Good Genes Mean Long Life
Scientists have discovered that living to the age of 100 may have nothing to do with the lifestyle you lead and everything to do with the type of genes you have.
For the lucky carriers of “Methuselah” genes, worries over smoking, eating unhealthily and not getting enough exercise may not be as necessary as to those of us without the special gene pattern (組合).
The “Methuselah” genes could give extra protection against the diseases of old age such as cancer and heart disease. They could also protect people against the effects of the unhealthy lifestyles that we believe will lead us to an early death, scientists say. However, the genes are very rare.
The genes include ADIPOQ, which is found in about 10 percent of young people but in nearly 30 percent of people living past 100. They also include the CETP and the ApoC3 genes, which are found in 10 percent of young people, but in about 20 percent of people over 100 years old.
Some of those genes were discovered by a research group at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, led by Professor Nir Barzilai. The team studied the genes of over 500 people over 100 years old, and their children.
The studies show that tiny mutations (變異) in the make-up of some genes can greatly increase a person’s lifespan (壽命). Barzilai told a Royal Society conference that the discovery of such genes gave scientists clear targets for developing drugs that could prevent age-related diseases, allow people to live longer and stay healthy.
David Gems, a researcher at University College London, believes that drugs to slow ageing will become widespread.
“If we know which genes control longevity (長壽) then we can … target them with drugs. That makes it possible to slow down ageing,” he told The Times.
“Much of the pain and suffering in the world are caused by ageing. If we can find a way to reduce that, then we are obliged (義不容辭的) to take it.”
【小題1】According to the article, which of the following is the most important if a person is to live to the age of 100?

A．Eating healthy food every day.	B．Having the right types of genes.
C．Having a healthy lifestyle.	D．Taking drugs that prevent ageing.

【小題2】According to the article, the ApoC3 gene is found in ________ of people over 100 years old.

A．10%

B．20%

C．30%

D．50%

【小題3】Which of the following statements is TRUE of the research led by Professor Nir Barzilai?

A．The team studied the genes of over 100 people over 100 years of age.

B．The researchers found that mutations in certain genes lead to longer life.

C．The researchers found ways to develop drugs that could cure age-related diseases.

D．The study suggested that most people have genes that could lengthen their lives.

【小題4】 According to David Gems, ________.

A．drugs to slow ageing will be very expensive

B．modern science will be able to find more longevity genes

C．it is the duty of medical scientists to fight the problems of ageing

D．scientists can make new genes that will allow longer life

Recently there was a major discovery in the scientific research — the mapping of all DNA in a human gene(基因) is complete. Couple of years ago, this seems an impossible task for scientist to accomplish. All this progress in science leads us to believe that the day, when the human being will be cloned, is not far away. Human cloning has always been a topic of argument, in terms of morality(道德) or religion.
Taking a look at why cloning might be beneficial, among many cases, it is arguable that parents who are known to be at risk of passing a genetic limitation to a child could make use of cloning. If the clone was free of genetic limitations, then the other clone would be as well. The latter could be inserted in the woman and allowed to ripen to term. Moreover, cloning would enable women, who can’t get pregnant, to have children of their own.
Cloning humans would also mean that organs could be cloned, so it would be a source of perfect transfer organs. This surely would be greatly beneficial to millions of unfortunate people around the world that are expected to lose their lives due to failure of single (or more) organ(s). It is also arguable that a ban on cloning may be unlawful and would rob people of the right to reproduce and limit the freedom of scientists.
Arguments against cloning are also on a perfectly practical side. Primarily, I believe that cloning would step in the normal “cycle” of life. There would be a large number of same genes, which reduce the chances of improvement, and, in turn, development — the fundamental reason how living things naturally adapt to the ever-changing environment. Life processes failing to do so might result in untimely disappearance. Furthermore, cloning would make the uniqueness that each one of us possesses disappear, thus leading to creation of genetically engineered groups of people for specific purposes, and chances are that those individuals would be regarded as “objects” rather than people in the society.
Scientists haven’t 100% guaranteed that the first cloned humans will be normal. Thus, this could result in introduction of additional limitations in the human “gene-pool”.
Regarding such arguable topics in “black or white” approach seems very innocent to me personally. We should rather try to look at all “shades” of it. I believe that cloning is only legal if its purpose is for cloning organs; not humans. Then we could regard this as for “saving life” instead of “creating life”. I believe cloning humans is morally and socially unacceptable.
【小題1】   Which of the following is true according to the passage？

A．Genetic limitation will be beneficial for some women

B．A large number of genes will prevent us from developing

C．Prohibition(禁止) of cloning might limit the freedom of scientists

D．First cloned humans might be normal according to scientists

【小題2】What’s the author’s opinion on cloning?

