DNA left at a crime scene could be used in the future to build up a picture of an offender’s face, it was revealed tonight.
A first step towards genetic mugshots has been taken by researchers in the US who link specific DNA markers with face shape. To identify the genes, they focused on known mutations(突变) that cause changes of the face and head. Normal versions of these genes were found to influence individual features. For instance, one gene affected the lips, another the shape and configuration of bones around the eyes, and a third the appearance of the mid-face and skull. In total, 20 genes had “significant effects” on facial appearance.
Lead scientist Professor Mark Shriver, from Pennsylvania State University, said: “We use DNA to match to an individual or identify an individual, but you can get so much more from DNA. Currently we can’t go from DNA to a face, or from a face to DNA, but it should be possible.” The implications are far reaching, raising the possibility of creating a data bank of facial types based on genetic markers. DNA from a crime scene could then be used to produce a rough image of the face of an offender or victim. Such genetic mugshots may be more reliable than computer-generated “e-fits” based on witnesses’ recollections. Other uses of the technique might include proving the identity of fathers in paternity cases, or visualising our remote ancestors from fossil DNA.
The scientists wrote in the online journal Public Library of Science Genetics: “Such predictive modelling could be forensically useful; for example, DNA left at crime scenes could be tested and faces predicted in order to help to narrow the pool of potential suspects. Further, our methods could be used to predict the facial features of descendants, deceased ancestors, and even extinct human species. In addition, these methods could prove to be useful diagnostic tools.” The team developed a model which first established a range of physical face shapes from people of mixed West African and European ancestry from the US, Brazil and Cape Verde. Measurements were taken of thousands of point co-ordinates on grids placed over 3D images of the faces.
Statistical methods were then used to determine the relationship between facial differences and the effects of gender, ethnic ancestry and individual gene variants.
1.The underlined word “mugshots” in the second paragraph most probably means _________.
A. different facesB. characteristicsC. pictures of faces D. genders
2.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. DNA has been used to build up a picture of an offender’s face.
B. It may be much easier to catch criminals with the help of DNA.
C. In all, 20 genes had “significant effects” on facial appearance.
D. One gene can affect more than one part of your face.
3.According to Professor Mark Shriver, we know_________.
A. they can merely match to an individual or identify an individual
B. there is a possibility of going from DNA to a face
C. DNA could be used to produce a rough image of an offender’s face
D. this technology is more reliable than computer-generated “e-fits”
4.What is the most possible title of the passage?
A. Creating a data bank of DNA
B. Recognizing the DNA of criminals
C. Predicting the location of offence using DNA
D. Building image of offender’s face from DNA
The following are the sculptures in the Underwater Museum, which are | |
| The Archive of Lost Dreams The Visual: It describes an underwater archive of messages in bottles. The Meaning: The bottles contain messages of dreams for future generations. The Hope: The statue is placed with the purpose of helping draw visitors away from the healthy parts of the reef. The Location: The Archive of Lost Dreams was placed 8 meters deep at Manchones Reef, close to Isla Mujeres. Behind the Scenes: The collection of bottled messages were provided by various communities who wrote about today’s values and their dreams for the future generations. |
| The Gardener of Hope The Visual: Here a young Mexican girl lies in a garden surrounded by pots which will be grown with live coral. The Meaning: The young girl in the sculpture represents a model for hopeful future generations. The Hope: The base of the Gardener of Hope was built to attract various marine creatures. The coral in the pots is also expected to grow. The Location: The Gardener of Hope was placed 4 meters deep at Punta Nizuc near the coast of Cancun. Behind the Scenes: The pots here are filled with live coral cuttings that were saved from areas of the local reef system. |
| Man on Fire The Visual: Man on Fire describes a lone male figure covered in live fire coral to resemble fire. The Meaning: The sculpture symbolizes the unawareness of the “fire” our generation has started with the over use of limited natural resources. The Hope: Man on Fire has 75 holes planted with small live cuttings of fire coral which are expected to grow like fire. The Location: Man on Fire was installed 8 meters deep at the Manchones Reef nearby to Isla Mujeres. Behind the Scenes: The sculpture was cast from a local Mexican fisherman and it weighs over 1 ton. |
| The Silent Evolution The Visual: Here more than 400 sculptures depict the timeline of human nature. The Meaning: It is a documentation of how society and people have changed over time. It is also to remind us of how we are connected to nature. The Hope: The installation is designed for forming a complex reef structure that marine life will claim as its own and inhabit. The Location: The Silent Evolution will be installed 8 meters deep behind the Manchones Reef. Behind the Scenes: The total installation will expand over 150 square meters and will weigh over 120 tons. |
Attention: Guided tours are a must. You can catch a tour from Aquaworld, which leaves every hour from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. | |
1.Which of t
he following is true according to the passage?
A. You can tour individually without a tourist guide by glass boat.
B. The Gardener of Hope will remind us of the relationship with nature.
C. Bottled messages are filled with live coral cuttings for future generations.
D. Man on Fire can educate us to protect the limited natural resources.
2.Which sculptures are installed in the same area?
A. Man on Fire & The Silent Evolution
B. The Archive of Lost Dreams & Man on Fire
C. The Gardener of Hope & The Silent Evolution
D. The Archive of Lost Dreams & The Gardener of Hope
3.The writer introduces the sculptures to _______.
