Researchers are now using 3D printing to create models of the human heart to help heart specialists. The heart doctors can use the models to better help patients before an operation.
Dr. Bramlet, a children’s heart expert at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, says the 3-D models show information he cannot get any other way.
“And so what we’ve done with the printed models? We’ve pulled it out of the screen so that you can actually hold it in your hand and evaluate the anatomy(解剖).”
A 3-D printer uses images from a digital display to create a physical model of a human heart. Matthew Bramlet says doctors can use the model to understand the anatomy.
Pictures from medical tests like CAT scan or MRI are sent to a 3-D printer to create a heart in a plaster(石膏)form. The printer then constructs the heart, thin layer by thin layer. Dr. Bramlet says the model matches the real heart in every detail. “When we’re done with the model and made our decision, we want to be able to go back to the source image and confirm those findings, he says.
Dr. Bramlet has built model hearts for different kinds of heart operations. All of the operations were successful. In his first case, digital images showed only one tiny hole in a baby’s heart. But, the 3-D printed model showed several defects or problems that the baby was born with. Dr. Bramlet says those defects could not be seen easily in the images. The heart surgeon was able to change the type of surgery for the patient based on the 3-D model. He added that 3-D heart models saves time during heart operations.
Kathy Magliato is a heart surgeon at Saint John’s Health Center in Los Angeles. She welcomes the new technology. She says it could help her make better decisions before she operates on the hearts of her patients.
“I can then take this very complicated structure before the operation and I can hold it in my hand and plan an operation around what I’m seeing, touching and feeling. That to me is what can potentially change the game in an operation and save lives.
Dr Bramlet continues to research the technology. He is working with the National Institutes of Health to build a 3-D library that includes heart models and images that others can use.Whats the main idea of the passage?
A.The application of 3-D printing in heart operations |
B.The development of 3-D technology. |
C.The difficulties of heart operations. |
D.Heart operations with the help 3-D models. |
What is the biggest advantage of 3-D models in the diagnose of heart problems?
A.Surgeons can see, touch and feel the 3-D models. |
B.They can help surgeons save time. |
C.They can be made exactly like the hearts. |
D.They can help discover the otherwise hidden heart problems. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.The 3-D model can be taken out of a screen. |
B.CAT scan and MRI are no longer needed. |
C.The 3-D model is an exact copy of the heart. |
D.Digital images are not reliable in heart operations. |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.Digital images will mislead heart surgeons. |
B.More patients will benefit from the 3-D technology. |
C.Heart operations will never fail with 3-D models. |
D.Surgeons cannot operate on hearts without 3-D models. |
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
David Beckham had a dream: to be the first English player to appear in four World Cups.
But now it appears that dream is over after a serious injury to his Achilles tendon(跟腱)which means he could be out of action for around six months. With this year's World Cup in South Africa only three months away, sadly Beckham looks set to miss out.
The injury happened while Beckham was playing for AC Milan against AC Chievo in the Italian league. After attempting to kick the ball he collapsed to the ground and hobbled off the pitch before being stretchered(被担架抬走)away.
It is not yet known whether he has completely severed(切断)his Achilles tendon or only torn it. The player has now flown to Finland for assessment and treatment by a knee specialist.
England manager Fabio Capello fears the worst for Beckham's World Cup chances.
"We have to wait for the results of the scan but it looks like he is out of the World Cup," he said in a statement. "I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support.
"David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow."
Beckham's former manager at American club LA Galaxy, Alexei Lalas, echoed(共鸣)Capello's words of support:
"It is a horrible situation for Beckham. I know how much it meant to him to be in the World Cup and how important he was to the England team.
David Beckham is now 34 and some are asking whether this serious injury could mean his whole career is over.
Whatever happens, as one of football's best-known and popular players, Beckham will have no shortage of encouragement from fans around the world.
Some will remember Beckham's miraculous recovery from an Achilles injury in 2006, when he was back on the pitch after only eight weeks.
If he could repeat the same feat,in time for the World Cup it really would be the stuff of fairytales.
So, perhaps all is not lost. Optimists will take heart from Alexei Lalas' words:
"You never want to write off(排除)David Beckham as he has shown us his ability to bounce back(恢复原状)."
56.What is the best title of the passage?
A.Beckham had a dream?
B.Beckham—a great football player!
C.The end for Beckham?
D.World Cup in South Africa!
57.What does the author mean by saying “missing it will be a big blow?”
A.Missing the World Cup will be a big success.
B.Missing Beckham means a great failure.
C.Missing Beckham means an important opportunity for the American club LA Galaxy.
D.Missing the World Cup means a big disappointment for Beckham.
58.We may infer from the passage that____________
A.Beckham will definitely not be able to play football again
B.Beckham was cured by a great knee specialist he found
C.Beckham has his ability to bounce back
D.Beckham is likely to miss the World Cup
59.What do the underlined words “take heart” probably mean?
A.get disappointed B.get help C.get encouraged D.get hurt
Seventeenth-century houses in colonial(殖民地的) North America were simple structures that were primarily functional, carrying over traditional designs that went back to the Middle Ages. During the first half of the eighteenth century, however, houses began to show a new fashion. As wealth increase, more and more colonies built fine houses.
