Scientists in Argentina have created the worl...

Scientists in Argentina have created the world’s first cow with two human genes that will enable it to produce human-like milk.

Genetic engineering was used to introduce the "mothers’ milk" genes into the animal before birth, according to the National Institute of Agribusiness Technology in Buenos Aires.

As an adult, the cloned cow "will produce milk that is similar to that of humans", which will prove "a development of great importance for the nutrition of infants(婴儿)", said the institute. "The cloned cow, named Rosita ISA, is the first in the world with two human genes that contain the proteins present in human milk," said the statement.

In April, scientists in China published details of research showing that they had created dairy cows which produced milk containing proteins found in human breast milk. But the Argentine team said the Chinese only introduced one human gene, while their research involved two, meaning the milk will more closely resemble that of humans.

“Our goal was to raise the nutrition value of cows’ milk by adding two human genes, which do good to the immune system of infants,” said Adrian Mutto, from the National University of San Martin which worked with the institute.

Cristina Kirchner, President of Argentina, said that the scientific institute made all Argentines proud. She also said that she had refused the "honor" of having the cow named after her. "They came to tell me that the name is Cristina, but what woman would like to have a cow named after her? It appeared to me to be more proper to call it Rosita.”

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. The importance of genetic engineering.

B. Ways to improve mothers’ milk.

C. Advanced agricultural technology in Argentina.

D. A cloned cow to produce human-like milk.

2.Which of the following can best replace “more closely resemble” in Para 4?

A. have more varieties than

B. have more nutrition than

C. be more similar to

D. be more different from

3.What can be inferred from Cristina Kirchner’s statements?

A. She was quite satisfied with the research done by the institute.

B. She considered it an honor to name the special cow.

C. She felt it improper to be named after the cow.

D. She refused to give a name to the cow out of self-respect.

4.What’s Adrian Mutto’s attitude to the genetic engineering?

A. negative　　 B. supportive

C. indifferent　　 D. mixed

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

On the very first day, God created the cow. He______ to the cow, “Today I have created you!______ a cow, you must go to the field with the______all day long. You will work all _____ under the sun! I will give you a life_____　 of 50 years.”

The cow objected, “What? This kind of a _____life you want me to live for 50 years? Let me have 20 years, and the 30 years I’ll give back to you.” So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the dog. God said to the dog, “What you are____　 to do is to sit all day by the door of your house. Any people that come in, you will have to______　 at them! I’ll give you a life span of 20 years.”

The dog objected, “What? All day long to______by the door? No way! I’ll give you _____ my other 10 years of life!” So God agreed.

On the third day, God created the monkey. He said to the monkey, “Monkeys have to______people. You’ve got to make them laugh and do monkey _____　 I’ll give you 20 years life span.”

The monkey objected. “What? Make them laugh? Do monkey faces and tricks? Ten years will______, and the other 10 years I’ll give you back.” So God agreed.

On the fourth day, God created______ and said to him, “Your job is to sleep, eat, and play. You will enjoy very much in your life. All you need to do is to enjoy and do nothing. This kind of life, I’ll give you a 20 year life span.”

The man objected. “What? ______ a good life! Eat, play, sleep, do nothing? Enjoy the best and you______me to live only for 20 years? No way, man! Why don’t we make a(n) _____? Since the cow gave you back 30 years, and the dog gave you back 10 years and the monkey gave you back 10 years, I will _____them from you! That makes my life span 70 years, right?” So God agreed.

AND THAT’S WHY...

In our first 20 years, we eat, sleep, play, enjoy the best and do nothing much. For the next 30 years, we______all day long, suffer and get to ____ the family. For the next 10 years, we entertain our grandchildren by making monkey faces and monkey tricks. And for the last 10 years, we stay at home, sit by the front door and bark at people!

