【推荐1】Developing new prescription drugs and antidotes(解毒剂) to poison currently relies mostly on animal testing in the early stages. That is not only expensive and time consuming, but it can also give scientists inaccurate data about how humans will respond to such agents(药剂). But what if researchers could predict the impacts of potentially harmful chemicals, viruses, or drugs on human beings without doing experiments on animal or even human test subjects? To help achieve that goal, scientists and engineers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are developing a “human-on-a-chip(芯片),”a very small outside copy of the human body, combining biology and engineering.

The team is combining microfluidics (network of tiny tubes and channels) and multi-electrode series (devices that connect neurons(神经元) to electronic circuitry(电路)). The project, known as iGHIP (in-vitro Chip-based Human Investigational Platform), reproduces four major biological systems: the central nervous system (brain), peripheral nervous system, the blood-brain barrier, and the heart.“It’s a testing platform for exposure to agents whose effects are unknown to humans,” said LLNL engineer Dave Soscia, who co-leads development of the “brain-on-a-chip”device used to simulate the central nervous system. “If you have a system that is designed to more closely copy the human environment, you can skip over the really lengthy process of animal testing, which doesn’t necessarily give us information relevant to humans.”

The iCHIP team is focusing its efforts on the brain , where they’re looking to understand how neurons interact with each other and react to chemical stimuli(刺激)such as caffeine and capsaicin, the thing that gives chili peppers their hotness, as well as chemical agents in the Lab’s Forensic Science Center. Unique to the iCHIP platform is combining numerous brain cell types on the same device without barriers between those regions. To study the brain, primary neurons are planted onto a micro-electrode series device, which can contain up to four brain regions. After the cells grow as normal, a chemical (caffeine for example) is introduced, and the electrical activity from the neurons is recorded.

“The idea is that we can look at network-wide effects across different brain regions,”Soscia said. “It adds a level of complexity that has never been done before.” Additionally, early research is being done to copy the heart on a chip. Heart cells have already been shown to successfully “beat”in response to electrical stimulation, with the intent to simultaneously measure the electrophysiology(电生理现象) and movement of the cells at the same time.

The next step, according to iCHIP principal investigator Elizabeth Wheeler, is combining all the systems together to create a complete testing platform to study some fundamental scientific questions. “The final goal is to fully represent the human body,”Wheeler said. “Not only can the iCHIP provide human-relevant data for drugs, but it can also provide valuable information for understanding disease mechanisms(机制). The knowledge gained from these human-on-a-chip systems will someday be used for personalized medicine.”

1. Why do scientists want to develop a “human-on-a-chip”?

A．To save more time to do research on engineering.

B．To simplify the researching process and get more accurate data.

C．To invent a totally new kind of researching method.

D．To combine the subjects of biology and engineering.

2. The underlined word “simulate”in Para 2 most probably means__________.

A．copy	B．control
C．change	D．build

3. What is the iCHIP team’s chief aim?

A．To copy the human environment

B．To record the neurons’s reaction to chemical stimuli

C．To shorten the lengthy process of animal testing

D．To understand the brain’s mechanism

4. It can be inferred that the chip researches on LLNL mainly involve in __________.

A．hearts and lungs	B．brain and eyes
C．hearts and brains	D．lungs and eyes

5. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．The iCHIP can provide human-relevant data to cure diseases.

B．The iCHIP can replace people’s activities in some day.

C．The iCHIP will be able to solve all kinds of scientific questions.

D．The iCHIP won’t be able to supply the personalized cause of disease.

6. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．“Human-On-A-Chip” Technology Could Develop New Drugs

B．“Human-On-A-Chip” Technology Could Develop New Antidotes

C．“Human-On-A-Chip” Technology Could Replace Animal Testing

D．“Human-On-A-Chip” Technology Could Cure People’s Addiction

【推荐3】Last month I was lucky enough to have a chance to make a trip into space with my friend Li Yanping, an astronomer. We visited the moon in our spaceship!

Before we left, Li Yanping explained to me that the force of gravity would change three times on our journey and that the first change would be the most powerful. Then we were off. As the rocket rose into the air, we were pushed back into our seats because we were trying to escape the pull of the earth’s gravity. It was so hard that we could not say anything to each other. Gradually the weight lessened and I was able to talk to him. "Why is the spaceship not falling back to the earth? On the earth if I fall from a tree I will fall to the ground." I asked. "We are too far from the earth now to feel its pull, " he explained, "so we feel as if there is no gravity at all. When we get closer to the moon, we shall feel its gravity pulling us, but it will not be as strong a pull as the earth's. " I cheered up immediately and floated weightlessly around in our spaceship cabin watching the earth become smaller and the moon larger.

When we got there, I wanted to explore immediately. "Come on," I said. "If you are right, my mass will be less than on the earth because the moon is smaller and I will be able to move more freely. I might even grow taller if I stay here long enough. I shall certainly weigh less!" I laughed and climbed down the steps from the spaceship. But when I tried to step forward, I found I was carried twice as far as on the earth and fell over. "Oh dear," I cried, "walking does need a bit of practice now that gravity has changed." After a while I got the hang of it and we began to enjoy ourselves.

1. From the passage, we can learn that ______________.

A．walking on the moon was very easy

B．the writer was too frightened to speak

C．the writer became taller and fatter on the moon

D．the pull of gravity on Earth is stronger than that on the moon

2. What is the best title of this passage?

A．A Visit to the Moon

B．The Pull of Gravity

C．The Science of the Star

D．A Bridge to Space

3. Where does this text probably come from?

A．Science fiction.

B．A science report.

C．An advertisement.

D．Children's Literature.

【推荐1】Could your cellphone give you cancer? Whether it could or not, some people are worried about the possibility that phones, power lines and Wi-Fi could be responsible for a range of illnesses, from rashes to brain tumors.

Some say there is evidence to support the growing anxieties. David Carpenter, a professor of environmental health sciences at the university at Albany, in New York, thinks there’s a greater than 95 percent chance that power lines can cause childhood leukemia(白血病). Also there’s a greater than 90 percent chance that cellphones can cause brain tumors. “It’s apparent now that there’s a real risk,” said Carpenter.

But others believe these concerns are unjustified. Dr. Martha Linet, the head of radiation epidemiology(流行病学)at the US National Cancer Institute, has looked at the same research as Carpenter but has reached a different conclusion. “I don’t support warning labels for cellphones,” said Linet. “We don’t have the evidence that there’s much danger.”

Studies so far suggest a weak connection between EMFs(电磁场)and illness—so weak that it might not exist at all. A multinational investigation of cellphones and brain cancer, in 13 countries outside the US, has been underway for several years. It’s funded in part by the European Union, in part by a cellphone industry group. The final report should come out later this year, but data so far don’t suggest a strong link between cellphone use and cancer risk.

1. From the passage we can learn that some people are worried because ________.

A．they have evidence that the use of cellphones can lead to cancer

B．they make a fuss(大惊小怪)over cellphone use

C．some experts have given a warning

D．cellphones are responsible for brain tumors

2. By saying “I don’t support warning labels for cellphones,” Dr. Martha Linet has the idea that ________.

A．the worrying is unnecessary

B．cancer-warning labels should be on cellphones

C．there is a link between cellphones and cancer

D．cellphones have nothing to do with cancer

3. Which of the following best describes the attitude of the author towards the debate?

A．Optimistic.

B．Objective.

C．Opposite.

D．indifferent.

4. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．Cellphones: is there a cancer link?

B．There is a link between cellphone and cancer.

C．A research on the cellphone.

D．The cellphone and radiation epidemiology