When researchers made their first clone of an animal, Dolly the Sheep, in 1997, one doctor said,“The genie(妖怪)is out of the bottle．”But then he tried to actually create the“genie”by making a human clone．
Dr．Panayiotis Zavos told the public on October 5 that he could create the first cloned human before the end of the year．He is an expert on human copying and raising from the University of Kentucky in the United States．
His workers have been stopped from carrying out research in most European Union countries, but Zavos said that fact was not slowing progress．
“It is going well enough so we may try the first production of cloned embryos(胚胎)in the very near future．That is, three or four months from now,”Cypriot-born Zavos said．He moved to the United States over 30 years ago．
Human cloning could, in effect, create a copy of another living or dead person．But Zavos insisted there was nothing harmful in the project．As an expert on human reproduction, he said he is only interested in helping couples who cannot naturally have babies to have a child．“We are not interested in cloning people like Bin Laden, Michael Jackson or Michael Jordan,”the doctor added．
“We are only interested in helping a father who does not have the ability to have a biological child of his own．”
Zavos said thousands of childless people from all over the world are helping in their research．He would not say where the research is under way, but indicated that it is in more than one country．
(1)
Which is the best title for this news report?
[ ]
A．
Dr．Panayiotis Zavos' Plan
B．
Nothing Harmful in Human Cloning
C．
First Human Clone May Arrive Soon
D．
Good News for Childless People
(2)
According to Dr．Zavos, ________．
[ ]
A．
it will take only three or four months to clone a human being
B．
human cloning could only produce a copy from a living person
C．
it is not dangerous to clone a human
D．
they would not clone famous people like Bin Laden and Michael Jordan
(3)
We can learn from the passage that ________．
[ ]
A．
most European countries forbid carrying out the research on human cloning
B．
Dr．Panayiotis Zavos is a native American
C．
a single man will soon have the ability to have a biological child of his own
D．
nobody supports Dr．Zavos' project
(4)
What did the doctor mean when he said“The genie is out of the bottle”?
[ ]
A．
A lot of bad things will be copied with the development of the clone technology．
B．
The development of the clone technology will bring harm to the human world．
C．
The development of the clone technology will bring good to the human world．
She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday．
Whe n it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder．She lived to the ripe old age of 122．So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span(寿命)?If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150－or beyond?
Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers．“Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135,”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas．
Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees．“People can live much longer than we think,”he says．“Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110．When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120．So why can’t we go higher?”
The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing．“Anyone can make up a number,”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan．“Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine．”
Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries?Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120．Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most．So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller,“adding another 50 percent would get you to 120．”
So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers?That life span is flexible(有弹性的)，but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington．“We can get flies to live 50 percent longer,”he says．“But a fly’s never going to live 150 years．”
“Of course, if you became a new species(物种)，one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story,”he adds．
Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve(进化)their way to longer life?“It’s pretty cool to think about it,”he says with a smile．
(1)
What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?
[ ]
A．
People can live to 122．
B．
Old people are creative．
C．
Women are sporty at 85．
D．
Women live longer than men．
(2)
According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ________．
[ ]
A．
the average human life span could be 110
B．
scientists cannot find ways to slow aging
C．
few people can expect to live to over 150
D．
researchers are not sure how long people can live
(3)
Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?
[ ]
A．
Jerry Shay．
B．
Steve Austad
C．
Rich Miller
D．
George Martin
(4)
What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?
[ ]
A．
Most of us could be good at sports even at 120．
B．
The average human life span cannot be doubled．
C．
Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before．
D．
New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species．
