题目内容

More than four decades ago British scientist Robert Edwards first witnessed the miracle of human life growing inside a test tube at his Cambridge lab. Since that ground-breaking moment, more than four million babies have been born through IVF and in 2010 his great contribution to science was finally recognized as he was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine.

The prize for Dr Edwards, who was given a Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Award in 2008, includes a £900,000 cheque. The Nobel Assembly described IVF as a "milestone in modern medicine".

With the help of fellow scientist Patrick Steptoe, the Manchester-born physiologist developed IVF - leading to the birth of the world's first test tube baby. Dr Steptoe died 10 years later but their work has transformed fertility treatment and given hope to millions of couples.

It was a scientific breakthrough that transformed the lives of millions of couples. They said: "His achievements have made it possible to treat infertility, a disease which makes human unable to have a baby. This condition has been afflicting a large percentage of mankind including more than 10% of all couples worldwide."

Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby, made international headlines when she was born in Oldham, Gtr Manchester, in 1978 to parents Lesley and John who had been fruitlessly trying for a baby since 1969.

Ivf-in-vitro fertilisation is the process whereby egg cells are fertilised outside the body before being implanted in the womb. After a cycle of IVF, the probability of a couple with infertility problems having a baby is one in five — the same as healthy couples who conceive naturally.

Professor Edwards, who has five daughters and 11 grandchildren, began his research at Cambridge University in 1963, after receiving his PhD in 1955.He once said: "The most important thing in life is having a child. Nothing is more special than a child." With the help of fellow scientist Patrick Steptoe, Prof. Edwards founded the Bourn

Hall clinic in Cambridge shire, which now treats more than 900 women a year. Each year, more than 30,000 women in Britain now undergo IVF and 11,000 babies are born as a result of the treatment.

But his work attracted widespread criticism from some scientists and the Catholic Church who said it was "unethical and immoral".

Martin Johnson, professor of reproductive(生殖的) sciences at the University of Cambridge, said the award was "long overdue". He said: “We couldn't understand why the Nobel has come so late but he is delighted - this is the cherry on the cake for him.”

Professor Edwards was too ill to give interviews but a statement released by his family said he was "thrilled and delighted".

1.What is Robert Edwards‘ contribution to science?

A. Challenging a disease which stops human having a baby.

B. Seeing the wonder of the first tube baby growing

C. Enabling millions of couples to live a better life.

D. Helping couples with infertility to have tube babies.

2. What does the underlined word “afflicting”(Paragraph 4)most probably refer to?

A. Troubling B. Developing

C. Improving D. Confusing

3. Why did Professor Edwards begin his research on tube baby?

A. Because he thought it of great significance to have a child in life.

B. Because the birthrate around the world was unexpectedly low then.

C. Because a special child did make a difference to an ordinary family.

D. Because his fellow scientist wanted to give hope to the unlucky couples.

4.It can be inferred from Paragraph 8 and Paragraph 9 that ___________.

A. some people envied Professor Edwards for his being awarded.

B. different opinions were voiced on Professor Edwards‘ finding.

C. Professor Edwards deserved the prize for his breakthrough.

D. the prize was late because the finding was first considered immoral.

5. What might be the best title for the passage?

A. Life Stories of Robert Edwards

B. Preparations for Having a Baby

C. Nobel Prize for IVF Expert Edwards

D. Treatment of Infertility in a Lab

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Consumers everywhere are faced with the same dilemma: given limited resources, what sorts of purchases are most likely to produce lasting happiness and satisfaction? Recent research has confirmed that experiential purchases tend to produce greater hedonic (享乐的)gains than material purchases.

The reason why experiences improve with time may be because it is possible to think about experiences in a more abstract manner than possessions. For example, if you think back to a fantastic summer from your youth, you might easily remember an abstract sense of warm sunshine and youthful exuberant (生气勃勃), but you're less likely to remember exactly what you did day-by-day.

Material possessions are harder to think about in an abstract sense. The car you bought is still a car, that great new jacket you picked up cheap is still just a jacket. It’s more likely the experience of that summer has taken on a symbolic meaning that can live longer in your memory than a possession.

Purchasing may have a negative impact on happiness because consumers often buy “joyless” material possessions, resulting in comfort but not pleasure. In general, people adapt to experiences more slowly than to material purchase. This can be seen in both negative and positive purchases: hedonic adaptation would result in a positive experience causing more happiness but a negative experience causing less happiness than the comparable material purchase with the same initial happiness level.

Experience, however, seems to be more resistant to these sorts of unfavourable comparisons. It is because of the unique nature of experience. It’s more difficult to make an unfavourable comparison when there is nothing directly comparable. After all, each of our youthful summers is different.

It’s well established that social comparisons can have a huge effect on how we view what might seem like positive events. One striking example is the finding that people prefer to earn $50,000 a year while everyone else earns $25,000, instead of earning $100,000 themselves and having other people earn $200,000.

A similar effect is seen for possessions. When there are so many flat-screen HD TVs to choose from, it's easy to make unfavourable comparisons between our choice and the others available.

