( C )
Intel chairman Andy Grove has decided to cut the Gordian knot of the dispute on stem cell (干细胞) research by simply writing a check. The check, which he guaranteed last week, could be for as much as 55 million, depending on how many donors make gifts of between 550,000 and 5,500,000, which he has promised to match. It will be made out to the University' of California-San Francisco (UCSF).
Thanks in part to such private donations, university research into uses for human stem cells, the cells at the earliest stages of development that can form any body part, will continue in California. With private financial support, the state will be less likely to lose talented scientists who would be tempted to leave the field or even leave the country as research dependent on federal (联邦政府的)money slows to glacial (极慢的) pace.
Held back by limits President Bush placed on stem cell research a year ago, scientists are turning to labs that can carry out work without using federal money. This is awkward for universities, which must spend extra money building separate labs and keeping strict records proving no federal funds were involved. Grove's donation, a first step toward a $20 million target at UCSF, will relieve the burden.
The president's decision a year ago to allow research on already existing stem cell lines was portrayed as a reasonable compromise (折中办法) between scientists' needs for cells to work with, and concerns that this kind of research could lead to wholesale creation and destruction of human embryos (胚胎), cloned infants and a general disrespect for human life.
But Bush's effort to please both sides ended up pleasing neither. And it certainly didn't provide the basis for cutting edge research. Of the 78 existing stem cell lines which Bush said are all that science would ever need, only one is in this country (at the University of Wisconsin) and only five are ready for distribution to researchers. All were grown in conjunction with mouse cells, making future therapeutic ( 治疗的 ) uses unlikely.
The Bush administration seems bent on satisfying the small but vocal (直言不讳的) group of Americans who oppose stem cell research under any conditions. Fortunately, Groye and others are more interested in advancing scientific research that could benefit the large number of Americans who suffer from Parkinson's disease, nerve injuries, heart diseases and many other problems.
72. When Andy Grove decided to "cut the Gordian knot", he meant to_________.
A. put an end to stem cell research
B. end Intel's relations with Gordian
C. settle the argument on stem cell research
D. prohibit Gordian from doing stem cell research
73. According to Bush's decision, American universities had to_________ .
A. conduct the research in labs overseas B. abandon the research altogether
C. carry out the research secretly D. raise money to build separate labs
74. We may infer from the passage that future therapeutic uses of stem cells will be unlikely unless__________.
A. human stem cells are used in the research
B. a lot more private donations can be secured
C. more federal money is used for the research
D. talented scientists are involved in the research
75. The reason why Bush placed limits on stem cell research was that__________.
A. his administration was financially limited
B. he did not want to offend its opponents
C. it might lead to a disrespect for human life
D. it did not promise any therapeutic value
Section: C
Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.
|
A. Glass art
crafts are becoming popular. B. The physical feature of glass. C. Technology made glass bulbs affordable. D. Scientists' dreams cost millions. E. Architectural experiments with glass. F. The wide use of glass. |
76.
Glass, in one form or another, has long been in noble service to humans. As one of the most widely used of manufactured materials, it can be as impressive as a telescope mirror the width of a tennis court or as small and simple as a marble rolling across dirt. The uses of this adaptable material have been broadened dramatically by new technologies.
77.
Not all the glass technology that touches our lives is ultra-modern. Consider the simple light bulb; at the turn of the century most light bulbs were hand blown, and the cost of one was equal to half a day's pay for the average worker. In effect, the most light bulbs were hand blown, and the cost of one was equal to half a day's pay for the average worker. In effect, the invention of the ribbon machine by Corning in the 1920s lighted a nation. The price of a bulb plunged.
78._______________________
The secret of the adaptation of glass lies in its interior structure. Although it is hard, and thus like a solid, the atoms are arranged in a random disordered way, characteristic of a liquid. In the melting process, the atoms in the raw materials are disturbed from their normal position in the molecular (分子) structure. This looseness in molecular structure gives the material what engineers call tremendous "formability", which allows technicians to tailor glass to whatever they need.
79.________________________
The use of glass as art, a tradition dates back at least to Roman times, is booming. Nearly everywhere, it seems, men and women are blowing glass and creating works of art. "I didn't sell a piece of glass until 1975," Dale Chihuly said, smiling. For 18 years he has become one of the most financially successful artists of the 20th century. He now has a new commission, a glass sculpture for the headquarters building of a pizza company ---for which his fee is half a million dollars.
80. ____________________________
Today, scientists continue to experiment with new glass mixtures and building designers test their imaginations with applications of special types of glass. A London architect, Mike Davies, sees even more dramatic buildings using molecular chemistry. "Glass is the great building material of the future," he said. Think of how the tall buildings in New York could perform a symphony of colors as the glass in them is made to change colors instantly. Mike Davies's vision may indeed be on the way to fulfillment.
Section: D
Directions: Read the following passage and then complete the statements and answer the questions on the answer sheet.
On Oct.8, 1871, much of Chicago became an inferno. The fire began in or near the O'Leary family's barn. No one knows for certain how it started, but it developed into a big fire that consumed miles of city, killed about three hundred people, and left about one hundred thousand homeless. Many conditions may have contributed to the Great Chicago Fire.
Dry weather was one possible factor. The summer and autumn had been unusually dry, and 20 fires occurred the week before the Great Fire. Just the night before, the city's firefighters battled a severe fire, and many were exhausted. Besides firefighters' being very tired, the Chicago Fire Department was understaffed and inadequately equipped.
Also, most buildings were wooden, and many were crowded together. Even sidewalks were wooden, and rooftops were of shingles or tar --- both flammable (易燃的) materials. Interspersed between residences were warehouses and business, some containing paint and other flammable merchandise.
Although a citizen had surely sounded an alarm, the central alarm office had no record of it. Possibly the alarm failed to work properly. To make things worse, a watchman scanning the skies for fire misjudged the location and sent an alarm that caused firefighters to rush to an incorrect site. Realizing his error, the watchman tried to send a second alarm, but the telegraph dispatcher refused to allow it, fearing that it would confuse the firefighters. These errors caused the fire to grow quickly out of control before firefighters reached the scene.
Lacking telephones, radio and TV in 1871, few people in Chicago realized the severity of the fire until they had to scramble to escape it. Some people rushed into Lake Michigan to escape the flames, while others fled to the prairie or elsewhere. Meanwhile, troops and civilians blew up buildings to create a firebreak, hoping that it would contain the fire or, at least, slow its progress.
Strong winds blew burning ashes onto buildings and across the Chicago River, causing the fire to spread still farther. The fire lighted the oil and boats floating on the water and caused the gasworks to explode. It burned the wooden roof of the waterworks, which collapsed and destroyed the city's water pumps. Unless firefighters could pump water from the river or lake, they were helpless to stop the blaze. Just when it appeared that nothing would stop the big fire that roared through the city, rain fell on Oct. 10 and contained the fire.
(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS.)
Dry weather, flammable materials, and__________________ made the fire spread quickly.
The phrase "contain” in the passage most probably means " " .
What made these firefighters so tired before they began to put out the fire?
_________________________________________________
Why couldn't these firefighters get water to put out the fire?
__________________________________________________
第II卷 (共45分)