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Scientists are fond of running the evolutionary clock backward, using DNA analysis and the fossil record to figure out when our ancestors stood straight and split off from the rest of the primate evolutionary tree. But the clock is running forward as well. So where are humans headed? Here's a thoughtless assessment of possible paths, ranging from similar humans to alien-looking hybrids bred for interstellar (星际的) travel.
Different populations of a species have to be separated from each other in order for those populations to diverge into separate species. Populations are increasingly in contact with each other， leading to greater gene-mixing. It's believable that separate species would appear. Evolution is still at work and the trend may well be accelerating. Cultural diversity is fading as human society becomes more interconnected globally.
The radical king of evolution moves much more quickly than biological evolution. High-tech improvements are ranging from Supermen, to camera-equipped flying drones（遥控飞机）, to pills that keep soldiers going without sleep or food for days. To date, genetic medicine has focused on therapies that work on only one person at a time. The effects of those therapies aren't carried on to future generations. Tinkering with the germline could conceivably produce a superhuman species in a single generation-but could also conceivably create a race of monsters.
Today the rapid pace of cybernetic(计算机控制论的) change has led to worry that artificial intelligence may outpace human’s natural smarts. In some fields, artificial intelligence has already bested human. We're already making machines that can be assimilated (同化) including artificial limbs, mechanical hearts, and artificial retinas (视网膜).
If humans survive long enough, there's one sure way to grow new branches on our evolutionary family tree by spreading out to other planets. If humans established a permanent settlement on other planets, the radically different living conditions would change the evolutionary equation (方程式) What will be inconceivable millions of years from now? Two intelligent species
, human and machine, definitely work together to spread life through the universe.
1.Scientists study the evolution according to .
A. different populations of a species
B. DNA analysis and the fossil record
C. cultural diversity and greater gene-mixing
D. high-tech enhancements and biological evolution
2. Which is NOT true about human beings' evolution?
A. New species will appear.
B. Human's evolution is faster than biological evolution
C. Cultures will become more colorful.
D. The evolution might create a race of monsters.
3.What might bring threat to human beings?
A. Supermen. B. Monsters.
C. Alien. D. Artificial intelligence.
4.Which of the following must happen in the future?
A. Humans survive long enough.
B. Humans spread out to other planets.
C. Human and machine work together.
D. Living conditions change the evolutionary equation.
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Questions are based on the following speech.
1.
A. Educators from South Africa. B. Teenagers fond of cooking.
C. Students eager to make friends. D. Photographers around the world.
2.
A. Brainstorming ideas in one’s group first. B. Avoiding using cooking oil.
C. Sending a sample dish before May. D. Creating one’s own dish.
3.
A. To announce a cook competition. B. To start a cook festival on campus.
C. To advertise a local cook course. D. To organise a cook show in South Africa.
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-- Are you fond of watching TV?
--- Not a bit. I would sit alone in the dark _______ I would watch TV.
A．before B．if C．while D．after
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Marmoset monkeys exist on a branch of the evolutionary tree that is distinct from the one that led to mans. But they constantly astonish researchers with ________ behavior that seems pretty highly evolved. Their social organization and ________ practices could have been the model for the phrase “It takes a village.” A dominant male and female breed, and their babies are carefully looked after by extended family members who then aren't free to breed themselves.
A new study further ________ the marmoset’s reputation for admirable community values. Researchers report that these caregivers share their food more generously with little ones ________ than when they’re surrounded by the watchful eyes of other community members. In complex societies where individuals band together for ______ protection, researchers have come up with a few widely accepted explanations for selfless behavior. But specific acts, like sharing a delicious cricket(蟋蟀) with a begging baby marmoset, seem to need more ______ explanation
One possibility is that an individual practices ______ as a means of enhancing his status among peers. By ______ that he is so well gifted with material goods that he can give some away, this do-gooder enhances his power within the group. That, in turn, may ______ prospective mates. The other explanation for charitable behavior ______ that kindnesses extended to others are simply the fees of group membership, which offers some future promise of a chance to mate. Failure to share would result in exclusion from the group and a loss of ______ partners. Scientists call this the “pay to stay” model. Importantly, for both of these models to work, acts of kindness must have a(n) ______. That suggests you would see more sharing in group settings; away from judging eyes, a caregiver might be more likely to keep food for himself or herself. And yet, in 2,581 tests conducted with 31 adult and 14 baby marmosets, the ______ appeared to be true
Anthropologists (人类学家) from the University of Zurich carefully documented how often, in groups and in conditions that found caregiver and baby separated from the crowd, an adult would share his or her cricket. When alone with a baby begging for a taste, adult marmosets shared their cricket 85% of the time. When in a group, caregivers offered up their cricket 67% of the time.” Our results show that helping in common marmosets is not driven by reputation management or ______ avoidance, “ the study authors reported Rather, it is driven by a deep-down motivation to help that is more ______ expressed when individuals are alone with young.”
