Chinese researchers say they have come up with a simple way to find out a person’s biological age —how much the body has aged physically – through a urine (尿) test.
Their findings will help researchers conduct numbers of ageing studies and even predict a person’s risk of age-related diseases, according to a paper published in the journal Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience.
Another paper by researchers at the Beijing Hospital and the West China Hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan province, said on Tuesday that people aged at different rates due to changes in their genetic make-up and their environment.
Chronological age – which is based on one’s birth date —was an inaccurate measure of biological age so a more accurate method was needed, the team said.
Ageing is driven by the lifelong gradual accumulation of a broad variety of molecular (分子) faults in the body’s cells. The team said they had identified a matter —8-oxoGsn — that indicated increases in oxidative (氧化性) damage in urine as people’s bodies aged.
Cai Jianping, a co-author at the Beijing Hospital, said: “As we age, we suffer increasing oxidative damage and so the levels of oxidative matters increase in our body.” The team tested the levels of 8-oxoGsn in urine samples from 1,228 Chinese people aged two to 90 and concluded the marker helped accurately determine the stage of biological ageing in adults.
They had previously found that 8-oxoGsn levels also increased with age in the urine of animals such as mice.
The team has also developed a rapid analysis technique called ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography, which can process up to 10 urine samples an hour, according to the study.
1.Scientifically speaking, by what does a doctor judge the stage of a person getting old?
A. His biological age. B. His condition.
C. His psychology. D. His chronological age.
2.What are the outer factors the speed of one’s ageing physically depend on?
A. One’s birth date.
B. The increases in oxidative damage in urine.
C. The accumulation of various molecular faults in the body’s cells.
D. The changes in their genetic make-up and their environment.
3.Which can take the place of the underlined word “marker” in the sixth paragraph?
A. Molecular faults. B. 8-oxoGsn.
C. Oxidative damage. D. Stage of biological ageing in adults.
4.What is the passage about?
A. Why people are ageing.
B. How to delay people’s ageing physically.
C. A rapid method with which to judge how much people are aging physically.
D. What determines the stage of people’s ageing physically.
高三英语阅读理解困难题
Chinese researchers say they have come up with a simple way to find out a person’s biological age —how much the body has aged physically – through a urine (尿) test.
Their findings will help researchers conduct numbers of ageing studies and even predict a person’s risk of age-related diseases, according to a paper published in the journal Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience.
Another paper by researchers at the Beijing Hospital and the West China Hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan province, said on Tuesday that people aged at different rates due to changes in their genetic make-up and their environment.
Chronological age – which is based on one’s birth date —was an inaccurate measure of biological age so a more accurate method was needed, the team said.
Ageing is driven by the lifelong gradual accumulation of a broad variety of molecular (分子) faults in the body’s cells. The team said they had identified a matter —8-oxoGsn — that indicated increases in oxidative (氧化性) damage in urine as people’s bodies aged.
Cai Jianping, a co-author at the Beijing Hospital, said: “As we age, we suffer increasing oxidative damage and so the levels of oxidative matters increase in our body.” The team tested the levels of 8-oxoGsn in urine samples from 1,228 Chinese people aged two to 90 and concluded the marker helped accurately determine the stage of biological ageing in adults.
They had previously found that 8-oxoGsn levels also increased with age in the urine of animals such as mice.
The team has also developed a rapid analysis technique called ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography, which can process up to 10 urine samples an hour, according to the study.
1.Scientifically speaking, by what does a doctor judge the stage of a person getting old?
A. His biological age. B. His condition.
C. His psychology. D. His chronological age.
2.What are the outer factors the speed of one’s ageing physically depend on?
A. One’s birth date.
B. The increases in oxidative damage in urine.
C. The accumulation of various molecular faults in the body’s cells.
D. The changes in their genetic make-up and their environment.
3.Which can take the place of the underlined word “marker” in the sixth paragraph?
A. Molecular faults. B. 8-oxoGsn.
C. Oxidative damage. D. Stage of biological ageing in adults.
4.What is the passage about?
A. Why people are ageing.
B. How to delay people’s ageing physically.
C. A rapid method with which to judge how much people are aging physically.
D. What determines the stage of people’s ageing physically.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Chinese researchers say they have come up with a simple way to find out a person’s biological age —how much the body has aged physically – through a urine (尿) test.
Their findings will help researchers conduct numbers of ageing studies and even predict a person’s risk of age-related diseases, according to a paper published in the journal Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience.
