填空题阅读下面的短文，文章中有5处空白，文章后面有6组文字，请根据文章的内容选择5组文字，将其分别放回文章原有位置，以恢复文章原貌。 {{B}}Mobile Phones{{/B}} Mobile phones should carry a label if they proved to be a dangerous source of radiation, according to Robert Bell, a scientist. And no more mobile phone transmitter towers should be built until the long-term health effects of the electromagnetic radiation they emit are scientifically evaluated, he said. "Nobody's going to drop dead overnight but we should be asking for more scientific information," Robert Bell said at a conference on the health effects of low-level radiation.{{U}} (46) {{/U}}. A report widely circulated among the public says that up to now scientists do not really know enough to guarantee there are no ill-effects on humans from electromagnetic radiation. According to Robert Bell, there axe 3.3 million mobile phones in Australia alone and they are increasing by 2,000 a day.{{U}} (47) {{/U}}. As well, there are 2,000 transmitter towers around Australia, many in high density residential areas.{{U}} (48) {{/U}}The electromagnetic radiation emitted from these towers may have already produced some harmful effects on the health of the residents nearby. Robert Bell suggests that until more research is completed the Government should ban construction of phone towers from within a 500 metre radius of school grounds, child cam centres, hospitals, sports playing fields and residential areas with a high percentage of children.{{U}} (49) {{/U}}. He adds that there is also evidence that if cancer sufferers ale subjected to electromagnetic waves the growth rate of the disease accelerates. {{U}} (50) {{/U}}. According to Robert Bell, it is reasonable for the major telephone companies to fund it. Besides, he also urges the Government to set up a wide-ranging inquiry into possible health effects.A He says there is emerging evidence that children absorb low-level radiation at a rate more than three times that of adults.B By the year 2000 it is estimated that Australia will have 8 million mobile phones: nearly one for every two people.C "If mobile phones are found to be dangerous, they should carry a warning label until proper shields can be devised," he said.D Then who finances the research?E For example, Telstra, Optus and Vodaphone build their towers where it is geographically suitable to them and disregard the need of the community.F The conclusion is that mobile phones brings more harm than benefit.

填空题By the fourth week of July conditions in the tropics lay balanced between life and total death. Then quite suddenly rain clouds appeared over the whole globe. The temperature declined a little, due no doubt to the clouds reflecting more of the Sun's radiation back into space. ______ Warm rain fell everywhere, even as far north as Iceland. The insect population increased enormously, since the burning hot atmosphere was as favorable to them as it was unfavorable to Man many other animals.A. All human movement ceased.B. More than seven hundred million persons are known to have lost their lives.C. A mysterious "black cloud" approaches the earth-our planet's weather is severely affected.D. Occasionally air-conditioning units failed and it was then that fatalities occurred.E. There was nothing to be done but to lie breathing quickly as a dog does in hot weather.F. But conditions could not be said to have improve

填空题A. the iceboxB. the iceC. scientific answersD. the experimentE. the worldF. water

填空题阅读下面的短文，文章中有5处空白，文章后面有6组文字，请根据文章的内容选择5组文字，将其分别放回文章原有位置，以恢复文章原貌。 Economic Growth The economy of a nation requires{{U}} (46) {{/U}}. Total output must grow if the country is to absorb about 1.5 million new workers who enter the labor force each year and more workers who are replaced each year as a form of technological change. If the nation produced the same level of output each year,instead of increasing it,people would have fewer jobs,growing unemployment,and a decline in the per-capita(人均的)income of the nation. To maintain or increase the existing standard of living and to prevent unemployment from rising,{{U}} (47) {{/U}}. Higher rates of employment and substantial per-capita output gains seem to occur when the real economic growth rate is over 3%, as it was in the years 1983 through 1988. Recent experience shows that, with a real growth rate of less than 2.5%,the U.S. economy suffers from{{U}} (48) {{/U}}. For example ,unemployment at the end of 1990 was 5.4% of the labor force. But by the end of 1991,unemployment was more than 6.6% of the labor force. Why did this happen? Simply because the real output of goods and services declined in 1991. New members into the labor force could not be absorbed,so{{U}} (49) {{/U}}. Furthermore,a large number of workers withdrew from the labor force altogether because{{U}} (50) {{/U}}. Instead of rising in 1991 ,the real GDP actually fell 0.7%. Real GDP rose again in 1992 by 2.6%,but unemployment also rose to 7.3% of the labor force. GDP continued to rise during 1993,gained a 3%. At the same time unemployment stood at 6.8% of the labor force. Per-capita in-come also grew again during 1993. A．unemployment rose B．they were unable to find work C．a healthy rate of economic growth D．out of work E．they must increase real gross domestic product (GDP) continuously F．higher unemployment and limited gains in per-capita output and income

