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The never-ceasing pace of scientific accomplishment often surpasses the progress of moral thought, leaving people struggling to make sense, initially at least, of whether heart transplants are ethical or test-tube babies desirable. Over the past three decades scientists have begun to investigate a branch of medicine that offers astonishing promise—the ability to repair the human body and even grow new organs—but which destroys early-stage embryos to do so. In "The Stem Cell Hope" Alice Park, a science writer at Time magazine, chronicles the scientific, political, ethical and personal struggles of those involved in the work. Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent (多能性的): they have the ability to change into any one of the 200- odd types of cell that compose the human body; but they can do so only at a very early stage. Once the bundle has reached more than about 150 cells, they start to specialize. Research into repairing severed spinal cords or growing new hearts has thus needed a supply of stem cells that come from entities that, given a more favorable environment, could instead grow into a baby. Immediately after the announcement of the birth of Dolly the sheep—the clone of an adult ewe whose mammary (乳腺的) cells Ian Wilmut had tricked into behaving like a developing embryo—American scientists were hauled before the nation’s politicians who were uneasy at the implication that people might also be cloned. Concern at the speed of scientific progress had previously stalled publicly funded research into controversial topics, for example, into in vitro fertilization. But it did not stop the work from taking place: instead the IVF industry blossomed in the private sector, funded by couples desperate for a baby and investors who had spotted a profitable new market. That is also what happened with human stem cells. After a prolonged struggle over whether to ban research outright—which pitted Nancy Reagan, whose husband suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, against a father who asked George Bush’s advisers, "Which one of my children would you kill"—Mr. Bush blocked the use of government money to fund research on any new human embryonic stem-cell cultures. But research did not halt completely: Geron, a biopharmaceutical (生物制的) company based in Menlo Park, California, had started "to mop up this orphaned innovation", as Ms Park puts it, by recruiting researchers whose work brought them into conflict with the funding restrictions. Meanwhile, in South Korea a scientist claimed not only to have cloned human embryos but also to have created patient-specific cultures that could, in theory, be used to patch up brain damage or grow a kidney. Alas, he was wrong. But a Japanese scientist did manage to persuade adult skin cells to act like stem cells. If it proves possible to scale up his techniques, that would remove the source of the controversy over stem-cell research. Three months after he took office, Barack Obama lifted restrictions on federal funding for research on new stem-cell cultures, saying that he thought sound science and moral values were consistent with one another. But progress has been slow: the first human trials in America, involving two people with spinal-cord injuries who have been injected with stem cells developed by Geron, are only just under way. The sick children who first inspired scientists to conduct research into stem cells in order to develop treatments that might help them are now young adults. As Ms Park notes, the fight over stem-cell research is not over, and those who might benefit from stem-cell medicine remain in need. Which of the following statements is CORRECT about the stem cell research

A. Embryonic stem cells are changeable even in the late stage.
B. Growing new hearts in a patient needs stem cells from an adult donator.
C. Research findings by a Japanese scientist might end the controversy.
D. President Obama agrees with George Bush concerning the issue.

