With rapid advances in medical science, cloning is slowly but surely looking like it could be in our near future. However, is it really an option that should be considered as a way to extend human life?
Reproductive cloning may help human families gain children, but there’s also a benefit for the animal world. It brings hope to people eager for children but unable to have their own or adopt. It can also bring about the recreation of species that have long since died, allowing scientists to fully study the species as a living creature instead of simply looking at images or bones.
Many believe that cloning can be used to replace failing organs. This will reduce the waiting list for organ donations and allow more people to be saved. Not only that, but because the organ is, in fact, your own organ, there would be less chance of rejection.
Cloning could prove helpful in genetic research. Using cloning technologies, genetic researchers would have a better understanding of the composition of genes and the effects of genetic constituents (成分) on human characters. There’s also the possibility of changing genetic constituents in cloned humans, and cloning could help fight genetic diseases.
While the cloning of body organs can help extend human life, it could also cause a lot of malpractice (玩忽职守). Along with the ability to clone desired characters, there could be the possibility of people deliberately reproducing undesired characters. This could lead to a rise in malpractices within society.
Cloning involves a process of creating identical genes. As such, there would be a lack of diversity in humankind. Scientists believe this lack of diversity will lower the human race's ability to adapt.
Whatever your view on cloning may be, studies show that the clone would in fact not be completely identical to the original just as twins are not completely identical. Though they might look alike, twins have different personalities and enjoy different things. The same could be said of clones. Even if technology were created in which your memories and thoughts could be transmitted (传送) to the clone, your clone would still be a different person.
1. What good might reproductive cloning bring?| A．It may help improve human well-being. |
| B．It could contribute to the rising birthrate. |
| C．It could help animals survive deadly diseases. |
| D．It may enable scientists to better study extinct species. |
| A．organ transplant |
| B．solving the aging problem |
| C．infectious disease treatment |
| D．constructing a gene database |
| A．Great diversity. |
| B．Individual security risk. |
| C．Increased improper conduct. |
| D．Serious personality disorder. |
| A．To stress twins’ similarities. |
| B．To show twins are quite common. |
| C．To carry out deeper research on twins. |
| D．To better illustrate what a clone will be like. |
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【推荐1】A new device (设备) works like a solar panel, except it doesn't harvest energy from the sun to produce electricity. Instead, it uses energy from the cold night sky.
In the center of this device is a thermoelectric generator (热电发电机), which uses the temperature difference between Earth and outer space to create electricity.
As long as one side of it is cooler than the other, the generator can produce electricity. The cooler side faces the sky and is attached to an aluminum plate. That plate is sealed under a transparent cover and surrounded with materials that keep heat out. It stays cooler than the surrounding air by getting rid of any heat it absorbs as infrared (红外线的) radiation. That radiation can zip up through the transparent cover and on toward outer space.
The bottom of the generator is attached to an exposed aluminum plate, which is warmed by the local air. At night, the top plate can get several degrees centigrade cooler than the bottom of the generator.
Researchers tested the device one clear December night in Stanford, Calif. The generator produced up to about 25 milliwatts of power per square meter of the device. That was just enough power to light a small electric lamp. Further improvements might develop its production to at least 500 milliwatts per square meter.
"It's a very clever idea," says Yuan Yang, a materials scientist who works at Columbia University in New York City. "The device still needs improving," he notes. "But this new device may be useful for backup power," Yang says. "It might also provide a bit of energy to people living in areas that lack electricity."
"The device could help power remote weather stations or other environmental devices," says Aaswath Raman, a materials scientist who worked on the device at the University of California, Los Angeles. What's more, this may be useful in areas that don't see sunlight for months at a time, Raman adds.
1. How is the device designed?| A．It includes two aluminum plates with different functions. |
| B．It is equipped with a heat resistant generator in the center. |
| C．Its two aluminum plates are exposed to air to keep heat out. |
| D．Its generator is sealed by a transparent cover to remain cool. |
| A．It won't be expanded to be much larger. |
| B．It fails to produce electricity fast enough. |
| C．It is unable to power small electric lamps. |
| D．It produces a limited amount of electricity. |
| A．evaluate the device on a positive basis |
| B．point out the problems with the device |
| C．explain the research work for the device |
| D．comment on Aaswath Raman's prediction |
| A．Lamps Are Powered by the Energy From the Cold Night Sky |
| B．A Generator Producing Electricity Has Been Applied in Many Areas |
| C．Scientists Have Made a Breakthrough in Harvesting Green Energy |
| D．A Device Uses Energy From the Cold Night Sky to Produce Electricity |
【推荐2】Will there be a time in our lives when cars don’t crash? When we can just sit back and relax and our cars will drive themselves. Auto technology experts say “yes”. And they say that some of those advances may happen quicker than you might think.
They will require the users to input the name of the destination or the complete address of the location that they want to go and the cars’ artificial intelligence takes them there automatically without a driver. They will run on solar power in the daytime and ethanol fuel (乙醇燃料) at night. Toyota, BMW and Honda will completely control the trade of driverless car business together and will have the cheapest driverless cars. Fossil fuels will be completely incompatible (不相配的) with these cars.
