A T-shirt that constantly monitors the heart’s activity and detects abnormalities could help protect people against stroke. The T-shirt, which can be washed up to 35 times before it needs replacing, has been developed to improve the detection of dangerous heart conditions like atrial fibrillation( 心房颤动), which causes an irregular heart rhythm and raises the risk of stroke.
At least one million people in Britain are known to have this condition; however, it’s estimated that at least another 500,000 have it but haven’t yet been diagnosed because they have no obvious symptoms. Some will have symptoms such as chest pain, dizziness and fatigue; but a large number of people have no idea they’re ill until they suffer a stroke.
Detecting atrial fibrillation involves carrying out an ECG( 心 电 图 ). Conventional ECGs are done in a hospital and involve highly trained teams of staff attaching up to 24 separate electrodes(电极) to different parts of the body to measure electrical signals. But most patients experience abnormal rhythms only intermittently(间歇地). This means the chance of picking them up during a short hospital check is slim.
Doctors sometimes issue patients with a device called a Holter monitor to wear under their clothes to try to pick up cardiac( 心脏的) problems. This is an electronic box which clips onto your waistband and is connected to a series of electrodes worn on the upper part of your body. But the box itself is quite bulky, hard to hide beneath clothing and involves a dozen or more wires being attached to the patient’s chest.
The Cardioskin T-shirt, which is made from cotton, could be a much more convenient alternative and can be worn 24 hours a day — meaning it is more likely to pick up any abnormal rhythms in the patient’s heart. It has 15 tiny electrodes woven into the material which are strategically placed around the chest area to track the electrical signals from the heart as they travel across the main part of your body.
The electrodes are powered by a battery which can be removed easily when you need to wash the T- shirt and feed results to a microchip which then sends them out wirelessly to an app. This converts( 转换) the data into an easy-to-read chart showing if the heart rate is abnormal. The results are shared with the patient’s doctor so they can check the patient’s heart without having to call them into the hospital.
Martin Cowie, a professor of cardiology at Imperial College London, said, “Cardioskin could be an important development for cardiologists.”
1.How many British people are having dangerous heart conditions according to the text?
A. Less than 0.5 million. B. Less than 1 million.
C. At least 1.5 million. D. At least 2 million.
2.What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?
A. The difficulty in detecting atrial fibrillation.
B. The benefit of detecting atrial fibrillation.
C. The process of detecting atrial fibrillation.
D. The future of detecting atrial fibrillation.
3.Why did the author mention a Holter monitor in the text?
A. To show how convenient the Cardioskin T-shirt is.
B. To introduce a way to check the patient’s heart.
C. To encourage people to care about their health.
D. To explain why doctors like using the device.
4.What can we learn about the Cardioskin T-shirt?
A. It has a battery that can be charged easily and quickly.
B. It can be worn a month without being washed.
C. It has electrodes placed all over the T-shirt.
D. It can speed up the process of diagnosis.
Courses Available at North Coast College Campuses
Agriculture
Specialist agriculture centres of the North Coast College offer courses ranging from agricultural skills to beef production, horse studies and rural management. The Wollongbar Campus is famous for its Tropical(热 带的) Fruit Growing program and has introduced courses on bush foods and coffee production. Taree offers the Veterinary(兽医的) Assistant program and has introduced “Agristudy”, which enables students to learn flexibly and by correspondence( 函 授 ), using a mixture of student learning guides, telephone tutorials, information sessions and workshops. Mullumbimby has the popular Rural Business Management program, which can also be studied by correspondence. Grafton, meanwhile, offers traineeships in agriculture including beef and dairy.
Health Programs
The continued improvement of healthier living within the community has seen an increase in fitness awareness and a need for trained staff in the Fitness and Sport industries. Fitness Instruction courses are offered at Tweed Heads and teach students how to keep healthy and lead a safe fitness program.
Lismore offers the Aged Support program and Port Macquarie offers the Early Childhood Nursing program. These courses give you the theoretical skills, knowledge and practical experience needed to work in a variety of residential and community-based health care institutions. For students interested in working in the Medical Health Care industry, Kingscliff is a specialist centre for the Natural Therapy Diploma and has a health clinic on campus.
Environmental Studies
The Environmental Studies courses offered by the North Coast College have been developed to help students increase their awareness and understanding of environmental issues and to enable them to determine their environmental impact. The Environmental Practice course, which includes Coastal Management, is offered through the Ballina Campus.
For people interested in working to protect natural forests, the North Coast College offers the Forest Protection course at Casino. This course can provide a pathway for students into the Natural Resource Management Diploma at university.
1.Which of the following can students probably learn at Wollongbar?
A. Cow farming. B. Banana growing.
C. Business management. D. Electronic information technology.
2.What can we learn about the course offered by Kingscliff?
A. It is held in a local hospital. B. It includes a safe fitness program.
C. It is designed for medical students. D. It can be studied by correspondence.
I’d never been crazy about Christmas. My husband John and the kids had always done their best to infuse(使充满) me with the holiday ___ , but this Christmas their efforts would be especially ___ .
My salary had reduced and John’s government salary was _______, too. There wasn’t much money to go around, and _______ were just impossible. John was _______ a brave face as usual. But for me our financial hardship brought back ___ memories of my childhood.
“I got a Make and Bake set for Christmas!” one girl shouted. “I got clothes!” another girl said. “What did you get, Lori?” someone asked. “So many presents.” I lied. My parents gave me plenty of love, but love was the ____ thing I had. Mom and Dad always had trouble making ends meet. I’d long since ____ Christmas just wasn’t for me.
John was ______ the tree for just the right branch to ______ the red glass bulb with the “Merry Christmas” writing. It was a precious _______ of his childhood, and he took great pleasure in hanging it on our tree every year. A few days earlier, the tree _______ and several ornaments( 装 饰 物 ) broke, but this one was unique because of the memories it held for him. It was fine if I didn’t have any Christmas spirit, but it was a different ____ for John. He took a step back to admire the replacement I’d finally found after endless searching on foot and surfing the Internet.
I worked hard to make things right for John because I loved to see my Christmas-loving husband full of holiday joy. I _______ one of the tree lights so it shone directly on John’s beloved ornament. The words on it sparkled(闪烁). After all this time, I finally understood its ______ . Christmas was the season to show my love for my family. How could anyone not like Christmas?
1.A. practice B. desire C. spirit D. pressure
2.A. aimless B. priceless C. endless D. hopeless
3.A. decreased B. received C. measured D. doubled
4.A. performances B. presents C. rewards D. donations
5.A. putting up B. putting down C. putting off D. putting on
6.A. embarrassing B. horrible C. precious D. exciting
7.A. first B. same C. real D. only
8.A. predicted B. decided C. imagined D. promised
9.A. searching B. preparing C. approaching D. planting
10.A. change B. remove C. hold D. handle
11.A. dream B. reminder C. comfort D. resource
12.A. got down B. broke away C. turned off D. fell over
13.A. idea B. story C. business D. account
14.A. flashed B. repaired C. adjusted D. adapted
15.A. message B. procedure C. commitment D. attitude
Had he taken his parent’s advice, he having made such a silly mistake now.
A. would not regret B. would not have regretted
C. may not regret D. may not have regretted
We believe you have been devoted to naturally of great necessity.
A. that; being B. all that; be
C. that all; are D. what; is
--- What do you know made Sarah so upset?
--- giving away state secrets.
A. Charged with B. Being charged with
C. Accusing of D. To be accused of
