The scientific world continues to be amazed by the speed of the development of cloning. Some scientists now suggest that the cloning of humans could occur in the near future. Despite the benefits of cloning, however, certain ethical (道德的) questions concerning the possible abuse (滥用) of cloning have been raised. At the heart of these questions is the idea of humans influencing life in a way that could harm society, either morally or in a real physical sense. Some people object to cloning because it allows scientists to "act like God" in the handling of living organisms.
The cloning of Dolly raised the debate over this practice to a whole new level. It has become obvious that the technology for cloning Dolly could also be used to clone humans. A person could choose to make two or ten or a hundred copies of himself or herself by the same techniques used with Dolly. An active debate about the morality of cloning humans arises. Some people see benefits from the practice, such as providing a way for parents to produce a new child to replace one dying of a fatal disease. Other people worry about humans taking into their own hands the future of the human race.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, many scientists say the controversy over the ethics of cloning humans is overstressed because of the unpredictability (不可预测性) of cloning in general. While scientists have cloned animals such as sheep, mice, cows, pigs, and goats, fewer than 3 percent of all those cloning efforts have succeeded. The animal clones that have been produced often have health problems. Scientists believe the rapid reprogramming in cloning can introduce random (任意的) errors into a clone’s DNA. Those errors have altered individual genes in minor ways, and the genetic defects (缺陷) have led to the development of major medical problems. Some scientists say this should make human cloning out of the question, but others argue that cloning humans may actually be easier and safer than cloning animals. Whatever, I agree that further research in the field of cloning is needed.
Some people are against cloning of humans because they think _________.
| A．the practice takes too much time and money |
B．the cloning technology is still not mature |
C．humans control the future of the human race |
D．the population in the world will be too large |
Some scientists think the debate over ethics of cloning humans is overstressed because ____.
| A．cloning of human beings is completely impossible |
B．the result of cloning can’t be predicted in general |
C．cloning of animals is a failure |
D．there are big errors in a clone’s DNA |
We can learn from the text that _______.
| A．cloning of humans is a very controversial issue |
B．the cloning of Dolly begins to raise the debate over cloning of humans |
C．there are medical problems in cloning animals |
D．cloning humans is easier and safer than cloning animals |
The text is mainly about _______.
| A．the benefits of cloning |
B．the ethics of cloning |
C．the history of cloning |
D．the defects of cloning |
Most recently, it's very common in students who need a parent present for job interviews. Naturally, it's easy to blame the students in these situations, but the bigger problem is us. We—as parents—are so eager to shelter our kids that we fail to realize that this in itself is harming them. As the mother of two young sons, I have to remind myself constantly that the biggest responsibility I have as a parent is to help them develop the skills needed to live in, to live without me. So, I'll let them fail．
I'll let them fail because as long as they are safe and warm inside their comfort zones, they will never grow. And failure along with loss, heartbreak, disappointment, etc.—will be part of growth for them. Call me the anti-tiger mom, but leaving them alone is, my way of helping them become equipped to fit in this world as we know it today. From terrorism and seemingly endless natural disasters, to our national debt and beyond, if we expect the next generation to stand up to the very real problems of our time, we need to stop feeding them and start teaching them how to fish.
My children now are becoming little masters of compromise, but they try to negotiate everything now. It's a small price to help them learn a skill they'll use for the rest of their lives, including when I don't accompany them on job interviews. Why do parents accompany their kids on job interviews?
| A．Because they want to protect their kids from difficulties． |
| B．Because they think they can help them on the questions． |
| C．Because their kids are too shy to attend interviews． |
| D．Because their kids strongly request them to do so． |
According to the author, what is beneficial to kids' development?
| A．Sheltering them． | B．Keeping them safe． |
| C．Leaving them alone． | D．Blaming them． |
Why does the author stress failure in kids' life?
| A．To make them stronger than other kids． |
| B．To help them grow in this tough world． |
| C．To help them develop all social skills． |
| D．To make them learn to compromise． |
Which of the following might be the best title for the text?
| A．Never Shelter Your Kids |
| B．Let Your Kids Fail |
| C．Be Eager to Grow Up |
| D．Live Without Parents |
Is losing weight as simple as doing a 15-minute writing exercise? In a new study, women who wrote about their most important values, like close relationships or religion, lost more weight over the next few months than women who didn't. "We have this need to feel self-integrity (正直,诚实）,” says Christine Logel of the University of Waterloo. "When something threatens your sense that you're a good person, like failing a test, we can buffer（缓冲） that self-integrity by reminding ourselves how much we love our children, for example".