填空题阅读下面的短文，文章中有5处空白，文章后面有6组文字，请根据文章的内容选择5组文字，将其分别放回文章原有位置，以恢复文章原貌。 {{B}} Why Would They Falsely Confess?{{/B}} Why on earth would an innocent person falsely confess to committing a crime? To most people, it just doesn't seem logical. But it is logical, say experts, if you understand what can happen in a police interrogation (审讯) room. Under the right conditions, people's minds are susceptible (易受影响的) to influence, and the pressure put on suspects during police questioning is enormous; {{U}}(46) {{/U}} "The pressure is important to understand, because otherwise it's impossible to understand why someone would say he did something he didn't do. The answer is: to put an end to an uncomfortable situation that will continue until he does confess." Developmental psychologist Mary Redlich recently conducted a laboratory study to determine how likely people are to confess to things they didn't do. {{U}}(47) {{/U}} The researchers then intentionally crashed the computers and accused the participants of hitting the "alt" key to see if they would sign a statement falsely taking responsibility. Redlich's findings clearly demonstrate how easy it can be to get people to falsely confess: 59 percent of the young adults in the experiment immediately confessed. {{U}}(48) {{/U}} Of the 15- to 16-year-olds, 72 percent signed confessions, as did 78 percent of the 12- to 13-year-olds. "There's no question that young people are more at risk," says Saul Kassin, a psychology professor at Williams College, who has done similar studies with similar results. {{U}}(49) {{/U}} Both Kassin and Redlich note that the entire "interrogation" in their experiments consisted of a simple accusation-not hours of aggressive questioning-and still, most participants falsely confessed. {{U}} (50) {{/U}}"In some ways," says Kassin, "false confession becomes a rational decision."A In her experiment, participants were seated at computers and told not to hit the "alt" key, because doing so would crash the systems.B Because of the stress of a police interrogation, they conclude, suspects can become convinced that falsely confessing is the easiest way out of a bad situation.C "It's a little like somebody's working on them with a dental (牙齿的) drill," says Franklin Zimring, a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley.D "But the baseline is that adults are highly vulnerable too."E The court found him innocent and he was released.F Redlich also found that the younger the participant, the more likely a false confession.

填空题Stars in Their Eyes The Scientific American Book of the Cosmos edited by David Levy, Macmillan, ￡20, ISBN 0333782933 Previous generations of scientists would have killed to know what we know. For the first time in history, we have a pretty good idea of the material content of the Universe, our position within it and how the whole thing came into being. In these times of exploding knowledge there is a definite need to take stock and assemble what we know in a palatable (受欢迎的) form. 1 The essays in The Scientific American Book of the Cosmos have been selected by David Levy, co-discoverer of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, which in 1994 struck Jupiter with the violence of several full-scale nuclear wars. 2 This is certainly a great collection of essays, but it is not, as the book promises, a seamless (完美的，无缝隙的) synthesis of our cunrrent knowledge. Nobody can fault the range of articles Levy has included. There are essays on the planets, moons and assorted debris (碎片) in the Solar System, and on our Galaxy, the Milky Way. 3 The contributors, too, are stars in their own fields. Not many books can boast chapters written by such giants as Erwin Schrodinger and Francis Crick. My personal favorites are a piercingly clear essay by Albert Einstein on general relativity and an article by Alan Guth and Paul Steinhardt on the inflationary (膨胀的) Universe. So much for the book"s content. But Levy has not succeeded in providing an accurate synthesis of our current knowledge of the cosmos, which the book jacket promises. Gathering together previously published articles inevitably leaves subject gaps, missing explanations and so on. 4 But there isn"t one. In fact, surprisingly for a book so densely packed with information, there is no index. Collecting essays in this way is clearly a good publishing wheeze (巧妙的主意). But this approach shortchanges the public, who would be better served by an account moulded into a seamless whole. 5 However, for the next edition, please, please can we have an index? A. Tegmark fears he may hold the record for the longest time taken to read one book. B. In a more positive vein, this is a wonderful collection of essays to dip in and out of if you already have a good overview (概述) of current cosmic understanding. C. Levy is an active astronomer and an accomplished writer, so you"d expect him to provide a broad and accurate picture of our current understanding of the cosmos. D. Scientific American has attempted to cater to this need by bringing together essays that have appeared in the magazine. E. To some extent, these could have been plugged with a glossary (词表) of terms. F. Also included are contributions on the world of subatomic particles, the origin of life on the Earth and the possibility of its existence elsewhere.

