阅读下面短文，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
To many Chinese, playing traditional Chinese musical 1. (instrument), such as the guzheng or erhu, may seem a bit old-fashioned. But there are musicians who take these instruments and combine them 2. modern sounds.
One of these artists 3.(be) Brad Seippel. He is a 33-year-old music producer from the US city of New Orleans. Seippel 4.(play) music since he was just 12 years old. But it was not until he was 24 and living in China 5. he learned to play the pipa.
“When I was young, my father encouraged me to play the bass guitar. A bass guitar has four strings, and so 6.(do) the pipa, so for me it was natural,” he said. Seippel’s music is 7.(main) electronic and sounds quite modern.But the pipa lets him add 8. unique element to his music.
Chinese musicians are bringing back 9.(tradition) music as well. Nine Treasures is a heavy metal band from Inner Mongolia. They use Mongolian throat-singing and a horsehead fiddle to add a folk flavor to 10. rock songs. I’ve seen them live many times myself — it is truly a powerful mix.
A scientist _______ several monkeys in order to study animal psychology. He took a glass bottle, _______ its cork (瓶塞) and put two peanuts inside it. The peanuts dropped to the bottom and were easily seen from the outside. He then passed the bottle to a monkey, who shook it _______ for a long while and was able to get the peanuts when they _______ fell out. The scientist then put some peanuts into the bottle again _______ he had done before and showed the monkey that it only needed to turn the bottle upside down for the peanuts to drop out. _______ the monkey always ignored his _______. Each time it just shook the bottle frantically, with great _______ but without necessarily achieving _______ result.
Now the question is why the monkey was unable to understand ________ the scientist instructs. ________ because all its attentions was focused on the peanuts. Instead, it must take its eyes off the peanuts and quickly ________ its attention to the ________ movement of the scientist and the way the bottle was turned upside down. To achieve this, it had to calm down and not be ________ by the impulse (诱惑) of its appetite. Yet the monkey was not able to understand this. It is the instance like this that reveals the monkey’s some psychology is just like ________ of human beings.
1.A.kept B.rose C.fed D.caught
2.A.moving B.removed C.discovered D.covered
3.A.happily B.anxiously C.hurriedly D.instantly
4.A.suddenly B.accidentally C.occasionally D.quickly
5.A.as B.that C.what D.until
6.A.But B.When C.Therefore D.Thus
7.A.directions B.explanations C.performances D.instructions
8.A.effort B.strength C.power D.force
9.A.expecting B.interesting C.satisfying D.desired
10.A.what B.how C.why D.which
11.A.Probably B.Likely C.Simply D.Nearly
12.A.put B.send C.pay D.shift
13.A.gesture B.mouth C.hand D.eye
14.A.taken away B.taken off C.taken over D.taken on
15.A.that B.the C.those D.this
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean lies the tiny island nation of Tuvalu，the fourth smallest country in the world. This group of four islands and five atolls (islands made from coral) is famous for its sandy beaches and turquoise (蓝绿色的) waters and has long been a popular tourist destination for nearby New Zealanders. However, the nation of Tuvalu is at risk of soon no longer existing; not because of war or political change, but because it will be covered by the rising ocean.
Tuvalu is experiencing the harmful effects of global warming. As global temperatures rise, so does the ocean temperature. Due to the scientific law of “thermal expansion,” when water heats it get bigger. 1. Most experts claim that the effects of climate change will make Tuvalu uninhabitable within the next 50 years. Problems are already emerging. As sea levels rise, ocean water containing high levels of salt is travelling further and further inland destroying the little amount of soil Tuvaluans have to grow crops.
Even before Tuvaluans began to suffer from the effects of climate change, lift on Tuvalu was tough. 2. Most of the land on an atoll is rock-hard arid any soil that exists on it is usually thin and poor for growing crops. The nation has always had to import food apart from fish.
More serious than Tuvalu’s lack of home-grown food has been its lack of drinking water.3. Therefore, Tuvaluans depend almost entirely on rainwater for their water needs. Unfortunately, due to a geographical phenomenon known as La Nina, Tuvalu often suffers from long periods of drought. In autumn 2010, after seven months of no rain, the Prime Minister had to declare a state of emergency riot only because of a lack of drinking water, but also because the water left was polluted with cholera (霍乱) 4.
