Bill Gates on how to fight future pandemics
WHEN HISTORIANS write the book on the covid-19 pandemic, what we've lived through so far will probably take up only the first third or so.The bulk of the story will be what happens next.
I believe that humanity will beat this pandemic, but only when most of the population is vaccinated(接种疫苗）.Until then, life will not return to normal.
As the pandemic slows in developed nations,it will accelerate in developing ones.Their experience,however,will be worse.In poorer countries,where fewer jobs can be done remotely,distancing measures won't work as well.The virus will spread quickly,and health systems won't be able to care for the infected.
Wealthy nations can help.But people in rich and poor places alike will be safe only once we have an effective medical solution for this virus,which means a vaccine.
My hope is that,by the second half of 2021,facilities around the world will be manufacturing a vaccine.If that's the case,it will be a history-making achievement: the fastest humankind has ever gone from recognizing a new disease to immunizing （免疫）against it.
Apart from this progress in vaccines,two other big medical breakthroughs will emerge from the pandemic.One will be in the field of diagnostics.The next time a novel virus crops up,people will probably be able to test for it at home.Researchers could have such a test ready within a few months of identifying a new disease.
The third breakthrough will be in antiviral drugs.We haven't been as effective at developing drugs to fight viruses as we have those to fight bacteria.But that will Researchers will develop large diverse libraries of antivirals,which they'll be able to scan trough and quickly find effective treatments for novel viruses.
All three technologies will prepare us for the next pandemic by allowing us to intervene(干预）early when the number of cases is still very low.
Our progress won't be in science alone.It will also be in our ability to make sure everyone benefits from that science.In the years after 2021,I think we'll learn from the years after 1945. With the end of the Second World War, leaders built international institutions like the UN to prevent more conflicts.After covid-19, leaders will prepare institutions to prevent the next pandemic.
These will be a mix of national,regional and global organizations.I expect they will participate in regular"germ games”in the same way as armed forces take part in War games.These will keep us ready for the next time a novel virus jumps from bats or birds to humans.
I hope wealthy nations include poorer ones in these preparations,especially by devoting more foreign aid to building up their primary health-care systems.This pandemic has shown us that viruses don't obey border laws and that we are all connected biologically by a network of microscopic germs,whether we like it or not.
The best analogy(类比）for today might be November 10th 1942.Britain had just won its first land victory of the war,and Winston Churchill declared in a speech: “This is not the end.It is not even the beginning of the end.But it is,perhaps,the end of the beginning.”
1.What are the three technologies that will prepare us for the next pandemic?
①manufacturing a vaccine fast
②diagnosing a virus at home
③developing antiviral drugs
④allowing us to intervene early
A.①②③ B.①②④ C.①③④ D.②③④
2.As far as poorer countries are concerned,which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?
A.pandemic disease is more likely to begin in poorer countries
B.Working from home can work well in poorer countries.
C.Health systems are sufficient to care for the infected in poorer countries.
D.Virus will cross borders if poorer countries fail to contain it.
3.Why is the Second World War mentioned in Para.8?
A.The fight against the COVID-19 is similar to the Second World War.
B.People are suffering just as they were in the Second World War.
C.We should cooperate globally just as we did after the Second World War.
D.Countries are fighting each other like in the Second World War.
4.What is the tone of this passage?
A.pessimistic B.optimistic
C.neutral D.indifferent
My school appeared on the news last week because we had made an important change in our local area. Our class had planted a large garden in what was once only a vacant lot. It was a lot of work but it was all worth it. I got blisters(水泡) from digging, and we all got insect bites, too.
I learned a lot about gardening and collaboration(合作), and then I learned about the media. Our teacher telephoned the TV station and informed them of what we had accomplished. She spoke with the producer. The producer checked with the directors, but they said there were plenty of stories similar to ours. They wanted to know what was special about our particular garden, since many schools plant them.
The teacher explained that, after going on the Internet to learn about the prairie(大草原), we had made a prairie garden. We had gone to a prairie and gotten seeds from the plants, and then we planted them. We did not water the garden, but we did weed it. We decided to let nature water it with rain, since that was how prairies grew in the past. We sent a picture of the garden to the news station. In the picture, the grass was so high that it stood taller than the fourth grade students.
As a result, the producer sent a reporter to our school. He interviewed the headmaster and asked him many questions about the garden. After that, they interviewed us, and we explained to them what we had learned through this project.
That night, we watched the news, and there we were. The news reporter told our story. It was only two minutes long, but it was us. We were famous. All that work, all those blisters, it was worth it. We knew that when we saw the garden every day, but now we knew that the whole city thought so, too.
1.What seemed to be the TV directors’ initial reaction to the garden?
A.They were excited. B.They were surprised.
C.They were worried. D.They were uninterested.
2.What is special about the garden?
A.Weeds were allowed to spread naturally.
B.The grass grew faster than common grass.
C.The seeds came from the plants of a prairie.
D.Underground water was used for the plants.
3.What does the underlined word “that” refer to in the last paragraph?