填空题 A. the volunteers do B. because she does not have a weight problem C. because the life there can be very boring D. make people overeat E. because she was her own boss F. after passing a high-protein test

填空题A. Airport services B. Training of pilots C. Beginning period D. Rapid growth in the U. S. E. Development F. Competition

填空题The experiments show that high-fat diets ______.

填空题Cloning (克隆): Future Perfect? 1．A clone is an exact copy of a plant or animal produced from any one cell. Since Scottish scientists reported that they had managed to clone a sheep named Dolly in 1997, research into cloning has grown rapidly. In May 1998, scientists in Massachusetts managed to create two identical calves (牛犊) using cloning technology. A mouse has also been cloned successfully. But the debate over cloning humans really started when Chicago physicist Richard Seed made a surprising announcement: "We will have managed to clone a human being within the next two years. " he told the world. 2．Seed's announcement provoked a lot of media attention, most of it negative. In Europe, nineteen nations have already signed an agreement banning human cloning and in the U.S. the President announced: "We will be introducing a law to ban all human cloning and many states in the U.S. will have passed anti-cloning laws by the end of the year. " 3．Many researchers are not so negative about cloning. They are worried that laws banning human cloning will threaten important research. In March, The New England Journal of Medicine called any plan to ban research on cloning humans seriously mistaken. Many researchers also believe that in spite of attempts to ban it, human cloning will have become routine by 2010 because it is impossible to stop the progress of science. 4．Is there reason to fear that cloning will lead to a nightmare word? The public has been bombarded (轰炸) with newspaper articles, television shows and films, as well as cartoons. Such information is often misleading, and makes people wonder what on earth the scientists will be doing next. 5．Within the next five to ten years scientists will probably have found a way of cloning humans. It could be that pretty soon we will be able to choose the person that we want our child to look like. But how would it feel to be a clone among hundreds, the anti-cloners ask. Pretty cool, answer the pro-cloners (赞成克隆的人).

填空题Einstein Named "Person of Century" Albert Einstein, whose theories on space time and matter helped unravel the secrets of the atom and of the universe, was chosen as "Person of the Century" by Time magazine on Sunday. A man whose very name is synonymous with scientific genius, Einstein has come to represent 11 the flowering of 20th century scientific thought that set the stage for the age of technology. "The world has changed far more in the past 100 years than in any other century in history. The reason is not political or economic, but technological—technologies 12 ," wrote theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in a Time essay explaining Einstein"s significance. "Clearly, no scientist better represents those advances than Albert Einstein." Time chose as runner-up President Franklin Roosevelt to represent the triumph of freedom and democracy over fascism, and Mahatma Gandhi as an icon for a century when civil and human rights became crucial factors in global politics. "What we saw Franklin Roosevelt embodying the great theme of freedom"s fight against totalitarianism, Gandhi personifying the great theme of individuals struggling for their rights, and Einstein being both a great genius and a great symbol of a scientific revolution that brought with it amazing technological advances 13 ," said Time Magazine editor Walter Isaacson. Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany in 1879. In his early years, Einstein did not show the promise of what he was to become. He was slow to learn to speak and did not do well in elementary school. He could not stomach organized learning and loathed taking exams. In 1905, however, he was to publish a theory which stands as one of the most intricate examples of human imagination in history. In his "Special Theory of Relativity," Einstein described how the only constant in the universe is the speed of light. Everything else—mass, weight, space, even time itself—is a variable. And he offered the world his now-famous equation: energy equals mass times the speed of light squared— E=mc 2 . "Indirectly, relativity paved the way for a new relativism in morality, art and politics," Isaacson wrote in an essay 14 . "There was less faith in absolutes, not only of time and space but also of truth and morality." Einstein"s famous equation was also the seed that led to the development of atomic energy and weapons. In 1939, six years after he fled European fascism and settled at Princeton University, Einstein, an avowed pacifist, signed a letter to President Roosevelt urging the United States to develop an atomic bomb before Nazi Germany did. Roosevelt heeded the advice and formed the "Manhattan Project" 15 . Einstein did not work on the project. Einstein died in Princeton, New Jersey in 1955. A. explaining Time"s choices B. how he thought of the relativity theory C. more than any other person D. that secretly developed the first atomic weapon E. that flowed directly from advances in basic science F. that helped expand the growth of freedom

