题目内容
We each have a unique genetic (基因的,遗传的) make-up. Every cell of your body has the same set of about 100,000 separate genes made of DNA. These are the instructions for producing a person. Genes decide everything from the colour of your skin to the way your brain works. You have one of several billion combinations of DNA which come from the random mixing of your parents’ genes. Except for identical twins (同卵双胞胎), no one has the same combination as another person. You are unique! You are unique in another way too: in the way you are raised and all the experiences you have from before birth to adult life. These experiences influence you, your behaviour and attitudes, and the choices you make.
But are genes or life experiences more important in shaping your appearance and personality? Scientists are studying twins to find out. One set of twins occurs every 70 births---some are identical and others are non-identical twins. Identical twins are special because they share exactly the same genes and often the same environment. Non-identical twins are more like ordinary brothers and sisters.
Some identical twins have been adopted and brought up in different homes. With identical genes but a different home environment, scientists can study twins to see how much a particular feature depends on the genes we inherit. For example, we know that eye problems, like short-sightedness, are mostly genetic. But resistance to pain is largely dependent on experiences. Genes also influence our eating habits. Identical twins brought up apart often like to eat at the same time of day and feel full after eating the same amount. Non-identical twins in similar circumstances have more varied eating habits. Identical twins are also more likely to follow the same patterns for marriage and divorce than non-identical twins.
Scientists are trying to identify the different genes that influence our behaviour. Some people are thrill-seekers and get into risk-taking and adventurous activities. They take up extreme sports like bungee jumping and possibly take drugs. Scientists have discovered a gene which affects this.
We could ask, “Are our lives determined by our genes or our upbringing?” Scientists are learning more all the time, but it is certainly true that both are important in making us who we are.
【小题1】What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A.We cannot easily change our physical appearance. |
B.How we turn out depends on our parents’ genes. |
C.Everyone has a physical double somewhere in the world. |
D.Both our genes and our experiences make us who we are. |
A.To find out how many twins are born every year. |
B.To discover what shapes us as individuals. |
C.To compare differences between twins. |
D.To study brother-and-sister relationships. |
A.one in 70 twins are genetically identical |
B.non-identical twins are usually not of the same sex |
C.twins separated at birth behave exactly the same |
D.identical twins are genetically the same |
A.Eating habits. | B.Eye-sight. | C.Pain resistance. | D.Marriage patterns. |
A.Our love of sport. | B.Our attitude to risk-taking. |
C.Our skill at bungee jumping. | D.Our ability to take drugs. |
【小题1】D
【小题2】B
【小题3】D
【小题4】C
【小题5】B
解析
Section B
Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A.additional |
B.producing |
C.regular |
D.predicted E. identified |
E atmosphere G. matched H. reducing I. carried J. increase
Forests in the northern half of the globe could be growing faster now than they were 200 years ago as a result of climate change, according to a study of trees in eastern America. The trees appear to have faster growth rates due to longer growing seasons and higher concentrations (浓度) of carbon dioxide in the ___41___.
Geoffrey Parker, a scientist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Centre in Edgewater. Maryland, said that the increase ha the rate of growth was unexpected and might be ___42___ to the higher temperatures and longer growing seasons documented in the region. The growth may also be influenced by the significant ___43___ in atmospheric CO2, he said.
"We made a list of reasons these forests could be growing faster and then excluded half of them," Dr. Parker said. Their study suggests that northern forests may become increasingly important in ___44___ the influence of man-made CO2 on the climate.
Dr. Parker and his colleagues have ___45___ out a detailed record of the trees on a(n) ___46___ basis since 1987. They calculated that due to the global warming the forest is producing ___47___ tons of wood each year.
The scientists ___48___ the land with trees at different stages of growth and found that both young and old trees were showing increased growth rate. More than 90 per cent of the tree groups had grown by between two and four times faster than the scientists had ___49___ from estimates of the long-term rates of growth.