We are obsessed (迷恋)with ourselves. We study our history, our psychology, our philosophy. Much of our knowledge revolves (使旋转)around humankind itself, as if we were the most important thing in the universe.
But in the course of the centuries we have come to realize just how many wrong ideas we’ve had. We have learned of the existence of black holes, waves of space, and of the extraordinary molecular structures in every cell of our bodies.
The more we discover, the more we understand that what we don’t yet know is greater than what we know. The more powerful our telescopes, the stranger and more unexpected are the heavens we see. The closer we look at the minute detail of matter, the more we discover of its profound structure.
In a famous story told by Plato in the seventh book of The Republic, some men are chained at the bottom of a dark cave and see only shadows cast upon a wall by a fire behind them. They think that this is reality. One of them frees himself, leaves the cave and discovers the light of the sun and the wider world. At first the light, to which his eyes are unaccustomed, stuns and confuses him. But eventually he can see and returns excitedly to his companions to tell them what he has seen. They find it hard to believe.
We are all in the depths of a cave, chained by our ignorance, our prejudices, and our weak senses reveal only shadows. If we try to see further, we are confused: we are unaccustomed. But we try. This is science. Scientific thinking explores and redraws the world, gradually offering us better and better images of it, teaching us to think in ever more effective ways. Its strength is its capacity to demolish (推翻)old ideas, to reveal new regions of reality, and to construct new, more effective images of the world. This adventure rests upon the entirety of past knowledge, but at its heart is change.
The incompleteness and the uncertainty of our knowledge, hung over the abyss (深渊) of what we don’t know, does not make life meaningless: it makes it interesting and precious.
1.What does the author want to tell us in the first three paragraphs?
A. The new discoveries of the universe prove to be wrong.
B. Man has created splendid cultures in the course of centuries.
C. Our knowledge of the universe is incomplete and uncertain.
D. The existing technologies are enough for further exploration.
2.The story told by Plato is meant to .
A. make us aware of the cruelty of reality
B. encourage us to explore the unknown world
C. applaud the heroic deeds of chasing freedom
D. justify our ignorance and prejudice about the world
3.What does the author want to stress in the passage?
A. Exploring the universe makes our life meaningful.
B. Leaving things as they are makes our life perfect.
C. New discoveries of the universe will cause confusion.
D. Past knowledge prevents us constructing a new world.
Researchers around the world interested in uncovering complex human disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, could soon have access to cloned monkeys with genomes that have been edited to display these conditions in China.
On 24 January, scientists at the Institute of Neuroscience (ION) in Shanghai reported that they had used gene-editing to disable a gene in monkeys that is crucial to their sleep- wake cycle. The scientists then cloned one of those monkeys to produce five primates (灵 长目动物)with almost identical (相同的) genes. It is the first time that researchers have cloned a gene-edited monkey.
Primates are the best animal model for studying higher cognitive (认知的)functions and brain disorders in humans, says neuroscientist Mu-ming Poo, ION’S director and co-founder of the new 720 million yuan (US$106 million) centre. The advantage of creating cloned monkeys is that it reduces the number of animals needed for certain types of experiments, such as testing whether a drug works.
But some scientists think that experiments using monkeys should be a last approach because of their higher levels of cognition. Mitchell Lazar, who studies metabolic disease at the University of Pennsylvania, says that some experiments in mice—for example, research into the genes behind human diseases—are equally appropriate scientifically as in primates. Research in mice is also more accepted by the public, and the animals are cheaper and quicker to produce. Lazar worries that if scientists have ready access to populations of gene-edited monkeys, they might use them for experiments when rodents (啮齿动物)would do.
Poo says that mice are not a good substitute for studying higher cognitive functions and brain disorders in humans. He argues that cloning will reduce the burden on monkeys by cutting the number used in labs. The ION follows strict international guidelines for animal research, he says.
Poo’s team will continue to study the effect of gene editing on their five cloned monkeys. The group disabled a gene, BMAL1, that has a crucial role in maintaining circadian rhythm (生理节奏)，the internal clock that helps a healthy sleep-wake cycle. In people, BMAL1 mutations have been linked to diabetes, hypertension and depression.
The monkeys with the disabled BMAL1 genes move more at night and sleep less overall. They also display psychosis-related symptoms, such as fear and anxiety, when put in unfamiliar environments.
The team ’ s next step is to look in detail at the neural (神经的)mechanisms that might create these problems. It will also take advantage of the genetically identical monkeys to hunt for diagnostic markers of circadian rhythm-related disorders and possible treatments.
1.Why were the genetically identical monkeys cloned?
A. To prove scientists’ innovation in cloning animals.
B. To study the rare characteristics of cloned monkeys.
C. To explore many possibilities for monkeys’ cognition.
D. To provide improved animal models of human diseases.
2.What does Mitchell Lazar think of cloning monkeys?
