Surgeons in Spain have successfully carried out the world’s first organ transplant using new stem cell technology. Some people are calling it the greatest medical breakthrough so far this century.
But what are stem cells? As we know, most cells in our bodies are designed to serve specific purposes – for example, a liver cell develops to work in the liver and cannot become a heart cell. But stem cells are different. They are very young, and in the laboratory scientists can grow them into different types of cell.
Claudia Castillo needed a new windpipe after getting a serious disease. Scientists from the University of Bristol in the UK took a donor windpipe, or trachea, from someone who had recently died. They used strong chemicals to remove the donor’s cells, leaving a tissue scaffold(组织支架). This was refilled with cells from Ms Castillo’s windpipe, and stem cells from her bone. After four days the cells had grown sufficiently for the windpipe to be transplanted into Ms Castillo.
Currently, transplant patients have to take drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent their bodies rejecting the new organs. These drugs can have bad side-effects, and do not always prevent rejection. But by using Ms Castillo’s own cells, doctors were able to trick her body into thinking the new windpipe was her own organ. Five months on, Claudia Castillo is in perfect health.
This ground-breaking procedure could be used in other transplant operations in the future. Scientists also believe stem cells might be used to treat Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, diabetes, burns and so on.
However, stem cell research is extremely controversial. The most effective stem cells do not come from adults but from embryos created in laboratories and which are just a few days old. Many people have religious or ethical objections to growing embryos, even if they can be used to cure diseases.This transplant is considered the greatest medical breakthrough because _________.
| A．this is the first organ transplant in the whole world |
| B．the patient is in perfect health after the operation |
| C．it is the first success with new stem cell technology |
| D．the stem cells are from an embryo developed in a lab |
Stem cells are different from the other ceils in the way that __________.
| A．they are grown in the lab only |
| B．they can grow into different types of cell |
| C．they are designed for a specific purpose |
| D．they can work in the liver not in the heart |
What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
| A．How Claudia survived in the operation |
| B．How to remove the cells from the donor’s organ |
| C．Why stem cells are needed in the transplant |
| D．How the windpipe is transplanted |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Human bodies always reject transplanted organs even with their own cells |
| B．The donor’s cells had to be removed because they were unhealthy |
| C．The transplanted organ was refilled with the stem cells only |
| D．Claudia will not have to take drugs to prevent rejection. |
Which word can best describe the scientists’ attitude towards the stem cell technology?
| A．controversial | B．confident |
| C．conservative (保守的) | D．critical |
第二部分阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2分，满分40分）
AIt was graduation day at Etihad Training Academy, where the national airline of the United Arab Emirates holds a seven-week training course for new flight attendants. Despite her obvious pride, Ms. Fathi, a 22-year-old from Egypt, was amazed to find herself here. “I never in my life thought I’d work abroad,” said Ms. Fathi, who was a university student in Cairo when she began noticing newspaper advertisements employing young Egyptians to work at airlines based in the Persian Gulf.
A decade ago, unmarried Arab women like Ms. Fathi, working outside their home countries, were rare. But just as young men from poor Arab nations poured into the oil-rich Persian Gulf states for jobs, more young women are doing so.
Flight attendants have become the public face of the new mobility for some young Arab women, just as they were the face of new freedoms for women in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. They have become a subject of social anxiety and fascination in much the same way.
For many families, allowing a daughter to work may call her virtue into question. Yet this culture is changing, said Musa Shteiwi, a sociologist at Jordan University in Amman. “We’re noticing more and more single women going to the gulf these days,” he said. “It’s still not exactly common, but over the last four or five years it’s become quite an observable phenomenon.”
Many of the young Arab women working in the Persian Gulf take delight in their status as pioneers, role models for their friends and younger female relatives. Young women brought up in a culture that highly values community, have learned to see themselves as individuals. The experience of living independently and working hard for high salaries has forever changed their beliefs about themselves, though it can also lead to a painful sense of separation from their home countries and their families.
—From New York Times (December 22, 2008)
56. It can be inferred from the passage that young Arab women _________.
A. go to work abroad after American women’s example
B. didn’t start to work abroad until the late 20th century
C. are commonly used to living and working separately
D. expect to take the same family responsibilities as men
57. According to the passage, the Arab women flight attendants can be described as _________.
A. proud, homesick or independent B. honest, outstanding or optimistic
C. mature, enthusiastic or energetic D. painful, desperate or conservative
58. How do the public respond to young Arab women’s new mobility?
A. The public think highly of it.B. The public care very little about it.
C. The public show both interest and anxiety. D. The public are strongly against it.
59. The author intends to tell the readers that __________.
A. Arab women can hardly find any work
B. flight attendants are badly needed in the gulf
C. flight attendants lead quite a different life
D. young Arab women’s values are changing
Just 7 km east of Sydney’s city center lies Australia’s most famous beach – Bondi, with its glorious strip of golden sand and blue water. Other delightful surf beaches and small bays stretch south to Maroubra , while the harbour suburbs to the north offer sandy bays and the bushland of Sydney Harbour National Park . The life saving movement was founded in Australia in the early 1900s , and now Bondi and Bronte each claim to be the world’s first surf club .
