DNA is the whole “map” of the human body. It is something that all humans have, and it tells the body what to do. DNA is the reason that we look like our parents, because we get some of their DNA to make our own.

People have been trying to understand the human body for a long time. In 1860, Mr. Mendel discovered why we look the same as other people in our family. It is because of small things called “genes”（基因）in our body. In 1953, two scientists, Watson and Crick, found out that genes are really messages. They’re written in the DNA with a special language.

In 1961, another two scientists found the first “word” that they could understand in that language. It shows how DNA tells the cell (细胞）to build its parts. So far, scientists have found all the words in the DNA map, but we still don’t understand what they all do. By understanding what just one “word” means, we can help to save people from several illnesses. So the more we understand, the more doctors will be able to do.

Most people hope that this will help to make better medicine and help sick people. Other people worry that when we learn more “words” and find out more information, we will use it in the wrong way. Just to make people more attractive (有吸引力的), or stop sick people getting jobs.

1.When did Mr. Mendel discover why we look the same as other people in our family?

A. In 1680.B. In 1860.C. In 1953.D. In 1961.

2.Watson and Crick found ______ in 1953.

A. all the words in the DNA map

B. small things called “genes” in our body

C. the first “word” they could understand in that language

D. genes are written in the DNA with a special language

3.How can we help sick people if we understand more “words” in the DNA map?

A. Make better medicine.B. Make them get jobs.

C. Make maps for them. D. Make them attractive.

4.Which one is NOT true according to the passage?

A. We look like our parents because of “genes” in our body.

B. We have understood what all the words in the DNA map do.

C. Scientists have found all the words in the DNA map.

D. DNA tells the cell to build its parts.

5.What do people think about this research about DNA?

A. It can be only bad.

B. It can be only good.

C. It can be good but won’t work.

D. It can be good or bad.

完形填空

Jack is an English teacher at a college. He moved to New York City    1   all the members of his family. Jack is an excellent teacher, so we’ve all    2   him very much since he left. It was not long before Jack came back to North Carolina for a short    3  . The teachers and students held a small party for him.

At the party, people walked around and    4   with each other. I certainly would not give up that good chance to learn English. So I tried to think of all kinds of topics to talk with Grace, another _____5____teacher.

Just before I was about to run out of my topics, suddenly I    6   Jack say to others loudly, “I dig New York!” I immediately asked Grace, “Is it really difficult to find a    7   in New York? Why does Jack have to do    8  work since he is such a good teacher?”

Grace didn’t seem to    9   what I said, “Why do you think that?” she asked.

“Haven’t you heard him say that he is digging New York?  Is he building an underground passage (地下通道)?” I asked.

When she finally realized (明白) what I meant, Grace laughed to tears. She then asked us whether (是否) we    9   the meaning of “I dig New York.” All of    10   shook heads and said no. So Grace asked Jack to explain it to us.

It turns out that “ I dig New York.” means “I love New York.” in American slang (俚语). Though few people say that now, we still hear it from time to time. 

1. 

2. 

8. 

Bicycles in China
Bicycles are very popular in China. In our country you can see bicycles almost everywhere. When you walk on the road, you will find a lot of people riding bicycles to school, shops and anywhere else. Therefore(因此), China is known as “the kingdom of bicycles”. In China, many families have one or two bicycles.
Compared(与……比) with cars, bicycles have many advantages. First, they are much cheaper than cars. Most Chinese can’t afford cars, but they can afford bicycles. Second, bicycles are small enough to park anywhere, while cars need a larger piece of land to park. What’s more, with lower speed, bicycles are safer than cars.
However, bicycles also bring some problems. Some riders don’t obey the traffic rules and some riders don’t think about others’ safety. So they ride too fast. During rush hours, too many bicycles may cause traffic jams. We still have a long way to go to solve the problem.
【小题1】Where can you see bicycles in China?

补全对话。（每空一词，共5分）

A: What bad weather! Another sandstorm begins.

B: So it is. But why are there so many sandstorms recently?

A: Because there is so much sand around us.

B: Why is there so much sand?

A: Because a lot of land has been _1.___ into sand.

B: And why?

A: Because people have __2.___ down a lot of trees.

B: That may be the root(根源). We should __3.__ people from cutting down trees. Although we have built “ the Great Green Wall”, we still need to work hard to __4.___ the environment.

A: I agree _5.__ you. Let’s go to the hill and plant trees on Sunday.

B:Good idea.

SPACE is a lonely place. Hundreds of thousands of kilometers from home, astronauts have a hard life. It stands to reason that, once in a while, they need to have a good cry. But this is a lot harder than it sounds.
We still know very little about space, and about living in zero gravity. In fact, we are discovering new things every time astronauts take to the skies (and beyond). As The Atlantic reported in January, crying is not all that simple in space. This is because when a person normally cries,  gravity makes their tears move downwards. But in a spacecraft, this is not the case. Here, there is no gravity, which is why we so often see pictures of astronauts floating around. This means that, strangely, when you cry your tears have nowhere to go. As a result, they just stick to your eyes.
In May 2011, astronaut Andrew Feustel experienced this. “Tears,” as he said, “don’t fall off your eye… they just kind of stay there. ” This can be quite painful. In space, your eyes get very dry, and the added moisture is irritating (气人的). Sometimes, things get even weirder(更怪异的). The astronaut Ron Parise told The Atlantic that when tears get big enough, they “break free of the eye and float around”.
No one can be quite sure why we cry. Why should water in our eyes have anything to do with feeling sad? If you stop to think about it, crying is a very strange thing indeed. And now, thanks to the wonders of space, it just got even stranger.
【小题1】The first paragraph mainly wants to tell us that       .