With the development of science and technology, the research of human genes is playing more and more important part in our daily life. Sometimes it is a hot topic drawing more and more attention.
Gene technology can cure serious diseases that doctors at present can almost do nothing with, such as cancer and heart disease. Every year, millions of people are murdered by these two killers. But if the gene technology is used, not only these two diseases can
be cured completely, bringing happiness and more living days to the patients, but also the great amount of money people spend curing their diseases can be saved, therefore it benefits the economy as well. In addition, people can live longer.
Gene technology can help people to give birth to more healthy and clever children. Some families have hereditary diseases and their children will for sure have the family disease, which is a great trouble for these families. In the past, doctors could do nothing about them. But gene technology can solve this problem perfectly. The scientists just need to find the wrong gene and correct it, and a healthy child will be born.
Some people are worrying that the gene research can be used to clone human beings in large quantities. In the past few years, scientists have succeeded in cloning a sheep; therefore these people predict that human babies would be cloned. But I believe cloned babies will not come out in large amounts, for most couples in the world can have babies in a very normal way. Of course, the governments must take care to control gene technology. What does "these two killers" in the 2nd paragraph refer to?
| A．Hereditary diseases and cloned baby. |
| B．The two murderers who killed people. |
| C．Cancer and heart disease. |
| D．Two treatments of the diseases including gene technology. |
The underlined word "hereditary diseases" (in Paragraph 3) probably means "__________".
| A．serious diseases | B．cancer | C．heart disease | D．family diseases |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The research of human genes is more and more important in our life. |
| B．Gene technology will benefit the national economy. |
| C．Cloning babies under the control of the governments is acceptable in the writer's eyes. |
| D．With the help of gene technology, human beings will turn into perfect species. |
What's the best title for this passage?
| A．Time for Controlling Gene Technology! |
| B．Cloning Babies, Good or Bad? |
| C．Human's Killers! |
| D．Gene Technology, the Helper of Human Being! |
D
With America's national debt continuing to climb, Congress is constantly debating ways to save money. The Dollar Coin Alliance, a lobbying group, says billions could be saved if dollar coins were used instead of paper bills.
But many people won't use them. The U.S. government tried to push dollar coins again in recent years, but then suspended almost all production in 2011.
American likes paper dollars, but Jim Kolbe, co-chairman of the Dollar Coin Alliance, thinks switching to the coin is worth it.
“The coin does cost more to produce, roughly on the neighborhood of 17 cents versus the 5 or 6 cents that a paper dollar costs to produce," he said. "However, the coin lasts 35 years, and it’s made of mostly recycled metals, and the paper has to be produced from new materials, and we shred 3 billion of those every year because they wear out.”
For years, the former Arizona congressman has been pushing legislation that would prop up the dollar coin by phasing out the greenback — a move that has met resistance from both politicians and the public. But today, he said, the climate has changed, and a recent poll indicates 61 percent of Americans like the idea.
“When they learn of the savings that can be involved with this, they will support the idea of substituting the coin for the paper dollar,” he said.
Major savings
Kolbe points to a study by the Government Accountability Office, which investigates how the government spends taxpayer dollars. The GAO estimates taxpayers would save more than $4 billion over 30 years, and that figure could be much higher. That appeals to taxpayer Christy Thompson, who said, “I’d probably say, yes, we need to do it.”
But plenty of people aren't convinced, including Kim Doering of Alexandria, Virginia. “It’s easier to carry the paper bill than a bunch of coins. They’re louder; they’re heavier in your pocket,” she said.
Washington, D.C. restaurant owner Sue Fouladi doesn’t like the idea of having more dollar coins in her cash register.
"It’s very inconvenient," she said. "If I don’t have a choice, then I’ll do it, but I’ll be a very unhappy person.”
Adding to the problem is that the gold- and silver-colored metal coins are about the same size as the 25-cent quarter. Robert Blecker, an economics professor at American University in Washington, says the dollar coins should be a different size and thickness.
“And if we can design a dollar coin that’s not so big and bulky, probably Americans would like it better,” he added.
But that doesn’t bother college student Emily Sturgill.
“Sometimes they fit into your pocket easily and you don’t have to worry about them slipping out, like a dollar bill would if you brought your keys or your phone out,” she said.Which of the following is the advantage of dollar coins according to the passage?
| A．They cost less than paper bills . |
| B．They are convenient to carry. |
| C．They are not easy to wear out. |
| D．They are produced from new materials. |
What does the underlined sentence” the climate has changed” in paragraph 4 mean?
| A．America's national economy has changed. |
| B．Most of Americans support using dollar coins. |
| C．Only small percentage of Americans subscribe to using dollar coins. |
| D．The majority of Americans are for paper bills. |
Which of the following is in favor of using dollar coins?
| A．Kim Doering | B．Emily Sturgill. |
| C．Sue Fouladi | D．Robert Blecke |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Dollar Coins or Paper Bills |
| B．Different Opinions about Coins |
| C．Ways to Solve America's National Debt |
| D．The Advantages of Dollar Coins. |
C
Burning less calories while walking seems like a bad idea, but making the walk easier may actually keep people on their feet longer, and that scientists say, has substantial health benefits.
