本刊試題研究中心

Task 1

On January 7, David Bennett went into the operating room at the University of Maryland Medical Center for a surgical procedure never performed before on a human.The 57-year-old Maryland resident had been hospitalized for months due to a life threatening disease.His heart was failing him and he needed a new one.

Bennett's condition left him unresponsive to treatment and ineligible (不合格的) for the transplant list or an artificial heart pump.The physician-scientists at the center, however,had another also risky option:transplant(移植)a heart from a genetically-modified pig.

“It was either die or do this transplant,”Bennett had told surgeons a day before the operation.“I want to live.I know it's a shot in the dark,but it's also my last choice.”

It took the medical team eight hours to finish the operation, making Bennett the first human to successfully receive a pig's heart.“It's working and it looks normal.We are thrilled, but we don't know what tomorrow will bring us.This has never been done before,”Barkley Griffith,who led the transplant team,toldThe New York Times.

While it's only been five days since the operation,the surgeons say that Bennett's new pig heart was, so far, functioning as expected and his body wasn't rejecting (排斥) the organ.They are still monitoring his condition closely.

“I think it's extremely exciting,”says Robert Montgomery, a transplant surgeon and director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute,who was not involved in Bennett's operation.The result of the procedure was also personally meaningful for Montgomery, who received a heart transplant in 2018 due to a genetic disease that may also affect members of his family in the future.“It's still in the early days, but still the heart seems to be functioning.And that in and of itself is an extraordinary thing.Up to now, most experimental heart transplant procedures have been done between pigs and other animals.This is the first time that surgeons have taken it into a living human.”

1.What do the words“a shot in the dark”underlined in paragraph 3 mean?

A.Something that costs a fortune.

B.Something impossible to succeed.

C.Something drawing public attention.

D.Something with an uncertain outcome.

2.What was Barkley Griffith's attitude to Bennett's post-operation condition?

A.Negative.B.Cautious.C.Optimistic.D.Uncaring.

3.What is the text mainly about?

A.The heated debate over the pig heart transplant.

B.David Bennett's contribution to medical research.

C.The first experimental pig heart transplant in the world.

D.The first successful pig heart transplant into a living human.

4.In which section of a magazine may this text appear?

A.Political affairs.B.Global entertainment.

C.Sci-Tech front.D.Financial window.

Task 2

A new picture book calledWhen Dinosaurs Conquered the Skies:The Incredible Storyof Bird Evolutionexplains the scientific idea that birds are dinosaurs.The writer Jingmai O'Connor describes herself as a“dead bird fan”.With her PhD, she works at the Chicago Field Museum as an expert on the evolution of birds and flying dinosaurs.

O'Connor says people may know that birds are little dinosaurs.But they might not connect that fact to the birds they see.One purpose of her book, she said, is to achieve it.O'Connor also wants people to see birds as she does—as fascinating flying dinosaurs.

In her book, O'Connor also talks about the larger idea of science—namely the importance of making mistakes.Each mistake, she said, leads us closer to the truth.“Science is essentially a series of mistakes.And every mistake, you know, informs us a little bit more and gives us a little bit more information.But pretty much everything that we think is‘truth' right now is probably at least partly wrong.You know, there is so much we don't know.But mistakes are part of the process.”

O'Connor is a Chinese-Irish American who grew up in Pasadena, California.She did not always want to study the remains of ancient living things.She began studying geology,like her mother.“But in my case,my mother went back to school to do her PhD when I was around 10 years old.She had four kids.So,she would take us with her not only to the laboratory, but also into the field, which means going out to collect samples.So, I fell in love with geology.”

However, O'Connor had a larger goal in mind when she wrote her book.She said,“Through having greater respect for the living animals around us,I hope that people start to think more about how they impact the environment through their actions, so that we can all move towards a more sustainable future.”

1.Which is one of the goals of O'Connor's book according to paragraph 2?

A.To make connections.B.To write a review.

C.To give instructions.D.To make a profit.

2.What does O'Connor think of mistakes?

A.Unavoidable.B.Meaningless.

C.Invaluable.D.Uncontrollable.

3.What can be learned about the author from paragraph 4?

A.She had complex social relationships.

B.She wanted to be a geology teacher.

C.Her mother was her geology teacher.

D.Her mother had early effects on her.

4.What does O'Connor expect of her readers?

A.Being mindful of what they will say.B.Creating a more sustainable lifestyle.

C.Organizing more outdoor activities.D.Trying to make use of the findings.

