Scientists in Argentina have created the world’s first cow with two human genes that will enable it to produce humanlike milk. Genetic engineering was used to introduce the “mothers’ milk” genes into the animal before birth, according to the National Institute of Agribusiness Technology in Buenos Aires. As an adult, the cloned cow “will produce milk that is similar to that of humans”, which will prove “a development of great importance for the nutrition of infants (婴儿)”, said the institute. “The cloned cow, named Rosita ISA, is the first in the world with two human genes that contain the proteins present in human milk,” said the statement. In April, scientists in China published details of research showing that they had created dairy cows which produced milk containing proteins found in human breast milk. But the Argentine team said the Chinese only introduced one human gene, while their research involved two, meaning the milk will more_closely_resemble that of humans. “Our goal was to raise the nutrition value of cows’ milk by adding two human genes, which do good to the immune system of infants,” said Adrian Mutto, from the National University of San Martin which worked with the institute. Cristina Kirchner, President of Argentina, said the scientific institute made all Argentines proud. She also said that she had rejected the “honor” of having the cow named after her. “They came to tell me that the name is Cristina, but what woman would like to have a cow named after her? It appeared to me to be more proper to call it Rosita.” 1.What is the passage mainly about? A. The importance of genetic engineering. B. Ways to improve mothers’ milk. C. A cloned cow to produce humanlike milk. D. Advanced agricultural technology in Argentina. 2.Which of the following can best replace “more closely resemble” in Paragraph 4? A. have more varieties than B. be more similar to C. have more nutrition than D. be more different from 3.What can be inferred from Cristina Kirchner’s statements? A. She was quite satisfied with the research done by the institute. B. She considered it an honor to name the special cow. C. She felt it improper to be named after the cow. D. She refused to give a name to the cow out of selfrespect.
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It is a live celebration of the lasting power of letter writing! Letters Live, which started in December 2013, was held at the Freemasons’ Hall in London from March 10 to 15. The show invited various great performers who read remarkable letters that had been written around the world over the centuries. “Bringing letters alive through outstanding performances is one of the most powerful ways in which the joy and pain and humor and tragedy of being human can be shared,” Jamie Byng, managing director of Canongate Books publishing firm, told the Nowness video channel. British actor Benedict Cumberbatch agreed. “Letters are windows into the love, beauty, pain and humor of their creators and receivers,” he told The Guardian. “Letters Live makes us stop and imagine the lives behind the letters read and where they came from. It’s a privilege to read this most ancient of communications live to an audience.” This year, the movie Sherlock star treated the audience by playing the part of a 17year Tom Hanks. He put on the young actor’s voice when he read his letter to the Hollywood director George Roy Hill, a letter that urged Hill to “discover” him. The letter revealed that twotime Oscar winner Hanks’ teenage dream was not to “be a bigtime Hollywood superstar” but to one day own a Porsche car and call his favorite US actor Robert Redford his nickname “Bob”. Other famous faces at the event included Carey Mulligan, who played a fictional laundry worker, a female activist fighting for women’s rights in the 2015 movie Suffragette. The British actress once again played the role of a suffragette, when she read a very enthusiastic letter demanding the vote for women. The suffragette sent a precious 1913 note to The Daily Telegraph newspaper. “Everyone seems to agree upon the necessity of putting a stop to Suffragist anger, but no one seems certain how to do so,” Mulligan read out. “There are two, and only two, ways in which this can be done. Both will be effectual. One, kill every woman in the UK. Two, give women the vote.” 1.What was Cumberbatch’s attitude towards Jamie Byng’s opinion? A. Doubtful. B. Positive. C. Optimistic. D. Cautious. 2.Which of the following was a dream of Tom Hanks as a child? A. To become an actor. B. To call himself “Bob”. C. To win Oscar Awards. D. To have a famous car. 3.A “suffragette” is a woman who ________. A. sends a valuable note to newspaper B. reads out a letter to the audience C. advocates women’s right to vote D. plays a famous role in a movie 4.What can be a suitable title for the text? A. Famous People Gathering B. Letters of Great Performers C. Letters Brought to Life D. Rights Given to Women