1.A. spoke　　 B. said　　 C. told　　 D. talked

2.A. Be　　 B. With　　 C. Like　　 D. As

3.A. doctor　　 B. worker　　 C. farmer　　 D. teacher

4.A. year　　 B. time　　 C. day　　 D. night

5.A. span　　 B. length　　 C. width　　 D. distance

6.A. rough　　 B. tough　　 C. hardly　　 D. easy

7.A. accustomed　　 B. devoted　　 C. supposed　　 D. admitted

8.A. bark　　 B. knock　　 C. laugh　　 D. look

9.A. stand　　 B. seat　　 C. lie　　 D. sit

10.A. back　　 B. away　　 C. off　　 D. up

11.A. enrich　　 B. establish　　 C. entertain　　 D. encourage

12.A. job　　 B. tricks　　 C. work　　 D. move

13.A. make　　 B. enough　　 C. do　　 D. rich

14.A. woman　　 B. child　　 C. man　　 D. baby

15.A. So　　 B. Such　　 C. Much　　 D. Many

16.A. expect　　 B. face　　 C. think　　 D. hope

17.A. bargain　　 B. mistake　　 C. act　　 D. deal

18.A. take　　 B. bring　　 C. hold　　 D. set

19.A. rest　　 B. stay　　 C. work　　 D. enjoy

20.A. hold　　 B. provide　　 C. protect　　 D. support

高二英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

As if there weren’t enough of them in the world already, scientists have succeeded in cloning flies. The alike fruit flies are the first insects ever cloned, says the Canadian team that created them. The question everyone asks is why anyone would want to clone flies in the first place. She hopes that the insects , which are very easy to experiment with , will help to adjust the cloning process in other animals and even in humans, where the technique is being researched to aid production of therapeutic (治疗的) stem cells.

In cloning, the DNA-containing nucleus of an adult cell is injected into an egg whose own nucleus(细胞核) has been removed. At the moment, the majority of cloned mice, sheep and other animals die before birth. It is thought this is because the adult DNA is not properly ‘reprogrammed’.

Using flies, researchers might discover genes that are important for this reprogramming, and that have matches in other animals. That is because it is relatively easy in flies to knock out the function of a single gene and then attempt cloning with these cells, which will test whether that gene is important. If such genes are confirmed, then in theory cloned mammalian embryos(晶胚) might be grown in selected solutions that change the activity of those genes to improve the technique’s success rate. Although some groups have attempted to clone insects before, Lloyd says this is the first time it has been successful. The team used a slight difference on the standard cloning process: they transferred nuclei taken from embryos rather than fully-grown adult cells. They sucked several nuclei (pl)out of developing fly embryos, and injected them into a fertilized(已受精的) fly egg. From over 800 early attempts, they cloned five adult insects, the group reports in the journal Genetics.

1.The best title of this passage probably is _______.

A．The importance of clone

B．First insects are cloned

C．The disagreement in clone

D．The advantages of clone

2.The scientists cloned flies because________.

A．there are fewer and fewer flies in the world

B．flies are easy to find and cheap to use

C．they can gain some experience before cloning other animals

D．it is safe to clone flies

3.The failure of most cloned animals is due to _______.

A．the difference of other animals’ genes

B．the improper technique of clone

C．the complex of other animals

D．the improper rearrange of the adult gene

4.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.

A．the clone of insects before used grown-up cells

B．the clone of insects were never experimented before

C．this time scientists cloned flies successfully and easily

D．based on this success, other animals will be cloned in large quantities.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

As if there weren’t enough of them in the world already, scientists have succeeded in cloning flies. The alike fruit flies are the first insects ever cloned, says the Canadian team that created them. The question everyone asks is why anyone would want to clone flies in the first place. She hopes that the insects , which are very easy to experiment with , will help to adjust the cloning process in other animals and even in humans, where the technique is being researched to aid production of therapeutic (治疗的) stem cells.

In cloning, the DNA-containing nucleus of an adult cell is injected into an egg whose own nucleus(细胞核) has been removed. At the moment, the majority of cloned mice, sheep and other animals die before birth. It is thought this is because the adult DNA is not properly ‘reprogrammed’.

Using flies, researchers might discover genes that are important for this reprogramming, and that have matches in other animals. That is because it is relatively easy in flies to knock out the function of a single gene and then attempt cloning with these cells, which will test whether that gene is important. If such genes are confirmed, then in theory cloned mammalian embryos(晶胚) might be grown in selected solutions that change the activity of those genes to improve the technique’s success rate. Although some groups have attempted to clone insects before, Lloyd says this is the first time it has been successful. The team used a slight difference on the standard cloning process: they transferred nuclei taken from embryos rather than fully-grown adult cells. They sucked several nuclei (pl)out of developing fly embryos, and injected them into a fertilized(已受精的) fly egg. From over 800 early attempts, they cloned five adult insects, the group reports in the journal Genetics.