Since art of constructing houses was not yet a specialized profession in the colonies, the design of buildings was left to carpenters who were responsible for interpreting handbooks relating to the design of houses imported from England. Libraries still preserve an astonishing number of these handbooks for builders, and the houses appeared during the first three-quarters of eighteenth century show their influence. Nevertheless, most of them display a wide difference of taste and freedom of using the rules in these books.
Increasing wealth and growing experience throughout the colonies resulted in houses of improved design, whether the material was wood, stone, or brick. New England still favored wood, though brick houses became common in Boston and other towns, where the danger of fire urged the use of more durable material. A few houses in New England were built of stone, but only in Pennsylvania and neighboring areas were stone widely used in accommodations. An increased use of brick in houses and outbuildings is noticeable in Virginia and Maryland, but wood remained the most popular material even in houses built by wealthy landowners. In the Carolinas, wooden houses were much more common than brick houses.
Eighteenth-century houses showed great interior improvements over what they were before. Windows were made larger and shutters were taken away. Large, clear sheet of glass replaced the small leaded glass of the seventeenth century. Doorways were larger and more decorative. Fireplaces became decorative features of rooms. Walls were made of plaster(灰泥) or wood, sometimes were decorated with square or rectangular wooden boards. White paint began to take the place of blues, yellows, greens and lead colors, which had been popular for walls in the earlier years. After about 1730, advertisements for wallpaper styles in scenic pattern began to appear in colonial newspapers.
51. What does the passage mainly about?
A. The improvement design of eighteenth-century colonial houses.
B. The comparison of eighteenth-century houses and modern ones.
C. The structures of eighteenth –century colonial houses.
D. The roles of carpenters in building eighteenth-century houses.
52. What was one of the main reasons for the change in eighteenth-century houses in North America?
A. More designers arrived in the colonies in North America.
B. The carpenters were smart and experienced enough.
C. Bricks were more widely used in North America.
D. The colonists had more money to spend on housing.
53. According to the passage, who designed houses in eighteenth-century North America?
A. Professional designers. B. House owners.
C. Businessmen. D. Carpenters.
54. Where was stone commonly used to build houses?
A. Virginia. B. Pennsylvania. C. Boston. D. Charleston.
55. What does the author imply about the use of wallpaper before 1730?
A. Wallpaper was introduced in handbooks of designing houses.
B. Wallpaper was the same color as what the wall was painted.
C. Patterned wallpaper was not widely used.
D. Wallpaper was not used in stone houses.
Making an apology is not the same as making amends. Sometimes we apologize just because it’s the easiest thing to do. What’s actually important is to identify where we go wrong, take full responsibility for our mistakes and , if possible, try to make up for them.
A recent case involving Hewlett-Packed, the US computer giant, shows the importance of presenting a sincere apology. The Chinese consumers who had bought notebook computers of certain models, which have been put on Chinese market since 2007, suffered a massive flash screen failures and overheating problems. Through investigation, Chinese AQSIQ(国家质检总局) identified these HP computers had quality problems and HP admitted this. HP made a proposal that they would extend the warranty period of such computers, but this could not satisfied the consumers. What they needed was a thorough description of the truth. HP has “sincerely” apologized. But the consumers remain angry, and say that only a product recall—as HP has done in the past—will prove that the apology is sincere.
Another apology that fell flat on its face was that of Thierry Henry, the famous French footballer. His deliberate handball in November 2009 created the goal which knocked Ireland out of the 2010 World Cup. The incident caused great anger in the football world, and eventually Henry issued and apology. Two days later, he wrote, “I’m not the referee…but if I hurt someone I’m sorry.” Better late than never, perhaps, but even then he passed the blame onto the referee!
Such high-profile cases, which attract a lot of publicity often under the spotlight, but similar incidents occur in our everyday lives. Stress caused by schoolwork and tiredness can sometimes result in outbursts of anger against friends and family. Have you ever lost your temper for minor reasons? After calming down, most people are quick to realize their mistake and apologize. But it’s just as important to identify what caused the error in the first place and take action to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
No one should hold a negative attitude to making a sincere apology. Empty words are easy to say, but they are as useless as they sound. A real show of remorse demands hard work and commitment to put error right.
