Can people change their skin color without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes. Scientists have found the gene that determines skin color.
The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 per cent of Europeans. The other is found in 93 to 100 per cent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science.
Scientists have changed the color of a dark-striped zebrafish（斑马鱼） to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment (色素) gene into a young fish. As with humans, zebrafish skin color is determined by pigment cells, which contain melanin (黑色素). The number, size and darkness of melanin per pigment cell determine skin color.
It appears that, like the golden zebrafish, light-skinned Europeans also have a mutation (变异) in the gene for melanin production. This results in less pigmented skin.
However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in human and zebrafish genes.
Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about 1.5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra-violet rays of the sun (太阳光紫外线), which can cause skin cancer.
But when modern humans leave Africa to live in northern latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D. So the related gene changes, according to Cheng.
Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin color, said Cheng.
The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer. It also could lead to research into ways to change skin color without damaging it like chemical treatment did on Michael Jackson.The passage mainly tells us that ________.
| A．people can not change their skin color without any pain |
| B．the new discovery could lead to research into ways to change skin color safely |
| C．pop king Michael Jackson often changed his skin color as he liked |
| D．scientists have found out that people’s skin color is determined by the gene |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．nowadays people who want to change their skin color have to suffer a lot from the damage caused by the chemical treatment |
| B．Europeans and Africans have the same gene |
| C．the new discovery could help to find medical treatments for skin cancer |
| D．there are two kinds of genes |
Scientists have done an experiment on a dark-striped zebrafish in order to ________.
| A．find the different genes of humans’ |
| B．prove the humans’ skin color is determined by the pigment gene |
| C．find out the reason why the Africans’ skin color is dark |
| D．find out the ways of changing people’s skin color |
The reason why Europeans are light-skinned is probably that _____
| A．they are born light-skinned people |
| B．light-skinned Europeans have mutation in the gene for melanin production |
| C．they have fewer activities outside |
| D．they pay much attention to protecting their skin |
The writer’s attitude towards the discovery is ________.
| A．neutral | B．negative | C．positive | D．unconcerned |
My son and I were trying to sell the house we had repaired but in the barn(谷仓)there were bats(蝙蝠)and they would not leave. The barn was their home. They told us so in their own way. They hung there in the barn and seemed determined to stay for the season. Don’t worry about it, Dad, " Patrick said. They keep down the mosquitoes(蚊子).”
Unfortunately they also kept the buyers away. when we had asked a person to sell the house for us he had refused to show it because of the bats. Bats are popular, “Patrick comforted me. They’re ecological(生态学的).”Isn’t there a machine you can buy that produces high frequency sounds to keep bats away?” “I don’t know,” said Patrick. But I like bats, and whoever buys this house will probably like them too. “Probably?” I hated that word. “How many bats are there ,anyway?” “I counted about 90 last night,” said Patrick. “They were dropping out from under the edge of the roof.” “You mean there are more — outside?” “They’re everywhere, Dad. But look at it this way. When the cold weather comes, they’ll be off to Mexico. Maybe in the spring we can keep them out. Don’t worry about it,” he said for the hundredth time. “It’s not a problem.”
The bat expert I called was even more active than Patrick. I think you’ve got a large number there,” he said in wonder, I’ve been trying to attract bats to our house for 25 years. A single bat eats up his weight in mosquitoes and black flies three times every night. You’re a very lucky man.” I offered to share my luck with him. He could take them away. Bats have a remarkable homing instinct(本能),”he said, “They’d fly straight back even if I transported them 100 miles. Once they have settled, you can’t stop them from coming back.” I was silent.
Finally we managed to rent “(出租)the house to a young family, who were also interested in buying it. What about the bats?” I said to Patrick.
“Oh, they love the bats,” he said. “No mosquitoes. No black flies. It’s one of the things that attracted them.”
“Do you think they will really buy the blouse?”
“Probably.”
“Probably? Well, if they do ,I suppose I’ll have to admit that I was wrong.”
“You mean you’re going to eat your words?”
“Yes, I am.”
36. What was the problem the author had with his house?
A.Bats were living in the barn and wouldn't go away.
B.The author and his son couldn't sleep well because of the bats.
C.The author and his son might be able to stay for the season.
D.The house was still badly in need of repair.
37.What did Patrick suggest the author should do to stop the bats living in the barn?
A.He should buy a high frequency machine.
B.He should move them one hundred miles away.
C.He should reduce the number of mosquitoes.
D.He should close the barn in the spring.
38.Why did the author fall silent when he talked with the bat specialist?