1.An abstract sense in the passage refers to awareness of something __________.

A. you cannot think about

B. you can’ t remember well

C. you cannot understand

D. you cannot see or touch

2.If you make an experiential purchase before a material purchase, you may go to__________.

A. a theatre before going to a store

B. an exhibition before going to a park

C. a mall before going to a grocer's

D. a market before going to a restaurant

3.The example of earnings is given to actually indicate__________.

A. how ridiculous people are B. how people feel content

C. how nearsighted people are D. how people hold prejudice

4. It is implied in the passage that, after their material purchases, people might__________.

A. enjoy their ownership of what they have bought

B. pick every fault in the products they have got

C. regret making a wrong decision to buy the items

D. leave what they’ve purchased untouched at home

As a manager, Tiffany is responsible for interviewing applicants for some of the positions with her company. During one interview, she noticed that the candidate never made direct eye contact. She was puzzled and somewhat disappointed because she liked the individual otherwise.

He had a perfect resume and gave good responses to her questions, but the fact that he never looked her in the eye said “untrustworthy,” so she decided to offer the job to her second choice. “It wasn’t until I attended a diversity workshop that I realized the person we passed over was the perfect person.” Tiffany admits. What she hadn’t known at the time of the interview was that the candidate’s “different” behavior was simply a cultural misunderstanding. He was an Asian-American raised in a family where respect for those in authority was shown by turning away your eyes. “I was just thrown off by the lack of eye contact, not realizing it was cultural,” Tiffany says. “I missed out, but will not miss that opportunity again.”

Many of us have had similar experiences with behaviors we describe as different. As the world becomes smaller and our workplaces more diverse, it is becoming essential to expand our understanding of others and to reexamine some of our false assumptions (假设) .

Hire Advantage

At a time when hiring qualified people is becoming more difficult, employers who can have no personal biases (偏见) from the process have an obvious advantage. My company, Mindsets LLC, helps organizations and individuals see their own blind spots. A real estate (房产) agent we worked with illustrates the positive difference such training can make .

“During my Mindsets coaching period, I was taught how to own a diversified workforce. I employed people from different cultures and skill sets. The agents were able to make use of their full potential and experiences to build up the company. When the real estate market began to change, it was because we had a diverse agent pool that we were able to stay in the real estate market much longer than others in the same profession.”

Blinded by Gender

Dale is an account executive who attended one of my workshops in charge of a diverse workforce. “Through some of the lessons, I discovered my personal bias.” he recalls. “I learned I had not been looking at a person as a whole person, and being open to differences.” In his case, the blindness was not about culture but rather gender.

“I had a management position open in my department; and the two finalists were a man and a woman. Had I not attended this workshop, I would have automatically assumed the man was the best candidate because the position required quite a bit of extensive travel. My assumption would have been that even though both candidates were great and could have been successful in the position, I assumed the woman would have wanted to be home with her children and not travel.” Dale’s assumptions are another example of the well-intentioned but incorrect thinking that limits an organization’s ability to promote the full potential of a diverse workforce. “I learned from the class that instead of forcing my gender biases into the situation, I needed to present the full range of duties, responsibilities and expectations to all candidates and allow them to make an informed decision.” Dale sings high praise for the workshop, “because it helped me make decisions based on fairness.”

A better Bottom Line

An open mind about diversity not only improves organizations from inside, it is profitable as well. These comments from a customer service representative show how an inclusive attitude can improve sales.” Most of my customers speak English as a second language. One of the best things my company has done is to contract with a language service that offers translations over the phone. It wasn’t until my boss received Mindsets’ training that she was able to understand how important inclusiveness was to customer service. As a result, our customer base has increased.”

Once we start to see people as individuals, we can move positively toward inclusiveness for everyone. Diversity is about coming together and taking advantage of our differences and similarities and about building better communities and organizations. When we begin to question our assumptions and challenge what we think we have learned from our past , from the media, peers, family, friends, etc, we begin to realize that some of our conclusions are imperfect or contrary to our fundamental values. We need to train ourselves to think differently, shift our mindsets and realize that diversity opens doors for all of us, creating opportunities in organizations and communities that benefit everyone.

1. In Tiffany’s view, the first candidate was passed over because he ________.

A. was an Asian-American

B. didn’t perform as perfectly as the second one

C. was untrustworthy

D. showed no respect for authority

2.Tiffany’s misjudgment about the candidate originated from ________.

A. racial discrimination

B. cultural differences

C. gender discrimination

D. emphasis on physical appearance

3.What kind of organization is Mindsets LLC?

A. A real estate agency.

B. A hi-tech company.

C. A company dealing with financial affairs.

D. A company training workforce.

4.Which of the following statements will Dale not agree with about Mindsets LLC’s workshop?

A. It helped him make fair decisions.

B. It helped him discover his personal bias about gender.

C. It helped him look at a person as a whole one.

D. It helped him find successful candidates.

5.The last paragraph is intended to tell us the importance of ________.

A. viewing people as individuals

B. challenging our past

C. training ourselves in Mindsets’ workshops

D.building better communications

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