Scientists at Israel's Tel Aviv University sa...

Scientists at Israel's Tel Aviv University say—they have created the world’s first 3D-printed heart with human tissue and blood vessels. Although the organ is only as big as a rabbit’s heart, the researchers are hoping the technology could one day be developed enough to help human patients in need of a heart transplant.

Lead researcher Tal Dvir said that while other scientists have managed to 3D—print the structure of a heart in the past, this is the first time anyone has printed an entire heart. “Our results demonstrate the potential of our approach for engineering personalized tissue and organ replacement in the future,”Dvir said in a press statement.

Scientists used fatty tissue taken from human patients to create the heart. Some material in the tissue was reprogrammed to become stem cells. The remaining material was processed into a hydrogel. They used the hydrogel as a printing：“ink”. This method is key to removing the risk that the implant will be rejected by the patient’s body. The team’s next step is to cultivate the organs in a lab and to teach them how to“behave”like hearts. Dvir’s 3D-printed hearts can currently contract, but the cells still need to develop a pumping ability. His team eventually plans to test the hearts in animals.

“Maybe, in ten years, there will be organ printers in the finest hospitals around the world, and these procedures will be conducted routinely, ”Dvir said. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 610, 000 people die of this disease in America every year—amounting to about 1 in every 4 deaths. There are currently more than 3700 people waiting for a heart transplant in the United States, according to data from the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

1.What is the purpose of creating the 3D-printed heart?

A.To develop 3D-printed technology. B.To study the hearts of rabbits.

C.To connect hospitals with universities. D.To help patients receive a new heart.

2.Why does the author mention the current situation of heart disease patients?

A.To appeal to hospitals to reduce medical fees.

B.To show the need to improve the new technology.

C.To urge researchers to develop effective medical devices.

D.To introduce the main reason for heart disease to the public.

3.What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A.The course of the research. B.The importance of the research.

C.The material of the 3D-printed heart. D.The method of the 3D-printed heart.

4.What’s Dvir’s attitude towards the new technology?

A.Disapproving. B.Doubtful.

C.Positive. D.Indifferent.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

In a major medical breakthrough, Tel Aviv University researchers have “printed” the world's first 3D vascularized (有血管的）engineered heart using a patient’s own cells and biological materials. Their findings were published on April IS in a study in Advanced Science.

“This is the first time anyone anywhere has successfully engineered and printed an entire heart,” says Prof. Tal Dvir of Department of Materials Science and Engineering, who led the research for the study. “This heart is made from human cells and patient-specific biological materials. In our process, these materials serve as the bioinks, something made of sugars and proteins that can be used for 3D printing of complex tissue models，” Prof, Dvir says. “People managed to 3D print the structure of a heart in the past, but not with cells or with blood vessels (血管).Our results demonstrate the potential of our approach for engineering personalized tissue and organ replacement in the future.”

According to Prof. Dvir，the use of “ native ” patient-specific materials is important to successfully engineering tissues and organs.

The researchers are now planning on culturing the printed hearts in the lab and “ teaching them to behave” like hearts, Prof. Dvir says. They then plan to transplant the 3D-printed heart in animal models.

“We need to develop the printed heart further，” he concludes. “The cells need to form a pumping ability ； they can currently contract (收缩），but we need them to work together. Our hope is that we will succeed and prove our method’s efficacy (功效)and usefulness. “Maybe, in ten years, there will be organ printers in the finest hospitals around the world，and these procedures will be conducted routinely. ”

1.What does Prof. Dvir think of an early 3D-printed heart?

A.It was highly practical. B.It was too expensive.

C.It was personalized. D.It was too simple.

2.What do we know about the latest 3D-printed heart?

A.It can be cultured in the lab.

B.It can match a patient perfectly.

C.It has been transplanted in animals.

D.It has been widely used in hospitals,

3.What is Prof, Dvir's attitude to the development of the printed heart?

A.Ambiguous. B.Positive.

C.Disapproving. D.Cautious.

4.What is the author's purpose in writing the text?

A.To explain the basic principle of 3D technology.

B.To introduce a breakthrough of medical research.

C.To doubt the medical value of a new invention.

D.To prove the effectiveness of the new technology.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Researchers at Oxford University say they have developed a new method that could predict heart attacks years before they happen. They use mathematical algorithms(演算法)to examine CT images of a patient's heart. One report on their study has been published in the medical journal The Lancet.

