Reading Comprehension

　　Cloning technology made its first leap from science fiction to science fact in 1997. That year, Scottish researcher lan Wilmut created the world's first animal clone：a sheep named Dolly. In making Dolly, Wilmut defied(对…挑战) nature because Dolly was produced without the union of male and female sex cells.

The method that Wilmut used to create Dolly is neither a top-secret nor hard to understand. First, he removed an egg cell from an adult female sheep. Then, he used a fine needle to suck out(吸出) the egg' s nucleus(细胞核), the structure that houses a cell' s DNA(deoxyribonucleic acid(脱氧核糖核酸). DNA contains the biological material that determines what an organism looks like and how it functions.

　　Next, Wilmut removed a skin cell from another sheep－the sheep he wished to copy. Placing the empty egg cell and the skin cell side by side, he forced the two cells to fuse by zapping(用辐射线照射) them with a charge(电荷) of electricity. By doing that, Wilmut created an egg from one animal that contained the DNA of another.

　　The new egg cell divided and developed into an embryo(胚胎). Wilmut then implanted(移植) the embryo in he womb(子宫). In time, the embryo developed into a lamb sheep－Dolly.

　　For years later, a whole barnyard of animal clone, including sheep, mice, cows, pigs, and goats, has, come to life in labs around the globe. Now, the race is on how to produce the first human clone although many people are strongly against it.

1．What does the first sentence in the passage mean?

[　　]

A．Cloning technology made its first appearance in science fiction in 1997.

B．Cloning technology made it possible to turn something in the story into reality in 1997.

C．Clothing technology was a science fact that was accepted for the first time in 1997.

D．Cloning technology was the first technology used in creating a real life in 1997.

2．The technique Wilmut used to clone Dolly

[　　]

A．is rarely understood by other scientists

B．was used by scientists before

C．is a secret to the world

D．is none of the above

3．How important is one' s DNA?

[　　]

A．One's appearance and behavior depend on his DNA.

B．The length of one's life depends on his DNA.

C．One's characteristic depends on his DNA.

D．What one looks like is determined by his DNA.

4．Which of the following statements is true?

[　　]

A．Dolly was cloned from a skin cell.

B．Dolly was produced from two cells.

C．Dolly was made from a sheep's DNA.

D．Dolly was created from an organism.

5．What does the last paragraph of the passage tell?

[　　]

A．Now different animals have been cloned in the world.

B．The animals in the barnyard have been cloned, and there is a challenge in the world to clone other animals.

C．Humans have produced many cloned animals, and now they have started a race in developing cloning technology.

D．Besides cloning many kinds of animals, there is a competition in the world to clone the first man.

A．By making vocabulary lists.

B．By making flashcards.

C．By reading the test book

(2) 60％ of students in ________ choose the way of reading the test book.

(3) 10％ of students in ________ choose the way of asking teachers for help.

(4) 22％ of students in ________ choose the way of making vocabulary lists.

A．By making vocabulary lists.

B．By asking teachers for help.

C．By making flashcards.

　　Do you know that a fast reader can get the ideas better than a slow reader can? Of course, you save time by reading fast, but this is not the main reason for fast reading. The main reason is that you understand better what you are reading when you read fast.

　　As your eyes move along the line of print, they make fixations (注视) or pauses (停顿) . It is important that you see several words at a fixation. It is also important that your eyes leave a group of words quickly and move on to another group. The number of letters or words that you see at a fixation are called your eye span (视幅、视跨). Pay more attention to improving your rate of reading. With practice you can learn to read faster than you usually read.

　　The way in which you read always depends on what you are reading and for what purpose (目的) . You should know the different ways of reading so that you can apply whatever method that is necessary. Here are four ways of reading, but not all, they may increase your reading rate.

　　1．Skimming is an important kind of reading. This method can be used when you wish to review something that you have forgotten. You may skim to find a lost place of a statement that you have read and cannot recall. You may skim to get an idea of a story.

