As if there weren’t enough of them in the world already, scientists have succeeded in cloning flies. The alike fruit flies are the first insects ever cloned, says the Canadian team that created them. The question everyone asks is why anyone would want to clone flies in the first place. She hopes that the insects , which are very easy to experiment with , will help to adjust the cloning process in other animals and even in humans, where the technique is being researched to aid production of therapeutic (治疗的) stem cells.

In cloning, the DNA-containing nucleus of an adult cell is injected into an egg whose own nucleus(细胞核) has been removed. At the moment, the majority of cloned mice, sheep and other animals die before birth. It is thought this is because the adult DNA is not properly ‘reprogrammed’.

Using flies, researchers might discover genes that are important for this reprogramming, and that have matches in other animals. That is because it is relatively easy in flies to knock out the function of a single gene and then attempt cloning with these cells, which will test whether that gene is important. If such genes are confirmed, then in theory cloned mammalian embryos(晶胚) might be grown in selected solutions that change the activity of those genes to improve the technique’s success rate. Although some groups have attempted to clone insects before, Lloyd says this is the first time it has been successful. The team used a slight difference on the standard cloning process: they transferred nuclei taken from embryos rather than fully-grown adult cells. They sucked several nuclei (pl)out of developing fly embryos, and injected them into a fertilized(已受精的) fly egg. From over 800 early attempts, they cloned five adult insects, the group reports in the journal Genetics.

1.The best title of this passage probably is _______.

    A．The importance of clone

    B．First insects are cloned

    C．The disagreement in clone

    D．The advantages of clone

2.The scientists cloned flies because________.

   A．there are fewer and fewer flies in the world 

    B．flies are easy to find and cheap to use

   C．they can gain some experience before cloning other animals

    D．it is safe to clone flies

3.The failure of most cloned animals is due to _______.

   A．the difference of other animals’ genes

   B．the improper technique of clone

   C．the complex of other animals

   D．the improper rearrange of the adult gene

4.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.

   A．the clone of insects before used grown-up cells

    B．the clone of insects were never experimented before  

    C．this time scientists cloned flies successfully and easily

   D．based on this success, other animals will be cloned in large quantities.

Below is adapted from an English dictionary

I didn’t really mean my partner is a snake; it was just a ______.

A. figure of eight     B. figure head     C. figure of speech     D. a fine figure     

—She was coming late again.

—______! That’s typical of her.

A. It figures her out   B. It figures    C. It cuts a poor figure  D. She is a figure of fun

What does “watch my figure” in the sentence “Don’t tempt me with chocolate; I am watching my figure.” mean?

A. add the numbers   B. have sports      C. try not to get fat    D. watch games

No one can figure out the reasons for the Poland president plane crash in 2010. Here figure out means:_________

A. watch out     B. work out     C. understand well    D. break out

—Promise you don’t wear this kind of clothes? People will play a joke on you.

—I don’t care whether I am________. I just want to keep warm.

A. a figure of fun    B. a healthy figure    C. a figure head      D. a bad figure

Dublin City Hall

Inside City Hall is an interesting exhibition about Dublin’s history, with historical items from the old city and multimedia presentations. The building, which dates from 1779, once badly damaged, was recently renovated. Guided tours are available. Open Monday to Saturday 10:00 a.m.~5:15 p.m., Sunday and holidays 2:00 p.m.~5:00 p.m. Admission is ?6.50. Phone 672- 2204.

Dublin Castle

This is a joy for anyone interested in archaeology or history. Dublin Castle was built in the 13th century on top of the foundations of a Viking structure. The castle served as a military fortress, prison, court of law and the core (核心) of British administration in Ireland until 1922. It’s now used for state functions and government conferences. Guided tours are available. Open Monday to Friday 10:00 a.m.~4:50 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday and holidays 2:00 p.m.~4:50 p.m. Closed during state functions. Admission is ?4.50. Phone 677- 7129 or 677- 7270.

Trinity College

The sole college of the University of Dublin, Trinity was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. The reason most visitors venture to Trinity is to take a look at the Book of Kells, which is on display at the Old Library. The ticket price includes admission to the Long Room, a striking space that contains 200,000 of the college’s oldest books. Open Monday to Saturday 9.30am~5pm, Sunday noon~4:30 p.m. (from 9:30 a.m. June to September). College Green. Phone 608 -1177.

