With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone(克隆) the animal and save the endangered species(物种). That’s a move similar to what a Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.
Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.
The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.
“The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes. “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A& M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.
“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.” The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to _______.
| A．make efforts to clone the endangered pandas |
| B．save endangered animals from dying out |
| C．collect DNA of endangered animals to study |
| D．transfer the nuclear of one animal to another |
According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of _______.
| A．available panda eggs | B．host animals |
| C．qualified researchers | D．enough money |
The best title for the passage may be _______.
| A．China’s Success in Pandas Cloning |
| B．The First Cloned Panda in the World |
| C．Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas |
| D．China —the Native Place of Pandas Forever |
From the passage we know that _______.
| A．Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog |
| B．scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit |
| C．Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches |
| D．about two thousand of species will probably die out in a century |
B
Many young people want to be pop stars. Pop stars are rich. Many people think they are leading a happy and easy life. In fact, they have very hard lives. They spend much of their time on travel. Sometimes the travel is interesting, but in most time it is boring to pop stars. The following chart is a day’s life of a pop star.
| Feb. 10, 2007 |
|
| 5:00 |
Woke up and had breakfast in the hotel, packed bags. Took taxi to airport. |
| 7:30 |
Plane took off half an hour later than usual for the bad weather. |
| 8:30 |
Plane landed. Waited for luggage for half an hour. Signed for fans at the airport. |
| 9:45 |
Arrived at the hotel and had a short rest. |
| 10:00 |
Started out to attend the meeting with fans and gave an interview to the local reporters. |
| 11:00 |
Went to radio station to attend the live show. |
| 12:00 |
Had lunch with local producer. |
| 13:00 |
Went to theatre and prepared for the night’s show. The lighting of the theatre was good, but the band did poorly. |
| 17:00 |
Back to hotel. Tried to have a rest. Still worried about the band. |
| 18:00 |
Had supper, but eat little. |
| 18:30 |
Went to theatre again and got ready for show. |
| 19:00 |
Sang very well, and audience gave a warm welcome. The band improved a little. |
| 22:00 |
Show was over. Very tired from it. |
| 23:00 |
Back to hotel. Took a bath. Too excited to sleep, so watched TV |
| 0:00 |
Fell asleep, with TV on. |
59. According to the chart, the pop star was a ________.
A. singer B. dancer C. player D. pianist.
60. According to his plan, his plane should have taken off at _______.
A. 6:30 B. 7:00 C. 7:30 D.:8:00
61. At the radio station, the pop star ________.
A. showed fans how to become famous
B. gave a performance on the air
C. met fans and signed for them
D. told people how he lived his life
62. From this passage we get to know that ________.
A. not all people like pop stars
B. pop stars have their own bands
C. fans are troublesome for pop stars
D. to be a pop star is not all fun
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文, 从每题所给出的(A、B、C、D)四个选项中选出最佳选项。
A
Many people have to work on the weekend. Some people do not mind. Other people think it is terrible.
One man thinks that working on the weekend can be dangerous. He is Graham Coates. Mr. Coates worked in an office in Brighton, England.
On Saturday, May 24, 1986, he went to the office to do some work. When he got in the elevator to go home, it stopped between floors. Mr. Coates could not get out of the elevator. He was trapped! He started to shout, but no one heard him. Then Mr. Coates remembered that it was a holiday in England. No one was going to come to work until Tuesday!
There was nothing for Mr. Coates to do. He had to wait until one his coworkers came to work and found him. With nothing to eat or drink, Mr. Coates ended up sleeping for most of the time.
Early on Tuesday morning, the vice president of the company came into work and found the elevator was not working. When the elevator was opened, Mr. Coates came out cold, weak, and tired. He had been in the elevator for sixty-two hours!
Now Mr. Coates says, “I only use elevators if they have telephones in them.”
56. Mr. Coates could not get out of the elevator because ______.
A. it was broken B. it was a weekend
C. it was a holiday D. it stopped on a wrong floor
57. What did he do in the elevator most of the time?
A. Shouted and screamed. B. Slept and waited.
C. Telephoned his boss. D. Ate and drank.
58. What is the best title for this story?
A. An Interesting Elevator B. A Busy Weekend
C. Elevator Safety D. Trapped in an Elevator
E
The key to happiness is how quickly you can get back your focus on what’s important.
-----Anonymous
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car’s back end by just inches!
The driver of the other car, who almost caused a big accident, started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call "The Law of the Garbage Truck."
Many people are like garbage (rubbish) trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did.
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do anymore."
Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about. The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? Here's my bet. You'll be happier. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't.
