单选题Novel approaches to baby making seem to be coming at us so fast that we hardly have time to digest one before the next one hits — test-tube babies, egg donation, surrogacy, cloning and now sex selection. And just as with earlier methods, the new sperm-separation technique announced last week has triggered plenty of ethical concern. Only a few critics have argued that tampering with nature to avoid a sex-linked genetic disease should be taboo. But plenty have expressed misgivings about using the new technology more casually, to balance families, or simply because parents prefer boys or girls. Such choices, critics say, could lead to an imbalance in the sex ratio, with drastic consequences for society. These arguments are not very persuasive. In some developing countries where boys are more highly valued than girls, sex selection is already standard practice, accomplished by means of infanticide of amniocentesis and abortion. The new sperm-separation technique makes it easier for more people to practice sex selection in these countries. This could skew the already tilting sex ratio even further in favor of boys. In the short term, such demographic shifts could cause enormous societal problems as men, for example, find it increasingly difficult to find women to marry. In the long term, however, both evolutionary and economic theories tell us that as girls become scarcer, they will become more highly valued, perhaps to the point at which more people will select for girls than against them. In America and other Western countries there seems to be little chance of the sexes going far out of balance at all. Polls show that a majority of Americans view a perfect family as having one boy and one girl. If everyone used sex selection to achieve perfection, the result would be perfect balance. Of course, some prospective parents do prefer children of one sex or the other. But such preferences would presumably balance out as well. Regarding the argument that choosing gender goes against nature: the same objection was used in earlier times by people horrified by vaccines or heart transplants, which are now completely acceptable. Every time we use medicine to cure a disease or prevent a death, we go against nature willingly. Admittedly, sex selection for family balancing cures no disease. In fact, though, no form of baby making solves a medical problem. Sex selection, moreover, is medically benign in comparison with most reproductive technologies. No surgery is involved, and the entire process can theoretically be performed without a physician. Children born through this process can't distinguish from other children. For these reasons, I suspect that as sex selection and other reproductive technologies become more efficient and less costly, they may be embraced by American families of even modest means who ask themselves, why not? What was once unimaginable could become routine and the link between the sex act and reproduction will no longer be seen as sacred. Ultimately, this may prove to be the real significance of sex selection: by breaching a powerful psychological barrier, it will pave the way for true designer babies, who could really turn society upside down.

单选题 Questions 14 to 16 are based on the following conversation on a taxi ride between the driver (the man) and a passenger (the woman). You now have 15 seconds to read Questions 14 to 16.

单选题It can be inferred from the last paragraph that

单选题Questions 17—20 are based on the following talk about the language ability.

单选题{{B}}TEXT 3{{/B}} Dozens of companies these days are hawking genetic testing kits, which claim to give consumers a glimpse of their future health. But how accurate are they? Perhaps not very, according to witnesses at U. S. Senate hearing here today, as well a report released concurrently by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congress's investigation arm. There are genetic tests for more than 1000 conditions. While in some cases, such as cystic fibrosis, having a particular set of mutations all but guarantees disease, in many others it correlates only with an increase in disease risk. For example, mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes correspond with a roughly 50% to 80% risk of breast cancer. DNA tests are regulated by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), which, some critics have charged, lacks the ability to effectively oversee complex and rapidly changing diagnostics. While most DNA tests are administered in a doctor's office, some can be ordered from companies online. A subset of these tests, called "nutragenic" DNA tests, claim to provide consumers with information about diseases for which they're supposedly at risk as well as, in some cases, dietary advice, such as pills sold by the company, that may counter the hazard. It's this class of tests that GAO and the Senate's Special Committee on Aging tackled. To conduct the investigation, the GAO team ordered DNA tests online, all of which examined between four and 19 genes, from four companies: Market America, Genelex, Sciona, and Suracell. Using DNA samples from a 48-year-old man and the 9-month-old daughter of GAO's Gregory Kutz, who helped assemble the report, the team created 14 fictitious characters with various lifestyles. If the companies were truly focusing on genetics, many of the results that came back didn't make sense. In some cases, two DNA samples from the same source came back with a different list of disease risks. In addition, the companies recommended nutritional formulas tailored to an individual's DNA, but the investigators found that identical formulas were prescribed for people with different DNA. The DNA tests "threaten more than the public's pocketbook; they threaten public health," Kathy Hudson of the Genetics and Public Policy Center testified at the hearing. Hudson told the senators that legislation was needed to better regulate and validate these tests. Representatives from the companies, however, took a different view. Rosalynn Gill-Garrison, the chief science officer of Sciona, based in Boulder, Colorado, emphasized that her firm's products were safe, effective, and ethically appropriate.