A．Cloning should be entirely banned

B．Cloning should be used in creating life

C．Cloning will take away the right to reproduce

D．Cloning is acceptable if it is used for cloning organs

【小題3】Which of the following shows the structure of the passage

At Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, the lights are controlled by sensors that measure sunlight. They dim immediately when it’s sunny and brighten when a passing cloud blocks the sun.
A wall of windows at a University of Pennsylvania engineering building has built-in blinds (百葉窗) controlled by a computer program that follows the sun’s path. Buildings are getting smarter and the next generation of building materials is expected to do even more.
Windows could catch the sun’s energy to heat water. Sensors that measure the carbon dioxide breathed out by people in a room could determine whether the air conditioning needs to be turned up.
Many new materials and technology have been designed in the last 15 years. They are now being used in a wave of buildings designed to save as much energy as possible. They include old ideas, like “green roofs”, where a belt of plants on a roof helps the building keep heat in winter and stay cool in summer, and new ideas, like special coating for windows that lets light in, but keeps heat out.
As technologies such as sensors become cheaper, their uses spread.
The elevators (電梯) at Seven World Trade Center, which is under construction in New York, use a system that groups people traveling to nearby floors into the same elevator, thus saving elevator stops. People who work in the building will enter it by swiping (刷) ID cards that will tell the elevators their floor, readouts will then tell them which elevator to use. The building also has windows with a coating that blocks heat while letting in light.
More new building materials and technology are in development. A Philadelphia building firm is now working on “smart wrap” that uses tiny solar collectors to catch the sun’s energy and transmitters (傳輸器) as wide as a human hair to move it. They are expected to change the face of the construction industry in the next ten years or so.
【小題1】________ will be developed and used in the construction industry.

A．“Green roofs” that cool or heat buildings

B．“Smart wrap” that catches the sun’s energy

C．Sunlight-measuring sensors that control lights

D．Window coating that lets light in, but keeps heat out

【小題2】 The elevators at Seven World Trade Center are special because they can ________.

A．send people to floors with fewer stops	B．teach people how to use their ID cards
C．make people stay very cool in summer	D．help people go traveling in the building

【小題3】 The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A．a(chǎn) human hair

B．smart wrap

C．the sun’s energy

D．a(chǎn) transmitter

【小題4】What might be the most suitable title for the text?

A．Buildings Are Becoming Smarter	B．Buildings Are Getting More Sunlight
C．Buildings Are Lacking in Much Energy	D．Buildings Are Using Cheaper Materials

Besides containing attractive flowers, trees and other plants that beautify the community, eco-friendly rain gardens are healthy for the environment and the people living and working nearby.
A rain garden is not very different from a traditional garden. It is just a far more eco-friendly garden. Usually it is built lower than the ground. Rain gardens make smart use of rain and storm water by temporarily holding water from rain and storms and letting it soak slowly into the ground before it runs into streams or enters the public drinking water supply.
Thus, a rain garden keeps the water, allowing it to be used as needed by plants in the rain garden, rather than flowing immediately into nearby streams and going unused. The water will soak slowly into the ground within a day or two. This creates an advantage that the rain garden does not allow mosquitoes to breed. This is a simple, attractive, and eco-friendly “green” way to treat storm water.
What’s more, planting a rain garden helps reduce pollution and improve the environment. Without using expensive machinery and chemicals, rain gardens remove harmful chemicals in the rainwater and cut down on the amount of pollution reaching streams and rivers by up to 30%.
Native plants are recommended for rain gardens because they are more used to the local climate, soil, and water conditions. They may attract local wildlife such as native birds. Water your rain garden immediately after planting and once a week, unless you have had at least an inch of rain during the week. Once the native plants establish the necessary root system, it will require little care.
Often, local governments and private businesses develop large rain gardens in their yards and in public parks as a way to improve the environment and solve flooding problems. However, you don’t need to be a professional environmental engineer to create a rain garden. As long as you’re eco-conscious homeowners, you can help the environment by building smaller rain gardens in your yards.
【小題1】Which of the following is the eco-friendly function of rain gardens discussed in Paragraph 4?

A．They can keep the rain and storm water.

B．They can help reduce the pollution problem.

C．They can be healthy for the people around.