1.The best title of this passage probably is _______.

A．The importance of clone

B．First insects are cloned

C．The disagreement in clone

D．The advantages of clone

2.The scientists cloned flies because________.

    A．there are fewer and fewer flies in the world　

B．flies are easy to find and cheap to use

    C．they can gain some experience before cloning other animals

    D．it is safe to clone flies

3.The failure of most cloned animals is due to _______.

    A．the difference of other animals’ genes

    B．the improper technique of clone

    C．the complex of other animals

    D．the improper rearrange of the adult gene

4.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.

    A．the clone of insects before used grown-up cells

B．the clone of insects were never experimented before　　

C．this time scientists cloned flies successfully and easily

    D．based on this success, other animals will be cloned in large quantities.　

高二英语阅读理解极难题查看答案及解析

A world-famous Canadian author, Margaret Atwood, has created the world’s first long-distance signing device, the LongPen.

After many tiring book signings from city to city, Atwood thought there must be a better way to do them. She hired some technical experts and started her own company in 2004. Together they designed the LongPen. Here’s how it works: The author writes a personal message and signature on a computer tablet(手写板) using a special pen. On the receiving end, in another city, a robotic arm fitted with a regular pen signs the book. The author and fan can talk with each other via webcams(网络摄像机) and computer screens.

Work on the LongPen began in Atwood’s basement(地下室). At first, they had no idea it would be as hard as it turned out to be. The device went through several versions, including one that actually had smoke coming out of it. The investing finally completed, test runs were made in Ottawa, and the LongPen was officially launched at the 2006 London Book Fair. From here, Atwood conducted two transatlantic book signings of her latest book for fans in Toronto and New York City.

The LongPen produces a unique signature each time because it copies the movement of the author in real time. It has several other potential applications. It could increase credit card security and allow people to sign contracts from another province. The video exchange between signer and receiver can be recorded on DVD for proof when legal documents are used.

“It’s really fun,” said the owner of a bookstore, who was present for one of the test runs. “Obviously you can’t shake hands with the author, but there are chances for a connection that you don’t get from a regular book signing.”

The response to the invention has not been all favorable. Atwood has received criticism from authors who think she is trying to end book tours. But she said, “It will be possible to go to places that you never got sent to before because the publishers couldn’t afford it.”

1.How does the LongPen work?

A. It copies the author’s signature and prints it on a book.

B. It signs a book while receiving the author’s signature.

C. The fan uses it to copy the author’s signature himself.

D. The webcam sends the author’s signature to another city.

2.What do we know about the invention of the LongPen?

A. The designers were well-prepared for the difficulty.

B. The basement caught fire by accident.

C. Some versions failed before its test run.

D. It has been completed but not put into use.

3.How could the LongPen be used in the future?

A. To allow author and fan to exchange videos

B. To improve credit card security.

C. To keep a record of the author’s ideas.

D. To draft legal documents.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The world's first hydrogen- powered trains have begun running in Germany. They began carrying passengers Monday in Germany 's northern Lower Saxony state. The new train will run100-kilometer trips and can travel up to 140 kilometers an hour.

A French railroad company called Alstom built the two trains. Team in Germany and France cooperated on the project, which was supported by the German government. The new train model ,called the Coradia ilint, signals the beginning of efforts in Germany and other nations to move away from pollution-producing diesel(柴油) trains.

Compared with the diesel trains, the Coradia iLint is designed to run on non-electrified train 1ines with low levels of noise. It uses a process that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electrical power. If the system produces more energy than the train needs at that time, it can store the extra energy in batteries. The only emissions(排放物) are water and steam.

A single tank of hydrogen can run a Coradia iLint train for about 1,000 kilometers. This is very similar to the distance a diesel-powered train can run on with a single tank.