Another paper by researchers at the Beijing Hospital and the West China Hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan province, said on Tuesday that people aged at different rates due to changes in their genetic make-up and their environment.
Chronological age – which is based on one’s birth date —was an inaccurate measure of biological age so a more accurate method was needed, the team said.
Ageing is driven by the lifelong gradual accumulation of a broad variety of molecular (分子) faults in the body’s cells. The team said they had identified a matter —8-oxoGsn — that indicated increases in oxidative (氧化性) damage in urine as people’s bodies aged.
Cai Jianping, a co-author at the Beijing Hospital, said: “As we age, we suffer increasing oxidative damage and so the levels of oxidative matters increase in our body.” The team tested the levels of 8-oxoGsn in urine samples from 1,228 Chinese people aged two to 90 and concluded the marker helped accurately determine the stage of biological ageing in adults.
They had previously found that 8-oxoGsn levels also increased with age in the urine of animals such as mice.
The team has also developed a rapid analysis technique called ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography, which can process up to 10 urine samples an hour, according to the study.
1.Scientifically speaking, by what does a doctor judge the stage of a person getting old?
A. His condition. B. His biological age.
C. His psychology. D. His chronological age.
2.What are the outer factors the speed of one’s ageing physically depend on?
A. One’s birth date.
B. The increases in oxidative damage in urine.
C. The changes in their genetic make-up and their environment.
D. The accumulation of various molecular faults in the body’s cells.
3.Which can take the place of the underlined word “marker” in the sixth paragraph?
A. 8-oxoGsn.
B. Molecular faults.
C. Oxidative damage.
D. Stage of biological ageing in adults.
4.What is the passage about?
A. Why people are ageing.
B. How to delay people’s ageing physically.
C. What determines the stage of people’s ageing physically.
D. A rapid method with which to judge how much people are aging physically.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Researchers with the University of Cambridge say they have the first real evidence of a new state of matter, some 40 years after it was first theorized.
Known as “quantum spin liquid(量子旋转水)”, the matter state causes normally unbreakable electrons to break into pieces called “Majorana fermions.” These fermions are an important discovery. Physicists believe the material is vital to further develop quantum computing. Computers employing Majorana femuons would be able to carry out calculations beyond the scale of modern computers quickly, they say.
Quantum spin liquid explains some of the eccentric behaviors inside magnetic(磁性的) materials. In these materials, the electrons should behave like small bar magnets, all adjusting towards magnetic north when a material is cooled. But not all magnetic materials do this—if the material contains quantum spin liquid, the electrons don’t all line up and become involved.
“Until recently, we didn’t even know what the experimental fingerprints of a quantum spin liquid would look like,” researcher Dr.Dmitry Kovrizhin says. “That created a challenge for the researchers, so they decided to employ neutron scattering(神经扫描) techniques to look for evidence of break”. What they found surprised them. The features matched nearly exactly with quantum spin liquid models theorized by physicist Phil Anderson in 1973. The results of their breakthrough were then published in the scientific journal Nature Materials on Monday.
Don’t get too excited just yet on its applications, though. Kovirzhin’s work is only the beginning and as we’ve seen with quantum computing there is a lot of work to be done. But it’s still exciting regardless.
“It’s an important step for our understanding of quantum matter,” Kovrizhin says. “It’s fun to have another new quantum state that we’ve never seen before—it presents us with new possibilities to try new things.”
1.What can we learn about “Majorana fermion” according to Paragraph 2?
A. It is an important discovery 40 years ago.
B. It is a surprising theory raised by Phil Anderson.
C. It is a key piece in developing quantum computer.
D. It is an unbreakable electrons employing computer.
2.Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “eccentric” in Paragraph 3?
A. Strange. B. Complex. C. Permanent. D. Obvious.
3.How did the researchers make the breakthrough?
A. By adjusting magnetic materials.
B. By using neutron scattering techniques.
C. By repeating maths calculations.
D. By changing electronic structure.
4.What is the author’s tone about the future of quantum matter?
A. Negative. B. Doubtful. C. Indifferent. D. Optimistic.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Scientists who discovered a new way of generating electricity from water say they may have come across an alternative source of clean energy to rival wind and solar power.
The breakthrough, which scientists say is the first new way to generate electricity in 160 years, could lead to batteries that use water instead of poisonous substances.
