The European Union announced plans on Tuesday to temporarily ban the use of animal cloning for food production, while allowing imports of food derived from the offspring (后代) of clones from the United States and elsewhere.
The report from the European Commission followed a call by EU lawmakers in July for a total ban on food derived from cloned animals and their traditionally bred offspring, citing ethical concerns over the industrial production of cloned meat.
The Commission said a temporary five-year EU ban on cloning for food production was justified on animal welfare grounds, but said banning imports of food from the offspring of clones was unnecessary and would disrupt global trade.
"Food from cloned animals is safe. In fact, the scientific opinion is that it cannot be differentiated in any way from food normally bred animals. The issue is animal welfare," EU Health and Consumer Commissioner John Dalli told reporters.
Food derived from the offspring of clones presents no such animal welfare issues, and banning its sale and import would be impossible because the origin is untraceable, Dalli said.
"Such a prohibition would lead to a ban of imports of any food of animal origin (meat, milk and processed products) from third countries allowing the cloning technique," the report said.
"We're not going to regulate for the world," Dalli added.
But animal welfare groups criticized the Commission's decision, saying it had bowed to pressure from third countries.
"We do not accept the Commission's position that it would be impossible to enforce a ban that includes the offspring of cloned animals, as (other) meat traceability systems are already in place, " said Sonja Van Tichelen, director of the Eurogroup for Animals. From the passage we can infer that the ban is __________.
| A．justified | B．welcome |
| C．controversial | D．meaningless |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The ban is permanent. |
| B．The imports of food from the offspring of clones are not banned. |
| C．Animal welfare groups support the ban. |
| D．The ban has been put into effect. |
Which of the following is the reason for Commission's decision on the ban according to animal welfare groups?
| A．The origin of food derived from the offspring of clones is Untraceable. |
| B．Food from cloned animals is safe. |
| C．The issue is for animal welfare. |
| D．The pressure comes from third countries. |
What might be the most suitable title for the passage?
| A．The plans of the European Union |
| B．A temporary five-year EU ban |
| C．The EU proposes a ban on animal cloning for food |
| D．The danger of food derived from cloned animals |
A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone’s else or ourselves --- the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.
We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn’t be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.
This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”
Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner. Or harsh（刻薄的）and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.
Words possess power because of their lasting effect. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.
Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem（自尊）and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.The main idea of the first paragraph is that ________.
| A．words have a lasting effect on us | B．not sticks and stones but words will hurt us |
| C．inspiring words give us confidence | D．negative words may let us down |
There is no sense for us to feel embarrassed when we talk to ourselves because _______
| A．it does no harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone |
| B．almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves |
| C．we can benefit from talking to ourselves |
| D．talking to ourselves always gives us courage |
The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should also timely _______
| A．give ourselves amusement | B．praise ourselves |
| C．remind ourselves | D．make ourselves relaxed |
The author would probably hold the view that ___________
| A．it is better to think twice before talking to others |
| B．encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers |
| C．negative words may stimulate us to make more progress |
| D．people tend to remember friendly words |
In only two decades Asian Americans have become the fastest-growing U.S. minority (少数民族). As their children began moving up through the nation's schools, it became clear that a new class of academic achievers was emerging. Their achievements are reflected in the nation’s best universities, where mathematics, science and engineering departments have taken on a decidedly Asian character. This special liking for mathematics and science is partly explained by the fact that Asian-American students who began their educations abroad arrived in the U. S. with a solid grounding in mathematics but little or no knowledge of English. They are also influenced by the promise of a good job after college. Asians feel there will be less unfair treatment in areas like mathematics and science because they will be judged more objectively. And the return on the investment in education is more immediate in something like engineering than with an arts degree.
Most Asian-American students owe their success to the influence of parents who are determined that their children take full advantage of what the American educational system has to offer. An effective measure of parental attention is homework. Asian parents spend more time with their children than American parents do, and it helps. Many researchers also believe there is something in Asian culture that breeds success, such as ideals that stress family values and emphasize education.
Both explanations for academic success worry Asian Americans because of fears that they feed a typical racial image. Many can remember when Chinese, Japanese and Filipino immigrants were the victims of social isolation. Indeed, it was not until 1952 that laws were laid down giving all Asian immigrants the right to citizenship. While making tremendous achievements at college, Asian- American students ______.
| A．generally feel it is a shame to have to depend on their parents |
| B．feel they are mistreated because of limited knowledge of English |
| C．are afraid that their academic successes bear a strong Asian character |
| D．still worry about unfair treatment in society |
What are the major factors that determine the success of Asian Americans?
| A．Asian culture and the American educational system. |
| B．A solid foundation in basic mathematics and being Asian Americans. |
| C．Hard work and intelligence. |
| D．Parental help and a limited knowledge of English. |
Why do the two “explanations” (Line 1, Para. 3 ) worry Asian Americans ?
| A．American academic achievements have taken on too strong an Asian character. |
| B．They are afraid that they would again be isolated from American society in general. |
| C．People would think that Asian students rely on their parents for success. |
| D．Asian Americans would be a threat to other minorities |
The author’s tone in this passage is .
| A．objective | B．sympathetic | C．doubtful | D．critical |
It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night. The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently. My father realized it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him. I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same. I’m so glad I did.