1.Beaches
Surf and sand from Bondi to Maroubra , plus calm harbour beaches .
●With its rolling surf and long are of sand , Bondi is the region’s best-known beach and the liveliest of all the ocean suburbs .
●Four more surf beaches lie south of Bondi—Tamarama , Bronte , Coogee and Maroubra —as well as calmer Clovelly and Cordons Bay .
2.
Lively beachfront dining and shopping strips , and charming harbours .
●Bondi, Bronte , Coogee and Maroubra all offer a delightful seaside town atmosphere —complete with beachwear and surf shops , pubs and outdoor cafes .
●Take a boat from Circullar Quay to one of the harbour suburbs—there is Rose Bay with its parks and harbourside restaurants , Vaucluse , home of Vaucluse House , and Watsons Bay , with a famous seafood restaurant and wonderful views up the harbour .
3. Inland
Shops , cafes , restaurants , parks and several major attractions .
●Paddington and Woollahra are famous for their cafes , small shops , art galleries , markets and nearby Centennial Park , one of Sydney’s largest open spaces .
●Visit Bondi Junction for its largest shopping center and cinema complex .
4. Activities
From surfing and diving to walks , golf and seaplane rides .
●Learn to surf at Bondi , Bronte or Coogee , go diving at Gordons Bay (where there is an underwater trail ), or watch a summer surf carnival .
●Play golf at Bondi Beach , Rose Bay or Moore Park , enjoy a game of tennis , and go horse riding at Centennial Park .
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59．Which of the following best shows the location of each city?
China news, Beijing, Feb. 9 – Housing price in China has always aroused heated discussions among property developers and ordinary Chinese. To many property developers and local government officials, housing price in China is still low compared with many developed countries. However, the average housing price in the United States is only 8,000 yuan per square meter, while in China, it is even higher than in the United States. This shows that there are some bubbles(泡沫) in Chinese real estate (房地产) market, the International Finance News reported.
Although the average price of residential houses in the United States, after converted to Renminbi, is about 8,000 yuan per square meter, the houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses. If US property developers sell their houses according to the building area, then the housing price will be even lower than 8,000 yuan per square meter. In most big Chinese cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, houses are sold at a price even higher than those in the US.
The high housing sales price in large cities in China proves that Chinese real estate market does have some bubbles. Moreover, Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities. Furthermore, it should be noted that American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people. How can the Chinese afford to buy a house which is even more expensive than that sold in US?
At the beginning of 2007, Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public. Now in order to reduce the high housing prices, the government can regulate (控制) the real estate market by raising tax on property industry and controlling the release of loans and lands to property developers. At the same time, the government should allow people to build more houses through various fund-raising channels, such as funds collected from buyers or raised by working units. By applying these multiple means, it is expected that the high housing prices can be lowered.
56．Which of the following does NOT support the idea that the average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States?
A．Chinese houses can not be compared with houses in US in terms of building quality, environment and supporting facilities.
B．American people’s average income is several dozen times higher than that of Chinese people.
C．The houses in US are not sold in terms of building area, as most Chinese property developers do when they sell their houses
D．There are more people who need houses in China than in the United States.
57．What is the main idea of this passage?
A．The Chinese government should do something to control the housing price.
B．There are some bubbles in Chinese real estate market.
C．The average housing price in China is even higher than in the United States.
D．The Chinese government issued a set of policies that aimed to benefit the public.
58．How many measures are mentioned in the last paragraph in order to reduce the high housing prices? A．Four B．Three C．Five D．Two
As I was reading a recent story in Slate on 20-somethings complaining about how the economy was ruining their life plans, I couldn’t help but think the 20-somethings sounded like a bunch of spoiled children who grew up expecting everything to be easy for them. As a 20-something myself, I certainly share their disappointment: my husband and I probably won’t be able to buy a house until we’re in our 40s, and we too are burdened by student loans(贷款). But why should it be any different? Being young persons in America, shouldn’t they take up all of the challenges and opportunities that this country offers?
