Imagine that the genome （基因组） is a book．The book consists of 23 chapters with thousands of stories made up of paragraphs, words and letters on different levels．There are one billion words in the book, as long as 800 Bibles; if I read the genome out to you at the rate of one word per second for eight hours a day, it would take me centuries; if I wrote out the human genome, one letter per millimeter, my text would be as long as the River Danube．This is a huge volume, a book of great length, but it all fits inside an extremely small cell nuclear（细胞核） that fits easily upon the head of a pin．
The idea of the genome as a book is not, strictly speaking, even a metaphor．It is true to a great extent．A book is a piece of digital information, written in one-directional form and defined by a code that translates a small alphabet of signs into a large dictionary of meanings through the order of their groupings．So is a genome．The only difference is that all English books read from left to right, while some parts of the genome read from left to right while some from right to left, but never both at the same time．
While English books are written in words of different lengthens using twenty-six letters, genomes are written entirely in words of three-letter length, using only four letters, and instead of being written on flat pages, they are written on long chains of DNA molecules （分子）．
The genome is a very clever book, because in the right condition it can both photocopy itself and read itself．How do human genomes read according to the passage?___________
| A．Only from left to right． |
| B．Only from right to left． |
| C．From both directions at the same time． |
| D．From one direction at a time． |
We can learn from the passage that the human genome ________．
| A．is as long as the River Danube |
| B．can be easily placed on the head of a pin |
| C．is coded with an alphabet of four letters |
| D．is smart enough to read and take photos of itself |
It can be concluded that the passage is mainly written for ______．
| A．specialists in the field |
| B．general readers |
| C．natural scientists |
| D．readers with professional knowledge |
The real purpose of the author’s comparison of the genome to a book is _____．
| A．to focus on the differences between the two |
| B．to lay emphasis on the similarities between the two |
| C．to simplify the concept of the human genome |
| D．to give an exact description of the human genome |
Arriving in Sydney on his own from India, my husband, Rashid, stayed in a hotel for a short time while looking for a house for me and our children.
During the first week of his stay, he went out one day to do some shopping. He came back in the late afternoon to discover that his suitcase was gone. He was extremely worried as the suitcase had all his important papers, including his passport.
He reported the case to the police and then sat there，lost and lonely in a strange city, thinking of the terrible troubles of getting all the paperwork organized again from a distant country while trying to settle down in a new one.
Late in the evening, the phone rang. It was a stranger. He was trying to pronounce my husband’s name and was asking him a lot of questions. Then he said they had found a pile of papers in their trash can（垃圾桶）that had been left out on the footpath.
My husband rushed to their home to find a kind family holding all his papers and documents. Their young daughter had gone to the trash can and found a pile of unfamiliar papers. Her parents had carefully sorted them out, although they had found mainly foreign addresses on most of the documents. At last they had seen a half-written letter in the pile in which my husband had given his new telephone number to a friend.
That family not only restored the important documents to us that day but also restored our faith and trust in people. We still remember their kindness and often send a warm wish their way.
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．From India to Australia. |
| B．Living in a New Country. |
| C．Turning Trash to Treasure. |
| D．In Search of New Friends. |
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In spite of billions of dollars spent on “educational research”, children are not taught the most basic skills of learning, even the most basic of these: how to use a dictionary. In fact, a research of educational books for children found no book that told them how to use a dictionary or that one should. Written for children 8 to 12-year-olds, this fully illustrated book will teach your child:
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The purpose of the passage is to _______.
| A．show readers how to use the four books |
| B．help children to learn English |
| C．enrich students knowledge about nature |
| D．sell the four books to students. |
More and more people are taking their iPads to bed with them to surf the web, check facebook or send e-mails before switching off the light. But researchers are warning that the blue light their screens give off can stop users getting a good night’s sleep. That is because this type of light is similar to daylight, convincing the brain that it is still daytime. Blue light prevents the production of a brain chemical called melatonin, which helps us fall asleep. By contrast, light which is more orange or red does not prevent melatonin production, perhaps because our brains recognize it as a cue that the day ends.