D．They can make the environment more beautiful.

【小題2】One of the main reasons why native plants are recommended is that ______.

A．they cost less and are much easier to get

B．they may attract local wildlife to come

C．they require little care from the local gardeners

D．they are more used to the local growing conditions.

【小題3】We can infer from the passage that after native plants are planted, rain gardens ______.

A．need little water

B．need little care

C．need to be watered every day

D．needn’t be watered if there is at least an inch of rainwater per week

A recent study of ancient and modern elephants has  come up with the unexpected conclusion that the African elephant is divided into two distinct (不同的) species
The discovery was made by researchers at York and Harvard universities when they were examining the genetic relationship between the ancient woolly mammoth and mastodon to modern elephants—the Asian elephant, African forest elephant and African savanna elephant
Once they obtained DNA sequences (序列) from two fossils (化石)，mammoths and mastodons， the team compared them with DNA from modern elephants. They found to their amazement that modern forest and savanna elephants are as distinct from each other as Asian elephants and mammoths.
The scientists used detailed genetic analysis to prove that the African savanna elephants and the African forest elephants have been distinct species for several million years. The divergence of the two species took place around the time of the divergence of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths. This result amazed all the scientists.
There has long been debate in the scientific community that the two might be separate species but this is the most convincing scientific evidence so far that they are indeed different species.
Previously, many naturalists believed that African savanna elephants and African forest elephants were two populations of the same species despite the elephants’ significant size differences. The savanna elephant has an average shoulder height of 3.5metres while the forest elephant has an average shoulder height of 2.5metres. The savanna elephant weighs between six and seven tons, roughly double the weight of the forest elephant. But the fact that they look so different does not necessarily mean they are different species. However, the proof lay in the analysis of the DNA.
Alfred Roca, assistant professor in the department of Animal Sciences at the University of Minois, said, “We now have to treat the forest and savanna elephants as two different units for conservation purpose. Since 1950 all African elephants have been conserved as one species. Now that we know the forest and savanna elephants are two very distinct animals, the forest elephant should become a bigger priority (優(yōu)先)for conservation purpose .”
【小題1】One of the fossils studied by the researchers is that of ________.

A．the Asian elephant	B．the forest elephant
C．the savanna elephant	D．the mastodon elephant

【小題2】The underlined word “divergence” in paragraph 4means “________”

A．evolution

B．exhibition

C．separation

D．examination

【小題3】The researcher’s conclusion was based on a study of the African elephant’s _____

A．DNA

B．height

C．weight

D．population

【小題4】What were Alfred Roca’s words mainly about?

A．The conservation of African elephants.

B．The purpose of studying African elephants

C．The way to divide African elephants into two units

D．The reason for the distinction of African elephants

【小題5】Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Naturalist’s Belief about Elephants.

B．Amazing Experiment about Elephants

C．An Unexpected Finding about Elephants

D．A Long scientific Debate about Elephants

A Southampton University team found that people who were vegetarians by 30 had recorded five IQ points higher on average at the age of 10. Researchers said it could explain why people with a higher IQ were healthier as a vegetarian diet was connected to lower heart disease and obesity rates. The study of 8,179 people was reported in the BritishMedicalJournal.
Twenty years after the IQ tests were carried out in 1970, 366 of the participants said they were vegetarians — although more than 100 reported eating either fish or chicken.
Men who were vegetarians had an IQ score of 106, compared with 101 for non-vegetarians; while female vegetarians averaged 104, compared with 99 for non-vegetarians. There was no difference in the IQ scores, between strict vegetarians and those who said they were vegetarians but reported eating fish or chicken.
Researchers said the findings were partly related to better education and higher class, but it remained statistically significant after adjusting for these factors.
Vegetarians were more likely to be female, to be of higher social class and to have higher academic or vocational qualifications than non-vegetarians. However, these differences were not reflected in their annual income, which was similar to that of non-vegetarians.
Lead researcher Catharine Gale said, “The findings that children with greater intelligence are more likely to report being vegetarians as adults, together with the evidence on the potential benefits of a vegetarian diet on heart health, may help to explain why a higher IQ in childhood or adolescence is linked with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in adult life.
But Dr Frankie Phillips of the British Dietetic Association said，“It_ is_ like _the _chicken  _and _egg. Do people become vegetarians because they have a very high IQ or is it just that they are clever enough to be more aware of health issues？”
【小題1】 What’s the result of the research mentioned in the text?

