1 . Could your dog be prone to a fatal disease? Is your new shelter pup part beagle or boxer? Many pet owners seek answers to these questions, and as a result, direct-to-consumer dog DNA testing is booming.
Human interfering with dog DNA has long been the driving factor behind dogs’ breed diversity — or lack thereof. But a dog’s DNA can also be used to confirm their lineage (血统) or identify their breed, a boon for pet owners on the lookout for breed-specific health or behavioral challenges or those looking to confirm their dog really has the heritage claimed by a breeder or seller. During DNA analysis, labs sequence the dog’s DNA and look for similarities with a dataset of identified dog breeds.
But breed identification isn’t as simple as it might seem. In a study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association last month, scientists looked into the accuracy of breed prediction in commercially available DNA tests that required a photo of the dog in addition to its DNA sample. The results were mixed, says Casey Greene, a professor who co-authored the study.
“Most tests could accurately distinguish the breed of purebred dogs,” says Greene. But the analysis suggested that some testing companies might rely on the photo more than the dog’s actual genetics — and revealed big differences between companies’ business practices and the genetic datasets they use to determine dog breeds.
The researchers submitted photos and DNA of 12 purebred dogs to a total of six commercial canine (犬的) ancestry identification services. Since each pup was purebred and possessed extensive American Kennel Club paperwork, the researchers knew their breed conclusively—but in some cases they provided a photo of a different dog to see if the photo influenced the DNA results. One of the companies misidentified a purebred Chinese crested dog — almost entirely hairless — as a long-haired Brittany spaniel, seemingly based on the photo alone. The other five did identify the registered breed correctly, but often gave different predictions for other “ancestor” breeds in dogs whose DNA suggested mixed breeding in prior generations. The researchers concluded that veterinarians and pet owners alike should “approach direct-to-consumer tests with caution” given the lack of industry standardization and at least one company’s reliance on photographs instead of DNA analysis.
Despite these concerns, though. dog DNA seems headed for a golden age — and the insights revealed through further study of Fido’s genome (基因组) have already reached far beyond the doghouse. Domesticated dogs have emerged as surprising superstars in medical research that benefits humans. According to researchers, that’s just the beginning. With implications ranging from entertaining to consequential, there’s no telling what dog DNA will continue to unleash.
1. The underlined word “boon” in paragraph two is closest in meaning to ________.A.blessing | B.substitute | C.duty | D.struggle |
A.it assists in accurately determining the breed a dog belongs to |
B.it helps to predict whether dogs are subject to certain diseases |
C.it provides pet owners with insights into dogs’ behavioral challenges |
D.it sequences the DNA of identified dog breeds to find their similarities |
A.Photos play a more significant role in identifying a dog’s breed than its actual genetics. |
B.It is a common phenomenon that the DNA analysis of dogs may yield mixed results. |
C.Commercial dog DNA tests still have limitations and should be dealt with cautiously. |
D.Direct-to-consumer tests overshadow DNA analysis in identifying purebred dogs. |
A.Controversies regarding its reliability are here to stay. |
B.It is bound to make breakthroughs in the fields of medicine and entertainment. |
C.It can step into a golden age as long as some research limitations are fixed. |
D.It may have far-reaching significance and be applied to a wider range of areas. |
A.Seen to cry; fall | B.To be seen crying; falling |
C.Seen crying; falling | D.To be seen to cry; fall |
A.The girl was educated | B.The girl educated |
C.The girl’s being educated | D.The girl to be educated |
4 . Charity in Action
In a busy city like Shanghai, the hustle and bustle often overshadow the needs of those less fortunate. However, amidst this chaos, there are still stories of