A.We got blisters on our hands. B.Our hard work was worthwhile.
C.The garden would be famous. D.The project would be finished.
4.How did the author feel about the project?
A.Annoyed. B.Curious. C.Proud. D.Regretful.
Want to explore new cultures, meet new people and do something worthwhile at the same time? You can do all the three with Global Development Association(GDA). Whatever stage of life you’re at, wherever you go and whatever project you do in GDA, you’ll create positive changes in a poor and remote community(社区).
We work with volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. Most of our volunteers are aged 17-24. Now we need volunteer managers aged 25-75. They are extremely important in the safe and effective running of our programmes. We have such roles as project managers, mountain leaders, and communication officers.
Depending on which role you choose, you could help to increase a community’s access to safe drinking water, or help to protect valuable local cultures. You might also design an adventure challenge to train young volunteers.
Not only will you help our young volunteers to develop personally, you’ll also learn new skills and increase your cultural awareness. You may have chances to meet new people who’ll become your lifelong friends.
This summer we have both 4-week and 7-week programmes:
Country | Schedule | |
4-week programmes | 7-week programmes | |
Algeria | 5 Jul. — 1 Aug. | 20 Jun. — 7 Aug. |
Egypt | 24 Jul. — 20 Aug. | 19 Jun. — 6 Aug. |
Kenya | 20 Jul. — 16 Aug. | 18 Jun. — 5 Aug. |
South Africa | 2 Aug. — 29 Aug. | 15 Jun. — 2 Aug. |
GDA ensures that volunteers work with community members and local project partners where our help is needed. All our projects aim to promote the development of poor and remote communities.
There is no other chance like a GDA programme. Join us as a volunteer manager to develop your own skills while bringing benefits to the communities.
Find out more about joining a GDA programme:
Website:www.glodeve.org
Email:humanresources@glodeve.org
1.What is the main responsibility of volunteer managers?
A.To seek local partners. B.To take in young volunteers.
C.To carry out programmes. D.To foster cultural awareness.
2.The programme beginning in August will operate in ________.
A.Egypt B.Algeria C.Kenya D.South Africa
3.The shared goal of GDA’s projects to ________.
A.explore new cultures B.protect the environment
C.gain corporate benefit D.help communities in need
Directions: Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
假设你是明启中学高三学生李青。史上最长的”寒假”结束后，校刊举办主题征文活动，内容是关于学生在这个”寒假”里发生的一个变化。请你结合自己的实际写一篇文章投稿。你的文章必须包括:
▪ 简述该变化的具体内容；
▪ 阐述该变化对你的意义。
(注意:文中请不要出现真实的校名和人名)
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Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
1.研学的兴起让公共文化服务成为新亮点。 (rise)
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2.不出所料，这个养身讲座吸引了社区众多老年居民。 (expect)
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3.“线上音乐会”不受时空的局限，为剧场未来发展提供了新机遇。 (break)
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4.该是时候民众在日常生活中通过具体行动表达对自然的敬畏与呵护了，比如节约能源、保 护野生动物等。 (It)
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Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
How Do Our Phones Affect Our Parenting?
As a pediatrician (儿科医生), I have researched how mobile phone use affects family dynamics. The parent-child relationship is central to children’s social and emotional health and life success — yet I also see how more and more family interactions interrupted by mobile devices … including my own.
My interest in the topic began in 2010. I worked for a year as a pediatrician in the suburbs outside of Seattle. Many of the parents bringing in their sick kids worked at tech companies and were early adopters of mobile devices. During my training, I had gotten used to children playing with handheld gaming devices, but this was different: parents texted during health-related conversations (were they really processing what I was saying?); looked up medical information online to check my accuracy (was this a sign of parent anxiety?); and used videos to stop children from crying (this was pretty helpful during ear exams, but is it OK other times, I wondered?).
I was fascinated by the cultural change America was experiencing with the rapid adoption of mobile devices. But as a pediatrician, I had no idea what to do about it. So when I moved to Boston for training in Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, I decided to explore the topic in more depth.
I started my research by observing families in fast food restaurants and the results were pretty eye-opening: when parents’ attention was highly absorbed in their smartphones, parents talked less to children; responded slower (or not at all) to child bids for attention; and sometimes overreacted to child behavior.
Our more recent studies show that in the long-run, parent technology use during parent-child activities leads to more difficult child behavior — which in turn leads to more parent technology usage. It’s a vicious cycle: when kids stress us out, we often go to our phones for escape or to avoid interaction, and this interrupts time with kids or makes them annoyed, and they might react with difficult behavior, and so on.
As a working mom of two young boys, I knew how this child-phone multitasking felt to me, but I wanted to hear what others thought. So I interviewed 35 parents from diverse backgrounds in Boston to understand their experiences. They told me they have never felt their brains split in so many directions — like all the matters of the world could intrude upon home time and “land in their lap”. They expressed both relief and despair when their phones were broken or lost, because while this made it easier to “single-task” on their kids again, they also felt cut off from friends and information.
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