A．Intelligent children are more likely to become vegetarians later in life.

B．Children with a higher IQ are less likely to have heart disease later in life.

C．Intelligent children tend to belong to higher social class later in life.

D．Children with a healthier heart tend to have a higher IQ later in life.

【小題2】It was found in the research that________.

A．most of the participants became vegetarians 20 years after the IQ tests were carried out

B．vegetarians who ate fish or chicken were of similar intelligence with strict vegetarians

C．female vegetarians were more likely to have higher annual income than non-vegetarians

D．vegetarians were more likely to have higher annual income than non-vegetarians

【小題3】What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A．Intelligence is linked to not just being a vegetarian but to many factors.

B．The rate of getting heart disease is linked to your lifestyle.

C．The link between a high IQ and being a vegetarian is still uncertain.

D．The link between a healthy heart and diet remains to be proved.

【小題4】What’ s the best title for the text?

A．Get more IQ points!

B．Be a vegetarian, please!

C．Vegetarian diet cuts heart risk

D．A high IQ is linked to being a vegetarian

Can dogs and cats get along well in the same home? People who are thinking about getting a dog as a friend for their cat are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found that if the cat is taken back home before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. In two-thirds of the homes cats and dogs have a good relationship.
However, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression(侵略，好斗) and fighting were found in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body languages are just different. For example, when a cat turns its head away it means aggression, while a dog doing the same means submission(順從).
In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers found a surprising behavior. They are learning how to talk each other’s language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk “Dog”, and dogs can learn how to talk “Cat”.
What’s interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to become smarter. They can learn to read each other’s body languages, suggesting that the two may have more in common than was expected. Once familiar with each other’s body language, cats and dogs can play together, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa.
The importance of this research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets — to people who don’t get along well, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even countries. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.
【小題1】The underlined word swimmingly in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ________.

A．early

B．mostly

C．quickly

D．smoothly

【小題2】Some cats and dogs may fight when ________.

A．they are cold to each other

B．they look away from each other

C．they misunderstand each other’s body languages

D．they are introduced at an early age

【小題3】 What is found surprising about cats and dogs?

A．They eat and sleep together.

B．They watch each other’s behaviors.

C．They learn to speak each other’s language.

D．They know something from each other’s voices.

【小題4】It is suggested in Paragraph 4 that cats and dogs ________.

A．have common interests	B．a(chǎn)re less different than was thought
C．have a common body language	D．a(chǎn)re not so smart as was expected

【小題5】 What can we human beings learn from cats and dogs?

A．We should learn to get along well with others

B．We should know more about animals.

C．We should live in peace with animals.

D．We should learn more body languages.

Malnutrition (營養(yǎng)失調(diào))remains a serious problem for India. But a new study shows that India’s leading causes of death now also include diseases related to obesity（肥胖）such as heart disease.
India’s National Family Health Survey shows that more than twenty percent of Indians living in cities are overweight or obese. And in the northwestern state of Punjab, that is true for almost forty percent of women.
Aradhna Tripathi is a business professional in New Delhi. She said, “ Eating is the most important thing in any Indian household and how you show your love and gratitude(感激) for a person is through the kind of food you serve him. And the kind of lifestyle we are leading is one of the reasons why we have the number of obese people increasing every day.
But Aradhna Tripathi says she has decided to lose weight. Her mother and grandmother are also diabetic(患糖尿病的). In fact, the International Diabetes Federation says India is now the diabetes capital of the world. Researchers say Indians store more body fat per kilogram than Europeans. That means obese Indians are even more at the risk of diabetes than other people.
Doctor Anoop Misra at Fortis Hospital in New Delhi says the risk of diabetes is crossing social and economic lines. Five years ago, he says, obesity and diabetes were limited to India’s richest people, but now things have changed.
But Doctor Misra is hopeful that the spread (蔓延，傳播)of obesity can be slowed. And he says it must start in schools by giving all Indian children the same instruction on physical activity and diet.
The World Health Organization says China is also moving up in obesity rates. The estimate (估計) has reached about five percent countryside and as high as twenty percent in some cities.
【小題1】What is this passage mainly about?

A．Obesity has become a big killer in India.

B．Heart disease is troubling people in India.

C．People in India live a very unhealthy life.

D．Malnutrition remains a serious problem in India.

【小題2】According to Aradhna Tripathi , one of the causes of the obesity problems is____.

A．.the development of economy

B．the change of Indians’ lifestyle

C．Indians’ attitude （態(tài)度）towards eating

D．Indians’ attitude towards obesity.