Most heart attacks result from a build-up of fatty tissue inside arteries(动脉)that carry blood from the heart to other areas of the body. Too much buildup can block this flow of blood and cause a heart attack. Currently, doctors use CT scans to learn when a sticky substance called plaque has already built up inside an artery. The new technology is designed to predict which arteries are at risk for future buildup. How much fat is present around heart arteries also can be measured. That fat changes when an artery becomes inflamed(发炎), serving as an early warning system for heart attacks.

Charalambos Antoniades, a professor of cardiovascula(心血管)medicine at Oxford University, believes the research shows this method could be very effective in getting patients to take early steps to prevent future problems.

“Say your arteries are inflamed and a narrowing will be developed five years down the line. So maybe you can start preventive measures to avoid this formation of plaques,” he said. “If you are able to identify inflammation in the arteries of the heart, then you can say which arteries will cause heart attacks.”

Antoniades added that researchers had yet to estimate exactly how many heart attacks could be prevented. But he said he believes the technique could help identify between 20 to 30 percent of people at risk of having one.

He added that the new technology will make such predictions easier because it works together with existing CT technology.

1.You can identify which arteries will cause heart attacks by .

A. locating where the inflamed arteries are

B. seeing a cardiovascular doctor

C. developing a new method to predict it

D. measuring how much fat is built up

2.This passage is probably from a .

A. medical textbook　　 B. travel brochure

C. graduation paper　　 D. science journal

3.What‟s Artoniades‟ attitude towards the new method?

A. Tolerant.　　 B. Defensive.　　 C. Critical.　　 D. Favorable.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

An early invention by Albert Einstein has been rebuilt by scientists at Oxford University. They are trying to develop an environmentally friendly refrigerator that runs without electricity.

We all know that modern fridges cause damage to the environment. They work by using a kind of man-made greenhouse gas called Freon (氟里昂), which is far more damaging than carbon dioxide.

Now Malcolm McCulloch, an electrical engineer at Oxford, is leading a three-year project to develop appliances that can be used in places without electricity.

His team has completed a prototype (样机) of a fridge patented in 1930 by Einstein. It used only pressurized gases to keep things cold. The design was partly used in the first refrigerators, but the technology was dropped when more efficient compressors (压缩机) became popular in the 1950s. That meant a switch to using Freon.

Einstein's idea uses butane (丁烷) and water and takes advantage of the fact that liquids boil at lower temperatures, when the air pressure around them is lower.

"If you go to the top of Mount Qomolangma, water boils at a much lower temperature than it does when you're at sea level and that's because the pressure is much lower up there," said McCulloch.At one side is the evaporator (蒸发器), a bottle that contains liquid butane. "If you introduce a new vapor above the butane, the liquid boiling temperature decreases and, as it boils off, it takes energy from the surroundings to do so," says McCulloch. "That's what makes it cold."

The gas fridges based on Einstein's design were replaced by Freon-compressor fridges partly because Einstein's design was not very efficient. But McCulloch thinks that by changing the design and replacing the types of gases used it will be possible to quadruple (翻两番) the efficiency.

However, McCulloch's fridge is still in its early stages. "It's very much a prototype," he said. "Give us another month and we'll have it working."

1. According to the passage, an early invention by Albert Einstein _______.

A．has been rediscovered because it costs much less and works more efficiently

B．is being redesigned because it could be used in places without electricity

C．has just been found to be energy-saving and environmentally friendly

D．will be fully made use of and become the fridge of the future

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．Freon was used in fridges long before the 1950s.

B．Freon is what makes current fridges big polluters.

C．McCulloch thinks he could improve Einstein's design by using other types of vapors.

D．The fridge Malcolm McCulloch and his team designed will be put into production soon.

3.We can learn from the text that the prototype completed _______.

A．changed the air pressure around it

B．was tested on the top of Mount Everest

C．increased the liquid boiling temperature

D．used only pressurized gases to keep things cold

4.McCulloch's words in Paragraph 6 _____.