A. defend Mexican Tourism Industry
B. call on us to go on a tour to Aquaworld
C. appeal to readers to protect Marine Life
D. attract tourists to the Underwater Museum
The 
slavery drama “12 Years a Slave” won the Academy Award for best picture on Sunday, making history as the first movie from a black director to win the film industry’s highest honor in 86 years of the Oscars. British director Steve McQueen’s brave portrayal of pre-Civil War American slavery won two other Oscars, including best supporting actress for newcomer Lupita Nyong’o and best adapted screenplay based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, a free man tricked and sold into slavery in Louisiana. “Everyone deserves not just to survive but to live. This is the most important legacy of Solomon Northup,” said McQueen in his acceptance speech.
“12 Years a Slave” was better over space thriller “Gravity” from Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, which nevertheless got the most Oscars of the night with seven, including the best director honor for Cuaron, a first for a Latin American director.The film starring Sandra Bullock as an astronaut lost in space swept the technical awards like visual effects and cinematography, a reward for its groundbreaking work on conveying space and weightlessness. Referring
to the “transformative” experience he and others undertook in the four-plus years spent making “Gravity”, Cuaron, whose hair is graying, said, “For a lot of these people, that transformation was wisdom. For me, it was just the color of my hair.”
In one of the strongest years for film in recent memory, the 6,000-plus voters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences scattered golden Oscar statuettes among the many acclaimed movies in contention.
It was a good night for the scrappy, low-budget film “Dallas Buyers Club”, directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, a biopic of an early AIDS activist two decades in the making that won three Oscars, including the two male acting awards.
Matthew McConaughey, in a validation of a remarkable career turnaround, won best actor for his portrayal of the homophobe who turned AIDS victim and then turned treatment crusader Ron Woodroof, a role for which he lost 50 pounds (23 kg). His co-star, Jared Leto, won best supporting actor for his role as Woodroof’s unlikely business partner, the transgender woman Rayon, for which he also slimmed down drastically.
Australia’s Cate Blanchett won the best actress Oscar for her acclaimed role as the socialite unhinged by her husband’s financial crimes in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine.” “As random and subjective as this award is, it means a great deal in a year of, yet again, extraordinary performances by women,” said Blanchett, who beat out previous Oscar winners Bullock, Amy Adams, Judi Dench and Meryl Streep.
1.The film which won the largest number of Oscar awards this year is ______.
A. 12 Years a SlaveB. Gravity
C. Dallas Buyers ClubD. Blue Jasmine
2.Which director spent the least money in making the film?
A. Steve McQueen.B. Alfonso Cuaron.
C. Jean-Marc Vallee.D. Woody Allen.
3.How many Oscar best actresses are mentioned in this passage?
A. One.B. Three.C. Five.D. Six.
4.Which of the following statements is WRONG?
A. “12 Years a Slave” won two Oscar awards altogether.
B. The director of “Gravity” is from Latin America.
C. The character Rayon is played by Jared Leto.
D. The woman film star Cate Blanchett comes from Oceania.
My brother and I were in Orlando Florida to witness our first Space Shuttle Launch. The Discovery was to soar at 10:14 AM on a blue sky September day. I’d seen it so many times on television, now I was only minutes away from seeing it launch. And it’s the final demonstration of the of success: Success Takes Off Like a Rocket.
Witnessing the Take Off:
Standing close to the Space Shuttle home one unforgettable point—the Shuttle is the height of a 15-story building—it 4.5 million pounds—and NASA is trying to lift it 200 miles off the ground. On TV the accomplishments look so much , so much easier.
Crowds of people are standing around with you to watch the Shuttle go. The countdown begins through the small of hundreds of portable radios all tuned to the NASA station. It’s enough to get your heart beating .
When time is up, the side booster rockets are lit up and the eight explosive bolts . The first things you see are large white clouds exploding away. Through the steam, you see the fire power. Then the Space Shuttle begins to inch off the pad and climb its way . Thousands upon millions of pounds of can hardly lift the shuttle at all. But with ever increasing ease, the shuttle picks up and roars into the sky, headed into space attaining a of over 17,000 mph.
It is within the first two minutes to launch the Space Shuttle that the great success lesson is . Fact: 85% of the shuttle’s fuel is consumed within the first 2 minutes just to get the 15-story super structure to its orbital .
And that’s exactly how success : The first steps you take towards launching a successful career are the and will require an enormous consumption of energy—a great big push. However, you persist through the launch period, which can seem almost for quite some time, everything gets easier and easier and your results get bigger and bigger.
1.A. advisedB. hopedC. scheduledD. reminded
2.A. rise upB. come upC. step upD. go up
3.A. butB. andC. asD. therefore
4.A. universeB. worldC. natureD. air
5.A. getsB. drivesC. runsD. jumps
6.A. costsB. weighsC. measuresD. sells
7.A. smallerB. greaterC. biggerD. smoother
8.A. rocketsB. workersC. speakersD. actors
9.A. off your mouthB. out of your stomachC. off your mindD. out of your chest
10.A. blowB. followC. glowD. flow
11.A. gasB. smokeC. mistD. steam
12.A. downwardB. upwardC. forwardD. outward
13.A. pullB. liftC. pushD. pressure
14.A. distanceB. degreeC. heightD. speed
15.A. ordinaryB. absoluteC. apparentD. present
16.A. attitudeB. altitudeC. routeD. rail
17.A. puts offB. pays offC. takes offD. drops off
18.A. hardestB. easiestC. simplestD. biggest
19.A. whileB. ifC. unlessD. until
20.A. uselessB. carelessC. wirelessD. priceless
—Don’t be a slave to work, Ralph! You must take it easy sometimes.
—I can’t help it._________.
A. Easier said than done B. Nothing is easier than fault-finding
C. Easy come, easy go D. Easy does it
—I’m afraid you missed a fantastic lecture yesterday. How come you were absent from it?
—If you _______ know, I asked for a day off and visited a relative of mine in hospital.
A. might B. may C. shall D. must
