More than four decades ago British scientist Robert Edwards first witnessed the miracle of human life growing inside a test tube at his Cambridge lab． Since that ground-breaking moment, more than four million babies have been born through IVF and in 2010 his great contribution to science was finally recognized as he was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine．
The prize for Dr Edwards, who was given a Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Award in 2008, includes a ￡900,000 cheque． The Nobel Assembly described IVF as a "milestone in modern medicine"．
With the help of fellow scientist Patrick Steptoe, the Manchester-born physiologist developed IVF — leading to the birth of the world's first test tube baby． Dr Steptoe died 10 years later but their work has transformed fertility treatment and given hope to millions of couples．
It was a scientific breakthrough that transformed the lives of millions of couples． They said: "His achievements have made it possible to treat infertility, a disease which makes human unable to have a baby． This condition has been afflicting a large percentage of mankind including more than 10% of all couples worldwide．"
Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby, made international headlines when she was born in Oldham, Gtr Manchester, in 1978 to parents Lesley and John who had been fruitlessly trying for a baby since 1969．
Ivf-in-vitro fertilisation is the process whereby egg cells are fertilised outside the body before being implanted in the womb． After a cycle of IVF, the probability of a couple with infertility problems having a baby is one in five — the same as healthy couples who conceive naturally．
Professor Edwards, who has five daughters and 11 grandchildren, began his research at Cambridge University in 1963, after receiving his PhD in 1955．He once said: "The most important thing in life is having a child． Nothing is more special than a child．" With the help of fellow scientist Patrick Steptoe, Prof． Edwards founded the Bourn Hall clinic in Cambridge shire, which now treats more than 900 women a year． Each year, more than 30,000 women in Britain now undergo IVF and 11,000 babies are born as a result of the treatment．
But his work attracted widespread criticism from some scientists and the Catholic Church who said it was "unethical and immoral"．
Martin Johnson, professor of reproductive（生殖的） sciences at the University of Cambridge, said the award was "long overdue"． He said: “We couldn't understand why the Nobel has come so late but he is delighted — this is the cherry on the cake for him．”
Professor Edwards was too ill to give interviews but a statement released by his family said he was "thrilled and delighted"．What is Robert Edwards’ contribution to science?
| A．Challenging a disease which stops human having a baby． |
| B．Seeing the wonder of the first tube baby growing. |
| C．Enabling millions of couples to live a better life． |
| D．Helping couples with infertility to have tube babies． |
What does the underlined word “afflicting”（Paragraph 4）most probably refer to?
| A．Troubling. | B．Developing. |
| C．Improving. | D．Confusing. |
Why did Professor Edwards begin his research on tube baby?
| A．Because he thought it of great significance to have a child in life． |
| B．Because the birthrate around the world was unexpectedly low then． |
| C．Because a special child did make a difference to an ordinary family． |
| D．Because his fellow scientist wanted to give hope to the unlucky couples． |
It can be inferred from Paragraph 8 and Paragraph 9 that ___________．
| A．some people envied Professor Edwards for his being awarded |
| B．different opinions were voiced on Professor Edwards’ finding |
| C．Professor Edwards deserved the prize for his breakthrough |
| D．the prize was late because the finding was first considered immoral |
What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Life Stories of Robert Edwards |
| B．Preparations for Having a Baby |
| C．Nobel Prize for IVF Expert Edwards |
| D．Treatment of Infertility in a Lab |
With the development of society and economy, animals and their habitats are getting pushed aside as households decrease in size and increase in number.
Small numbers of people per household on average use more energy and goods per person. Greater numbers of households require more natural resources for construction. The possible result of this problem may be insufficient natural resourc
es to meet consumer demand without endangering habitats important to biodiversity.
Personal freedom and social choice ma
y come at huge environmental cost. Direct costs include visible damage to animal habitats and plant life. Indirect costs include the release of more greenhouse gases.
The effects of such “personal freedom and social choice” have already surfaced in south-west China’s Wolong Nature Reserve. In Wolong, they found that a reduced average household size was directly tied to an increase in homes, and thus an increase in the amount of firewood consumed for cooking and heating. The rise in wood fuel use has contributed to disappearance of forests and to the loss of habitats for giant pandas.
Curious about whether other parts of the world were experiencing similar phenomena, they got the support of a team of researchers including Stanford’s Paul Ehrlich, well-known for his population studies, to find out the household dynamics in 141 countries between 1985 and 2000. Their study proved that the difficult choice of Wolong is part of a global trend.
In the 76 countries considered biodiversity “hotspots”, such as the United States, Brazil, Australia, and Kenya, the number of households grew by 3.1% every year, while the population increased just 1.8%. Meanwhile, the number of people per home dropped from 4.7 to 4.0. The decline in household size has resulted in 155 million additional households in hotspot countries, almost always limiting biodiversity.
