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

The two largest islands of the British Isles are Great Britain and Ireland. England, Wales and Scotland together form Great Britain. Scotland, lying in the northern part of Great Britain and bordering(接壤)England on the south, is half the size of England and Wales, having an area of about 76 000 square kilometers. Most of Northern Scotland is mountainous area known as the Scottish Highlands. In the center of Scotland there are the Central Low-lands, and the south is waving, hilly area known as the Southern Uplands which rise to 800m. There are many rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The rivers which run to the east are longer than the ones which run to the west.

In Scotland the main rainy winds come from the Atlantic Ocean. The west part is wet with an average(平均) rainfall of up to 200cm while the east is dry with about 75cm. The winters are cold with an average January temperature of 4℃. The summers are cold and warm but rarely hot.

1. This passage mainly tells us____ .

A. how many parts form Great Britain

B. the positions of England, Wales and Scotland

C. the areas of Great Britain

D. Something about Scotland

2. England lies____ .

A. in the south of Great Britain          B. to the south of Scotland

C. to the north of Wales                D. in the north of Scotland

3. This passage also tells us____ .

A. the population of Great Britain        B. the history of England and Wales

C. the size of Scotland                 D. the position of Northern Ireland

4. The Central lowlands_____ .

A. lie between the Scottish Highlands and the Southern Uplands

B. lie to the north of Scottish Highlands

C. lie to the south of the Southern Uplands

D. border England on the south

5. The writer says that in Scotland there is more rain____ .

A. in the Highlands than in the Southern Uplands     B. in the west part than in the east

C. in the Central Lowlands than in the Highland      D. in the east than in the west

 

A pair of pandas being lent by China to Japan was set to arrive in Tokyo's Ueno Zoo in the Japanese capital and raising hopes that the animals may help improve bilateral (双边的)ties.

Bi Li and his female partner, Xian Nu, both 5, were  due  to  touch  down  at  Narita international Airport in Tokyo on a flight from Shanghai.

Together with their keeper, the pair were transferred from Chengdu, to Shanghai on Monday morning, said Li Desheng, deputy chief of the Wolong Nature Reserve.

The pair, which are young adults, will be the first pandas at Ueno Zoo since April 2008, when the institution's beloved Ling Ling died.

Ueno Zoo had spent 90 million yen ($1.1 million) installing under-floor heating, a playground with a sandbox and landscaping.

The pair will dine on rare bamboo from the central Japanese mountain of Izu that is similar to what they are used to at home in China.

The zoo's first pair of pandas arrived in 1972, marking the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Expectations are running high that the pandas that will stay in Japan for 10 years will boost the local economy and improve troubled relations between Tokyo and Beijing.

Business and tourism officials expect them to bring in around 20 billion yen a year, or 10 percent of the local economy.

In 1993, a year after Ling Ling arrived in the zoo, an additional 1 million people visited the attraction. Visitors have fallen to around 3 million a year from 3.5 million since Ling Ling's death.

Since a boat collision near the Diaoyu Islands in September, Sino-Japanese relations have been at a low point. The media outlets expressed hope that bilateral relations will improve with the arrival of the pandas.

1.The passage mainly tells us         .    

A. a pair of pandas was lent to Japan by China

B. the pair of pandas from China brought hope of improving Sino-Japanese relations

C. the normalization of diplomatic ties between China and Japan

D. sino-Japanese relations have been at a low point since the Diaoyu Island incident

2.en the pair of pandas arrives in Japan,         .   

A. an additional 1 million people will visit the zoo

B. they will eat what they are used to from China

C. they will stay there for 10 years

D. they will be the first pandas at Ueno Zoo

3.According to the passage, we know that Ling Ling stayed in Japan for about         .  

A. 5 years              B. 10 years         C. 15 years        D. 20 years

4.What does the underlined phrase "touch down" probably mean ?   

A. take off             B. land              C. come up         D. meet

5. The arriving of the pandas is expected to bring several positive effects except         

A. boosting the local economy

B. improving the troubled relations between China and Japan

C. bringing in around 20 billion yen a year

D. attracting 3.5 million visitors from China

 

UNICEF is appealing for more than one billion dollars in aid for women and children around the world. The United Nations Children's Fund has released its “Humanitarian Action Report” for two thousand ten. The report lists twenty – eight countries and territories with some of the world’s most pester affecting women and children.

Haiti was considered to be in crisis long before the earthquake in January. The deputy executive director of UNICEF, Hilde Johnson, says the quake has only made the need for aid more immediate. But she says children all over the world have the right to the same assistance as children everywhere else.

The "Humanitarian Action Report" discusses several issues that UNICEF says increasingly threaten the basic rights of women and children. It says climate change has caused droughts and food insecurity in many areas. High food prices and the global financial crisis of two thousand eight-two thousand nine have only added to poverty and malnutrition (营养不良). And armed conflict continues to threaten the lives of millions.

Hilde Johnson says children are always the most affected by conflicts and disasters. They face an increased risk of abuse, including sexual violence and other serious rights violations(侵犯).

UNICEF deals with about two hundred emergencies around the world every year. The greatest need last year was in sub-Saharan Africa. The report says drought, food insecurity and civil unrest affected about twenty-four million people.

Violence and displacements of people were especially bad in Sudan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.

In Asia, UNICEF expects its financial assistance needs to more than double this year. This is partly the result of adding Pakistan and the Philippines to the latest report. In Pakistan, it says, more than two million people have been forced from their homes by the conflict in the Swat Valley and other areas of the northwest. And in the Philippines, more than two hundred thousand people are still living in shelters after severe storms last year.

This year's UNICEF report talks about the value of public and private partnerships in helping children and families in emergencies.

And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by June Simms. For a link to the UNICEF report listing the twenty-eight countries and territories in crisis, go to www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember.

1.According to Hilde Johnson, the most easily affected peens suffering from conflicts and disasters are          .

A.women

B.children

C.the old

D.the disabled

2.From this passage we know that the most serious problems in Asia are         .

A.earthquakes and malnutrition

B.displacemerds, and storms

C.seminal violence and other rights violations

D.droughts and food insecurity

3.By saying “… the quake has only made the need for aid more immediate.” Hilda Johnson probably intends to energy the idea that “       ”.

A.everything must have a beginning

B.grass never grows where the wide blows

C.cloudy herrings turn to clear evenings

D.it never rains but pours

4.Which of the following might serve as a suitable tickle for this passage?

A.Haiti was in crisis due to the earthquake in January.

B.Violence in the twenty – eight countries and territories

C.UNICEF Appeals for And for Women and Children

D.the vatic of public and private partnerships in helping

 

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