私醫聯招 英文歷屆試題｜全部題目＋答案＋詳解（第 14 頁）

Australia is facing growing mental health challenges. Nearly half of all Australians will experience a mental health condition  (21)  during their lifetime, and so, the demand for Psychiatrists is high. Growing mental health awareness  (22)  the need for specialist care, with job ads for this occupation in February 2025, nearly 90% higher than the 2019 monthly average. New workforce strategy seeks to refine ways of attracting, training, supporting, and retaining more skilled workers  (23)  a collaborative approach among governments, service providers, and education institutions. While the demand for Psychiatrists remains high, Australia’s overall job market is showing further signs of  (24) , with February 2025 marking the largest monthly drop in job ads since late 2022. The latest Internet Vacancy Index report reveals a 5.9% decline last month. The same is seen  (25)  all states and territories, with South Australia (-8%), Northern Territory (-7.4%), and Tasmania (-6.3%) recording the biggest drops. Job ads in regional areas have fallen by 13.4% over the past year, while capital cities have seen a slightly steeper drop of 14.5%.

Did you ever have that sensation where you’re watching someone do something — serve a tennis ball, say — or get pricked by a needle, and you can just feel exactly what they must be feeling, as if you were in their shoes? Scientists have long wondered why we get that feeling, and more than two decades ago, a team of Italian researchers thought they had  (26)  an answer. While observing monkeys’ brains, they noticed that certain cells activated both when a monkey performed an action and when it watched another monkey perform the same action. These so-called “mirror neurons” were discovered. Since then, mirror neurons have been hailed as a key to empathy, language, and even the  (27)  of cultural knowledge. Yet not all scientists agree on their importance. Some have accused researchers of making unfounded claims about what mirror neurons can do, calling the enthusiasm surrounding them a scientific  (28) . V.S. Ramachandran, a prominent neuroscientist, remains optimistic. He argues that mirror neurons allow people to put themselves in another’s place — an ability essential to empathy and social learning. He also suggests that  (29)  these neurons are just the substrate, not the sole cause, of culture and learning, they still represent a  (30)  step in understanding human interaction.

The advent of online education in the first decade of the 21st century was the result of and a response to a number of factors that were both internal and external to the field of higher education. Traditional  (31)  institutions, especially those that were privately  (32) , raised tuition rates far in excess of the rate of inflation. This,  (33)  a larger demand of postsecondary education for working adults, helped facilitate the introduction of online learning. However, it should be acknowledged that the relative simplicity of using the Internet as a platform, as well as its cost-effectiveness, was seized upon by  (34)  in the private sector. Online education is largely in the hands of for-profit companies. The question now becomes whether the  (35)  of higher education is worth the price of removing it from nonprofit, research-based universities.

Navigating the outdoors is a vital aspect of pet well-being, offering both freedom and essential opportunities for exercise and relief. However, this freedom inherently carries risks, as evidenced by alarming statistics: the American Humane Society reports that 10 million pets go missing annually, with a third of all pets experiencing at least one such incident in their lifetime. Distressingly, up to 29% of lost dogs and 47% of lost cats are never reunited with their owners. Addressing this critical concern, Pet Tag emerges as an innovative solution designed to enhance pet safety and facilitate recovery.

Pet Tag integrates advanced RFID and Bluetooth technologies, providing a robust tracking system. Its Bluetooth chip connects to a smartphone, offering a detection range of up to 87 yards indoors and 43 yards outdoors. Should a pet stray beyond this range, the owner receives an immediate push notification and a marker on the Petstapic app indicating the pet’s last known location. For wider searches, if a pet goes missing, a “missing alert” is instantly disseminated to Petstapic users within a 12-mile radius, leveraging community assistance for a swift reunion. The app’s auto-scanning feature also notifies owners if their lost pet is detected nearby by another user. Furthermore, the tag stores essential pet information, aiding recovery once found.

