British and American scientists are raising genetically modified(转基因的) pigs in the hope of providing organs for transplant(移植) to humans, the project leader wrote in a newspaper Sunday.
Scientists in London and California have begun conducting the genetic experiments to find a solution to record–long waiting lists for organ transplants, Robert Winston said in an opinion piece written for Britain's Sunday Times.
In Britain alone, around 8,000 patients are waiting for a transplant.
"People needing a new heart or liver are waiting for someone else to die – usually a violent death in a traffic accident," Winston wrote in the newspaper. He said his team was "trying to modify pigs so their organs might save the lives of humans."
The scientists are introducing human genes into the animals to reduce the chances of the organs being rejected by patients, as has been common in previous attempts to use animal tissues, said Winston, who heads the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology at London's Hammersmith Hospital.
Working with Dr. Carol Redhead of the California Institute of Technology, Winston's team has injected human genes directly into male piglets(猪仔), adding them to the animal's sperm(精子).
He said that pigs involved in experiments had successfully produced transgenic sperm, but acknowledged that British and European laws had prevented the team from using the pigs to mate.
The Sunday Times newspaper reported that the experiments would be moved to the United States following difficulties with funding and regulations in Britain. It said the pigs would be bred in Missouri.
"Our U.S. friends will benefit from our technology and the income we might have produced for Britain will be lost," Winston wrote.
Some scientists have previously blamed the idea of using animal organs for human transplant, saying the technique risks spreading animal viruses to humans. Winston said his research project is attempting to breed virus-free pigs.
49. Scientists are introducing human genes into the animals to ____________.

“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity，” said the American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. I’ ve never watched her show, but when a self-made billionaire gives life advice it’ s probably worth listening to.

Her point is that blind luck is very rare. You may have to be lucky to find a good job these days but that does not mean you should sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you. If you’ re a Chinese，you may already be familiar with the tale of a farmer waiting by a tree stump (树桩) for a rabbit to run out and break its neck.

A book by the UK psychologist Richard Wiseman, called The Luck Factor, argues we can all make ourselves luckier. It’ s not about going to a temple to burn some incense (香) in hopes that the gods will give you good fortune; it’ s practical advice you can follow each day.

Wiseman conducted an experiment as part of his studies. First he divided volunteers into two groups：those who said they were lucky in life and those who said they were not. He gave everyone a newspaper and asked them to look through it to count how many photographs it had inside. On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs while the lucky people took just seconds. Why? On the second page of the newspaper, a command, “Stop counting. There are 43 photographs in this newspaper，” was written in big letters. The unlucky people mostly did not  spot  the message.

It’s easy to compare this situation to a young person looking for jobs in a local paper. They might search so hard for one type of position that they miss an even better opportunity. People who are “lucky”， in fact, keep an open mind and don’t go through the same routine every day.

I first came to China in 2002 when it was considered a rather strange thing to do. Like many foreigners，my plan was to teach English for one year. Seven years later, and still here, I’ ve had many great opportunities such as writing for newspapers and magazines. I did not dream these would have been possible. I’ ve also never been sick, had an accident, got into a fight or had problems with the police. Coincidence(巧合)? After reading about Professor Wiseman’ s studies I think not.

As Wiseman advises, I usually trust my own judgment. Your friends and parents may give you advice based on rational (理性)thinking, but it’s important to consider how you feel about each choice you make. Your feeling acts as a warning for a potential （潜在）problem.

Finally, try to turn bad luck into good. Even if you do fall down and break a leg, the time spent at home can be used wisely to study English.

1.Which of the following proverbs most agrees with the writer’ s point?

A. Make the best of a bad job.

B. Rome was not built in a day.

C. All is not gold that glitters.

D. A good heart conquers ill fortune.

2.What do you know about Oprah Winfrey?

A. She became famous through her family background.

B. She was very lucky and seldom suffered setbacks （挫折）in her life.

C. She is a British talk show host.

D. She became successful by her own effort.

3.The writer quoted（引用） the Chinese tale of a farmer in order to show________.

A. luck is in your own hand

B. bad luck can turn into good

C. you should not sit at home waiting for the opportunity to come to you

D. man can conquer nature

4.From the experiment Wiseman drew the conclusion that________.

A. lucky people are quick-minded

B. unlucky people are slow to read

C. lucky people often have an open mind

D. unlucky people are more creative

5.The underlined word “spot” is the closest in meaning to“________”．

A. discover         B. mark   C. make               D. receive

The film “Avatar” has received great popularity around the world. It turned out to be a great success. The film got ＄1 billion in ticket sales in a very short time. The story in the film happens on an alien planet called Pandora where many strange species live. Among the planet’s inhabitants(居民,栖息动物)，the one that has the most similarities with humans is the Na’vi, and it is the struggle between the Ma’vi and human invaders(入侵者) that forms the story of the film.

As to the factors(因素) leading to the film’s success, many think that the entertaining feast(盛宴) for the eyes and the wonderful story shouldn’t be forgotten, but the new language invented especially for the film which provides audiences with a new experience also plays an important part.