One such story unfolded one sunny afternoon in the heart of the city. Li Hua, a high school student, was walking home from school,
Curious, she approached and saw an elderly woman sitting on the ground,
Without
Inspired by this encounter, Li Hua decided to take action. She organized a charity event at her school,
To her surprise, the response was
The charity event was a huge success. Not only did it raise a significant amount of money and goods, but it also
Li Hua’s actions not only
In the busy and often impersonal world of Shanghai, Li Hua’s story is a beacon of hope, a reminder that amidst the noise and crowds, there is still room for
A.charity | B.success | C.adventure | D.courage |
A.advocated | B.annoyed | C.amused | D.amazed |
A.happy | B.lost | C.helpless | D.hopeless |
A.sorrow | B.happiness | C.confusion | D.surprise |
A.hesitation | B.permission | C.doubt | D.invitation |
A.sad | B.nervous | C.warm | D.proud |
A.reducing | B.gaining | C.losing | D.raising |
A.carried out | B.gave away | C.put up | D.took down |
A.negative | B.indifferent | C.overwhelming | D.disappointing |
A.offering | B.demanding | C.expecting | D.refusing |
A.created | B.destroyed | C.ignored | D.avoided |
A.ignored | B.highlighted | C.linked | D.analyzed |
A.helped | B.hurt | C.ignored | D.frightened |
A.shaking | B.showing | C.lending | D.pointing |
A.kindness | B.wealth | C.fame | D.power |
5 . The disposable culture
The disposable (一次性的) culture started small. In1892 William Painter, founder of the Baltimore Bottle Seal Company, patented the bottle cap. The bottles were returned and refilled, but the bottle caps were
Most people feel
With persistence, one may still
This dilemma (困境) occasionally
While some repairs are certainly beyond the ability of the ordinary consumer, many are unbelievably simple. Finding willing
A.turned out | B.thrown away | C.held out | D.kept away |
A.invention | B.concept | C.version | D.equipment |
A.historic | B.political | C.cultural | D.economic |
A.replace | B.produce | C.maintain | D.launch |
A.motivated by | B.accustomed to | C.uncomfortable about | D.independent of |
A.wise | B.relieved | C.bored | D.guilty |
A.removes | B.discovers | C.fixes | D.adjusts |
A.tell | B.miss | C.find | D.affect |
A.service | B.machine | C.information | D.part |
A.doubt | B.insist | C.know | D.recall |
A.takes up | B.puts up | C.makes up | D.opens up |
A.worthless | B.familiar | C.priceless | D.unavailable |
A.fault | B.stage | C.mistake | D.ease |
A.popular | B.disappointing | C.accidental | D.satisfying |
A.managers | B.salesmen | C.repairmen | D.deliverers |
6 . Now let us look at how we read. When we read a printed text, our eyes move across a page in short, jerky movement. We recognize words usually when our eyes are still when they fixate (固定). Each time we fixate, we see a group of words, this is known as the recognition span or the visual span. The length of time for which the eyes stop — the duration of the fixation — varies considerably from person to person. It also varies within one person according to his purpose in reading and his familiarity with the text. Furthermore, it can be affected by such factors as lighting and tiredness.
Unfortunately, in the past, many reading improvement courses have concentrated too much on how our eyes move across the printed page. As a result of this misleading emphasis on the purely visual aspects of reading, numerous exercises have been devised to train the eyes to see more words at one fixation. For instance, in some exercises, words are flashed on to a screen for, say, a tenth or a twentieth of a second. One of the exercises has required students to fix their eyes on some central point, taking in the words on either side. Such word patterns are often constructed in the shape of rather steep pyramids so the reader takes in more and more words at a successive fixation. All these exercises are very clever, but it is one thing to improve a person’s ability to see words and quite another thing to improve his ability to read a text efficiently. Reading requires the ability to understand the relationship between words. Consequently, for these reasons, many experts have now begun to question the usefulness of eye training, especially since any approach which trains a person to read isolated words and phrases would seem unlikely to help him in reading a continuous text.