单选题 {{B}} Questions 14～16 are based on the fallowing talk. You now have 15 seconds to read Questions 14～16.{{/B}}

单选题 {{I}}Questions 11 - 13 are based on the following talk. You now have 15 seconds to read Questions 11 - 13.{{/I}}

单选题Painting your house is like adding something to a huge communal picture in which the rest of the painting is done either by nature or by other people. The picture is not static; it changes as we move about, with the time of day, with the seasons, with new planting, new buildings and with alterations to old ones. Any individual house is just a fragment of this picture, nevertheless it has the power to make or mark the overall scene. In the past people used their creative talents in painting their homes, with great imagination and in varied but always subtly blending colors. The last vestiges of this great tradition can still be seen in the towns of the extreme west of Ireland. It has never been recognized as an art form, partly because of the physical difficulty of hanging a street in a gallery and partly because it is always changing, as paint fades and is renewed. Also it is a communal art which cannot be identified with any person, except in those many cases where great artists of the past found inspiration in ordinary street scenes and recorded them in paint. Following the principles of decoration that were so successful in the past, you should first take a long look at the house and its surroundings and consider possible limitations. The first concerns the amount of color and intensity in the daylight in Britain. Colors that look perfectly in keeping with the sunny, clear skies of the Mediterranean would look too harsh in the grayer light of the north. Since bright light is uncomfortable for the eyes, colors must be strong in order to be seen clearly. Viewed in a dimmer light they appear too bright. It is easy to see this if you look at a brick house while the sun is alternately shining and then going behind a cloud. The brick work colors look much more intense when the sun is hidden. The second limitation is the colors of the surroundings: the colors which go best with Cotswold stone and a rolling green countryside will be different from those that look best by the sea or in a red--brick/ blue--slate industrial town. In every area there are always colors that at once look in keeping. In many areas there are distinctive traditions in the use of color that may be a useful guide. The eastern countries of England and Scotland, particularly those with a local tradition of rendering of plastering, use colors applied solidly over the wall. Usually only the window frames and doors are picked out in another color, often white or pale grey. Typical wall colors are the pink associated with Suffolk and pate buffs. Much stronger colors such as deep earth red, orange, blue and green are also common. In the coastal villages of Essex, as well as inland in Hertfordshire, the house--fronts of overlapping boards are traditionally painted black originally tarred like ships with windows and doors outlined in white. In Kent these weather boarded houses are usually white. In stone areas of Yorkshire and farther north, color is rare. the houses are usually left in their natural color, though many are painted white as they probably all were once.

单选题This passage best answers which of the following questions?

单选题There's a simple idea that two of West Germany's top car manufacturers are seriously studying at the moment, both out of self interest, but also out of concern for the environment. The concept is to develop vehicles that can run on a virtually limitless element hydrogen which when burned does not produce damaging fumes, but instead a bit of water vapour. The concept can solve two problems at once. First, it is a hedge for that day in the 21st century when hydrocarbon fuels run out, a prospect of no minor concern for the automotive industry. Beyond that, the increasingly dire warnings by environmental scientists about the "greenhouse effect" in atomosphere caused by carbon dioxide exhausts adds urgency to the quest for a fuel that is less damaging to the environment. Of course, there is a hitch to hydrogen, both carmakers admit : though the know - how to run vehicles on nature's lightest element is already available, hydrogen is far from being cost competitive compared to hydrocarbon fuels, and further refinements hydrogen - propulsion technology will be required. But what we are discussing today is the technology of the year 2020. But after several years' research Daimler and BMW engineers, in collaboration with other companies and research institutes in West Germany, independently have been tackling the technological and cost feasibility problems to be overcome in hydrogen fuel application. In addition to the two concerns of technology and economic feasibility, the carmakers say, there is the issue of safety. The spectacular explosion of the dirigible. Hindenburg in 1937 immediately comes to mind, and skeptics wonder what the German autobahn would look like in one of the hundred - car pileups that routinely happen every winter if all the cars and tanks loaded with hydrogen. A BMW engineer, Friedieh Fickel, says that hydrogen is seen as less risky than gasoline. When leaked, hydrogen rises quickly up to the atmosphere, reducing the potential of explosion, whereas gasoline fumes linger close to the ground before dispersing. Still, both Daimler and BMW report that a considerable part of their development efforts are aimed at safe, lead - free storage of hydrogen fuel. The related question is what is the best method of storage. By now, the tests by both carmakers have all but eliminated using hydrogen in gas form. As a gas it takes up about 14 times the space of liquid hydrogen and as much as 30 percent can be lost by leakage unless the tanks are perfectly sealed. Two other storage methods hold more promise. One is in liquid form, and the other in the form of metal hydrides. In the latter, hydrogen if mixed with a metal alloy, a process whereby the gas molecules are stored within the metal's molecular structure.