For this study, the researchers recruited 45 female undergraduates, of whom 58% were overweight. Each woman was weighed, and was then given a list ofimportant values, like creativity, music or relationships with friends and family members. Each woman ranked the values in order of how important they were to her. Then half the women were told to write for 15 minutes about the value that was most important to her. The other half, a control group, were told to write about why a value far down on their list might be important to someone else.
The women came back months later to be weighed again. Women who had written about an important value lost an average of 3.41 pounds, while women in the control group gained an average of 2.76 pounds.
"How we feel about ourselves can have a big effect," Logel says. Maybe when one of the women who wrote about an important value went home that night, she felt good about herself and didn't eat to make herself feel better. Over a few months, that could make a real difference in her life,How can a 15-minute writing exercise ofimportant values affect people?
| A．They will feel proud of themselves and gain weight gradually. |
| B．They may feel good about themselves and then eat less than usual. |
| C．They may continue writing and decide to become a professional writer. |
| D．They will never have meals at night to make themselves lose weight. |
What were the females required to do in the study?
| A．Only the control group was given a list ofimportant values. |
| B．Both groups ranked the values in order of importance to them. |
| C．Each woman was weighed three times in the process of the study. |
| D．The overweight women wrote about the value most important to them. |
Which of the following persons may lose weight according to the new study?
| A．Mary who wrote about her own adventure. |
| B．Catherine who described her illness in her writing. |
| C．Shirley who wrote how much she loved her children. |
| D．Alice who complained her boss in her diary. |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Writing Benefits Women a Lot |
| B．Losing Weight Is Very Simple |
| C．Writing Contributes to Losing Weight |
| D．Women Values Losing Weight |
Bicycle Safety
Operation Always ride your bike in a safe, controlled manner on campus(校园). Obey rules and regulations. Watch out for walkers and other bicyclists, and always use your lights in dark conditions.
Theft Prevention
Always securely lock your bicycle to a bicycle rack---even if you are only away for a minute. Register your bike with the University Department of Public Safety. It’s fast, easy, and free. Registration permanently records your serial number, which is useful in the possible recovery of the bike stolen.
Equipment
Brakes
Make sure that they are in good working order and adjusted properly.
Helmet
A necessity, make sure your helmet meets current safety standards and fit properly.
Lights
Always have a front headlight---visible at least 500 feet in front of the bike. A taillight is a good idea.
Rules of the Road
Riding on Campus
As a bicycle rider, you have a responsibility to ride only on streets and posted bicycle paths. Riding on sidewalks or other walkways can lead to a fine. The speed limit for bicycles on campus is 15mph, unless otherwise posted. Always give the right of ways to walkers. If you are involved in an accident, you are required to offer appropriate aid, call the Department of Public Safety and remain at the scene until the officer lets you go.
Bicycle Parking
Only park in areas reserved for bikes. Trees, handrails, hallways, and sign posts are not for bicycle parking, and parking in such posts can result in a fine.