填空题 阅读下面这篇短文，短文后有2项测试任务：(1)第23～26题要求从所给的6个选项中为第2—5段每段选择1个正确的小标题；(2)第27～30题要求从所给的6个选项中选择4个正确选项，分别完成每个句子。 {{B}} The Conquest of Distance{{/B}} 1. In 1848, pioneers who crossed the American continent in their wagons made the trip in 109 days. Today a New York family can drive by automobile to San Francisco in less than a week or make the trip in several days by train, or fly there in five hours. The transportation has conquered the vastness of the land and brought together people living thousands of kilometers apart. 2. Railroads played a major role in uniting the far reaches of the continent. In 1830 there were only 37 kilometers of railroad track in the United States. But by 1863, two companies proposed to connect the east and west coast by a railroad all the way across the continent. Advancing eastward from California, the Central Pacific pushed forward across the desert: the Union Pacific moved slowly westward over the mountain plateaus. Finally, in 1869, the tracks of the two railroads met, and the first transcontinental railroad—the first real link between east and west—was completed. 3. Although the railroads brought towns and cities together, they could not go everywhere. In many parts of America, distances are so great that automobiles are necessities, not luxuries. As we have noted, most American farmers do not live in villages but are sometimes kilometers from their nearest neighbor and even hundreds of kilometers from a town. Large-scale farming is common in many parts of the United States today, but it did not become profitable until there were trucks and tractors. Trucks and cars go wherever there is a road and the more than six million kilometers of roads bring every field and barn into the circle of civilization. 4. The family automobile has helped to bring people of the United States two other things— two things which can seldom exist at the same time: community life and the privilege of privacy. In the early days of industrialization, factory workers lived close together, within walking distance of their jobs. As industries grew, more and more working class families lived together in crowded conditions. But with the construction of longer and better roads and with the greater availability of automobiles and other means of rapid transportation, it was no longer to live dose to the factory. New residential areas, suburbs, grew up outside the big cities and, increasingly, industry and commerce concentrated in the cities. Every morning, millions of Americans dive their automobiles to work in the city, sometimes a distance of around 100 kilometers. At night they drive home to houses and apartments outside the cities, surrounded by trees and lawns. 5. Automobiles and other methods of rapid transportation are also changing American industry. Instead of continuing to concentrate in the big cities, industry is building factories in previously undeveloped areas. Because the means of transportation are available, it is not hard to transport people as well as materials to the places where they are needed. This factor was largely responsible for the remarkable growth of the Pacific Coast during and after World WarⅡ. As industries built new factories in the Far West, Americans from all over the country moved west to take advantage of new jobs and new opportunities. 6. The airplane, too, has played a major role in uniting Americans. Only 70 years after the Wright brothers made the first successful airplane flight, the United States had move than 277,000 kilometers of regular flight routes. People and goods can now travel to every part of the country in less time than ever before. Human beings have conquered the distances which lie between them.

填空题 阅读下面的短文，文章中有5处空白，文章后面有6组文字，请根据文章的内容选择5组文字，将其分别放回文章原有位置，以恢复文章原貌。 {{B}} The Story of Lani{{/B}} Five-year-old Lani still takes seven medicines with her breakfast every morning. “She’s very good about it,” says her father David. Lani is alive today because of her father David, in more than one way; when she was one year old she received part of her father’s liver in a liver-transplant operation. Lani was born with a liver illness.{{U}} (46) {{/U}} Doctors advised that transplant was the only way in which she would live. The operation lasted 12 hours and needed two teams, one for the father and one for the daughter.{{U}} (47) {{/U}} In these cases, the donor’s liver grows to normal size in about eight weeks and the child’s liver becomes smaller. Lani spent three weeks in hospital after the operation. Because the receiver’s body tries to reject the new organ, the patient has to be given special drugs.{{U}} (48) {{/U}} Although David left hospital after 10 days, he didn’t return to work until after three months. In order to reach the liver, the doctors have to cut through the stomach wall, which is strong and full of muscle. It therefore takes a long time to recover after this operation.{{U}} (49) {{/U}} So far, only 16 of these liver-transplant operations have been carried out in Britain.{{U}} (50) {{/U}} Doctors say, “If possible, we prefer to take a liver from a dead donor, usually a parent.” Lani still has to look after her health, and she gets more tired than other children of the same age, hut doctors hope that she will continue to get stronger and stronger.A. She had one operation when she was six weeks old, which was not successful.B. While these drugs are given, it is important that the patient does not catch any illness, not even a cold.C. In this operation a piece of liver, weighing about 250—300 grams, was removed from the father and transplanted into the daughter.D. David quickly recovered from the operation.E. However, they are more common in North America and Japan.F. David was finally able to ride his bike again after about a year.

