DNA is the whole “map” of the human body. It is something that all humans have, and it tells the body what to do. DNA is the reason that we look like our parents, because we get some of their DNA to make our own.
People have been trying to understand the human body for a long time, In1860, Mr Mendel discovered why we look the same as other people in our family. It is because of small things called “genes”(基因) in our body. In 1953, two scientists, Watson and Crick, found out that those small parts are really messages . They’re written in the DNA with a special language.
In1961, another two scientists found the first “word” that they could understand in that language. It shows how DNA tells the cell﹙细胞﹚to build its parts. So far, scientists have found all the words in the DNA map, but we still do not understand what they all do. By understanding what just one “word ”means, we can help to save people from several illness. So the more we understand, the more doctors will be able to do.
Most people hope that this will help to make better medicine and help sick people. Other people worry that when we learn more “words” and find out more information, we will use it in the wrong way, just to make people more attractive (有吸引力的),or stop sick people getting jobs.
【小题1】When did Mr Mendel discover why we look the same as other people in our family?
A. In 2000. B. In 1961 C. In 1953 D In 1860
【小题2】What did the two scientists find in 1961? They found_____.
| A.all the words in the DNA map |
| B.Small things called “genes” in our body |
| C.The first “word” they could understand in that language |
| D.those small parts are written in the DNA with a special language |
| A.Make better medicine. | B.Make them get jobs. |
| C.Make maps for them. | D.Make them attractive |
| A.We look like our parents because of “genes” in our body |
| B.We have understand what all the words in the DNA map do |
| C.DNA is the whole “map” of the human body. |
| D.DNA tells the cell to build its parts. |
| A.It can be only bad | B.It can be only good |
| C.It can be good but won’t work | D.It can be good and bad |
In the 13th century, the famous Italian traveler, Marco Polo, traveled a long way to China. During his stay in China, he saw many wonderful things. One of the things he discovered was that the Chinese used paper money. In Western countries, people did not use paper money until the 15th century. However, people in China began to use paper money in the 7th century.
A Chinese man called Cai Lun invented paper almost 2000 years ago. He made it from wood. He took the wood from trees and made it into paper. He then put these pieces of paper together and made them into a book.
Now paper still comes from trees. We use a lot of paper every day. If we keep on wasting so much paper, there will not be any trees left on the earth. If there are no trees, there will be no paper. Every day, people throw away about 2,800 tons of paper in our city. It takes 17 trees to make one ton of paper. This means that we are cutting nearly 48,000 trees every day. Since it takes more than 10 years for a tree to grow, we must start using less paper now. If we don’t, we will not give enough time to grow more trees to take the place of those we use for paper.
So how can we save paper? We can use both sides of every piece of paper, especially then we are making notes. We can choose drinks in bottles instead of those in paper packets. We can also use cotton handkerchief and not paper ones. When we go shopping, we can use fewer paper bags. If the shop assistant does give us a paper, we can save it and reuse it later.
Everyone can help to save paper. If we all think carefully, we can help protect trees. But we should do it now, before it is too late.
【小题1】 When he was in China, Marco Polo ________.
| A.saw many wonderful things |
| B.read a lot of books |
| C.discovered Cai Lun invented paper |
| D.learned to make paper |
| A.48,000 | B.1,700 | C.2,000 | D.2,800 |
| A.To use cotton handkerchiefs instead of paper ones. |
| B.To grow more trees. |
| C.To use both sides of very piece of paper. |
| D.To use the paper bags from shops more than once. |
| A.About 48,000 trees can be used to make 2,800 tons of paper. |
| B.If we keep on wasting paper, we will have no paper to use. |
| C.The Chinese used paper money much earlier than the people in western countries. |
| D.It is never too late to plant trees for paper. |
| A.Cotton Handkerchiefs Back Again |
| B.Cai Lun, the Great Inventor |
| C.Saving Paper |
| D.The history of Paper |
It is easy for us to tell who our family members are, but do plants recognize(识别) their own family? Some do, scientists say, according to a report by Science News in early 2010.
Guillermo P. Murphy and Susan Dudley are two plant scientists from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. They did a few experiments with Jewelweeds, a kind of flower that grows in wet, shady spots. They found that the flowers seem to know their own flower family. In their experiments, Murphy and Dudley planted jewelweeds in pots with either siblings or strangers.
When jewelweeds were planted in pots with strangers, the plants started to grow more leaves than if they had been planted alone. This response(反应)suggests that plants are competing with strangers for sunlight, since a plant with more leaves can receive more light and make more food. Jewelweeds usually grow in the shade, where sunlight is not enough.
When jewelweed seedlings(幼苗)were planted with siblings, they grew a few more branches than they usually would if they were alone – but they did not start growing lots of extra leaves. This behavior suggests the plants are more likely to share resources, rather than compete.
According to the Science News report, Jewelweeds are not the first plants that plant scientists have studied for family recognition. In 2007, Dudley and her team studied the Great Lakes sea rocket, a plant that grows on the beach – where it may be hard to get fresh water. In that experiment, the scientists found that when sea rockets were planted with siblings, they tolerated each other. But when they were planted with strangers, the sea rockets reacted by working extra hard to grow lots of roots.
