Have you seen Jurassic Park? In this film, scientists use DNA kept for tens of millions of years to clone dinosaurs. They find trouble, however, when they realize that the cloned creatures are smarter and more dangerous than expected. That’s nothing more than a fiction.

     But could we really clone endangered animals?

     To date, the most successful attempt to do so was the cloning of a gaur, a rare ox-like animal from southeast Asia. Scientists used a cow to bring the cloned baby gaur, named Noah. Two days after birth, however, Noah died from a common bacterial infection. Other endangered species that may be cloned include the African bongo antelope (邦戈羚羊), the Sumatran tiger, the cheetah (猎豹), and the giant panda.     Next, could we really clone extinct animals?

     In theory? Yes. To do this, you need a well-kept source of DNA from the extinct animals such as wool mammoth (毛象), Tasmanian tiger, or even dinosaur, and a closely related species, still living, which could serve as a surrogate mother.

     In reality? Probably not. On the one hand, it’s not likely that extinct animals’ DNA could survive undamaged for such a long time. Cloning extinct animals as wool mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, or dinosaur is much more difficult due to the lack of properly well-preserved DNA. On the other hand, for example, a gaur can have a cow as a surrogate mother, definitely not a monkey. But what about an extinct animals as unique as the panda? What species could possibly serve as a surrogate mother?

     Cloning presents many exciting possibilities. However, even if extinct animals are brought back, they could not survive in today’s world. Not only do most extinct animals have no habitat to love in, but the other plants and animals they depended on for food may also be gone as well.

1. It can be learned from the text that ________.

A. scientists have cloned the African bongo antelope

B. both the cheetah and the giant panda live in Asia

C. the gaur lives in Asia and is endangered 

D. the gaur is an extinct species

2. The underlined words “a surrogate mother” probably refer to a female who -----

A. contributes its eggs to another female   B. gives birth to a baby for another female

C. gives birth to a baby of its own        D. cannot give birth to a baby

3. The difficulty in cloning an extinct species is the lack of ______.

  A. both the well-preserved DNA and plants to live on

  B. both the habitat to live in and the well-preserved DNA

  C. both habitat to live in and plants to live on

  D. both the well-preserved DNA and a surrogate mother

4. In the author’s opinion, it is possible that ______.

  A. some extinct species may be cloned, but not survive

  B. extinct species may be cloned and easily survive

  C. a gaur can have a monkey as a surrogate mother

  D. all the extinct species may be cloned

5．Today , have scientists  cloned  dinosaus?

A .Yes    B .No    C .A lot  D.Only one.

     Have you seen Jurassic Park? In this film, scientists use DNA kept for tens of millions of years to clone dinosaurs. They find trouble, however, when they realize that the cloned creatures are smarter and more dangerous than expected. That’s nothing more than a fiction.

     But could we really clone endangered animals?

     To date, the most successful attempt to do so was the cloning of a gaur, a rare ox-like animal from southeast Asia. Scientists used a cow to bring the cloned baby gaur, named Noah. Two days after birth, however, Noah died from a common bacterial infection. Other endangered species that may be cloned include the African bongo antelope (邦戈羚羊), the Sumatran tiger, the cheetah (猎豹), and the giant panda.     Next, could we really clone extinct animals?

     In theory? Yes. To do this, you need a well-kept source of DNA from the extinct animals such as wool mammoth (毛象), Tasmanian tiger, or even dinosaur, and a closely related species, still living, which could serve as a surrogate mother.

     In reality? Probably not. On the one hand, it’s not likely that extinct animals’ DNA could survive undamaged for such a long time. Cloning extinct animals as wool mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, or dinosaur is much more difficult due to the lack of properly well-preserved DNA. On the other hand, for example, a gaur can have a cow as a surrogate mother, definitely not a monkey. But what about an extinct animals as unique as the panda? What species could possibly serve as a surrogate mother?

     Cloning presents many exciting possibilities. However, even if extinct animals are brought back, they could not survive in today’s world. Not only do most extinct animals have no habitat to love in, but the other plants and animals they depended on for food may also be gone as well.