填空题Ryan, with the help of others, is fulfilling his dream of help African people to ______.

填空题Changes of Museums (46) They are no longer places for the privileged few or for bored vacationers to visit on rainy days. (47) Some of the old, gray museums have been rebuilt, and the newer ones are open and modern in their architecture. Inside, there is modern lighting, color, and sound. Instead of displaying everything they own, museum directors show fewer objects and leave open spaces where visitors can gather and sit down. They also bring together in one display a group of objects drawn from various parts of the museum in an effort to represent the whole lifestyle of a region or a historical period. (48) . More and more, museum directors are realizing that people learn best when they can somehow become part of what they are seeing. In many science museums, for example, there are no guided tours. The visitor is encouraged to touch, listen, operate, and experiment so as to discover scientific principles for himself. He can have the experence of operating a spaceship or a computer. He can experiment with glass-blowing and paper-making. (49) The theory is that people who do not understand science will probably fear it, and those who fear science will not use it to best advantage. Many museums now provide educational services and children's departments. In addition to the usual displays, they also offer film showings and dance programs. (50) . A The purpose is not only to provide fun but also to help people feel at home in the world of science. B Museums have changed. C In one room, for instance, you may find materials, clothing, tools, cooking pots, furniture, and art works of a particular place and time. D Instead of being places that one "should" visit, they are places to enjoy. E There are open spaces that museums leave for visitors. F Many museums have changed in appearance.

填空题A. Pacific warB. Gloomy worldC. Putin's commemorating speechD. China's determinationE. Schroeder's plea for forgivenessF. World's worst disaster

填空题Podcast Recently a group of second-graders visited our school library to work on a "holidays around the world" project. The children created pictures showing holiday customs and then created voice recordings explaining what they drew. The incident showed very clearly the effectiveness of student-created voice recordings. Now imagine taking things one step further and creating Podcasts in a classroom setting. The term Podcast (播客) refers to an audio recording, linked to the Web, that can be downloaded to a personal MP3 player. The word is created from broadcast and from iPod—the wildly popular MP3 player from Apple. Using audio with students isn"t new, of course. Teachers have used audiobooks at listening centers and recorded student voice on tape or CD. Voice and music are the original media for teaching. Podcasts, however, can reach a much wider audience in a time frame outside the school days. Booktalking, an old way of getting kids excited about books, gets a tech assistance with Podcasting. Students can do some booktalking themselves; book review Podcasts seem to be another natural way for students to share what they know, providing an alternative to the book report. There are a number of excellent reasons for using Podcasting. Teachers made audio Podcasts, including visuals or video clips for any content area instruction and review. Some teachers have begun to record themselves teaching important concepts; this creates an account of information online for kids to access when they"re stuck on a homework assignment. Audio and video files can also function as assessment tools. Imagine being a classroom teacher in September who can actually hear how his or her students were reading in June the school year before. You don"t need an iPod to make a Podcast. If you have a computer, a microphone, and some free software, you can make a Podcast.

填空题 The Value of Motherhood In shopping malls, the assistants try to push you into buying "a gift to thank her for her unselfish love". When you log onto(登录到) website, a small pop-up(弹出式菜单) invites you to book a bouquet(花束) for her. {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}} The American version of Mother's Day was thought up as early as 1905, by Anna Jarvis, as a way of recognizing the real value of motherhood. The popularity of Mother's Day around the world suggests that Jarvis got all she wanted. In fact, she got more—enough to make her horrified. {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}They buy, among other things, 132 million cards. Mother's Day is the No. 1 holiday for flower purchases. Then there are the various commodities, ranging from jewelry and clothes to cosmetics and washing powder, that take advantage of the promotion opportunities. Because of this, Jarvis spent the last 40 years of her life trying to stop Mother's Day. One protest against the commercialization(商品化) Mother's Day even got her arrested for disturbing the peace, interestingly. {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}As Ralph Fevre, a reporter at the UK newspaper The Guardian, observes, traditionally "motherhood is something that we do because we think it's right". But in the logic of commercialism, people need something in exchange for their time and energy. A career serves this purpose better. In addition, women are being encouraged to pursue any career they desire. So they work hard and play hard. {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}} {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}According to The Guardian, there are twice as many child-free young women as there were a generation ago. Or, they put off the responsibility of parenting until later in their lives. So, Fevre writes that the meaning of celebrating Mother's Day needs to be updated: "It is to persuade people that parenting is a good idea and to honor people for their attempt to be good people." A. Commercial warmth and gratitude are the atmosphere being spread around for this special Sunday in May. B. But what's more, commercialism changes young people's attitude towards motherhood. C. Obviously, the best gift will be a phone call or a visit. D. According to a research by the US card company Hallmark, 96 percent of American consumers celebrate the holiday. E. As a result, motherhood has suffered a huge drop in status since the 1950s. F. Becoming a mother, however, inevitably handicaps career anticipation.

