Three-dimensional printers are fast becoming everyday devices in the United States. Three-D printers are used to make everything from automobile parts to bone replacements for human patients. American research scientists are now working on creating replacements for living tissue.
Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have been working on creating and manufacturing living tissue since 2003．This process is called biofabrication (生物制造) . It requires special printing equipment and a special kind of ink.
Traditional printers require ink to produce an image or design on a piece of paper. For their three-D printer, the South Carolina researchers prepare complex nutritious solutions they call bio-inks. Bio-inks are made of proteins and glucose (葡萄糖) , which normally provides energy for most cells of the body. The researchers also add living cells taken from the animal that will receive the new, printed tissue. The bio-inks are then added to a device that researchers call the Palmetto bio-printer.
Sarah Grace Dennis is one of the researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina. She says new technology, like the Palmetto bio-printer, is a great help to the biofabrication process.
The bio-inks are placed in three dispensers (分配器) , containers, inside the printer. Lasers control both the position of the printing surface and the places where the bio-ink is released.
Michael Yost is a leader of the research team. He says the printing process is fully automated— machine-operated. He says that the Palmetto bio-printer makes it possible to create complex tissue types.
The researchers say bio-printing is still experimental. But they hope in a few years they may be able to print tissue to replace damaged human organs.
But there are still some problems which need to be solved. Some scientists worry about how to get blood to the replacement tissue. The flow of blood is important to keep the printed tissue alive.
Michael Yost hopes that more people will believe in the benefits of biofabrication.
“Tissue biofabrication is a reality, and it is a reality now, and if you come here and you get to see it. You will get to see it. You can’t touch it, but you will see it and think this is real. And this is really human.”What can we know about the bio-inks?
| A．They are the necessities of bio-printing. |
| B．They only contain proteins and glucose. |
| C．They can be placed in the traditional printers. |
| D．They are available in our local drugstores. |
Which of the following is one of the concerns with biofabrication?
| A．Researchers can’t find enough living cells of animals to make the bio-inks. |
| B．The price of the bio-printer is too high and most people can’t afford it. |
| C．Scientists have some difficulty in getting the blood to the replacement tissue. |
| D．People are worried about the safety of the biofabrication process. |
According to Michael Yost, we can infer that .
| A．the Palmetto bio-printer can workwithout power |
| B．the Palmetto bio-printer has been used to treat the patients |
| C．the Palmetto bio-printer can only be found in the United States |
| D．the Palmetto bio-printer will have a bright future in medical use |
The passage mainly tells us about .
| A．the three-D printer and its working principles |
| B．the bio-inks and their use in bio-printing |
| C．the spread use of the bio-printer in the USA |
| D．the growing demand for biofabrication |
Two more cases of H7N9 bird flu virus have been detected in Zhejiang province, including a man who died last week, authorities said on Wednesday.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that a 38-year-old patient surnamed Hong from Hangzhou, the provincial capital, who died in hospital on March 27, had the virus.
Hong was infected on March 7 while working in neighboring Jiangsu province. He returned home on March 18, according to the Zhejiang health department.
The other patient, surnamed Yang, is a 67-year-old man. He developed a cough and fever on March 25 and was admitted to hospital on Tuesday.
None of the people who came into close contact with the patients have developed symptoms of the flu, the health department said.
On Sunday, two men in Shanghai died from H7N9. A woman in Anhui province and four men in Jiangsu province remain in criticalcondition, which makes a large number of people scared to death.
All patients had fevers and coughs in the early stages before developing pneumonia(肺炎) and breathing difficulties, China's health authorities said.
Experts say genetic analysis shows that the H7N9 virus can be treated with Tamiflu, an antiviral drug that may slow the spread of influenza（流感，家畜流行性感冒） in the body.
Wang Xianjun, head of the Shandong provincial center of disease control, said H7N9 is sensitive to neuraminidase-inhibiting medicine such as Tamiflu, Qilu Evening News reported on Wednesday.