Analyzing the human walk, biomedical engineers Steven Collins and Greg Sawicki concluded that our ankles and calves perform motions similar to a spring coupled with a clutch that intermittently stores and releases energy.
Sawicki, from the University of North Carolina, explained what’s involved.
“We found in basic science experiments that that system, your calf and Achilles tendon, works a lot like a catapult. So, the muscle holds on to the tendon and your body actually stretches your Achilles tendon quite a bit and then stores the energy in the tissue and then it’s given back to propel you forward in the world,” he said.
Sawicki said he and his colleague Steven Collins at Carnegie Mellon University designed a mechanical device, made of carbon fiber and metal, that performs the same sequence of energy give-and-take outside the body. The system takes over part of the work of walking, and reduces the amount of required energy by as much as seven percent.
Wearing the unpowered ankle exoskeleton can help people either walk farther with the same amount of energy, or restore the normal movement pattern for people who have trouble walking.
Sawicki said it takes only a few minutes to get used to the exoskeleton but the wearer quickly learns to tone down the muscle energy as the device takes over part of the load.
“You really don’t notice it until when you take it off. And when you take it off you realize that it was there and giving you the boost,” he said.
Sawicki added that the device is primarily intended for people recovering from surgery or a stroke. But all persons who spend a lot of time walking, such as police officers or hospital personnel, could benefit from it.
At the moment there are no plans to develop the ankle exoskeleton for the market, but the inventors say some manufacturers have expressed interest.What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．How to reduce energy whiling walking. |
| B．Ways to make walking easy. |
| C．Introduction to a mechanical device to make walk easier |
| D．Guidelines for people recovering from surgery. |
What is true according to the passage ?
| A．The device can only benefit people with walking problems. |
| B．All people could benefit from it. |
| C．With the device, the walkers need seven percent as much as the energy otherwise. |
| D．The device can benefit people in the long term. |
What does the underlined word ” propel” mean in paragraph 3?
| A．put | B．keep | C．help | D．push |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．The ankle exoskeleton will have a bright future. |
| B．The ankle exoskeleton hasn’t appeal to manufacturers. |
| C．The ankle exoskeleton will be launched in the market soon. |
| D．The ankle exoskeleton will never be produced. |
B
According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the U.K. has about 7.7 million families with dependent children, of which 3.7 million have just one child, compared to 3 million with two and 1.1 million with three children or more. The number of families today with just one dependent child is now 47 percent and will likely rise to more than 50 percent in a decade. As the ONS confirms, “It appears that families are getting smaller.”
One obvious reason for this could be that women are putting off having children until they have established careers when they are bound to be less fertile. But it could just as well be a matter of choice. Parents must consider the rising cost of living, combined with economic uncertainty and an increasingly difficult job market. And this trend may continue growing as having an only child becomes more normal, which seems to be the mood on the mothers’ online forum Mumsnet, where one member announced that she “just wanted to start a positive thread about how fab it is to have an only child”.
She had received 231 replies, overwhelmingly in the same upbeat spirit. Parents of only children insist there are plenty of benefits. Nicola Kelly, a writer and lecturer who grew up as an only child and is now a married mother of one, says her 15-year-old son seems more grown-up in many ways than his contemporaries.
In a moving recent account journalist Janice Turner wrote about her own keenness to “squeeze out two sons just 22 months apart” as a reaction to her only-child upbringing.
She was placed on a pedestal by her doting parents, whom she punished with a “brattish, wilful” rejection of everything they stood for. Desperate for a close friend she was repeatedly shattered by rejection and refers to her childhood as being “misery”.
Writer and clinician Dr. Dorothy Rowe, a member of the British Psychological Society, says that we all interpret events in our own individual way and there are some children who no matter what their circumstances feel slighted, while other children see the advantages of their situation.
However, the one part of life that is unlikely to get any easier for only children is when they grow up and find themselves looking after their own parents as they become older.The writer wrote the passage to________.
| A．illustrate the strength and weakness of having an only child |
| B．analyze the reasons why having an only child becomes popular |
| C．guide people to look at the same issue from different perspectives |
| D．present us with different opinions about having an only child |
Why are families getting smaller according to the passage?
| A．Women are less fertile. |
| B．Women give priority to career. |
| C．It is positive to have an only child. |
| D．There are not many job positions for children. |
The sentence “Not all products of single-child families are as keen to repeat the experience.”should be placed at the beginning of paragraph______.