1. It can be learned from the text that ________.

A. scientists have cloned the African bongo antelope

B. both the cheetah and the giant panda live in Asia

C. the gaur lives in Asia and is endangered 

D. the gaur is an extinct species

2. The underlined words “a surrogate mother” probably refer to a female who -----

A. contributes its eggs to another female   B. gives birth to a baby for another female

C. gives birth to a baby of its own        D. cannot give birth to a baby

3. The difficulty in cloning an extinct species is the lack of ______.

  A. both the well-preserved DNA and plants to live on

  B. both the habitat to live in and the well-preserved DNA

  C. both habitat to live in and plants to live on

  D. both the well-preserved DNA and a surrogate mother

4. In the author’s opinion, it is possible that ______.

  A. some extinct species may be cloned, but not survive

  B. extinct species may be cloned and easily survive

  C. a gaur can have a monkey as a surrogate mother

  D. all the extinct species may be cloned

5．Today , have scientists  cloned  dinosaus?

A .Yes    B .No    C .A lot  D.Only one.

Made from the hide (兽皮) of bushy-haired animals, fur is known as the first material used for clothing．It was used by early humans like the hominoids (类人猿) to keep warm during the winter season or when they traveled to cooler regions．Traditionally, animals were hunted down to produce fur coats．At present though, some animals like the mink (水貂) and the fox are bred and farmed for their fur．Now, wearing fur is considered a luxury because of its price and availability.

    Fur coats are produced and used all over the world especially in cooler countries like Russia and Northern Europe．These are usually made from the fur of bigger animals like bears, wolves and foxes which are hunted down for their meat and hide．Because of this, several of their species have become endangereD．Yet, until now, there has been no law passed to regulate the fur industry．That’s why Animal rights groups, including stars, continue to campaign against fur clothing including fur coat manufacturing.

    Dennis Rodman is the first man, and the first sports star, to do a photo shoot for PETA’s “Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” series.

    During the Fashion Week of NYC in 2005, Rodman came not to sit in the front row at a show, but to unveil his provocative (挑衅的, 震动的) new PETA advertisement．In the very tents where designers were pushing fur．In PETA’s advertisement, Rodman appears nude (赤裸的) --- except for his tattoos --- alongside the caption ( 插图说明), ” Think Ink, Not Mink,” and urges :” Be comfortable in your own skin and let animals keep theirs.”

    Rodman watched Pamela Anderson’s three-minute video showing how animals live and die before being made into fur coats．“If you actually look at the video firsthand, it gives you a different perspective on animals and how they’re treateD．It’s heart-wrenching to see what they go through,” he saiD．

56．According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true ?

A．People raise minks and foxes to get their fur.

B．Early humans used fur to keep warm.

C．There are blanks in legal system to regulate the fur industry.

D．Many species have been extinct because of the need for fur.

57．By quoting the example of Dennis Rodman, the author intends to show that _______ .

A．Stars take advantage of every opportunity to make themselves famous

B．Stars are less likely to wear fur.

C．More and more stars have taken part in the campaign against fur clothing.

D．Stars belong to Animal rights groups.

58．The underlined word “heart-wrenching” in the last paragraph most probably means __________ .

A．upset and painful      B．surprising    

C．interesting     D．encouraging.

59．What is the best title for this passage ?

A．Fur Industry   B．Campaign Against Fur Clothing

C．Animals Are Endangered  D．An Animal Rights Activist

Made from the hide (兽皮) of bushy-haired animals, fur is known as the first material used for clothing．It was used by early humans like the hominoids (类人猿) to keep warm during the winter season or when they traveled to cooler regions．Traditionally, animals were hunted down to produce fur coats．At present though, some animals like the mink (水貂) and the fox are bred and farmed for their fur．Now, wearing fur is considered a luxury because of its price and availability.

    Fur coats are produced and used all over the world especially in cooler countries like Russia and Northern Europe．These are usually made from the fur of bigger animals like bears, wolves and foxes which are hunted down for their meat and hide．Because of this, several of their species have become endangereD．Yet, until now, there has been no law passed to regulate the fur industry．That’s why Animal rights groups, including stars, continue to campaign against fur clothing including fur coat manufacturing.

    Dennis Rodman is the first man, and the first sports star, to do a photo shoot for PETA’s “Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” series.

    During the Fashion Week of NYC in 2005, Rodman came not to sit in the front row at a show, but to unveil his provocative (挑衅的, 震动的) new PETA advertisement．In the very tents where designers were pushing fur．In PETA’s advertisement, Rodman appears nude (赤裸的) --- except for his tattoos --- alongside the caption ( 插图说明), ” Think Ink, Not Mink,” and urges :” Be comfortable in your own skin and let animals keep theirs.”

