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Australian scientists say an organic compound used by Indian women to paint dots or bindi on their foreheads could hold the key to a breakthrough in cancer treatment. Rose Bengal (玫瑰红)was first used in the early 1900s as a dye for food, textiles and cosmetics. But now it is proving to be a useful weapon in the fight against skin cancer.
Television advertisements constantly warn of the dangers of overexposure to the fierce sun. Among them is the possibility of the disease melanoma(黑瘤), a type of skin cancer. More than 1,200 Australians die every year from the disease.
Initial trials of a solution of Rose Bengal injected into some melanoma cells have had a 75 percent success rate in controlling the disease. Professor John Thompson, the director of the Melanoma Unit at the University of Sydney, says this organic dye could become a powerful cancer-fighting treatment.
“We believe it works by getting into the tumor(肿块) cells and causing them to self-destruct. But the exact mechanism by which it works is not totally clear. It’s not useful for people who have a primary melanoma. The treatment of primary melanoma is surgical excision(切除),”he said. “It’s useful to inject tumors for people who have recurrences; when the primary treatment has failed and when recurrence in the area, or at more distant sites has occurred.”
About 90 percent of Australians who develop melanoma survive thanks to early diagnosis and treatment. If left untreated, however, the disease can be fatal.
Convincing younger people in Australia about the dangers of overexposure to the sun is a battle campaigners are constantly waging.
Veronica Manock, a 21-year-old student, had two major operations to remove a cancerous tumor from her leg.
“I’ve had a lot of friends who just said ‘I thought it was just, you know, I’ll get a mole(痣) cut out and that’s it’, whereas I don’t think people realize how much danger they’re putting themselves into and how easy it is to stop something like this happening to you just from doing little things,”said Marock.
Other researchers in Australia are investigating genetic treatments to skin cancer. There is a pressing need for such research to produce effective treatments. Australians, the majority of whom are fair-skinned(浅肤色的), are four times more likely to develop a melanoma than people in Canada, the United States or Great Britain.Which can be the best title of the passage?
A.Rose Bengal—the cause of skin cancer. |
B.Rose Bengal—a tool to fight against skin cancer. |
C.Skin cancer—the first killer. |
D.Melanoma—the threat to health. |
What does the underlined word “fatal” mean?
A.Curable. | B.Serious. |
C.Deadly. | D.Self-healing. |
From what Veronica Manock said , we can know _______.
A.people haven’t realized overexposure to the sun is dangerous |
B.mole on the leg is dangerous. |
C.people can do nothing to protect themselves from melanoma |
D.nothing can be done to deal with the disease. |
Who are likely to develop a melanoma?
A.Englishmen. | B.Canadians. |
C.Americans. | D.Australians. |
In which section of a newspaper does the passage possibly appear?
A.Economy. | B.Health. |
C.Agriculture. | D.Fashion. |
Johann Gutenberg, who worked as a goldsmith (金匠), took what had already been discovered, and created a small invention that changed history. He created a machine that allowed him to move small blocks of letters in such a way that written material could be printed and mass-produced. Few people could read before Guttenberg made the invention, but once books became less expensive, more Europeans could read and write.
Block printing existed long before Gutenberg. The Chinese had been using wood blocks to print books as early as 868, but a new set of woodcuts (木刻印版) had to be made for each book. Producing one book was not easy; producing all kinds of books was more difficult.
Writing ink dates from about 2500 BC in Egypt and China. Gutenberg used an oil-based printing ink that would last longer than other inks used in his time. We don’t know much about Gutenberg because he was not famous during his lifetime. He was born in Germany about 1400. In 1448, Gutenberg developed signatures for each number, letter, and punctuation mark (标点符号). He then built the molds (模型) to hold the signatures in place. Gutenberg published the first mass-produced book: a 1,282 page Bible. To this day, more copies of the Bible have been printed than any other book.
Copies of Gutenberg’s invention spread throughout Europe, but the German goldsmith did not get rich from his invention. Some officials denounced the invention of printing because they feared that it would spread bad ideas. By 1500 there were 1,700 printing presses in Europe. The presses had already produced about 20 million volumes (册) of 40,000 different books.What happened after Johann Gutenberg’s invention?
