Chinese scientists recently have produced two monkeys with the same gene, Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua, using the same technique that gave us Dolly the sheep. These monkeys are not actually the first primates（灵长类）to be cloned. Another one named Tetra was produced in the late 1990s by embryo（胚胎）splitting, the division of an early-stage embryo into two or four separate cells to make clones. By contrast, they were each made by replacing an egg cell nucleus（原子核）with DNA from a differentiated body cell. This Dolly method, known as somatic cell nuclear transfer（SCNT）, can create more clones and allows researchers greater control over the edits they make to the DNA.
Success came from adopting several new techniques. These included a new type of microscopy to better view the cells during handling or using several materials that encourage cell reprogramming, which hadn’t been tried before on primates. Still, the research process proved difficult, and many attempts by the team failed. Just two healthy baby monkeys born from more than 60 tested mothers. This leads to many researchers’ pouring water on the idea that the team’s results bring scientists closer to cloning humans. They thought this work is not a stepping stone to establishing methods for obtaining live born human clones. Instead, this clearly remains a very foolish thing to attempt, it would be far too inefficient, far too unsafe, and it is also pointless.
But the scientists involved emphasize that this is not their goal. There is now no barrier for cloning primate species, thus cloning humans is closer to reality. However, their research purpose is entirely for producing non-human primate models for human diseases; they absolutely have no intention, and society will not permit this work to be extended to humans. Despite limitations, they treat this breakthrough a novel model system for scientists studying human biology and disease.
1.What do we know about the technology called SCNT?
A. It created the first two primates.
B. It may contribute to editing the DNA.
C. It can divide an early-stage embryo into several cells.
D. It produced two cloned monkeys with different genes.
2.What does the author mean by “pouring water on the idea” in paragraph 2?
A. Keeping a hot topic of it.
B. Attaching no importance to it.
C. Having a low opinion of it.
D. Adding supportive evidence to it.
3.What is the scientists’ purpose to clone these monkeys?
A. To prepare for their research on human cloning.
B. To serve as a stepping stone to their reputation.
C. To help with the study of human diseases.
D. To raise money for holding an exhibition of novels.
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Cloning humans is already on its way.
B. New techniques seem to be pointless.
C. Society won’t agree to clone another monkey.
D. The success rate of cloning a monkey was not high.
People usually visit cafes to ease themselves of their tiredness and keep themselves from falling asleep, but Mr. Healing, a popular cafe chain in South Korea actually does the opposite. Customers can come in, order a drink, lie down in a comfortable massage chair, and take a nap.
Many Koreans suffer from a lack of sleep as a result of overworking, so any opportunity to relax and even take a nap is greatly appreciated. Mr. Healing is the perfect place to go when you’re on a short work or school break and you need to catch up on sleep. The cafe offers massage periods in various modes, depending on how much time you have and how you choose to spend it.
The 20-minute session is priced at $3.5, the 30-minute massage costs $7, and the 50-minute session is $9, all of which also include a drink. Once you make your choice, you are taken to the “healing center”. You are asked to take off your shoes as well as any jewelry that might damage the chairs, after which you can choose a massage mode, from “stretch” or “sleep”. You can start with stretch for a few minutes, and then switch to sleep if you want to take a short nap. After it comes to an end, you are taken back to the cafe area to enjoy a coffee or one of the many other refreshing drinks on the menu.
Mr. Healing cafes are so popular in Korea that customers are advised to make reservations in advance to be sure that a massage chair is available. “I have to sit on a chair and stare at a computer monitor all day due to my job, the healing room was truly effective to relieve tiredness and stress from weekdays,” said Park Hye-sun, a 24-year-old officer.
Some have described Mr. Healing and other similar relaxation cafes in South Korea as simple fashions, but others see them as a sustainable business model, because they offer a service that Koreans really need.
1.Why do customers come to Mr. Healing?
A. To have themselves checked.
B. To drink specialty coffee.
C. To sleep before work.
D. To have a relaxation.
2.What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?
A. The price of the service.
B. The tips for customers.
C. The process of the service.
D. The choices for customers.
3.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. The massage. B. The coffee. C. A sound sleep D. Your choice.
4.What is Park’s attitude towards Mr. Healing?
A. Negative. B. Neutral. C. Critical. D. Positive.
Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954 to a Mexican American family. As the only girl in a family of seven children, she often felt like she had “seven fathers,” because her six brothers, as well as her father, tried to control her. Feeling shy and unimportant, she retreated(躲避)into books. Despite her love of reading, she did not do well in elementary school because she was too shy to participate.
