Babies made from three people approved in UKB...

Babies made from three people approved in UK

Babies made from two women and one man have been approved by the UK’s fertility regulator. The historic and controversial move is to prevent children from being born with deadly genetic diseases.

Doctors in Newcastle — who developed the advanced form of In Vitro Fertilization or IVF (人工授精) — are expected to be the first to offer the procedure and have already appealed for donor eggs. The first such child could be born, at the earliest, by the end of 2017.

Some families have lost multiple children to incurable mitochondrial (线粒体的) diseases, which can leave people with insufficient energy to keep their heart beating.

The diseases are passed down from only the mother, so a technique using a donor egg as well as the mother’s egg and father’s sperm has been developed.

The resulting child has a tiny amount of their DNA from the donor, but the procedure is legal and reviews say it is ethical (伦理的) and scientifically ready.

“It is a decision of historic importance,” said Sally Cheshire, chairwoman of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). “I’m sure patients will be really pleased by what we’ve decided today.”

But some scientists have questioned the ethics of the technique, saying it could open the door to genetically-modified(转基因) ‘designer’ babies.

The HFEA must approve every clinic and every patient before the procedure can take place. Three-person babies have been allowed only in cases where the risk of a child developing mitochondrial disease is very high.

Prof Mary Herbert, from the Newcastle Fertility Centre, said, “It is enormously pleasing that our many years of research in this area can finally be applied to help families affected by these devastating diseases”.

“Now that we are moving forward towards clinical treatments, we will also need donors to donate eggs for use in treatment to prevent affected women transmitting disease to their children.”

Prof Sir Doug Turnbull, the director of the Welcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University, said, “We are delighted by today’s decision. We will also provide long-term follow up of any children born.”

NHS England has agreed to fund the treatment costs of the first trial of three-person IVF for those women who meet the HFEA criteria, as long as they agree to long-term follow up of their children after they are born.

1.Why is it historically important to approve babies made from three people?

A.It helps couples who lose the ability to give birth to a baby.

B.It marks a foundation stone to change babies’ appearances before birth.

C.It stops deadly genetic diseases passing down to newly-born babies.

D.It turns out to be an advanced form of In Vitro Fertilization.

2.Which of the following is TRUE about mitochondrial diseases?

A.They pass down on to babies from their parents.

B.They prevent people’s heart from functioning normally.

C.Some children infected can be cured with proper treatment.

D.Babies can be infected with them through a donor’s egg.

3.How can a clinic or a patient be approved of applying the three-person baby technique?

A.Only when the baby to be born needs it to survive.

B.Only when the patient gets financially prepared.

C.Only when the clinic gets scientifically ready.

D.Only when the technique is ethnically accepted.

4.What is the author’s attitude towards the approval of babies made from three people?

A.Supportive B.Indifferent C.Worried D.Objective

高二英语阅读选择困难题查看答案及解析

In 2009, Dr. Kathleen Wermke and her colleagues made headlines with a study showing that French and German newborns produce distinctly different “cry melodies,” reflecting the languages they heard in womb (子宫). Today, Dr. Wermke’s lab houses a collection of around a half-million recordings of babies from as far a field as Cameroon and China.

The analysis of these recordings has produced further insights into the factors that shape a baby’s first sounds. Newborns whose mothers speak tonal languages, such as Mandarin, tend to produce more complex cry melodies. Swedish newborns, whose native language has what linguists call a “pitch accent,” produce more sing-songy cries.

Hearing and imitating are fundamental to language development. By the third trimester, a fetus (胎儿) can hear the rhythm and melody of its mother’s voice — known as “prosody”. It is the defining characteristic of language for the fetus. After they are born, young babies mimic many different sounds. But they are especially shaped by the prosody they heard in the womb, which becomes a handy guide to the strange sounds coming from the people around them. Through stress, pauses and other clues, prosody cuts up the stream of sound into words and phrases – that is, into speech.

“These studies redouble the lab’s broader effort to map the typical development of a baby’s cries, as well as vocalizations like cooing and babbling.” Dr. Kathleen Wermke said. “Knowing what typical development looks like and what factors can influence it helps doctors address potential problems early on.”

1.The underlined word “mimic” in Paragraph 3 refers to ______.

A.imitate B.learn

C.hear D.gain

2.What is Dr. Kathleen Wermke’s attitude towards the studies？

A.Ambiguous B.Doubtful

C.Neutral D.Approving

3.What would be the best title for the text?

A.Mandarin is the most complex tonal language

B.Swedish newborns produce more simple cry sounds.

