Darek Fidyka, a 38-year-old Bulgarian, had been paralysed (瘫痪的) from the chest down for four years after a knife attack. Scientists from Britain and Poland took cells from his nose, transplanted (移植) them into his back and re-grew his spinal cord (脊髓). Now he can walk and even drive a car. The doctors were delighted but said it was the first step in a long journey.
The breakthrough came after 40 years of research by Professor Geoff Raisman, who found that cells had the possibility to repair damage to nasal (鼻腔的) nerves, the only part of the nervous system that constantly re-grows. “The idea was to take something from an area where the nervous system can repair itself, and does so throughout life, and put it into an area that doesn’t repair itself,” Professor Raisman said.
Polish doctors injected the nasal cells into Mr Fidyka’s spinal cord above and below the injury and used some nerves from his ankle to form a bridge across the damaged tissue. The nasal cells appear to have caused the spinal nerves to repair themselves.
Professor Raisman achieved this with rats in the late 1990s, but this is his greatest success. “I think the moment of discovery for me was Christmas in 1997 when I first saw a rat that couldn’t control its hand put its hand out to me. That was an exciting moment, because I realized then that my belief that the nervous system could be repaired was true.”
Doctors chose the easiest case for their first attempt — it might not work for others. But there is a real sense of hope that an idea once thought impossible has been realized.
David Nicholls, who helped provide money for the breakthrough, said information about the breakthrough would be made available to researchers across the globe.
“What you’ve got to understand is that for three million paralysed people in the world today, the world looks a totally brighter place than it did yesterday,” he said.
1.Why did Professor Geoff Raisman choose cells from the nose?
A. The nervous system in the nose can repair itself.
B. Cells in the nose can be easily transplanted.
C. Cells in the nose re-produce rapidly.
D. He just wanted to give it a try.
2.What made Professor Geoff Raisman believe the nervous system can be repaired?
A. His study on animals.
B. His operation on a paralysed patient.
C. His sudden thoughts about Christmas.
D. His unusual experience with a sick rat.
3.David Nicholls’ words suggest that _____.
A. the world is becoming better and brighter
B. paralysed people have the hope of recovery
C. the report of the breakthrough will be published soon
D. researchers across the globe will carry out the operation
There are a lot of products out there that make your life easier. Some, however, are a little sillier than others — so much that they seem like joke products. Here are a few products that sound crazy, but actually rule.
Sleep Phones
It’s hard to imagine something sillier than a music-playing headband you wear while you sleep, but they exist — and are quite popular. Sleep Phones won’t give you the highest quality sound in the world, but if you prefer to fall asleep to music, they’re far more comfortable than normal headphones. While they’re a bit expensive, they might be perfect for you. There’s also a wireless version (版本) if you prefer.
Onion Goggles
If cutting onion brings on the waterworks no matter what you try, it’s time for desperate measures. We tested a bunch of methods for avoiding onion tears, and found the best solutions came down to cutting the onion under a vent (通风孔), or wearing these stylish and awesome goggles.
Lock Laces
There’re some great ways to tie your shoes better, but if you long for the laceless shoes of your childhood days, Lock Laces are a pretty good choice. They’re basically elastic (有弹性的) laces that remove the need to tie your shoes. Sure, people will make fun of you, but you can make fun of them after they trip over their own untied laces. Or you can make your own slip-on shoes with elastic tubing.
2D-Glasses
Hate 3D-movies, but have to go to one? The difference between 2D-glasses and 3D-glasses lies in their lenses (镜片). Each lens of 2D-glasses blocks the same picture, so each eye gets the same picture, while each lens of 3D-glasses blocks a different picture, so each eye gets a different picture which the brain interprets as 3D. Now you have a pair of glasses that can save you from the headache caused by wearing 3D-glasses which are popular in our movie theaters. You can buy them or make a pair for yourself.
1.What do we know about Sleep Phones?
A. There are two versions.
B. They’re comfortable but unhealthy.
C. They give you the best quality sound.
D. They’re cheaper than other headphones.
2.The underlined part “brings on the waterworks” in the text probably means _____.
A. makes your eyes water
B. makes your fingers hurt
C. destroys your water pipes
D. adds to your washing work
3.What is the advantage of Lock Laces?
A. They are strong and lasting.
B. They help you walk comfortably.
C. They are stylish and eco-friendly.
D. They save you from tying your shoes.
4.Compared with 3D-glasses, 2D-glasses _____.
A. are cheaper and thinner
B. won’t give you a headache
C. let you see a different picture
D. are more popular in movie theaters
Clara Barton, born on Christmas in 1821, is widely known as one of the most honored women in American history. She began teaching school when most teachers were men at that time. Later, she became one of the first women ever to be employed by the government.
