Recently there was a major discovery in the scientific research—the mapping of all DNA in a human gene(基因) is complete.Couple of years ago, this seems an impossible task for scientist to accomplish.All this progress in science leads us to believe that the day, when the human being will be cloned, is not far away.Human cloning has always been a topic of argument, in terms of morality or religion.
Taking a look at why cloning might be beneficial, among many cases, it is arguable that parents who are known to be at risk of passing a genetic limitation to a child could make use of cloning.If the clone was free of genetic limitations.then the other clone would be as well.The latter could foe inserted in the woman and allowed to ripen to term.Moreover, cloning would enable women, who can't get pregnant, to have children of their own.
Cloning humans would also mean that organs could be cloned, so it would be a source of perfect transfer organs.This, surely would be greatly beneficial to millions of unfortunate people around the world that are expected to lose their lives due to failure of single (or more) organ (s).It is also arguable that a ban on cloning may be unlawful and would rob people of the right to reproduce and limit the freedom of scientists.
Arguments against cloning are also on a perfectly practical side.Primarily, I believe that cloning would step in the normal "cycle" of life.There would be a large number of same genes, which reduce the chances of improvement, and, in turn, development—the fundamental reason how living things naturally adapt to the ever-changing environment.Life processes failing to do so might result in untimely disappearance.Furthermore, cloning would make the uniqueness that each one of us possesses disappear.Thus, leading to creation of genetically engineered groups of people for specific purposes and, chances are, that those individuals would be regarded as "objects" rather than people in the society.
Scientists haven't 100 per cent.guaranteed that the first cloned humans will be normal.Thus this could result in introduction of additional limitations in the human "gene-pool".
Regarding such arguable topics in "black or white" approach seems very innocent to me personally.We should rather try to look at all "shades" of it.I believe that cloning is only legal if its purpose is for cloning organs; not humans.Then we could regard this as for "saving life" instead of "creating life".I believe cloning humans is morally and socially unacceptable.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Genetic limitation will be beneficial for some women |
B.A large number of genes will prevent us from developing |
C.Prohibition of cloning might limit the freedom of scientists |
D.First cloned humans might be normal according to scientists |
What's the author's opinion on cloning?
A.Cloning should be entirely banned. |
B.Cloning should be used in creating life. |
C.Cloning will take away the right to reproduce. |
D.Cloning is acceptable if it is used for cloning organs. |
Where can you read this article?
A.In a story book |
B.In a magazine |
C.In a science fiction |
D.In a brochure |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
Nanjing and Hangzhou summer camps offered
We are looking for hard-working and open-minded English teachers to join the Nanjing ( Jiangsu Province) and Hangzhou (Zhejiang Province) summer camps!
Both of the summer camps will run from the beginning of July to the end of August. You will be expected to teach spoken English to Chinese students of different ages. We encourage you to bring your own culture to the classes to make things more interesting.
The information of the Nanjing camp:
lWorking hours: 40 hours per week, 5 working days per week.
lSalary: about 7,000 RMB per month.
lAccommodation(食宿): free (single room).
The information of the Hangzhou camp:
lWorking hours: 5 hours per day (="50" min./class×6 classes), one day rest per week.
lSalary: 20,160 RMB in total (420 RMB per day=70RMB/class×6 classes)
lAccommodation: free (shared room)
The requirements (要求) of the summer camps:
lNative English speakers (US, England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand)
lA university degree.
lTeaching experience.
Please send us your resume (简历), copies of certificates (证书) and passport if you are interested in the camps.
E-mail: teacher 1324@sina.com.cn
For more information you can visit our website at http://www.Englishsummercamps.com.cn
Looking forward to hearing from you soon!What kind of people is the passage mainly written for?
A.Teachers of English in China. |
B.Foreign English teachers. |
C.Chinese-speaking students. |
D.English-learning students. |
How long will a teacher work for the summer camps?
A.Less than one month. | B.About five weeks. |
C.About eight weeks. | D.More than two months. |
Who might be accepted as a teacher at the summer camps?
A. Abhishek, an excellent teacher from India.
B. Robert, a high school student from the USA.
C. Linda, an experienced university teacher from Canada.
D. Jerry, a university student from Australia.Compared with the Nanjing camp, the Hangzhou camp __________.
A.has longer working hours | B.has younger students to teach |
C.provides better accommodation | D.pays a higher salary |
When Jackie Robinson walked onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York, on April 15, 1947, he changed baseball forever. As the first African American to play in the Major League in modern times, many believe he changed the country forever.
Robinson was born in 1919. He lived in a time when rules controlled what African Americans could do. He was a top athlete, playing football, basketball and baseball. But playing for a major League team was off limits to Robinson because of his race.
Branch Rickey, president and manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, signed (和……签约) Robinson in 1947. He believed that Robinson not only had the skills, but the courage to face the challenge of becoming modern baseball’s first black player.
It wasn’t easy. Robinson sometimes faced boos (嘘声) from fans. But he became a star, anyway. In 1962, he became the first African-American player chosen to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2005, he was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award Congress can give to an American.
By breaking baseball’s color barrier (肤色障碍), Robinson opened the door for many to follow his footsteps, not only in baseball, but in other areas of life as well. After he stopped playing the game, Robinson worked as a manager for a coffee company. He wrote a newspaper column (专栏). He also started a bank. Before Jackie Robinson, no African-American players could __________.
