Authorities in China have approved a drug for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (早老性痴呆), the first new medicine with the potential to treat the cognitive (认知的) disorder in 17 years.
The seaweed-based drug, called Oligomannate, can be used for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s, according to a statement from China’s drug safety agency. The approval is conditional however, meaning that while it can go on sale during additional clinical trials, it will be strictly monitored and could be withdrawn if any safety issues should arise.
In September, the team behind the new drug, led by Geng Meiyu at the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said they were inspired to look into seaweed due to the relatively low incidence of Alzheimer’s among people who consume it regularly.
In a paper in the journal Cell Research, Geng’s team described how a sugar contained within seaweed prevents certain bacteria contained in the gut (肠子) which can cause neural decline and infection of the brain, leading to Alzheimer’s.
This mechanism was confirmed during a clinical trial carried out by Green Valley, a Shanghai based pharmaceutical company that will be bringing the new drug to market.
Conducted on 818 patients, the trial found that Oligomannate-which is got from brown algae (海藻)－can statistically improve cognitive function among people with Alzheimer’s in as little as four weeks, according to a statement from Green Valley.
The company said Oligomannate will be available in China “very soon”, and it is currently seeking approval to market it abroad, with plans to launch third-phase clinical trials in the US and Europe in early 2020.
1.What can Oligomannate be used for?
A.Curing the severe Alzheimer’s.
B.Treating the minor Alzheimer’s.
C.Killing all bacteria in the body.
D.Treating all cognitive disorders.
2.What inspired the team to look into the seaweed?
A.The praise from a patient with Alzheimer’s.
B.An incident of brain infection in the laboratory.
C.The approval for the seaweed research from the authorities.
D.The low occurrence of the disease among people eating the seaweed.
3.What causes the Alzheimer’s?
A.The brown algae.
B.The wound of the head.
C.Some bacteria contained in the gut.
D.A sugar contained within seaweed.
4.What is the company Green Valley’s attitude to the future of Oligomannate?
A.Optimistic. B.Uncertain.
C.Indifferent. D.Anxious.
Latin and the works of Sophocles (索福克勒斯,诗人) are no longer the preserve of private schools thanks to a project that links professors with underprivileged teenagers.
The new project between King’s College London (KCL) and Newham Sixth Form College in east London offering lessons in Classics to bright senior-three students is now in its second year.
Students from disadvantaged backgrounds with high academic potential can attend the classes, which are designed to inspire and engage them in challenging topics that are often the preserve of private schools.
Lecturers cover subjects including ancient literature, religion, theology, Persian history and philosophy. Some teenagers from neighbouring state schools also attend. The students act out Greek plays such as Antigone by Sophocles and are encouraged to consider Classics as a degree.
Edith Hall, a Classics lecturer at KCL, said: “We wanted to enable the students from Newham to understand the richness and relevance of the classical world. They have a unique opportunity to engage with world-class lecturers,”
Juned Malek,19,who is in his first year at KCL, was introduced to literature, theology, history and philosophy by the classical outreach program when he was at Newham. He now helps to run it. He said the program was “essential in making the myths that surround studying Classics disappear, namely that it is an elitist (精英) subject or that it has limited career opportunities”.
The analytical skills that the degree develops are in high demand by employers, particularly investment banks and law firms.
He said all schools should teach Classics to give a “basic introduction of historical principles passed down through millennia”, adding: “A limited classical education leaves you stuck in the constant present, lacking the ability to use the past as a frame of reference when making decisions.”
1.Why do the professors start the project?
A.To control the study time.
B.To help the underprivileged students.
C.To help the talented students from KCL.
D.To inspire and engage all students in challenging topics.
2.According to the text, who may attend the classes?
A.A naughty student with no talent in study.
B.A bright student with a talent for music.
C.A clever student with disadvantaged background.
D.A talented student with private school learning background.
3.According to the text, which is one of the benefits of studying Classics?
A.Being admitted to the private school.
B.Having limited career choices.
C.Observing the life of the elitists.
D.Having reference when making decisions.
4.Which section in a magazine is this text most likely from?
A.Education. B.Technology.
C.Business. D.Science.
The moment I see a beautiful cloud while driving, taking in the colorful light during a sunset, or watching birds flying south, I begin to think what we are supposed to learn from nature and animals. Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. As seasons change, we are guided to learn acceptance and non-resistance. A green leaf doesn’t resist turning red when autumn approaches. Trees don’t resist leaves falling when winter arrives. They stand deeply rooted in the ground, with their vulnerability out in the open and branches spread wide, giving up to the universe. Do what you will with me; I trust it is for my highest good.
Who said that the bamboo is more beautiful than the maple tree and maple tree is more valuable than the bamboo? Does the bamboo feel jealous of the maple tree because it is bigger and its leaves change color? The idea of trees comparing themselves to others is ridiculous, as should humans comparing themselves to one another. We must compare our growth to who we were yesterday not to the growth of another. Everyone is incomparably unique.
The community of bees and ants all participate together to benefit all those in their community. We each have our own calling that is best performed by us. Each part is necessary for a functioning family, community, nation and world. Embrace your special responsibility, share it proudly with the world, and always do your best.
Birds flying through the sky represent the limitless freedom and potential available to us if we release our fears. Taking off to fly for the first time can be scary and bring about feelings of fear. Without taking the risk of the first flight, we won’t find the internal freedom we desire. We must dare to take our feet off the ground, spread our wings and fly.