1. The time of recognition span can be affected by the following facts except .A.lighting and tiredness | B.one’s purpose in reading |
C.the length of a group of words | D.one’s familiarity with the text |
A.demands more mind than eyes |
B.demands a deeply-participating mind |
C.requires a reader to see words more quickly |
D.requires a reader to take in more words at each fixation |
A.The ability to see words is not needed when an efficient reading is conducted. |
B.The reading exercises mentioned can’t help to improve one’s ability of efficient reading. |
C.The reading exercises mentioned have done a great job to improve a person’s ability to see words. |
D.The reading exercises mentioned can’t help to improve both ability to see and to comprehend words. |
A.The emphasis on the purely visual aspects is misleading. |
B.Many experts begun to question the efficiency of eye training. |
C.The visual span is a word or a group of words we see each time. |
D.The eye training will help readers in reading a continuous text. |
7 . In Favour of Simple Writing
Do you edit text messages carefully before sending them? If so, you may be the kind of person who takes pride in
People are constantly receiving messages, from the mailbox to the inbox to the text-message alert. What to read, what to skim (略读) and what to ignore are decisions that nearly everyone has to make dozens of times a day. A new book titled All Readers are Busy Nowadays makes the argument for being the careful kind of
Take “less is more”. Most books on writing well advocate the advice to
Keeping messages to a
Syntax (句法) and
If everyone is a busy reader, everyone is a busy writer, too. That may make it tempting to sent as many messages as
A.conveying | B.understanding | C.crafting | D.sending |
A.care | B.quantity | C.simplicity | D.technology |
A.reader | B.poster | C.learner | D.writer |
A.structures | B.principles | C.aims | D.alternatives |
A.remove | B.ignore | C.reconsider | D.interpret |
A.conveyed | B.translated | C.tested | D.shaped |
A.lowered | B.affected | C.doubled | D.maintained |
A.basic | B.positive | C.definite | D.single |
A.Recording | B.Reducing | C.Counting | D.Estimating |
A.in comparison | B.after all | C.for instance | D.in particular |
A.word-choice | B.pattern-design | C.target-setting | D.platform-selection |
A.difficult | B.suitable | C.challenging | D.common |
A.carefully | B.often | C.politely | D.quickly |
A.outcomes | B.points | C.figures | D.benefits |
A.received | B.written | C.read | D.answered |
8 . The stress of daily life has given rise to a new phenomenon—sleep texting. People with this condition send text messages while asleep to their friends and family—completely
Sleep specialist Dr. Cunnington, of Melbourne Sleep Disorder Centre in Australia, said patients had reported
He said, “We have had patients who have reported sending text messages to their friends and family while asleep. It is one of those things that happens, but it is very
Unsurprisingly, there are no
Researchers at the University of Toledo reported the case of a woman, 44, who would
He said, “Emails can be sent to work colleagues and have much more serious
Dr. Cunnington described sleep texting as the
“
Dr. Cunnington said people
A.curious | B.unaware | C.sure | D.grateful |
A.missions | B.intention | C.courses | D.incidents |
A.mobile phones | B.personal computers | C.unfinished work | D.sleeping pills |
A.true | B.attractive | C.obvious | D.rare |
A.clues | B.details | C.studies | D.insights |
A.similar | B.strange | C.present | D.unique |
A.recall | B.collect | C.compose | D.polish |
A.generous | B.internal | C.harmful | D.positive |
A.consequences | B.preparations | C.injuries | D.discussions |
A.accidentally | B.purposefully | C.unreasonably | D.unwillingly |
A.theory | B.result | C.excuse | D.loss |
A.Because | B.Although | C.Whether | D.So |
A.combine | B.satisfy | C.describe | D.separate |
A.devoting | B.struggling | C.objecting | D.affording |
A.turn on | B.stick to | C.think about | D.switch off |
9 . Today, in most of the theatres in Britain, the stages are situated behind a sort of arch (拱门), called the proscenium (幕布前的舞台部分) arch. The arch runs across the building with the stage on one side of it and the auditorium, housing the audience, on the other. The audience is kept to the area from which it can get a clear view of the stage.
The modern idea of having the stage in front of the proscenium arch is not really modern, of course. It makes our stages much like Shakespeare’s.
Moreover, nowadays, people are finding that modern theatres are built to sit in comfortably for two or three hours at a stretch.
A.Over the last few decades, since the Second World War, theatrical customs have altered. |
B.It makes people feel, as they watch a play or a show, that they are seeing a living and moving picture. |
C.All these innovations have quickened up the pace of the drama. |
D.This is an advantage both for actors and audience. |
E.Today the theatres are much more comfortable because of the many improvements. |
F.Often they can meet and eat in the restaurants attached to the theatres. |
假如你是明启中学的李明,你的好友李华受邀参加美国的夏令营活动。此时他有两种方案可供选择,一种是选择寄宿在当地居民的家中(homestay),费用比较高。另一种是参加30小时的志愿者服务活动,但提供免费住宿。对此,他向你求助。
请写一封信给李华,必须包含下列两点:
1.你建议选择哪一种方案;
2.你的理由。
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