A private group of scientists has announced plans to make an exact copy of a human being. An American member of the team says he and the others will soon begin a serious effort to clone humans. Panos Zavos says the team hopes to manufacture the world’s first cloned baby within the next two years.
In recent years, scientists have produced exact genetic copies of sheep and a few other animals. They created these clones from a single cell of an adult animal.
Three years ago, another American doctor, Richard Seed, announced plans to clone a human being. However, there is no evidence that he has been successful.
Doctor Zavos says the new international group plans to offer human cloning only to women who are currently not able to become pregnant or produce children. He says the aim is to assist people who want to have their own biological child.
The technology would be similar to that used to clone animals. It would involve cleaning genetic material from a woman’s egg. Doctors then would place genetic material from the woman’s husband into the egg before putting it into the woman’s uterus(子宫).
Doctor Zavos says his group plans to do the work in a country near the Mediterranean Sea. He did not name the country. He says an Italian reproductive expert, Sevorino Antinori, is leading the team. Doctor Antinori has led the efforts to help many older women become pregnant. He is known for establishing pregnancies in women as old as sixty.
Many medical experts and other groups are opposed to the idea of cloning humans. Several countries ban or restrict work on human cloning. Several doctors criticize the announcement by Doctor Zavos. They say doctors do not know if cloning humans is possible or safe. They say it would be irresponsible to attempt to clone a human being. That is because the chances of success are too small and the risks are too great.The underlined word “manufacture” in the first paragraph means “_________”.
| A．produce | B．oppose | C．attempt | D．experiment |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．In theory, scientists are unlikely to clone humans. |
| B．Richard Seed has fallen behind other scientists in cloning humans. |
| C．Cloning human beings is good for men. |
| D．People have different ideas about cloning humans. |
How do many medical experts and other groups like the idea of cloning humans？
| A．They are in favour of the idea. |
| B．They are against the idea. |
| C．They have an optimistic attitude to the idea. |
| D．They think it is none of their business. |
Micro bloggers：have you ever compared the number of fans on your Sina Weibo or Tencent micro blog with those of your friends ?Don’t imagine you have more fans just because your number is bigger——some of them might be “zombie fans”，or fake(假的)followers．
That’s what Chen Chuanliang ，creator of Leijian Network，found when he bet against his friend several months ago．Chen，who used to do data mining for Microsoft Asia Research Institute，discovered that there were far more invalid(无效的)micro blog accounts than he had imagined．
Later Chen picked 1 0 users on Sina Weibo and analyzed their statistics．Kai-Fu Lee，the former CEO of Google China，who’s on Chen’s list of research，posted a message on his micro blog after he found out that he had more than 1 million fake fans(out of about 5 million)，joking“I have 1 million zombie fans ?If united，we can finally defeat those plants．”
According to a report by S Weekly in March，zombie fans on micro blogs are defined as invalid accounts signed up by network companies for the purpose of increasing the number of fans for certain users and getting them more attention．
And this kind of fake followers are also very much alive on Western social networks such as Twitter and Facebook ．
The Financial Times reported in August，that Newt Gingrich，a Republican candidate in the US presidential election，bought about 80 percent of his 1．3 million Twitter followers and tried to use them as help in his campaign．
Now there are also business deals through which users can get hundreds of thousands of fans for their micro blog accounts，by paying a small amount of money．
“We have been working to find ways to block or delete those invalid accounts，”Mao Taotao，a spokesperson for Sina Weibo told S Weekly.
“But as the fake accounts grow so fast，they’re going to be here for a while．Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Micro Bloggers | B．Blog Accounts |
| C．Zombie Fans | D．Micro Blog Fans |
Users get zombie fans for their micro blog accounts by________.
| A．making friends with people |
| B．paying a little money |
| C．helping their weibo followers |
| D．doing search on the Internet |
It can be learnt from the passage that________.
