The research carried out by the University of Bari in Italy could help prove hospitals who are accused of wasting money on art and decoration as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients ease discomfort and pain.

A team headed by Professor Marina de Tommaso at the Neurophysiopathology Pain Unit asked a group of men and women to pick the 20 paintings they considered most ugly and most beautiful from a selection of 300 works by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. They were then asked to look at either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly painting, or a blank panel while the team zapped(照射) a short laser pulse at their hand, creating a sensation as if they had been stuck by a pin. The subjects rated the pain as being a third less intense while they were viewing the beautiful paintings, compared with when looking at the ugly paintings or the blank panel. Electrodes measuring the brain's electrical activity also confirmed a reduced response to the pain when the subject looked at beautiful paintings.

While distractions, such as music, are known to reduce pain in hospital patients, Prof de Tommaso says this is the first result to show that beauty plays a part.

The findings, reported in New Scientist, also go a long way to show that beautiful surroundings could aid the healing process.

"Hospitals have been designed to be functional, but we think that their artistic aspects should be taken into account too," said the neurologist. "Beauty obviously offers a distraction that ugly paintings do not. But at least there is no suggestion that ugly surroundings make the pain worse. " "I think these results show that more research is needed into the field how a beautiful environment can alleviate suffering."

Pictures they liked included Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. Pictures they found ugly included works by Pablo Picasso, the Italian 20th century artist Anonio Bueno and Columbian Fernando Botero. "These people were not art experts so some of the pictures they found ugly would be considered masterpieces by the art world," said Prof de Tommaso.

1.The underlined word “alleviate” in the fifth paragraph probably means “_________”.

A. cure                B. ease                         C. improve              D. kill

2.How many artists have been mentioned in the passage?

  A. 4.                     B. 5.                              C. 6.                                       D. 7.

3.Which of the following is TURE about the view of Prof de Tommaso’s?

  A. Beautiful surroundings could help to heal sufferings completely .

  B. Hospitals must take their artistic aspects into consideration first.

  C. Ugly surroundings will surely make the pain worse.

D. Both music and beauty can reduce pain in hospital patients.

4.Which of the following is the suitable title for the passage?

  A. Beautiful surroundings can ease pain.             

B. Ugly paintings could be masterpieces.

  C. More research should be done in the field.          

D. Latest environmental research.  

 

Traditional surgical procedures require surgeons to make large incisions(伤口) in a patient’s body in order to gain access to the internal organs. It was once common for heart surgeons, who perform highly specialized and complex procedures, to make long incisions in a patient’s chest and then split the breastbone to reach the heart. Patients who undergo surgery are often at the risk of infection, as bacteria can infect the cut in the skin. In addition, there is often a lengthy recovery period.
A surgical technique known as “keyhole surgery” has become more common in recent years. In general, the surgeon will make a couple of small incisions around the area where the operation is going to be performed. Tubes are pushed into the holes, and a tiny camera, which is called an endoscope, is put into the body. The camera is attached to a large monitor screen that is positioned so that the doctor can see it while he performs the operation. In addition to the camera, doctors also push their tiny surgical instruments through the tubes. The awkward part of keyhole surgery is that it is counterintuitive; that is to say, if a surgeon wants to move the tool to the left, he or she must push it to the right.
Other advancements in technology are also being used today in the OR (operation room). A new machine called the “da Vinci Surgical System” has been tested in hospitals in the U.S.. Unlike keyhole surgery, the da Vinci’s robot’s moving parts are designed to imitate the natural hand and wrist movement of a surgeon, thus providing better control and sensitivity. The system is controlled by a surgeon from a console(控制台). Sitting at a console a few feet from the patient, the surgeon can perform an operation by holding and moving highly sensitive pads that enable him or her to control the instruments. The area of the body on which the surgeon is working is enlarged on a screen, which is attached to the console. This gives surgeons a realistic three-dimensional view of the area — similar to what they would see during a traditional surgical procedure.
Although the da Vinci Surgical System is undergoing some trials for some procedures, it has been welcomed as revolutionary by many surgeons. Patients with serious illnesses must still undergo major surgery, but the smaller incisions and less invasive procedures typically mean that a shorter recovery time is needed. In some cases, the patient’s stay in the hospital has been cut in half when the da Vinci Surgical System was used. On the downside, some operations have taken up to fifty minutes longer because surgeons are inexperienced at using the new technology. As surgeons become more familiar with the machines, the time needed for surgical procedures is likely to decrease.
【小题1】What can be learned about the traditional surgery according to the passage?