The scientists made the discovery when they were investigating what happens when tap water is forced through extremely narrow glass tubes. Water squeezed down the tubes, each of which was narrower than a tenth the thickness of a human hair, generating a small electric current that ran the length of the tube. To produce a larger electric current, the team tried forcing water through a glass water filter(滤水器)that contained thousands of narrow channels lined up side by side. “When we took a syringe(注射器)of water and squeezed it through the filter, we got enough power to light a light bulb,” said Larry Kostiuk of the University of Alberta in Canada. “The harder you push the syringe, the more electric current you get.”
The current is produced because of an effect in the glass tubes. When they are filled with water, positively charged ions(阳离子)fixed in the tubes are washed away, leaving a slight negative charge on the glass surface. When water is then forced along the tube, the surface repels negatively charged ions in the water while positively charged ions are attracted down the tube. The result is a net flow of positively charged ions that sets up an electric current.
According to Dr Kostiuk, no one has ever thought to use water to produce electricity in this way. “The last time someone came up with a way of generating electricity was Michael Faraday in 1839,” he said. “So this is the first new way of generating electricity in 160 years, which is why we are so excited about it.”
Dr Kostiuk says water batteries might one day be used to power mobile phones and calculators, but admitted that the engineering challenges might make other applications more realistic. “You’d need to be sure it wouldn’t leak, and you’d need to make sure it wouldn’t freeze,” he said.
More likely would be to install the electricity-generating devices where water is already being pumped, such as at city water filtration sites, he said. “It could compete with wind and solar power,” he added.
1.What does the passage mainly want to tell us about?
A. A kind of solar power discovered by scientists.
B. A kind of new energy source found in tap water.
C. The breakthrough to generate electricity 160 yeas ago.
D. A kind of new battery invented without poisonous substances.
2.The underlined word “repels” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. rejects B. identifies C. attracts D. rebels
3.Why were the scientists extremely happy about their new discovery?
A. They were the first to find a new way to produce electricity.
B. They could make an electric current to light a light bulb.
C. Their discovery could be used to invent water batteries.
D. Their discovery was made 160 years earlier than Faraday’s.
4.What can we infer about potential water batteries?
A. They must be used to power mobile phones and calculators.
B. They have some possible disadvantages like water leaking.
C. They would be needed greatly at city water filtration sites.
D. They would be better than wind and solar power.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
It's every parent's worst nightmare. 1.. Now scientists say they have found a better way to wake up sleeping youngsters. Researchers in the US have discovered that playing a child a recording of their mother's voice is about three times more likely to wake them than a traditional alarm. Moreover, they can escape more quickly.
Dr Gary Smith, a co－author of the research from the Nationwide Children's hospital in Ohio and his colleagues report how they compared the effects of four different smoke alarms on 176 children aged between 5 and 12 years old.2.. While one alarm featured a high－pitched beep, the other three featured the voice of the child's mother calling either the child's name, giving instructions such as: “Wake up! Leave the room！”， or both. Each child slept in a lab－based room that resembled a real bedroom, and was shown how to escape from the room before they went to bed. They each experienced all four alarms—the order of which was chosen randomly.
3.. About 90% of children woke for a vocal alarm compared with just over 53% for the traditional alarm. In addition, the children shook off their sleep faster, with a median(中位数) value of two seconds for the voice alarm compared with more than two and a half minutes for the traditional alarm.4.．
Prof Niamh Nic Daéid, director of the Leverhulme Research Centre at the University of Dundee, said the research supported by her team found a human voice combined with a low－frequency pulsing tone was far more effective in waking children than a traditional high－pitched alarm.5.， which might have made them more responsive to an alarm, while more work was needed to explore whether other familiar sounds, such as a dog barking, might also prove effective in waking up children.
A. But she noted that the latest study involved children sleeping in a location other than their own bedroom
B. But she said it was important to look at developing better alarms
C. None of them had hearing difficulties or were taking any medication that affected their sleep
D. The results show that voice alarms appear to be more effective than high－pitched beeps
E. What's more, it does so faster and is linked to a quicker escape
F. There's a fire in the house; the alarms are beeping, but the children are in deep sleep
G. Similarly, escape times were longer in the cases of the beeping alarms
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
Researchers say they have developed technology that could predict heart attacks years before they happen. They report using mathematical systems to examine CT images of a patient’s heart. A CT scan uses X-rays and a computer to make detailed pictures of bones, organs and other tissue inside the body.