Task 3

Scientist Erika Nesvold once asked a company aiming to mine the moon how he planned to address risks that mining equipment might carry microbes (微生物) from the Earth and pollute the moon.The response is that“We'll worry about that later.”

“That's an irresponsible mindset when it comes to preparing for people to live and work in space,”Nesvold argues in her new book,Off-Earth.“Adopting a‘worry about it later' attitude strikes me as a path to repeating the tragedies of that history through ignorance,”Nesvold writes.

Off-Earthis an extension of her 2017 podcast (播客),Making New Worlds, which asked ethical (倫理的)questions about space settlement.The book takes some of the same questions and expands on them.

Most chapters start with three short scenes, usually from different time periods.A chapter outlining debates over whether to settle in space at all starts by asking the reader to imagine being in the 1600s and deciding to uproot your family and head to the new world.A chapter on how land usage and ownership rights might work in space imagines a person recently freed from slavery in the South U.S.in 1865 and worrying that the new president will take back the land they finally own.The third scene is usually set in the year 2100,on a space settlement.

Then Nesvold examines how various ethical scenarios (場景) related to the chapter's theme might play out in space.She quotes experts in fields that don't often come up in space science: ethics, philosophy and law.This approach is a departure from many books about the future of life on the final frontier, forcing readers to face hard realities and possible points of friction.“To have the best chance of avoiding disaster, the time to consider those questions is now,not later,even though space settlement may be decades or centuries away,”Nesvold argues.

Off-Earthshould be required reading for anyone who dreams about living in space and can help make our earthbound civilizations better too.

1.What does the author intend to do in paragraph 1?

A.To clarify a concept.B.To introduce a topic.

C.To make a prediction.D.To generate a discussion.

2.What setsOff-Earthapart from others?

A.Its writing style.B.Its text structure.

C.Its story elements.D.Its writing techniques.

3.What's Nesvold's attitude to space settlement?

A.Cautious.B.Unclear.C.Intolerant.D.Disapproving.

4.What is the text?

A.A short story.B.A news report.

C.A book review.D.A research essay.

Task 4

The wind howled outside as Laura and Smith sat in their rented apartment,surrounded by unpaid bills and mounting debts.They had to lived on relief in the coming winter, their dreams fading away into the bleakness of their poor circumstances.

Laura's birthday was around the corner.Smith's heart sank as he looked at the empty space beside him where a gift should have been.He had nothing to offer his beloved daughter.The weight of his failure pressed upon him,making him carry a sense of wrongdoing.

He decided to make a sacrifice,one that could bring a glimmer of hope into their lives.With determination burning in his eyes, he set out to do whatever it took to earn extra money,even if it meant working long hours and doing odd jobs.

Smith took on part-time jobs during the day and worked night shifts at a local warehouse.He worked tirelessly, his body aching and his spirit dwindling at times, but he pushed through.The exhaustion became a constant companion, but he was fueled by his love for Laura and his desire to give her a special birthday surprise.

Months passed and Smith's efforts paid off.He had saved enough money to finally give Laura a gift worthy of her love and support.On her birthday, he handed her a small box,excitement and nervousness appearing on his face.

Laura's eyes widened with surprise as she eagerly unwrapped the gift.Inside was a shiny key.Confusion turned into disbelief as she looked at Smith,searching for an explanation.

Smith's voice trembled with emotion as he spoke.“This is your bicycle, Laura,”he said softly.“I've been secretly working extra hours, taking on odd jobs and part-time work,to save up for this.It's our very own bicycle.”

Tears welled up in Laura's eyes as she realized her father's sacrifice.He had silently carried the weight of their burdens and toiled without complaint just to bring a smile to her face.

The gleaming bicycle was waiting for them outside.Laura's heart overflowed with gratitude and admiration for Smith.He was not just her loving father but also a symbol of resilience and unwavering determination.

The wind blowing through their hair,Laura held Smith's hand tightly.At that moment,they both understood that their love was a powerful force that could conquer any adversity they faced.

1.What can we know about Laura and Smith from paragraph 1?

A.They had paid off their debts.

B.They lived a very difficult life.

C.They had already lost hope of life.

D.They had no relatives to turn to for help.

2.How might Smith feel according to paragraph 2?

A.Guilty.B.Nervous.C.Hesitant.D.Hopeful.

3.Which world can best replace the underlined word“dwindling”in paragraph 3?

A.Rising.B.Trembling.C.Weakening.D.Accumulating.

4.What message does the text intend to convey?

A.Family love can work wonders.

B.Confidence comes from perseverance.

C.Every great dream begins with a dreamer.

D.The fruit of your own work is the sweetest.