C.Newborn babies cry in different languages

D.Hearing is fundamental to language development

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

In his speech, Marks made the point ______ far more people died from smoking than from taking drugs.

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

A woman in her 60s　　　　　　 gave birth to two test tube babies three years ago, after her only daughter died of gas poisoning.

A．slightly　　　　 B．eventually　　　　 C．approximately　　　 D．directly

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

College helps students dream of more than a salary

From the earliest days of our country, education has been seen as the foundation for our future. 1. . Is investing in a college or university education still worth it?

2.. Students who graduate from college can expect to make about 60% more than those who do not, well over a million dollars over a lifetime. But what about the benefits of college that are more difficult to measure?

College is a passport to different places, different times, and different ways of thinking - - from learning new languages to considering the arc of human history to diving deep into the building blocks of matter. It gives students a chance to understand themselves differently.

3., One of the most important ways students learn at college is by interacting with people who are different from themselves. I recall a freshman who wasn't sure if he would ft in at a new college far away from his hometown. However, one night he found himself debating about the characteristics that define a real hero with other admitted students from around the world. 4., but the differences were what made the conversation exciting, and he realized how much he could learn at a place full of engaging people with a wide range of viewpoints.

College teaches students the virtue of slowing down. No one denies the value of speed, connectivity and the virtual world in an economy that thrives (繁荣) on all three. But “thinking" is　 a word that is too often forgotten. College teaches students to slow down, to change information into insight and knowing into understanding. 5.. The result is that students grow in knowledge and in wisdom for a lifetime.

To conclude, investing in a college or university education is well worth it.

A.College introduces students to a new world

B.Yet its value is being increasingly questioned

C.It remains the same nowadays

D.It develops critical thinking

E.They had a heated discussion

F.Not everyone agreed

G.College education financially pays off

高二英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

Increased use of the Internet and mobile phones are undermining pupils’ capacity for independent study and promoting poor grammar, it was claimed.

Cranfield School of Management found almost six in 10 schoolchildren were copying information directly from websites for homework tasks without properly reading it.

More than a quarter thought it was an acceptable practice, even though they know it was considered plagiarism (剽窃). The study, based on a sample of around 260 pupils aged from 11 to 18 at a secondary school in the Midlands, raised fresh concerns that modern technology was having a destructive effect on young people. Andrew Kakabadse, professor of International Management Development at Cranfield, said, “Our research shows that technology obsession prevents spelling skills, encourages plagiarism, and disturbs classroom learning.

“Despite school policies restricting mobile phone usage, students use the phone frequently, with the majority making calls from the toilets. The mobile phone continues to be a main channel of social communication during the school day.”

The report revealed that so-called “text-speak’’ was increasingly finding it was into pupils’ school work. Three in 10 students admit to using text message shortcuts, such as “ruok” in essays and classroom tasks.

It followed a study earlier this year that found almost half of teachers failed to understand some pupils’ writing because it was so full of confusing language. Phrases such as “innit” and “Gr8” were regularly found in school work, it was claimed. The Cranfield study found that mobile use was so common that many pupils chose to ignore school rules on phones.

More than a third said they would use their mobile in class, while nearly three quarters said they would not even make an excuse to leave class to answer a phone call.

1.The underlined word “undermining” in the first paragraph can best be replaced by “_________”.

A.keeping B.determining

C.weakening D.increasing

2.It can be inferred from what Kakabadse said that _________.

A.he believes schools are responsible for technology obsession

B.he is in favour of students’ mobile phone usage at school

C.the research finds a new way to improve school management

D.it is hard to limit students’ mobile phone usage at school

3.The passage is mainly about _________.

A.technology’s positive influence on students’ achievement

B.the negative effect of technology on students’ study

C.the importance of online social communication

D.the rapidly growing role of communication technologies

4.What’s the attitude of the author to the problem?

A.Approving. B.Optimistic. C.Anxious. D.Tolerant.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

Do you know what a castle is? A castle is a building special to Europe. Castles were built in the Middle Ages by king and other powerful people who live in. Castles were used by people to protect themselves from their enemies. They are big buildings made form stone and wood.

Today there are still castles all over Europe. Some are in ruins. But some built later are still in good repair and used even today. One example is Windsor Castle, which is a home to the British queen. It is in the country or Berkshire, not far from London.

Castles have walls around them. In the old days, soldiers would stand on the walls to guard the people in the castle. If enemies came they would shoot arrows and throw stones at them. Castles also had moats. A moat is a river around the wall that makes it difficult for enemies to get in. It could be either dry or filled with water.

Other people from younger countries love European castles. In the US there are rich people who have brought broken parts of castles to their country and rebuilt them. And some people build “replica” castles — modern copies of Castle.

