The government of Norway is planning to build an unusual storage center on an island in the Arctic Ocean. The place would be large enough to hold about two million seeds. The goal is to present all crops known to scientists. The British magazine New Scientist published details of the plan last month. The structure will be designed to protect the world’s food supply against nuclear war, climate change and other possible threats. It will be built in a mountain on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. The mountain is less than one thousand kilometers from the North Pole, the northernmost position on earth.

An international group called the Global Crop Diversity Trust is working on the project. The director of the group, Cary Fowler, spoke to New Scientist. He said the project would let the world rebuild agriculture if, in his word, “the worst came to the worst”. Norway is expected to start work next year. The project is expected to cost three million dollars. Workers will drill deep in the side of a sandstone mountain. Temperatures in the area never rise above 0??C. The seeds will be protected behind concrete walls a meter thick and high-security door.

The magazine report says the collection will represent the products of ten thousand years of farming. Most of the seeds at first will come from collections at seed banks in Africa, Asia and Latin America. To last a long time, seeds need to be kept in very low temperatures. Workers will not be present al the time. But they plan to replace the air inside the storage space each winter. Winter temperatures on the island are about eighteen degrees below 0??C. The cold weather would protect the seeds even if the air could not be replaced.

Mr. Fowler says the proposed structure will be the world’s most secure gene bank. He says the plant seeds would only be used when all other seeds are gone for some reason. Norway first proposed the idea in the 1980s. But security concerns delayed the plan. At that time, the Soviet Union was meeting in Rome of the Food and Agriculture Organization.

The project is meant to ______.

A．increase the world’s food output in the future      

B．carry out some scientific experiments on plant genes   

C．protect crop seeds from dying out in case of possible disasters

D．build an exhibition centre of the world’s plant seeds

Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the above passage?

A．The government of Norway will perform the project alone.

B．Seeds to be collected there were produced ten thousands years ago.    

C．Spitsbergen is chosen because it is free of the threat unclear war forever.   

D．Temperature is a major consideration when choosing the storage place.

We can infer from the text that _______.

A．People will get newly-developed seeds from the center every year.

B．The storage center will greatly promote world agriculture   

C．Norway had meant to build the storage centre about 20 years before. 

D．There haven’t been any seed storage centres in the world before.

What is probably the best title of the passage?

A．The Best Place to Store Seeds B．Noah’s Ark（诺亚方舟）of Plant Seeds in Plan

C．Concerns of World Food Supply    D．A New Way to Feed the World

What do those countries have in common? People are killing each other or drive others out of their homes. Why is this happening? Very simple, in each of these, one group of people believes another group is different from them and dangerous to them. It has been thus through history. How different are humans from each other?

  We come in different colors: red, black, white, yellow and brown; we have a variety of political systems, social systems, religious views or none at all; We are different in mind, have different educational systems, different economic classes. We speak different languages, and have different customs and dresses.

  If we were to break each of these further, we would have quite a long list of qualities and characteristics that make humans appears to be different from each other. I say they appear to be different, because most of what have been listed stand for what we see or hear, not what is true of human. Man is man everywhere. It is only where he lives, when he lives there, with whom he lives there, and al the others that have effect on how he lives, that is, what he believes, what he wears, his customs, his language and so on. These are man-made facts that each group develops over tome, living together, facing the same problems, needing and desiring the same things. They are his culture. The truth is that we are much more same than different. If you wear one type of clothing and I wear another, we both wear some kind of clothing. Our culture demands it. If you speak one language and I another, we both speak so that others will understand us; we must communicate with each other. Nothing is gained by giving too many differences, but much is lost. If we understood our differences as the ones of culture, then we could make our world more peaceful.

  Differences does not mean better or worse, right or wrong. It means only that differences have been made by society. Differences produce variety of thoughts, work out human problems peacefully.

Which of the following is the best tile for this passage?

 A. Differences.  B. Humans   C. Cultures.   D. Customs.

People in those countries fight each other because______

 A. They have different colors.

 B. They have different customs and dresses.

 C. They have different education systems.

 D. They think that others are different and harmful.

If you pay much attention to differences, ________.

 A. we will get something.

 B. we will produce problem.

 C. we will develop further.

 D. Nothing will be lost.

From this passage it can be inferred that ________.

 A. Our world would be more peaceful if we understand and communicate with each other.

 B. People don’t know how differences are caused.

 C. It is only differences that can solve man’s problems.

 D. Man is man everywhere but not woman.

What do those countries have in common? People are killing each other or drive others out of their homes. Why is this happening? Very simple, in each of these, one group of people believes another group is different from them and dangerous to them. It has been thus through history. How different are humans from each other?
We come in different colors: red, black, white, yellow and brown; we have a variety of political systems, social systems, religious views or none at all; We are different in mind, have different educational systems, different economic classes. We speak different languages, and have different customs and dresses.
If we were to break each of these further, we would have quite a long list of qualities and characteristics that make humans appears to be different from each other. I say they appear to be different, because most of what have been listed stand for what we see or hear, not what is true of human. Man is man everywhere. It is only where he lives, when he lives there, with whom he lives there, and al the others that have effect on how he lives, that is, what he believes, what he wears, his customs, his language and so on. These are man-made facts that each group develops over tome, living together, facing the same problems, needing and desiring the same things. They are his culture. The truth is that we are much more same than different. If you wear one type of clothing and I wear another, we both wear some kind of clothing. Our culture demands it. If you speak one language and I another, we both speak so that others will understand us; we must communicate with each other. Nothing is gained by giving too many differences, but much is lost. If we understood our differences as the ones of culture, then we could make our world more peaceful.
Differences does not mean better or worse, right or wrong. It means only that differences have been made by society. Differences produce variety of thoughts, work out human problems peacefully.
【小题1】 Which of the following is the best tile for this passage?