46. What does the author intend to tell us in the case of HP?
A. A true apology needs sincere actions.
B. HP should recall all the faulty computers.
C. Good quality makes a good company.
D. A company should apologize and pay for their mistakes.
47. According to the author, when we do anything wrong we firstly __________ .
A. make an apology face to face honestly
B. admit we were wrong and try to make the wrong right
C. take the responsibility for apologizing to others
D. choose the easiest thing to do
48. We can infer from the case of Thierry Henry that ______________ .
A. It’s never too late to say “I’m sorry.”
B. Writing an apology is not a good idea.
C. Henry didn’t identify his fault.
D. The football fans were mad with Henry.
49. Which of the following can best explain the word “commitment” in the last paragraph?
A. decision B. promise C. agreement D. responsibility
50. What’s the best title of this passage?
A. What really puts things right
B. Don’t apologize easily
C. Making an apology—no one is out of exception
D. How to judge an apology—sincere enough?
Ⅲ阅读(共两节。满分40分)
第一节阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The idea about the phoenix goes back to Ancient Egypt, where we find the phoenix described as a handsome, eagle-like bird, with part-golden, part-red plumage, that spent most of its life in the Arabian deserts. It was rarely seen and according to one version of the story, only appeared in Egypt once every five hundred years, when it flew to Heliopolis, “city of the sun”, and deliberately burnt itself to ashes by settling on the altar(祭坛) flame there! However, it seems it did not really die because from those same ashes a young, fully formed phoenix was born and flew away, apparently back to Arabia.
It is pretty obvious that no one has ever seen or will see a living phoenix. The interesting thing is that we can find certain clues which may explain one aspect of the Egyptians’ idea. It may sound unbelievable, but some birds are apparently quite charmed by flames and small fires, especially members of the crow family. One zoologist actually proved this by setting fire to some straw near to a tame(驯养的) rook. Far from becoming nervous and backing away, the bird deliberately stood over the flames, with raised and vibrating wings. It didn’t get burnt, but the image it presented by its strange behavior was almost exactly like that shown in illustrations of the mythical phoenix!
Why birds should occasionally behave in this strange way is not clear. One idea is that they carefully use the heat of the flames to relieve the annoyance caused by their feather mites(虱) which all birds have. Whatever the reason, it is quite possible that the Ancient Egyptians saw birds behaving in this way, from time to time, and used it as the basis of their phoenix myth, adding fanciful details which closely linked it to their worship of the sun and their belief in resurrection.
Nowadays, the phoenix is much less important to us than it was to the Egyptians. But the logo of modern fire insurance companies, which employ the phoenix as one of their symbols, refers that in one sense the idea of it remains.
41. According to the passage, the phoenix ______________ .
A. is a handsome and eagle-like bird living in Arab
B. used to be seen when the Egyptians held religious activities
C. has never really existed in the world
D. is the king of all kinds of birds
42. The reason why birds stand above flames is probably that _____________ .
A. the phoenix used to do so
B. they may get rid of the mites
C. they want to burn their feather
D. they can heat themselves
43. Which of the following statements is NOT correct?
A. The ancient Egyptians worshiped the phoenix.
B. The scientists have discovered why birds are attracted by fire.
C. The modern people still favor the idea of the phoenix.
D. The mythical tales about the phoenix were based on facts.
44. Which of the following is closest to “resurrection” in the 3rd paragraph?
A. living forever B. offering warmth C. coming back to life D. staying healthy
45. What does the phoenix probably mean in the logo of a fire insurance company?
A. Our company can protect you from being harmed by fire.
B. If your property is destroyed by fire, we will help you build it up again.
C. Our company will always be energetic and wealthy.
D. If needed, we will save you at the risk of losing lives.
A thief who dropped a winning lottery ticket(彩票)at the scene of his crime has been given a lesson in honesty. His victim, who picked up the ticket, then claimed the £25000 prize, managed to trace him, and handed over the cash. The robbery happened when maths professor Vinicio Sabbatucci, 58, was changing a tyre on an Italian motorway. Another motorist, who stopped to “help”, stole a suitcase from his car and drove off. The professor found the dropped ticket and put it in his pocket before driving home to Ascoli in eastern Italy.
Next day, he saw the lottery results on TV and, taking out the ticket, realized it was a winner. He claimed the 60 million lire(里拉) prize. Then he began a battle with his conscience. Finally, he decided he could not keep the money despite having been robbed. He advertised in newspapers and on radio, saying: "I'm trying to find the man who robbed me. I have 60 million for him--- a lottery win. Please meet me. Anonymity(匿名) guaranteed."
Professor Sabbatucci received hundreds of calls from people hoping to trick him into handing them the cash. But there was one voice he recognized--- and he arranged to meet the man in a park. The robber, a 35-year-old unemployed father of two, gave back the suitcase and burst into tears. He could not believe what was happening. "Why didn't you keep the money?" he asked. The professor replied:" I couldn't because it's not mine." Then he walked off, spurning the thief's offer of a reward.
72. The sentence "Then he began a battle with his conscience." in paragraph 2 implies all of the following EXCEPT that_______.
A. he knew what he should do as soon as he saw the lottery results
B. he hesitated about keeping the money for some time
C. he thought for a moment of avenging himself on the robber
D. he came to realize that honesty is more important than money
73. Hundreds of people phoned professor Sabbatucci because they ______.
A. wanted to make fun of him B. hoped to get the money
C. knew who the robber was D. lost the lottery ticket
74. The word "spurning" in the last sentence can be replaced by ______.
A. accepting B. claiming C. refusing D. canceling
75. If the story appears in a newspaper, the best title might be_____.
A. A Thief's Lucky Day B. A Popular Maths Professor
C. A Magic Lottery D. A Reward of Honesty