The new coronavirus is the latest example of a disease that jumped from animals into humans. When infections do this they can be deadly — and COVID-19 is no exception.
Many viruses that jump into people, like MERS, seldom spread from person to person. They can still infect thousands, though; rabies (狂犬病) is mostly passed on by dog bites, but kills 60,000 people a year. Others, such as Ebola, can spread from person to person, but aren’t very good at it and so cause relatively small outbreaks. COVID-19, by contrast, appears quite good at spreading from person to person. While we don’t know how deadly it is, Chris Coleman, a professor at the University of Nottingham, the UK, says, “It’s not the most deadly coronavirus we’ve ever had.”
To trace the new virus’s origins, researchers have been comparing its genome to that of other coronaviruses. This showed that it possibly derives from a strain that infects bats. “It’s highly related to bat coronaviruses,” says Vaithilingaraja Arumugaswami at the University of California, Los Angeles. This makes sense as bats are known to harbour many viruses, including coronaviruses. Viral infections are especially likely to spread among bats as they can fly long distances and roost close to each other. Bats also seem able to carry infections without getting ill, which helps spread the viruses.
The new coronavirus might have jumped from bats into another animal a few months or even a few decades ago, and then from that intermediate host into humans. We know that the coronavirus behind the SARS outbreak of 2002 to 2003 spread from bats into palm civets (狸猫) before infecting people.
Viruses that normally circulate among people can gradually become less lethal, as this helps them spread. “They don’t want you to drop dead within a day because you won’t pass it to anyone else,” says Chris Coleman.
Coleman thinks there is little we can do to stop people coming into contact with animals that may carry dangerous viruses. “It’s very difficult to control that,” he says. Instead, he says we need to have vaccines ready in advance. This could mean creating vaccines that are effective against a wide range of viruses or vaccines that require only minor tweaks to work against a new viral strain, much like annual flu vaccines.
【小题1】What’s the second paragraph mainly about?| A．The intermediate host of viruses. | B．The mode of virus transmission. |
| C．The outbreak of the deadly COVID-19. | D．The serious consequence of COVID-19. |
| A．To support an idea. | B．To study virus infections. |
| C．To trace the coronavirus’s origins. | D．To map the new virus’s genome. |
| A．Complicated. | B．Active. | C．Healthy. | D．Deadly. |
| A．Seek right medicine for each virus. | B．Develop widely applicable vaccines. |
| C．Get away from animals carrying viruses. | D．Prevent viruses spreading among people. |
Knowing which of these statements have been proved by SCIENCE — and which are MYTHS(谬论) — could improve your health. Here are some health facts your doctor wants you to know.
Not all heart attacks have a symptom(症状) of chest pain.
Truth! A 2012 study of more than 1.1 million heart attack patients found that 31 percent of men and 42 percent of women didn’t have any chest pain before being hospitalized. Call 911 for other symptoms, too, including shortness of breath, light – headedness, and pain elsewhere in the upper body.
You do not need eight glasses of water every day.
Truth! There is not any scientific evidence that eight is the magic number. You might need more or less than that, depending on factors(因素) such as climate and body size. To make sure you are getting enough, just drink water throughout the day.
You need less sleep as you get older.
Myth! Older adults often sleep less as a result of serious conditions that are more common with age as well as the drugs used to treat them. But that doesn’t mean they require less sleep. While sleep needs vary from person to person, most adults should get at least seven hours of sleep for health.
Reading in dim(昏暗的) light will harm your eyes.
Myth! It might tire your eyes in the short term, but there’s no evidence that it will do any lasting damage. When reading, position light to shine directly on the page rather than from over your shoulder to reduce unpleasant bright light.
【小题1】Which of the following has been proved to be true?| A．You are in need of much less sleep as you get older. |
| B．Reading in dim light does lasting damage to your eyes. |
| C．Some heart attacks don’t have a symptom of chest pain. |
| D．You must get more than eight glasses of water every day. |
| A．Heart attacks. | B．Weak eyes. |
| C．Less sleep. | D．Shortness of breath. |
| A．To inform. | B．To entertain. |
| C．To advertise. | D．To praise. |
How to Deal with Being Indoors During an Earthquake
Would you know what to do if you are indoors during an earthquake?
Stay indoors.Do not move outside.Many modern buildings made of RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) are designed to withstand moderate earthquakes and are actually quite safe.
Get under something heavy.
Find other supports if you cannot shelter under something.If you’re not able to get under a table or other forms of protection,get next to an interior wall.Make yourself as small as possible.Cover your head and protect yourself while the shaking is going on.
Stay in bed if you are there already.If an earthquake starts while you are in bed,the best thing is to stay there.Cover your head and neck with your pillow and ride out the shaking.
| A．Drop onto the ground. |
| B．Find a heavy desk quickly. |
| C．Earthquakes lead to many disasters. |
| D．Do not get out of bed until the shaking stops. |
| E．This simple how-to will bring you up to speed quickly. |
| F．It is unlikely that you will be able to walk during an earthquake. |
| G．Steps and lifts are actually more dangerous than staying indoors. |
Knowing some greater value of social skills can be powerful in many ways to build connections and make wise decisions. So try to find out what kind of social type you may be.
Q1: When faced with a challenge, I tend to:
A) Accept it like a competitor.
B) Analyse (分析) it like a detective.
C) Look for advice from others.
Q2: In social situations, I often:
A) Control the conversation.
B) Listen carefully, collecting details.
C) Prefer to observe until my moment.
Q3: When presenting an idea, I focus on:
A) Attracting my audience with enthusiasm and energy.
B) Providing a neat and organized argument.
C) Dealing with possible problems with patience.
Q4: My approach to dealing with rejection (拒绝) is to:
A) Take it as a challenge to improve and determine to win!
B) Analyze what went wrong and try to fix and play again.
C) Feel upset for a short time but soon laugh again.
Results
●Mostly A’s: The Enthusiastic Pioneer
You are an enthusiastic pioneer, ready to compete and overcome any difficulty.
●Mostly B’s: The Thoughtful Expert
You’ve shown the personality of a thoughtful expert. Much like a detective analyzing all the clues, and your analytical approach is impressive.
●Mostly C’s: The Cooperative (合作型) Connector
Being a cooperative connector is valuable. Looking for advice and dealing with worries reflect your understanding and problem-solving skills. But to develop further, present your ideas more confidently.
【小题1】If Tom controls the conversation, fearing no challenges to compete, he is .| A．a cooperative connector | B．a thoughtful expert |
| C．an enthusiastic pioneer | D．an independent detective |
| A．More cooperation. | B．More reflection. |
| C．More understanding. | D．More confidence. |
| A．A quiz. | B．A diary. | C．A play. | D．A paper. |
组卷网是一个信息分享及获取的平台，不能确保所有知识产权权属清晰，如您发现相关试题侵犯您的合法权益，请联系组卷网