What do those countries have in common? People are killing each other or drive others out of their homes. Why is this happening? Very simple, in each of these, one group of people believes another group is different from them and dangerous to them. It has been thus through history. How different are humans from each other?

  We come in different colors: red, black, white, yellow and brown; we have a variety of political systems, social systems, religious views or none at all; We are different in mind, have different educational systems, different economic classes. We speak different languages, and have different customs and dresses.

  If we were to break each of these further, we would have quite a long list of qualities and characteristics that make humans appears to be different from each other. I say they appear to be different, because most of what have been listed stand for what we see or hear, not what is true of human. Man is man everywhere. It is only where he lives, when he lives there, with whom he lives there, and al the others that have effect on how he lives, that is, what he believes, what he wears, his customs, his language and so on. These are man-made facts that each group develops over tome, living together, facing the same problems, needing and desiring the same things. They are his culture. The truth is that we are much more same than different. If you wear one type of clothing and I wear another, we both wear some kind of clothing. Our culture demands it. If you speak one language and I another, we both speak so that others will understand us; we must communicate with each other. Nothing is gained by giving too many differences, but much is lost. If we understood our differences as the ones of culture, then we could make our world more peaceful.

  Differences does not mean better or worse, right or wrong. It means only that differences have been made by society. Differences produce variety of thoughts, work out human problems peacefully.

1. Which of the following is the best tile for this passage?

 A. Differences.  B. Humans   C. Cultures.   D. Customs.

2.People in those countries fight each other because______

 A. They have different colors.

 B. They have different customs and dresses.

 C. They have different education systems.

 D. They think that others are different and harmful.

3.If you pay much attention to differences, ________.

 A. we will get something.

 B. we will produce problem.

 C. we will develop further.

 D. Nothing will be lost.

4. From this passage it can be inferred that ________.

 A. Our world would be more peaceful if we understand and communicate with each other.

 B. People don’t know how differences are caused.

 C. It is only differences that can solve man’s problems.

 D. Man is man everywhere but not woman.

We hear a lot about ten pregnancies and abortions. The word “abortion” brings varied images but the word “pregnancy” paints a baby. Everyone knows what a baby is but the difficult question is, when is a baby a baby?

In the first months of pregnancy, called the first trimester, vital organs are being formed. Three months after fertilization, the egg has already divided and is securely attached to the mother. Two weeks later, a simple brain, spine, nervous system and the beginning of some major organs are formed. By week seven, the face and other organs are forming and the heart starts to pump blood. A week later, the face is recognizable, and all the major internal organs are developed in their simple forms. The tongue is formed and fingers are distinct. It moves a lot but many women may not even know they are pregnant. By week twelve, all the internal organs are formed and most are working. Tiny little fingernails and toenails are growing and the baby can curl his toes, make a fist, frown, purse his lips, open and close his mouth, suck, swallow and urinate. Most abortion occurs during this stage of pregnancy.

In the second three months, the second trimester, eyebrows, eyelashes and hair are growing. The heart can be heard with a special device. Arms and legs are well developed. The baby is very active and can respond to noises outside the womb. By the end of this trimester, the limbs are well-developed and the baby tries them out regularly. He can also cough and hiccup. Some abortion are still performed at this stage of pregnancy.

In the final stretch before birth, the third trimester, the baby can already feel and respond very much like a full term baby. Born now, it can survive with special care. In some cases, abortions are still performed at this stage. In fact, in certain countries, partial birth aborted is practiced in which the baby is aborted prior to birth.

Killing a baby outside a mother’s womb, newborn or older, healthy or sickly, is a crime called infanticide. Thus arises the question of when does a baby’s life begin? When is abortion the scraping away of unwanted cells and when is it the snuffing out the flame of life? Is there a magical point somewhere in which a mass of cells becomes a rightful individual? Does birthing somehow mysteriously and instantly confer personhood to a fetus? Moreover, on whose definition and authority does a baby receive the right to complete its quest for life outside the womb? Truly, these are heart questions that each must answer.

The word “pregnancy”         .

is a painting of a baby.            B. brings to mind the image of a baby.

C. is a famous painting of a baby.        D. is the art of drawing a baby.

Which of the following is true within the first months of pregnancy?         .

A. All the vital organs are formed.

B. The egg becomes fertilized.

C. The egg becomes securely attached to the womb.

D. The egg has become more than one egg.

The first trimester of pregnancy represents         .

A. the final preparation for the birth of the baby.

B. the most important stage for developing al the vital organs.

C. the determining of whether the baby will be a boy girl.

D. the addition of details and refinement to the baby.

The second trimester of pregnancy represents         .

the final preparation for the birth of the baby.

the most important stage for developing all the vital organs.

the determining of whether the baby will be a boy or a girl.

the addition of details and refinement to the baby.

The third trimester of pregnancy represents         .

the final preparation for the birth of the baby.

the most important stage for developing all the vital organs.

the determining of whether the baby will be a boy or girl.

the addition of details and refinement to the baby.