There are no effective vaccines(疫苗) for H7N9 as yet, Wang said, but using Tamiflu may be effective in the early stages.According to this passage, the most cases of H7N9 bird flu virus have been detected in ______.
| A．Zhejiang province | B．Anhui province |
| C．Shanghai | D．Jiangsu province |
From the whole passage we can learn that_______.
| A．two men in Shanghai and a woman in Zhejiang province died from H7N9. |
| B．the H7N9 virus can be cured with an antiviral drug called Tamiflu. |
| C．all the patients infected with H7N9 had fevers and coughs in the early stages. |
| D．only one patient has died from H7N9 in Anhui. |
The underlined word in the sentence “…four men in Jiangsu province remain in critical condition” may be close to ______ in meaning.
| A．very serious and dangerous | B．extremely important |
| C．quite healthy | D．not serious or dangerous |
The passage is mainly about _____.
| A．the medicine for H7N9 |
| B．the spread of H7N9 and an antiviral drug |
| C．the number of patients who died from H7N9 |
| D．people who came into close contact with the patients of H7N9 |
Dear Parents,
It is almost a week since school began. I hope that you and your child are settled and comfortable in the arrangement of the new school year. I would like to take this opportunity to give you news about the art project that the eighth grade students and I will be working on during this unit.
My name is Molly Atkinson and I am a new middle school teacher here at MSAE in Kauai. I feel that it is important for you to know that my approach to classroom management is inspired by Maharishi’s Principle of Ideal Teaching. I believe that it is the most positive method for guiding our students’ education. I also believe that by keeping the lessons interesting, the classroom will be a creative environment for the students to explore the artistic process. My experience with the class this week makes me believe that the students and I will have a fruitful and caring experience in our time together.
The students’ first project is a three-part work that begins with the creation of a collage (拼贴画). A pencil drawing of the collage will follow. The third part of the project will be a geometrical three-dimensional (几何三维的) drawing of the collage. The students have jumped right into the project with enthusiasm (热情) and focus. I can tell that we are going to have a very productive unit.
On October 30th, the students will have a showing of their work for you. I look forward to meeting all of you that day. If you would like to get hold of me before that time I will be here after school until 4:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays and can be available on other afternoons by appointment (预约). I may also be reached at my e-mail address: matkinson@kdsi.net. I am very happy to be here and look forward to working with the eighth grade students.
Sincerely,
Molly AtkinsonIt can be learned that the letter was written _____.
| A．after the school year ended |
| B．before the new school year started |
| C．in the middle of the school year |
| D．at the beginning of the new school year |
The letter was most probably written by _____.
| A．an art teacher |
| B．an eighth grader |
| C．a school gardener |
| D．a head teacher |
In Paragraph 2, Atkinson mentions _____.
| A．her long work experience |
| B．her close relationships with the students |
| C．the teaching method she applies |
| D．the training aim of the new term |
The underlined words “that time” in the last paragraph refer to _____.
| A．October 30th |
| B．4:30 on Mondays |
| C．4:30 on Wednesdays |
| D．other afternoons |
Ben Olsen had great careers as professional players. His story tells a lot about the past, present and future of professional soccer in America.
Ben Olsen was an important part of D.C. United's early success. He was the top new player, or rookie of the year, in 1998. His young professional career reached a high point the next season. D.C. United won the M.L.S. Cup, the league championship（锦标赛）, on the strength（力量） of a Most Valuable Player performance by Olsen. He scored one of two goals for his team in the win against the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Ben Olsen looks back on his score in that championship as his most memorable. "I'd lost a lot of championships before that year, so that was a special game." said Ben Olsen.
Like many top American soccer players, Olsen played overseas. He joined the club Nottingham Forest in Britain. He says different leagues have different styles of play. "Some teams are very fast and athletic. Some teams are a little bit more low pressure on the ball and more skillful players. England has always been known to be a fast and physical league."
Olsen was also a part of the United States World Cup team of 2006. He says playing for his country was something he will never forget.
Ben Olsen has had five operations for severe ankle（脚踝） injuries. Still, he had one of his best years in 2007. He scored seven goals including a "hat trick"-- three in one game.
Ben Olsen celebrates his third goal in one game against the New York Red Bull in June of 2007
He was recognized for his outstanding play with an M.L.S. Best Eleven award. He accepted the award in a wheelchair after a minor operation became major ankle surgery（外科手术）. Ben Olsen retired after the 2009 season. Today he is an assistant coach with D.C. United.When did Ben Olsen begin to win championship?
| A． In 1998 | B．Next season | C．In 1999 | D．In 2006 |
What does the underlined word ‘rookie’ mean in this sentence?
| A．Success | B．New player | C．professional career | D．championship |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．Ben Olsen has a deep love for his country |
| B．Ben Olsen scored three goals in 1999 |
| C．Top American soccer players never played oversea |
| D．He scored ten goals in 2007 |
What do you think is the best title for the passage?