A．The cost of the traditional surgery is very high.

B．It often leaves a large wound in a person’s body.

C．Long incisions are made in a patient’s chest.

D．The incision is often infected after the operation.

【小题2】 Which of the following is one DISADVANTAGE of keyhole surgery?

A．It requires the use of long, thin tools and a tiny camera.

B．The doctor can not view the inside of the patient’s body clearly.

C．The direction in which a doctor moves the surgical tools is reversed.

D．An endoscope has to be inserted into the patient’s body in advance.

【小题3】 The da Vinci Surgical System differs from keyhole surgery in that _______.

A．requires that a surgeon make more small incisions on a patient

B．reduces the amount of time it takes to perform a surgical procedure

C．allows the surgeon to use the surgical instruments more sensitively

D．eliminates the need for surgeons to make large incisions on patients

【小题4】 The passage mainly tells the reader ________.

A．the challenges brought about by new technology

B．the benefits and drawbacks of the da Vinci Surgical System

C．the reflections on the development in medical science

D．the application of new technologies in modern surgery

The National Gallery
Description:
The National Gallery is the British national art museum built on the north side of European art ranging from 13th-century religious paintings to more modern ones by Renoir and Van Gogh. The older collections of the gallery are reached through the main entrance while the more modern works in the East Wing are most easily reached from Trafalgar Square by a ground floor entrance
Layout:
The modern Sainsbury Wing on the western side of the building houses 13th-to15th-century paintings, and artists include Duccio, Uccello, Van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli and Memling.
The main West Wing houses 16th-century paintings, and artists include Leonardo da Vinci, Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titan and Veronest.
The North Wing houses 17th-century paintings, and artists include Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van Dyck, Velazquez, Claude and Vermeer.
The East Wing houses 18th-to early 20th-century paintings, and artists include Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Renoir and Van Gogh
Opening Hours:
The Gallery is open every day from 10am to 6pm (Fridays 10anm to 9pm) and is free, but charges apply to some special exhibitions.
Getting There:
Nearest underground stations: Charing Cross (2-minute walk). Leicester Square (3-minute walk), Embankment (7-minute walk), and Piccadilly Circus(8-minute walk).
【小题1】In which century’s collection can you see religious paintings?

A．The 13th

B．The 17th

C．The 18th

D．The 20th

【小题2】Where are Leonardo da Vinci’s works shown?

A．In the East Wing.

B．In the main West Wing.

C．In the Sainsbury Wing.

D．In the North Wing.

【小题3】Which underground station is closest to the National Gallery?

A．Piccadilly Circus.

B．Leicester Square.

C．Embankment.

D．Charing Cross.

Traditional surgical procedures require surgeons to make large incisions(伤口) in a patient’s body in order to gain access to the internal organs. It was once common for heart surgeons, who perform highly specialized and complex procedures, to make long incisions in a patient’s chest and then split the breastbone to reach the heart. Patients who undergo surgery are often at the risk of infection, as bacteria can infect the cut in the skin. In addition, there is often a lengthy recovery period.

A surgical technique known as “keyhole surgery” has become more common in recent years. In general, the surgeon will make a couple of small incisions around the area where the operation is going to be performed. Tubes are pushed into the holes, and a tiny camera, which is called an endoscope, is put into the body. The camera is attached to a large monitor screen that is positioned so that the doctor can see it while he performs the operation. In addition to the camera, doctors also push their tiny surgical instruments through the tubes. The awkward part of keyhole surgery is that it is counterintuitive; that is to say, if a surgeon wants to move the tool to the left, he or she must push it to the right.