A．serve as an explanation for the principle behind Einstein's fridge

B．give you the reason why Einstein's fridge was not efficient

C．tell you how to take advantage of low air pressure

D．show you how Einstein's fridge works

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists at Royal Holloway, University of London　 and Queen Mary, University of London have discovered that bees learn to fly the shortest possible route between flowers even if they discover the flowers in a different order. Bees are effectively solving the “traveling salesman problem”, and they are the first creatures found to do this.

The traveling salesman must find the shortest route that allows him to visit all locations on his route. Computers solve it by comparing the length of all possible routes and choosing the shortest, and it can keep computers busy for days. However, bees solve it without computer assistance using a brain the size of grass seed. Dr. Nigel Raine, from the School of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway explains, “Bees solve traveling salesman problems every day. They visit flowers at multiple locations and because bees use lots of energy to fly, they find a route which keeps flying to a minimum. ”

The team used the computer to control artificial flowers to test whether bees would follow a route defined by the order in which they discovered the flowers or if they would find the shortest route. After exploring the location of the flowers, bees quickly learned to fly the shortest route.

As well as improving our understanding of how bees move around the landscape pollinating(授粉)crops and wild flowers, this research, which is due to be published in The American Naturalist, has other applications. Our lifestyle relies on networks such as traffic on the roads, information flow on the Web and business supply chains. By understanding how bees can solve their problems with such a tiny brain, we can improve our management of these everyday networks without needing lots of computer time. Dr. Raine adds, “Despite their tiny brains, bees are capable of extraordinary feats of behavior. We need to understand how they can solve the traveling salesman problem without a computer. ”

1. What would be the best title of the passage?

A. Bees help salesmen travel

B. Tiny-brained bees solve a complex mathematical problem

C. How bees discover the flowers

D. How to solve the “traveling salesman problem”

2.We may infer from the second paragraph that the “traveling salesman problem” 　　.

A. can be solved by a computer easily

B. can’t even be solved by a computer

C. can puzzle both people and computers

D. remains to be solved by scientists

3. The main purpose of the last paragraph is to　　.

A. provide further proof for the research

B. tell us how bees can fly the shortest route between flowers

C. tell us how the research about bees’ flying route was conducted

D. explain the importance of the research

4. It can be concluded from the passage that　　.

A. all creatures are smarter than computers

B. the research about bees’ flying route can be applied to many fields

C. our networks are more complex than bees’ ones

D. with the help of the computer we can find out how bees can solve the “traveling salesman problem”

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists, psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the classical writers like Shakespeare and Wordsworth has a great effect on the mind, catches the reader’s attention and triggers moments of self-examination.

Using a special machine, they monitored the brain activity of 30 volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, T.S. Eliot and others.

In the first part of the research, the brain activity of 30 volunteers was monitored as they read passages from Shakespeare’s plays, including King Lear, Othello, Coriolanus and Macbeth, and again as they read the text rewritten in a simpler form or modern language.

While reading the common texts, normal levels of electrical activity were shown in their brains. When they read the works of Shakespeare, however, the levels of activity jumped because of his use of words which were unfamiliar to them. The result of the test showed that the more challenging passages cause a greater degree of electrical activity in the brain than the common ones.

Scientists went on to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and recorded how it lit up as the readers came across unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentences in the classical works. As a result, this lightening up process of the mind lasted longer than that when volunteers read common texts, encouraging further reading.

The research also found that reading poetry especially increases activity in the right hemisphere (半球) of the brain, an area connected with “autobiographical memory”, driving the readers to think carefully about their own experiences based on what they have read. The academics said this meant the classical works of literature are more useful than self-help books.

Philip Davis, an English professor who has worked on the study in the university’s magnetic resonance center, announced this week: “Classical literature acts like a rocket-booster to the brain, which provides extra power for the brain. You may never imagine how powerful it is. The research shows such kind of literature can create new thoughts and connections in the young and the old.”

1.The underlined word “triggers” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to“_______”.

A.stops B.keeps

C.interrupts D.causes

2.Which of the following is NOT true about reading classical literature?

A.It’s helpful for readers to come up with new ideas.

B.It’s an activity that is suitable for people of all ages.

C.It makes readers’ electrical activity of brain return to normal.

D.It makes readers’ brain more active than reading common texts.

3.From the research, we can learn that _______.