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The discovery of a dwarfed (矮个的) “human being” who lived in Flores, Indonesia (印度尼西亚), up to 18,000 years ago is changing the way we think about the human family. This “Flores Human” was three feet tall and her brain was smaller than that of the average chimp (黑猩猩), yet she and her relatives apparently lived fully human lives. They seemed to have made tools, worked together to find food and cook it, and perhaps even buried the dead with ceremony. It was a major surprise to find tools associated with the new human family member. The tools are like those formerly seen only with European fossils (化石) from our own species, Homo sapiens (智人), and the oldest of them were made 94,000 years ago. Homo sapiens is thought to have arrived in the island about 40,000 years ago, much too late to be responsible for the tools. If this_tiny_human made the tools, then the inside structure (结构) of its brain must have been more like our own than a chimp’s, despite being just a third the size of ours. This “new human” was suspected to be a dwarfed branch of Homo erectus (直立人). When creatures are separated in regions with rare resources but few enemies, being big is a disadvantage, and evolution tends to shrink them, a process known as island dwarfing. Could natural selection make a human smaller while keeping — even improving — mental ability? Quite possibly, believes Christopher Wills of the University of California. Has the “Flores Human” even shown the ability of language? “I find it difficult to imagine that people could make tools, use fire, and kill large animals without fairly advanced communication.” says Wills. Did “Flores Human” possess the basic components of human culture,such as the burying of the dead with ceremony? Emiliano Bruner of the Institute points out that Indonesia’s hot, wet environment is bad for fossilization. It is reasonable to assume, he says, that the 18,000yearold bones of the most complete Flores woman were well preserved because she was buried with special care. 1.According to the passage, “Flores Human” ________. A. lived a partly human life B. was a branch of Homo sapiens C. used tools before Homo sapiens arrived D. had a brain as a common chimp’s 2.The underlined part “this tiny human” in Paragraph 2 refers to ________. A. a chimp B. Flores Human C. Homo sapiens D. Homo erectus 3.This passage mainly talks about ________. A. the tools made by “Flores Human” B. the language used by “Flores Human” C. the evolution of “Flores Human” D. the major surprising findings about “Flores Human” 4.According to the passage, it is believed that “Flores Human” ________. A. was dwarfed by its enemies B. could use language C. left a lot of fossils in hot and wet environment D. reached Flores 40,000 years ago
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Memory, they say, is a matter of practice and exercise. If you have the wish and really make a conscious effort, then you can quite easily improve your ability to remember things. But even if you are successful, there are times when your memory seems to play tricks on you. Sometimes you remember things that really did not happen. One morning last week, for example, I got up and found that I had left the front door unlocked all night, yet I clearly remember locking it carefully the night before. Memory “tricks” work the other way as well. Once in a while you remember not doing something and then find out that you did. One day last month, for example, I was sitting in a barbershop waiting for my turn to get a haircut, and suddenly I realized that I had got a haircut two days before at the barbershop across the street from my office. We always seem to find something funny and amusing in incidents caused by people’s forgetfulness or absentmindedness. Stories about absentminded professors have been told for years, and we never get tired of hearing new ones. Unfortunately, however, absentmindedness is not always funny. There are times when “tricks” of our memory can cause us great trouble. 1.If you want to have a good memory, you should ________. A. force yourself to remember things B. make a conscious effort of practice and exercise C. never stop learning D. try hard to remember things 2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage? A. One night the writer forgot to lock the front door. B. One night the writer forgot having locked the front door. C. The writer remembered to lock the door. D. The writer remembered unlocking the front door. 3.Which can be inferred from the text? A. If you improve your memory, memory can’t trick you. B. The author went to the same barbershop to get a haircut. C. Memory can trick people in different ways. D. Absentmindedness surely causes us trouble. 4.Which of the following could be the best title for this passage? A. The Key to a Good Memory B. “Tricks” of Memory C. The Dangers of Forgetfulness D. The Dangers of Absentmindedness
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单句填空 1.There is no sense ________ (upset) yourself about it now. Look forward and everything will be all right. 2.I was very nervous because it was the first time that I ________ (invite) to an opening banquet. 3.With a lot of work _______(do), she felt worried. 4.All these gifts must be mailed immediately so as to________ (receive) in time for Christmas. 5.He spoke ________ (calm) to them trying to pour oil on troubled waters but it was useless. 6.Don’t be ______(upset). It will be OK. 7.The children are rather __________ (concern) about their mother’s health. 8.She arrived early in order_________ get a good seat. 9.He left early in order __________ he should/would/might arrive on time. 10.The square looks more beautiful ____________ all the lights on. 11.The teacher came in__________ a book in his hand. 12.With summer __________(come), the weather is becoming hotter and hotter. 13.While ________(play) with his children outdoors, the father felt very happy. 14.I would be _________(感激的) to you if you give me some advice on how to make friends. 15.The old man went through many difficulties and ___________(遭受) a lot from them. 16.It took him a long time to make a ________(恢复) from a bad cold.