In high school, with the encouragement of one particular teacher, Cisneros improved her grades and worked for the school literary magazine. Her father encouraged her to go to college because he thought it would be a good way for her to find a husband. Cisneros did attend college, but instead of searching for a husband, she found a teacher who helped her join the famous graduate writing program at the University of Iowa. At the university’s Writers’ Workshop, however, she felt lonely－a Mexican American from a poor neighborhood among students from wealthy families. The feeling of being so different helped Cisneros find her “creative voice”.
“It was not until this moment when I considered myself truly different that my writing acquired a voice. I knew I was a Mexican woman, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with why I felt so much imbalance in my life, but it had everything to do with it! That’s when I decided I would write about something my classmates couldn’t write about.”
Cisneros published her first work, The House on Mango Street, when she was twenty-nine. The book talks about a young Mexican American girl growing up in a Spanish-speaking area in Chicago, much like the neighborhoods in which Cisneros lived as a child. The book won an award in 1985 and has been used in classes from high school to graduate school level. Since then, Cisneros has published several books of poetry, a children’s book, and a short-story collection.
1.Which of the following is TRUE about Cisneros in her childhood?
A. She had seven brothers.
B. She felt herself a nobody.
C. She was too shy to go to school.
D. She did not have any good teachers.
2.The graduate program gave Cisneros a chance to ________.
A. run away from her family
B. develop her writing style
C. make a lot of friends
D. search for a husband
3.According to Cisneros, what was the key factor in her success?
A. Her feeling of being different.
B. Her training in the Workshop.
C. Her childhood experience.
D. Her early years in college.
4.What do we learn about The House on Mango Street?
A. It is quite popular among students.
B. It is a book of poetry written by Cisneros.
C. It wasn’t a success as it was written in Spanish.
D. It won an award when Cisneros was twenty-nine.
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery Road
Phone 61 29225-1744
Cost: Free, except for special exhibits
Hours: Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Every Sunday afternoon at 2:30, families can enjoy special performances on various topics, including art appreciation, dance and storytelling. During school holidays, the museum schedules storytelling and performances, often in mime or Aboriginal dance, for children aged 6-12. Children can also participate in occasional hands-on art workshops.
The Australian Museum
6 College Street
Phone 61 29320-6000
Cost: Free
Hours: Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For children under 5, Kids Island is decorated with a model hot-air balloon and features a slippery side and a shipwrecked boat with interesting cubbies to explore. The museum’s dinosaur exhibition appeals to children aged 5-12. A Science and Discover Room, with microscopes, specimens and reference books, allows children to conduct their own “research”.
Taronga Park Zoo
Bradley’s Head Road
Phone 61 29969-2777
Hours: Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission charged
Taronga lets children visit up close with some of Australia’s most spectacular creatures- native koalas, of course, but also kangaroos, dingoes, Tasmanian devils and wombats.
Centennial Park
Oxford Street, Paddington
Phone 61 29331-5056
Cost: Free
Hours: Daily, but hours change seasonally
Rent children’s bikes and rollerblades to help youngsters bum off excess energy in the park’s beautiful setting. A nearby Equestrian Center offers horseback rides, and guided nature walks are available during school holidays.
1.What can kids do in the Australian Museum?
A. Visit some native animals.
B. Carry on some research.
C. Enjoy special performances.
D. Participate in hands-on art workshops.
2.Which activity is required to pay for except for special exhibits?
A. Taronga Park Zoo.
B. The Australian Museum.
C. Art Gallery of New South Wales.
D. Centennial Park.
3.Which number should people call to get information about nature walks?
A. 61 29969-2777.
B. 61 29320-6000.
C. 61 29331-5056.
D. 61 29225-1744.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Why will the speaker’s uncle open the restaurants?
A. To make profits. B. To feed the needy. C. To spread his recipes.
2.How will the speaker’s uncle get the ingredients?
A. By collecting unwanted things.
B. By buying fresh vegetables.
C. By getting cheap stuff at the market.
3.How can people receive food at the restaurant?
A. Help themselves. B. Reserve in advance. C. Wait at tables.
4.What’s the speaker’s attitude towards his uncle’s action?
A. Supportive. B. Shocked. C. Worried.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What’s Lisa’s nationality?
A. Chinese. B. Spanish. C. American.
2.How many grapes do the Spanish eat as the clock strikes midnight?
A. 10. B. 12. C. 15.
3.What do people in the Philippines do for good luck?
A. Cook sauerkraut.
B. Eat round fruits.
C. Have peas and pork.
4.What is the conversation mainly about?
A. Trips around the world.
B. Customs in different countries.
C. New Year traditions.
