China became the first country to clone a monkey using non-reproductive(非生殖的)cells, reducing the need to breed lab monkeys and paving the way for more accurate, effective and affordable animal tests for new drugs, scientists said on Thursday .
By December, the Institute of Neuroscience of the Chinese Academy of Sciences had created two clone macaques(猕猴) named “Zhong Zhong” and “Hua Hua” by nuclear transferring of somatic cells(体细胞) - any cell in the organism other than reproductive cells.
Tetra, a monkey born in 1999, is the world’s first cloned monkey, but it was done by using a simpler method called embryo splitting(胚胎分割), and cannot be genetically changed to suit the experimental need. Cloning a monkey using somatic cells has been a world-class challenge because it is a primate(灵长类) that shares its genetic makeup, and therefore all of its complexity, with humans.
For drug and other lab tests, scientists have to purchase monkeys from all over the world, which is costly and bad for the environment, and produces inaccurate results because each monkey might have different genes. By cloning monkey using somatic cells, we can massively cultivate large numbers of genetically identical offspring (后代)in a short amount of time, and we can even change their genes to suit our needs. This can save time, cut down experiment costs, and produce more accurate results, leading to more effective medicine.
Sun Qiang, director of the non-human primate research facility at the institute, said most of the drug trials are currently done on lab mice. However, drugs that work on mice might not work or even have severe side effects on humans because the two species are so different.
“Monkeys and humans are both primates, so they are much closely related and testing on monkeys is supposed to be as effective as testing on humans,” he said. “This is especially useful in testing drugs for neural (神经的) diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, metabolic syndrome (代谢综合症) and immune system diseases, and tumors,” he added.
“This achievement will help China lead the world research in the international science projects related to neural mapping of primate brains,” he said. “However, bio-labs from the United States, Japan, and European countries are also very capable, and they will quickly catch up with China after the monkey cloning technology is made public,” Sun added.
“This means we have to innovate continuously and work extra hard this year to stay ahead.” he said.
1.Which of the following is the most important factor in cloning macaques named “Zhong Zhong” and “Hua Hua”?
A. Reproductive cells. B. Genetic makeup. C. Embryo splitting. D. Somatic cells.
2.Why is cloning monkeys so difficult?
A. Because it is bad for our environment.
B. Because each monkey might have different genes.
C. Because monkeys’ genetic makeup is as complicated as humans.
D. Because it is too expensive to work on their genetic makeup.
3.What is the main idea of Paragraph 6?
A. The cure for neural diseases.
B. The process of cloning monkeys.
C. The significance of cloning monkeys.
D. The close relations between monkeys and humans.
4.What can we infer from this passage?
A. More effective medicine will be produced.
B. Drug trials on lab mice will be abandoned.
C. China is the first country to have cloned monkeys.
D. China will stay ahead of the world in cloning.
Thompson’s Children
As her son Cameron sits at his laptop completing a task for his math degree course. Alison Thompson, a full-time mum is busy helping her daughter Emma (two years younger than Cameron) get dressed. While help has always been available for Emma, Alison and her husband also have to fight to get Cameron the support he needs."People could see that Emma has special needs but because Cameron was doing so well at school, his teachers never thought there was a problem with him, “says Alison.
It took Alison and her husband a while to realize their son was different. Cameron's ability didn’t become clear until he began primary school. Once he even corrected the teacher when she told the class that zero was the lowest number. Cameron told her she was wrong because there were negative numbers(负数). He was four at the time. Now 14-year-old Cameron is at secondary school, studying for a distance learning math degree with the Open University, having sailed through his GCSE at 11 and his A-level at 12, achieving top grades.
Bethany, another daughter of Alison, is bright too but not gifted. She is the one who will remind absent-minded Cameron to put on his coat. She also helps him out in social situations.
Emma attends a specialist school and the family is quick to celebrate her successes too.
“The other day she did up the buttons on her coat, which was real progress,” Alison says.
Late last year the Thompsons took part in a television documentary(纪录片) to prove that not all gifted children are the result of extremely ambitious parents. Gifted children need support too, but their lives don't have to be that different. Cameron is an example
1.What does paragraph 1 indicate?
A. Cameron helps Emma with her math tasks.
B. Teachers at school ignored Emma's problems.
C. Both Cameron and Emma need parental support.
D. The couple often have fights because of Cameron.
2.There are at least__________ people in Mrs. Thompson’s family.
A. three B. four
C. five D. six
3.What can be known from the passage?
A. Emma has learned to take good care of herself.
B. Cameron showed his gift before primary school.
C. The children of the family are bright and gifted.
D. Gifted kids are not so different as people expect.
Gwendolyn Brooks was the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Gwendolyn Brooks wrote hundreds of poems during her lifetime. She was known around the world for using poetry to increase understanding about black culture in America.
Her poems described conditions among the poor, racial inequality and drug use in the black community. She also wrote poems about the struggles of black women. But her skill was more than her ability to write about struggling black people. She was an expert at the language of poetry. She combined traditional European poetry styles with the African American experience.