    Rodman watched Pamela Anderson’s three-minute video showing how animals live and die before being made into fur coats．“If you actually look at the video firsthand, it gives you a different perspective on animals and how they’re treateD．It’s heart-wrenching to see what they go through,” he saiD．

56．According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true ?

A．People raise minks and foxes to get their fur.

B．Early humans used fur to keep warm.

C．There are blanks in legal system to regulate the fur industry.

D．Many species have been extinct because of the need for fur.

57．By quoting the example of Dennis Rodman, the author intends to show that _______ .

A．Stars take advantage of every opportunity to make themselves famous

B．Stars are less likely to wear fur.

C．More and more stars have taken part in the campaign against fur clothing.

D．Stars belong to Animal rights groups.

58．The underlined word “heart-wrenching” in the last paragraph most probably means __________ .

A．upset and painful      B．surprising    

C．interesting     D．encouraging.

59．What is the best title for this passage ?

A．Fur Industry   B．Campaign Against Fur Clothing

C．Animals Are Endangered  D．An Animal Rights Activist

Conservationists have unveiled plans to preserve and protect the world's most important species of coral, in a response to increasing threats that they say will lead to "functional extinction" within decades．
Led by scientists at the Zoological Society of London, the Edge Coral Reefs project has identified 10 coral species in most urgent risk of becoming extinct．The scientists say that reefs are under pressure from a variety of threats including rising sea temperatures due to climatic instability, increased acidity（酸性）, overfishing and pollution．
The Edge plan, which focuses on the most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species , will take a regional approach to conservation．This means focusing on the "coral triangle" around the Philippines, the West Indian Ocean around the Mozambique channel, and in the Caribbean channel．
"Coral reefs are threatened with functional extinction in the next 20-50 years, due predominantly to global climatic instability," said Catherine Head, coordinator of the reefs project．"In these regions, we'll be supporting and training in-country conservationists to carry out research and implement targeted conservation actions," she said．"Their projects will last initially for two years．We provide them with a whole host of tools to carry out their projects including funding and intensive training．" She added．
Coral reefs are the planet's most diverse marine ecosystem（生态系统）, known as the rainforests of the oceans．Despite taking up under 0．2% of the ocean floor, they provide food and shelter for almost a third of all sea life．If we lose the ecosystems, we lose not only the biodiversity （生物多样性）, but we also lose the capability of people to obtain income and food from coral reefs．
Climatic instability, which leads to rising sea temperatures, causes corals to bleach．Bleaching occurs when sea temperatures rise and this causes the coral tissue to expel their symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae - these are what give the coral their colour．Bleached corals often die if the stress continues．Among the 10 species chosen to start the Edge project are the pearl bubble coral, a food source for the hawksbill（玳瑁）turtle, and the Mushroom coral, which supports at least 15 brightly colored fish．

1. 1.

   What does the first paragraph mean in the passage ?

   1. A.
      Conservationists planned to preserve and protect some extinct corals years ago．
   2. B.
      Conservationists have banned plans to protect endangered corals for years．
   3. C.
      Conservationists are going to protect corals that are dying out in several ten years．
   4. D.
      Conservationists have made plans to protect corals from being extinct in ten years．
2. 2.

   What will probably happen to coral species with the increasing threats?

   1. A.
      Decrease．
   2. B.
      Losing functions
   3. C.
      Disappearance．
   4. D.
      Existence
3. 3.

   Which of the following statements about the Edge Plan is TRUE?

   1. A.
      The Edge Coral Reefs project was carried out by American scientists．
   2. B.
      The plan concentrates on the channels to protect the endangered species．
   3. C.
      The Conservationists have carried out the Edge plan for many years to protect the corals．
   4. D.
      Ten coral species chosen by the project are at the greatest risk of becoming extinct．
4. 4.

   Which of the following will be the consequence of coral extinction in the passage?

   1. A.
      We will keep the balance of the marine ecosystems．
   2. B.
      About one third of the marine species can't survive．
   3. C.
      Man can benefit more from corals．
   4. D.
      We will lose the rainforests on our earth．
5. 5.

   What is the best title of the passage?

   1. A.
      Climatic Instability and Coral Extinction
   2. B.
      Reasons for Coral Functional Extinction．
   3. C.
      A Plan to Save Coral from Extinction
   4. D.
      A Research about Endangered Coral Reefs．