A new report said scientists may not be far from giving apes the ability to think and talk like humans. The report is about experiments which transplant human cells into animals for medical purposes.
It claimed that concerns about the creation of talking apes should be taken seriously. It should also draw people’s attention to the possibility that the medical research about creating “humanised” animals is going to generate monsters.
A regulatory（监管的）body is needed to closely monitor any experiments that many risk creating animals with human-like consciousness or giving them any appearance or behavioural traits that too closely resemble humans, the report said.
Scientists would, for example, be prevented from replacing a large number of an ape’s brain cells with human brain cells until more is known about the potential risks. This has already been done in simpler animals like mice, which is judged to be less risky.
Under the new UK guidelines, the power to regulate tests on animals containing human material would be transferred to a body with wider responsibility for animal testing in the Home Office.
While there is no risk from experiments currently being carried out in Britain, it is possible that ethical (道德的) boundaries could be crossed within the next few years if scientists are not careful, the experts said.
Professor Thomas Baldwin, a member of the Academy of Medical Sciences working group that produced the report, said the possibility of humanised apes should be taken seriously.
He said, “The fear is that if you start putting very large numbers of human brain cells into the brains of primates（灵长类动物）you might transform the primates into something that has some of the abilities that we regard as distinctly human, such as speech, or other ways of being able to manipulate or relate to us.”
Professor Martin Bobrow, chair of the academy working group that produced the report, said, “The very great majority of experiments present no issues beyond the general use of animals in research and these should continue to proceed under the current regulations.”
Lord Willis, chair of the Association of Medical Research Charities, said, “AMRC only supports research that is absolutely necessary and where no suitable alternative methods are available.”What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Ethical rules to limit humanised animals. |
| B．The potential results of humanised apes. |
| C．The possibility of humanised animals. |
| D．The danger of human-like animals. |
The underlined word “manipulate” in the passage probably means “_______”.
| A．appeal | B．possess | C．control | D．associate |
Which of the following statements might Professor Thomas Baldwin agree with?
| A．It is necessary to do some experiments about humanised animals. |
| B．Experiments about humanised animals should be done within the law. |
| C．It would be dangerous to do experiments about humanised animals. |
| D．It is urgent to ban experiment about humanised animals. |
It can be inferred that _______.
| A．people should be careful when creating talking apes |
| B．Thomas Baldwin and Lord Willis are from the same organization |
| C．creating humanised animals is difficult in Britain now |
| D．scientists must be cautious not to cross ethical boundaries |
The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card (信用卡) fraud. Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal web site(非法网站).
Web sites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care.
On-line shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they thought they bought. The thieves then go shopping with your card number — or sell the information over the Internet. Computers hackers(黑客) have broken down security(安全) systems, raising questions about the safety of cardholder information. Several months ago, 25, 000 customers of CD Universe, an on-line music retailer(零售商), were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Web site after the retailer refused to pay US $157, 828 to get back the information.
Credit-card firms are now fighting against on-line fraud. Mastercard is working on plans for Web — only credit card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping on-line. However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated(欺骗).
Ask about your credit-card firm’s on-line rules: Under British law, cardholders have to pay the first US $78 of any fraudulent(欺骗性的) spending.
And shop only at secure sites; Send your credit-card information only if the Web site offers advanced secure system.
If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The Website address may also start https: //—the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone.
Keep your password(密码) safe: Most on-line sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your passwords with care.
1. What do most people worry about the Internet according to this passage?
A. A lot of stolen credit-cards were sold on the Internet.
B. Fraud on the Internet.
C. Many Web sites are destroyed.
D. Many illegal Web sites are on the Internet.
2. What is the meaning of “fraud”?
A. Cheating. B. Sale. C. Payment. D. Safety.
3. How can the thieves get the information of the credit card?
A. The customers give them the information.
B. The thieves steal the information from Web sites.
C. The customers sell the information to them.
D. The thieves buy the information from credit-card firms.
4. How many pieces of advice does the passage give to you?
A. Four. B. Three. C. Five. D. Six.
5. You are shopping on the site: http: // www. Shopping. com, and you want to buy a TV set, what does this article suggest to do?
A. Order the TV set at once.
B. Do not buy the TV set on this site.
C. E-mail the site your credit-card information.
D. Tell the site your password and buy the TV set for you.
Right is right. Right? Of course. But is left wrong? Well, the Romans used to think so. They thought left-handed people were mistakes of nature. Latin, the language of the Romans, had many words that expressed this view. Some words we use today still have this meaning. The Latin word “dexter” means “right”. The English word “dexterous” comes from this word. It means “handy” (clever with hands). So, right is handy. But the Latin word for left is “sinister”. The English word “sinister” comes from this word. Sinister means “evil” (very bad). Is it fair to call right-handed people handy and left-handed people evil? Well, fair or not, many languages have words that express such beliefs. In old English, the word for left means “weak”. That isn’t much of an improvement over “evil”.
Not very long ago, children were often forced to write with their right hands. Doctors have since found that this can be very harmful. You should use the hand you were born to use.