Tuvalu’s problems have led some of its 11, 000 inhabitants to consider migrating to Australia or New Zealand.5. They know they’ll have to someday, but for as long as possible, they want to remain and make the world aware of what is happening to their homeland due to chimate change.
A. It was a desperate situation and, but for emergency shipments from New Zealand and Australia, many Tuvaluans would have died.
B.This is largely due to the geological makeup of atolls.
C. Unlike normal islands, atolls have no rivers or streams, which means that most of Tuvalu has no groundwater to use for drinking.
D. Tuvalu’s representatives demanded that nations should take a more responsible rote in reducing gas emissions.
E. Therefore, sea levels are rising and for low-lying Tuvalu, this spells disaster.
F. However, they ate not willing to abandon the land of their forefathers so easily.
G.And as a member of the United Nations, they are doing just that.
One step too far
Scientists have been trying to figure out how to alter the genes of humans for many years now, and it looks like they've finally cracked (破解) the code. But while this may seem like a great step forward in science, some also believe that it's one step back when it comes to ethics.
In August, a group of scientists from the US and South Korea worked together to successfully edit a human embryo and remove a genetic mutation (突变) that would have led to heart disease, reported The Guardian.
This was achieved with the help of CRISPR, a gene-editing tool that allows scientists to “cut and paste” human DNA.
Although this was the first example of an embryo's genes being changed successfully, the benefits of gene editing have already been tested in living patients.
In 2015, a five-month-old girl from the UK was saved after doctors used edited cells to fight off her cancer. As of today, she's alive and well.
And in the US last year, scientists managed to remove HIV cells from several patients by editing the genes inside their bodies.
Some people hope that in the future, diseases or birth detects could simply be “edited out”. However, others believe this could lead to so-called designer babies, giving parents the option to choose everything from eye color to intelligence.
“You could find wealthy parents buying the latest ‘upgrades’ for their children, leading to even greater inequality than we already live with,” Marcy Darnovsky, director of the San Francisco Center for Genetics, told BBC News.
In spite of these ethical concerns, experts say it’s not possible to create the “perfect” human being. Despite the progress scientists have made, we don’t understand human genes enough to give all unborn child great brainpower or amazing singing abilities.
“Right now, we know nothing about genetic enhancement,” Hank Greely, a director of sciences at Stanford University, US, told The New York Times. “We’re never going to be able to say, honestly, ‘This embryo looks like it would score high on the two-part SAT.’”
So it looks like if we want good exam results, or to impress people with our piano skills, we’ll have to stick with the old fashioned method of plain hard work — at least for now.
1.The underlined word “alter” in Paragraph 1 probably means ______.
A.record
B.change
C.remove
D.increase
2.Why do some people consider human gene editing a step backwards？ ______
A.They don't think it is an effective way to light diseases.
B.They are concerned that it could lead to genetic mutations.
C.They think it could lead to designer babies and increased inequality.
D.They worry that it could make parents abandon children with birth defects.
3.What was the first successful example of human embryo gene editing？ ______
A.A genetic mutation related to heart disease was removed by scientists
B.A newborn baby with cancer was saved by edited cells.
C.HIV cells were removed from patients’ bodies.
D.Some birth defects were simply edited out.
4.What can we conclude from the text？ ______
A.Gene editing is regarded as the perfect way to treat birth defects.
B.There is still a long way to go to fully understand human genes.
C.Gene editing could help enhance human intelligence in the near future.
D.Scientists are pessimistic about the future of gene editing.
Morgan Holmes had taken part in Boy Scouts of America activities for a few years, but she only became a full member recently.
This was because the Boy Scouts began accepting girls from fifth grade to 12th grade into a new program called Scouts BSA. It brings girls the opportunities boys have, including becoming Eagle Scouts, the highest rank of the Boy Scouts.
“I'm loving it,” Morgan, now 17, said. “I finally get to wear the uniform now.”
