Pingyao, in the center of Shanxi Province, is a famous historic cultural city of China and a world cultural heritage site (世界文化遗址). It’s 90 kilometers south of Taiyuan on the Fen River.
People lived in Pingyao during the New Stone Age. Its long period as a country government seat has left Pingyao with lots of historic buildings and sites, with a 2,700-year history. Ninety-nine of them are under government protection, including Zhengguo Temple, Shuanglin Temple and Pingyao Ancient City.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, businessmen organized commercial (商业的) groups that did business nationwide. Shanxi Province had some of the most important ones and Pingyao was their center. In 1823, a store, known as Rishengchang(Sunrise Prosperity), traded in bank checks rather than in silver or gold coins. It was the beginning of modern Chinese banking. Branch banks were soon set up in major cities in China and other parts of Asia, leading to great development in Pingyao. Its Lacquer ware (漆器) became well known.
In Pingyao Ancient City are many traditional houses and commercial buildings, 3,797 of which are protected and more than 400 of which are in good condition. Not only do the houses in Pingyao show Shanxi’s history and culture, but this large number is valuable for studying its history, customs, and ancient buildings and art. Most of these houses are still used as homes and shops of local people.
In 1997, Ancient Pingyao City was listed in World Heritage List as “World Culture Heritage Site”.
64. What does the underlined word “them” (in the 2nd paragraph) refer to?
A. Historic buildings and sites B. The three temples
C. The country government seats D. The 2,700-year history
65. Which of the following about Pingyao is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. Its location B. Its tourism
C. Its business D. Its history
66. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Pingyao was a leading center in __________.
A. agriculture B. raising cattle
C. commercial trade D. making gold coins
67. If you want to know about the history of banking in China, you’ll visit __________.
A. Sunrise Prosperity B. Zhengguo Temple
C. A lacquer ware store D. A commercial house
With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone(克隆) the animal and save the endangered species. That’s a move similar to what Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.
Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen(氮). If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.
The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.
“The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes. “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A& M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.
“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.”
60. The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to _______.
A. make efforts to clone the endangered pandas
B. save endangered animals from dying out
C. collect DNA of endangered animals to study
D. transfer the nuclear of one animal to another
61. According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of _______.
A. available panda eggs B. host animals
C. qualified researchers D. enough money
62. The best title for the passage may be _______.
A. China’s Success in Pandas Cloning
B. The First Cloned Panda in the World
C. Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas
D. China —the Native Place of Pandas Forever
63. From the passage we know that _______.
A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog
B. scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit
C. Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches
D. about two thousand of species will probably die out in a century
四、阅读理解(40分)
Learning online should make use of a number of Internet tools: e-mail lets you exchange letters between continents very cheaply and almost immediately. Large groups of people can share their discussions by using electronic lists to send every letter to everyone on the list. Electronic magazines bring you up-to-date topics, such as news, arts, and sports. Search engines allow you to look for anything you want on the Internet, including the holdings of major libraries. In a chat room you can have a real-time written talk. Audio and video bring the world to your computer -— you can listen to the world's radio stations, watch the evening news from another continent. And in an online conference you can even talk to your teacher and fellow students abroad.
Do you have e-mail? How much do you communicate with your friends over the Internet? Internet, the newest child in technology, is like a modern communication highway. It's also a kind of super-shop, almost anything you can buy in a store -— you can get it through Internet, without leaving home at all.
56. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Internet B. Radio stations C. Magazines D. Libraries
57. What is the quickest and cheapest way of getting in touch with your friend abroad?
A. By telegraph B. By air-mail
C. By e-mail D. By telephone
58. Which of the following will you choose if you want to hold a meeting over the Internet?
A. Chat room B. Search engines
C. Online conference D. Electronic lists
59. In the writer’s opinion, it can be inferred that we might work _____ in the future.
A. in the office B. at home
C. at the library D. in the store
It was about 600 years ago __________ the first clock was made.
A.that |
B.until |
C.before |
D.when |
The policemen are searching _____ every house _____ the thief.
A.for; for |
B.of; of |
C.不填; for |
D.of; for |
. The book, _______ is blue, is mine.
A.the cover of which |
B.whose cover |
C.of which the cover |
D.all the above |