The new method was developed by researchers at the University of Oxford in England. A report on their study was published in the medical journal The Lancet. Also taking part in the study were teams from Germany and the US.
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, thus blocking this flow of blood and causing 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.
The researchers reported using computers to examine CT scans to measure how much fat is present around heart arteries. That fat changes when an artery becomes affected, serving as an early warning system for heart attacks.
Charalambos, a professor at Oxford University, said he believes the research shows this method could be very effective in getting patients to take early steps to prevent future problems, adding 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. The research was based on two large, independent studies of 4,000 patients in Germany, and the US. A company with ties to Oxford University is developing a service to examine CT scans of patients around the world, Reuters reported.
1.What’s the aim of the new technology?
A. To predict ways to block fatty issues in heart arteries.
B. To provide detailed pictures of how arteries work.
C. To build computer models of the image of a heart.
D. To decide which arteries are likely to have fat built up.
2.When does a heart attack generally happen according to the text?
A. When the CT scan affects the flow of blood in the heart.
B. When fat around heart arteries blocks the flow of blood.
C. When a sticky material flows into an artery near the heart.
D. When bones and organs of the body begin to be weak.
3.What is an early warning for heart attacks?
A. A change of fat happening around heart arteries.
B. The finding of a sticky material in the blood.
C. The presence of fat around the bones and organs.
D. The aging and failure of arteries near the heart.
4.What’s the main idea of the text?
A. The harm of fat build-up to heart arteries.
B. The use of CT scans to prevent of heart attacks.
C. Research into the early warning of heart attacks.
D. The warning the body gives about heart attacks.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
University of Pennsylvania researchers say that for the first time they have linked social media use to increases in depression and loneliness． The idea that social media is anything but social when it comes to mental health has been talked about for years， but not many studies have managed to actually link the two． To do that， Penn researchers， led by psychologist Melissa Hunt， designed a study that focused on WeChat， Snapchat and Instagram．
The study was conducted with 143 participants， who before they began， completed a mood survey and sent along photos of their battery screens， showing how often they were using their phones to access social media． "We set out to do a much more complete study which attempts to imitate real life．" Hunt said．
The study divided the participants into two groups： The first group was allowed to maintain their normal social media habits． The other， the control group， was restricted to 10 minutes per day on social media． The restrictions were put in place for three weeks and then the participants returned and were tested for outcomes such as fear of missing out， anxiety， depression and loneliness．
The results showed a very clear link between social media use and increased levels of depression and loneliness． "Using less social media than you normally do would lead to significant decreases in both depression and loneliness，" Hunt said．
Social media invites what Hunt calls "downward social comparison．" "When you're online， it can sometimes seem that everyone else is cooler and having more fun and included in more things and you're left out，" Hunt said． And that's just generally discouraging． "Every minute you spend online is a minute you are not doing your work or not meeting a friend for dinner or having a deep conversation with your roommate．" And these real life activities are the ones that can encourage self﹣esteem and self﹣worth， Hunt added．
"People are on their devices， and that's not going to change，" she said． But as in life， a bit of control goes a long way．
1.Before the study was conducted， the participants completed a survey to ．
A. imitate people's real life
B. link loneliness to depression
C. show their use of social media
D. prove social media is important
2.The results of the study showed using less social media would result in ．
A. people's fear of missing out
B. higher levels of depression
C. obvious relief in loneliness
D. lower levels of happiness
3.In Hunt's opinion， which activity benefits more to mental health？
A. Hiking out with friends．
B. Making comparison with others．
C. Playing computer games in spare time．
D. Logging onto social media and having fun．
4.Which can be the best title of the passage？
A. A Study on Social Media．
B. How to Improve Mental Health．
C. People Addicted to Social Media．
D. Social Media Influences Mental Health．
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
Researchers at Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology say they have found further proof that the wolf ancestors of today’s dogs can be from southern East Asia -- findings that are contrary to theories placing the birth place in the Middle East. Dr Peter Savolainen, KTH researcher in evolutionary genetics, says a new study released Nov. 23 confirms that an Asian region south of the Yangtze River was the principal and probably the only region where wolves were domesticated（驯化）by humans.
Research data show clearly that dogs are descended from wolves, but there’s never been scientific agreement on where in the world the domestication process began. “Our analysis of Y-chromosomal（染色体）DNA now confirms that wolves were first domesticated in Asia south of Yangtze River -- we call it the ASY region -- in southern China or Southeast Asia,” Savolainen says.
