阅读理解
Dogs can smell
things at concentrations of one part in a trillion—equal to a single drop in a pond
the size of 20 Olympic swimming pools. That ability is put to good use by human
beings. Trained dogs can sniff out explosives and drugs, even tracking missing
people. They can also detect (发现) illnesses, including cancer, malaria,
Parkinson's disease and COVID-19, before obvious symptoms appear. A study
published in 2019,for example, suggested that trained dogs detect (发现) illnesses, including cancer, malaria, Parkinson's disease and
COVID-19, before obvious symptoms appear. A study published in 2019, for
example, suggested that trained dogs were able, 97% of the time, to identify
blood samples taken from patients with lung cancer.
Training dogs,
however, takes time. Trainers must be paid. The animals themselves get tired and
bored. Dogs are not, then, a practical answer to the question of how to detect
illness quickly. But fruit flies might be. Unlike dogs, they are cheap and
disposable--and their senses are just as good. Along with technology tailored
to their talents, they could provide economical and easy ways of detecting
cancer, and also offer an alternative to laboratory tests for COVID that might
be welcome in countries with limited budgets.
Giovanni Galizia
is one leading researcher of the University of Konstanz, in Germany. Fruit
flies smell things using their feelers, and Dr Galizia has genetically modified
(改变) his flies. When the flies get the
smell of the cells with illness, a change in their brain activity can be seen
under a microscope. With the help of machine learning, Dr Galizia can recognize
the patterns to detect illness.
Whether this idea
will come to fruition remains to be seen. Medical regulators will have to be
convinced that what may seem wacky at first glance is actually
practical. But doctors have been encouraged to use animals' noses to assist
diagnosis (诊断) since ancient times. Having a little assistance from fruit flies
might be no bad thing.
(1)
What do dogs and fruit flies have in common?
A . They do not cost money.
B . They can detect drugs.
C . They have equally good senses.
D . They offer practical ways to detect illness quickly.
(2)
What does the underlined word "wacky" in the last paragraph mean?
A . Strange.
B . Interesting.
C . Amazing.
D . Harmful.
(3)
Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A . Animals' special Functions
B . Easy Ways of Detecting Cancer
C . Human Beings' Great Helpers
D . A New Approach to Detecting Illness
答案: C
A
D