| A．there are more fake fans in America than in China |
| B．invalid accounts for micro blogs will be deleted in no time |
| C．there exist many fake fans on western social networks as well |
| D．Newt Gingrich had 1．3 millions followers in his presidential election |
The underlined word“their” in the passage refers to
| A．deals’ | B．fans’ | C．campaigns’ | D．users’ |
There’s a guy like me in every state and federal prison in America，I guess—I’m the guy who can get these for you：cigarettes，a bag of cigar，if you want that，a bottle of wine to celebrate your son or daughter’s high school graduation，or almost anything else．．．within reason，that is．It wasn’t always that way．
I came to Shawshank when I was just twenty，and I am one of the few people in the prison who is willing to admit what he did．I committed murder．I put a large insurance policy on my wife，who was three years older than 1 was，and then I fixed the brakes of the car her father had given us as a wedding present．It worked out exactly as I had planned，except I hadn’t planned on her stopping to pick up the neighbour woman and the woman’s son on the way down Castle Hill and into town．The brakes let go and the car crashed through the bushes，gathering speed．Bystanders said it must have been doing fifty or better when it hit the base of the Civil War statue in the town arid burst into flames．
I also hadn’t planned on getting caught，but caught 1 was．I got a pass into this place．My state has no death penalty(死刑)，but I was tried for all three deaths and given three life sentences，to run one after the other．That fixed up any chance of parole(假释)I might have，for a long，long time．The judge called what I had done‘an extremely evil crime’, and it was ,but it is also in the past now．
Have I transformed myself，you ask ?I don’t know what that word means，at least as far as prisons and corrections go．I think it’s a politician’s word．It may have some other meaning，and it may be that 1 will have a chance to find out，but that is the future．．．
I was young，good—looking，and from the poor side of town．I met a pretty，headstrong girl who lived in one of the fine old houses on Carbine Street．She got pregnant later．Her father was agreeable to the marriage if 1 would take a job in the company he owned and ‘work my way up’．I found out that what he really had in mind was keeping me in his house and under his thumb，like a disagreeable pet that has not quite been housebroken and which may bite．Enough hate eventually piled up to cause me to do what I did．
Given a second chance 1 would not do it again，but I'm not sure that means I am transformed．What do we know about the man from the passage?
| A．He is treated unfairly in the prison． |
| B．He is in charge of the federal prison． |
| C．He is quite an able person as a prisoner． |
| D．He is the most powerful man in the prison． |
By saying that“I got a pass into this place”(in Para．3)，the man means that________.
| A．he has got to stay in prison |
| B．he was allowed to go home |
| C．he was caught by the police without a pass |
| D．he has stayed in the federal prison before |
The man committed such an evil crime because__________.
| A．he had made a secret deal with an insurance company |
| B．he had been angry for a long time with his father—in—law |
| C．his wife’s family members had disapproved of their marriage |
| D．his wife had looked on him as a pet and he didn’t feel respected |
Which of the following is TRUE about the man?
| A．He regrets having committed the crime． |
| B．He will be out of prison in the near future． |
| C．He thinks the trial a mistake and is unfair． |
| D．He has found out the |
Any day we wish；we can discipline ourselves to change it a11．Any day we wish；we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge．Any day we wish；we can start a new activity．Any day we wish；we can start the process of life change．We can do it immediately，or next week，or next month，or next year．
We can also do nothing．We can pretend rather than perform．And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable，we can remain as we are．We can choose rest over labor，entertainment over education，delusion(幻想)over truth，and doubt over confidence．The choices are ours to make．But while we complain about the effect，we continue to nourish(助长)the cause．
As Shakespeare uniquely observed，“The fault is not in the stars，but in ourselves．’’We created our circumstances by our past choices．We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today．
Those who are in search of the good life do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. They need the truth .They need the whole truth .And the responsibility to nothing but the truth．
We cannot allow our errors in judgment，repeated every day，to lead us down the wrong path．
We must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how our life works out．And then we must make the very choices that will bring life，happiness and joy into our daily lives .
And if I may be so bold to offer my last piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in their life—If you don’t like how things are，change it !You’re not a tree．You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life — and it all begins with your very own power of choice．The first paragraph tells us that_________.
| A．no one wants to be disciplined |
| B．we often need some new knowledge |
| C．taking activities does good to our health |
| D．we want to change all the time |
We may conclude from the second paragraph that
| A．whatever happens, we have to change ourselves |
| B．people tend to nourish the cause of bad results |
| C．whether we change or not depends on ourselves |
| D．most choices we made are not good enough |
From Shakespeare’s words，we know________.
| A．it is our duty to change for the better |
| B．we complain a lot about our past choices |
| C．sometimes we have to face the fate |
| D．we should believe in ourselves in life |
In the author’s opinion，if。you want a good life，what you need most is_______.
