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 check. 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 fertilization is the process whereby egg cells are fertilized 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 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”.
1.What is Robert Edwards’ contribution to science?
A. Enabling millions of couples to live a better life.
B. Helping couples with infertility to have tube babies.
C. Seeing the wonder of the first tube baby growing
D. Challenging a disease which stops human having a baby.
2.Why did Professor Edwards begin his research on tube baby?
A. Because a special child did make a difference to an ordinary family.
B. Because the birthrate around the world was unexpectedly low then.
C. Because he thought it of great significance to have a child in life.
D. Because his fellow scientist wanted to give hope to the unlucky couples.
3.It can be inferred from Paragraph 8 and Paragraph 9 that ___________.
A. Professor Edwards deserved the prize for his breakthrough.
B. different opinions were voiced on Professor Edwards’ finding.
C. some people envied Professor Edwards for his being awarded.
D. the prize was late because the finding was first considered immoral.
4.What might be the best title for the passage?
A. Life Stories of Robert Edwards B. Preparations for Having a Baby
C. Treatment of Infertility in a Lab D. Nobel Prize for IVF Expert Edwards
Terrafugia Inc. said Monday that its new flying car has completed its first flight, bringing the company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the next year. The vehicle —named the Transition – has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car. The Transition, which flew at 1,400 feet for eight minutes last month, can reach around 70 miles per hour on the road and 115 in the air. It flies using a 23-gallon tank of gas and burns 5 gallons per hour in the air. On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon.
Around 100 people have already put down a $10,000 deposit to get a Transition when they go on sale, and those numbers will likely rise after Terrafugia introduces the Transition to the public later this week at the New York Auto Show. But don’t expect it to show up in too many driveways. It’s expected to cost $279,000.And it won’t help if you’re stuck in traffic. The car needs a runway.
Inventors have been trying to make flying cars since the 1930s, according to Robert Mann, an airline industry expert. But Mann thinks Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying car a reality. The government has already permitted the company to use special materials to make it easier for the vehicle to fly. The Transition is now going through crash tests to make sure it meets federal safety standards.
Mann said Terrafugia was helped by the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision five years ago to create a separate set of standards for light sport aircraft, which are lower than those for pilots of larger planes. Terrafugia says an owner would need to pass a test and complete 20 hours of flying time to be able to fly the Transition, a requirement pilots would find relatively easy to meet.
1.What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A. The basic data of the Transition.
B. The advantages of flying cars.
C. The potential market for flying cars.
D. The designers of the Transition.
2.Why is the Transition unlikely to show up in too many driveways?
A. It causers traffic jams.
B. It is difficult to operate.
C. It is very expensive.
D. It burns too much fuel.
3.What is the government’s attitude to the development of the flying car?
A. Cautious B. Favorable.
C. Ambiguous. D. Disapproving.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. Flying Car at Auto Show
B. The Transition’s First Flight
C. Pilots’ Dream Coming True
D. Flying Car Closer to Reality
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1.If Mr. Green wants someone to arrange all the details of his holiday on the Fraser Island, which one should he turn to?
A. Fraser Dingo Four Wheel Drive Adventures B. Fraser Magic 4WD Hire
C. Aussie Trax 4X4 Rentals D. None of them
2.When visiting the Fraser Island, tourists are likely to experience all EXCEPT ________.
A. taking an overnight walk B. having a comprehensive camping
C. getting close to the wildlife on the bay D. taking a flatboat crossing
After my husband Paul was diagnosed with lung cancer, he said, “It’s going to be OK.” And I remember answering back, “Yes. We just don’t know what OK means yet.”
Paul and I met as medical students at Yale. I fell in love with him as I watched the ________he took with his patients. He later told me he fell in love with me when he saw me ________ over an EKG(心电图) of a heart that had ________ beating. We didn’t know it yet, but we were learning how to ________ suffering together.
I lived with Paul’s illness for 22 months. I’ve always thought of myself as a caregiver, and attending to Paul ________ what that meant. As physicians, we were in a good ________ to understand and even ________ the diagnosis. We weren’t angry about it, luckily, ________ we’d seen so many patients in ________ situations, and we knew that ________ is a part of life. But it's one thing to know that; it was a very ________ experience to actually live with the sadness and ________ of a serious illness.
As a poem says, “Your absence has gone through me like thread through a needle. Everything I do is sewn with its color.” For me that poem ________ my love for Paul, and a new strength that came from loving and losing him. When Paul said, “It’s going to be OK,” that didn’t mean that we could ________ his illness. ________, we learned to accept both joy and sadness at the same time because we are all born and we all die. ________ ourselves in the full range of experience—living and dying, love and ________—is what we get to do. When we approach suffering together and choose not to ________ it, our lives don’t shrink; they ________. Our job isn’t to fight fate, but to help each other ________. That’s how we make it OK, even when it’s not.
1.A. control B. test C. notice D. care
2.A. whisper B. watch C. cry D. think
3.A. ceased B. rejected C. delayed D. missed
4.A. stand B. approach C. assess D. contain
5.A. transformed B. deepened C. refreshed D. enlarged
6.A. status B. will C. knowledge D. position
7.A. cure B. accept C. fight D. rid
8.A. because B. once C. providing D. until
9.A. stable B. virtual C. impressive D. disastrous
10.A. love B. cancer C. death D. devotion
11.A. different B. unforgettable C. reluctant D. terrifying
12.A. prevention B. risk C. uncertainty D. influence
13.A. brings forward B. figures out C. sets out D. calls up
14.A. confirm B. resist C. cure D. relieve
15.A. Instead B. Therefore C. However D. Moreover
16.A. Burying B. Involving C. Employing D. Enjoying
17.A. divorce B. struggle C. loss D. disagreement
18.A. hide from B. laugh at C. get over D. wipe out
19.A. survive B. expand C. switch D. continue
20.A. away B. over C. up D. through
--I’ve given up smoking already, darling.
--You should have taken the doctor’s advice years ago. , anyway.
A. Better late than never B. It’s easier said than done
C. No pains, no gains D. Well begun is half done
—The Youth League Committee is looking for volunteers for the promotion of rubbish-sorting. Would you like to join in?
—________. Everyone should do his bit.
A. You asked for it B. You bet
C. You have my word D. You’ve got me there
