With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone(克隆) the animal and save the endangered species(物种). That’s a move similar to what a Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.

　　Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.

　　It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.

　　This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.

　　The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.

　　“The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes. “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A& M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.

　　“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.”

　　1. The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to _______.

　　A. make efforts to clone the endangered pandas

　　B. save endangered animals from dying out

　　C. collect DNA of endangered animals to study

　　D. transfer the nuclear of one animal to another

　　2. According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of _______.

　　A. available panda eggs B. host animals

　　C. qualified researchers D. enough money

　　3. The best title for the passage may be _______.

　　A. China’s Success in Pandas Cloning

　　B. The First Cloned Panda in the World

　　C. Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas

　　D. China —the Native Place of Pandas Forever

　　4. From the passage we know that _______.

　　A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog

　　B. scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit

　　C. Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches

　　D. about two thousand of species will probably die out in a century

　　【答案解析】

　　本文讲述中国正在竭力克隆濒临绝种的熊猫，这和Texas A & M University 的Noah's Ark(诺亚方舟)工程极为相似，都是想拯救濒临灭绝的动物。

　　1. B。语义理解题。从第2段内容可知，“诺亚方舟”工程的目标是把濒临灭绝的动物的蛋(卵)、胚胎、精液和DNA储存在液体氮中，如果某一种动物濒临灭绝时，将来可以重现这一动物。

　　2. A。细节题。从第6段第1句话 The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available (capable of being used ) panda eggs could be a major problem 可以做出正确判断。

　　3. C。主旨题。从文章内容来看，无论是中国还是世界克隆熊猫还没有成功，所以排除A、B项;D项内容明显与文章内容不符，故排除。所以“探索克隆熊猫的可能性”应该是这篇文章的标题。

　　4. D。判断题。此题B项的干扰性较强，但由于它没有说明是Chinese scientists，所以应排除。A、C项明显与原文不符。根据文章第3段第1句可知答案非D莫属。

　　(2)

　　Want a glance of the future of health care? Take a look at the way the various networks of people about patient care are being connected to one another, and how this new connectivity is being exploited to deliver medicine to the patient —no matter where he or she may be.

　　Online doctors offering advice based on normal symptoms(症状) are the most obvious example. Increasingly, however, remote diagnosis(远程诊断) will be based on real physiological data(生理数据) from the actual patient. A group from the University of Kentucky has shown that by using personal data assistance plus a mobile phone, it is perfectly practical to send a patient’s important signs over the telephone. With this kind of equipment, the cry asking whether there was a doctor in the house could well be a thing of the past.

　　Other medical technology groups are working on applying telemedicine to rural(countryside) care. And at least one team wants to use telemedicine as a tool for disaster need—especially after earthquakes. On the whole, the trend is towards providing global access to medical data and experts’ opinions.

　　But there is one problem. Bandwidth(宽带) is the limiting factor for sending complex(复杂的) medical pictures around the world — CT photos being one of the biggest bandwidth users. Communication satellites may be able to deal with the short-term needs during disasters such as earthquakes or wars. But medicine is looking towards both the second-generation Internet and third-generation mobile phones for the future of remote medical service.

　　Doctors have met to discuss computer-based tools for medical diagnosis, training and telemedicine. With the falling price of broadband communications, the new technologies should start a new time when telemedicine and the sharing of medical information, experts’ opinions and diagnosis are common.

　　1. The writer chiefly talks about _______.

　　A. the use of telemedicine B. the on-lined doctors

　　C. medical care and treatment D. communication improvement

　　2. The basis of remote diagnosis will be _______.

　　A. personal data assistance

　　B. some words of a patient

　　C. real physiological information

　　D. medical pictures from the Internet

　　3. Which of the following statements is true according to the text?

　　A. Patients don’t need doctors in hospitals any more.

　　B. It is impossible to send a patient’s signs over the telephone.

　　C. Many teams use telemedicine dealing with disasters now.

　　D. Broadband communications will become cheaper in the future.

　　4. The “problem” in the fourth paragraph refers to the fact that _______.

　　A. bandwidth isn’t big enough to send complex medical pictures

　　B. the second-generation of Internet has not become popular yet

　　C. communication satellites can only deal with short-term needs

　　D. there is not enough equipment for spreading the medical care

　　【答案解析】

　　本文主要讲述人们将来可以通过网上看病，医生可以根据病人的生理数据做出远程诊断。随着第二代因特网和第三代移动手机为将来的远程医疗服务，尤其是宽带网交流价格的下降，远程医疗和医药信息、专家意见和诊断共享将成为家常便饭。

　　1. A。主旨题。第2段和第3段的内容，可知最佳答案为A。

　　2. C。细节题。从第2段第2句话中的…remote diagnosis(远程诊断) will be based on real physiological data(生理数据) from the actual patient 可以做出正确判断。

　　3. D。判断题。网上可以看病并不就是说病人去医院不需要医生，排除A项;通过电话发送病人的信息是可行的，排除B项;现在至少有一个医疗队想用远程医疗来治疗疾病，C项也不对;根据文章最后一句话With the falling price of broadband communications, the new technologies should start a new time when telemedicine and the sharing of medical information, experts’ opinions and diagnosis are common 可以肯定答案是D。

　　4. A。推断题。根据第4段第2句话 Bandwidth(宽带) is the limiting factor for sending complex(复杂) medical pictures around the world — CT photos being one of the biggest bandwidth users可知答案为A。