It was hard to accept，but the horrible day had finally arrived．I still remember the tears welling up in my six-year-old sister's eyes as she looked around the __1__ closet in wonder．The space once filled with __2__ clothes now held only loneliness and sorrow．This little child had come to the __3__ that her father was gone．He had left us，and there was simply no way to __4__ it．

Being the __5__ of four girls has never been easy，but with the __6__ of our father，our world and dreams were __7__ beyond repair．My mother，the most amazingly warm-hearted person in the world，has worked harder than anyone should simply to __8__ our broken household．However，long hours at work often prevented her from __9__ being there in our times of need．This is where I have stepped up as the temporary __10__ of my three small sisters．

Many college students write essays about their leadership positions in school and the community（社区），but I feel that my greatest __11__ is the role I have played __12__ my own family．

Senior year in high school is not __13__ for anyone，especially when it __14__ like the entire world is resting on your shoulders．I've been trying hard to __15__ the dream my mother holds for my future．She was not able to __16__ her college education as expected，__17__ this success is the first thing she's mapped out for her __18__．

A leader is described as one who has influence on others．I hope that my leadership __19__ the lives of my sisters and everyone around me．In __20__ myself to my family and school，I have set goals that I will do anything to accomplish．

1．A．familiar               B．crowded           C．empty             D．broken

2．A．her                  B．his                C．our               D．their

3．A．situation             B．prediction          C．realization          D．imagination

4．A．undo                 B．explain             C．control            D．believe

5．A．busiest               B．saddest            C．smartest           D．oldest

6．A．arrival               B．departure          C．unemployment      D．hospitalization

7．A．preserved            B．destroyed          C．separated          D．combined

8．A．enlarge              B．suit               C．modernize          D．mend

9．A．physically                                                B．frequently

C．whole-heartedly                                        D．absent-mindedly

10．A．caretaker           B．playmate           C．teacher            D．friend

11．A．disappointment       B．accomplishment     C．difference          D．regret

12．A．against             B．outside            C．within             D．without

13．A．meaningful          B．interesting          C．hard              D．simple

14．A．feels               B．proves             C．passes             D．begins

15．A．abandon            B．renew             C．continue           D．fulfill

16．A．give               B．complete           C．survive            D．forget

17．A．as if               B．but then           C．and so             D．or else

18．A．future              B．career             C．family             D．children

19．A．shapes             B．lengthens          C．affects            D．restarts

20．A．presenting          B．devoting            C．connecting         D．attaching

Not long ago, making a baby boy or a baby girl was pretty much a hit-or-miss affair, but not any more now. Parents who have accuracy, as Monique and Scott Collins learned to their delight two years ago, when their long-wished-for daughter Jessica was born after genetic pre-screening at a fertility clinic in Fairfax, Virginia.

And baby Jessica is just the beginning. Within a decade or two, it may be possible to screen kids almost before pregnancy(怀孕) , such as how tall they are likely to be, what baby type they will have, their hair and eye color, and even their IQ and personality types.

In fact , if gene therapy lives up to its promise, parents may some day be able to go beyond weeding out undesirable trials and start actually inserting the genes they want, perhaps even genes that have been crafted in a lab. Parents may be going to fertility clinics and picking from a list of choices the way car buyers order air conditioning or wheels. “It’s the most exciting shopping” experience designing your baby.” says biotechnology（生物工艺学） critic, Jeremy Rifkin, who is concerned about the prospect（前景）. “In a society that is used  to cosmetic surgery（整形手术）, this is not a big step.”

The prospect of designer babies, like many of the ethical（伦理）problems caused by the genetic revolution, is causing the doctors, ethicists, religious leaders and politicians of the whole world to start a fierce conflict , who are trying to decide how they feel about it all.

They still have a bit of time. Apart from gender, the only trails that can now be identified at the earliest stages of development are about a dozen of the most serious genetic diseases. Gene therapy in embryos（胚胎） is at least a few years away. And the gene or combination of genes responsible for most of our physical and mental attributes hasn’t even been identified yet, so the idea of engineering genes in or out is of no practical meaning.

1.What is gene therapy supposed to do if it lives up to its promise?

    A．Screen a baby for sex.           B． Choose a baby’ s eve color.

    C． Implant genes.                  D． Identify genetic disorder.

2.According to the passage , what scientists can do with the genetic testing technology now is to_______.

    A．screen a baby’s sex             B．screen babies for desirable qualities

    C．put in genes parents want        D．craft genes in a lab

3.What can best describe Jeremy Rifkin’s attitude toward designing babies through gene therapy?