A.play baseball | B.play in the Major League |
C.play football and basketball | D.watch Major League games |
According to Branch Rickey, Jackie Robinson was __________.
A.poor but clever | B.unlucky but confident |
C.proud and strong | D.brave and skilled |
We can know that Jackie Robinson’s story __________.
A.changed many Africans’ ideas |
B.had an effect on many black people’s lives |
C.encouraged black people to fight with whites |
D.started a hot discussion about the color barrier |
Which of the following is NOT what he once did?
A.a newspaper column writer | B.a banker |
C.a university teacher | D.a manager in a company |
Section B (10 points)
Directions: Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage and required words limit
What is eBay? The simple answer is that it is a global trading platform where nearly anyone can trade practically anything. People can sell and buy all kinds of products and goods. Including cars, movies and DVDs, sporting goods, travel tickets, musical instruments, clothes and shoes---the list goes on and on.
The idea came from Peter Omidyar, who was born in Paris and moved to Washington when he was still a child, at high school,he became very interested in computer programming and after graduating from Tuft University in 1988, He worked for the next few years as a computer engineer. In his free time he started Bay as a kind of hobby, at first offering the service free by word of mouth. By 1996 there was so much traffic on the website that he had to upgrade and he began charging a fee to members. Joined by a friend, Peter Skill, and in 1998 by his capable CEO, Meg Whitman, he has never looked back. Even in the great.com crashes of the late 1990s, eBay has gone from strength to strength. It is now one of the ten most visited online shopping websites on the Internet.
EBay sells connections, not goods, putting buyer and seller into contact with each other. All you have to do is to take an e-photo, write a description, fill out a sales form and you are in business; the world is your market place. Of course for each item sold eBay gets a percentage and that is a great deal of money. Every day there are more than sixteen million items listed on eBay and eighty percent of the items are sold.According to the passage, what is eBay? (no more than 6 words)
How does eBay make money from its website? (no more than 10 words)
From the underlined sentence “he has never looked back”, what can we learn about Peter? (no more than 11 words)
What do you need to do if you want to start your business on eBay? (no more than 14 words)
Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you’ve got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we’re the apple of our parents’ eyes, and that our Grandmas think we’re great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics, but sometimes it’s a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you built a positive self-image and learnt to love yourself.
Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.
It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren’t good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you don’t wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.
The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat yourself on the back, you’ll know you’re well on your way. Good luck! According to the passage, our self-images _________.
A.have positive effects | B.are probably untrue |
C.are often changeable | D.have different functions |
You need to build a positive self-image when you _________.
A.dare to challenge yourself | B.feel it hard to change yourself |
C.are unconfident about yourself | D.have a high opinion of yourself |
How should you change your self-image according to the passage?
A.To keep a different image of others. | B.To make your life successful. |
C.To understand your own world. | D.To change the way you think. |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.How to prepare for your success. | B.How to face challenges in your life. |
C.How to build a positive self-image. | D.How to develop your good qualities. |
Who are the intended readers of the passage?
A.Parents. | B.Adolescents. | C.Educators. | D.People in general. |
He met her at the party. She was so outstanding, with many boys around her, while he was so normal, with nobody paying attention to him.
At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him. She was surprised, but due to being polite, she agreed.
They sat in a nice coffee shop. He was too nervous to say anything, and she felt uncomfortable, thinking, “Please let me go home.”
Suddenly he asked the waiter, “Would you please give me some salt? I’d like to put it in my coffee.”
Everybody stared at him---so strange! His face turned red, but, still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it.
She asked him curiously, “Why do you have this hobby?”
He replied, “When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea. I liked playing in the sea, and I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood. I miss my hometown so much. I miss my parents who are still living there.”
While saying that, tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched. That’s his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart. A man who can tell about his homesickness must be a man who loves home, cares about home, and has a good sense of responsibility.
Then she also started to speak, about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story.
They continued to date. She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands: he was kind-hearted, warm and careful. He was such a good person but she almost missed him!
Thanks to his salty coffee! Then the story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married the prince, then they were living a happy life…And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee.
After 40 years, he passed away, leaving her a letter which said, “My dearest, please forgive my whole-life lie. This was the only lie I said to you ---the salty coffee.”
“Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time. Actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt. It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead.”
“I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything.”
“Now I’m dying, I’m afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth: I don’t like the salty coffee. What a strange and bad taste! But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life!”
“Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you. Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for a second time, I still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again.”
Her tears made the letter totally wet.
Someday, someone asked her, “What’s the taste of salty coffee?” “It’s sweet,” she replied. After ordering some salt to put into the coffee, the young man must have felt _________.
A.excited | B.satisfied | C.embarrassed | D.displeased |
Why did the man have salty coffee all his life?
A.To change lifestyle. | B.To please his wife. |
C.To keep his word. | D.To remember the past |
What does the write mean by saying “she almost missed him”?
A.She meant to leave him on their first date. |
B.She thought of him every now and then. |
C.She nearly misunderstood his explanation. |
D.She could hardly believe this simple fact. |
From the passage, we can see that the man is ___________.
A.dishonest but responsible | B.shy but kind-hearted |
C.caring and loyal | D.warm and understanding |
It is implied in the passage that the woman ___________ when reading the letter left by her husband.
A.was confused about his behavior | B.was touched by his white lie |
C.felt sorry to know the truth too late | D.felt angry about his dishonesty |