If Things Go Wrong
If you break the rules, you will be fined. Besides violating rules while riding bicycles on campus, you could be fined for:
No bicycle registration---------------------------------------------------$25
Bicycle parking banned--------------------------------------------------$30
Blocking path with bicycle ---------------------------------------------$40
Violation of bicycle equipment requirement -------------------------$35Registration of your bicycle may help you _____________.
| A．find your stolen bicycle | B．get your serial number |
| C．receive free repair services | D．settle conflicts with walkers |
When you ride a bicycle on the campus, ___________.
| A．ride on posted bicycle paths and sidewalks |
| B．cycle at a speed of over 15 mph |
| C．put the walkers’ right of way first |
| D．call the police before leaving in a case of accident |
If you lock your bicycle to a tree on the campus, you could be fined _ ________.
| A．$25 | B．$30 | C．$35 | D．$40 |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A guide for safe bicycling on campus. |
| B．Directions for bicycle tour on campus. |
| C．Regulations of bicycle race on campus. |
| D．Rules for riding motor vehicles on campus. |
As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows，there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist(社会心理学家)Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co－workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger，conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control(控制)the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question－asking the parents do，the higher the children’s IQ scores.”
Lewis says，“And the more children there are，the less question－asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹)．Lewis found that in families with three or four children，dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child，who has the most to talk about，and the youngest，who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible(看不见的)，”says Lewis.“ When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner，chances are it’s the middle child.” There is，however，one thing that stops all conversations and prevents anyone from having attention：“When the TV is on，” Lewis says，“ dinner is a non－event.”The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to ________.
| A．show the relationship between parents and children |
| B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table |
| C．report on the findings of a study |
| D．give information about family problems |
Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ________.
| A．they are busy serving food to their children |
| B．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table |
| C．they have to pay more attention to younger children |
| D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family |
By saying “Middle children are invisible” in Paragraph 3，Lewis means that middle children ________.
| A．have to help their parents to serve dinner |
| B．get the least attention from the family |
| C．are often kept away from the dinner table |
| D．find it hard to keep up with other children |
Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
| A．It is important to have the right food for children. |
| B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner. |
| C．Parents should talk to each of their children often. |
| D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner. |
Travelling can be a way to gain life experiences，especially during Spring Break—a week long school vacation in the United States. But what if you’re a student and don’t have enough money for a trip? Don’t worry. Here are some useful suggestions.
Save：This probably is the most important preparation for travelling. Cut expenses to fatten_your_wallet so you will have more choices about where to go and how to get there.
Plan ahead：Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your trip. Tickets may cost more when bought on short notice. Giving yourself several months to get ready can mean security and savings.
Do your homework：No matter where you go，research the places you will visit. Decide what to see. Travel books will provide information on the cheapest hotels and restaurants.
Plan sensibly：Write down what you expect to spend for food and hotels. Stick to your plan or you may not have enough money to cover everything.
Travel in groups：Find someone who is interested in visiting the same place. By travelling with others you can share costs and experiences.
Work as you go：Need more money to support your trip? Look for work in the places you visit.
Go off the beaten path：Tourist cities may be expensive. You may want to rethink your trip and go to a lesser－known area. Smaller towns can have many interesting activities and sights.
Pack necessary things：The most important things to take are not always clothes. Remember medicine in case you get sick and snacks in case you cannot find a cheap restaurant.
Use the Internet：The Net can help to save money. Some useful websites include www.Travelocity.com，www. bargains－lowestfare.com and www.economictravel.com.
By planning sensibly，even students can enjoy the travel. Your travel experiences will be remembered for a lifetime.This passage is about ________.
| A．how to get life experiences |
| B．how to travel with enough money |
| C．how to make your travel interesting |
| D．how to plan your travel |
The underlined words “fatten your wallet” probably means ________.
| A．make your wallet larger | B．put some fat in your wallet |
| C．save some money | D．put some choices in your wallet |
During your trip，________.
| A．you need more shoes than clothes |
| B．you can gain valuable life experiences |
| C．you shouldn’t look for work all the way |
| D．you should forget to do your homework |
Suppose you were a student without enough money. If you’d like to travel，you’d better do the following things EXCEPT ________.
| A．doing your homework before traveling |
| B．traveling with others |
| C．going to a place that is not so famous |
| D．taking some medicine and food in case |
The purpose of this passage is________.
| A．to encourage the students to have a trip |
| B．to give some advice on travelling |
| C．to introduce some websites about travelling |
| D．to teach the students how to save money during their trip |