You probably know the Disneyland Castle in California, US. But did you know it is based on a famous castle in Germany built by King Ludwig Ⅱof Bavaria?

1.Which of the following is TRUE about the castle?

A.It is a special American building.

B.It is made from stone and paper.

C.Only king used to live in it.

D.People used it to protect themselves.

2.We can tell from the story that a moat is _______.

A.a wall B.a soldier

C.a river D.a stone

3.According to the passage we can know that_______.

A.there are castles only in some European countries now

B.in the US, there used to be castles in the Middle Ages

C.in the US, the people rebuilt the old castles or build the modern ones

D.the Disneyland castle is built in Germany

4.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A.The history of Windsor castles. B.Facts about castles.

C.The king and the castles. D.How to build castles.

高二英语阅读选择简单题查看答案及解析

The Kendama World Cup

Old-fashioned fun is making a comeback!

Many kids are putting down their electronic devices and picking up an ancient toy. It is called a kendama, and it possibly dates back to the 16th century.

The kendama is a small wooden hammer with three cup-shaped ends and a spike on top. A wooden ball with a center hole is attached by string to the hammer. The goal is to make the ball land in a cup or on the spike. It sounds simple, but there are over 1,000 kendama techniques and tricks to master.

The game’s popularity began to grow after the Japan Kendama Association was started in 1975. Today all ages participate in various competitions, including the Kendama World Cup(KWC).

The two-year-old event, which opens in Hatsukaichi, attracts people from all over the world. Players choose 10 different tricks from an approved list. They are then awarded points corresponding to the level of each trick.

A new Kendama World Cup winner will be named tomorrow in this popular sporting event.

1.What does “old-fashioned fun” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A.An old cup. B.An ancient game.

C.A clever trick. D.An electronic device.

2.What does a Kendama look like?

A. B.

C. D.

3.What does the last but one paragraph imply?

A.Every KWC lasts two years. B.The KWC is held every two years.

C.Players can choose tricks freely. D.Different tricks get different points.

4.What do we know from the last paragraph?

A.A new KWC is being on. B.The winner of this KWC is very popular.

C.The Kendama is newly-born. D.KWC will be named after the new winner.

高二英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析

When Chinese researchers successfully figured out the genetic structure of the novel coronavirus in January, many people thought a vaccine(疫苗) would soon follow.　 1.　　

First, scientists must work together to understand the structure of the virus and develop potential vaccines to fight against it.　 2.　 After passing animal tasting, clinical trials of the vaccine are then done on humans. Finally the vaccine needs to be approved by officials before it can be made available to the public. All of the steps are necessary to make sure that the new vaccine is safe for people to use.　 3.　 With technological advancements and government funding (资金), the time it takes to develop vaccines can be reduce.

CEPI, an international organization that develops vaccine, for example, is funding programs that focus on making a vaccine for the novel coronavirus. About 35 companies and academic institutions, including the US company Moderna, funded by CEPI, are searching for a COVID-19 vaccine.　 4.　 Once a vaccine is ready, 100 million doses (剂量) could be made within a year, according to Modena’s CEO Stephane Bancel.

5.　 Not only do they help to save individual lives, but they also help the local and even the global community.

A.This is why a vaccine is developed.

B.But that’s a lot easier said than done.

C.However, experts say vaccines are unlikely to be available

D.Once these first vaccines are made, they are tested on animals.

E.Sometimes, this process can take as long as 10 to 15 years to complete.

F.Even though vaccines take a long time to develop, they are very important.

G.A few have begun testing in animals, while Moderna’s attempt has started human trials.

高二英语七选五困难题查看答案及解析

From my experience, there are three main reasons why people don’t cook more often: ability, money and time, ___1._Money is a topic I’ll save for another day. So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen. Here are three tips for great cooking on a tight schedule:

Think ahead. The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I’m already hungry and there is nothing ready to eat. So think about of the coming week. When will you have time to cook? Do you have the right materials ready?____ 2.____

Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread? __3.__ it takes around the same amount of time to make more of something. So save yourself the effort for a future meal.

____4.____ This may surprise you, but one of the best tools for making cooking worth your time is experimentation（实验）. It gives you the chance to hit upon（发现，想到） new ideas and recipes（食谱） that can work well with your appetite（食欲，欲望） and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.

Hopefully that gives you a good start. ____5.__ and don’t let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!

A. Try new things.

B. Ability is easily improved.

C. Make three or four instead.

D. Understand your food better.

E. Cooking is a burden for many people.

F. Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden.

G. A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on.

高二英语其他题中等难度题查看答案及解析