57. What happened one day when the author was taking a taxi?
A. The taxi almost hit another car.
B. The taxi driver was injured.
C. The author scolded the driver of the other car.
D. The author learned a lesson from the driver of the garbage truck.
58. How did the taxi driver respond to the behaviour of the driver of the black car?
A. He yelled back at the driver. B. He sent the driver to the hospital.
C. He was friendly towards the driver. D. He dumped some garbage in front of his car.
59. What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A. The author used to have a lot of garbage trucks.
B. The author used to complain a lot.
C. The author used to have a lot of money.
D. The author used to be a good manager.
60. According to the passage, what should you do if people “dump garbage” on you?
A. Ignore them and go on with our own work.
B. Try our best to persuade them not to do that again.
C. Tell them to dump the garbage in the right place.
D. Take over their work and carry the garbage to somewhere else.
D
Three Central Texas men were honored with the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Director’s Award in a Tuesday morning ceremony for their heroism in saving the victims of a fiery two-car accident.
The accident occurred on March 25 when a vehicle lost control while traveling on a rain-soaked State Highway 6 near Baylor Camp Road. It ran into an oncoming vehicle, leaving the passengers trapped inside as both vehicles burst into flames.
Bonge was the first on the scene and heard children screaming. He broke through a back window and pulled Mallory Smith, 10, and her sister, Megan Smith, 9, from the wreckage.
The girls’ mother, Beckie Smith, was not with them at the time of the wreck, as they were traveling with their baby sitter, Lisa Bowbin.
Beckie Smith still remembers the sickening feeling she had upon receiving the call informing her of the wreck and the despair as she drove to the scene.
Bozeman and Clemmons arrived shortly after Bonge and helped rescue the other victims and attempted to put out the fires.
“I was nervous,” Bozeman said. “I don’t feel like I’m a hero. I was just doing what anyone should do in that situation. I hope someone would do the same for me.”
Everyone at the accident made it out alive, with the victims suffering from nonlife-threatening injuries. Mallory Smith broke both femurs(股骨), and Megan had neck and back injuries. Bowbin is still recovering from a broken pelvis(骨盆), ankle and foot.
The rescuers also were taken to the hospital and treated for cuts and smoke breathing, Bonge said.
In addition, Bozeman got to meet accident victim Anthony Russo in the hospital after the accident, where Russo presented him with a glass frame inscribed(刻;雕 )with “Thank you,” Bozeman said. Those involved in that fateful encounter on Highway 6 credited God blessing for bringing them together.
“Whatever the circumstances, Tuesday’s ceremony provided a time to be grateful for those who put their lives on the line for the lives of complete strangers,” Beckie Smith said, “We’re calling it The Miracle on Highway 6.”
53. What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Three persons were awarded for rescuing victims in a car accident.
B. Three ordinary people were regarded as great heroes.
C. Several victims were carried to safety from the burning cars.
D. A car accident occurred on a rain-soaked State Highway 6.
54. Who saved Megan Smith from the damaged car?
A. Clemmons. B. Anthony Russo. C. Bozeman. D. Bonge.
55. Which of the following can be used to describe Bozeman?
A. Kind. B. Modest. C. Excited. D. Smart.
56. It can be inferred from what Beckie Smith said that _______.
A. she regarded the accident as a wonder
B. she was frightened by the serious accident
C. she thought highly of the rescuers
D. she called on others to learn from the rescuers
C
Jamie Oliver has been invited by Gordon Brown to prepare a banquet at No. 10 for President Barack Obama and other leaders of the G20, offering a cut-price menu to reflect times when trade and industry are far from prosperous and the rate of employment is decreasing.
Downing Street sources say Oliver, the well-known chef, will cook using “honest high-street products” and avoid expensive or “fancy” ingredients (材料).
The prime minister is trying to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment last year when he sat down to an 18-course banquet at a Japanese summit to discuss world food shortages.
Obama, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and other leaders will be served by apprentices (学徒) from Fifteen, the London restaurant Oliver founded to help train young people in poverty in order to make a living by mastering a skill.
Brown wants the dinner to reflect the emphasis of the London summit, which he hopes will lead to an agreement to lift the world out of recession. “To be invited to cook for such an important group of people, who are trying to solve some of the world’s major problems, is really a privilege,” said Oliver.
“I’m hoping the menu I’m working on will show British food and produce is some of the best in the world, but also show we have pioneered a high-quality apprentice scheme at Fifteen London that is giving young people a skill to be proud of.”
The chef has not yet finalized the menu, but is expected to draw inspiration from his latest book, Jamie’s Ministry of Food, which has budget recipes for beef and ale stew (啤酒炖菜) and “impressive” chocolate fudge cake.
49. The underlined word “recession” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to “_______”.
A. business B. opposition C. discussion D. depression
50. What can we learn about Oliver from the text?
A. He is a well-known American cook.
B. He is invited to attend the G20 summit.
C. He has founded the Fifteen London.
D. He is one of the apprentices serving leaders of the G20.
51. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A. Oliver is honored to be invited to cook for the G20 leaders.
B. Altogether three presidents are mentioned in the text.
C. President Barack Obama offers the cut-price menu.
D. The menu for the G20 dinner banquet has been decided.
52. What is the Fifteen London?
A. an apartment in London B. a luxurious restaurant in London
C. a restaurant as well as a training center D. a famous avenue