People who use their left hands are just starting to get better treatment. But why they get all these bad names in the first place? One reason may be that there are not as many left-handed people as there are right-handed people. There is one left-handed person for every five right-handed ones. People who are different are often thought to be wrong. But attitudes do seem to be changing. Fair-minded right-handed people are finally starting to give left-handed people a hand.
1. What does the passage lead us to believe when one writes?
A. He can only use his right hand.
B. He can only use his left hand.
C. He can use either his left hand or his right hand.
D. He can use both his left hand and his right hand.
2. The last sentence of this article means ________.
A. Fair-minded right-handed people want to change the habit of the left-handed people
B. Fair-minded right-handed people are starting to help the left-handed people
C. Fair-minded right-handed people are starting to use left hand to write and so on
D. Fair-minded right-handed people are starting to give up using their left hands
3. After we read the article we can certainly know that _______.
A. left-handed people have been treated poorly
B. the number of the left-handed people is larger than that of right-handed people
C. right-handed people are much cleverer than left-handed people
D. left-handed people are less smart but hardworking
4. Which of the following is NOT right, according to the article?
A. At one time, left-handed people were forced to use their right hands.
B. Left-handed people today are being treated better than those in the past.
C. There are not as many left-handed people as there are right-handed people today.
D. “Dexterous” comes from Latin, means “evil” and English “sinister” means “handy”.
With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone(克隆) the animal and save the endangered species(物种). That’s similar to what Texas A＆M University researchers have been undertaking(负责) 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(氮). 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 and 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.
Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo 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(过程) could take from three to five years to complete.
“The nuclear transfer(核子移植) 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.”
1. The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to_______.
A. make effort 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. From the passage we know that _______.
A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a cat
B. scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a tiger
C. Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches
D. about two thousand of species will probably die out in about a century
According to a famous optical(光学) expert, Alexander, who recently visited Shanghai, the developed countries in Europe and America have made rules that children must wear resinous(树脂) glasses instead of the traditional glasses made of glass. This is because the glass glasses are more likely to do harm to children’s eyesight.
Alexander pointed out: wearing the right glasses as soon as possible is still the best way to cure and put right children’s eyesight problems.
In America and Japan the resinous glasses have taken up 80 percent of the glasses market. And some European countries and America have made it a law that children, teenagers and drivers must wear resinous glasses. Now, about 10 million children in China have different eyesight problems and they need timely treatment.
But still, too many parents are buying the traditional glass glasses for their children. This is mainly because many parents know little or nothing about the good points of the resinous glasses. Besides, the price for the new glasses is a little higher than the traditional ones.
1. This news article mainly wants to tell us _______.
A. Alexander visited China and introduced a new type of glasses
B. we should wear resinous glasses instead of glass glasses
C. resinous glasses are popular in Europe and America
D. glasses can be made of other materials instead of glass
2. According to Alexander, the “timely treatment” to eyesight problems is _______.
A. to stop wearing glass glasses any more
B. to buy a pair of glasses and wear them right away
C. to wear suitable resinous glasses at the right time
D. to buy glasses made in Europe, Japan or America if possible
3. It can be inferred from this news text that _______.
A. resinous glasses are not on sale in China yet
B. resinous glasses are not acceptable in China
C. glass glasses have disappeared on western market because there is a law against them
D. glass glasses are the first choice in China not only because of their price
(1—3 BCD)
Zinc(锌) is one of about 20 elements necessary for good health. It is present in the body in a very small amount but makes it possible for important chemical actions to be carried out in cells. Scientists are just beginning to discover how zinc and other elements work.
Researchers first studied zinc as a way to speed recovery. Dr. Waltor Powys formerly with the United States Air Force noted that the laboratory animals recovered faster when some matters were added to their food. One of these matters was zinc. Dr. Powys later tested the zinc treatment on an American airman recovering from medical operations. The airman who received zinc sulphate(硫酸盐) recovered in half of the usual time. Other doctors studied persons who had a number of strange disorders. The doctors learned that all of these problems were caused by lack of zinc in the body. They treated these disorders successfully by giving the patients zinc sulphate.
The amount of zinc in the body can be found by examining blood and hair. A lack of this important element is not uncommon among people in both industrial and developing countries. Zinc is found in most high protein(蛋白质) foods such as meat, milk, fish and eggs. It is also found in whole grains. But many people do not eat enough of these food. Food markets should add these elements so that more people could get needed amount of these necessary matters.
1. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Scientists found how zinc works a long time ago.
B. People need a large amount of zinc to be healthy.
C. Zinc allows important chemical actions to take place in cells.
D. Zinc must be used in the course of medical operation.
2. One of the results from the study of zinc is that _______.
A. there’s only a little zinc in the human body
B. food rich in protein contains more zinc
C. some physical problems are caused by lack of zinc
D. any patient who receives zinc sulphate gets well immediately
3. The best title for the passage may be _______.
A. A New Discovery B. Zinc and Health
C. How Zinc Works D. Add Zinc to Your Food