On the road to the harbor we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbor itself was in fairly good shape. After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea. As we got on board, we noticed two big humps(脊背) in the distance.
On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby. We couldn’t believe it — there aren’t any whales along the coast here. The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive.
The little baby whale — actually as big as our boat — was obviously stuck and could not move. The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools(漩涡) and waves. “She’s trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side,” my father said. At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently. With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water. Then it swam up right beside its mum. They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction. We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel. Slowly, they let us lead them, some-times rising from the water right beside us to breathe — and to give us a trusting look with those huge eyes. Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance.
In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half. That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day. Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea.The author says “I’m so glad I did.” (in Para.2) because __________.
| A．he spent the weekend with his family |
| B．be witnessed the whole process of fishing |
| C．he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea |
| D．he experienced the rescue of the whales |
The harbor survived the storm owing to __________.
| A．the long coast line | B．the shape of the harbor |
| C．the arms of the bay | D．the still water in the channel |
The mother whale failed to help her baby because __________.
| A．the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction |
| B．she had stayed in the polluted water for too long |
| C．the whirlpools she had made were not big enough |
| D．she had no other whales around to turn to for help |
What is the theme of the story?
| A．It’s vital to protect the environment |
| B．Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness |
| C．Fishing provides excitement for children |
| D．It’s necessary to live in harmony with animals |
Paloalto, California— “Turning off the television may help prevent children from getting fatter—even if they do not change their diet,” US researchers said last week.
A study of 192 third and fourth graders, generally aged eight and nine found that children who cut the number of hours spent watching television increased nearly two pounds (0.91kg) less over a one-year period than those who did not change their television diet.
“The findings are important because they show that weight loss can only be the result of a reduction in television viewing and not any other activity,” said Thomas Robinson, a pediatrician (儿科专家) at Stanford University. “American children spend an average of more than four hours per day watching television and videos or playing video games. And rates of childhood being very fat have doubled over the past 20 years,” Robinsin said.
In the study presented this week to the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in San Francisco, the researchers persuaded about 100 of the students to reduce their television viewing by one-quarter to one-third. Children watching fewer hours of television showed a much smaller increase in waist (腰) size and had less body fat than other students who continued their normal television viewing, even though neither group ate a special diet nor took part in any extra exercise.
“One explanation for the weight loss could be the children unstuck to the television may simply have been moving around more and burning off calories,” Robinson said. “Another reason might be eating fewer meals in front of the television. Some studies have suggested that eating in front of the TV encourages people to eat more,” Robinson said. The report tells us that children will get fatter if they ________.
| A．eat in front of the TV | B．change their diet |
| C．do special exercises | D．spend much time watching TV |
According to the report, the time American children usually spend on watching TV and videos or playing video games ________.
| A．is four hours a day or more | B．is less than four hours a day |
| C．has doubled in the last 20 years | D．has been reduced to one-quarter |
The time some children were persuaded to spend on TV viewing every day was less than ____.
| A．one hour | B．two hours | C．three hours | D．four hours |
Watching TV will increase kid’s weight because ________.
| A．they usually eat more and move less |
| B．they no longer take part in outdoor activities |
| C．they will not burn off calories |
| D．they will enjoy having meals in front of the television |
New York: When the first plane struck 1 World Trade Center at 8:48 am on Tuesday, the people in 2 World Trade Center who saw the instant (瞬间的) damage to the other tower realized clearly what they, too, must do: get out fast.
Katherine Ilachinsiki, who had been knocked off her chair by the blast (一阵)of heat exploding from the neighboring tower, was one of those. Despite her 70 years of age, Mrs Ilachinsiki, an architect working on the 91st floor of 2 World Trade Center, the south tower, went for the stairs. Twelve floors above her, Judy Wein, an executive (经理), cried sharply and set off too.
But others up and down the 110 floors, many without seeing the damage across the way and thus unclear about what was happening, were not so sure. And the 18 minutes before the next plane would hit were ticking off.
Most people had no idea about what was the best thing to do, formal announcements inside the south tower asked people to stay put, assuring them that the building was sound and the threat was limited to the other tower.
Some left, others stayed. Some began to climb down and, when met with more announcements and other cautions (警告) to stop or return, went back up. The decisions made in those instants proved to be of great importance, because many who chose to stay were killed completely when the second plane crashed into the south tower.
One of those caught in indecision (犹豫不决) was the executive at Fuji Bank USA.
Richard Jacobs of Fuji Bank left the 79th floor with the other office workers, but on the 48th floor they heard the announcement that the situation was under control. Several got in the lifts and went back up, two minutes or so before the plane crashed into their floor.
“I just don’t know what happened to them,” Mr Jacobs said. From the passage, we know that the south tower was hit by the plane ________.
| A．at 8:30 | B．18 minutes earlier than the north tower |
| C．at around 9:06 | D．at 8:48 |
The underlined words “stay put” means ________.
| A．stay in the building | B．leave at once |
| C．put everything back and then leave | D．keep silent |
Which floor was hit by the second plane?
| A．The 91st floor | B．The 103rd floor | C．The 60th floor | D．The 79th floor |
Fewer people would have died if .
| A．more announcements had been made | B．people hadn’t used the lifts |
| C．the attack had happened on a weekend | D．the people had obeyed the office rules |
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