangerous Waste
B. Danger of Harmful Waste to Mankind
C. Dangerous Waste and Water Pollution
D. Environmental Protection
73. According to the text, people .
A. do not produce harmful waste in their daily life
B. do not know where to place the dangerous waste
C. are not clear about how serious the dangerous waste problem is
D. are not sure about where harmful waste ends
74. What troubles industries most in dealing with the dangerous waste problem?
A. How to get government support.
B. How to increase their production.
C. How to store harmful waste.
D. How to cut down the related costs.
75. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The polluting industries are not allowed to sell their products.
B. Present technologies have settled the harmful waste problem.
C. Everyone should obey the government rules for the problem.
D. To solve the problem requires the efforts of the whole society.
The famous American gorilla(大猩猩) expert Diane Fossey had a completely new way to study gorillas — she pretended to be one of them. She copied their actions and way of life — eating plants and getting down on her hands and knees to walk the way a gorilla does. It was a new relationship.
Diane Fossey was murdered in Rwanda in 1985 and her story was made into the popular film Gorillas in the Mist. It was a long way from King Kong, which is about a gorilla as a monster (a frightening animal), and helped to show a new idea: the real monster is man, while the gorilla is to be admired.
Today there are thought to be around 48,000 lowland gorillas and maybe 400—450 mountain gorillas in the wild. From the Congo in West Africa, to Rwanda and Uganda further east, they are endangered by hunting and by the cutting down of their forest homes.
Some time ago, I found in my letterbox a little magazine from the World Wide Fund for Nature. It had two photos side by side. One was of a young gorilla. “This is a species of mammal(哺乳类动物),” said the words below it. “It is being destroyed by man. We must save it for our own good.” The other photo showed a human baby. The words also read, “This is a species of mammal,” but then went on: “It is the most destructive(破坏性的) on earth. We must retrain it for its own good.”
56.The text mainly talks about _____.
A. Diane Fossey B. the gorillas in Rwanda
C. the protection of the gorillas D. the film Gorillas in the Mist
57.We can learn from the text that _____.
A. Gorillas in the mist was based Fossey’s experiences
B. Lowland gorillas live longer than mountain gorillas
C. King Kong showed us that a gorilla is admirable
D. Diane Fossey was murdered by a gorilla
58. What message can we get from the two photos in the magazine?
A. Gorillas are man’s close friends.
B. Both man and the gorilla need to be saved.
C. Young gorillas are as lovely as human babies.
D. Man should live peacefully with the gorilla.
Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Careless methods of production and lack of consumer demand for environment (环境) friendly products have contributed to the pollution problem. One result is that millions of tons of glass, paper, plastic, and metal containers are produced, and these are difficult to get rid of.
However, today, more and more consumers are choosing “green” and demanding that the products they buy should be safe for the environment. Before they buy a product, they ask questions like these: “Will this shampoo damage the environment?” “Can this metal container be reused or can it only be used once?”
A recent study showed that two out of five adults now consider the environmental safety of a product before they buy it. This means that companies must now change the way they make and sell their products to make sure that they are “green,” that is, friendly to the environment.
Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds. Some supermarket products carry labels(标签) to show that the product is green. Some companies have made the manufacturing (生产) of clean and safe products their main selling point and emphasize it in their advertising.
The concern for a safer and cleaner environment is making companies rethink how they do business. No longer will the public accept the old attitude of “Buy it, use it, throw it away, and forget it. ”The public pressure is on, and gradually business is cleaning up its act.
64. It becomes clear from the text that the driving force(动力) behind green products is ______
A. public caring for the environment B. companies desire for bigger sales
C. new ways of doing business D. rapid growth of supermarkets
65. What would be the best title for the text?
A. Business and People B. Business Goes Green
C. Shopping Habits Are Changing D. Supermarkets and Green Products
66. The underlined word “it” in the fourth paragraph refers to _____
A. a selling point B. the company name
C. a great demand for health foods D. the manufacturing of green products
Supermarkets are trying out new computers that make shopping carts more intelligent (具备智能的). They will help shoppers find cups or toilet soap, and keep a record of the bill.
The touch-screen devices (触摸屏装置) are on show at the Food Marketing Institute's exhibition here this week. "These devices are able to create value and get you around the store quicker," said Michael Alexandor, manager of Springboard Retail Networks Inc., which makes a smart cart computer called the Concierge.
Canadian stores will test the Concierge in July. A similar device, IBM's "shopping buddy," has recently been test-marketed at Stop & Shop stores in Massachusetts.
Neither device tells you how many fat grams or calories are in your cart, but they will flash you with items on sale. The idea is to make it easier for people to buy, not to have second thoughts that maybe you should put something back on the shelf.
"The whole model is driven by advertisers' need to get in front of shoppers," said Alexandor. "They're not watching 30-second TV ads anymore."
People can use a home computer to make their shopping lists. Once at the store, a shopper can use a preferred customer card to start a system (系统) that will organize the trip around the store. If you're looking for toothpicks, you type in the word or pick it from a list, and a map will appear on the screen showing where you are and where you can find them.
The devices also keep a record of what you buy. When you're finished, the device figures out your bill. Then you go to the checker or place your card into a self-checkout stand and pay.
The new computerized shopping assistants don't come cheap. The Buddy devices will cost the average store about $160,000, and the Concierge will cost stores about $500 for each device.
53. The underlined word “they” (Paragraph 1) refers to_________.
A.supermarkets B.shop assistants C.shopping carts D.shop managers
54. Which of the following is the correct order of shopping with the computerized shopping carts?
a. Start the system. b. Make a shopping list.
c. Find the things you want.D. Go to a self-checkout stand.
A.abdc B.bacd C.acbdD.bcad
55. We can learn from the last paragraph that_________.
A.intelligent shopping carts cost a large sum of money
B.the Concierge is cheaper than the Buddy devices
C.shop assistants with computer knowledge are well paid
D.average stores prefer the Concierge to the Buddy devices
56. What might be the most suitable title for the text?
A.New age for supermarkets
B.Concierge and Shopping Buddy
C.New computers make shopping carts smarter
D.Touch-screen devices make shopping enjoyable