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.
After shopping for deals in stores on “Black Friday”, or online on “Cyber Monday”, Americans and people worldwide are preparing for newly popular “Giving Tuesday”. Starting in 2012, now the global event that is celebrated annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving is the brainchild of 92nd Street Y, a cultural center in New York City and the United Nations Foundation.
As the name indicates, Giving Tuesday is meant to restart the charitable season and therefore observed by raising funds for local nonprofits and schools, organizing food and clothing drives, and conducting random acts of kindness. In 2015, 700,000 people from 71 countries came together to donate $116.7 million in cash. An additional $1.08 million was spent on gifts.
While the easiest way to participate is by donating to your favorite charity, this day can be celebrated in many other ways too. You can give back by volunteering at your local shelter or food bank, or even by donating blood. If all else fails, a purchase from the growing number of organizations that give a portion of their sales to charity will do the trick.
But perhaps the best way to celebrate the day is by helping those nearest and dearest to you. Assist a family member with a simple chore like folding laundry, cooking dinner, or even reading to a younger sibling. No matter what you do, be sure to share your good deed on social media and inspire others to celebrate Giving Tuesday as well!
1.Which of the following has the shortest history?
A. Giving Tuesday. B. Black Friday.
C. Thanksgiving Day. D. Cyber Monday.
2.What’s the main purpose of “Giving Tuesday”?
A. To make Thanksgiving Day enjoyable.
B. To encourage more people to do charities.
C. To get voluntary work better known.
D. To persuade more people to shop online.
3.Why does the author advise sharing good deeds on social media?
A. To keep a record of one’s experience.
B. To help people make new friends.
C. To make Giving Tuesday more popular.
D. To donate money to local schools.
4.Which section of a website does the text probably come from?
A. Lifestyle. B. Education.
C. Culture. D. Business.
Best Science Books of 2017
At its heart, Science is about curiosity. So it stands to reason these books about science should make you examine your world more closely, and in doing so, give you a sense of wonder.
Big Chicken, by Maryn McKenna.
Investigative journalist Maryn McKenna uses the modern industrial chicken as a window into how antibiotics（抗生素）transformed, modern agriculture—for good and ill. She traces how animal antibiotics endanger human health, musing serious problems from antibiotic-resistant stomach infections to UTIs. Recognizing that Americans are going to continue to eat chicken no matter what, McKenna suggests a way in which factory farming rids itself of its dependence on antibiotics.
Why Time Flies, by Alan Burdick
New Yorker staff writer Alan Burdick examines the greatest gift humanity has ever known: time. Time, he writes, appears to exist in two distinct forms. One ls the standardized, objective kind found in clocks and watches; the other is our internal, biological sense of time, the one we measure in our cells, bodies and minds. But the closer he looks, the less clearer this distinction appears.
Paleoart, by Zoë Lescaze
Dinosaurs have long captured the imaginations of scientists and artists alike, and Paleoart brings those visions together in a blend of human knowledge and creativity.
These images not only show our changing understanding of dinosaurs, but also reflect the distinct artistic sensibilities of their time. Both artistic and educational, these pictures are certainly influential.
What It’s Like to Be a Dog, by Gregory Berns
Berns, a neuroscientist, trained dogs to sit in a machine: in order to look into the brains of conscious dogs for the first time. That pioneering work inspired him to dig deeper into the minds of other animals, from sea lions to the extinct thylacine（袋狼）, Berns says, “With their ability to think, choose and feel, dogs and other animals do not deserve the cruel treatment humans so often do to them.”
1.Which book has something to do with public health?
A. Why Time Flies. B. Paleoart.
C. What It’s Like to Bea Dog. D. Big Chicken.
2.Who writes about time?
A. Alan Burdick. B. Zoë Lescaze.
C. Gregory Berns. D. Maryn Mckenna.
3.What was Berns’ pioneering work?
A. Studying extinct animals. B. Observing dog brains.
C. Fighting for animal rights. D. Training dogs.
Read the passage and fill in the blanks with proper words or the proper form of the given words.
Remains of ancient civilizations are places 1. were designed and built as a lasting tribute (致敬) to some individuals or events. By visiting these historic monuments, you are sure 2. (amaze) by how advanced ancient civilizations were centuries before you were born. Some facilities (设施) which can be dated back to hundreds of years ago are still in use today. Besides, you will also wonder about the 3. (mystery) stories behind them. The Great Wall, for example, is one of the best-known historic rlics in China, which consists of a network of walls and towers through 4. the warnings of attack could be received within minutes. Soldiers then had enough time 5. (prepare). Estimates (估算) of the total length of the monument vary, depending on which sections are included and how they are measured. Although some of the wall is 6. (recognize) in special radar images taken by satellites, astronauts have confirmed that the existing wall is not several thousand years old, nor is it, as many people had claimed, visible to the human eye from outer space.
Even older than the Great Wall of China is the Great Pyramid of Giza. Over a 20-year period, thousands of 7. (work) made the vision a reality with numerous blocks, each weighing more than two tons. It’s still a secret to modern people 8. ancient men manged to transport these giant stones in a time 9. cars or boats never existed. The pyramid served not only as a tomb for King Khufu, but also a place of religious activity. After Khufu died, his body was carefully treated with various chemicals and materials and was wrapped in order to 10. (preserve) for long.
—How much did you spend repairing your computer?
—I don’t remember, _____ it was quite a lot.
A. but B. or
C. for D. so
In most cases, college graduates don’t mind what job they will do as long as it is one _____ they can earn money to support themselves.
A. which B. when
C. where D. that
