Nature has its own way of balancing itself out，but when we humans get involved，we tend to throw things out of control. Forests and oceans are natural carbon sinks that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but since we’ve been pumping too much into the air, those sinks can’t keep up. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Advancement of Science in Germany, led by biologist Tobias Erb，have figured out a way to supercharge plants to make them better at absorbing carbon dioxide, which could be a key defense against climate change.

Erb and his team figured out a way to make plants more efficient（效率高的）at absorbing carbon, so that they consumed more carbon in a shorter amount of time. “If you think about plants, they are efficient carbon dioxide -fixing filters, but they are not fast,” Erb said. “I think there is a chance to improve existing biology with synthetic（人造的）biology.”

Erb’s team identified 17 enzymes（酶）from nine different organisms, re-engineering three of them, which had enlarged carbon consumption. When those enzymes worked together as a team, they worked better at not only plants’ natural enzymes, but also themselves individually.

Existing enzymes in plants consume about 5 to 10 molecules（分子）of carbon dioxide per second. The team of enzymes that Erb used consumed 80 molecules per second.

So far, these enzymes have only been tested in test tubes in the lab, but the next step is real world testing where the enzymes would be introduced into plants to see if the same result occurs. If those tests show that plants really can be supercharged, we will have a new tool in the fight against climate change where not only do we protect the amazing carbon-absorbing forests we have, but we also apply these super plants or an artificial leaf technology using the enzymes into other fields.

【小题1】Why can't forests and oceans balance nature nowadays?

A．Oceans and forests are getting smaller.

B．We human beings give off too much carbon dioxide.

C．A large number of forests are cut down.

D．There are too many creatures in the world.

【小题2】Which is the key defense against climate change according to Erb and his team?

A．To increase the plants' ability and efficiency to absorb carbon dioxide.

B．To make oceans and forests absorb more carbon dioxide quickly.

C．To reduce humans' activities giving off too much carbon dioxide.

D．To increase the number of plants in the world.

【小题3】What can we conclude from the last paragraph?

A．The enzymes have proved useful in the real world.

B．Erb’s team are confident about the technology.

C．The enzymes only work in the lab.

D．The technology may have a bright future.

【小题4】This passage is intended to ____.

A．introduce a possible way to better plants’ ability to absorb carbon dioxide

B．call on people to pay more attention to the balance of nature

C．analyze the cause and result of climate change related to plants

D．explore the possibility of using plants to fight against climate change

   Driverless technology will soon enter another major global industry: shipping. Several companies recently announced plans to launch self-sailing ships to improve safety and efficiency.

One of them is the Norwegian chemical company Yara International. Yara has teamed up with another Norwegian company, Kongsberg, to build an autonomous goods ship expected to be launched next year. Kongsberg developed the ship’s electrical technology and autonomous control systems. The ship is fully electric to reduce air pollution. It is designed to carry goods containers normally transported by truck. This means the ship will also improve road safety by replacing about 40,000 truck trips a year. The company plans to operate the ships by far-away control beginning sometime next year. By 2020, the ships should be loading and sailing themselves. While Yara’s ships will be limited to Norway at first, the company plans to greatly expand its autonomous shipping operations in the coming years.

Another company putting a high priority (优先) to self-sailing ships is the world’s largest mining company, Australia’s BHP Billiton. The company’s Vice President of Freight, Rashpal Bhatti, recently spoke about the technology in a website post. Bhatti believes automation will be one of the biggest changes for shipping in the future. He said, “Autonomous ships offer important opportunities to improve safety and provide more effective results to the supply chain of the sea.” He added that self-sailing ships could become a reality within the next decade.

Rolls-Royce, the British automobile and engine manufacturer (制造商), is also developing unmanned (无人驾驶的) shipping technologies. Oskar Levander is the company’s head of operations at sea. He said in a conference last year, “This is happening. It’s not if, it’s when.”

Levander said these autonomous ships could be controlled by far-away operators from anywhere. He added, “Because these ships will be designed to be unmanned, they can be built smaller, more efficient and environmentally friendly.”

【小题1】Why have several countries announced plans to produce self-sailing ships?

A．To save money.

B．To develop electrical technology in ships.

C．To compete in autonomous control systems.

D．To make shipping more effective and less risky.

【小题2】How will the Norwegian autonomous ship be developed?

A．On the basis of Rolls-Royce.

B．By a single company independently.

C．By two native companies working together.

D．By taking electrical technology from Australia.

【小题3】What do Oskar Levander’s words suggest in Paragraph 4?

