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Scientists have not come close to understanding all the different kinds of life on the planet, but US researcher Craig Venter is already working on creating the first artificial（人造的）life.

Venter and his researchers made a breakthrough late last month, They successfully moved the DNA of one type of bacteria(细菌) to a yeast cell（酵母）, changed it, then put it into another bacterial cell.

“Bacteria have systems that protect them from foreign DNA” Venter explained to the BBC, In the experiment, the team managed to block this system.

The experiment was performed on a simple type of bacteria celled mycoplasma mycoides. The team took the bacteria’s genes and put them into a yeast cell.

Putting a DNA in a yeast cell allowed the team to change the genes in this case, taking out a gene that was not necessary for the bacteria to live.   

They then put the gene into a host bacteria cell. The cell went on to divide normally, producing new healthy bacteria.

In January, the team created artificial genes of a new type of bacteria. Their next goal is to put the artificial DNA into a host cell to create a new species, according to a report in Science magazine.

“lf we don’t make any errors, I think it should work and we should have the first artificial species by the end of the year.” Venter said in the report.

The first artificial life form is likely to be a simple man-made bacteria, to prove that the technology can work.. But that form will be followed by more complex bacteria that turn coal into cleaner natural gas, or algae  that can take in carbon dioxide and change it into fuel.

Many scientists think it’s good news to have this artificial life, but others are worried that the technology to create new organisms might end up in the wrong hands, with dangerous result.

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

A  Bacteria have systems that protect them from yeast cell.

B  If we put a gene into a host bacteria cell,the cell will not go on to divide as usual.

C  Venter and his researchers completely achieved all their goals.

D  All the scientists didn’t agree to this artificial life.

58. What can we learn from the underlined sentences?

A. Venter and his researchers had succeeded in this project.

B. Venter predicted that they would make errors in the future,so he decided to give it up.

C. Venter would go on the study and he was full of confidence.

D. Venter was a clearer man but a little shy.

59. Which of the following shows the order of the passage ?

1.change the genes

2. put the gene into a host bacteria cell

3. moved the DNA of one type of bacteria to a yeast cell

4. The cell went on to divide normally

5. put it into another bacteria cell

A. 3-5-1-4-2     .               B. 3-5-1-2-4   C. 4-2-5-1-3                      D. 2-3-5-1-4

60.What will be mentioned in the next paragraph?

A. The wrong hands that created by the artificial life.

B. The advantages and disadvantages about the artificial life.

C. The future about this project.

D. The author’s attitude.

C
Our brains work in complex and strange ways．There are some people who can calculate the day of the week for any given date in 40,000 years, but who cannot add two plus two．Others can perform complex classical piano pieces after hearing them once, but they cannot read or write．
Dr．J．Langdon Down first described this condition in 1887．He called these people idiot savants．An idiot savant is a person who has significant mental impairment （损伤） , such as in autism or retardation．At the same time, the person also exhibits some extraordinary skills, which are unusual for most people．The skills of the savant may vary from being exceptionally gifted in music or in mathematics, or having a photographic memory．
One of the first descriptions of a human who could calculate quickly was written in 1789 by Dr．Benjamin Rush, an American doctor．His patient, Thomas Fuller, was brought to Virginia as a slave in 1724．It took Thomas only 90 seconds to work out that a man who has lived 70 years, 17 days, and 12 hours has lived 2,210,500,800 seconds．Despite this ability, he died in 1790 without ever learning to read or write．
Another idiot savant slave became famous as a pianist in the 1860s．Blind Tom had a vocabulary of only 100 words, but he played 5 ,000 musical pieces beautifully．
In the excellent movie Rain Man, made in 1988 and available on video cassette, Dustin Hoffman plays an idiot savant who amazes his brother played by Tom Cruise, with his ability to perform complex calculations very rapidly．
Today we more clearly recognize that the idiot savant is special because of brain impairment．Yet not all brain impairment leads to savant skills．Some studies have shown that people who have purposeful interruption of the left side of the brain can develop idiot savant skills．However few people wish to participate in such experiments．There are many excellent reasons for not undergoing unnecessary experimentation on one's brain．The term idiot savant is outdated and inappropriate．Virtually all savants have a high degree of intelligence and are thus not idiots．
63．What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．Idiot savants have areas of outstanding abilities．
B．Human Beings have complicated thinking process．
C．The brains of the idiot savants are partly impaired．
D．The reasons why people have wonderful skills vary．
64．Which of the following can be done by Rain Man?
A．He can play wonderful pieces of classical music．
B．He can guess out exactly the length of a man's life．
C．He can memorize the contents of the pictures fast．
D．He can count matches dropped on the floor quickly．
65．What can you infer from the passage?
A．Idiot savants have real talents for art and math．
B．Dr．Down is the first person who found idiot savants．
C．Few people wish to risk becoming savants by brain operations．
D．Intentional left brain impairments will surely lead to idiot savants．
66．Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

1—5refer to paragraph 1—5.