More than four decades ago，British scientist Robert Edwards first witnessed the miracle of human life growing inside a test tube at his Cambridge lab. Since that groundbreaking moment，more than four million babies have been born through IVF（in vitro fertilization）（体外受精）and in 2010 his great contribution to science was finally recognized as he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

The prize for Dr. Edwards，who was given a Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Award in 2008，includes a ₤ 900，000check. The Nobel Assembly described IVF as“a milestone in modern medicine”.

With the help of fellow scientist Patrick Steptoe，the Batley-born physiologist developed IVF — leading to the birth of the world's first test-tube baby. Dr. Steptoe died 10 years later but their work has given hope to millions of couples.

It was a scientific breakthrough that transformed-the lives of millions of couples. They said，“His achievements have made it possible to treat infertility，a disease which makes humans unable to have a baby. This condition has been afflicting a large percentage of mankind including more than 10%of all couples worldwide.”

Louise Brown，the world's first test-tube baby，made international headlines when she was born in Oldham，Greater Manchester，in 1978 to parents Lesley and John who had been fruitlessly trying for a baby since 1969.

IVF is the process where egg cells are fertilized outside the body before being implanted in the womb（子宫）. After a cycle of IVF，the probability of a couple with infertility problems having a baby is one in five — the same as healthy couples who conceive（怀孕）naturally.

Professor Edwards，who has five daughters and 11 grandchildren，began his research at the University of Cambridge in 1963，after receiving his PhD in 1955. He once said,“The most important thing in life is having a child.  Nothing is more special than a child.”With the help of Patrick Steptoe, Prof. Edwards founded the Bourn Hall Clinic in Cambridgeshire, which now treats more than 900 women a year. Each year, more than 30,000 women in Britain receive IVF and 11,000 babies are born as a result of the treatment.

But his work attracted widespread criticism from some scientists who said it was“unethical and immoral”.

Martin Johnson, professor of Reproductive Sciences at the University of Cambridge, said the award was “long overdue”. He said,“We couldn't understand why the Nobel Prize has come so late but he is delighted — this is the cherry on the cake for him.”

Professor Edwards was too ill to give interviews but a statement released by his family said he was“thrilled and delighted”.

   It isn’t easy being a princess. A princess addresses large crowds and uses perfect manners. A princess must always be polite and sweet and sometimes repairs car engines and fixes tires. Princess Elizabeth Ⅱ really did so.

Before she was Queen of England, Princess Elizabeth wanted to join the ATS, a female branch of the British military. It was in World War Ⅱ , and women worked at jobs traditionally held by men.

Elizabeth was a teenager and first had to convince (使信服) her parents about her plan. Her parents thought it was too dangerous, but she would not take no for an answer. “ I ought to do as other girls of my age do,” she said firmly. After some months, her parents finally agreed. Princess Elizabeth did not receive any special treatment in the ATS. The only thing different was that she returned to Windsor Castle each night to sleep.

When she arrived at the ATS camp for her first day of training, she was greeted by a jacked-up car with its wheels off. In the following weeks, she learned to take apart an engine and then assemble (组装) it. The princess loved the training, admitting, “I’m a mechanic at last. I’ve scraped the skin off my knuckles.”

Princess Elizabeth worked on cars, trucks, and even tank engines. She also learned to read maps and drive cars, ambulances, and military trucks. To complete her ATS training, she was required to drive a big truck on her own.

The King and Queen thought driving a truck was too dangerous, but before they could let her know how they felt, they discovered Elizabeth driving a truck onto the palace grounds. She had driven from the ATS camp through the busy London streets all by herself.

Now at her old age, she still drives — sometimes in London but more often around her large property at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Being a queen requires a lot of hard work, but it can be fun as well. Queen Elizabeth loves horses and still rides four times each week. She also still likes to get a little dirty. She actively manages her estate farm at Balmoral and is often seen hiking through the countryside there.

   When John Gurdon was 15, he ranked last out of the 250 boys in his grade at biology. He also came in last for every other science subject. His teacher wrote in a _____ , "I believe he has ideas about becoming a _____; form his present performance this is quite foolish. "

Luckily the teacher's words didn't _____ Gurdon's love for science. He kept working hard. He went to labs earlier and left _____ than anyone else. Finally he realized his dream.

On Oct. 8, 2012, 64 years later, the British professor _____ the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka had contributed to the research and therefore _____ the award.

Gurdon got the honor _____ his research into cells and cloning. When he was studying at Oxford, he did some _____ on cells. He took a cell from an adult frog, moved its genes _____ , and put them into an egg cell. The egg cell then ______ into a clone of the adult frog. His research ______ for the first time that every cell in the body contains the same genes.

At that time, many people couldn't ______ Gurdon's idea. But later it helped to ______ Dolly the sheep in 1996, the first cloned mammal in history. It also led to important findings in the ______ use of cells. For example, cells from someone's skin can ______ into any type of tissue in the body. This is good news for those ____ who have diseased or damaged tissue.

Gurdon always remembers the ______ he had when he was 15. He even puts the report on his desk as a daily ______ to himself.

"When you have problems, like an experiment which doesn't work, it's ______ to remind yourself that perhaps you are not so good at your job and the teacher may be ______ ," he said.

However, the facts suggest Gurdon is pretty good indeed.

   Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga，Spain in 1881.When he died in 1973，he was ninety-one years old. But he still took up his paints and brushes to start a new picture as if he were seeing things for the first time，which is why we have called him the youngest painter. Young people are always trying new things and new ways of doing things. They don't hesitate to attempt one thing after another. Eager to experiment, they welcome new ideas.

When he was over ninety this great painter still lived his life like a young man. He was still restlessly looking new ideas and new ways to use his artistic materials. No one knew what to expect from him next. No one could be sure what kind of picture he would produce. If he had painted a picture of you, it might have looked exactly like you. Or it might have been all lines, squares, circles and strange-colored shapes. It might not have looked like human at all.

At such times Picasso was trying to paint what he saw with his mind as well as with his eyes. He put in the side of the face as well as the front. He may have painted it flat, as though it had no depth. Sometimes he seemed to paint just as a child painted, simply for his own pleasure. He didn't imitate others.

Most painters discover a style of painting that suits themselves and stick to that, especially if people admire their pictures. But Picasso was like a man who had not yet found his own particular style of painting. He was still struggling to find perfect expression for his own uneasy spirit.

The first thing one noticed about him was the look of his large, wide-open eyes. Gertrude Stein, a famous American writer who knew him in his youth, mentioned this hungry look, and one can still see it in pictures of him today.

Picasso painted a picture of Gertrude Stein in 1906. She visited the painter's studio eighty or ninety times while he painted her picture. While Picasso painted they talked about everything in the world that interested them. Then one day Picasso wiped out the painted head on which he had worked for so long. "When I look at you I can't see you any more!" he said.

Picasso went away for the summer. When he returned he went at once to the unfinished picture in the corner of his studio. Quickly he finished the face from memory. He could see the woman's face more clearly in his mind than he could see it when she sat in the studio in front of him.

Picasso was often attacked for this new, sometimes frightening style. It produced pictures like some of our worst dreams. The camera has made it unnecessary for painters to make exact representations of what they see. A camera can reflect real life more exactly. What great paintings give us is a view of life through one man's eyes, and every man's view is different.