1.A. animal B. careful C. social D. individual
2.A. evolving B. communicating C. organizing D. parenting
3.A. shines B. damages C. affects D. protests
4.A. at play B. in private C. on schedule D. by accident
5.A. adequate B. effective C. continual D. mutual
6.A. creative B. complex C. specific D. official
7.A. generosity B. wisdom C. independence D. governance
8.A. promising B. demonstrating C. pretending D. explaining
9.A. count on B. go after C. appeal to D. benefit from
10.A. assumes B. confirms C. enhances D. concludes
11.A. regular B. dominant C. potential D. previous
12.A. atmosphere B. audience C. feedback D. judge
13.A. statistics B. expectation C. argument D. opposite
14.A. responsibility B. punishment C. arrangement D. difficulty
15.A. strongly B. causally C. delicately D. fearlessly
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Scientists are closely concerned with the structure of buildings and with the quality of building materials． The World health Organization （WHO) observes that the introduction of air conditioning and energy conservation （保护) measures have been accompanied by growing problems of indoor air quality． Some pollutants arise from insulation （隔音) products, some from moving cars, and others from modern housing materials． As many Europeans spend up to 90% of their lives in buildings, the health effects of the indoor climate are very important．
Some construction materials, including fiberboard, insulation foams and certain glues for man-made wood floor boards, for example, give out organic products such as formaldehyde （甲醛)． Heat and humidity increase the release of formaldehyde and the gas seriously harms the eyes． Paint, lacquer, etc． can also release dangerous gas into indoor air．
Construction materials can cause serious damage, especially when they contain asbestos（石棉）． Asbestos is naturally present in rock formations worldwide． It belongs to a family of mineral substances made up of solid, non-combustible（非易燃品） fiber． These properties make asbestos a highly sought-after construction material． As early as 1931, however, public health officers in the United Kingdom revealed the connection between breathing in asbestos dust and such diseases as lung cancer．
The land on which a building is sited may also contribute to pollution． Some kinds of granite or similar rocks contain traces of radium． As it breaks down, this naturally radioactive element produces some kind of radioactive gas that goes through tiny cracks in walls, floors and building materials, and makes its way into the building and the rooms． The better the homes are insulated, the more is the dangerous gas in indoor air． The main effect of this dangerous gas on health is to increase the risk of lung cancer．
1.What is the main idea of the passage?
A．Some building materials pollute indoor air．
B．Some factors cause indoor air pollution．
C．Asbestos can cause lung cancer．
D．The land on which houses are built contributes to indoor pollution．
2.Why are Europeans particularly concerned with building materials?
A．Lots of building materials there are radioactive．
B．They stay home up to 90% of their lives．
C．They have a high rate of lung cancer．
D．They spend most of their time indoors．
3.Why is asbestos a sought-after building material?
A．It is a kind of insulation foam．
B．Asbestos will not give out dangerous gas．
C．This material is not easy to catch fire．
D．It is rarely present in rock formations．
4.Why should we be careful about the land on which a building is to be sited?
A．To determine whether the land is firm enough for a building to be sited on．
B．To make sure that the land contains no radioactive material．
C．To make certain that the land releases no formaldehyde or other gases．
D．To check whether it contains any combustible materials．
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Scientists have solved the mystery of why the overwhelming majority of mammoth fossils(化石)are male.
Much like wild elephants today, young male Ice Age mammoths probably travelled around alone and more often got themselves into risky situations where they were swept into rivers, or fell through ice or into mud, lakes or sinkholes that preserved their bones for thousands of years, scientists say.
Females, on the other hand, travelled in groups led by an older matriarch who knew the landscape and directed her group away from danger.
"Without the benefit of living in a herd led by an experienced female, male mammoths had a much higher risk of dying in natural traps such as mud holes, rock cracks and lakes, "said co-author Love Dalen of the Swedish Museum of Natural History in a report published on Thursday in the journal Current Biology.