Scientists have known for years that staring at screens late in the evening can affect sleep ---- they are television screens, computer screens or mobile phone screens. However, because mobiles and iPads are by nature portable ---- not to say addictive ---- more people are taking them into the bedroom. Users also tend to hold them much closer to their eyes than a computer or television screen.
Researchers are warning that looking at iPad displays for more than two hours leads to lower natural melatonin levels as the devices give off blue light. They say, “Turning off the devices at night is the final solution. But if you have to use these devices at night, dim the display to cut down irritation of the eyes and limit the time you spend on them before bed.”
They wrote in the journal Applied Ergonomics(应用人类工程学) that iPad makers should adjust the spectral power distribution(光谱功率分布) of the devices so that they affect the sleep patterns of users less.
It is not just a good night’s sleep that could be harmed by too much late night screen time. Researchers know that long-term harm to sleep patterns can lead to an increased risk of obesity and even cancers.
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Scientists are warning that blue light is bad for our health. |
| B．People should limit the use of electronic devices |
| C．Using iPads before bed can cause a poor night’s sleep. |
| D．Looking at screens of iPads increase chances of sleeplessness. |
Will Nanfang University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen announce a new beginning for China’s higher education reform? It’s too early to answer. But its presence is challenging the Ministry of Education. Even without the approval of the ministry it seems that the school is determined to move forward and enroll 50 students, so-called child prodigies(奇才), to begin classes on March l, 2011.On graduating in 2015, these students will receive a diploma unauthorized by the Ministry of Education----unlike the students of their age from the state-run universities.
The school is committed to modeling itself on Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, but if the government will not approve the school, the situation could cause a lot of trouble for those 50 students if they want to do graduate studies at other higher learning institutions. Other schools could turn their applications down for their unauthorized diplomas.
The difficulties, however, have not frightened students and their parents away. On Dec.18, 2010 more than 1,000 students and their parents visited Nanfang University of Science and Technology for interviews.
Private investment marks the school out from other higher learning institutions in the nation. Not a penny comes from the government. So the government will have no voice in how the school will be run.
The Ministry of Education has published a comprehensive plan for education reform and development between 2011 and 2020.The goal is to make China’s higher education internationally competitive. To accomplish this goal, the government should have the courage to let the educators who have big ideas try them out. The ministry should have applauded the independence. The school in Shenzhen has shown and encouraged more to do likewise.
Education reform in China has reached a new and crucial stage. Nanfang University of Science and Technology has a long way to go to prove itself competitive rather than a diploma mill.
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．University of New Style. |
| B．China’s Education Reform. |
| C．Modeling Hong Kong University. |
| D．Authorized or Not? |
It’s not easy being a teenager---nor is it easy being the parent of a teenager．You can make your child feel angry, hurt or misunderstood by what you say without realizing it yourself．It is important to give your child the space he needs to grow while gently letting him know that you’ll still be there for him when he needs you．
Expect a lot from your child, just not everything．Except for health and safety problems，such as drug use or careless driving, consider everything else open to discussion．If your child is unwilling to discuss something, don’t insist he tell you what’s on his mind．The more you insist，the more likely that he’ll calm up．Instead, let him attempt to solve things by himself．At the same time, remind him that you’re always there for him should he seek advice or help．Show respect for your teenager’s privacy（隐私）．Never read his mail or listen to personal conversations．
Teach your teenager that the family phone is for the whole family．If your child talks on the family’s telephone for too long, tell him he can talk for l5 minutes, but then he must stay off the phone for at least all equal period of time．This not only frees up the line so that other family members can make and receive calls, but teaches your teenager moderation（节制）．Or if you are open to the idea, allow your teenager his own phone that he pays for with his own pocket money or a part-time job．
The main purpose of the text is to tell parents_________．
| A．how to get along with a teenager |
| B．how to help a teenager grow up |
| C．how to understand a teenager |
| D．how to respect a teenager |