Darek Fidyka, a 38-year-old Bulgarian, had been paralyzed (瘫痪的) from the chest down for four years after a knife attack. Scientists from Britain and Poland took cells from his nose, transplanted (移植) them into his back and re-grew his spinal cord (脊髓). Now he can walk and even drive a car. The doctors were delighted but said it was the first step in a long journey.
The breakthrough came after 40 years of research by Professor Geoff Raisman, who found that cells had the possibility to repair damage to nasal (鼻腔的) nerves, the only part of the nervous system that constantly re-grows. “The idea was to take something from an area where the nervous system can repair itself and put it into an area that doesn’t repair itself,” Professor Raisman said.
Polish doctors injected (注射) the nasal cells into Mr Fidyka’s spinal cord above the injury and used some nerves from his ankle to form a bridge across the damaged tissue. The nasal cells appear to have caused the spinal nerves to repair themselves.
Professor Raisman achieved this with rats in the late 1990’s, but this is his greatest success. “I think the moment of discovery for me was Christmas in 1997 when I first saw a rat, which couldn’t control its hand, put its hand out to me. That was an exciting moment, because I realized then that my belief that the nervous system could be repaired was true.”
Doctors chose the easiest case for their first attempt—it might not work for others. But there is a real sense of hope that an idea once thought impossible has been realized.
David Nicholls, who helped provide money for the breakthrough, said information about the breakthrough would be made available to researchers across the globe.
“What you’ve got to understand is that for three million paralyzed people in the world today, the world looks a totally brighter place than it did yesterday,” he said.
1.Why did Professor Geoff Raisman choose cells from the nose?
A. The nervous system in the nose can repair itself.
B. Cells from the nose can be easily transplanted.
C. The nervous system in the nose has more cells.
D. Cells in the nose are able to re-produce rapidly.
2.How did the operation work for Darek Fidyka?
A. The nervous system in the spinal nerves can repair itself.
B. The nerves from his ankle cured the patient of the injury.
C. The nasal cells re-produced and spread over very quickly.
D. The nasal cells helped the spinal nerves to repair themselves.
3.What made Professor Geoff Raisman begin to believe the nervous system can be repaired?
A. His former study with other people.
B. His operation on a paralyzed patient.
C. His sudden thought about Christmas.
D. His unusual experience with a sick rat.
4. David Nicholls’ words suggest that _______.
A. the world will become a better and brighter place
B. paralyzed people of today have the hope of recovery
C. the report of the breakthrough will be published soon
D. researchers across the world will carry out the operation
Albert was an ordinary worker in an oil company in America. His workmates gave a nickname(绰号) “Four dollars a bucket (桶)” to him, for he was always used to leaving an advertisement of his company “Four dollars a bucket of oil” below his name whenever and wherever he wrote down his name.
As time went by, people forgot his real name. Later, when Rockefeller, the board chairman of the oil company, heard of it, he was very surprised, so he invited Albert to come to his office.
“Some people give you a nickname for ‘Four dollars a bucket’. Why aren’t you angry?” asked Rockefeller with some puzzlement in his eyes. “Oh! Mr. Rockefeller! I like this nickname very much, because ‘Four dollars a bucket’ is our company’s advertisement. As long as someone calls me ‘Four dollars a bucket’ once, I think it’s a free advertisement for our company. I have no reason to get angry. Don’t you think so, Mr. Rockefeller?” “Oh! What a fantastic man!” Rockefeller said excitedly when hearing Albert’s words. “Young man, work harder! You must succeed in the future! I believe in you!”
Five years later, Albert became the second board chairman after Rockefeller. Later Albert said in one of his reports, “I don’t think we should feel frustrated when we have no way to do the world-shaking things. We should treat everything actively because maybe our future success will begin with a small thing!”
1.What was Albert in the oil company at the beginning?
A. A customer. B. An assistant.
C. A manager. D. A worker.
2.Why wasn’t Albert angry at his nickname?
A. He could become famous.
B. He liked to have a nickname.
C. It could make his workmates happy.
D. It could advertise for his company for free.
3.What is the main idea of this passage?
A. It’s very important to do small things well.
B. Rockefeller asked young people to work harder.
C. You can’t get angry when someone calls your nickname.
D. You should make more advertisements for your company.
4.What would be the best title for this passage?
A. A Clever Way to Make Advertisements.
B. Albert and Rockefeller.
C. Four Dollars a Bucket.
D. The Second Board Chairman.
Woman Uses Daughter's Key to "Steal" Car
Charlie Vansant, a college student of Athens, Ohio, who reported that his car was stolen, got a surprise when he learned a woman had mistaken it for her daughter's car and taken it — using her key.