The accompanying Petstapic app extends beyond a mere tracking utility, functioning as a vibrant social network for local pet owners. It enables community-driven lost pet alerts, facilitates interaction among pet lovers, allows owners to indicate their pet’s temperament for improved social encounters, and even hosts a marketplace for exchanging pet-related goods.

Pet Tag and Petstapic ecosystem thus harmoniously combines technological innovation with community engagement, offering an unparalleled solution for pet safety and fostering a more connected pet-owning community.

Chronic joint aches and pains caused by arthritis can interfere with everyday life, limiting mobility and function. In early stages of arthritis, pain relief can be obtained from acetaminophen and anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin, naproxen and ibuprofen or, for some, injections into the joint (intra-articular injections). However, when arthritis progresses, the cartilage between the bones disappears, and the joint is “bone on bone.” During the phase, these conservative measures may not be enough.

“As the progression of arthritis cannot be stopped, patients should consider joint replacement surgery when the pain in an arthritic joint is severe and disabling,” says Alejandro González Della Valle, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

The criteria used for recommending joint replacement surgery include disabling pain associated with limp, loss of function and mobility. The best candidates for surgery are people who have seen deterioration in their quality of life or impairment in their activities of daily living due to arthritic pain. Activities such as going for a walk or performing some non-impact recreational sports should not be difficult for people without major health problems.

Before arthritic pain is severe enough to consider surgery, some simple measures can be implemented to diminish pain and promote joint health:
• Respect the pain you feel. Perform activities only to the point of discomfort.
• Plan ahead and be realistic about what you can do.
• Learn how to pick things up properly. Bend from the knees when lifting and carrying weights more than 30–40 pounds.
• Reduce repetitive impact on joints, and distribute weight among them to protect joints.
• When walking more than four or five miles, wear well-padded shoes with rubber soles.
• Think about your weight. The impact on your joints will be less detrimental if you are not carrying extra weight.

“No one is too young or too old for joint replacement,” says Douglas E. Padgett, M.D., chief of the Adult Reconstruction and Joint Replacement Service at Hospital for Special Surgery. “Every condition can be addressed, even when compounded by other medical conditions.”

In 2010, Steve Jobs made two notable statements about the iPad that revealed contrasting perspectives. Initially, he praised the device as providing “an incredible experience,” emphasizing it as the optimal tool for browsing the web — superior to laptops and smartphones. However, in a subsequent interview with a New York Times reporter, Jobs disclosed that his children had never used the iPad. He explained that his family deliberately limited their children’s use of technology at home due to concerns about potential overdependence.

Jobs’ apprehension stemmed from the addictive design of modern devices, which tech companies have intentionally optimized by removing natural stopping cues — those signals that historically encouraged users to pause or end an activity, such as finishing a magazine article or waiting for the next TV episode. By eliminating these cues through features like Netflix’s auto-play, endless social media feeds, and YouTube’s continuous video playback, companies create a seamless experience that makes disengagement difficult.

While adults may struggle with self-regulation in this environment, children face greater challenges. Young children lack the intrinsic motivation to regulate their screen time and have underdeveloped executive functions, making self-control limited. Consequently, they tend to remain engaged with screens until externally interrupted.

Addressing screen overuse requires nuanced strategies. Jobs’ strict avoidance method effectively limits exposure but may socially isolate children. Alternatively, families can impose structured screen time limits, implement app usage controls, or establish screen-free periods, such as during meals or before bedtime. These approaches rely on the psychological concept of propinquity, which posits that proximity to objects significantly influences behavior; reducing accessibility diminishes usage without requiring constant self-discipline.

Importantly, not all screen time is equivalent. Educational reading on a device differs substantially from passive social media consumption, which can contribute to feelings of loneliness or dissatisfaction. Therefore, evaluating screen time quality alongside quantity is essential in fostering healthy digital habits.

Jobs’ primary concern was not technology itself, but its potential to undermine critical skills such as willpower and interpersonal communication — challenges that remain relevant as digital devices continue to permeate children’s lives worldwide.