填空题The Weight Experiment Nicola Walters has been taking part in experiments in Scotland to discover why humans gain and lose weight. Being locked in a small room called a "calorimeter" (热量测量室) is one way to find out. 1. The signs above the two rooms read simply "Chamber One" and "Chamber Two". These are the calorimeters: 4m by 2m white-walled rooms where human volunteers are locked up in the name of science. Outside these rooms another sign reads "Please do not enter—work in progress" and in front of the rooms advanced machinery registers every move the volunteers make. Each day, meals measured to the last gram are passed through a hole in the wall of the calorimeter to the resident volunteer. 2. Nicola Walters is one of twenty volunteers who, over the past eight months, have spent varying periods inside the calorimeter. Tall and slim, Nicola does not have a weight problem, but thought the strict diet might help with her training and fitness programme. As a self-employed community dance worker, she was able to fit the experiment in around her work. She saw an advert for volunteers at her local gym and as she is interested in the whole area of diet and exercise, she thought she would help out. 3. The experiment on Nicola involved her spending one day on a fixed diet at home and the next in the room. This sequence was repeated four times over six weeks. She arrived at the calorimeter at 8:30 am on each of the four mornings and from then on everything she ate or drank was carefully measured. Her every move was noted too, her daily exercise routine, timed to the last second. At regular intervals, after eating, she filled in forms about how hungry she felt and samples were taken for analysis. 4. The scientists help volunteers impose a kind of order on the long days they face in the room. "The first time, I only took one video and a book, but it was OK because I watched TV the rest of the time," says Nicola. And twice a day she used the exercise bike. She pedaled (踩踏板) for half an hour, watched by researchers to make sure she didn"t go too fast. 5. It seems that some foods encourage you to eat more, while others satisfy you quickly. Volunteers are already showing that high-fat diets are less likely to make you feel full. Believing that they may now know what encourages people to overeat, the researchers are about to start testing a high-protein weight-loss diet. Volunteers are required and Nicola has signed up for further sessions.

填空题Cloning (克隆): Future Perfect? 1．A clone is an exact copy of a plant or animal produced from any one cell. Since Scottish scientists reported that they had managed to clone a sheep named Dolly in 1997, research into cloning has grown rapidly. In May 1998, scientists in Massachusetts managed to create two identical calves (牛犊) using cloning technology. A mouse has also been cloned successfully. But the debate over cloning humans really started when Chicago physicist Richard Seed made a surprising announcement: "We will have managed to clone a human being within the next two years. " he told the world. 2．Seed's announcement provoked a lot of media attention, most of it negative. In Europe, nineteen nations have already signed an agreement banning human cloning and in the U.S. the President announced: "We will be introducing a law to ban all human cloning and many states in the U.S. will have passed anti-cloning laws by the end of the year. " 3．Many researchers are not so negative about cloning. They are worried that laws banning human cloning will threaten important research. In March, The New England Journal of Medicine called any plan to ban research on cloning humans seriously mistaken. Many researchers also believe that in spite of attempts to ban it, human cloning will have become routine by 2010 because it is impossible to stop the progress of science. 4．Is there reason to fear that cloning will lead to a nightmare world? The public has been bombarded (轰炸) with newspaper articles, television shows and films, as well as cartoons. Such information is often misleading, and makes people wonder what on earth the scientists will be doing next. 5．Within the next five to ten years scientists will probably have found a way of cloning humans. It could be that pretty soon we will be able to choose the person that we want our child to look like. But how would it feel to be a clone among hundreds, the anti-cloners ask. Pretty cool, answer the pro-cloners (赞成克隆的人).