A. It is of little value.
B. It is of much practice.
C. It is hardly acceptable.
D. It is completely illegal.
3.From the passage we can know that Poo’s team will .
A. continue to disable a gene on the monkeys
B. try to clone more monkeys and edit their genes
C. find the similarities between humans and monkeys
D. determine the cause of sleep disorders and find cures
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Chinese effort to clone gene-edited monkeys kicks off.
B. Chinese dream to clone monkeys has finally come true.
C. Cloning monkeys is an important breakthrough in science.
D. Cloning gene-edited monkeys has caused some moral risks.
We believe every kid deserves a childhood. The opportunity to be a kid. Sunshine in dark days. That’s why we’ve partnered with The Sunshine Kids™.
The non-profit Sunshine Kids™ established in 1982, is committed to bringing sunshine to young cancer patients’ lives by providing positive group activities and emotional support, helping them do what kids are supposed to do—have fun and celebrate life. The foundation provides a variety of free programs and events for kids receiving cancer treatments in hospitals across North America.
Each year Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network members raise $2 million+ through a wide variety of fundraisers and community events, and through ticket sales and contributions made at our annual Sales Convention.
The Sunshine Kids™ and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices look forward to the day when the Foundation will no longer need to exist. But until that day, both organizations remain dedicated to the cause.
Talk to your Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices agent to see how you can bring sunshine into the lives of young cancer patients.
1.According to the advertisement, the Sunshine Kids™ Foundation .
A. provides free medical treatment for kids with cancer
B. is meant to bring joy and support to kids with cancer
C. is funded by government budget and personal donations
D. expects the very day when kids will be free from cancer
2.The purpose of the advertisement is to __________.
A. appeal to people to contribute to charity
B. educate people on the importance of charity
C. promote Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
D. offer consultant service to the Sunshine Kids顶
As a child I never worried about losing my hearing, even though many other members of my family had done so. It seemed I was one of the ____ ones. I had a lovely voice and felt ____ about my singing. At 13,1 made my debut (初次登台)in a school production of Carlo Menotti ’ s opera and knew then that I ____ on stage.
But then I noticed that ____ I didn’t sit at the front in lectures, I would ____to hear. I went to the hospital to have a ____ test. I felt desperate，my ambitions ____ by a diagnosis of incurable nerve deafness.
However, my bravery persuaded me to ____ my plans and I went on to study at the Royal Northern College of Music. I kept my ____ a closely guarded secret, convinced that admitting it would ____ my career. I won roles on merit (凭成绩)，but the added fear and anxiety at auditions (试听) ____ me.
At 28, I made my debut at New Sadler’s Wells Opera. But my hearing loss was ____ I couldn ’ t hear myself sing well any more. I ’ d get a feeling of terror and want to ____ before every performance. ____ a superb technician fitted in-the-ear hearing aids, making me self-conscious and my confidence ____ I was fast learning to ____ , singing by sensation. Recording music is now a joy and acoustic (原声的)sounds through the headphones help me ____.
____ in technology mean my latest hearing aids are wireless, and my ____ is at its peak. I continue to tour the world. This year, I decided it was time to be ____ , not ashamed, and went public as the only deaf mezzo-soprano in the world.
1.A. clever B. lucky C. pitiful D. active
2.A. curious B. anxious C. awkward D. confident
3.A. belonged B. sacrificed C. survived D. trembled
4.A. though B. since C. if D. after
5.A. struggle B. hesitate C. pretend D. cease
6.A. blood B. hearing C. sight D. memory
7.A. achieved B. developed C. crushed D. extended
8.A. figure out B. stick to C. go over D. give up
9.A. background B. scores C. ambitions D. deafness
10.A. start B. further C. change D. ruin
11.A. puzzled B. consumed C. impressed D. motivated
12.A. accelerating B. compensating C. recovering D. disappearing
13.A. rest B. play C. drill D. flee
14.A. Thankfully B. Clearly C. Actually D. Generally
15.A. Faded B. grew C. counted D. helped
16.A. forget B. judge C. cooperate D. adapt
17.A. laugh B. howl C. relax D. sleep
18.A. Drawbacks B. Applications C. Improvements D. Regulations
19.A. Attention B. performance C. intelligence D. energy
20.A. Famous B. creative C. proud D. innocent
—To apply for a short-term study visa in the UK, I have to be able to speak some English, but I want to go there just to learn English.
—Oh, it’s really____.
A. a confidential source B. a catch-22 situation
C. a Pandora’s box D. a Herculean task
____ the player I came across in the stadium spoke, I hadn’t realized she was foreign.
A. Until B. Unless C. Since D. Although