Hydrogen-powered trains cost more than diesel trains to build. But Alstom officials say the operating costs are much lower. The company plans to provide another l4 Coradia iLint trains to Lower Saxony by 2021.

The head of railroad operations in the area ,Carmen Schwabl, praised replacing diesel trains with hydrogen. She said the move was an important first step in using clean-burning technologies to reach climate protection goals. Officials say the area's many wind turbines (涡轮机) will produce part of the energy to create the hydrogen to power the trains. Alstom says several other European countries have also expressed interest in developing hydrogen train systems. France has already said it wants its first hydrogen train to be operating by 2022.

1.Why did Germany build the new trains?

A.To make traveling much easier.

B.To carry more passengers.

C.To replace diesel trains.

D.To develop friendship with France.

2.It can be concluded that hydrogen trains ________.

A.are widely used

B.can produce water and oxygen

C.can stop air pollution

D.are environmentally friendly

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

A.World's First Hydrogen Trains

B.Efforts to Reduce Emissions

C.Saving Natural Resources

D.A New Way to Make Electricity

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists have created a “ human-like robot” that can dance and do the housework.

“ Mahru” has been developed to imitate humans and can move its lips, eyebrows and pupils(瞳孔). The machine can also move its upper and lower body freely and automatically stop itself when walking.

In addition, it has been programmed to give out two kinds of pleasant smells to match its emotions.

The 1.5 tall robot was produced by researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and is the first South Korean- developed machine of its kind.

“‘Mahru’ will open the way for the commercial use of humanoid robots doing housework,” You Bum-Jae, leader of the development research team ,said. “‘Mahru’ can dance while walking on its legs and is able to work in place of a human.”

Through an advanced motion capture (捕获) system, “Mahru” can follow a variety of human movements and move its hands freely enough to deal with any obstacles that may get in its way when walking.

State-funded KIST showed the robot during a presentation at its head office in Seoul.

People here were treated to an entertaining demonstration which saw the robot show off the full range of its skills, most notably s series of dance moves.

The research team added that they had designed another “ Mahru”, this time with sensors(传感器) allowing it to distinguish(分辨) between faces and objects.

The showing of “ Mahru” came a week after researcher in Japan said they had created the “most human-like” robot in the world. A team at robotics department of Osaka University in Japan claimed that “ robogirl”, Repliee R-1, “ looks, moves and interacts (相互作用) like a human, and has silicone(硅胶) skin that feels almost human to the touch.”

1. “Mahru” made by KIST can do the following things EXCEPT____________

2. According to what You Bum- Jae said in Paragraph 5, his research team wants to ________.

3. When Mahru” meets something in its way, it will be likely to________.

4.According to the last paragraph, Repliee R-1 __________.

5.The passage is probably a  __________.

高二英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Too many cars have created a lot of serious problems in our world. Besides congestion(拥塞), accidents and fast fuel consumption(消费), cars are responsible for a good part of air pollution in big cities. All the time, they are pumping huge amounts of waste gases into the atmosphere. These gases are very harmful, causing disease and even death. Last winter, car fumes(烟雾) formed heavy smog over Beijing, making the sky gloomy for weeks and deteriorating people's health.

One possible solution is to design and develop clean cars and clean fuels. In Tsinghua University, campus buses are driven by electricity. In Beijing some of the public buses begin to run on natural gas, which does not give off as much carbon dioxide as the petrol. But it may take decades for the new models of clean cars to completely replace the traditional ones.

Another solution is to develop modern public transportation systems and restrict （限制）the use of private cars. If the price of petrol rises constantly and the public vehicles（交通车辆） are efficient and convenient enough, most people will not use private cars. And the total number of cars in big cities will reduce greatly. 　　

On the whole, the elimination （根除）of air pollution needs the co-efforts from the government, the public and the environments. This problem will be solved only with the help of science and technology.

1.What is the main reason for air pollution in big cities?

2.What is the best title of this passage?

3.How many ways are mentioned to solve the pollution caused by cars?

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Now scientists have discovered the first evidence that the animals actually behave like their masters. Just like children, they adopt a “look and learn” approach which means they can mimic (模仿) human's actions when going about their tasks.