Driverless cars will not require a driver’s license of any grade to operate. Anyone with basic literacy and computer skills who are at least 16 years of age will be legally allowed to operate the vehicle with absolutely no limits.This would give the young users permission to operate the driverless cars on major highways as well as secondary roads without needing a separate classification. In addition to all this, drunken people will be able to use their own automobiles to return home because they are not “driving”, the vehicle.
What’s more, car insurance will become obsolete(淘汰的) because there will be no more automobile accidents after the year 2025. This is because the driverless car will have all safety methods in place by the car’s artificial intelligence to prevent automobile accidents. Global positioning systems will become mandatory (强制的) in all newly-produced cars after 2010, and will be the most important part in the driverless car.
1. Who will not be able to use driverless cars?| A．Adults with basic literacy and computer skills. |
| B．Adults who are drunk. |
| C．Adults without a driver’s license. |
| D．Adults without computer skills. |
| A．will need fewer fossil fuels |
| B．will not need a human’s instructions |
| C．will run on solar power only |
| D．will be environmentally friendly |
| A．The people inside. |
| B．Global positioning systems. |
| C．Artificial intelligence. |
| D．Car insurance. |
| A．Car safety. |
| B．Driverless cars. |
| C．The future cars. |
| D．New technology in cars. |
【推荐3】Faced with a declining population and workforce, Japan has been increasingly turning to robots for help. Over the years, the robots have carried out a large number of human tasks, including building products and providing care for the elderly.
However, the robots currently being used by companies, like Walmart and Amazon, are only able to perform single, repetitive tasks, such as stacking boxes. Model-T, on the other hand, has a wider range of movement and is able to hold, pick and place objects of several different shapes and sizes into different locations, making it ideal for convenience and grocery stores, which sell a large variety of items.
Model-T robots are operated from a distant location by human “pilots” wearing a virtual reality (VR) headset and special gloves, which allow them to feel the product the robot is holding in their hands and guide it to the right shelf.
The VR-controlled robots are ten times cheaper than automated robots, because they don’t require advanced programming and are easier to develop and maintain. And their easy-to-use controls require little training. Tomohiro Kano, a general manager in charge of development at FamilyMart, believes this will enable the chain to recruit workers who would typically not work in stores.
Though Model-T appears to be getting rapidly through the experiments, it is not quite ready to enter the workforce. Besides being a lot slower than humans, it is also only able to lift packaged items, and cannot get hold of things such as fruits and vegetables. The company is working to improve the weaknesses and hopes to introduce a faster, more skillful Model-T within the next two years. They believe that in addition to the stores, the robots could also be useful in hospitals, allowing doctors to do operations from remote locations.
1. What is one of the features of Model-T according to the text?| A．It works much faster than humans. | B．It can easily hold all kinds of objects. |
| C．It can be operated from a distance away. | D．It is harder to produce than an automated robot. |
| A．The low price of Model-T. | B．The easiness to operate Model-T. |
| C．The low-level programming of Model-T. | D．The strict training for maintaining Model-T. |
| A．Model-T is now being massively produced. |
| B．Japan’s workforce will be reduced by Model-T. |
| C．The weaknesses of Model-T have been overcome. |
| D．Model-T may be used in wider fields in the future. |
| A．Technology. | B．Economy. | C．Lifestyle. | D．Environment. |
【推荐1】Striking footage (镜头) recorded for National Geographic shows a dying polar bear struggling to find food on a land without ice or snow. The poor creature can be seen dragging its bony frame (骨架) across the rough land and searching for food in a bin.
Paul Nicken, the photographer who shot the heart-breaking footage, says the sight reduced him to tears. “We stood there crying—filming with tears rolling down our cheeks,” he said. They found the dying creature on Canada’s Baffin Island—an area that has seen an extreme reduction in sea ice because of global warming.
Nicken says that had he stepped in, it would only have deepened the situation. Instead, he filmed the bear’s slow, painful death and posted it to social media to serve as visual proof of the impact of climate change. “When scientists say bears are going extinct, I want people to realise what it looks like. Bears are going to starve to death,” said Nicken.“This is what a starving bear looks like.”
Polar bears are only native to the Arctic region and are one of the many casualties (伤亡) of climate change. They rely on the Arctic ice to hunt seals and are becoming increasingly threatened as the ice melts away.
The World Wildlife Fund(WWF) predicted back in 2002 that polar bears may face extinction for losing habitat. There are an estimated 25,000 bears left in the wild and most experts agree that unless climate change is controlled, they will all be dead within the next 100 years. “The simple truth is this—if the Earth continues to warm, we will lose bears and the entire polar ecosystem. This large male bear was not old, and he certainly died within hours or days in that situation,” Nicken wrote on Instagram. But there are solutions. We must begin putting the Earth—our home—first.