1.What does the underlined word “vulnerability” in paragraph 1 mean?
A.Weakness. B.Possibility.
C.Disability. D.Resistance.
2.What does the example of the bamboo and the maple tree indicate?
A.We humans should learn from one another.
B.There is no sense in comparing different plants.
C.Everyone has his own quality and strengths.
D.Each part is necessary for a functioning world.
3.What can we learn from bees and ants?
A.Independence. B.Unity.
C.Pride. D.Diligence.
4.Which is the main idea of this text?
A.Acceptance and non-resistance are the law of nature.,
B.The bamboo is more beautiful than the maple tree.
C.Animals’ way of living has changed human’s life.
D.Humans can learn from nature and animals.
While you’re grounded and social distancing, you can still travel the world through the pages of these novels whose setting is often the main character. Whether going back in time to Cartegna, Colombia in “Love in the Time of Cholera” or getting lost on a remote volcanic Russian peninsula in “Disappearing Earth”, these books will transport you all around the globe.
1. ‘Snow Falling on Cedars’ by David Guterson
Puget Sound, Washington
While San Piedro is a fictional island in the real life San Juan Islands off Washington, the location of this haunting mystery is believed to be based on Bainbridge Island, which is more to the south in Puget Sound. But for anyone who’s been to these Pacific Northwest islands and experienced their pine and cedar forests and quiet harbors, the book’s description of San Piedro rings true: “a brand of green beauty that inclined its residents toward the poetical.”
2. ‘Disappearing Earth’ by Julia Phillips
Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia
This detective fiction’s main character is Kamchatka, the remote Siberian peninsula full of unique
characters who reveal the ethnic and cultural conflicts of the region, all connected by a crime.
3. ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Cartagena, Colombia
Although the location of the book goes unnamed, it’s generally accepted that Marquez’s hometown was the inspiration for this story of unrequited love. The film adaptation was shot within the walls of the Old City.
4. ‘Florida’ by Lauren Groff
Florida
Storms, snakes, sinkholes and stories? Welcome to Florida. The fantastical tales in this collection span centuries, characters and towns, but all take place in the Sunshine State. You’ll be swept up in a wild hurricane of a ride with these lyrical stories of anger and love, loss and hope.
1.The text is especially helpful for those who ________.
A.are fond of traveling B.are afraid of working
C.are eager to read D.are happy to be grounded
2.Which of the following is an imaginary place?
A.San Piedro. B.Puget Sound.
C.San Juan Islands. D.Bainbridge Island.
3.Which book will you choose if you like the stories in the Sunshine State?
A.Snow Falling on Cedars
B.Disappearing Earth
C.Love in the Time of Cholera
D.Florida
假定你是天津晨中学学生会主席李津，你得知英国友好学校的戏剧社在当地很有名气，你的学校正计划成立戏剧社团，请你根据以下提示给对方戏剧社团团长James 写封邮件，向他咨询。
(1)向对方戏剧社团表示敬意；
(2)介绍本校成立戏剧社团的目的和计划；
(3)向对方咨询(如：怎样挑选成员，询问活动内容等)。
注意：(1)词数不少于100；
(2)可适当加入细节，使内容充实、行文连贯；
(3)开头已给出,不计入总词数。
参考词汇：戏剧社团drama club
Dear James,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Jin
阅读短文，并按照题目要求用英语回答问题。
Kobe Bryant wasn't the first NBA player to visit China. But he was the first player to help China grow into a basketball-crazed nation.
Kobe's first visit was in 1998, and in conducting basketball clinics （篮球训练营），doing business and participating in charity, he was warmly welcomed in the basketball-loving country. Once, nearly 15,000 people showed up at 9 am for an event at which Kobe was scheduled to appear at 4 pm.
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo saw firsthand Kobe's popularity during Kobe's time with Team USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when as captain he led the team to a gold medal. "There were tens of thousands of people on the streets, yelling, 'Kobe! Kobe!' It was unbelievable, just unbelievable," Colangelo said.
"It's harder for me to walk around here than in the United States," Kobe once told reporters in China in 2013. “It's uncontrollable. Fans rush you and surround you, and it gets to the point where you can't go out."
His last visit was in August last year for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. He told reporters, “I watched the country develop from the ground up. I watched Beijing grow. I watched the passion for the game develop. My goal is to develop the country's basketball to a level where they can compete with the best basketball countries in the world,", Kobe said.
Kobe was and perhaps remains China's favourite NBA player, and fans in the country were shocked by his death in a helicopter crash in January this year. Tencent, the NBA's digital partner in China, posted a memorial page that drew more than five million visitors in less than five days.
Just two days before Kobe died, he posted a short video on the Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo, wishing Chinese fans a happy new year. How sorrowful his fans are when they watch the video again!
1.Apart from being an excellent NBA players, what else makes Kobe Bryant special to Chinese fans? (no more than 15 words)
2.What does the author want to prove, telling us what Jerry Colangelo saw at the 2008 Beijing Olympics? (no more than 10 words)
3.What does the underlined phrase "from the ground up" mean in paragraph 5? (no more than 8 words)
4.What made Kobe Bryant confident that China's basketball can be one of the best in the world? (no more than 15 words)
5.How do you find Kobe Bryant? Please give your reason, (no more than 20 words)