A.People could afford to read books. |
B.People became interested in inventing. |
C.It was still difficult to print all kinds of books. |
D.Punctuation mark began to be used in printing. |
Compared with block printing in China, Johann Gutenberg’s method _____.
A.was difficult to run |
B.needed harder paper |
C.used a new kind of ink |
D.was put into use earlier |
The underlined word “denounced” in the last paragraph means _____.
A.fought against | B.accepted |
C.laughed at | D.supported |
What is the best title for the text?
A.A famous 1,282 page Bible |
B.The life of a famous inventor |
C.An invention that changed history |
D.The development of printing |
We do not know when man first began to use salt, but we do know that it has been used in many different ways throughout history. Historical evidence shows, for example, that people who lived over 3,000 years ago ate salted fish. Thousands of years ago in Egypt, salt was used to preserve (保存) the dead.
Stealing salt was considered a major crime (罪行) during some periods of history. In the eighteenth century, for example, if a person was caught stealing salt, he could be put in prison and his ears could be cut off.
In the Roman Empire, one of the most important roads was the one that carried salt from the salt mines to Rome. Guards were stationed along the route to protect against salt thieves, and they received their pay in salt, thus bringing the English word, salary. Any guard who fell asleep while on duty was thought to be “not worth his salt”, and as a result he would get a little less salt on his next payday. The expression, “not worth his salt”, is still used today in English.
In the modern world salt has many uses beyond the dining table. It is used in making glass and airplane parts, in the growing of crops, and in the killing of weeds (杂草). It is also used to make water soft, to melt (融化) ice on roads and highways, to make soap, and to fix colors in cloth.
Salt can be got in various ways besides being taken from mines underground. Salt water from the ocean, salt water lakes or small seas can be used to make salt. Yet, no matter where it comes from, salt will continue to play an important role in the lives of people everywhere.According to the text, salt can be used in the following EXCEPT _____.
A.keeping dead bodies |
B.punishing thieves |
C.protecting crops |
D.making industrial products |
In the Roman Empire many people were employed as guards to _____.
A.protect the city of Rome |
B.watch people carrying salt |
C.prevent thieves from stealing salt |
D.carry salt from the mines to Rome |
The expression “not worth his salt” used today refers to the one who _____.
A.fails to do his work well |
B.should not be paid in salt |
C.doesn’t want to work at all |
D.should use less salt |
The main purpose of the text is to tell readers _____.
A.how salt was found and got |
B.salt is important in people’s life |
C.salt was difficult to get in the past |
D.what salt brings to the English language |
I was eleven years old, waiting for my exam at Saraswati Vidyalaya, my school in Nagpur. “No. 12, please come forward.” Kirti, a very fat girl from my class, stepped ahead. I heard my classmates laughing and so I tried to stop them with my eyes. But my good intentions were mistaken. The next morning, my teacher, Mrs. Kamble, told me, “Ashwini, I’ve received a complaint about you.” I was shocked. The girl I was protecting thought I’d been laughing at her.
I tried to explain but the teacher refused to hear me out. She punished me by making me stand by the door. I knew I was right. Such punishment to a class topper was simply unheard of. But, slowly, my pride disappeared. Instead of being angry, I understood the other students who have been punished at times. For the first time, I felt humbled (谦逊的).
Three years later, I was in the math class. Mr. Prabhuraman, wrote an equation (方程式) — one he’d taught us the day before — on the blackboard. “Anyone who doesn’t know how to solve this,” he said, “please leave the class at once.” I knew I could solve only the first two steps. But my pride made me stay there. Unfortunately, the one who was asked to solve it was me. I just stood there, chalk in hand, trying not to look foolish. I prepared myself for a good talking-to (斥责), but Mr. Prabhuraman told me kindly, “Go back to your seat.”
Today, two decades later, those incidents have made me think. One teacher punished me for something I didn’t do; the other forgave me for something I did wrong. Both experiences had an effect on me. They remind me that no matter what you accomplish (完成), you must always be humble.When the very fat girl appeared, Ashwini _____.
A.took no notice of her | B.laughed at her |
C.said hello to her | D.tried to stop others making fun of her |
After receiving a complaint, Mrs. Kamble _____.
A.said nothing about it | B.was disappointed |
C.felt very angry | D.tried to find out the truth |
Why did Ashwini refuse to leave the class?
