题目内容
E
One reaction to all the concern about tropical deforestation(砍伐森林) is a blank stare that asks the question, "Since I don't live there, what does it have to do with me?"
The answer is that your way of life, wherever you live in the world, is tied to the tropics in many ways. If you live in a house, wash your hair, eat fruits and vegetables, drink soda, or drive a car, you can be certain that you are affected by the loss of tropical forests.
Biologically, we are losing the richest regions on earth when, each minute, a piece of tropical forest, the size of ten city blocks ,disappears. As many as five million species of plants, animals, and insects (40 to 50 percent of all living things) live there, and are being lost faster than they can be found and described. Their loss is immeasurable.
Take rubber for example. For many uses, only natural rubber from trees will do. Synthetics are not good enough. Today over half the world's commercial rubber is produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, while the Amazon's rubber industry produces much of the world's four million tons. And rubber is an important material in making gloves, balloons, footwear and many sporting goods. Thousands of other tropical plants are valuable for their industrial use.
Many scientists strongly believe that deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect -- or heating of the earth from increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As we destroy forests, we lose their ability to change carbon dioxide into oxygen.
Carbon dioxide levels could double within the next half-century, warming the earth by as much as 4.5 degrees. The result? A partial melt-down of polar ice caps, raising sea levels as much as 24 feet; even 15 feet could threaten anyone living within 35 miles of the coast. Unbelievable? Maybe. But scientists warn that by the time we realize the severe effects of tropical deforestation, it will be 20 years too late.
Can tropical deforestation affect our everyday lives? Now, you should have got the answer.
58.The underlined word "synthetics" probably means a kind of _________.
A.natural rubber B.tropical material C.man-made material D.tropical tree
59.In the last paragraph the author tries to__________.
A.tell people how to avoid the tropical deforestation
B.show us how important it is to protect the tropical forests
C.persuade people to buy something synthetic
D.let people realize the effect of tropical deforestation
60.The author's attitude towards the tropical deforestation is____________.
A.puzzling B.cold C.supporting D.opposed
58--60CBD
根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
__1____Painkillers in a tablet can make your headache go away. Antibiotic cream(抗生膏)from a tube can prevent your cuts from becoming infected. But can medicine come packaged in chicken eggs?
A team of scientists from Scotland says yes. They've engineered special chickens that lay eggs with disease-treating drugs inside.
_2____Animals make thousands of proteins—they’re the main ingredient in skin, hair, milk, and meat. Since animals can make proteins easily, they’re good candidates for making protein drugs.
Researchers have already made cows, sheep, and goats that pump out protein drugs in their milk. But chickens are not expensive to take care of; what’s more, they need less room, and grow faster than these other animals. “ __3____”says Simon Lillico of the Roslin Institute near Edinburgh, Scotland.
Lillico and a team of researchers changed chickens’ DNA—the code that tells cells how to make proteins so that the birds’ cells made two protein drugs. __4____
The scientists altered the chickens’ DNA so that the birds made these drugs only in their egg whites (蛋清). This protects the chickens’ bodies from the drugs’ possible harmful effects and makes it easy for scientists to collect the drugs.
These special chickens can pass on their drug-laying abilities to their chicks. __5____ The scientists need to improve these chickens before they roost (栖息) in drug companies’ labs. The birds don’t make enough drugs to treat people yet. But once the researchers perfect their technique, you might eventually take your medicine sunny-side up.
| A.Medicine comes in lots of different uses. |
| B.Those qualities could make chickens a better choice to become living drug factories. |
| C.So far, the Scottish researchers have bred five generations of drug—producing birds. |
| D.Some chickens are found having the ability of treating diseases. |
F. These drugs are made of molecules called proteins.
G. Medicine comes in lots of different packages.