Irish Museum of Modern Art

Housed in the beautifully restored (修复) Royal Hospital Kilmainham (which was modelled (复制) on Les Invalides in Paris), the museum exhibits contemporary art and has an impressive permanent collection that includes pieces representing the cutting edge of Irish and international art. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 a.m.~5:30 p.m., Sunday and holidays noon~5:30 p.m. The museum has no admission charge. Military Road, Kilmainham. Phone 612- 9900. 

James Joyce Centre

James Joyce is one of Dublin’s most famous 20th century writers. Author of such works as Dubliners, Ulysses and his autobiographical novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce’s name is forever linked to the city of Dublin. The James Joyce Centre is dedicated to promoting the life and works of James Joyce to novices and scholars alike. Open Tues.~Sat. 10:00 a.m.~5:00 p.m., Sun. 1: p.m.~5:00 p.m., admission costs ?5.00 for adults. North Great George’s Street. Phone 878- 8547.

1.According to the passage, we can know ________.

A. Dublin Castle was used for government conferences

B. the sole college of the University of Dublin was established by Queen Elizabeth II

C. Dublin Castle served as a court of law in the 1930s

D. the novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is about James Joyce’s life

2.The underlined word “renovated” in the first paragraph means ________.

A. reviewed             B. recreated            C. repaired        D. destroyed

3.Which place do you pay the least money to visit?

A. Dublin City Hall.                                                               B. Dublin Castle.

C. Irish Museum of Modern Art.                                       D. James Joyce Centre.

Before she appeared on the reality show(真人秀) Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle was just an ordinary middle-aged British woman. Now all this is going to change.
She lives in a house with her cat Pebbles in a tiny Scottish town. Because of learning difficulties, she doesn’t have much education. But what she does have is a very good voice. As a kid, she sang in church and choirs and school plays. For a living, she sang at local pubs.
When she took the stage on April 10^th her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags. The audience laughed at her.
But then she opened her mouth. A few bars into the song and the laughing audience went silent. A beautiful voice was singing I Dreamed a Dream from the musical Les Miserables. Everyone was amazed. At the end of her song, the audience jumped to their feet and applauded wildly.
Almost overnight, Susan became a household name. She won fans and millions of admirers. Her online videos have drawn over 85.2 million hits.
Susan’s story proved the truth of an old saying: “Never judge the book by its cover.” Susan may look ordinary, and doesn’t have much dress sense, but she can certainly sing.
Susan’s fans admire her courage, as much as they do her voice. She has experienced mockery and many disappointments, but her love for music has kept her going, which is worth anyone’s respect.
【小题1】According to the passage, Susan Boyle _______.

Modern life is a lot les s to the advantage of friendships and neighborliness than it used to be. The average American moves every five years. People drive straight into their garages, hire lawn services, hang out in their backyards instead of their front porches (前走廊). These days, neighbors don't even know each other's names. 

Good neighbors and good friends are a lot like electricity or running water: We don't know how much we depend on them until we don't have them. In fact, the authors of a recent book, Refrigerator Rights, claim that refrigerators are signs of close relationships--after all, you wouldn't snatch a drumstick(鸡腿) from the refrigerator of a stranger.

The surprising thing is that all it takes to strengthen your relationship with friends and neighbors is respect for their feelings, concern for their property, and a helping hand when it's needed. Here's how to develop your relationships with two types of vitally important people in your life. 

_________________. A true friend doesn't flee when changes occur. The sign of a good friend is one who stays true through it all--marriage, parenthood, new jobs, new homes, the losses. Just because situations change doesn't mean the person has to.

Friendships fade away if there isn't an balance between the give and the take. So make sure you aren't being a burden to your friends. Be sensitive to how much your friend can and can't offer you--be it time, energy, or help -- and don't step over the line. Meanwhile, friendships that drain(耗尽) you will not last. If a friendship is out of balance in this way, you'll need to talk the situation through.

1. Which sentence in the passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?

A true friend will stay the same even when the situations change. 

2. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 4 with a proper sentence. (Within 10 words)

3. What advice is given in the last paragraph? (Within 10 words)

4. What do you think the author will go on talking about if the passage continues?(Within 10 words)

5. Translate the underlined sentence in the last paragraph into Chinese．