A.He felt it would make him lose face. |
B.He could work out the equation. |
C.His teacher believed in his ability. |
D.His teacher never asked him any questions. |
The text is a story about _____.
A.how to communicate with others |
B.how to get along with teachers |
C.the ways to protect others |
D.the danger of pride |
Jason had been watching the X Games on TV. Athletes from all over the world were competing in the most amazing sports. Just then his grandmother walked into the room. “I want to be extreme. Would you really let me do that? You always worry about my safety!” said Jason.
“You will have to follow some rules,” said his grandmother. “You can only ride in the park — never on the streets. You have to promise to wear a helmet (头盔). If you hurt yourself too much, I have the right to take your skateboard away. Is it a deal?”
“You bet!” Jason was so excited that he jumped off the sofa. A week later he had a board and a helmet.
On Saturday, his grandmother dropped him off near the park. He was happy to have a grandmother who let him try new things.
Kids in the park were moving quickly up and down the ramps (坡道). They flew into the air and landed as easily as birds. When he watched the X games, Jason felt like he was doing the tricks himself. But watching these kids up close, he knew that none of it was going to be easy. He felt a little bit scared.
Very slowly he carried his board to the ramp. Taking a deep breath, he put his right foot on the board. He kicked off with his left foot. For a few seconds he glided (滑行) along, just waiting to fall. Then he came to a stop. Kicking off again, he waited for the worst to happen. Again, he stayed up. The third time he kicked, lost his balance, and fell hard on his left knee.
It hurt, but it was no big deal! Why had he been so scared? Now he felt calm because things had gone wrong, and he was fine!
Next time he kicked off harder and went fast and farther. “Excellent!” said a girl as she passed him. “Extreme!” laughed Jason to himself. “Not quite.”Jason’s grandmother agreed to let him try skateboarding unless _____.
A.he finished his homework | B.he liked the sport |
C.he observed some rules | D.he won a bet |
Jason jumped off the sofa because _____.
A.he was allowed to go skateboarding |
B.he was angry at his grandmother |
C.he was going to play outside |
D.he was given a board and a helmet |
The girl praised Jason for his _____.
A.skill | B.honesty | C.courage | D.kindness |
The US government has started a website, Admongo, to help children think critically about the advertising aimed at them. It claims to provide visitors with an “education” through games and other entertainment.
A cartoon man dressed in old time pilot clothing greets visitors to Admongo. "Call me Haiz", he says upon arrival in a rocket ship that opens up with a crazy world inside it. Spacey dance music plays in the background as Haiz tells visitors that they need to learn about advertising.
Its inventors say eight to twelve years old is the age kids develop their critical thinking abilities. Kids of that age are also a big market for advertisers.
The idea behind Admongo is to teach children three things: To identify the advertiser. To know what the advertiser is really saying. And to know what the advertisement is trying to get the child to do.
Children learn these things through a video game. They create their own game character. They can choose different skin colors, hair styles, eye and mouth shapes. Then they begin a trip through ad-land, where there are ads on buses and billboards. The players have to find all the marketing in the neighborhood before they can move on to the next level.
The Admongo game takes players inside a home, to the advertising studio and everywhere else ads can be found. It is a complete exploration of the world of marketing.
One such area is food marketing. The Federal Trade Comission (FTC) says it is a big business. The FTC estimates that food, drink and fast-food restaurants spent more than one and a half billion dollars on advertising to young people in 2010.
The FTC says children are important for three reasons. They buy products. They influence parents and caregivers to buy. And they are the future adult buyers of the products.
A recent study says most advertising aimed at children is for foods of the lowest nutritional value. First Lady Michelle Obama has said she would like to see advertisers marketing healthy foods for children.The best title of the text may be ________.
A.The guide of Admongo | B.An education website for children |
C.A popular online video game | D.An advertising website |
The government started the website to _________.
A.attract the biggest market of buyers. |
B.sell the products of its company. |
C.help children know about advertising. |
D.advertise the video game for children. |
Players in the website game can_________.
A.choose hair styles for their character. | B.travel to a supermarket. |
C.eat in a fast-food restaurant. | D.play video games during the trip. |
According to Michelle Obama, lots of food advertised for children are _____.
A.healthy | B.of high nutrition | C.yummy | D.of low quality |