Biologists and psychologists at the universities of Vienna and Oxford designed an experiment to test the theory that dogs do have the ability to copy what they see, using a simple wooden box. In the study, ten owners showed their dogs how to open the wooden box, sometimes using their heads to push a handle and sometimes using their hands.

In the first part of the test, five dogs were rewarded with a piece of sausage for copying their owners' actions. The other five were rewarded with food for not copying, and using other methods. With each dog the experiment was repeated hundreds of times, and the time taken for a dog to get it “right” on 85 percent of attempts (17 goes out of 20) was recorded. The dogs encouraged to mirror their owners reached this point almost three times sooner on average than those rewarded for not copying them. In the second part of the test, all the dogs were only rewarded for copying the method their owners used. The five dogs previously rewarded for copying their owners reached the 85 percent mark more than twice as the other five.

In a paper published in Proceeding of the Royal Society, they concluded, “Like humans, dogs can't help imitating actions they see.” Going further, they said, “The results suggest the imitative (模仿的) behavior of dogs is shaped more by their developmental interactions with humans than by their evolutionary (进化的) history of domestication (驯化).”

Caroline Kisko, from the Kennel club, said, “A dog's behavior is influenced much like that of a child learning right from wrong and adopting similar patterns of behavior. We hope that owners understand the importance of their actions and use this knowledge to set good examples and therefore positively influence the behavior of their pets.”

1.What's the best title of the passage?

A. Dogs Are Intelligent Animals

B. Dogs Are like Children Most

C. Dogs Behave like Their Masters

D. Dogs Can Complete Simple Tasks

2.The underlined part “they” in Paragraph 4 most probably refers to ________.

A. the dogs' masters

B. the magazine's publishers

C. all the people involved in the experiment

D. the biologists and psychologists

3.The researchers believe dogs' imitative behavior comes mainly from ______.

A. domestication　　　　　　　 B. human rewards

C. evolution　　　　　 　　　 　 D. human-dog interactions

4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. Masters should influence their dogs as early as possible.

B. A man's bad behavior may influence his dog.

C. Dogs can't be influenced by men easily.

D. Dogs always behave positively.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Science fiction writers create imaginary worlds. The way things work in your imaginary worlds will be based on actual science. So it’s important for you to be familiar with the scientific principles and inventions that are related to your creation. For example, if you’re writing about human living on a planet with zero gravity, then you need to know the effects of zero gravity on the human body.

Then you have to figure out the exact rules of your imaginary worlds. And you have to follow them. If humans are able to breathe underwater in Chapter 1, your character can’t drown in a swimming pool in Chapter 3. The issue here is maintaining your readers’ trust. That means the readers are willing to pretend along with you. If you start out with an ordinary detective novel and then throw in someone breathing underwater in the 6th chapter, you will pull the readers out of their imagination. The same thing happens if you change the rules halfway.

Part of your preparation work for the novel is to map out its worlds in great detail. You should decide the following issues: the history of the world, the geography, what possibilities it offers, how everything works in this new reality, and how all of these factors affect the way your characters think, feel, and react to things. You don’t have to tell your readers all the rules in the first chapter. But you have to let readers know enough to understand what’s going on. This also allows you to work out logical problems and contradictions before you start writing.

When you are writing, remember to make it feel real. You are inviting readers to visit a new world. They will want to be able to see, hear, feel, smell, and even taste what it’s like. Whether your novel is about a world without disease or an undiscovered planet, help your readers feel like they’re actually there.

1.What’s the relationship between actual science and science fiction?

A. Science fiction promotes the development of actual science.

B. Science fiction often reflects the development of actual science.

C. Actual science limits the imagination described in science fiction.

D. Actual science provides basic principles for science fiction.

2.The second paragraph is mainly developed by 　　　　 .

A. making comparisons　　 B. giving examples

C. following the time order　　 D. analyzing causes

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. It is necessary to do some scientific experiments before writing science fiction.

B. It is more difficult to write science fiction than ordinary detective novels.

C. Readers of science fiction actually pretend the writers’ rules are true.

D. It is great to leave some contradictions in your science fiction.

4.The passage is mainly about 　　　　 .

A. how to do scientific research　　 B. how to raise interest in science

C. what to expect from science fiction　　 D. how to write science fiction

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析