In the 10 non-hotspot countries — those without high-density areas of animal and plant species — similar results were found, though on a lesser scale. Even in countries experiencing population decline, such as New Zealand, the number of households still increased because of a reduction in household size.What does the underlined word “insufficient” mean?
| A．Plenty of. | B．Not enough. | C．Abundant. | D．Little. |
It can be learned from the passage that China’s Wolong Nature Reserve__________.
| A．is facing the same threat as many other parts of the world |
| B．sets a good example in protecting animals |
| C．is a place where giant pandas and their habitats are not affected |
| D．is a place where animals and their habitats are seriously damaged |
Which of the following is best supported by the last two paragraphs?
| A．Biodiversity is better kept in countries with smaller populations. |
B．Biodiversity is bet ter kept in hotspot countries. |
C． The threat to nature from reduction in household size is a worldwide problem. |
| D．Both hotspot countries and non-hotspot countries face the threat of the same scale. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Reduced household size leads to an increase in household number. |
| B．Modern homes consume more natural resources. |
| C．How to meet consumer demand without endangering animals and their habitats. |
| D．Reduction in household size as well as increase in household number threatens nature. |
Recently, online high schools in America have sparked (激发) a debate about whether or not taxpayers’ money should be used to support online education. Online schools receive the same amount of funding as all other public schools, even though they don’t have to pay for rent or school equipment. States should use their educational funds to improve education at real schools, not to support online programs.
Some students only use online classes to supplement their school work. They benefit from the social experience of a traditional high school, while still taking online courses.
However, about 90 thousand students in America receive their education only from online schools. 50 thousand of these students take courses at Florida Virtual School, the largest online school in the country. While this method of schooling helps students who live in remote regions, most school systems are upset that they are losing more students each year to these online programs.
Although online learning allows children to work at their own pace, these online schools have only one teacher per several hundred students. Often, teachers can’t give struggling students the help they need as they are unable to talk face-to-face with them, to find exactly what they’re having difficulty with.
Additionally, even though online schooling accommodates (顾及) students who live in more remote states, students in online programs may suffer in social situations because they will not learn valuable communication skills from their schooling. Similar to students who are home schooled, those who take only online classes won’t learn social etiquette (礼节), and will be treated differently by their peers.
Online schooling might be useful for places where there are not enough students for a real school, such as agricultural regions, but states should only spend taxpayers’ money on online schools in extreme cases.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Whether students should study at online schools. |
| B．Whether online schools should be allowed to exist. |
| C．Whether taxpayers should pay for online schools. |
| D．Whether traditional schools should be replaced. |
According to the passage, online schooling _____.
| A．is helpful to students living in remote regions |
| B．allows students to work together |
| C．makes it possible for students to get immediate help |
| D．develops students’ critical thinking |
According to Paragraph 5, the author worries that students at online schools _____.
| A．might lose interest in learning |
| B．would play online games |
| C．could not receive teachers’ help |
| D．could not become fully developed |
What is the author’s attitude?
| A．Taxpayers should not pay for online schools at all. |
| B．Taxpayers should pay more for online schools than real schools. |
| C．Taxpayers’ money should be spent on online schools conditionally. |
| D．Taxpayers should support online schools in different ways. |
Ibrahim became disabled after contracting polio (小儿麻痹症) when he was three years old. At first his parents, like many other parents of disabled children in Niger, did not want to send him to school. They were worried he would be laughed at by his classmates.
Despite his disability, and his parents’ doubts, Ibrahim was determined to go to school. “When I was eight,” Ibrahim says, “other kids of my age were going to school while I stayed at home. I did not like that. So, I pestered (缠着) my parents until they finally let me go to school.”
Ibrahim’s parents sent him to a private school nearby. Although the journey to and from school was a short one, it still wasn’t easy for Ibrahim. He had to use his hands to help him move along, protecting them with plastic slippers. But at least he was getting an education.
However, after only a year in school, Ibrahim’s education was interrupted when his parents separated. His mother did not have the means to continue paying for his tuition.
In 2007, Ibrahim received some money to be fitted with a leg brace (支架), corrective shoes and his first pair of crutches (拐杖). Now that he was more mobile than before, the most important thing for him was to find a way to go back to school.
“I wanted to start school again last October,” Ibrahim says. “After my mother told me she could not afford it, I went to visit some of my relatives for support. And I collected 5,000 francs CFA (US $8) to pay my tuition for half a year. I will find the rest of the money somehow.”
Ibrahim attends a school in which he is the only disabled student. According to his teacher, he is among the top five students in a class of 55. Why did Ibrahim’s parents prefer Ibrahim to stay at home?
| A．There was a lot of housework for him to do. |
| B．They had no money to pay for his tuition. |
C．There were not enough schools in the  country. |
| D．They were afraid the students would make fun of him. |
How did Ibrahim go to school before his parents separated?
| A．He went to school on his wheelchair. |
| B．He went to school on his parents’ bicycle. |
| C．He walked to school with the support of his hands. |
| D．He walked to school using a pair of crutches. |
Ibrahim’s education was interrupted because of his _____.
| A．parents’ doubts | B．lack of tuition | C． physical disability |
D．terrible mood |
The best title for the passage might be _____.
| A．A long way to go | B．Determined to learn |
| C．The only disabled student | D．I did not like that |
The days of Europeans relaxing in the cafe with a newspaper and a seemingly endless cup of coffee appear to be numbered．A new English expression is popular in Europe these days：“coffee to go．”
“Five or ten years ago it was much more normal to sit in a cafe for several hours than it is nowadays，”says Joann，who works in a central Berlin coffee bar owned by the Canadian coffee and bakery chain Tim’s.
