Scientists say they have discovered a promising treatment for sleeping sickness, a killer disease that infects(感染) about 60,000 people in Africa a year.

British and Canadian experts say drugs could attack the parasite(寄生虫) causing the illness.They say the drug could be ready for human medical test in about 18 months.

The disease, spread by the bite of a fly, is caused by a parasite attacking the central nervous system.It has similar symptoms(症状) to malaria(疟疾), making it difficult to diagnose.Left untreated, it moves to the brain, resulting in mental confusion and final death

The "breakthrough" came at the University of Dundee in Scotland, where scientists were offered money to research diseases ignored by major drugs companies.

Professor Paul Wyatt, director of the programme, said: "This is one of the most significant findings made in recent years in terms of drug discovery and development for ignored diseases."

He said the research, published in the journal Nature, represented "significant progress" in the development of a full blown drug against the disease.

The World Health Organization said there are between 50,000 and 70,000 cases of the disease a year, with a further 60 million people at risk of infection.

The research in Dundee was backed by partners at the University of York in England and the Structural Genomics Consortium in Toronto, Canada.The two drugs currently available to treat sleeping sickness both have problems.One is with side effects that kill one in 20 patients and the other is costly, only partially effective and requires long-time hospital treatment, the scientists said.

The word backed in the last paragraph probably means_____.

       A.conducted           B.supported      C.believed        D.managed

What the World Health Organization said suggested that______.

       A.about 60000 people died of the disease each year

       B.about 60000 people were cured of the disease each year

       C.600 million people are likely to get infected

       D.the disease is spreading fast in Africa   

We can read this passage______.

       A.in the journal Nature

       B.in a newspaper of the University of Dundee

       C.in a book about flies

       D.in a newspaper about medicine

We can learn from the passage that______.

       A.big drug companies play an important role in the research of the new drug

       B.people who get infected with the disease are mentally disturbed

       C.among 200 people infected with the disease, 5 may die because of the old drug

       D. Professor Paul Wyatt may be a professor at the University of York

In 1977, a dead author of detective stories saved the life of a 19-month-old baby in a most unusual way. The author was Agatha Christie, one of the most successful writers of detective stories in the world.

In June 1977, a baby girl became seriously ill in Qatar, near Saudi Arabia. Doctors were unable to find out the cause of her illness with confidence, so she was sent to Hammersmith Hospital in London. She was then only semi-conscious (半清醒状态) and on the "Dangerously Ill" list. A team of doctors hurried to examine the baby only to discover that they, too, were confused by the very unusual symptoms (症状). While they were discussing the baby's case, a nurse asked to speak to them.

"Excuse me," said Nurse Marsha Maitlan, "but I think the baby is suffering from thallium poisoning. (铊中毒)"

"What makes you think that?" Dr. Brown asked. "Thallium poisoning is extremely rare."

"A few days ago, I was reading a novel called A Pale Horse by Agatha Christie," Nurse Maitlan explained. "In the book, somebody uses thallium poison, and all the symptoms are described. They're exactly the same as the baby's."

"You're very thoughtful and you may be right," another doctor said. "We'll carry out some tests and find out whether it's thallium or not."

Tests showed that the baby had indeed been poisoned by thallium, a rare metallic substance used in making special glass. Once they knew the cause of the illness, the doctors were able to give the baby the correct treatment. She soon recovered and was sent back to Qatar. Later it was reported that the poison might have come from an insecticide (杀虫剂) used in Qatar.

The one who first suggested the correct cause of the baby's illness was _____.

A. a doctor in Qatar               B. Nurse Maitlan

C. Dr. Brown                    D. Agatha Christie

The baby was sent to London because _____.

A. she was born there

B. the hospitals in Qatar were full at that time

C. she was the daughter of a doctor in London

D. the Qatar doctors were not sure whether they could cure her

As far as we can tell from the passage, Agatha Christie _____.

A. had never met this baby

B. had spent a long time studying the baby's case

C. visited the baby in the hospital at Hammersmith

D. gave Nurse Maitlan some advice on the phone

It seems likely from the passage that the baby's illness had something to do with _____.

A. a dangerous pair of glasses

B. the water in Qatar

C. a harmful substance used to kill insects

D. a dead writer

When the baby was sent to the hospital in London, her case was considered to be _____.