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Learn to Meet Challenges My classmates called me “the alien” ,and they avoided me like the plague(瘟疫.As a young boy, I ________from a serious skin disease ,which filled my arms with scars(伤疤). The true ________of my condition, however, was social: I lived a life of loneliness. Doctors predicted that I would never fully recover, but my parents encouraged me to hope for the future, teaching me that any difficulty could be overcome. I therefore took a / an ______role in fighting against my disease, trying many medications and herbs, and my health ________greatly before I graduated. I realized that my personal ________ had led to this improvement. I regained self-confidence and made many friends at school. Years later, ________my personal battle against disease, I learned a great deal about ________by overcoming difficulties. I joined the Culture Club as a Special Event Director. I ________a group of six students in organizing various activities. I was the most advanced ESL student among the group, so I considered myself the most capable. But I quickly learned my ________,while preparing for our first presentation, I was ________with my team members and often refused their ________.I performed most of their tasks myself , allowing them to ________ me only with small details. As a result, the presentation was not very successful, which________ me, and I spoke of it to the club’s director. She responded that she________my ability to succeed in the future. This comment filled me with _______,for I realized that I had never trusted my own team members._________they were weak in English, they had many valuable talents. I immediately ________ my policy, allowing my team members to choose the tasks they desired and to complete them on their own. For our program, we had many meetings, which gave________to many good ideas. Most importantly, the atmosphere among us improved dramatically. We were _______and eager to devote time to the program , and I learned what true leadership is. My experiences _________improved my ability to handle challenging situations. 1.A. judged B. suffered C. prevented D. separated 2.A. pain B. sign C. value D. meaning 3.A. important B. different C. leading D. active 4.A. developed B. improved C. increased D. removed 5.A. joy B. goal C. will D. life 6.A. over B. like C. for D. in 7.A. ability B. quality C. leadership D. friendship 8.A. taught B. found C. managed D. followed 9.A. mistake B. method C. effort D. right 10.A. satisfied B. familiar C. patient D. strict 11.A. desires B. talents C. ideas D. tasks 12.A. remind B. guide C. show D. help 13.A. discouraged B. disturbed C. encouraged D. educated 14.A. adopted B. admired C. trusted D. tested 15.A. surprise B. delight C. pride D. hope 16.A. As B. If C. Because D. Although 17.A. deleted B. changed C. regretted D. considered 18.A. birth B. hand C. gift D. rise 19.A. crazy B. happy C. successful D. independent 20.A. instantly B. indirectly C. unusually D. undoubtedly
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Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk,laugh and do things with. Surely,there are times when we need to be alone. We don’t always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend. No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don’t get along well,which doesn’t mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away,then we feel very sad. We miss them much,but we can call them and write to them. Maybe we would never see them again,and we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women,if they are friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places. There’s more good news for people who have friends. They live longer than those people who don’t. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares. If someone cares about you,you take better care of yourself. 1.The first paragraph tells us ________. A. none needs friends B. we need to be alone C. we always need friends around us D. making friends is the need in people’s life 2.Which of the following is the most probable place people name after friendly people? A. A house. B. A room. C. A library. D. A village. 3.If people have friends,they would live longer,because ________. A. they feel happier and healthier B. they get a lot of help from their friends C. they take better care of themselves D. both A and C 4.This passage tells us ________. A. that people are all friends B. that people need friends C. how to get to know friends D. how to name a place
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The trees _____ in the storm have been moved off the road. A. being blown down B. blown down C. blowing down D. to blow down
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John suggests __________ swimming tomorrow. A. going B. to go C. we will go D. we going
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What surprised me was not what he said but _______ he said it. A. the way B. in the way that C. in the way D. the way which
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