Rome Doctors and medical groups around the world last weekend reacted with strong opposition to the news that an Italian specialist is on the brink of cloning the first human baby．

　　Dr．Severino Antinori, who is the head of a hospital in Rome, has been referred to in an Arab newspaper as claiming that one of his patients is eight weeks pregnant (怀孕) with a cloned baby．

　　Antinori refused to comment on the reports, but in March 2001 he said he hoped to produce a cloned embryo (卵) for implantation within two years．So far seven different kinds of mammals have already successfully cloned, including sheep, cats and most recently rabbits．

　　Doctors showed their doubt and were strongly opposed although they admit that human cloning would finally come true unless there was a world wide ban on the practice．

　　Professor Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: “I find it astonishing that people do this where the result can be foretold that it will not be a normal baby．It is using humans as guinea pigs．It makes people feel sick．” But Ronald Green, director of the Ethics Institute at Darmouth College in the US, said it is unlikely that an eight-week-old pregnancy would lead to a birth．

　　So far all cloned animals have suffered from some different serious disorders, many of them dying soon after their births．Doctors are opposed to human cloning because they are worried about the welfare of the cloned child if there is one．“There are no benefits of cloned human beings, just harm,” said Dr．Michael Wilksof the UK．

1．What do the underlined phrase on the brink of in the first paragraph most probably mean?

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2．What is the doctors' general attitude to cloning of humans according to the passage?

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A．They are against it．

B．They support it．

C．They welcome it．

D．They pay no attention to it．

3．What does the underlined word ban in the third paragraph mean most probably?

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A．order that forbids cloning

B．suggestion to carrying on cloning

C．anger at cloning

D．cheer for cloning

4．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

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A．Doctor Severino Antinori is strongly opposed to cloning human beings．

B．Up to now, seven kinds of animals have been cloned, including sheep, cats, humans and rabbits．

C．Professor Rudolf Jaenisch is carrying on an experiment on cloning an eight-week-old embryo．

D．Ronald Green doubts about the future successful birth of the so-called cloned embryo．

5．Which is the best title for the passage?

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A．The Success of Cloning Humans

B．The Anger at Cloning Humans

C．Failure of Cloning Humans

D．First Cloned Human