With only about 1,000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone the animal and save the endangered species. That’s more similar to what a Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called Noah’s Ark.
Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos (胚胎) and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. 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.
This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by 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 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.”The aim of Noah's Ark project is to ____ .
| A．make efforts 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 |
How long will the Chinese panda cloning project take according to the passage?
| A．1 Year. | B．3 to 5 years. | C．2 years. | D．25 years. |
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 |
From the passage we know that ____ .
| A．Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog |
| B．scientists try to implant a panda's egg into a rabbit |
| C．Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches |
| D．about two thousand species will probably die out in a century |
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 |
Imagine shopping for clothes online and being able to run your hand across the screen of your computer or smartphone to feel the materials. That kind of simulation (仿真) technology could be available within the next five years.
“We’re talking about reinventing how computers interact （互动）with humans,” said Bernie Meyerson, IBM Vice President. Extending our sense of touch is one of the innovations (创新) IBM believes will change the world in the next five years, according to the company’s annual “Five in Five” list.
Smart machines will also be able to listen to the environment and highlight （强调；突出）the sounds we care about most. For instance, an advanced speech recognition system will tell new parents why their baby is crying. This kind of thing is not possible today, but with an advanced enough system, it’s actually possible.
In the near future, personal computers will be able to do more than recognize images and visual data. Their built-in cameras will be able to analyze features such as colors, and understand the meaning of visual media, such as knowing how to sort family photos.
Smart machines will also be able to smell. If you sneeze on your computer or cellphone, tiny sensors (传感器) in the machine will be able to analyze thousands of molecules (分子) in your breath. “It can give you an alarm and says, ‘Hey, you are probably sick, go to see your doctor immediately,’” Meyerson says.
Mark Maloo is a computer science professor from Georgetown University. He hopes the advances will encourage more students to study science, technology, engineering and math, preparing them to play a role in future innovations. He believes there’s little doubt that advances in computer technology over the next five years will make what now seems like science fiction a part of our everyday lives.The purpose of the text is to show us
| A．how smart machines will replace humans |
| B．what our lives will be like in the future |
| C．how to go shopping on the Internet |
| D．why IBM wants to invent these smart machines |
In the future, if you buy clothes online, you may .
| A．feel the materials of the clothes by touching the screen |
| B．ask your computer to give you some advice |
| C．ask your computer to make the decision for you |
| D．save a lot of money by using a smartphone |
How will a smart machine figure out that you are probably sick?
| A．By analyzing the thousands of molecules in your breath. |
| B．By analyzing your comments about your body condition. |
| C．By referring your condition to doctors. |
| D．By asking you to describe how you feel. |
Chinese girl looking for language exchanger
Posted Feb 10, 2010 16:25 by Sophia
Tag: Seeking Language partners Guangzhou Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Chinese
I am a Chinese girl in my 20’s, can speak and write in English, but I’d like to make some improvement. People always look for making it better, right?
Meanwhile, I also like to meet more friends if we really have some topics to share.
And if you are in Guangzhou or visit here, I am more than willing to show you around in my spare time.
Reply to happycora@hotmail.com or call 15015704625
Tianhe nice apartment for share
Posted Feb 24, 2010 16:47 by Vivian
Tag: Seeking roommates Guangzhou Tianhe District Up to 2000 RMB
I have a room available for rent in a shared apartment in Central Tianhe district.
The room has a big window with a nice view. The apartment itself is on the 22th floor of a new secure building on Tianhe Bei Lu, about 10 minutes walk from metro stations(地铁站) on lines 1 and 3, as well as buses and other transportation methods very close.
If you are interested, please feel free to phone me (Vivian) on 13145751201 (message preferred), or email me on vivian_liu2003@hotmail.com.
Business Interpreter/Guide
Posted Feb 26, 2010 08:46 by Sony
Tag: Business Services Guangzhou Baiyun District
Dear Foreign Friends, I am a professional interpreter（口译者）, now looking for a Freelance interpreter job urgently. Please read my CV at below：
Name: Sony Song
Gender: Male
Age: 22 years old
Education: Studied English in Da Shan Foreign Language College
Birth: 9th Oct 1987, Luohe city, Henan province, China.
Ability: Speak fluent English, know Guangzhou city very well, can also guide you to Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Shunde, Macao, Hongkong, etc.
Contact Detail: E-mail/MSN: sonysong4@hotmail.com; cell phone: 15112015812
Looking for flat
Posted Mar 11, 2010 14:03 by Lucy
Tag: Apartments wanted Guangzhou
Hello,
This is Lucy coming from Peru and looking for a short term flat, from 15th April until 4th May 2010. If somebody can give some information, send me pictures, price and address.
Email: lucitamaron@hotmail.com; cell phone: 13800013900
Thanks a lot in advance!If foreigner wants to learn some Chinese and make friends; he / she can call _________.
| A．15015704625 | B．13800013900 |
| C．13145751201 | D．15112015812 |
To share a department where the traffic is quite convenient, you may send text message to ________.
| A．Sophia | B．Vivian | C．Lucy | D．Sony |
What do the four advisers have in common?
| A．All of them speak both Chinese and English. |
| B．All of them are in their twenties. |
| C．All of them are Guangzhou citizens. |
| D．All of them are hotmail users. |
The information above can be probably found_________.
| A．in a magazine | B．in a newspaper |
| C．at a website | D．in a guidebook |
At last, the mid-term exams are over. You’ve done the hard work, but you can’t relax. You have to prepare for the next exams. Do you hate exams? If you do, you’re not alone. Students in other countries hate them as well.