A.poetry increases left-brain activity more than other literary forms

B.the readers prefer Shakespeare’s works to the other writers’works

C.the words of classical works make it hard for volunteers to read further

D.reading classical works produces a good and long-lasting effect on the mind

4.What does the author mainly tell us in this passage?

A.Classical works help the brain develop better.

B.Poetry is useful for developing people’s brain.

C.Common books are unpopular anymore.

D.Shakespeare’s plays are worth reading.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists at the University of Oxford have developed new artificial intelligence(AI) software to recognize and follow up the faces of chimpanzees(黑猩猩)in the wild. The new software will allow researchers and wildlife conservationists to significantly cut back on time spent analyzing videos, according to the new paper published in Science Advances.

For species(物种)like chimpanzees, which have complex social lives and live for many years，getting photos of their behavior taken from short-term field research can only tell us so much，” says Dan Schofield， researcher and DPhil student at Oxford University’s Private Models Lab, School of Anthropology. “By taking advantage of the power of machine learning to unlock large video files , it makes it possible to measure behavior over the long term. ’’

The computer model was trained using over 10 million images(影像):from Kyoto University s Primate Research Institute(PRI) video files of wild chimpanzees in Guinea,West Africa. The new software is the first to continuously track and recognize individual a wide range of poses, performing with high accuracy in difficult conditions such as low lighting and poor image quality.

“Access to this large video file has allowed us to use deep neural networks to train models to a degree that was previously not possible,” says Arsha Nagrad, co-auther of the study and DPhil student at the Department of Engineer Science ,University of Oxford .” Additionally, our new software differs from previous primate face recognition software in that it can be applied to videos with limited manual intervention(人工干预)，saving hours of time. ”

The technology can be potentially used to monitor species for conservation Although the present application focuses on chimpanzees, the AI software provided will be applied to other species, and help drive the adoption of AI systems to solve(解决)a range of problems in the wildlife sciences.

1.What is the purpose of developing the new soft?

A.To save wildlife researchers’ time spent in the labs.

B.To keep track of wildlife conservationists' behaviors.

C.To protect chimpanzees and help them to live longer .

D.To recognize and track the faces of wild chimpanzees.

2.What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A.Getting photos. B.Analyzing videos.

C.A powerful machine D.The new AI software.

3.What does paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A.The working principle of the new software. B.Some limitations of using the new software.

C.The unique advantages of the new software. D.Controversial attitudes to the new software.

4.What can be known from the last paragraph?

A.Technology advance is the final goal of science

B.The new software won’t just be applied to chimpanzees.

C.AI systems are widely used in the wildlife sciences.

D.The application of the new technology isn’t easy.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists at the University of Oxford have developed new artificial intelligence (AI) software to recognize and follow up the faces of individual chimpanzees (黑猩猩) in the wild. The new software will allow researcher and wildlife conservationists to greatly cut back on time spent analyzing videos, according to the new paper published today in Science Advances.

“For species like chimpanzees, which have complex social lives and live for many years, getting photos of their behavior from short-term field research can only tell us so much.” says Dan Sehofield, researcher and DPhil student at Oxford University’s Primate Models Lab, School of Anthropology. “By taking advantage of the power of machine learning to unlock large video files, it makes it possible to measure behavior over the long term.”

The computers model was trained using over 10 million images (影像) from Kyoto University’s Primate Research Institute (PRI) video files of wild chimpanzees in Guinea, West Africa. The new software is the first to continuously track and recognize individuals in a wide range of posed, performing with high accuracy in difficult conditions such as low lighting and poor image quality.

“Access to this large video file has allowed us to use the newest deep neural networks to train models at a scale that was previously not possible,” says Arsha Nagrani, co-author of the study and DPhil student at the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford. “Additionally, our new software differs from previous primate face recognition software in that it can be applied to raw videos with limited manual intervention (人工干预) or pre-processing, saving hours of time.”

The technology has potential for many uses, such as monitoring species for conservation. Although the present application focused on chimpanzees, the software provided could be applied to other species, and help drive the adoption of AI systems to solve a range of problems in the wildlife sciences.

1.What’s the purpose of developing the new software?

A.To save wildlife researchers’ time spent in the wild.

B.To keep track of wildlife conservationists’ behavior.

C.To protect chimpanzees and help them to live longer.

D.To recognize and track the faces of wild chimpanzees.

