m7 u2 Magic needles

Magic needles: Chinese acupuncture
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阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的的正确形式(≦3)。

One of the most famous Chinese medical ①_______________(treat) is the art of 'magic needles', or Chinese acupuncture. It was developed long ago, perhaps as early as 2000 BC. There is evidence ②______________ acupuncture began during the Stone Age, when stone tools ③______________(call) bian (砭) were used to press areas of the body.
As acupuncture④______________(develop), the simple bian stones ⑤__________________(replace) stone needles. Eventually, metal needles began to appear and took their place. There were nine different kinds of needles. These included a needle with a head like ⑥_______ arrow, used for making shallow holes in the surface of the skin; a needle with a round tip, used for pressing the tissue under the skin; a dull needle, used for tapping ⑦____________ pressure points; and a needle like a small sword, used for ○8____________(let) liquid out of body parts
which ⑨__________________(swell) up. These needles could be made of different metals, such as gold and silver. Some acupuncturists today still use gold and silver needles, but the majority use only stainless steel ones. The main needle now used for acupuncture is fine and sharp. Most of the others have been replaced by more complex medical instruments. For example, the needle ⑩__________________(look) like a sword has been replaced by a sharp knife ⑪__________ doctors use in operations.
Acupuncture uses stainless steel needles ⑫__________ are put into
the skin⑬__________certain points on the body so that a disease can be cured or a health problem solved. These points are called acupuncture points. When acupuncture was first practised, there were 365 such points. The number of acupuncture points was the same as the number of days in a year. However, over the last 2,000 years, this number has gradually increased⑭________ about 2,000. Some acupuncturists insert needles at or near the body part⑮___________(affect) by the disease,⑯________ others select points according to the symptoms that the patient has.
If you go to ⑰__________ acupuncturist, he or she will ask you questions about your medical history and your way of life. The acupuncturist will look at the colour of your skin and your tongue, listen to your breathing, and check your pulses.
Western medicine only recognizes one pulse which ⑱____________ (indicate) the heartbeat. However, according to traditional Chinese medicine, there are twelve different pulses, six ⑲____________ each wrist, and every one of them is connected with a major body organ or its function. By checking all the pulses, the acupuncturist can find out which energy channel does not have enough energy.
Some of the medical problems that can be treated by acupuncture include severe pains, headaches, injuries, stomach problems and high blood pressure. Some people have also used acupuncture to treat smokers, ⑳__________________(alcohol) and people who are addicted ○23 _____________drugs.
How acupuncture reduces pain is not clear. One theory ○24 ____________________(explain) this phenomenon suggests that acupuncture
○25____________________(block) pain signals from reaching the brain. Another theory relates acupuncture ○26__________ the production of chemicals in the body which reduce pain. A lot of people now subscribe ○27__________ these theories.
As a unique contribution of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture spread to many other Asian countries, such as Japan, as early as the 6th century. It was introduced to the West in the 17th century. Today acupuncture ○28__________________(become) popular round the world, ○29__________ have other traditional Chinese medicines. The World Health Organization recommends acupuncture as a good treatment for over forty medical problems. While doubts about its safety have faded ○30__________, interest continues to grow.。