Gene technology to benefit people
Among all the fast growing science and technology, the research of human genes, or biological engineering as people call it, is drawing more and more attention now. Sometimes it is a hot topic talked about by people.
The greatest thing that gene technology can do is to cure serious diseases that doctors at present can almost do nothing with, such as cancer and heart disease. Every year, millions of people are murdered by these two killers. And to date, doctors have not found an effective way to cure them. But if the gene technology is applied, not only can these two diseases be cured completely, bringing happiness and more living days to the patients, but also the great amount of money people spend on curing their diseases can be saved, therefore it benefits the economy as well. In addition, human life can be longer.
Gene technology can help people to give birth to more healthy and clever children. Some families, with the English imperial family being a good example, have hereditary (遗传的) diseases. This means their children will for sure have the family disease, which is a great trouble for these families. In the past, doctors could do nothing with hereditary diseases. But gene technology can solve this problem perfectly. The scientists just need to find the wrong gene and correct it, and a healthy child will be born.
Some people are worrying that the gene research can be used to make human beings in large quantities. In the past few years, scientists have succeeded in cloning a sheep, even a cow, therefore these people predict that human babies would be cloned. But I believe cloned babies will not come out in large quantities, for most couples in the world can have babies in very normal way. Of course, the governments must take care to control gene technology.
6What does “these two killers” in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．Gene technology and another treatment of the two diseases. |
| B．The two murderers who killed the cloned baby. |
| C．Hereditary disease and cancer. |
| D．Cancer and heart disease. |
In what way can gene technology help to treat hereditary diseases?
| A．Using gene technology, a scientist finds the wrong gene and corrects it. |
| B．Using gene technology, people with hereditary diseases can live longer. |
| C．Using gene technology, human babies can also be cloned. |
| D．Doctors can cure cancer and heart disease with the help of gene technology. |
What is the main purpose of writing the text?
| A．Explaining that gene technology will also do great harm to human race. |
| B．Telling the readers the positive effects gene technology has on people’s life. |
| C．Expressing the writer’s idea that gene technology will benefit people. |
| D．Informing people that gene technology helps clone babies in large quantities. |
On the first day of class, a graduate student from Xi’an Jiaotong University reminded me that, especially in China, “There are always two sides of a coin.” Experiencing China’s May 12 earthquake while living in Xi’an, Shanxi Province just north of the earthquake’s epicenter (地震的震中) in Sichuan with our two daughters, we have indeed seen both sides of what is beginning to be called China’s 5·12 disaster coin.
On television, in newspapers and through the Internet, we learned about the extent (巨大，重要性) of the destruction, and the statistics were hor
rific – over 69,000 confirmed (确认) dead, some 18,000 missing and more than 374,000 injured.
When we turn off the television and discuss what we as a family have learned from the events of the last several weeks, we find ourselves marveling (觉得惊奇) at how the Chinese are confidently but quietly dealing with this unprecedented tragedy – a disaster that continues with every aftershocks, mudslide and potential flood.
It seems like every school, organization and business is raising money for Sichuan, and young people all over the country a
re out in the streets looking for donations or giving blood at the many mobile blood vans that are out in full force.
Those who cannot give, like the 75-year-old woman from Sichuan, are volunteering or giving in other ways. An impressive example is the Sichuan policewoman with a newborn child who was nursing many infants whose mothers were killed in the quake.
The national concern over the fate of affected children has been moving. On May 22, there were 1697 orphans, but on June 24, the number dropped to 558; and rest assured, there are more people willing to adopt than there are orphans from Sichuan.
So, while no country or person ever welcomes tragedy, especially something of this magnitude (程度), the earthquake has taught us a great deal about China’s true character and its people’s resilience (韧性). It has also reminded us that the other side of even a dark coin may hold the promise of a brighter future,
(The author is an American Professor of International Relations at Xi’an Jiaotong University.)