The study used genetic data to determine the sex of 98 woolly mammoth fossils in Siberia Researchers found that 69% of the samples were male, a heavily unbalanced sex ratio, assuming that the sexes were fairly even at birth.
"We were very surprised because there was no reason to expect a sex bias in the fossil record," said first author Patricia Pecnerova, also of the Swedish Museum of Natural History. Therefore, researchers believe that something about the way they lived influenced the way they died.Most bones, tusks, and teeth from mammoths and other Ice Age animals haven't survived," explained Dalen.
"It is highly likely that the remains that are found in Siberia these days have been preserved because they have been buried, and thus protected from weathering."
These giant, tusked plant eaters disappeared about 4,000 years ago. While there is no scientific agreement about the causes of their disappearance from the planet, most believe that climate change, excessive hunting by humans and the spread of other animals into mammoth feeding grounds were influential factors.
1.The underlined word "matriarch" in paragraph 3 means _______.
A. figure head B. female leader
C. experienced animal D. mature mammoth
2.Why do the majority of mammoth fossils come from male animals?
A. Scientists find it easier to study male fossilized bones.
B. There were more male mammoths in comparison to females
C. Male mammoths were better able to adapt to the changing circumstances.
D. Male mammoths more frequently died in places where fossils could form.
3.Which of the following is suggested as a reason for mammoths dying out?
A. The increasing competition for food.
B. The cooling of the earth's temperature.
C. The disappearance of male mammoths.
D. The risky behaviour of younger mammoths.
4.What is the text type of the passage?
A. A newspaper article. B. An academic essay.
C. A historical description. D. A science fiction story.
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Many of the scientists and engineers are judged ______ how large their achievements are．
A．at the mercy of B．in terms of
C．in the eyes of D．in honour of
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Scientists are convinced the positive effect of laughter physical and mental health.
A. of; at B. by; in C. of; on D. on; at
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Scientists around the world are striving for effective detection of cancer in the early stages,which is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body,and a Chinese scientist may have found a quick way of knowing whether malignant tumors（恶性肿瘤）exist in a patient's body,with just one drop of blood.
Malignant tumors in early phases can be cured.However,it's extremely difficult to be aware of cancer in its early stages,as patients don't show obvious symptoms and thus it can only be found in its later stages,which is already too late,so to detect cancer early remains a global challenge for scientists.
Back in 1989,scientists have found a kind of heat shock proteins (HSP),named Hsp90α,which existed in human bodies and can be used as a cancer biomarker detection kit.Scientists around the globe have been working on it since then,and more than 10,000 journals have been published on accredited magazines,yet no one has actually turned their research results into medical products.
However,Luo Yongzhang and his team in Tsinghua University's School of Life Sciences in Beijing seemed to have cracked the code,after working on the problem since 2009.The team has produced an artificial Hsp90α protein for clinical use that gains structural stability by regrouping proteins.The test kit can diagnose multiple kinds of cancer by analyzing a drop of human blood.This means they are able to "create" the protein,in any quantity,and at any time they wish to.
The kit has since been used in clinical trials involving 2,347 patients at eight hospitals in China.It was the first clinical trial in the world to test if the protein could be a useful tumor biomarker for lung cancer,and it succeeded. Now,the kit has been approved to enter the Chinese and European markets,24 years after Hsp90α was discovered.
1.Why is cancer hard to cure?
A. Malignant tumors are found too late.
B. Malignant tumors spread too quickly.
C. Its symptoms are shown in early stages.
D. No proper treatment can be applied to it.
2.What do we learn about Hsp90α from Paragraph 3?
A. It was created by scientists in 1989.
B. All magazines have covered the topic.
C. There has been a medical product about it.
D. It can serve as a cancer detection approach.
3.How does the Chinese kit diagnose cancer?
A. By regrouping proteins.
B. By cracking cancer’s code.
C. By breaking down one drop of blood.
D. By producing an artificial Hsp90α protein.
4.It can be inferred that a European with lung cancer in early phases .
A. can’t be cured in the end
B. can be diagnosed with it in time
C. has to be examined in China
D. expects the kit to come into the market
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Scientists are convinced--- the positive effect of laughter___ physical and mental health．
| A．of；at | B．by；in | C．of；on | D．on：at |
, human and machine, definitely work together to spread life through the universe.