Question

    In the future，we may not need to rely on human donations for life-saving skin grafts(移植）.

That’s the goal of Xeno Therapeutics, a biotech non-profit organization. The US Food and Drug Administration approved the group’s initial application for temporary skin grafts removed from genetically modified(基因改良）pigs. This means that they can start testing pig skin grafts on people who have experienced severe burns.

Skin，the body’s largest organ，plays an important role in blocking pathogens(病原体） from reaching our organs inside. It also helps the body keep a constant temperature. People with severe skin damage are at a high risk of developing deadly infections as a result of changes in temperature.

At the moment, the only skin grafts available in the US come from the dead people who have agreed to be organ donors, or patients who have gone through surgery to remove skin after large weight loss. These human skins used for grafts are not easy to find.

Xeno Therapeutics, which gets its name from animal-to-human transplants, has raised pigs that have skin remarkably similar to our own. Grafts from these pigs are therefore more likely to hide without being detected by the host's immune system—at least temporarily. The idea is that they could be used for immediate burn treatment, followed human skin graft treatment later.

“I’d say that just like comparing a Coke with Pepsi，it would be hard to tell which was the human skin and which was the pig graft，” said Xeno Therapeutics CEO Paul Holzer.

The non-profit organization has been working to conduct the clinical trials, which will only be testing the grafts’ safety and tolerability in six patients with severe burns. Assuming the results are positive after a month, the grafts will need to pass through two more stages of testing before they can be approved for widespread clinical use.

Several other groups around the world are working to make animal organs suitable for clinical medicine. In Brazil, researchers are exploring using tilapia skin as temporary bandages for burn victims whose skin is regrowing.

1.What’s the aim of Xeno Therapeutics?

A.To make profit from the grafts. B.To apply pig skin on human patients.

C.To modify pigs genetically. D.To test people with severe burns.

2.Why is skin important to human body?

A.It acts as a protective layer for our body. B.It helps us recover from deadly diseases.

C.It prevents itself from being damaged. D.It keeps one’s temperature changing.

3.What is Paul Holzer’s attitudes towards the pig skin grafts?

A.Doubtful. B.Worried.

C.Confident. D.Flexible.

4.What can we know about the grafts?

A.Only skin removed from pigs can be used for grafts.

B.Brazilian doctors have also applied pig skin for grafts.

C.Animal skin has been used on six patients safely.

D.They won't be put to use until they pass test

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.C

4.D

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍在未来，经过基因改良的猪皮可以为人类的皮肤移植提供皮肤，并阐述了人类皮肤移植的现状及猪皮移植的工作进程。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第二段最后一句“This means that they can start testing pig skin grafts on people who have experienced severe burns.”可知，非营利组织Xeno Therapeutics的目标是他们将在重度烧伤患者身上测试猪皮移植，将猪皮移植到病人身上。故选B项。

2.细节理解题。文章第三段第一句话 “Skin，the body’s largest organ，plays an important role in blocking pathogens from reaching our organs inside. It also helps the body keep a constant temperature.”可知，皮肤作为人体最大的器官，在阻止病原体进入内部器官起到重要的作用，同时也保持体温。所以为什么皮肤对人体很重要是因为它是我们身体的保护层。故选A项。

3.推理判断题。根据第六段中Paul的话“I’d say that just like comparing a Coke with Pepsi，it would be hard to tell which was the human skin and which was the pig graft，（我认为就像是在比较可口可乐和百事可乐一样，很难分辨出哪是人类皮肤，哪是移植的猪皮。）”可以推断，Paul Holzer认为经过基因改良的猪皮已经接近人类皮肤，他对猪皮移植的效果很有信心。故选C项。

4.细节细解题。文章第七段中 “the grafts will need to pass through two more stages of testing before they can be approved for widespread clinical use.”可知，猪皮移植在大规模应用到临床使用之前，还需要再经过两个阶段的测试。所以皮肤移植只有通过测试才能使用。故选D项。