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British scientists are breeding a new generation of rice plants that will be able to grow. in soil containing salt water. Their work may enable abandoned farms to become productive farms once more.
Tim Flowers and Tony Yeo, from Sussex University’s School of Biological Sciences,. have spent several years researching how crops, such as rice, could be made to grow in water that has become salty. The pairs have recently begun a three-year programme, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, to establish which genes enable some plants to survive salty conditions. The aim is to breed this capability into crops, starting with rice.
It is estimated that each year more than 10 million hectares (公顷) of agricultural land are lost because salt gets into the soil and stunts(防碍生长) plants. The problem is caused by several factors. In the tropics, mangroves that create swamps (沼泽) and traditionally formed barriers to sea water have been cut down. In the Mediterranean, a series of droughts have caused the water table to drop, allowing sea water to seep (渗透) in. In Latin America, irrigation often causes problems when water is evaporated by the heat, leaving, salt deposits behind.
Excess salt then enters the plants and prevents them functioning normally. Heavy concentrations of minerals in the plants stop them drawing up the water they need to survive.
To overcome these problems. Flowers and Yeo decided to breed rice plants that take in very little salt and store what they do absorb in cells that do not affect the plants’ growth. They have started to breed these characteristics into a new rice crop, but it will take about eight harvests before the resulting seeds are ready to be considered for commercial use.
Once the characteristics for surviving salty soil are known, Flowers and Yeo will try to breed the appropriate genes into all manners of crops and plants. Land that has been abandoned to nature will then be able to bloom again, providing much needed food for the poorer countries of the world.
4. Which of the following statements about Flowers and Yeo is true?
A. They are students at Sussex University. B. They are rice breeders.
5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of the problem discussed in the passage?
A. Natural barriers to sea water have been destroyed.
B. The water table has gone down after droughts.
C. Sea level has been continuously rising.
D. Evaporation of water leaves salt behind.
6. The word "affect" in Paragraph 5 could be best replaced by________.
A. influence B. effect C. stop D. present
7. The attitude of the author towards the research project is________.
A. positive B. negative C. suspicious D. indifferent

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1. If you get into BDU, you can ________.
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2. This ad will be very important to ________.
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Have you ever dreamed of visiting a planet in the Milk Way? While the trip sounds exciting, it would take years and years to reach your destination. So in the future, bedtime for astronauts may be more than a few hours of regular shut-eye. They would have to sleep for years.
European researchers are now conducting hibernation experiments. The study may help them understand whether humans could ever sleep through the years it would take for a space flight to distant planets. "If there was an effective technology, it could make deep-space travel a reality," said Mark Ayre of the European Space Agency last month.
What seems like science fiction is not completely unlikely. Researchers have been able to use chemicals to put living cells into a sleep-like state where they don't age. They have now moved on to small, non-hibernating mammals like rats. The results will be out by the end of 2004.
A major challenge is the fact that cells can be very simple systems, whereas body organs are far more complex.
"It's like moving from a simple Apple computer to a supercomputer," said Marco Biggiogera, a hibernation researcher at Italy's University of Pavia.
Just like bears and frogs, the hibernation of human beings would cause a person's metabolism (新陈代谢) to lower so they would need less energy.
Medical research, however, is just half of a space flight hibernation system.
There is the challenge of designing a suitable protective shelter. Such a shelter would provide the proper environment for hibernation, such as the proper temperature. It would also have to monitor (监控) life functions and serve the physiological needs of the hibernator.
According to Ayre, the six-person Human Outer Planets Exploration Mission to Jupiter's moon (木星的卫星) Callisto, could be an opportunity to use human hibernation. The mission aims to send six humans on a five-year flight to Callisto, where they will spend 30 days, in 2045.
9. European researchers are conducting hibernation experiments to ________.
A. ensure astronauts to get a complete sleep B. find the secret of some creatures
C. make preparations for the journey to Jupiter’s moon Callisto
D. know if man can sleep for years
10. The sentence “What seems like science fiction is not completely unlikely” means ________.
A. Science fiction is people’s imagination.
B. Science fiction is imaginative, but it can be realized.
C. Things seem impossible may come true.
D. Things described in science fiction are sure to become true.
11. The passage is implied but doesn’t states that ________.
A. putting living cells into a sleep-like state is full of failure
B. Biggiogera is confident with the experiment
C. human’s hibernation needs no energy
D. medical research is the key to space flight hibernation system
12. By designing a suitable protective shelter, astronauts can ________.
A. have a good hibernation        B. lessen the pressure of traveling in space
C. feed themselves in spaceship    D. moinitor their body changes
13. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Six humans to fly to Callisto B. Human hibernation improves health
C. Space travel attracts people   D. Deep sleep for deep space travel

