Question

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This is one of life’s ______ questions and people have been debating about it for thousands of years. Now scientists believe they have solved this ______. Researchers from Sheffield and Warwick Universities in England discovered the answer ____. They used a super computer to observe the shell-making process while a new shell was ____. Then they found one protein called OC17 that is ______ for forming eggshell. This is only found inside a chicken’s body, which is proof that the ______ came first. The team was ______ looking at how animals and birds make eggshells but suddenly made their surprising ______. The big question now is where chickens came from. The ______ is from dinosaurs.

The research team said eggshells are one of nature’s most ______ creations. Professor John Harding from the team told reporters: “Understanding how chickens make eggshells is fascinating in itself, but it can also be _____ in designing new materials.” Eggshells are very lightweight but incredibly strong. Even the most up-to-date materials _____ by the world’s top engineers cannot produce anything as ______ as an eggshell. Professor Harding added that ______ eggshells could help to cure bone diseases and design materials for the construction industry. “Nature has found wonderful ways that ___ for all kinds of problems in materials science and technology — we can learn a lot from them.” he said.

1.A. strangest             B. best                C. oldest                               D. Closest

2.A. puzzle                  B. fact                 C. history                              D. opinion

3.A. on purpose        B. by chance     C. without hesitation          D. at work

4.A. breaking              B. changing        C. disappearing          D. Forming

5.A. necessary           B. easy                C. kind                         D. impossible

6.A. egg                       B. eggshell         C. chicken                            D. dinosaur

7.A. obviously            B. originally       C. thoughtfully                     D. surprisingly

8.A. invention            B. mistake          C. statement                        D. discovery

9.A. answer                B. research        C. road                                 D. egg

10.A. common           B. ridiculous      C. funny                               D. amazing

11.A. interesting        B. helpful           C. normal                             D. correct

12.A. bought              B. cut                  C. designed                          D. carried

13.A. brilliant        B. ordinary          C.1ight                                 D. small

14.A. finding               B. watching        C. studying                           D. making

15.A. happen             B. work               C. wait                          D. Look

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.D

5.A

6.C

7.B

8.D

9.A

10.D

11.B

12.C

13.A

14.C

15.B

【解析】

试题分析：关于先有鸡还是先有蛋这个问题的争论，在哲学和科学等许多领域都已经持续了千百年。日前，英国科学家宣称已经破解了这个一直困扰着人类的谜题。研究证实先有鸡后有蛋。

1.根据for thousands of years可知，先有鸡还是先有蛋，这是一个古老的问题。A最奇怪的；B最好的；C最古老的；D最亲密的。故选C。

2.Now scientists believe they have solved this ___科学家认为他们已经解决了这个难题。A难题；B事实；C历史；D观点。故选A。

3.discovered the answer ____偶然发现了答案。A故意；B偶然；C毫不犹豫；D在工作。故选B。

4.observe the shell-making process while a new shell was ____.观察蛋壳形成过程，A破裂；B改变；C消失；D形成。故选D。

5.OC17 that is ______ for forming eggshellOC17是蛋壳形成所必需的。A必需的；B容易的；C友好的；D不可能的。故选A。

6.根据This is only found inside a chicken’s body可知，这种蛋白质只能在鸡子体内找到，因此先有鸡。A鸡蛋；B蛋壳；C鸡；D恐龙。故选C。

7.but suddenly made their surprising ___研究团队最初是在观察蛋壳是怎样形成的，意外发现了OC17这种物质。A明显地；B起初，原来；C考虑周到地；D惊讶地。故选B。

8.科学家们意外发现的这种物质。make a discovery发现，A发明；B错误；C陈述；D发现。故选D。

9.The big question now is where chickens came from. The ______ is from dinosaurs与question对应的应该是答案，即answer。A答案；B研究；C道路；D鸡蛋。故选A。

10.蛋壳是自然界最令人惊异的发明之一。A普通的；B荒谬的；C滑稽的；D令人惊异的。故选D。

11.it can also be ______ in designing new materials蛋壳有助于设计新型材料。A有趣的；B有帮助的；C正常的；D正确的。故选B。

12.根据上一句的“designing new materials”可知，design与materials搭配，A购买；B剪切；C设计；D携带。故选C。

13.世界顶级设计师也不能设计出像蛋壳那样出色的材料。A出色的；B普通的；C轻的；D小的。故选A。

14.______ eggshells could help to cure bone diseases and design materials研究蛋壳能够帮助治愈骨病，设计建筑材料。A找到；B观察；C研究；D制作。故选C。

15.自然界蕴含解决各种材料科学和技术方面的问题的奇妙方法。A发生；B工作；C等待；D看。work for为......效力。故选B。

考点：科技类短文阅读