In order to increase the truthfulness of an alien race（外星人）, the film’s director James Cameron asked an expert in languages from the University of Southern California to invent a language for the Na’vi. Professor Paul Frommer combined the languages spoken among Indians, Africans and mid-Asians and worked with James Caneron for four years to create the Na’vi language based on the original 30 words that the director had already come up with.

According to Professor Frommer, the most important characteristic of the Na’vi language is that it could be pronounced. “This is an alien language but obviously it has to be spoken by human actors and actresses,” Professor Frommer told the BBC, “it has to sound natural and it should make human beings comfortable when using it.”

The language has a vocabulary of around 1000 words but Progessor Formmer hopes to enlarge the vocabulary in possible follow-ups to the film and in video games. The professor hopes that one day his creation will be as successful as the Klingon alien language from the “Star Trek”films. “There’s a translation of Hamlet into Klingon and it has received great popularity among the audiences,” says Professor Frommer，“if anything like this happens to the Na’vi language, I’d be very happy.”

1. What do we know about“Avatar” from this passage?

A. The story in it is a moving love story.    

 B. It brings the producer ＄1 billion in total.

C. The story in it happens on an alien planet.

 D. It talks about humans and aliens’ friendship.

2. The director of “Avatar” James Cameron had a language invented for the Na’vi to     

A. make the film a whole mystery          B. make the Na’vi more believable

C. make the Na’vi different from humans    D. make the film have specific characteristics

3. Who first created the basic words of the Na’vi language?

A. Paul Frommer.        B. An Indian.    C. James Cameron     D. Hamlet.

4. The important feature of the Na’vi language is that      

A. it can be spoken by humans         B. it has just 30 original words

C. it has a vocabulary of 1000 words.    D. it is like the Klingon alien language

5. We can infer from the passage that       

A. James Cameron will produce follow-ups to “Avatar”

B. the Na’vi language is another kind of the Klingon language

C. the director believes the Na’vi language will be popular

D. Paul Frommer hopes to add new words to the Na’vi language

More than 20,000 drivers and front seat passengers are killed or seriously injured each year. At a speed of only 30 miles per hour it is the same as falling from a third floor window. Wearing a seat belt saves lives; it reduces your chance of death or serious injury by more than half.
Therefore drivers or front seat passengers over 14 most vehicles must wear a seat belt. If you do not, you could be fined up to $50. It will not be up to the drivers to make sure you wear your belt. But it will be the driver’s responsibility to make sure that children under 14 do not ride in the front unless they are wearing a seat belt of some kind.
However, you do not have to wear a seat belt if you are reversing(倒退) your vehicle; or you are making a local delivery or collection using a special vehicle; or if you have a valid（正当的） medical certificate（证书）which excuses you from wearing it. Make sure these cases supply to you before you decide not to wear your seat belt. Remember you may be taken to court for not doing so, and you may be fined if you cannot prove to the court you have been excused from wearing.
60. This passage is probably taken from ______.
A. medical magazine    B. a legal document
C. a textbook    D. a government information booklet
61. Wearing a seat belt in a vehicle ______.
A. reduces road accidents by more than half
B. reduces the death rate in traffic accidents
C. saves lives while driving at a speed up to 30 miles per hour  
D. saves more than 16,000 lives each year
62. It is the driver’s responsibility to ______.
A. make the front seat passenger wear a seat belt
B. make the front seat children under 14 wear a seat belt
C. stop children from riding in the front seat
D. wear a seat belt each time he drives
63. For some people, it may be better to ______.
A. pay a fine rather than wear a seat belt   
B. wear a seat belt for health reasons
C. (not to) wear seat belt for health reasons  
D. get a valid medical certificate before wearing a seat belt

Liverpool city council want to clear the city of fat pigeons. They say  that people are feeding the birds, which makes them fat. The pigeons get bigger because their normal diet would consist of seeds and insects, not high-fat junk food they are eating in the city centre.
The council want people to know that everyone who feeds the pigeons is responsible for the streets being so crowded with these birds. They hope to encourage the birds to move away from the city centre and into parks and open spaces.
Ten robotic birds have been brought into the city centre to scare the pigeons away and visitors are asked not to give the pigeons any food. The mechanical birds－known as "robops"－will sit on the roofs of buildings. They can be moved around to different locations. They look like a peregrine falcon, which is a bird that kills pigeons. They even make noises and flap their wings to scare the pigeons. They hope that the pigeons will go away before the city becomes the European Capital of Culture in two years.
73.Pigeons in Liverpool get fat because they eat________.
A. birds      B. seeds     C. insects    D. high-fat junk food
74.What do Liverpool city council try to do?
A. They want the pigeons to move out of the city centre.
B. They want people to feed the pigeons with healthy food.
C. They want people to keep the pigeons at home.
D. They want to keep robotic birds instead of pigeons.
75.The robotic birds are used to________.
A. make the city colorful         B. drive away the pigeons
C. help feed the pigeons          D. show people directions
76.This passage is most probably a(n)________.
A. notice     B. news report     C. short story      D. advertisement