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
What does the underlined sentence we all interpret events in our own individual way in Paragraph 6 mean ?
| A．Some are unable to make an objective assessment of their conditions |
| B．We should consider the needs of individuals. |
| C．Journalist Janice Turner experienced a miserable childhood. |
| D．It’s necessary for us to look at the event from our own angle. |
Goldie's Secret
She turned up at the doorstep of my house in Cornwall. No way could I have sent her away. No way, not me anyway. Maybe someone had kicked her out of their car the night before. "We're moving house.'; "No space for her any more with the baby coming." "We never really wanted her, but what could we have done? She was a present." People find all sorts of excuses for abandoning an animal. And she was one of the most beautiful dogs I had ever seen.
I called her Goldie. If I had known what was going to happen I would have given her a more creative name. She was so unsettled during those first few days. She hardly ate anything and had such an air(样子) of sadness about her. There was nothing I could do to make her happy, it seemed. Heaven knows what had happened to her at her previous(以前的) owner's. But eventually at the end of the first week she calmed down. Always by my side, whether we were out on one of our long walks or sitting by the fire.
That's why it was such a shock when she pulled away from me one day when we were out for a walk. We were a long way from home, when she started barking and getting very restless（焦躁不安的）. Eventually I couldn't hold her any longer and she raced off down the road towards a farmhouse in the distance as fast as she could.
By the time I reached the farm I was very tired and upset with Goldie. But when I saw her licking (舔) the four puppies (幼犬) I started to feel sympathy towards them. "We didn't know what had happened to her," said the woman at the door. "I took her for a walk one day, soon after the puppies were born, and she just disappeared." "She must have tried to come back to them and got lost," added a boy from behind her. '
I must admit I do miss Goldie, but I've got Nugget now, and she looks just like her mother. And I've learnt a good lesson: not to judge people. How did the author feel about Goldie when Goldie came to the house?
| A．Shocked. | B．Sympathetic. |
| C．Annoyed. | D．Upset. |
In her first few days at the author's house, Goldie .
| A．I felt worried | B．was angry |
| C．ate a little | D．sat by the fire |
Goldie rushed off to a farmhouse one day because she .
| A．saw her puppies |
| B．heard familiar barking |
| C．wanted to leave the author |
| D．found her way to her old home |
The passage is organized in order of .
| A．time | B．effectiveness（效果） |
| C．importance | D．complexity（复杂性） |
Who hasn't found themselves reaching for the closest food available when they're tired and stressed? More and more research is proving that this isn't all in our mind. Some foods really do lead to a change in our moods (心情)．
Carbohydrate (碳水化合物) for calm
This is how some people medicate(治疗) themselves with food — by reaching for cookies or pasta(意大利面食) whenever they're upset. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work. You must eat a meal consisting of 100% carbohydrate, on an empty stomach, to obtain the serotonin (血清素) increase so that you have a good mood.
To get the wishedfor effect, you must not eat anything for four hours and then eat at least 30 grams of straight carbohydrate. Dry cereal (谷类食品), a piece of bread with jam, or a potato should do_the_trick.
Protein (蛋白质) for power
Of course, sometimes we don't need to be calm and sleepy.Sometimes we need a great deal of mental concentration, so this is when it's important to mix protein and carbohydrate. The protein will prevent the tryptophan (色氨酸) from flooding your brain，and the rise in serotonin(血清素) won't occur.
Why dessert makes us happy
Fat and sugar cause the brain to let go endorphins (内啡肽), which send pleasure signals throughout the body. This would be fine, except humans are not particularly good at stopping at one cookie or cake.
You can also satisfy your sweet tooth by choosing fruit for dessert.
Timing your meals for energy
Blood sugar drops after four hours of going without food, causing a decrease(减少) in energy. Eating usually fixes this within 20 to 30 minutes, but don't suppose that eating more will cause a faster increase in energy.
When you eat has as much of an effect on your mood as what you eat. If you regularly go for a long period of time between meals, rethink your schedule and plan ahead.The underlined phrase“do_the_trick”in the third paragraph means ________.
| A．be extremely smart |
| B．intend to cheat someone |
| C．bring about the desired result |
| D．do something to amuse people |
The function of protein is ________.
| A．to help you keep calm and sleepy |
| B．to make you feel energetic |
| C．to lead you to slowness |
| D．to increase serotonin in your brain |
We can infer from the last two parts that ________.
| A．fat and sugar can greatly help people feel happy |
| B．we humans tend to eat lots of cookies and cakes |
| C．the more we eat, the faster we will gain energy |
| D．what we eat is more important than when we eat |
The main idea of the passage is ________.
| A．eating for a better mood |
| B．eating to make you calm |
| C．eating for more protein |
| D．eating to make us strong |
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