Other advancements in technology are also being used today in the OR (operation room). A new machine called the “da Vinci Surgical System” has been tested in hospitals in the U.S.. Unlike keyhole surgery, the da Vinci’s robot’s moving parts are designed to imitate the natural hand and wrist movement of a surgeon, thus providing better control and sensitivity. The system is controlled by a surgeon from a console(控制台). Sitting at a console a few feet from the patient, the surgeon can perform an operation by holding and moving highly sensitive pads that enable him or her to control the instruments. The area of the body on which the surgeon is working is enlarged on a screen, which is attached to the console. This gives surgeons a realistic three-dimensional view of the area — similar to what they would see during a traditional surgical procedure.

Although the da Vinci Surgical System is undergoing some trials for some procedures, it has been welcomed as revolutionary by many surgeons. Patients with serious illnesses must still undergo major surgery, but the smaller incisions and less invasive procedures typically mean that a shorter recovery time is needed. In some cases, the patient’s stay in the hospital has been cut in half when the da Vinci Surgical System was used. On the downside, some operations have taken up to fifty minutes longer because surgeons are inexperienced at using the new technology. As surgeons become more familiar with the machines, the time needed for surgical procedures is likely to decrease.

1.What can be learned about the traditional surgery according to the passage?

A．The cost of the traditional surgery is very high.

B．It often leaves a large wound in a person’s body.

C．Long incisions are made in a patient’s chest.

D．The incision is often infected after the operation.

2. Which of the following is one DISADVANTAGE of keyhole surgery?

A．It requires the use of long, thin tools and a tiny camera.

B．The doctor can not view the inside of the patient’s body clearly.

C．The direction in which a doctor moves the surgical tools is reversed.

D．An endoscope has to be inserted into the patient’s body in advance.

3. The da Vinci Surgical System differs from keyhole surgery in that _______.

A．requires that a surgeon make more small incisions on a patient

B．reduces the amount of time it takes to perform a surgical procedure

C．allows the surgeon to use the surgical instruments more sensitively

D．eliminates the need for surgeons to make large incisions on patients

4. The passage mainly tells the reader ________.

A．the challenges brought about by new technology

B．the benefits and drawbacks of the da Vinci Surgical System

C．the reflections on the development in medical science

D．the application of new technologies in modern surgery

 

The National Gallery

Description:

The National Gallery is the British national art museum built on the north side of European art ranging from 13th-century religious paintings to more modern ones by Renoir and Van Gogh. The older collections of the gallery are reached through the main entrance while the more modern works in the East Wing are most easily reached from Trafalgar Square by a ground floor entrance

Layout:

The modern Sainsbury Wing on the western side of the building houses 13th-to15th-century paintings, and artists include Duccio, Uccello, Van Eyck, Lippi, Mantegna, Botticelli and Memling.

The main West Wing houses 16th-century paintings, and artists include Leonardo da Vinci, Cranach, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bruegel, Bronzino, Titan and Veronest.

The North Wing houses 17th-century paintings, and artists include Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Van Dyck, Velazquez, Claude and Vermeer.

The East Wing houses 18th-to early 20th-century paintings, and artists include Canaletto, Goya, Turner, Constable, Renoir and Van Gogh

Opening Hours:

The Gallery is open every day from 10am to 6pm (Fridays 10anm to 9pm) and is free, but charges apply to some special exhibitions.

Getting There:

Nearest underground stations: Charing Cross (2-minute walk). Leicester Square (3-minute walk), Embankment (7-minute walk), and Piccadilly Circus(8-minute walk).

1.In which century’s collection can you see religious paintings?

A．The 13th

B．The 17th

C．The 18th

D．The 20th

2.Where are Leonardo da Vinci’s works shown?

A．In the East Wing.

B．In the main West Wing.

C．In the Sainsbury Wing.

D．In the North Wing.

3.Which underground station is closest to the National Gallery?

A．Piccadilly Circus.

B．Leicester Square.

C．Embankment.

D．Charing Cross.