Since its invention 100 years ago, plastic , the superstar of the technological age, has become ugly and ungreen . But that’s about to change. An exhibition at London’s Science Museum this week could put it back on the cutting edge of science.

Have you ever hesitated in donating blood? The invention of “plastic blood” might make you feel better.

British scientists are working on the artificial blood as a replacement for real blood in emergency situations. It is made of plastic molecules(分子 ) and can join oxygen and transport it around the body. As a red, honey-like glue , plastic blood can be carried around conveniently . You just add water to make as much blood as you need.

The cells  of our body are strict about what molecules the let in and out . For example , if we inject protein or DNA  directly into the body, our immune ( 免疫 ) SYSTEM WILL DESTROY IT BEFORE IT REACHES THE CELLS.

To get around this , a British scientist has created drug-carrying plastic balls that fool the body into thinking they are natural. Once inside the cell, their contents are spread out through a small controlled explosion.

Skin transplants  are widely done these days. But removing a piece of skin from, say , the bottom to plant it on the face  can hurt and be troublesome.

The British company, Celltran, is working on plastic skin. Using plastic, they plan to take a small piece of the patient’s skin and grow it into an extra lay of skin on top of the plastic. a

The plastic  feels similar to skin, so skin cells like to grow on it. The plastic then gradually disappears, without any reaction or infection .

1. What would be the best title for the text?

A. The superstar of technological age

B. An exhibition at London’s Science Museum

C. No more “white pollution”

D. Plastic takes on a new life

2. Which of the following will be on display at the exhibition at London’s Science Museum?

A. Plastic cells               B. Plastic skin

C. Plastic molecules           D. Plastic transplants

3. The phrase “get around “ in Paragraph 5 means closest to ______.

A. overcome  B. end    C. ensure     D. pass

4.Which of the following is true according to the text?

A. Plastic blood will be injected into the body in drug-carrying plastic balls

B.The plastic skin will remain a part of the new skin

C. Plastic blood will take the place of real blood

D. Plastic blood contains a lot of water

For many businessmen online education has been a dream. Now it has come true. The investment (投资) in higher education, whether financial or in terms of time, has long been impossible for many of them. But well-known educational institutions have chosen to deliver an internet-based program, and these barriers have been lifted.

That is good news for people eager to improve themselves and is more attractive to employers. It is also a benefit to industry with better qualified candidates applying for jobs at every level.

Having the benefits of a higher qualification without going to the university campus is attractive to many students. Campus study means greater cost, while online programs are flexible and save time, whether at home or at work. Students can achieve their degrees without causing too much disruption to their career or home life.

In addition to affordable, flexible classes and greater convenience, students also have access to the online learning resources of many of the world’s top educational institutions. They can also communicate with their tutors no matter what time it is or whether either party is away for any reason.

This has opened up the possibility of getting a qualification from a university or college that many students could only have dreamed of in the past. It also allows specialists to get the precise qualifications and focus on their studies. As well as seeing the increase of applicants from lower-incomes and housewives, studying online in the US is even becoming popular with younger people of college age.

Employers have become increasingly welcome and positive to online qualifications as more candidates earn them, especially if they’re properly approved by the US Department of Education.

US institutions have led the way in online education provision. Many top US colleges and universities offer a range of online programs that are highly respected and in every way perfectly fit for adults who need to combine their studies with a working life.

1.According to Paragraph 1, many US colleges and universities      .

A．have begun to lift the barriers to financial investment

B．have begun to run an internet-based program

C．have had a dream of offering online education

D．have gained financial investment

2.Why do people choose online education?

A．They can find jobs more easily than on-campus graduates.

B．They can get qualifications from US Department of Education.

C．They can save money and arrange their time and courses freely.

D．They can invest money in different courses provided online.

3.The underlined word “disruption’’ in the third paragraph probably mean     .

A．dissatisfaction      B．attention          C．attraction         D．interruption

4.Which would be a good title for the passage?

A．Adult Education Online

B．The Best of USA’s Online Education

C．Top US Universities Offering Online Education

D．Online Education Taking the Place of Campus Education

The World Trade Organization (WTO), founded on January 1, 1995, aims to encourage international trade to flow as possible, making sure that trade agreements are respected and that any disputes can be settled.

In the five years since its founding, the WTO has become well known as one of the world’s most powerful economic organizations, taking its place alongside the World Bank and International Money Fund.

The system of global rules for international trade, however, dates back half a century to 1948 when the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was formed after World War II.

As time went by, it became clear that the GATT had two major drawbacks-the limited areas of trade it covered, and the lack of an effective system to settle disputes.

After seven years of trade talks ending in 1994, the so-called Uruguay Round finally give birth to the WTO, complete with an effective system to settle disputes and new rules covering trade in services and intellectual property.

Even after seven years of talks and 22, 500 pages of agreements, there were still problems, especially the difficulty to deal with areas of agriculture and services, which the member nations agreed to revise in 2000. The WTO, with its head office in Geneva, has 135 members with 30 more waiting to join.

From the passage we know that the GATT stopped working ________.

A. soon after World War II ended 

B. a little more than 50 years after World War II

C. just in the year 1994         

D. seven years before the Uruguay Round talk

Compared with the GATT, the WTO _______.

A. didn’t pay enough attention to services and intellectual property

B. got its members to sign the agreements more easily

C. has got to many areas of international trade to deal with to work effectively

D. can do better to settle disputes in more areas of international trade

In the new century the WTO will ________.

A. take the place of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund

B. have more members and settle more problems

C. make complete new rules in every area of international trade

D. have new rules covering trade in services and intellectual property

Watercolor（水彩画） is the oldest paints known. It dates back to the early cave men. They discovered that they could mix the natural colors found in the earth with water. In this way they could add lifelike qualities to drawings of animals and other figures on the wall of caves.

Fresco（壁画）, one of the greatest art forms, is done with watercolor, it is created by mixing paints and water and applying these to wet plaster（灰泥）. Of the thousands of people who stand under Michelangelos’ works in the Sistine Chapel, very few know they are looking at perhaps the greatest watercolor painting in the world.

 The invention of oil painting by the Glemish masters in the fifteenth century made fresco painting go downhill, and for the next several centuries watercolor was used mainly for doing sketches（素描） or as tool for study. It was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that English painters put back watercolor as a serious art form. The English have widely-known love for the outdoors and also for small, private pictures. The softness of watercolor had a strong attraction for them.

The popularity of watercolor continued to grow until the twentieth century. The United States took the place of England and became the center of watercolor. It produced such well-known watercolor artists as Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth.

The first watercolor users were___________

A. the early cave men              

B. Italian fresco artists

C. Flemish masters                 

D. the English artists in the 18th century

In the 16th and 17th centuries the artists thought__________.

A .watercolor was more costly, but better

B. oil painting lasted less long, but clearer and brighter

C. watercolor was not suitable for serious works

D. oil painting was difficult to use

According to the passage, watercolor painting was put back in England because ______

A. it was easy to use outdoors        

B. it was a strong tool

C. it was extremely bright in color    

D. it was well suited to popular tastes

What is the passage mainly about?________

A. the gradual weakness of fresco painting.

 B. Oils having more power of influence over watercolor.

C. The rediscovery of watercolor in England.

D. The start and development of watercolor.

The old houses are being pulled down to ____ a new office block.

   A. supply with    B. make use of    C. make room for     D. take the place of