1. What can people see in the striking footage?| A．A starving polar bear. | B．Some dying creature. |
| C．A crying photographer. | D．The reduction of sea water. |
| A．To raise people’s awareness of climate change. | B．To get a prize in photography competition. |
| C．To attract readers’ interest in bears. | D．To raise money for bear protection. |
| A．The polar bears that are left can be found in Canada. |
| B．They were hunting seals when taken photos of. |
| C．The WWF has done a lot to protect them. |
| D．Melting ice is a huge threat to their life. |
| A．The unknown diseases increased polar bears’ deaths. |
| B．The whole bear ecosystem will suffer a heavy loss. |
| C．The destruction of forest affected the ecosystem. |
| D．The polar bear will be extinct in this century. |
【推荐2】If there was such things as perfect food，eggs would be one of them．They're readily available，easy to cook，affordable and packed with protein．
But for decades，eating eggs has also been controversial due to their high cholesterol（胆固醇）content．One egg contains around 185 milligrams of cholesterol，which is more than half of the 300mg daily amount of cholesterol that the US dietary guidelines recommended until recently．
Researchers haven't definitively linked consumption of cholesterol to an increased risk of cardiovascular（心血管的）disease．As a result，US dietary guidelines no longer have a cholesterol restriction；nor does the UK．Instead，emphasis is placed on limiting how much fat we consume，which can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease．
Research published earlier this year，though，challenged the common opinion that eggs have no harm to our health．Researchers looked at data from 30，000 adults followed for an average of 17 years and found that each additional half an egg per day was significantly linked to a higher risk of heart disease and death．
Despite the study being one of the largest of its kind to address this specific relationship between eggs and heart disease，it was observational，giving no indication of cause and effect．
While researchers are a long way from understanding why eggs affect us differently，the vast majority of recent research suggests they pose no risk to our health，and are much more likely to provide health benefits．
Even so，having eggs for breakfast every day probably isn't the healthiest option，either—at least as it's recommended that we have a varied diet…rather than put all our eggs in one basket．
1. Which section on a newspaper could you probably find this article？| A．Society |
| B．Health |
| C．Travel |
| D．Fashion |
| A．Because they are readily available． |
| B．Because they are easy to cook． |
| C．Because they are affordable and packed with protein． |
| D．Because they contain much cholesterol． |
| A．Cholesterol has strong link to the increased risk of disease． |
| B．The UK dietary guidelines no longer have a cholesterol restriction． |
| C．Having two eggs per day would lead to health problems． |
| D．Eggs is not harmful to our health． |
| A．Having eggs everyday for breakfast． |
| B．Recommending our friends to have at least one egg per day． |
| C．Balancing our diet with different kinds of food． |
| D．Putting all eggs in one basket when your buy them． |
【推荐3】Do you know cultivated meat? Typically, making this sort of meat starts with cells from domestic animals. The cells are grown in bioreactors full of nutrient-rich liquid, and then harvested, and eventually become products such as steak or chicken. In a homely kitchen of Eat Just, a startup, a slice of such meat was fried and then served with peppers. The first mouthful of it was extraordinary because the meat was grown in a lab, rather than on an animal. Meanwhile, it was also dull, because the texture, taste, look and smell of the meat was almost identical to that of chicken.
In June, Eat Just and Upside Foods became the first two companies to win regulatory approval to sell cultivated meat in America. A handful of other firms are trying to bring cultivated meat to market. But the hope is fading owing to continued high costs and troubles with mass production.
The UN reports meat and dairy production already accounts for 12% of humanity’s greenhouse-gas emissions, Demand for meat is skyrocketing among the growing middle classes of Africa and Asia. Lab-grown meat could help meet that demand without the world breaking its carbon budget. By contrast, two-fifths of Americans claim to restrict their meat consumption either for ethical(伦理的) reasons or environmental ones. Lab-grown meat may seem less ethically worrisome than eating animals. And the early success of plant-based meat alternatives gave investors hope. Beyond Meat, one such firm, went public in 2019, and saw its value shoot to $14 billion.
Though lab-grown meat offers an alternative to farm-grown meat, questions have been raised about how climate-friendly it can be. A study published earlier this year found that in some circumstances cultivated meat could be more polluting than the conventional stuff because the bioreactor is in great need of power to control its temperature. Consequently, only if renewable energy is used in the production process will cultivated meat cut the carbon footprint of the meat industry.
Whether this effort can make lab-grown meat attractive and cheap enough to attract consumers remains to be seen.
1. What does the author focus on concerning cultivated meat in paragraph 1?| A．Its characteristics. | B．Its health benefits. |
| C．Its cooking methods. | D．Its similarities to artificial meat. |
| A．Most Americans skip meat. |
| B．Asians prefer lab-grown meat. |
| C．Beyond Meat is facing financial collapse. |
| D．Lab-grown meat may have a vast consumer market. |
| A．Poisonous chemical leaks. | B．Land occupation. |
| C．Grecnhouse-gas emissions. | D．Water consumption. |
| A．Opposed. | B．Favorable. | C．Uncaring. | D．Reserved. |