2.What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A.Getting photos. B.Analyzing videos.

C.The new AI software. D.A powerful machine.

3.What does paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A.The unique advantages of the new software.

B.Some limitations of using the new software.

C.The working principles of the new software.

D.Controversial attitudes to the new software.

4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A.The new software has a quite bright future.

B.The application of the technology can be tough.

C.Technology is the final goal of scientific research.

D.AI systems are widely used in the wildlife sciences.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists in UK have grown a living human "brain". The team at Aston University created tiny bunch of cells which act like a mini nervous system.

They believe it could help find a cure for worse mental conditions like Parkinson’s disease. Professor Michael Coleman is leading the research program. He explained, "We are aiming to be able to study the human brain at the most basic level, using an actual living human cell system. Cells have to be alive and operating efficiently to enable us to really understand how the brain works. "The experiment involves changing cells from a cancer tumour (肿瘤）and making them behave like brain cells.

Although far from finished, researchers hope the false brain cells will give them a greater understanding of how real brains work. This, in turn, could significantly further research into conditions which affect the brain. Neil Hunt, chief leader of the research group, said, "It is still very early days, but in the future the research could lead to a useful tool for looking into dementia (痴呆)."

The technique could also provide a way to carry on animal test and is being supported by the Humane Research Trust (HRT). The scientists predict that over the next ten years a million people will develop dementia. Professor Coleman believes their findings could change this. He said，"We hope our research will provide scientists with a new and highly relational human experimental model to help them understand the brain better and develop new drugs to control the related disease. However, the biggest challenge at present is that we are greatly short of fund, which will slow our research."

1.UK scientists grow a living human "brain" in order to ______.

A. study the structure of human brain         B. make use of living human cell system

C. discover how human brain really works     D. separate cells from a cancer tumour

2. According to Neil Hunt, research into brain cells ______.

A. will get finished as early as possible        B. will make people discover dementia

C. will affect the brain growth in many ways

D. will help to treat some diseases in nerve system

3. From the last paragraph，we can know that ______

A. the technique provided by HRT is immature

B. animal tests are no longer allowed by law

C. a million people suffer from brain diseases

D. the research program lacks financial support

4. The text is intended to ______.

A. tell us about a breakthrough in medical research

B. introduce a research program in human's brain

C. introduce the progress of drugs for dementia

D. tell us about health problem in nerve system

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists in UK have grown a living human "brain". The team at Aston University created tiny bunch of cells which act like a mini nervous system.

They believe it could help find a cure for worse mental conditions like Parkinson’s disease. Professor Michael Coleman is leading the research program. He explained, "We are aiming to be able to study the human brain at the most basic level, using an actual living human cell system. Cells have to be alive and operating efficiently to enable us to really understand how the brain works. "The experiment involves changing cells from a cancer tumour (肿瘤）and making them behave like brain cells.

Although far from finished, researchers hope the false brain cells will give them a greater understanding of how real brains work. This, in turn, could significantly further research into conditions which affect the brain. Neil Hunt, chief leader of the research group, said, "It is still very early days, but in the future the research could lead to a useful tool for looking into dementia (痴呆)."

The technique could also provide a way to carry on animal test and is being supported by the Humane Research Trust (HRT). The scientists predict that over the next ten years a million people will develop dementia. Professor Coleman believes their findings could change this. He said，"We hope our research will provide scientists with a new and highly relational human experimental model to help them understand the brain better and develop new drugs to control the related disease. However, the biggest challenge at present is that we are greatly short of fund, which will slow our research."

1.UK scientists grow a living human "brain" in order to ______.

A. study the structure of human brain

B. make use of living human cell system

C. discover how human brain really works

D. separate cells from a cancer tumour

2.According to Neil Hunt, research into brain cells ______.

A. will get finished as early as possible

B. will make people discover dementia

C. will affect the brain growth in many ways

D. will help to treat some diseases in nerve system

3.From the last paragraph，we can know that ______

A. the technique provided by HRT is immature

B. animal tests are no longer allowed by law

C. a million people suffer from brain diseases

D. the research program lacks financial support

4.The text is intended to ______.

A. tell us about a breakthrough in medical research

B. introduce a research program in human's brain

C. introduce the progress of drugs for dementia

D. tell us about health problem in nerve system

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析