In her early poetry, Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about the South Side of Chicago. The South Side of Chicago is where many back people live. In her poems, the South Side is called Bronzeville. It was A Street in Bronzeville that gained the attention of literary experts in 1945. Critics praised her poetic skill and her powerful descriptions of the black experience during the time. The Bronzeville poems were her first published collection.
In 1950, Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. She won the prize for her second book of poems called Annie Allen. Annie Allen is a collection of poetry about the life of a Bronzeville girl as a daughter, a wife and mother. She experiences loneliness, loss, death and being poor. Ms. Brooks said that winning the prize changed her life.
Her next work was a novel written in 1953 called Maud Martha, Maud Martha received little notice when it was first published. But now it is considered an important work by some critics. Its main ideas about the difficult life of many women are popular among female writers today.
In some of her poems, Gwendolyn Brooks described how what people see in life is affected by who they are. One example is this poem, Corners on the Curing Sky.
By the end of the 1960s, Gwendolyn Brooks’s poetry expanded from the everyday experiences of people in Bronzeville. She wrote about a wider world and dealt with important political issues.
1.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. The life of Gwendolyn Brooks. B. The struggles of black women.
C. The understanding about black culture. D. The poems of Gwendolyn Brooks.
2.What can we learn about Gwendolyn Brooks from the second paragraph?
A. She mainly wrote about the struggles of black women.
B. She was good at using the language of poetry.
C. Her writing skills were a little worse than her ability.
D. Her poems were mainly about the African experience.
3.The author develops the passage mainly by _______________.
A. providing examples B. using statistics
C. comparing opinions D. describing her experiences
4.In the next part, the author would most probably talk about _______________.
A. the difficulties Gwendolyn Brooks would meet
B. the poems related to political issues
C. the awards Gwendolyn Brooks gained
D. the racial inequality the black had to face
The latest addition to the Gtech garden power tools is a lightweight but powerful wireless Leaf Blower. This autumn it will make the time of clearing leaves and garden pieces very short.
High performance
The 36V Lithium-ion Gtech Leaf Blower has the ability to clear pieces from your lawn, courtyard and driveway. The Leaf Blower uses a turbofan (涡轮风扇发动机) design that allows for a straight air passage from intake to outlet (出口), offering maximum airflow and efficiency that turn the fan at 11,500 times a minute.
Complete control
The Gtech Leaf Blower is lightweight, at just 4.3 kg. It has been designed so that the battery and product weight are reasonably distributed. When in use, it will naturally point towards the ground to direct the airflow. Therefore, you won’t have to worry about injuring your wrists, even if you use it for an entire 20-minute run-time with full power. The variable trigger (扳机) allows for complete control – when you squeeze or release the trigger you will feel the airflow change to suit your garden needs.
Easy to use
The Gtech Leaf Blower is easy to use. There is no need to pull wires or top it up with fuel, so simply attach the battery and pull the trigger to start. The product’s wireless convenience means there are no wires to trip you up or limit your access, and no petrol to store up or pour – simply charge it and it’s ready to go. When you’re done, you can remove the detachable nozzle (管口), so the Gtech Leaf Blower is compact enough to be stored in small places.
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1.Which of the following is not the advantage of the new Gtech Leaf Blower?
A. A turbofan B. No wire C. The light weight D. Convenient delivery
2.What makes the new Gtech Leaf Blower easy to hold?
A. A straight air passage from intake to outlet.
B. Reasonable distribution of battery and product weight.
C. The variable trigger on the new Gtech Leaf Blower.
D. The removable nozzle on the new Gtech Leaf Blower.
3.What is the meaning of the underlined words “trip you up” in the text?
A. Tire you out B. Get you to fall down
C. Make you occupied D. Block you out
4.The purpose of this passage is _______________.
A. to advise us to buy the new Gtech Leaf Blower
B. to introduce to us the convenience of the new Gtech Leaf Blower
C. to teach us how to use the new Gtech Leaf Blower
D. to encourage us to talk about the new Gtech Leaf Blower
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.When did the speaker and his family come back to the United States?
A. Three years ago. B. Four years ago. C. Twenty years ago.
2.Why don’t the speaker’s family return to Britain now?
A. They don’t like Britain.
B. The daughter has to continue her study.
C. They’re happier living in the United States.
3.What is the purpose of the speaker’s six-week trip in England?
A. To see his friends. B. To go sightseeing. C. To advertise his new book.
4.What does the speaker think of his six-week trip?
A. Expensive. B. Difficult. C. Satisfying.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the topic of the picture for this year’s art competition?
A. Family. B. The countryside. C. Friends.
2.Why can’t the girl take part in the art competition?
A. She is not interested in it. B. She isn’t good at drawing. C. She is over the age limit.
3.What may the boy’s sister use to draw in the competition?
A. Colored pencils. B. Oil paints. C. Water colors.
4.What is the prize for the winner this year?
A. A computer. B. A camera. C. A television.