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Russian tradition orders that men should kiss each other three times on the cheeks at official functions. Now, a new ruling in Moscow is calling for politicians in the capital to stick to the old handshake. According to Britain's The Telegraph newspaper, politicians in Moscow have been told to stop kissing each other when they meet because the “kissing ceremony” takes so long.
Leonid Brezhnev, the general secretary of the Communist Party from 1964 to 1982, was famous for treating male colleagues to a full lip-lock. One photograph of him kissing Erich Honecker, the leader of the Democratic Republic of Germany, was used for a protest painting on the Berlin Wall with the caption: "Oh, God, help me survive this deadly love".
Kissing three times on the cheeks at official occasions is a Russian tradition. The practice has been revived among high-ranking officials in past years. In the distant past, a kiss from the tsar (emperor) was the highest sign of recognition. The Moscow ruling, however, has prompted authorities in other cities to consider banning the practice.
Alexei Kleshko, a parliament member in Siberia, said: “Single-sex kisses should be avoided, including at official meetings. It's enough to shake hands. Of course, if one is talking about a long friendship or fatherly relations, it might be OK to embrace. But that's the maximum that should be allowed.”
Another MP Vladimir Gorlov, said he only allowed himself to kiss the hand of a woman at work: "There are informal relations and there are meetings governed by protocol," he said. “When a man is kissing another man at an official event, I have a negative attitude towards it. There are rules of decency. "
5. Moscow is calling for politicians to stick to handshake because ________.
A. it is popular at home and abroad   B. it is their tradition
C. it saves time                   D. Russian women have a strong love of it
6. By mentioning Brezhnev, the author ________.
A. wants to show his respect to Brezhner
B. admires Brezhnev for his skills at kissing
C. just shows the media made fun of pictures of politicians kissing
D. praises Brezhnev’s good relation with Honecker
7. If the tsar kissed a Russian woman, she would feel ________.
A. nervous       B. proud            C. shameful       D. curious
8. We can infer from the last two paragraphs that ________.
A. Kleshko is strongly against any kind of kiss
B. Kleshko is a man out of date
C. Gorlove shares the same view with Kleshko is single-sex kisses
D. Gorlove won’t kiss any man in any form

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It is not unusual to see your desk-mate yawn (打呵欠) as he complains that he didn't have a good sleep the night before. Many teens don't get enough sleep because they have too much homework, which keeps them up at night. Some teens cannot sleep at night even when they want to.
Studies show that during your teenage years, the body's biological clock is reset, telling you to sleep later at night and wake up later in the morning.
But changes in the body clock aren't the only reason teens lose sleep. Lots of people have insomnia (失眠). The most common cause of insomnia is stress. But all sorts of things can lead to insomnia. These include physical discomfort, emotional troubles and even sleeping environment. It's common for everyone to have insomnia from time to time. But if it lasts for a month or more go and see a doctor.
Some people have a condition that causes stomach acid (酸) to move backward towards the chest. This produces the uncomfortable, burning feeling called heartburn. So even if the person doesn't notice the feelings of heartburn because he is sleeping, he may feel tired the next day.
Most teens have nightmares sometimes. But, if they are frequent, a person's sleep pattern can be seriously affected. The most common cause of nightmares is emotional problems, such as stress (压力) or anxiety. If you have them a lot, it's a good idea to talk to a doctor.
Doctors encourage teens to make lifestyle changes to develop good sleeping habits. You probably know that coffee can keep you awake, but did you know that playing video games or watching TV does the same?
1. The main idea of the first paragraph is ________.
A. There is a problem that teenagers can’t get enough sleep.
B. Sleeping problems have different causes.
C. Yawning is a good way to get rid of sleep.
D. Teenagers care too much for homework.
2. The Teenagers’ biological clock ________.
A. easily makes teenagers lead to insomnia
B. is the origin of their insomnia
C. provides them with plenty of time at night
D. is helpful to improve their concentration(注意力)
3. What does the writer say about “nightmares”?
A. It is nothing and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
B. It can release their stress or anxiety.
C. Emotional problems are the only way to form nightmares.
D. People will suffer from sleep if frequent.
4. Which way can help to get rid of insomnia?
A. Drinking some coffee before going to bed.
B. Playing video game or watching TV from time to time.
C. Turning to a doctor for help.
D. Eating much medicine for insomnia.

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