单选题Where lies success of a country in the New Age of Superstuff?

单选题Whatisthemainproblemcausedbytheusualwayofplowing?A.Thecrop'sbloomingperiodisdelayed.B.Therootsofcropsarecutoff.C.Thetopsoilisseriouslydamaged.D.Thegrowthofweedsisaccelerated.

单选题What does the underlined word they in Paragraph 2 refer to?

单选题{{B}}Part B{{/B}} In the following article some paragraphs have been removed．For Questions 66～70，choose the most suitable paragraph from the list A～F to fit into each of the numbered gaps．There is One paragraph which does not fit in any ofthe gaps．Mark your answers on {{B}}ANSWER SHEET 1．{{/B}} Supermarket shoppers have never been more spoilt for choice．But just when we thought traditional systems of selective farming had created the most tempting array of foods money can buy，we are now being presented with the prospect of genetically created strains of cabbages，onion，tomato，potato and apple． It may not tickle the fancy of food purists but it fires the imagination of scientists．Last week they discovered that the classic Parisian mushroom contains just the properties that，when genetically mixed with a wild strain of mushroom from the Sonora desert in California，could help it grow en masse while at the same time providing it with the resilience of the wild strain． 66．______ “We have found a way of increasing the success rate from one to 90 per cent．” This is just one of the many products that，according to skeptics，are creating a generation of“Frankenfoods”．The first such food that may be consumed on a wide scale is a tomato which has been genetically manipulated so that it does not soften as it ripens． 67．______ Critics say that the new tomato—which cost $25 million to research—is designed to stay on supermarket shelves for longer．It has a ten-day life span． Not surprisingly，every-hungry US is leading the search for these forbidden fruit．By changing the genes of a grapefruit．a grower from Texas has created a sweet，red，thin-skinned grapefruit expected to sell at a premium over its California and Florida competitors． For chip fanatics who want to watch their waist-lines，new high-starch，low-moisture potatoes that absorb less fat when fried have been created，thanks to a gene from intestinal bacteria． The scientists behind such new food argue that genetic engineering is simply an extension of animal and plant breeding methods and that by broadening the scope of the genetic changes that can be made，sources of food are increased. Accordingly，they argue，this does not inherently lead to foods that are less safe than those developed by conventional techniques．But if desirable genes are swapped irrespective of species barriers，could things spiral out of control?“Knowledge is not toxic，”said Mark Cantley，head of the biotechnology unit at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development．“It has given us a far greater understanding of how living systems work at a molecular level and there is no reason for people to think that scientists and farmers should use that knowledge to do risky things．” Clearly，financial incentive lies behind the development of these bigger，more productive foods．But we may have only ourselves to blame．In the early period of mass food commerce，food varieties were developed by traditional methods of selective breeding to suit the local palate．But as suppliers started to select and preserve plant variants that had larger fruit，consumer expectations rose，leading to the development of the desirable clones．Still，traditionalists and gourmets in Europe are fighting their development． 68．______ Even in the pre-packaged US．where the slow-softening tomato will soon be reaching supermarkets，1,500 American chefs have lent their support to the Pure Food Campaign which calls for the international boycott of genetically engineered foods until more is known about the consequences of the technology and reliable controls have been introduced． In the short term，much of the technology remains untested and in the long term the consequences for human bi ology are unknown．Questions have arisen over whether new proteins in genetically modified food could cause allergies in some people． 69．______ Then there are the vegetarians who may be consuming animal non-vegetable proteins in what they think is a common tomato，or the practicing Jew who unknowingly consumes a fruit that has been enhanced with a pig's gene．As yet，producers are under no obligation to label“transgenetic”products． Environmentalists worry that new，genetically engineered plants may damage natural environment．A genetically engineered pest-resistant strain of plant that contacts with a native strain，for example，could turn them into virulent weeds beyond chemical control． Animal welfare groups worry about the quality of life of farm animals manipulated so that they produce more meat，milk，and eggs but which may suffer physical damage in the process． 70．______ Many of these fears spring from ignorance．And although it is hard to separate the paranoia from the benefits，the fact remains that genetic engineering offers ways of solving serious medical and agricultural problems． A．Western farmers have already bred cattle with more muscle than a skeleton can carry． B．Supporters say the tomato，unsurprisingly called Flavr Savr，will taste better because it will be able to mature on the branch longer． C．Consumer opposition means that there are genetically manipulated foods on the German markets，and the Norwegian government has recently put research into genetically engineered foods on hold． D．For example，if a com gene is introduced into a wheat gene for pest resistance，will those who are allergic to corn then be allergic to wheat? E．“Mushrooms in the past were almost impossible to cross，”says Philippe Callac，one of the three scientists working on the mushroom． F．Genetic engineering will interfere with the balance of nature．