When the 5·12 earthquake happened, the author and his family were ________.
| A．in Sichuan province | B．near the earthquake epicenter |
| C．in Xi’an Jiaotong University | D．in their own country |
How many orphans had been adopted from Sichuan by June 24, 2008?
| A．1139 | B．1697 | C．558 | D．We don’t know. |
The author quoted “ There are always two sides of a coin.” In the passage. Here “ two sides” refers to ________.
| A．a dark side and a bright one of a coin |
| B．the unprecedented tragedy and China’s true character |
| C．the dead and the victims in the earthquake |
| D．the destruction and the donations |
Which of the following statements is NOT right according to the passage?
| A．The whole world has seen all about China’s 5·12 disaster in the news media. |
| B．A policewoman fed her breast milk to many babies who lost their mothers. |
| C．Even a 75-year-old woman gave blood at the mobile blood vans. |
| D．The earthquake brought other natural disasters at the same time. |
BUY A JOINT TICKET AND VISIT THE HISTORIC ROYAL PALACES
THE TOWER OF LONDON
Royal Palace and fortress for over 900 years, scene of mystery, murder and home to the Crown Jewels.
KENSINGTON PALACE
Birthplace of Queen Victoria, this royal retreat is home to magnificent State Apartments and the stunning Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, which includes dresses worn by HM Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales.
HISTORIC ROYAL PALACES
Hampton Court Palace is part of Historic Royal Palaces, a registered charity ( No: 1068852 ) that receives no public funding. We rely on the income from admission tickets to the palaces to pay for vital protection work, necessary for the preservation of these national monuments and collections for future generations. Please ask at the ticket office for more information or visit www.hrp.org.uk.
VISITOR INFORMATION
CARRIAGE RIDES
Take a trip around Home Park in a horse-drawn carriage. Rides begin and end in Home Park at the entrance by the East Front Gardens. Available all day. 20 minutes duration. £10.00 per carriage. Subject to weather and ground conditions.
ENQUIRIES
For details of admission charges, group rates, the Friends of Hampton Court Palace and facilities for disabled visitors, call 0870-752-7777 or visit www. Hampton-court-palace.org.uk.
RESTAURANTS & SHOPS
Choose from the Tiltyard Tearooms or the Privy Kitchen Coffee Shop. There are also a number of ice-cream kiosks open in the summer. The palace shops offer a wide range of gifts and souvenirs.
AUDIO GUIDES
Audio guides are included in the palace ticket and are available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese.
If you want to take a look at the dresses worn by some royal members, you go to __________.
| A．Kensington Palace | B．the Tower of London |
| C．Hampton Court Palace | D．Historic Royal Palaces |
You have to pay extra money if you want to __________.
| A．have an audio guide | B．visit the royal palace and fortress |
| C．take a horse-drawn carriage | D．visit Hampton Court Palace |
Which of the following information is NOT given in the passage?
| A．The protection of the national monuments. |
| B．Admission charges for group visitors. |
| C．Free gifts and souvenirs. |
| D．Conditions in which to take a horse-drawn carriage |
If you want to take your disabled sister for a visit, you can __________.
| A．get a free ticket for it |
| B．get help from Hampton Court Palace |
| C．visit www.hrp.org.uk |
| D．log on www.Hampton-court-palace.org.uk for information |
Many people think that the BBC news programs are better than those on other channels because the BBC is not a commercial company. It pays for its programs from the television license money which everyone must pay if they have a television.
The BBC, which is often known as "Auntie", is the biggest news collecting operation in the world. It has the world’s largest network of foreign correspondents (通讯员；记者）. Ten percent of the BBC’s annual budget is spent on news collecting, reporting and presenting. More than 1,700 people work for the BBC news service.
The BBC produces more than 214 hours of news and current affairs programs for radio and television each week. Each television news program costs about £78,000 per hour and each radio news program costs approximately £4,800 per hour. In the UK, about 19 million people ― almost 35% of the total population, watch the BBC television news progams every day.
Developments in technology are improving news collection and presentation every year. The BBC now uses special cameras in the TV news studios to film the news presenters, and captions― the words and sentences at the bottom of the screen, are now produced automatically by computer.
