题干

   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”.

【小题1】What is Robert Edwards' great contribution to science?
A.Enabling millions of couples to live a better life.
B.Seeing the wonder of the first test-tube baby.
C.Helping couples with infertility to have test-tube babies.
D.Challenging a disease which stops humans having babies.
【小题2】The underlined word"afflicting"(Paragraph 4) can be replaced by ____________.
A.troublingB.developing
C.improvingD.confusing
【小题3】Why did Professor Edwards begin his research on the test-tube baby?
A.Because he thought it of great importance to have a child in life.
B.Because the birthrate around the world was unexpectedly low then.
C.Because a special child did make a difference to an ordinary family.
D.Because his fellow scientist wanted to give hope to the unlucky couples.
【小题4】It can be inferred from Paragraph 8 and Paragraph 9 that ____________.
A.Professor Edwards deserved the prize for his breakthrough
B.different opinions were voiced on Professor Edwards' contribution
C.some people envied Professor Edwards for his being awarded
D.the prize was late because the contribution was first considered immoral
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同类题2

Mrs. Obama spoke to the graduates of Martin Luther King Jr. High School on Saturday in her only high school commencement (毕业典礼) speech this year. The ceremony took place in the gymnasium of Tennessee State University.
The first lady told the 170 graduates that she spent too much of her time in college focusing on academic achievements. While her success in college and law school led to a high­profile job, she said, she ended up leaving to focus on public service. “My message to you today is that don't waste a minute living someone else's dream,” she said. “It takes lots of real work to discover what brings you joy and you won't find what you love simply by checking mailboxes or surfing the Internet.”
She said MLK reminded her of her own high school experience in Chicago.“My No.1 goal was to go to a high school that would push me and challenge me,” she said. “I wanted to go somewhere that would celebrate achievements.” “Unfortunately, schools like this don't exist for every kid,” she said. “You are blessed.”
The first lady told the graduates that failure may be a part of their college careers, and that how they respond to difficulties determines what they will become. “That's when you find out what you're really made of in those hard times,” she said. “But you can only do that if you're willing to put yourself in a position where you might fail. Overcoming difficulties has been a mark of many great people,” she said. “Oprah Winfrey was demoted(降职) from her first job as a news reporter, and now she doesn't even need a last name,” she said of media giant Oprah Winfrey. “And then there's this guy Barack Obama. I could take up a whole afternoon talking about his failures. He lost his first race for Congress,” the first lady joked, “and now he gets to call himself my husband.”
【小题1】When choosing her high school, Mrs Obama    .
A.wanted to study law
B.was pushed to make a choice
C.failed to find an ideal school
D.was willing to meet challenges
【小题2】By mentioning Oprah's example, Mrs Obama wanted to tell the graduates    .
A.to be brave enough to risk failing
B.to work hard to get promoted
C.to start as a news reporter
D.not to waste time doing what they dislike
【小题3】Where can you probably find this text?
A.In a news report.
B.In a politics book.
C.In a graduation paper.
D.On Mrs Obama's blog.
【小题4】What do we know about Mrs Obama from the text?
A.She is a graduate of Tennessee State University.
B.This is the first time she has given a speech to graduates.
C.She complained about her school life in her speech.
D.She is enthusiastic about public service.

同类题3

William Herschel was born on November 15th, 1738 in Hanover in a family of musicians. In 1757,he fled to England and began earning a living as an organist and later composer and conductor. In 1772, he convinced his sister Caroline to join him as a singer. In their spare time the brother-sister team became occupied in astronomy. William died at his home in Slough, near Windsor on August 25th,1822,and Caroline on September 1st,1848.
Herschel’s first major discoveries were to show that Mars and Jupiter exhibit axial rotation(绕轴自转). Herschel struck fame in 1781,when on March 13th he discovered the planet Uranus(天王星) while engaged in work aimed at determining stellar parallax(恒星视差).This being the first new planet discovered since ancient times, Herschel, until then a mere amateur astronomer relatively unknown even in England, became world-famous. Adopting a historically proven strategy, Herschel named the new planet Georgium Sidum,in honor of the then ruling English king GeorgeⅢ. The trick worked once again, as King GeorgeⅢ gave William and Caroline the titles of“The King’s Astronomer”and“Assistant to the King’s Astronomer”, an honor which came with a life’s pension for both. In 1782 they moved to Bath, and shortly thereafter to Slough, and from this point on William and Caroline could devote themselves entirely to astronomy. The Herschels went on to discover two moons of Uranus in 1787.
While Caroline became increasingly occupied with the search for comets at which she was quite successful, William became for a time interested in the Sun. Inspired by Wilson’s 1774 work, he put forth the theory of sunspots(太阳黑子),an opinion that continued to exist well into the nineteenth century. In 1800,he became interested in the solar spectrum(太阳光谱),and uncovered the first evidence for solar energy output outside of the visible spectrum, in what is now known as the infrared(红外线).In 1801, he published two papers that effectively started the field of solar influences on Earth’s weather.
【小题1】Herschel made himself known to the world mainly by .
A.discovering the planet Uranus
B.determining stellar parallax
C.discovering two moons of Uranus
D.uncovering the evidence for the infrared
【小题2】It can be inferred from the passage that George Ⅲ .
A.liked science and technology
B.liked Herschel’s naming of the new planet
C.was interested in astronomy
D.gave Herschel a lot of useful suggestions
【小题3】What do we know about Caroline from the passage?
A.She was successful in music.
B.She was given the title of“The King’s Astronomer”.
C.She died later than her brother.
D.She published two papers.
【小题4】This passage mainly tells readers .
A.some information about Herschel and his sister
B.how Herschel and his sister discovered the planet Uranus
C.Herschel and Caroline got along well with each other
D.Herschel and Caroline’s major scientific publications

同类题4

   Isaac Asimov is one of the most famous science fiction(科幻小说)writers of all time. He moved from Russia to the United States in 1923.He was a teacher at Boston University and began writing science fiction stories in 1939.His most famous works are the Foundation books and the Robot stories. He died in 1992 at the age of 72.

"There are not many people who have invented a useful scientific term,and although I did it unknowingly,I am not going to let anyone in the world forget it,"said Isaac Asimov. He was talking about the word "robotics" —the study of robot behaviour.

Asimov wrote several stories about robots between 1940 and 1990.One of the special features of the robots in these stories was that they were programmed to follow the Three Laws of Robotics.

The First Law: A robot must not hurt a human being,or allow a human being to be hurt.

The Second Law: A robot must obey orders by human beings unless these orders conflict(冲突)with the First Law.

The Third Law: A robot must protect itself unless this conflicts with the First or Second Law.

In Asimov's stories,the robots must follow these laws so that they do not attack the humans that created them.

Some scientists think the Three Laws of Robotics are hard to realise in real life. On the other hand,some say that the laws are great for science fiction but completely useless in real life. For example,if the laws really worked,robots couldn't be used in wars,as this would break the First Law. Since the army is one of the biggest supporters for robotic research,it is very unlikely that an attempt to follow these rules will happen.

According to Asimov,one thing is certain:"Robots are changing the world and driving it in directions we cannot clearly foresee(预见)."

【小题1】At Boston University, Isaac ________.
A.learned to write stories
B.started to write science fiction stories
C.taught the writing of science fiction stories
D.invented a robot for writing
【小题2】According to some scientists, the Three Laws of Robotics are ________.
A.boringB.important
C.practicalD.unrealistic
【小题3】Based on the Three Laws of Robotics, robots can't be used ________.
A.in real lifeB.in wars
C.in the armyD.in the writing