单选题 Questions 17～20 are based on the following talk.

单选题It can be concluded from the last paragraph that

单选题{{B}}Part A{{/B}} Read the following texts and answer the questions which accompany them by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. Text 1 If you have ever been in a school play or even made believe you were a doctor, a detective, or a space traveller, you know the enjoyment that acting brings. Almost all of us have some wish to play the part of someone, or something else. Historical records indicate that this occupation is as old as civilization itself. In the ancient world, acting was often associated with religious ceremonies and other special occasions. As far back as 2200 B.C., trained Chinese actors performed ceremonial dances in costume and makeup at harvest festivals. It is believed that this was the first step in the development of acting. To the dance was gradually added pantomime — the imitation of movements and gestures — as well as the wearing of masks, the singing of chants, and finally the use of dialogue (speech). While acting was coming into its own in the ancient Chinese classical theater, it was doing the same in the western world in Greece. From about 500 B.C. on, acting became a highly specialized art in Greece. Greek actors, however, still wore masks, and their motions were largely fixed by costume. Consequently, they had little opportunity to demonstrate their individual personalities. Modern acting, by contrast, gives the individual actor great opportunity to develop his or her personal talents for serious, comic, or musical drama. The names, faces, and styles of famous movie actors are known worldwide. Broadway and television provide other stages on which actors can display their talent. A special form of acting takes place in radio drama, which was highly popular before television. In radio drama the actors face a unique challenge. They are unseen by their audience. So they must rely on voice alone to make their characters real to the listeners. Acting is not, as many people think, a quick, easy road to fame and riches. Only forty percent of Broadway actors are employed, most of them for only part of the year. Those who become stars need not only talent but determination. They must not be easily discouraged. Otherwise they might give up before the opportunity for stardom presents itself.

单选题{{I}} Questions 14 to 16 are based on a passage about supermarkets. You now have 15 seconds to read Questions 14 to 16.{{/I}}

单选题______ refers to the phenomenon that words of different meanings have the same form. [A] Polysemy [B] Synonymy [C] Homonymy [D] Hyponymy

单选题War may be a natural expression of biological instincts and drives toward aggression in the human species. Natural impulses of anger, hostility, and territoriality are expressed through acts of violence. These are all qualities that humans share with animals. Aggression is a kind of innate survival mechanism, an instinct for self-preservation, that allows animals to defend themselves from threats to their existence. But, on the other hand, human violence shows evidence of being a learned behavior. In the case of human aggression, violence cannot be simply reduced to an instinct. The many expressions of human violence are always conditioned by social conventions that give shape to aggressive behavior. In human societies violence has a social function: It is a strategy for creating or destroying forms of social order. Religious traditions have taken a leading role in directing the powers of violence. We will look at the ritual and ethical patterns within which human violence has been directed. The violence within a society is controlled through institutions of law. The more developed a legal system becomes, the more society takes responsibility for the discovery, control, and punishment of violent acts. In most tribal societies the only means to deal with an act of violence is revenge. Each family group may have the responsibility for personally carrying out judgment and punishment upon the person who committed the offense. But in legal systems, the responsibility for revenge becomes depersonalized and diffused. The society assumes the responsibility for protecting individuals from violence. In cases where they cannot be protected, the society is responsible for imposing punishment. In a state controlled legal system, individuals are removed from the cycle of revenge motivated by acts of violence, and the state assumes responsibility for their protection. The other side of a state legal apparatus is a state military apparatus. While the one protects the individual from violence, the other, sacrifices the individual to violence in the interests of the state. In war the state affirms its supreme power over the individuals within its own borders. War is not simply a trial by combat to settle disputes between states; it is the moment when the state makes its most powerful demands upon its people for their commitment, ''allegiance'', and supreme, sacrifice. Times of war test a community''s deepest religious and ethical commitments.