A. Ben Olsen—the best soccer player
B. Ben Olsen’s professional career
C. Ben Olsen and D.C. United
D. An introduction to Ben Olsen
The ISS project is a partnership of five - the US, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.
At the moment, no program for its use nor any money has been put in place to support the platform beyond 2015.
One of the biggest issues stopping an agreement on station-life extension（延长期） is the human spaceflight examination ordered by US President Barack Obama.
The Americans are developing a new vision for space exploration, and the rockets and spacecraft they will need to start it. The future of US joining in the ISS is closely tied to the result of the examination.
Mr Dordain, the European Space Agency's (Esa) Director General, said no one partner in the ISS project could alone call an end to the platform. A meeting would be held in Japan later in the year where he hoped the partners could get something clearly going forward. He said it was also necessary the benefits（成效） were increased and the costs were reduced. Increasing the benefits could include finding new uses for the station.
Esa has called for ideas on how to use the ISS as a platform for Earth observation（观测站）. Mr Dordain said the agency had received about 20 very good proposals.
On the issue of reducing costs, there were many ideas on the table, he explained.
He also questioned whether it was necessary for the station to have six astronauts at all times. If there were periods when little maintenance（维修） was required or the experiment load was light, could the ISS run on a smaller group of people, he suggested.
Construction of the space station should finish this year. Next month, two components built in Europe - a connecting node and a robotic control room - will be flown to the platform by the US shuttle Endeavour.
Tranquility and the Cupola, as they are known, will complete the non-Russian side of the ISS.Why will America joining in the ISS be tied to the result of the examination?
| A．Because America is the greatest power among them |
| B．Because America provides most of the money |
| C．Because they need America’s rockets and spacecraft |
| D．Because Obama ordered the human spaceflight examination |
According to Mr Dordain, how should they do to reduce costs?
| A．To find new uses for the station |
| B．To make little maintenance |
| C．To reduce the experiment load |
| D．To have fewer astronauts sometimes |
Where do you think you can read this passage?
| A．In a story book | B．In a handbook |
| C．In an advertisement | D．In a newspaper |
Chicken feathers are useful, and not just to a chicken. Some go into pillows, coats and other products. But countless chicken feathers go to waste.
In the United States, billions of chickens are produced yearly. Most of their feathers are thrown away.
But instead of being buried in land, some feathers could find a future in plastics（塑料）.
One of the products they have developed is a flowerpot（花盆）. It may look like other flowerpots. But the container breaks down in the earth within one to five years. And as it breaks down, it naturally becomes nutrient（营养物） in the soil.
The environmentally friendly flowerpot is the work of two researchers. Walter Schmidt is with the Agricultural Research Service, part of the United States Agriculture Department. Masud Huda is with the Horticultural Research Institute, a private（私人） organization（组织）.
Walter Schmidt has been working to find uses for chicken feathers since the 1990s. Progress in 2002 showed that plastic made from feathers could be formed like other plastics.
He says feathers are much stronger and last（持续） longer than another plant material. "Feathers are stronger. By design, feathers are also more durable（耐用的）. And the other part about it is if feathers were twice as heavy, or half as strong, then birds couldn't fly."
He points out that traditional flowerpots made from other plastics can last much longer. But he wonders if there is really a need. He says most flowerpots are never re-used.
"Why would you want a plastic that you use for a year to last for two hundred years? It makes no sense. You want to match the product with the use." said Walter Schmidt.
Walter Schmidt and Masud Huda are now adding another chicken product to their flowerpots -- chicken waste. The waste will add more nutrients to the soil as the pot breaks down. The scientists say they hope their flowerpot will be on the market in a year or two.What do people mainly deal with feathers?
| A．Feathers are used to make pillows, coats and other products. |
| B．Most feathers are paid no attention to. |
| C．Most feathers are used as nutrient |
| D．Most feathers are used to make flowerpots |
What’s the advantage of the flowerpots?
| A．They won’t last long. | B．They can’t break |
| C．They are environmentally friendly | D．They can be reused |
What does Walter Schmidt think of traditional flowerpots?
| A．Too heavy | B．Too old |
| C．Never re-used | D．lasting longer but unnecessary |
What do you think is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Chicken and its feathers | B．How to deal with feathers |
| C．feathers made into flowerpot | D．New flowerpots |
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