Six middle school girls have joined Morgan in Troop48 in Scouts BSA. Some were members of Girls Scouts, and some have brothers in the Boy Scouts.Now brothers and sisters can take part in activities.
Morgan knows Boy Scouts activities well. Starting when she was 14, Morgan went on high-adventure outings like hiking 100 miles and shooting guns. But she’d never been able to progress to become an Eagle Scout.
Now Morgan’s goal is to reach the top rank of Eagle Scout.
She regularly runs a mile to build up her body. Now, she’s planning on camping in the snow.
“The journey to get there is really exciting,” she said.
Since Boy Scout activities are led by the Scouts themselves, Morgan, as the oldest girl, will be organizing activities and teaching the girls to tie knots and other skills.
One of those girls in Troop48 is Nicolette Ulrich, who is also in the Girl Scouts.
Her mother, Sasha Ulrich, said she sees, the Boy Scouts as more leadership oriented and the Girl Scouts as more culturally oriented.This will be shown by all upcoming gathering where girls will learn about different food and cultures from around the world.
“Girl Scouts is a great group and she’ll continue to do that.” Sasha said. “But she also wanted the opportunities provided by the Boy Scouts.”
1.What did Morgan want to do after becoming a full member of Boy Scouts？ ______
A.She wanted to join in the activities with her brother.
B.She wanted to challenge herself to become all Eagle Scout.
C.She wanted to compete with boys in all activities.
D.She wanted to hike long distances and shoot guns with boys.
2.What is the best word to describe Morgan？ ______
A.Communicative
B.Helpful
C.Creative
D.Adventurous
3.What does Sasha Ulrich think of Boy Scouts？ ______
A.It is more culturally oriented.
B.It helps to build teamwork.
C.It helps to improve leadership.
D.It is more interesting than Girl Scouts.
People back in the United States are always asking me, “What's it like to live in China?” They hope to hear strange stories about weird food and cultural conflicts. Instead, I tell them that living in China is like being a baby.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t think that Chinese people are babies. I am a baby. Or at least, I become one when I leave my house. That’s because babies can’t read, and when I leave my house in Beijing, I’m illiterate (不识字的).
This can be dangerous. If a sign says, “Watch out for big angry bears,” in Chinese, I will continue walking, completely ignorant of my peril (危险). Then a bear will eat me for breakfast.
I have started to recognize a few characters, but they seem impossible to ever learn without a lifetime of study. When I see a character I like. I give it a name. There is “The Square,”“The Octopus(章鱼) ,”“The-upside-down Octopus,” and my favorite, “Upside-down Octopus on an airplane.” However, I still don't know their sounds or meanings.They are just beautiful mysteries to my eyes.
Because I can’t read, city streets present an endless series of enigmas. If I see a business, I wonder, “Is that a restaurant? A dentist? A lawyer’s office?” Once, while hungry, I saw a big colorful sign. I walked in and asked a realtor (房屋中介) to see the drink menu.
Speaking of menus, eating at restaurant is a daily misadventure. Many places have photos of food, which is helpful. But if they have no photos, I walk from table to table and point at whatever looks delicious. I apologize if I’ve ever interrupted your dinner to point at your plate. I didn’t mean to be rude. I was just a hungry baby!
1.Why does the author think living in China is like being a baby？ ______
A.Some Chinese people behave like babies.
B.It’s comfortable to be a baby in China.
C.He is as curious as a baby about Chinese things.
D.He is like a new-born who can’t read at all.
2.What do we know about the author？ ______
A.He can order food in simple Chinese.
B.He doesn't know many Chinese Characters.
C.His spoken Chinese is better than his written Chinese.
D.He memorizes Chinese words based on their sounds.
3.In Paragraph 5, what does the underlined word “enigmas” mean？ ______
A.Stories.
B.Miracles.
C.Choices.
D.Puzzles.
4.What is the passage mainly about？ ______
A.The author’s love for Chinese food.
B.The language barrier the author meets in China.
C.Cultural conflicts the author faces in China.
D.How the author overcomes difficulties in learning Chinese.