Consider some of these views shared in the Slate story: Jennifer, 29, owner of a two-bedroom apartment with her husband, worries that she won’t be able to have children for at least a decade because they can’t afford to buy a house yet.
I read that, and I thought, what planet is she living on where you need to own a house in order to have kids? Has she ever visited a developing country, or even downtown areas in this one? Home ownership is a luxury(奢华), not a fertility requirement.
A 26-year-old in the story despairs(绝望) that he can’t afford to get a Ph.D. in literature. Well, that sounds a bit like expressing disappointment that no one will pay you to write poetry on the beach in Thailand for five years.
Yes, it’s sad that these young people feel so lost. But I think the problem is their extremely high expectations, not economic reality. Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, says that she thinks people’s expectations are slowly adjusting, but today’s 20-somethings grew up at a time when everyone’s wealth appeared to be expanding. Their parents probably saw their home values rise along with their investments. “So you have people who have grown up in an environment where people had great expectations of what living well means,” says Kobliner.
This recession(衰退) will certainly play a role in forcing those expectations into more realistic group. In the meantime, it seems a lot better for our mental health to focus on being grateful－for our one-bedroom apartments, for living in modern cities, or perhaps just for being able to eat three meals a day－than on longing for some kind of luxury life.
67．What makes the author think the 20-somethings sound like a bunch of spoiled children?
A．They expect everything to be easy for them.
B．They complain that the economy is spoiling their life plans.
C．They are reluctant to face all of the challenges.
D．They are burdened by student loans.
68．The underlined word “fertility” in Paragraph 3 probably means.
A．baby production B．pleasant
C．baby comfort D．essential
69．Which of the following is not one of the complaints of the 20-somethings?
A．They can’t have children for at least a decade to buy a house.
B．They have only one-bedroom apartment to live in.
C．They can’t buy a house until 40 because of student loans.
D．They despair at not being able to afford a Ph.D. in literature.
70．What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?
A．To tell us what the author’s attitude towards the 20 – somethings.
B．To explain why young people can’t afford to buy a house.
C．To suggest what we should do when young people’s high hopes create despair.
D．To explain what the 20 – something’s high expectations are.
The questions of what children learn, and how they should learn it, is continually being debated and reheated. Nobody dares any longer to defend the old system, the parrot – fashion (way of learning by repeating what others say) of learning lessons, the grammar with a whip system，which was good enough for our grandparents．The theories of modern psychology have stepped into argue that we must understand the needs of children．Children are not just small adults；they are children who must be respected as such．
Well，you may say，this is as it should be，and a good idea．But think further．What happens?
‘Education’ becomes the responsibility not of teachers, but of psychologists．What happens then? Teachers worry too much about the psychological implications of their lessons，and forget about the subjects themselves．If a child dislikes a lesson，the teacher feels that it is his fault，not the child’s. So teachers worry whether history is ‘relevant’ to modem young children．And do they dare to recount stories about violent battles? Or will this make the children themselves violent? Can they tell their classes about children of different races，or will this encourage racial hatred? Why teach children to write grammatical sentences? Verbal expression is better．Sums? Arithmetic? No：real—life mathematical situations are more understandable．
You see．you can go too far．Influenced by educational theorists，who have nothing better to do than write books about their ideas，teachers leave their teacher—training colleges filled with grand，psychological ideas about children and their needs. They make complicated preparations and try out their ‘modern methods’ on the long – suffering children. Since one ‘modern method’ rapidly replaces another, the poor kids will have well been fed up by the time they leave school. frequently the modern methods are so complicated that they fail to be understood by the teachers, let alone the children; even more often, the relaxed discipline so necessary for the ‘informal’ feeling the class must have, prevents all but a handful of children from learning anything.
63．Under the old system, children were .
A．made to learn passively B．good enough to their grandparents
C．made to learn actively D．understood and respected by teachers
64．What happens when teachers pay too much attention to the psychological implications during a lesson?
A．They find that children dislike the lessons.
B．They worry too much about history, stories, racial hatred, grammar and arithmetic.
C．They don’t pay enough attention to what students are learning.
D．They tend to blame students for their failure in teaching.
65．How do you understand the underlined sentence at the end of the passage?
A．Children will learn well in a relaxed classroom atmosphere.
B．Few children will actually learn when there is no discipline.
C．Relaxed discipline is necessary for children to develop.
D．No children will learn anything without strict discipline.
66．What is the author’s attitude toward the theories of modern psychology?
A．Indifferent (不关心的). B．Tolerant (容忍的).
C．Supportive (支持的). D．Critical (批评的).