A.He felt sure about the situation.
B.He found out that it would be impossible to remove the bats.
C.He learned that he would be able to share his luck with the expert.
D.He liked the advice given by the expert.
39What happened regarding the house in the end?
A.Some people agreed to rent the house.
B.The author failed to find anybody who wanted to live in the house.
C.The bat expert made the decision to buy the house.
D.The bats left the house for Mexico in the spring.
40.Why did the author think he might have to “eat his words”?
A.He felt sorry for the bats.
B.He might be mistaken about being unable to sell the house.
C.He realized he might be wrong about the bats’ actions.
D.He was happy about selling the house.
We are all interested in equality, but while some people try to protect the school and examination system in the name of equality, others, still in the name of equality, want only to destroy it.
Any society which is interested in equality of opportunity（机会）and standards of achievement must regularly test its pupils. The standards may be changed — no examination is perfect — but to have no external(外部的)tests or examinations would mean the end of equality and of standards. There are groups of people who oppose this view and who do not believe either in external examinations or in any controls in schools or on teachers. This would mean that everything would depend on luck since every pupil would depend on the efficiency（实力）,the ideal and the purpose of each teacher.
Without external examinations, employers will look for employees from the highly respected schools and from families known to them — a form of favoritism will replace equality. At the moment, the bright child from an ill-respected school can show certificates（证书）to prove he or she is suitable for a job, while the lack of a certificate shows the unsuitability of a dull child attending a well-respected school. This defense of excellence and opportunity would disappear if external examinations were taken away, and the bright child from a poor family would be a prisoner of his or her school’s fame（名誉）,unable to compete for employment with the child from the favored school.
The opponents（对手）of the examination system suggest that examinations are an evil force because they show differences between pupils. According to these people, there must be no special, different, academic class. They have even suggested that there should be no form of difference in sport or any other area: all jobs or posts should be filled by unsystematic selection. The selection would be made by people who themselves are probably selected by some computer.
These people are not just against school organization, but are at war with the whole idea of modem competitive society and they are using children in schools for their destructive（破坏性的）purposes. There is no reason why we should allow such people to determine the way our schools are organized when it is to the obvious disadvantage of the pupils, of the schools and of our society as a whole.
1. According to the passage, the writer thinks that ________________.
A. changing the standards could mean the end of equality
B. standards must keep changing in order to achieve equality
C. there would be no standards without external examinations
D. we cannot have standards because examinations are not perfect
2. In the writer’s opinion, what would happen if external examinations were taken away?
A. There would be no more opportunities and no more excellence.
B. Children from poor families would not be able to change schools.
C. Going to a favored school should be the only way to get a good job.
D. Schools for bright children would lose their fame.
3. The situation at the moment is that ________________.
A. many children who are suitable for a job have no proof of their suitability
B. a school's fame is not important, as long as a child has a certificate.
C. children attending well-respected schools need not get certificates.
D. a bright child doesn’t need a certificate a t all to get a good job.
4. Which of the following sentences is TRUE?
A. Most students from poor families can't get a good job.
B. Some people are using students to destroy our society.
C. The writer thinks it a good way to choose a job by computer.
D. The opponents of the examination want to reorganize schools.
5. The opponents would agree that _________________.
A. computers should be selected to take over many jobs
B. particular people should not be chosen for particular jobs
C. well - respected schools should be got rid of as soon as possible
D. the students are not equally treated if they take external examinations
“I’ve changed my mind. I wanted to have a telescope, but now I want my daddy back.” Lucien Lawrence’s letter to Father Christmas written after his schoolteacher father had been knifed to death outside his school gate, must have touched every heart. Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn’t see the stars in the sky. When those whom we love depart from us, we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucien, the stars are still there, and one day, when you are older and your tears have gone, you will see them again. And, in a strange way, I expect that you will find your father is there too, in your mind and in your heart. I find that my parents, long dead now, still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive. I still live to please them and I’m still surprised by their reactions. I remember that when I became a professor, I was so proud, or rather so pleased with myself, that I couldn’t wait to cable my parents.The reply was a long time in coming, but when it did, all Mother said was “I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!” I haven' t forgotten. The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care. Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors (挑衅者)，and to lay down my life for those in my care? How many people would want me back for Christmas? It’s a serious thought, one to give me pause.
I pray silently, sometimes, in the dead of night, that ancient cry of a poet “Deliver my soul from the sword (剑), and my darling from the power of the dog.” Yet I know the death comes to us all, and sometimes comes suddenly. We must therefore plan to live forever, but live as if we will die tomorrow. We live on, I’m sure, in the lives of those we loved, and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure. If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true, there might be fewer knives on our streets today.