    A．Strongly supportive              B． Warmly welcome.    

    C．Uninterested.                    D． Critical.

4.From the passage we know that         .

    A．designing babies is purely scientific not to cause ethical problems

    B．designing babies may bring people a lot of ethical concerns

    C．scientists are now working against time to design babies

    D． people are concerned about the harm clone to science by designing babies

Based on cultural traditions and the changing face of contemporary British communities, the Festival of Muslim Cultures joins young people from Muslim and non-Muslim backgrounds together through the creation of innovative(创新的), high quality cultural activities.

We have been working with arts and educational institutions across the UK to promote the mainstreaming of Muslim cultures within UK everyday life. The Festival was created out of the need to encourage a better understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims, to promote respect for Muslim cultures and to show how culture creates the pathways that connect us all together.

The program launched with a visit by the Festival’s patron(赞助人), the Prince of Wales, to the exhibition “Palace and Mosque” in Sheffield and since then there have been more than 100 events that have ranged from a Somali community day in Cardiff at the National Museum of Wales to a late-night Dance with Radio Tarifa (from Spain) and Dimi Mint Abba (form Mauritania) in the Royal Albert Hall and from a home-grown play in Nottingham about the Kashmir earthquake to the exhibition“Beyond the Palace Walls” at the Royal Museum Edinburgh of Islamic art from the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg.

We are now working on a number of long-term projects which stay true to our commitment to promoting Muslim cultures through arts collaborations(协作) and build on the extensive network of local, national and international partners that Festival has created. These include a three-year national program that connects young Muslims to their local cultural institutions; a UK Muslim cookbook; an exhibition of the Ottoman architect Sinan; and a project for schools around the 1000-year old story “The Animals’ Lawsuit against Humanity”.

For more information about the Festival, please click on another page: Who’s Who.

1.The best title of this passage would be _______.

2.Which is NOT the purpose of holding the Festival of Muslim Cultures?

3.This passage was probably taken from _________.

Based on cultural traditions and the changing face of contemporary British communities, the Festival of Muslim Cultures joins young people from Muslim and non-Muslim backgrounds together through the creation of innovative(创新的), high quality cultural activities.
We have been working with arts and educational institutions across the UK to promote the mainstreaming of Muslim cultures within UK everyday life. The Festival was created out of the need to encourage a better understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims, to promote respect for Muslim cultures and to show how culture creates the pathways that connect us all together.
The program launched with a visit by the Festival’s patron(赞助人), the Prince of Wales, to the exhibition “Palace and Mosque” in Sheffield and since then there have been more than 100 events that have ranged from a Somali community day in Cardiff at the National Museum of Wales to a late-night Dance with Radio Tarifa (from Spain) and Dimi Mint Abba (form Mauritania) in the Royal Albert Hall and from a home-grown play in Nottingham about the Kashmir earthquake to the exhibition“Beyond the Palace Walls” at the Royal Museum Edinburgh of Islamic art from the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg.
We are now working on a number of long-term projects which stay true to our commitment to promoting Muslim cultures through arts collaborations(协作) and build on the extensive network of local, national and international partners that Festival has created. These include a three-year national program that connects young Muslims to their local cultural institutions; a UK Muslim cookbook; an exhibition of the Ottoman architect Sinan; and a project for schools around the 1000-year old story “The Animals’ Lawsuit against Humanity”.
For more information about the Festival, please click on another page: Who’s Who.
【小题1】The best title of this passage would be _______.

When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d   36  known. When Dr. Gibbs wasn’t   37  lives, he was planting trees.

The good doctor had some   38  theories on planting trees. He believed in “No pains, no gains”. He never   39  his new trees, which was   40  many people. Once I asked why. He   41  that watering plants spoiled them, and that if you water them, each following tree generation will   42  weaker and weaker. So you have to make things   43  for them. He talked about how watering trees   44  shallow roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in   45  of water. I came to understand that he meant deep roots were to be   46 . I planted a couple of trees a few years back and I took good care of them. Two years of   47  has resulted in trees that expect to be waited on hand and foot. Whenever a cold wind blows, they   48  and tremble their branches. Funny things about those trees of Dr. Gibbs’. The lack of water seemed to   49  them in ways comfort and ease never could.

I used to   50  for my sons that their lives will be easy. But   51  I’ve been thinking that it’s time to   52  my prayer. I know my children are going to meet   53 , and I’m praying they will be strong. The prayer for comfort is seldom met. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots,   54  when the winds blow, we won’t be   55  away.