| A．self confidence | B．good choices | C．strong wills | D．the truth |
A carefree summer vacation can be yours with these easy tips．
1．Fly into Alternate Airports
Most major destinations are served by more than one airport．Flying into a less popular one can result in cheaper tickets．Another added perk of quieter airports? Shorter check-in and security lines，and less waiting around．
2．Use Public Transportation for City Travel to Save Time and Money
When possible，take public transportation from the airport to your hotel．For example，the London-Heathrow express train takes just 15 minutes to get from airport to city and costs under 20 pounds．By contrast，“A taxi costs about 70 pounds and takes 40 minutes，"reports DiScala．
3．Eat Smart，Explore…and Save
Look for ways to take your order in pricey restaurants and you can avoid “Are we about to run out of money?”“Don’t order an appetizer．Don’t drink a lot of booze，” says DiScala．
Also，cover more ground by spreading out your snack places．“Have dessert at a café or ice cream stand, instead of at the dinner restaurant，” suggests DiScala．You’ll see more of the city and decisions about where to go for dinner will be less worrying．
4．Hit the Market
Much like reading the local newspaper，visiting a market gives context to a foreign country．
Even the smallest villages tend to have a weekly open-air market(often on Saturday mornings) , while in larger towns and cities，expect additional market days，as well as big supermarkets．
Markets also sell amazing，wallet-friendly souvenirs．Think about sea salt，local spices or sauces，and regional oils and vinegars． Eatable gifts are almost always appreciated，saving you the stress of finding the“perfect”gift for each person on your list．The passage aims to tell the readers how to________．
| A．take a plane without waiting for long |
| B．spend your holidays abroad economically |
| C．eat in a pricey restaurant at the smallest expense |
| D．save money to buy eatable gifts in a foreign market |
What does the underlined word“perk” in Line 4 mean?
| A．Special benefit． | B．Strict standard． |
| C．Common scene． | D．Extra trouble． |
Which of the following will best help you save time and money?
| A．Choosing a bigger airport． | B．Visiting local markets． |
| C．Having dinner at the hotel． | D．Taking an express train． |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Having coffee at a cafe will cost more money． |
| B．Souvenirs bought at local markets are expensive． |
| C．You will run out of your money if you eat out． |
| D．Markets help you understand your tourist destination． |
With 10, 600 bicycles in circulation，Paris city officials are hoping the program will provide people with more environmentally friendly transportation．
It seems both Parisians and tourists are taking advantage of the program．Since its launch a little over two weeks ago，Vélib has already seen almost half a million rentals．And，with the addition of 10，000 more bikes and 700 more stations in the next 12 months，city officials expect at least 200，000 regular users by year end．
Parisian Olivier Bioret has already gone for a spin on one of Vélib’s vehicles and plans to make use of them more often．
“It’s a real pleasure—when，like me，you don’t have space enough in your flat to have your
own bike—to be able to discover．to cross Paris and not have to take the subway，”he said．
As a socialist and longtime green activist，Mayor Bertrand Delanoe regards Vélib as just a part of his plan to reduce car traffic and，thus，lower pollution by 2020．
Apart from its environmental benefits，Vélib is also being praised as a way of collecting money for the city，for all the money from rentals goes to the city government．
Paris is not alone in its attempt to profit from the power of the bicycles．
Across the globe，cities such as Barcelona，which stated its bike-share program in March with 1,500 vehicles and 100 stations，and New York，which launched a five-day trial program last month，are using bicycles as a way to cut back on both traffic and pollution．
However，it remains to be seen whether people’s acceptance of these programs is simply a
passing fashion or whether this movement has the power to take root and transform the face of public transportation around the world．The real purpose of Vélib is________．
| A．to help people save money and space |
| B．to make some money for the city government |
| C．to provide convenience to both Parisians and tourists |
| D．to reduce traffic and pollution in the city |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．There will be 700 stations in one year’s time． |
| B．There will be over 20, 000 bikes in use in a year． |
| C．In the first two weeks there were nearly a million rentals． |
| D．There will be 200, 000 regular rentals each day by year end． |
We can know from the passage that_________．
| A．other cities also have such programs |
| B．Parisians can use the bicycles free of charge |
| C．Paris sets an example to many other cities |
| D．Paris is the first city to start such a program |
As to the future of the program，the author is_________．
| A．critical | B．optimistic | C．uncertain | D．negative |