With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone the animal and save the endangered species. 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 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 |
I receive many letters from children and can’t answer them all--there wouldn't be enough time in a day. I’ll try to answer some of the questions that are mostly asked. Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte's Web? Well, many years ago, I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse. That's how the story of Stuart Little got started.
As for Charlotte's Web, I like animals and my farm is a very pleasant place to be--at all hours. One day, when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was going to die. This made me sad. So I started thinking of ways to save his life. Three years after I started writing it; it was published(出版). ( I am not a fast writer, as you can see.)
Sometimes I'm asked when I started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early -as soon as I could spell. Children often find pleasure through trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was not good at drawing, so I used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing could be a way of making a living.
Well, here is the answer to the last question. No, they are imaginary (虚构的) stories. In real life, a family doesn't have a child who looks like a mouse and a spider doesn't write words in her web. Although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too--truth about the way people and animals feel, think and act.The writer wrote this passage to.
| A．introduce his new books. |
| B．introduce two funny stories |
| C．explain why he enjoys writing |
| D．answer some readers’ questions |
We can know from the passage that the writer is a person who.
| A．writes imaginary stories for children |
| B．writes very fast. |
| C．mainly writes stories for adults |
| D．works on a friend’s farm |
The writer started to write because he wanted to.
| A．improve his spelling |
| B．express his thoughts |
| C．show his sadness |
| D．make a good living |
What is probably the last question?
| A．Are your stories true? |
| B．What is the truth in your stories? |
| C．Will you write more imaginary stories? |
| D．Do you know a child looking like a mouse? |
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out (指出) my shortcomings. Week by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn’t a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to hear all this as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, then he asked. “Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like? Well, you now have that girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could-and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I go to very clear picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it. “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.”
Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.What did the father do after he had heard his daughter’s complaint (抱怨)?
| A．He refused to take the list and have a look at it. |
| B．He told her to pay attention only to the things that were true. |
| C．He told her not to pay any attention to what her ‘enemy’ had said. |
| D．He criticized (批评) her and told her to overcome her shortcomings. |
What does “Week by week her list grew” mean?
| A．Week by week, my shortcomings grew more serious. |
| B．I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on. |
| C．Week by week she discovered more shortcomings and pointed them out to me. |
| D．She kept on adding new shortcomings to the list so that it was growing longer and longer. |
Why did her father listen to her quietly?
| A．Because he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth. |
| B．Because he wanted to show his anger by keeping silent for a while. |
| C．Because he knew that his daughter was telling the truth. |
| D．Because he believed that what her daughter’s “enemy” said was mostly true. |
Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
A. My Father
B. The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had
B. My Childhood
D. Not an Enemy, but the Best Friend
Our surrounding(周围) is being polluted faster than nature and man’s present efforts can’t prevent it. Time is bringing us more people, an more people will bring us more industry, more cars, larger cities, and the growing use of man-made materials.
What can explain and solve this problem? The fact is that pollution is caused by man—by his desire for a modern way of life. We make “increasing industrialization” our chief aim. So we are always ready to offer everything: clean air, pure water, good food, our health and the future of our children. There is a constant flow of people from countryside to cities, eager for the benefit of our modern society. But as our technological achievements have grown in the last twenty years, pollution has become a serious problem.
Isn’t it time we stopped to ask ourselves where we are going—and why? It makes one think of the story about the airline pilot who told his passengers over the loudspeaker, “I’ve some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we’re making rapid progress at 530 miles per hour. The bad news is that we’re lost and don’t know where we’re going.” The sad fact is that this becomes a true story when spoken of our modern society.Man can’t prevent the world from being polluted mainly because .
| A．many man-made materials |
| B．more cars, trucks and buses |
| C．more people and more industry |
| D．more cities |
People crowd into the cities because_________.
| A．they want very much to find well-paid jobs |
| B．they eager for the achievement of our modern society |
| C．they have become tired of their homeland |
| D．they have a strong wish to become industrial workers |
The story about the airline pilot tells us that_________.
| A．man knows where the society is going |
| B．people do not welcome the rapid development of modern society |
| C．man can do little about the problem of pollution |
| D．the writer is worried about the future of our society |
What does the writer really want to say in this passage?
| A．With the development of technology, pollution has become a serious problem. |
| B．Lower the speed of development to stop pollution. |
| C．It’s time we did something to reduce pollution. |
| D．As industry is growing fast, pollution is the natural result. |
Are you carrying too much on your back at school? You’re not alone. Back experts in the USA were worried that young students are having back and neck problems because they are carrying too much in their backpacks (schoolbags).
“It hurts my back when I run,” said Eglin Reyes, a student in Virginia. “It’s hard to get up the stairs with my backpack because it’s too heavy.”
Students have to carry heavy backpacks on their backs for a whole week’s study. Beeline is one of them. They have regular backpacks with two straps(带子) to carry them, but a number of students with heavy loads have switched to rolling backpacks. The backpacks have wheels and can roll on the ground.
Shirley Park’s backpack weighs 10 kilos, and she said, “I’ll change to a rolling backpack because I am starting to have back pain.”
How much is too much? Experts say that students should carry no more than 10 to 15 percent of their own body weight. A few students have had a good idea to lighten the load: Less homework.
Doctor’s suggestions:
●Lighten the load. Take home only the books the students need that night.
●Wide straps are better. They can send out weight over your shoulders and be sure to wear backpacks with two straps.
●The heaviest things should be packed closest to the back.
●Bend(弯曲) both knees when you pick up the pack, don’t just bend the waist(腰).The main idea of the passage is about _______.
| A．the problems made by rolling backpacks |
| B．the advantage of backpacks |
| C．the best backpacks for students |
| D．how to lighten students’ backpacks |
If a child carries a heavy school bag ,__________
| A．his back and neck will be hurt |
| B．his head and arms will be hurt |
| C．his hands will be hurt |
| D．his feet will be hurt |
By the words of the experts, it’s better for a student of 40 kilos to carry a backpack of at most _______.
| A．7 kilos | B．8 kilos |
| C．6 kilos | D．10 kilos |
If students follow the doctor’s suggesting, they _______.
| A．will know how to use backpacks |
| B．may feel their backpacks are lighter |
| C．can learn how to enjoy them |
| D．may do less homework |
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings(缺点). Sometimes she said I was thin. Sometimes she said I was lazy. Sometimes she said I wasn’t a good student. Sometimes she said I talked too much, and so on. I tried to put up with(忍受) her as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, and then he asked, “Are the things she said true or not? Mary, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like? Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I did as he told me and to my surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true.
I brought the list back to my dad. He refused to take it. “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be helpful to you. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you think is right.”
Many years have passed. The situation often appears in my mind. In our life we often meet with some trouble and we often go to someone and ask for advice. For some advice you will treasure(珍惜) all your life!What did the writer’s father do after he heard her complaints(抱怨)?
| A．He told her not to pay attention to what her “enemy” had said. |
| B．he let her continue to put up with her “enemy”. |
| C．He told her to write down all her “enemy” had said about her. |
| D．He agreed with her “enemy”. |
The writer felt ______ when she did the things as her father had told her.
| A．sad | B．angry |
| C．disappointed | D．surprised |
Which of the following can we know from the passage?
| A．The writer is grateful to her father. |
| B．The “enemy” thought the writer studied hard. |
| C．The writer and her “enemy” became best friends at last. |
| D．The “enemy” thought the writer was pretty. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．The Best Advice I Ever Had |
| B．A Serious Criticism(批评) |
| C．What People Say About You Is Always Right |
| D．My Parents |