【小題3】 What can we infer from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5?

A．Most rich people in India are overweight.

B．Five years ago, few people in India were overweight

C．Few poor people are diabetic for economic reasons.

D．Now even the poor in India suffer from obesity.

In many parts of the world，cars play an important role in daily life and many societies would not exist without them. So the idea that in 20 years’ time, no one will own cars may be hard to believe. But this is the prediction made by a team of transport researchers who are taken seriously, not only by government but also by car manufacturers.
The Human Science and Advanced Technology Institute at Loughborough in the UK is part of an international research program. The team there believes that by 2020 all cars will be computerized, which will mean much saving，no accidents and better use of roads. The super-intelligent car of the 21^st century will drive itself, and it will not be owned by one individual. Instead, we will have a choice of cars and change them as frequently as we change our clothing.
According to Dr. David Davis，who leads the research team, these predictions are based on the rising cost of the car culture, which had blocked up our cities, polluted our air, and caused more deaths than both world wars put together.
Davis says cars will be fitted with some intelligent devices to regulate the distance between one car and another. The car will automatically speed up, or slow down, to match the speed of the car in front. Computers are much safer drivers than people, so cars in a road train will be able to drive much closer together than cars driven by people. By 2010, Dr. David Davis believes, car technology will give motorists a clear view of the road, whatever the weather conditions, by projecting an image of the road ahead on to the car’s windscreen. And by 2020, cars will travel in convoy linked to each other electronically. Cars will be connected by an electronic tow bar to the car in front to form “road-trains”. “The front vehicle in such a train burns the normal amount.” says Davis. “But all the others in the train would bum about ten percent 0f the normal amount, and so produce about ten percent of the pollution.”
【小題1】 We know from the passage that governments and car manufacturers        .

A. do not believe the prediction that no one will own cars by 2020

B. are devoted to the technological revolution in car industry

C. consider the predictions seriously

D. have put the super-intelligent car into mass production

【小題2】 Which of the following will be the characteristic of the cars of 2020?

A. The car will speed up out of control．

B. We will own as many cars as we want．

C. All cars will be driven by computers．

D. Cars will produce more pollution than present ones．

【小題3】The leader of the research team believes that the present car culture will change because        .

A. cars play a very important role in daily life

B. many societies would stop functioning without cars

C. cars should not be owned by one individual

D. it causes many deaths to human society

【小題4】The expression closest in meaning to the phrase “in convoy” in the last paragraph is        .

A. in line         B. sidelong

C. side by side     D. shoulder to shoulder

【小題5】 What will happen if cars are joined to each other electronically in 2020？

A. Motorists will get a clear view of the road．

B. The weather condition will not have effect on motorists．

C. There will be less pollution caused by car．

D. All trains will burn less fuel than present．

 

The Internet has got into all the fields of our life. We can study and work on it. We can find a job on it. We can communicate on it. We can treat friends on it. We can buy and sell on it. We can do almost everything on the Internet, and almost anywhere, anytime.
However, although the Internet provides services for us, it is silently getting our privacy(隱私) to some degree. The services on most websites require our personal information. If we want to enjoy these services, we have to provide much of our information, including our names, sex, addresses, telephone numbers and sometimes bank accounts(帳戶). Because weak network sometimes is unsafe, our information might be open, stolen or sold. Even sometimes it will be used freely by others.
Considering（考慮到...） the above mentioned, you must pay attention to the safety when using the Internet. First, when you need Internet service, you should always look through those big legal(合法的) websites. Second, if the service requires important personal information, you should think twice before you type it in. Third, store your own important card key(電子鑰匙) and don’t tell others easily.
【小題1】According to the passage, we shouldn’t ______by using the Internet.

A．learn English	B．give our friends’ information to others
C．chat with friends	D．look for jobs

【小題2】The underlined word “it” refers to ______.

A．the telephone number

B．the name

C．the information

D．the bank account

【小題3】Which of the following ways is correct to protect our information on the Internet?
a. Surf the safe Web       .    b. Think over and over before typing it in.
c. Don’t chat with friends on line  d. Don’t use your key easily. 

A．a(chǎn),b,c.

B．b,c,d.

C．a(chǎn),b,d.

D．a(chǎn),c,d.

【小題4】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Don’t believe others if you don’t know them.

B．Remember never use the ID card on the Internet.

C．Never use the Internet in the future.

D．From now on, we must pay attention to the safety of the information on line.