A．It is too early to make autonomous ships.

B．The supply chain of the sea will be busier.

C．People are more concerned about autonomous ships.

D．Unmanned shipping technologies are becoming more mature.

【小题4】What would be the best title for the text?

A．Automation under Sail	B．Self-sailing Ships in Use
C．Automation in Some Fields	D．Automation in Imagination

前不久，你班就是否应该克隆人类的问题进行了辩论，请根据下列要点写一篇100词左右的英语短文。

赞成	证明科学技术的突破； 帮助一些人实现特殊的愿望。
反对	人类生命将像商品一样进行销售； 是对生命的不尊重； 违背自然规律和伦理道德。
你的看法	……

 
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   Shopping centers，stadiums and universities may soon have a new tool to help fight crime.

A California company called Knightscope says its robots can predict and prevent crime. Knightscope says the goal is to reduce crime by half in areas the robots guard.

William Santana Li is the chief executive officer of Knightscope. He says，"These robot security guards will change the world. Our planet has more than seven billion people on it. It's going to quickly get to nine billion people. The security equipment that we have globally is just not going to develop that fast. The company's Autonomous Data Machines can become the eyes and ears of law enforcement（执法）."

"You want them to be machines plus humans. Let. the machines do the heavy and sometimes dangerous work and let the humans do the strategic decision-making work，so it's always working all together."

The machines do not carry weapons but they have day and night video cameras which are able to turn 360 degrees and can also sense chemical and biological weapons.

Some people may become concerned about their privacy, especially in connection with the video recordings. Some people may worry that such recordings will appear on the Internet. Eugene Volokh, a law professor at the UCLA School of Law, says the machines have to be used in the right way and it will be interesting to see how state laws deal with this kind of video.

William Santana Li says there is a long waiting list for the robots in the US. Workers in the company are working overtime to meet the demands of the market. At least 25 other countries are also interested in these robot security guards.

【小题1】What can this new tool do for humans?

A．Make strategic decisions.

B．Keep watching day and night.

C．Carry heavy weapons.

D．Stop crime autonomously.

【小题2】Why are some people worried about the new robots?

A．Their privacy may be let out.

B．The robots are very expensive.

C．Robots will replace humans.

D．They will be out of work soon.

【小题3】Which of the following can be the best title of the text?

A．Robots Are Becoming More Popular

B．Robots Contribute a Lot to the World

C．Robots Are in Great Demand Now

D．Security Robots Could Help Cut Crime

   What makes us human？Is it our thoughts？Our emotions？Our behavior？

All of these things make us who we are，but at the center of it all lies the genome — the genes inside our bodies that determine everything from our hair color to our intelligence. But if we could change our genome，would we still be human？

Recently，a group of scientists from the US and South Korea worked together to successfully“edit”a human embryo（胚胎）and remove a genetic mutation（变异）that would have led to heart disease. This was achieved with the help of CRISPR-a gene — editing tool that allows scientists to edit the genome by cutting，changing or adding to parts of it.

Scientists involved in DNA editing are certain about the good of their work，and hope that in the future，diseases could simply be“edited out”.

However，others aren't so sure. People are worried that the science could be used not only to remove life-threatening illness，but also to make a“perfect”baby whose DNA has been chosen to improve its intelligence or other qualities. They say that this is a shallow way of thinking about raising children.

“It makes you think about who we are as people，and it makes you ask if humans should use the kind of power…that is changing human evolution（进化），”Jennifer Doudna of the University of California said.

Still，others worry that DNA editing could be turned into an expensive service that would only be available to the people who could afford it. That might mean the rich would be given another advantage in a world where they already have plenty of them.

“You could find wealthy parents buying the technology for their children, leading to even greater inequality than we already live with,”Marcy Darnovsky, director of the San Francisco Center for Genetics and Society, said.

【小题1】Why are the questions asked in Paragraph 1?

A．To attract the readers' interest.

B．To seek answers from the readers.

C．To show those things aren't important.

D．To correct our understanding of human beings.

【小题2】Which of the following will Jennifer Doudna most probably agree with？

A．Having a perfect baby is not so good for the family.

B．Life-threatening illnesses should be removed before birth.

C．DNA editing might cause unexpected problems to humans.

D．DNA editing may enlarge the gap between the rich and the poor，

【小题3】What does the underlined word“them”most probably refer to？

A．Advantages.

B．Expensive services.

C．Perfect children.

D．Qualities

【小题4】What's the author's attitude towards DNA editing？

A．Disappointed.	B．Doubtful.
C．Positive.	D．Objective.