Kate Anderson became an accidental car thief when picking up her daughter's car near an Ohio University building last week. Anderson spotted the Toyota Camry(丰田凯美瑞)and used her daughter's key to unlock the car, start the engine and drive home — without realizing that the car wasn't her daughter's.
When Charlie Vansant left class a short time later, he found only an empty parking spot. He first assumed the car had been towed, but when the police couldn't find a record of it, they took a theft report.
The morning after Anderson took the car, her daughter discovered the Camry in the driveway wasn't hers. Anderson said she was able to find Vansant's name on paperwork in the glove compartment and look up his phone number on the website for the university.
When Anderson told Charlie the car was in her driveway, "It sounded really suspicious at first, as she wanted to hold the thing for ransom (赎金) , ” said Vansant. He eventually went to the house with a police officer, where he was reunited with his car. According to the police report, the case was closed "because of mistaken car identity", and Anderson wasn't charged.
Vansant seemed to blame the car company more than the "thief". "Her key fitted not only my lock, but my ignition(点火装置)as well — so high-five for Toyota, I guess." he said.
1. What does the underlined word "towed" mean in paragraph 3?
A. sold B. damaged.
C. stolen. D. removed
2.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Mrs. Anderson's daughter discovered the car her mother drove was not hers.
B. Charlie had thought he had to give Anderson money to get his car back.
C. Mrs. Anderson stole Charlie's car at the request of her daughter.
D. Mrs. Anderson used her daughter's key to unlock Charlie's car and drive home.
3. What does Charlie mean by "high-five for Toyota"?
A. He should thank Toyota for returning his car.
B. He is blaming Toyota for the poor quality of car keys.
C. He wants to celebrate with Toyota for getting his car back.
D. He thinks highly of Toyota for producing large quantities of cars.
4.What is likely to happen next according to the passage?
A. Mrs. Anderson was charged with stealing a car.
B. Charlie blamed Mrs. Anderson for mistakenly taking his car.
C. Charlie would ask the Toyota Company to give him an explanation.
D. The Toyota Company would give Charlie a new car as compensation.
There’s no doubt that man is the smartest. But do you know what other animals are smart, too?
Dolphins
Dolphins are very smart. Most of the “tricks” they’re taught to do are actually behavior they would engage in on their own. They love to play, race and generally enjoy their life to the fullest. They speak a language we have yet to completely understand and like all civilized creatures, dolphins’ mothers always provide their young children with guidance and possibly, love.
Great apes
The great ape family primarily consists of gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans. Their brain chemistry is so similar to humans’ that NASA once used chimpanzees in place of astronauts during many dangerous missions. Gorillas have been taught sign language and orangutans exist in complex familial relationships.
Elephants
Everyone has heard the phrase “an elephant never forgets”. Elephants establish long-term friendships, recognizing and remembering their friends years later. If an elephant comes upon a fallen friend, it has even been known to feel sad.
Parrots
As proved by this list, parrots are very smart. They are also the only animals listed that can actually hold a conversation. Some parrots know hundreds of words by imitating humans. The birds are also capable of remembering words and using them intelligently in response to situations.
1.Which of the following is TRUE about dolphins?
A. They are able to play a lot of tricks.
B. Humans know well of dolphins’ language.
C. Their brain chemistry is similar to humans’.
D. Dolphins’ mothers care little about their children.
2.Which kind of animal has a long-term memory?
A. Dolphins. B. Great apes.
C. Elephants. D. Parrots.
3.According to the passage, the special characteristic of parrots is that __________.
A. they can use words remembered before to interact.
B. they can imitate human beings by playing with them.
C. they have the feeling of sadness when they see a dead bird.
D. they can read people’s minds through words they remember.
书面表达
假如你是李华,你校即将举行一年一度的“校园书市 (a campus book fair)”活动,其目的是给同学们提供一个交换、利用图书的机会。请你用英语写信给你的加拿大笔友Mike, 介绍此次活动的有关情况。内容应包括:
1. 活动目的;
2. 活动内容:买书,卖书,交换图书;
3. 活动意义。
Dear Mike,
How are you doing these days?
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Yours,
Li Hua
短文改错
文中共有10处语言错误,每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。 删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。 增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。 修改:在错的词下划一横线,在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1、每处错误及修改均仅限一词。
2、只允许修改10处,多者(从11处起)不计分。
Dear Ms Lee,
I’m delighting to have you as my English teacher. English has become a global language, so I’m convinced that learning English is of great useful. We should learn English well to better understand that happens around the world.
But my English is rather poor. One of my problems are that I often feel nervously when speaking in public. Besides, I feel difficult to learn words by heart. I really hope you can offer me more chances to speak with English. But I also hope you’ll give me some advices on how to learn new words. I believe I can make many progress than ever with your help.
Thank you!