The Y data supports previous evidence from mitochondrial（线粒体）DNA. “Taken together, the two studies provide very strong evidence that dogs appeared first in the ASY region,” Savolainen says.
Archaeological data and a genetic study recently published in Nature suggest that dogs originate from the Middle East. But Savolainen rejects that view. “Because none of these studies included samples from the ASY region, evidence from ASY has been overlooked,” he says.
Peter Savolainen and PhD student Mattias Oskarsson worked with Chinese colleagues to analyse DNA from male dogs around the world. Their study was published in the scientific journal Heredity.
Approximately half of the gene pool was universally shared everywhere in the world, while only the ASY region had the entire range of genetic diversity. “This shows that gene pools in all other regions of the world most probably originate from the ASY region,” Savolainen says.
“Our results confirm that Asia south of the Yangtze River was the most important -- and probably the only -- region for wolf domestication, and that a large number of wolves were domesticated,” says Savolainen.
In separate research published recently in Ecology and Evolution, Savolainen, PhD student Arman Ardalan and Iranian and Turkish scientists conducted a comprehensive study of mitochondrial DNA, with a particular focus on the Middle East. Because mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother in most species, it is especially useful in studying evolutionary relationships.
“Since other studies have indicated that wolves were domesticated in the Middle East, we wanted to be sure nothing had been missed. We find no signs whatsoever that dogs originated there,” says Savolainen.
In their studies, the researchers also found minor genetic contributions from crossbreeding between dogs and wolves in other geographic regions, including the Middle East.
“This subsequent dog/wolf hybridisation（混合淡化技术）contributed only modestly to the dog gene pool,” Savolainen explains.
1.What does Dr. Peter Savolainen believe?
A. Dogs’ ancestors came from the Middle East.
B. Wolves were probably first trained to work for humans in the ASY region.
C. Analysis of Y-chromosomal DNA should be combined with mitochondrial DNA.
D. Samples of the previous studies are enough to support the conclusion.
2.We can learn from the passage that _______.
A．there is a universal agreement on the place of first domestication
B．data from ASY may highlight where dogs came from
C．Dr. Savolainen’s research mainly focuses on the Middle East
D．the dog/wolf hybridization makes up most of the dog gene pool
3.What is special about mitochondrial DNA?
A．It is only used in studying evolutionary relationships.
B．It alone can provide hard evidence for Savolainen’s research.
C．It is the most useful in finding out the birth place of dogs.
D．It comes from the mother of most animals and plants.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Researchers in the US say they might have discovered how to fight against and even reverse some processes of ageing, at least in mice. Injecting the blood of young mice into the older ones improved their brainpower, a study found. Scientists at Stanford University plan to carry out trials in people in the hope that new treatments for dementia(痴呆症) can be developed.
“There are factors present in blood from young mice that can recharge an old mouse’s brain so that it functions more like a younger one,”says Dr. Tony from Stanford University School of medicine. In the study published in Nature Medicine, mice aged 18 months were given injections of the blood taken from mice aged 3 months. The injected mice performed better on memory tests than mice of the same age that had not been given the blood. Dr. Tony said it was not known whether the same was true of humans, but a trial was planned.
A research center in UK said the treatment restored certain aspects of learning and memory in mice, but was of unknown importance to humans. The research, while very interesting, did not test the type of brain damage that was seen in dementia, which is not a necessary consequence of ageing.
Meanwhile, two similar studies by a separate team have thrown more light on how young blood may benefit the old, in mice at least. A substance in the blood of mice previously shown to have an anti-ageing effect on heart muscle also improved brain cells, according to a Harvard team. The research, published in Science, found the blood factors encouraged the growth of brain cells in old mice, and restored their sense of smell. The same chemical also improved muscle power of aged mice, the researchers found.
1. The underlined word in paragraph 1 probably means _________.
A. change B. destroy
C. speed D. increase
2. Scientists in the US will test the discovery in humans with the aim of __________.
A. proving the possibility to live longer.
B. showing the importance of scientific research.
C. publishing the study in Nature Medicine.
D. treating an age-related disease successfully.
3.According to the studies, the blood from young mice benefits the old in certain ways except in_________.
A. memory B. muscle power
C. fur color D. brain cells
4.What’s the author’s attitude to the anti-ageing studies?
A. supportive B. objective
C. negative D. doubtful
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析