Dudley says this just because sea rockets, on the beach, get plenty of sun but struggle for water – so when they’re threatened, they compete for water. Jewelweeds have plenty of water but have to compete for sunshine, so they grow more leaves.
【小题1】 What does the underlined word siblings mean?
| A.Flowers come from foreign countries. |
| B.Plants growing in different environments. |
| C.Flowers planted with lots of strangers. |
| D.Plants that are the same kind. |
| A.make a comparison | B.introduce a topic |
| C.describe a pretty flower | D.build a new theory |
| A.grow more leaves than those planted in groups |
| B.become taller than those with more branches |
| C.grow fewer leaves than those planted with strangers |
| D.become ill easily because they can’t get enough shade |
| A.New Discoveries about Plants |
| B.How Plants Compete with Each Other |
| C.Family Recognition among Plants |
| D.Jewelweeds and the Great Lakes Sea Rockets |
Not all memories (记忆)are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Wars and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and mental scars. Often they appear again in dreams.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill(药丸), which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce(减少), or possibly erase(抹去) the effect of sad memories.
In November, some scientists tested a drug(药) on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body producing chemicals(化学品) that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the mental effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.
The research has caused plenty of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers’ troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
“Some memories can destroy(破坏) people’s lives. They come back to you when you don’t want to have them in a dream. They usually come with very sad feeling.” said Roger Pitman, a scientist of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “This could relieve(减轻) a lot of that suffering.”
But those who are against the research say that it is very dangerous to change memories because memories give us our identity(特质). They also help us all get away from the mistakes of the past.
“All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were terrible at the time but make us who we are. I’m not sure we want to erase those memories,” said Rebecca Dresser.
【小题1】The passage is mainly about __________.
| A.a new medical invention |
| B.a new research on memories |
| C.a way of erasing sad memories |
| D.an argument about the research on the pill |
| A.cause the brain to fix memories |
| B.stop people remembering their experiences |
| C.prevent body producing certain chemicals |
| D.erase the emotional effects of memories |
| A.good stories | B.sad feelings |
| C.experiences | D.memories |
| A.Some memories can destroy people’s lives. |
| B.People want to get away from bad memories. |
| C.Experiencing bad events makes us different from others. |
| D.The pill will reduce people’s sufferings from bad memories. |
Have you ever been ill? When you are ill, you must be unhappy because your body becomes hot, and there are pains all over your body. You don’t want to work, and you stay in bed, feeling very sad.
What makes us ill? It is germs(细菌). Germs are everywhere. They are very small and you can’t find them with your eyes, but you can see them with a microscope(显微镜). They are very very small and there could be hundreds of them on a very small thing.
Germs are always found in dirty water. When we look at dirty water under the microscope, we shall see them in it. So your father and mother will not let you drink dirty water.
Germs can be found not only in water but also in air and dust(灰尘). If you cut your finger, if some of the dust from the floor goes into the cut(割开处), some of the germs would go into your finger. Your finger would become big and red, and you will have much pain in it. Sometimes the germs would go into all of your body, and you would have pain everywhere.
【小题1】Which of the following is true?
| A.If things are very very small, they are germs. |
| B.If things can’t be seen, they must be germs. |
| C.Germs are only in dirty water. |
| D.Germs are everywhere around us. |
| A.You haven’t looked at it carefully. |
| B.Water can’t be drunk in this way. |
| C.There must be lots of germs in it. |
| D.Water will make you ill. |
| A.Germs may make us ill. |
| B.Germs are in dirty water. |
| C.Don’t drink dirty water. |
| D.Take care of your fingers. |
阅读短文,从所给的选项中选择四个句子完成短文,使其文理通顺。(有一项多余)
Imagine a normal day: you go to work, return home, and maybe buy somethings on your way home.【小题1】. For a large number of people, the answer to that question is zero.
Ever since the Industrial Revolution(工业革命)began, many changes have taken place in our world.【小题2】.
Want to buy a pair of shoes? An MP3 player? A book? It’s only a few clicks(点击) away. Need a computer? A gift? A tennis racket? Click. No need to even leave your house.【小题3】And the quality of crops that are grown and harvested(收割) by computers is getting better.
You are probably booking (预定) your hotel room online. When can we choose our own rooms and get our keys by ourselves? We also hope that everything we want to buy at the supermarket will be ready for us when we arrive.【小题4】Researchers have already designed a robot to correctly find your preferred beer and bring it to you.
Will human jobs be completely done by robots? We don’t know. But computers are doing more and more jobs for humans.
【小题5】How many examples of ways of doing things does the author pick up to show the advantages of computers?
A. Five. B. Four. C. Six. D. Three.
| A. On the farm, machines are used, and more and more farm jobs can be done by machines. B. In a factory, workers are busy making products. C. Many jobs done by humans in the past are now being done by technology(技术) instead. D. How many people do you have to talk with to do those everyday tasks? E. In fact, a restaurant in China recently started using some robots to serve people. |