According to the first paragraph, we can learn that __________.
| A．many people are more content with the BBC than with other channels |
| B．the BBC news programs are better thought of than the news programs on other channels |
| C．the BBC news programs are better than other programs |
| D．if we have a television, we must pay the television license money. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．The number of the people working for the BBC news service is the largest in the world |
| B．The percentage of the BBC’s budget spent on news collecting is the largest in the world |
| C．The BBC has the largest network of foreign correspondents in the world |
| D．The BBC now uses special cameras to film the news presenters and captions |
We can infer from the passage that the UK has a population of about __________.
| A．54 million | B．19 million | C．5.4 million | D．6.6 million |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．The BBC News Service |
| B．The BBC Is Not Commercial |
| C．Developments in Technology Are Improving News Collection |
| D．The Biggest Operation in The World |
The first outstanding deaf teacher in America was a Frenchman Laurent Clerc. He and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet founded America’s first school for the deaf.
When Laurent Clerc was one year old, he fell into a fire. As a result, he lost both his hearing and his sense of smell. At the age of 12, Laurent entered the Royal Institution for the Deaf in Paris. After he graduated, the school asked him to stay on as an assistant teacher.
Meanwhile, in America, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was studying to be a minister when he met a young deaf girl, Alice Cogswell. He was upset to learn that there were no schools for the deaf in America. Therefore, in 1815, Gallaudet sailed to London to seek ideas on how to teach deaf people. However, he was unable to get help. He met a French educator of the deaf who invited him to Paris to learn at the Royal Institution for the Deaf.
Gallaudet went to the Royal Institution for the Deaf, where Clerc became his Sign Language teacher. The two worked and studied well together. When the time came for Gallaudet to return to America, he asked Clerc to come with him.
The two men set sail on June 18, 1816. The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean took 52 days; however, Clerc and Gallaudet put the time to good use. They discussed the school for the deaf which they planned to open. On the long trip, they had many conversations about education and deafness. The year after they arrived, they founded a school for the deaf in Harford, Connecticut.
America’s first school for the deaf was founded __________.
| A．in 1816 | B．in 1817 | C．by a Fenchman | D．by an American |
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet sailed to London because __________.
| A．he wanted to study the system of deaf education |
| B．he needed to finish his studies to become a minister |
| C．he wanted to get help from Clerc |
| D．he wanted to find schools for the deaf |
." After he graduated, the school asked him to stay on as an assistant teacher." From this
sentence we can infer that __________.
| A．the school wanted to help Clerc to get a job |
| B．the school wanted Clerc to be prepared to teach Americans |
| C．the school was impressed with Clerc, and thought he would do a good job |
| D．the school wanted other deaf students to model after Clerc |
The main idea of this passage could best be stated as __________.
| A．Clerc was an intelligent man |
| B．Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was grateful to Clerc for all that he taught him |
| C．Clerc would teach the deaf in America rather than in Paris |
| D．Clerc, an educated Frenchman, made a difference to American Deaf Education |
A new study shows that fat people in the United States suffer direct economic and social effects because of their size. The findings are from an 8-year study of about 100,000 people. The people who were studied were between the age of 18 and 24 when the research began.
The researchers who carried out the study say they consider the people fat if they are in the top of 5% of the measurement in which weight is linked to height. For example, fat women in the study were about 160 centimeters tall and weighed about 90 kilograms. Fat men in the study were about 175 centimeters tall and weighed 100 kilograms. The researchers say that more than 1,000,000 Americans are that big. The researchers found that fat young women were from wealthy families. The fat women also were 20% less likely to get married and they earned an average of about $6,700 a year less than other women. The study showed less severe effects on fat men. They earned an average of about $3,000 a year less than other men. Fat men also were 11% less likely to get married.
The passage mainly tells us __________.
| A．the standards of fat people | B．the number of fat Americans |
| C．fat people have fewer advantages | D．how long is the study |
From this study we know fat people in America __________.
| A．were respected | B．earned less |
| C．were more likely to get married | D．earned more |
. The underlined word "severe" here means __________.
| A．economic | B．social | C．good | D．serious |
The researchers consider the people fat if __________.
| A．they eat lots of food and do less exercise |
| B．they are fatter than others |
| C．they are in the top of 5% of the measurement of weight |
| D．they are in the top of the measurement in which weight is linked to height. |