Luckily for them, British students have fewer exams than Chinese students. They take a test in each subject only every summer. Each test lasts about an hour. These exams don’t count for much. Even if some students do really badly, they can still enter the higher grade the next year. When the results come out, they are then placed in an end-of-year report. The report is sent to the child’s parents. It describes how the student studies at school.
This report is private(私人的), so only the teacher, the student and his or her parents can see it. This means that the student doesn’t know how other students score on the tests. Some students choose to tell each other, but others keep it a secret.
Parents’ meeting are held twice a year, at the end of the winter term and then at the end of the summer term. Children go along with their parents to meet their teachers privately and discuss their performance(表现) at school.According to the passage, British students___________.
| A．need to take a test twice a year. |
| B．have to take a test at the end of a year. |
| C．have to spend about one hour on each test. |
| D．need to take their reports to their parents. |
The end-of year report__________.
| A．is written by students themselves |
| B．can be seen by everyone in the school |
| C．can be used to keep the students safe. |
| D．is about students’ study at school |
The underlined sentence “These exams don’t count for much.” means “______”.
| A．there are too many exams |
| B．these exams play a key role |
| C．these exams don’t mean(意味着) everything |
| D．there are a few exams |
Which of the following is TURE according to the passage?
| A．British students don’t need to prepare for their exams. |
| B．British students are not allowed to tell each other their scores. |
| C．British students should visit their teachers with their parents. |
| D．British students have a piece of report at the end of a term. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．The exam’s report |
| B．The tests’ scores |
| C．British parents’ meeting |
| D．British students’ exams |
Families come in many shapes and sizes-they can be just two people, or hundreds of aunts, uncles and cousins. Every family is different, and what makes a family is different for everyone. Families don’t even have to be related(有亲属关系的)-some families are formed by choice. For this contest, draw us a picture of your family.
Contest rules:
1. Your picture must be your very own artwork. Ideas and words should not be copied.
2. Be sure to include your name, age and full address on your picture.
3. Only one picture each person, please.
4. If you want your picture returned, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
5.Your picture must be signed(签名)or e-mailed by a parent, saying it’s your own work and that no one helped you.
6.Mailed picture must be postmarked(盖邮戳) by April 30, 2014.
7.E-mail scanned(扫描的) picture to ask@askmagkids.com, or mail to: Ask Contest, 70 East Lake St., Suite 300, Chicago, IL60601. No faxes, please.The theme of the contest is ______.
| A．robots | B．family | C．friends | D．art |
We can learn from the first rule that_______.
| A．you need to write your ideas on your picture. |
| B．you need to write something about yourself. |
| C．your picture must be your own idea |
| D．you can borrow ideas from others. |
_______ should be included on your picture.
① Age②Name③School
④Address⑤Telephone number
| A．①②⑤ | B．②④⑤ | C．①③④ | D．①②④ |
You can send your picture to Ask Contest________.
| A．by the end of the year. |
| B．by the end of April |
| C．by the end of May |
| D．at any time |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the material(材料)?
| A．You can fax your picture to Ask Contest if you like. |
| B．You can send only one picture to Ask Contest. |
| C．Your parents can help you with your picture. |
| D．Your mailed picture will not be returned. |
An old man was fishing by a river. A child was watching him. The old man was really good at fishing and it didn’t take him much time to catch a basket of fish. The old man saw that the child was cute, and he wanted to give her the whole basket of fish. But the child shook her head.
The old man was surprised and asked ,“Why don’t you want the fish?”
The child replied,“I want the fishing rod(竿) in your hands.” The old man asked, “Why do you want the rod?”
“It won’t take long to eat up all the fish in the basket. But if I have the fishing rod, I can go fishing by myself and I won’t be afraid of not having any fish to eat.” the girl answered.
I think you will certainly say that the child is very smart. Wrong! If she doesn’t know how to fish, she can’t have fish to eat, even though she has the fishing rod. It’s useless only having a fishing rod. Fishing skills are the most important, not the fishing rod.
Too many people think that if they have a “fishing rod”, they will no longer fear the difficulties in life. They are just like the child, who thought that if she had a fishing rod, she would have the fish to eat.What was the child doing when the old man was fishing?
| A．She was talking with him. |
| B．She was playing by the river. |
| C．She was watching the old man. |
| D．She was helping the old man. |
Where did the old man put the fish?
| A．In a basket. | B．In a bag. |
| C．In a glass. | D．In a box. |
Why did the child refuse to get the fish?
| A．Because she wanted to get the old man’s fishing rod. |
| B．Because the fish was not enough. |
| C．Because she didn’t like eating fish. |
| D．Because the fish was too small. |
The writer thinks the child is__________.
| A．hard-working | B．lazy |
| C．clever | D．silly |
The story mainly tells us_______.
| A．the “fishing rod” is harder to get than “fishing skills”. |
| B．if we have a “fishing rod”, we’ll have a lot of fish to eat. |
| C．if we have a “fishing rod”, we won’t have to fear anything |
| D．“fishing skills” are more important than the “fishing rod” in life. |