Her career in helping the sick began when her brother David became her first patient. He fell down from the roof of a house when Clara was just 11 years old. She stayed by his side and looked after him for three years, learning how to give him all his medicines.
When the Civil War began in 1861, she immediately recognized that the poorly equipped soldiers needed help. Instead of waiting for others to step in, Clara collected necessary things on her own, asked the public for donations and learned how to store and distribute them to soldiers. She also read to the soldiers and wrote letters for them.
After the Battle of Cedar Mountain in northern Virginia in 1862, Clara arrived at a field hospital at midnight with a vehicle full of supplies. A doctor named Paul Smith at that hospital would later write, “I thought heaven had sent out an angel that night — her assistance arrived at exactly the right time.”
In 1869, Clara went to Europe and learned about the International Committee of the Red Cross. Upon her return to the United States, she successfully founded the American Red Cross. She led the organization for the next 23 years. Her last field mission (使命) as president of the American Red Cross was to help the victims of the 1900 Galveston hurricane. She did not retire (退休) from the American Red Cross until she was 83. True to her nature, Clara always went to where the need was the greatest.
Today, the American Red Cross continues the mission Clara started more than 100 years ago. With the help of thousands of volunteers, the American Red Cross provides relief to victims of disasters, as well as helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to all sorts of emergencies.
1.We can learn from Paragraph 2 that Clara Barton was _____.
A. honest B. caring C. talented D. modest
2.After the Civil War broke out, Clara Barton _____.
A. joined the army and fought bravely
B. went to Europe for further study
C. continued to work as a teacher
D. did a lot to help soldiers
3.Seeing Clara Barton’s arrival, Dr. Smith must have felt _____.
A. excited and grateful B. proud and joyful
C. shy and nervous D. sad and sorry
4.What is mainly described in Paragraph 5?
A. The aim of the American Red Cross.
B. The importance of voluntary donations.
C. Clara Barton and the American Red Cross.
D Clara Barton’s contribution to the Civil War.
At the age of 16, Julia Butterfly Hill quit school and worked at a restaurant. For many years, she was only interested in making money and material things. Then one day she had a serious car accident, which changed her life. Hill said: “I realized I wanted to find a more powerful purpose for being here on this planet.”
As soon as she recovered, Hill traveled to California. There she saw ancient redwood trees, which are the largest trees in the whole world. The wood from redwood trunks is very hard. So the Pacific Lumber Company cut down many of the huge redwoods to use for construction. There are not many forests of these trees left. Many environmental activists want to protect the remaining trees. The redwoods are very important to the environment.
In 1997 Hill learned a group called Earth First was working to protect a particular group of trees. They decided to send someone up into a redwood tree, hoping this would stop the company from cutting the trees down. Julia Butterfly Hill volunteered.
Hill lived in the tree for over two years without ever coming down. Her home was a 6-by-8-foot tree house, 180 feet up. It is always cold and wet in a redwood tree. There were even very serious winter storms while Hill was in the tree. The wind and cold almost knocked Hill out of the tree. But she did not fall — she survived.
Finally, after years of arguing, the company decided to protect Luna, the tree Hill lived in. They signed an agreement to never cut down this huge redwood tree or the trees around it. When Hill put her feet on the earth again, she began to cry. But from that moment on Hill hasn’t stopped working to protect the environment.
1.Julia Butterfly Hill traveled to California _____.
A. to find a new job
B. to build a tree house
C. with the hope of joining Earth First
D. in expectation of doing something meaningful
2.The redwood trees were cut down mainly _____.
A. because they might fall over at any time
B. because they had great economic value
C. to protect other trees in the forest
D. to make space for constructions
3.Julia Butterfly Hill’s living conditions in the tree were _____.
A. comfortable B. cool C. tough D. satisfying
4.What can we learn about Julia Butterfly Hill from the text?
A. She has a sense of social responsibility.
B. She failed to protect the redwood tree.
C. She built a new house in the forest.
D. She is a self-centered woman
书面表达
每个人对待幸福的态度和感觉都不一样，请你就What Is Happiness? 这一话题谈谈你对幸福的看法。主要内容如下：
1.不同的人对幸福有不同的看法(从物质、精神等方面分析)；
2.我对幸福的看法。
注意：
1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意： 1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改l0处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Though a great progress has been made in science these years ,there are still many people live in poor conditions .They make their living by collecting and selling used thing .Their children cannot go to school because they had not enough money to send their children here .Why you think so many people still suffer from poverty now?The answer lies on the population explosion.A president of a developing country once said ,“It is us who are to blame for the poverty because we used to producing children without limit .”Although these few words sound simple enough ,they have clear pointed out one of the causes of the population explosion.
