When I was a child, I often dreamed of the time when I could leave home and escape to the city. We lived on a small farm and it was very difficult for us to know what was happening outside the small farm, especially in the winter when we were quite cut off from the outside world. As soon as I left school, I packed my bags and moved to the capital. However, I soon discovered that city life has its own problems, too.

    One big disadvantage is money. It costs so much to go out, not to mention basic needs like food and housing. Another disadvantage is pollution. I suffer from a disease that makes breathing very difficult and the air is so bad that I am afraid to go outside as I like, even in the summer. Then there is the problem of traveling round. Although I have a car, I seldom use it because of the traffic jams. One choice is to go by bicycle, but that can be quite dangerous.

    Of course there are advantages. First, there is so much to do in the city, whatever you taste in culture or entertainment. Besides, there are wonderful jobs and greater chances of moving to a more important job or position. Finally, if you like shopping, the variety (多样性) of goods is very surprising—and, what is more, shops are often only a short walk away.

Is life better then, in the city? Perhaps it is, when you are in your teens or twenties. However, as you get older, and especially if you have small children, the peace of the countryside may seem preferable. I certainly hope to move back there soon.

56. What was the writer always thinking about when he was a child?

   A. Staying on the farm.

   B. Moving to the countryside.

   C. Leaving home for the city.

   D. Running away from the school.

57. What can we learn from the text?

   A. The writer is very old now.                    B. The writer is in good health.

   C. The write prefers driving a car.                  D. The writer lives in the city now.

58. In the passage, the writer tries to __________.

   A. express his opinions about way of life      

   B. describe his life in the countryside

   C. show an interest in the outside world

   D. persuade the reader to live in the city

59. How is the passage mainly developed?

   A. By questioning.                                             B. By comparing.

   C. By listing examples.                                       D. By giving explanations.


With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone(克隆) the animal and save the endangered species. That’s a move similar to what  Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.
Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen(氮). If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.
The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.
“The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes. “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A& M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.
“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.”
60. The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to _______.
A. make efforts to clone the endangered pandas 
B. save endangered animals from dying out
C. collect DNA of endangered animals to study
D. transfer the nuclear of one animal to another
61. According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of _______.
A. available panda eggs                B. host animals
C. qualified researchers                D. enough money
62. The best title for the passage may be _______.
A. China’s Success in Pandas Cloning                       
B. The First Cloned Panda in the World
C. Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas  
D. China —the Native Place of Pandas Forever
63. From the passage we know that _______.
A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog
B. scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit
C. Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches
D. about two thousand of species will probably die out in a century

The summer I was ten,my mother decided to bring us to the world of art.My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant.What she meant was not that we could take drawing classes or painting classes but that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum.Before each visit to the museum,she made us read about artists and painting styles(风格).It was almost as bad as being in school.Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool?

First we had to read about ancient Egyptians(古埃及人)and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum.My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny,but I was not interested.Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing.We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly(卷曲的)hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings.I certainly couldn’t see what was so great about art.

On our last visit to the museum,something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary.In it,a woman was reading to a child.The colors were soft and gentle,and you could tell by the mother’s expression how happy she was just to be with the child.I couldn’t stop looking at this painting!I wanted to see every painting Mary had ever made!It was really worth looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much.

1.The aim of the mother’s plan was to ________.

A.take them to visit the museum

B.introduce them to the world of art

C.ask them to read about artists

D.show them different painting styles

2.What was the writer’s experience in the museum before the last visit?

A.She came to feel her mother’s love.

B.She liked many paintings.

C.She hardly enjoyed herself.

D.She could understand the pictures of fat babies.

3.What made the writer go through a change that summer?

A.One of Mary’s paintings.

B.A strange way of painting.

C.Artists in the Middle Ages.

D.Her mother’s instruction.

4.From the text,we can see________.

A.the importance of curiosity

B.the effect of art

C.the value of learning

D.the power of family education

 

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