　　2．Rapid first reading and then rereading certain parts carefully is important. You may use this type of reading to study a science lesson or a history lesson.

　　3．You need to do careful reading and rereading sometimes. This type of reading is necessary for making an intensive study of the main subject of your school curriculum (课程), solving arithmetic problems, studying rules for playing a game, or reading directions .

　　4．Rapid reading is used when reading stories for enjoyment. You may also do rapid reading when reviewing material that you already know well.

1．A fast reader can get the ideas ________ a slow reader can.

[　　]

2．In this passage, “eye span” means ________.

[　　]

A．eyesight

B．a group of words

C．the number of letters or words you see at a fixation

D．your reading speed

3．The way of reading always depends on ________.

[　　]

4．The word “Skimming” means ________.

[　　]

5．Careful reading is an important kinds of reading ________.

[　　]

A．when you read a story for enjoyment

B．when you review a lesson that you already know well

C．when you read the directions before using a camera which is expensive

D．when yon wish to find a lost place that you have read

When you read an article you will understand and remember it better if you can work out how the writer has put the ideas together．Sometimes a writer puts ideas together by asking questions and then answering them．For example，if the article is about groundhogs（土拨鼠），the set of questions in the writer’s head might be：
What does a groundhog look like？
Where do groundhogs live？
What do they eat？…
In the article，the author might answer those questions．
Sometimes an author writes out her questions in the article．These questions give you signals．They tell you what the author is going to write next．Often an author has a question in her head but she doesn’t write it out for you．You have to work out her question for yourself．Here’s a sample reading for you to practice this method.
Earthworms
Do you know how many kinds of earthworms there are？There are about 1800 kinds in the world！ They can be brown，purple，green．They can be as small as 3 cm long and as large as 3 m long．
The best time to see earthworms is at night，especially a cool，damp night．That’s when they come up from their burrows（地洞）to hunt for food．Earthworms don’t like to be in the sun．That’s because they breathe through their skin，and they can’t breathe if their skin gets too dry．Earthworms must come out of the earth if it rains a lot，because they can't breathe in their flooded burrows．What a dangerous life！
Earthworms don't have eyes，so how can they tell when it's dark？ They have special places on their skin that are sensitive to light．These spots tell whether it’s light or dark．If you shine a flashlight on an earthworm at night，it will quickly disappear into the ground．
Earthworms don't have ears either，but they can hear by feeling movements in the earth．If you want to hear like an earthworm，lie on the ground with your fingers in your ears．Then have a friend stamp his or her feet near you．This is how earthworms feel birds and people walking，and moles digging，near them．
Earthworms are useful．Farmers and gardeners like having lots of earthworms in their land because the worms help to make better soil when they dig．That digging keeps the soil loose and airy（通风的）．In one year earthworms can pile up as much as 23,000 kg of castings in an area about the size of a football field．

1. 1.

   What’s the purpose of reading Earthworms?

   1. A.
      To show the special life facts of earthworms
   2. B.
      To explain the differences from the groundhogs
   3. C.
      To put the writer’s idea into real use
   4. D.
      To make the readers think more clearly
2. 2.

   Which question CANNOT be answered in the passage?

   1. A.
      How do earthworms help with gardeners?
   2. B.
      What life are earthworms living with?
   3. C.
      When may people observe earthworms?
   4. D.
      Why can human listen like earthworms?
3. 3.

   How can you understand Earthworms better according to this passage?

   1. A.
      Read, ask and answer questions in your own head while reading
   2. B.
      Read to work out all the questions in the writer’s head while reading
   3. C.
      Read and check all the things that are not clear to you again and again
   4. D.
      Read for general ideas and discuss or compare with other similar topics
4. 4.

   What’s the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      One way to help with understanding
   2. B.
      One way to practice with a new idea
   3. C.
      One way to learn to be a wise writer
   4. D.
      One way to be clearer about worms