26. According to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph _______________.
A. puts forward the subject of the text B. shows the author’s pity on the kid
C. acts as an introduction to the discussion
D. makes a clear statement of the author's views
27. In the second paragraph, the author mainly wants to explain to us _____________.
A. how much he misses his parents now
B. why his parents often appear in his dream
C. when Lucien will get over all his sadness
D. how proud he was when he succeeded in life
28. What feeling did the author’s mother express in her reply?
A. Proud. B. Happy. C. Disappointed. D. Worried
29. In the author’s opinion, the value of a person’s life is _____________________.
A. to leave behind a precious memory to the people related
B. to have a high sense of duty to the whole society
C. to care what others will remember and treasure
D. to share happiness and sadness with his family
30. What does the writer mean by the sentence taken from an old poem?
A. Call on criminals and murderers to lay down their guns.
B. Advise parents stay with their children safely at home.
C. Spend every day meaningfully in memory of the death.
D. Try to keep violence and murder far away from society.
第二部分阅读理解（共30小题；每小题2分，满分60分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21~50各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Laptop computers are popular all over the world. People use them on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels. These laptops connect people to their workplace. In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms.
Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer program that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want. Within five years, each of the 1500 students at the college will receive a laptop. The laptops are part of a ＄10 million computer program at Westlake, a 110-year-old college. The students with laptops will also have access to the Internet. In addition, they will be able to use e-mail to “speak” with their teachers, their classmates, and their families. However, the most important part of the laptop program is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs. They can work with it at home, in a fast-food restaurant or under the trees — anywhere at all!
Because of the many changes in computer technology , laptop use in higher education, such as colleges and universities, is workable. As laptops become more powerful, they become more similar to desktop computers. In addition, the portable computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources. State higher-education officials are studying how laptops can help students. State officials are also testing laptop programs at other universities, too.
At Westlake College, more than 60 percent of the staff use computers. The laptops will allow all teachers to use computers in their lessons. As one Westlake teacher said, “ Here we are in the middle of Virginia and we’re giving students a window on the world. They can see everything and do everything.”
1. The main purpose of the laptop program is to give each student a laptop to _____.
A. use for their schoolwork B. access the Internet
C. work at home D. connect them to libraries
2.Why is the word “speak” in the second paragraph in quotation marks(引号)?
A. They don’t really talk. B. They use the computer language.
C. Laptops have speakers. D. None of the above reasons is correct.
3. Which of the following is true about Westlake College?
A. All teachers use computers. B. 1500 students have laptops.
C. It is an old college in America. D. Students there can do everything.
4.A window on the world in the last paragraph means that students can __________.
A. attend lectures on information technology B. travel around the world
C. get information from around the world D. have free laptops
5. What can we infer from the passage?
A. The program is successful. B. The program is not workable.
C. The program is too expensive. D. We don’t know the result yet.
C
On May 7, 2001, Ronnie Biggs arrived in Britain for the first time in about thirty-five years. His return was the end of one of Britain's most famous crime stories, The Great Train Robbery. In 1963 Biggs was in a gang that stole ￡2.6 million from a train traveling between London and Glasgow. The gang was caught quickly, and Biggs was sentenced to thirty years in jail. Many people thought that the sentence was too harsh（严厉的）. Biggs also thought it was too harsh, so he decided to escape.
Biggs was sent to Wandsworth Prison, a maximum security jail. It had one very high wall to keep the prisoners in, and some guards to watch them. One afternoon in July 1965, Biggs was in the prison yard. He had been in jail for just fifteen months. A tall van（货车） stopped outside the jail, and a ladder was placed against the wall. Then a rope ladder was thrown over the wall into the prison yard. Biggs climbed up the rope ladder, jumped down into the van and escaped!
From that time on, Biggs lived on the run. After hiding in France, Spain and Australia, he finally settled in Brazil in 1970. He was a celebrity（名人） criminal. He appeared in rock videos and movies, and he sold souvenirs to tourists who came to see him. But he missed his home in Britain and, at the age of seventy-one, decided to go home. He was met at the airport by family, friends—and police.
61. Ronnie Biggs was sentenced to thirty years in jail because ________.
62. What kind of prison was Ronnie Biggs in?
63. The main idea of Paragraph 2 is ________.
64. How many countries had Ronnie Biggs been to after he escaped from Britain?
65. When was Ronnie Biggs born?
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