“There is a trend towards a more fast-paced life．But people still act surprised when you ask if the coffee is‘to go’．You mean I can take it with me? they ask..”
“Europe is often five or eight years behind trends in America，”says Joann.“In the States.‘coffee to go’is part of everyday life.”
Owing in part to Starbucks，it appears to be very much part of everyday life in many other countries too．
The Seattle-based group compete with a growing number of global chains in attempting to reshape coffee drinking cultures in regions including Asia and the Middle East．
The US is the model for continental Europe’s new“coffee to go”culture：Each of the new cafe bars offers bagels，muffins，brownies and cookies to go with the coffee.
But then,“coffee to go’’might sound a little odd to English ears used to the words “takeaway”or take one．
It does sum up the brisker pace of life since the city resumed its status as the German capital following the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989.
As one more sign of the changing times，one of Berlin’s most venerable(古老而庄重的)coffee houses，cafe Einstein，has followed the trend by opening a small chain of coffee shops across the city．
Taking coffee,slowly and in decorous（端正的）surroundings,has been a feature of European coffee houses,particularly in German speaking countries,for decades.
For the elderly citzens of Vienna it amounts to a ritual（仪式）when they gather in coffee houses around the city for a cup of their favovrite drink and a piece of rich,creamy cake.From the passage,we can see that .
| A．“coffee to go” springs in Europe these days |
| B．Europe is often a few years before trends in America |
| C．America often follows Europe’s “coffee to go”culture |
| D．it’s easy to reshape coffee drinking cultures in the Middle East |
Every new cafe bar offers some to go with the coffee
| A．food | B．newspaper | C．drink | D．music |
More and more Europeans have takeaway coffee because .
| A．Europeans live a more fast-paced life now |
| B．The coffee is much cheaper |
| C．Europeans are used to taking away the coffee |
| D．the coffee is easy to take away |
The characteristic of European coffee houses is .
| A．“coffee to go ”as part of daily life |
| B．sitting in a cafe bar for several hours |
| C．having coffee slowly in a pleasant atmosphere |
| D．taking away coffee in a hurry |
Advertisement is the difficult business of bringing information to great numbers of people.The purpose of an advertisement is to make people respond to make them react to an idea，such as helping prevent forest fires，or to make them want to buy a certain product or service.At the beginning of the 20th century，advertisement was described as“salesmanship in print”.If this definition were expanded to include radio and television，it would still stand today.The most effective way to sell something is through person-to-person contact.But the cost of person-to-person selling is high because it takes a great deal of time，and it increases the cost of the product or service.Advertising distributes the selling message to many people at one time.The first printed advertisement in the English language appeared in 1278，more than a century before Shakespeare’s first play was produced.This early advertisement was the work of William Caxton，England’s first printer，who used it to advertise religious books from his own workshop Caxton posted small printed notices along London’s main streets．Besides advertising his product，he identified his shop with a red-striped shield(盾形徽章)so that customers could find it easily．
This same sort of simple informational advertising is still used.Examples are the roadside signs that tell travelers that they can buy fresh corn just down the road or that there is a restaurant in the next town.
The Industrial Revolution，in the 18th and 19th centuries，brought a new kind of advertising.Large factories took the place of small workshops and goods were produced in large quantities.
Manufacturers used the newly built railroads to distribute(递送)their products over wide areas.They had to find many thousands of customers in order to stay in business.They couldn’t simply tell people where shoes or cloth or tea could be bought---they had to learn how to make people want to buy a specific product. Thus modern advertising was born．
Advertising created new markets and helped to raise standards of living as people came to feel that they had a right to new and better products.The passage mainly talks about .
| A．the development of advertisement |
| B．the first advertisement in the world |
| C．the difficulty in advertising |
| D．the advantages of advertisements |
Why is advertisement accepted by people?
| A．Because it can help to prevent forest fires. |
| B．Because it cand make people want to buy a certain product or service. |
| C．Because it can bring information to great numbers of people. |
| D．Because it can help people live longer. |
Modern advertisement was born as a result of .
| A．the Industrial Revolution |
| B．the newly built railroads |
| C．the appearance of the first printer advertisement |
| D．people’s need |
We can conclude from the passage that .
| A．red-striped shield is the best thing to use in advertising |
| B．main streets and television are used in advertising |
| C．person-to-person selling is the best way in advertising |
| D．people show little interest in advertisement |