Question

Whatever our differences as human beings are, we all think we’re more like the rest of the animal world than we realize. It is said that we share 40 per cent of our genetic（遗传的）structure with the simple worm.

But that fact has helped Sir John Sulston win the 2002 Nobel Prize for Medicine. Sir John is the founder of the Sanger Institute in Cambridge, which was set up in 1992 to get further understanding of the human genome（染色体组）.

To help them do this, they turned to the worm. The nematode（线虫类的）worm is one of the earliest creatures on planet earth. It is less than one millimeter long, completely transparent and spends its entire life digging holes through sand. But it still has lots to say about human life, and what can be done to make it better.

What the worm told Sir John and his colleagues was that each of cells in the human body is programmed like a computer. They grow, develop and die according to a set of instructions that are coded in our genetic make-up.

Many of the diseases that humans suffer from happen when these instructions go wrong or are not obeyed. When the cell refuses to die but carries on growing instead, this leads to cancer. Heart attacks and diseases like AIDS cause more cell deaths than normal, increasing the damage they do to the body. Sir John was the first scientist to prove the existence of programmed cell death.

1.Sir John Sulston got a Nobel Prize for Medicine because he has        .

A．found that human beings are similar to the worm

B．got the fact we share 40 per cent of our genetic structure with the simple worm

C．found the computer which controls each of the cells in the human body

D．proved that cell death is programmed

2.People might be seriously ill if the cells in their body        .

A．grow without being instructed

B．die regularly

C．fail to follow people’s instructions

D．develop in the human body

3.The underlined word “they” (paragraph 5) refers to        .

A．cell deaths B．diseases C．instructions D．cells

4.What is the subject discussed in the text?

A．The theory of programmed cell deaths.

B．A great scientist—Sir John Sulston.

C．The programmed human life.

D．Dangerous diseases.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.A

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要介绍了Sir John所研究的编程性细胞死亡programmed cell deaths；并交代了Sir John的研究背景，并通过举例详细阐述了这一科学原理。

1.D 细节理解题。根据文章最后一句Sir John was the first scientist to prove the existence of programmed cell death.可知Sir John是第一个证明编程性细胞死亡的人，他还因此获得了诺贝尔医学奖。

2.A 推理判断题。根据最后一段第一句Many of the diseases that humans suffer from happen when these instructions go wrong or are not obeyed.可知当人体内的细胞没有按照指令生长的时候，人们就会患病。在最后一段中还接着以癌症和艾滋病为例证明了这一说法，说明不按照指导生产的细胞是人患病的主要原因。故A正确。

3.B 词义猜测题。本题属于词义猜测题中的代词指代，根据本句Heart attacks and diseases like AIDS cause more cell deaths than normal, increasing the damage they do to the body.心脏病和艾滋病主要的疾病导致更多的细胞死亡，这增加了这些疾病对身体带来的破坏。所以本句中的they就指代前句中的Heart attacks and diseases like AIDS.故B正确。

4.

【名师点睛】

本文5. attacks and diseases like AIDS. 代词指代题要求考生一定的上下文推测代词的指代意义。此类题一般是在人物或事物关系比较复杂的情况下使用的一种题型，所以理清人物及事物之间的逻辑关系是关键所在。

例题1：（2008年全国卷C篇）

The theory is supported by the facts that, so far, none of the stolen cars have been returned. Also, the amount of money demanded-under 3,000 Taiwanese dollars –seems too little for a car worth many times more.

Demands for pigeon-delivered money stopped as soon as the press reported the story. And even if they start again, Chen holds little hope of catching the criminal. ―We have more important things to do, ‖ he said.

52. The underlined word ―they‖ in the last paragraph refers to .

A. criminals B. pigeons C. the stolen cars D. demands for money

答案与解析：选D。从文中最后一段可知，they 应当对应该段前面的“Demands for pigeon-delivered money”。该部分大意为“媒体一报道这些事件之后，发案率有所下降。即使demands for money的势头有所上升，陈表明，捉住罪犯也没什么希望，因为他们（警察）有更重要的事要做。”。

考点：考查科普说明文阅读