It sounds like the premise for a science fiction novel, but scientists are today developing a drug that could eliminate traumatic events from our memories. Thus far the research is focused on altering memories immediately following one particular type of trauma, car accidents, with promising results. But the potential applications of the research are far more wide reaching and morally ambiguous. On one hand, such a drug could provide a breakthrough in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in war veterans and rape victims. On the other hand, by relegating our memories to oblivion, such a drug could fundamentally change our sense of self and personal history. It is unclear how the human brain stores memories, and much is unknown about why painful memories of traumatic events come back to haunt some and not others. But one thing is certain--as research into the technology of altering memories continues, so will the ethical debates on whether this pharmaceutical innovation falls outside the spectrum of appropriate medical interventions.

单选题 The main point of the passage is to

• A. describe the premise of a science fiction novel
• B. propose a remedy for traumatic brain injuries
• C. question certain medical research
• D. admit to the failings of pharmaceutical innovation
• E. reject the concept of drug trials

单选题 Which of the following can be inferred from the passage regarding research into the memory-altering drug?

• A. It is currently applicable to many types of traumatic situations.
• B. Research is ongoing, and the treatment remains controversial.
• C. Our sense of self as well as our personal history is essentially static.

填空题 Select the sentence that mentions a specific moral dilemma resulting from the use of a memory-altering drug.

单选题 It can be inferred from the passage that A. scientists have discovered a means by which human memories can be completely eliminated B. only drugs that affect memory are morally ambiguous C. ethical debates are a predictable result of certain types of scientific research

单选题 Transportation has continued to change dramatically with each generation. The last commercial innovation was electric trains, like France's TGV, which were first introduced in the early 1980s and are capable of reaching speeds of more than 185 miles an hour. The next trend in trains will most likely be the "maglevs," or magnetic levitation trains, which are designed to hover over their tracks by resting on magnetic fields and which are driven by motors with no moving parts. Once these trains are up and running, they are expected to reach speeds of more than 400 miles per hour. Which of the following would most likely be found at the beginning of this passage?

• A. A discussion of different transportation methods that have been used throughout history
• B. A statistical analysis of transportation trends in several countries
• C. A series of portraits of the types of trains utilized throughout the history of the United States and Europe
• D. An account of the technological challenges involved in engineering faster trains
• E. An essay on historical transportation models

填空题 For Question 13, select one entry from the corresponding column of choices for each blank. Fill all blanks in the way that best completes the text. Lamarck's theory of evolution, which argued that acquired characteristics could be inherited, was eventually {{U}} (i) {{/U}}by the world scientific community, yet it continued to be embraced in the former USSR, because it was {{U}} (ii) {{/U}}consistent with the official Party beliefs, which stated that individual men could {{U}} (iii) {{/U}}their nature.
A. evinced
B. spurned
C. compartmentalized
D. ideologically
E. erratically
F. idiosyncratically
G. defeat
H. transform
I. expunge