A. an urgent one               B. quite a simple one

C. a usual one                 D. the result of thallium poisoning

It was time for Mr. Rocco to shut up shop when I hurried into the florist’s. “Now, what is it you want?” Mr. Rocco turned to me. “I want the most beautiful flower you have.” I replied. “And just how much do you have to pay for this most beautiful flower?” I held out a wet hand showing a quarter and dime. He nodded, and then showed me a plant on the counter. “I can give you this one for 35 cents.” he said. “Aw, gee,” I protested, “it looks like a weed!” About 18 inches high, the plant was in a small pot covered with faded red paper. “Now trust me, boy—I promise that tomorrow morning when you get up, you will find your most beautiful flower.” said Mr. Rocco. I knew him to be a good honest man, so I agreed to take it.

It was almost midnight when I arrived home. Mom was seriously sick and using the front bedroom. I looked in to see if she was asleep, and then quietly tiptoed in and set the plant on the table beside her bed. I wanted her to be surprised when she woke on Mother’s Day.

The next morning, I dressed and hurried downstairs. The sun was shining through kitchen window as I looked into Mom’s room. She motioned for me to come in, then glanced over at the table where the plant was. Holy mackerel! There were three big yellow trumpet-shaped(喇叭状的)blooms. It was just like Mr. Rocco said—the most beautiful flower I ever saw! When I looked at Mom, she was smiling as tears streamed down her cheeks. She held out her hand for me to come near, then pulled me close and hugged till it hurt. Then, remembering her contagious condition and that she wasn’t supposed to touch me, she quickly let me go.

My dear mom died the next night. The moment she hugged me turned out to be the most wonderful moment of my life. Not only had that beautiful plant helped show just how much I loved her, but I’d always know how much she loved me.

   The author didn’t like the plant recommended by Mr. Rocco at first because ______.

A. the packing of the plant was shabby

B. the plant was more a weed than a flower         

C. the plant appeared too ordinary to be the most beautiful

D. he thought Mr. Rocco was reluctant to do the deal with him

   Mother’s condition was contagious (Line 6, Para.3) for ______.

A. she was at the death’s door         B. she suffered from the illness

C. others were sick of her appearance   D. virus might spread from her to others  

When mother hugged the author tightly, she was showing that ______.

A. she liked being given gifts             

B. she valued what the author had done for her

C. she was aware of the approaching of death   

D. she was touched by the beauty of the flower

The story is mainly developed by______________.

A. time        B. logic            C. comparison       D. cause and result

Which may be the best title of the passage?

A. Flowers of Love                          B. A Son’s Love for Mother

C. Low Price, High Value               D. A Special Mother’s Day 

There was once a professor of medicine, who was very strict with the students. Whenever he took the chair on the exam committee(担任考试委员会主席), the students would be in fear, because he was seldom pleased with the answers they gave. A student would be lucky enough if he or she could receive a good mark from him. At the end of the term, the students of medicine would take their exam again. Now a student entered the exam room and got seated before the committee. This student was a little nervous as he knew it would not be so easy to get through the exam at all.

    The professor began to ask. The student was required to describe a certain illness, his description of which turned out to be OK.

  Then the professor asked about the cure (药剂) for illness, and the student, too, answered just as right.

    “Good,” said the professor, “and how much will you give the patient?”

    “A full spoon”, answered the student.

    “Now you may go out and wait for what you can get.”, said the professor. At the same time, the committee discussed carefully the answers the student had given. Suddenly the student noticed that there was something wrong with his last answer. “ A full spoon is too much,” he thought to himself. Anxiously he opened the door of the room and cried, “Mr. Professor, I’ve made a mistake! A full spoon is too much for a patient. He can take only five drops.”

    “I’m sorry, sir.” said the professor coldly, “But it’s too late. Your patient has died.”

1.The students were afraid of the professor because_________.

A. they often angered and disappointed him

B. their answers often astonished him

C. their answers seldom satisfied him

D. he often misunderstood them and gave them bad marks

2. The student’s description of the illness was           .

A. not correct      B. not satisfied     C. completely discouraging    D. accepted.

3.Before he left the room the student was almost sure that          .

    A. he had passed the exam, and the only thing was to wait for the mark

    B. his last answer was satisfying

    C. he had made a mistake

    D. he had not done well in the exam.

4.Which of the following is Not true?

    A. The patient will be in danger if he’s taken as much as a full spoon.

    B. The doctor will be in trouble if he’s given the patient a full spoon.

    C. Since one spoon is less than five drops, the patient will be all right soon if he takes only one full spoon at a time.

    D. If the patient wants to remain safe, he should take no more than five drops at a time.

 

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