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My grandmother cut a recipe sometime in the 1940s or 1950s for "Mrs. Orr’s Chocolate Cake" from the Monitor. When my dad tasted this cake, he was so enchanted with it that he requested this cake every year, both for Father’s Day and for his birthday in September. Dad was a creature of habit. He didn’t always greet new experiments in cooking with glee. When I graduated from college and got my first apartment, I began to learn to cook, with guidance and suggestions from my morn and the help of a few good cookbooks. I also began to experiment. Often when I invited Morn and Dad over for dinner, I tried a new recipe. Dad would look at his plate suspiciously and ask, "Am I the ’guinea pig’ for this meal" Dad especially didn’t encourage experimentation where his birthday cake was concerned. It had to be Mrs. Orr’s cake, made in a metal 9-by-13-inch pan, rather than in layers, and it had to have white butter cream icing, not the traditional chocolate icing that many people enjoy on chocolate cake. Once we asked if he would like chocolate icing for a change. Silly question. So we enjoyed Mrs. Orr’s cake with white icing twice a year. Nothing fancy, nothing pretentious—just like Dad. No nuts, coconut, sprinkles, or other decorations. No pretty cake plate or beautiful presentation. Just plain cake with icing in a plain metal pan. Somehow, it seemed to fit Dad, a plain, no-nonsense kind of man with Midwestern down-home friendliness. Dad was very generous in sharing his special cake with family and friends. When my sister and I were no longer living at home, we’d still get together for Father’s Day and Dad’s birthday. He always cut generous pieces for us to take home. When a neighbor came over for morning coffee, Dad always offered him a piece of cake, commenting with awe that either his wife or daughters had made him this cake, and how much they must love him for going to "all that work"—a comment not so meaningful as it would have been if we’d made him a layer cake and decorated it. Of course, we asked repeatedly if he’d rather have a different cake, maybe decorated. Again, silly question. For some reason that no one understands, this cake always rises higher in the middle than a normal cake, sometimes looking rather lopsided. It doesn’t seem to matter which kind of pan we use, or which type of chocolate. That means the comers and sides of the cake get more icing than the center. Personally, I always like a corner piece. So did Dad. Years ago, my cousin told me she makes Mrs. Orr’s cake as a layer cake and uses chocolate icing. I tried it when I was having company (not Dad), using raspberry jam between two layers and a chocolate butter cream icing on the top and sides. The sides looked too messy for company, so I pressed chopped nuts into them, piped the chocolate icing around the bottom and top, and everyone thought I bought it at a bakery. It was amazingly rich and wonderful, hence the name I gave it, Majestic Chocolate Cake. The funny thing, though, is that I missed the white icing! Dad isn’t with us anymore, but whenever I see this recipe in my file, I’m filled with sweet memories of the man who loved his special cake, appreciated those who’d baked it, and shared it so freely. According to the passage, ______ may NOT be the character of the author’s father.

A. demanding
B. practical
C. stubborn
D. liberal

The never-ceasing pace of scientific accomplishment often surpasses the progress of moral thought, leaving people struggling to make sense, initially at least, of whether heart transplants are ethical or test-tube babies desirable. Over the past three decades scientists have begun to investigate a branch of medicine that offers astonishing promise—the ability to repair the human body and even grow new organs—but which destroys early-stage embryos to do so. In "The Stem Cell Hope" Alice Park, a science writer at Time magazine, chronicles the scientific, political, ethical and personal struggles of those involved in the work. Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent (多能性的): they have the ability to change into any one of the 200- odd types of cell that compose the human body; but they can do so only at a very early stage. Once the bundle has reached more than about 150 cells, they start to specialize. Research into repairing severed spinal cords or growing new hearts has thus needed a supply of stem cells that come from entities that, given a more favorable environment, could instead grow into a baby. Immediately after the announcement of the birth of Dolly the sheep—the clone of an adult ewe whose mammary (乳腺的) cells Ian Wilmut had tricked into behaving like a developing embryo—American scientists were hauled before the nation’s politicians who were uneasy at the implication that people might also be cloned. Concern at the speed of scientific progress had previously stalled publicly funded research into controversial topics, for example, into in vitro fertilization. But it did not stop the work from taking place: instead the IVF industry blossomed in the private sector, funded by couples desperate for a baby and investors who had spotted a profitable new market. That is also what happened with human stem cells. After a prolonged struggle over whether to ban research outright—which pitted Nancy Reagan, whose husband suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, against a father who asked George Bush’s advisers, "Which one of my children would you kill"—Mr. Bush blocked the use of government money to fund research on any new human embryonic stem-cell cultures. But research did not halt completely: Geron, a biopharmaceutical (生物制的) company based in Menlo Park, California, had started "to mop up this orphaned innovation", as Ms Park puts it, by recruiting researchers whose work brought them into conflict with the funding restrictions. Meanwhile, in South Korea a scientist claimed not only to have cloned human embryos but also to have created patient-specific cultures that could, in theory, be used to patch up brain damage or grow a kidney. Alas, he was wrong. But a Japanese scientist did manage to persuade adult skin cells to act like stem cells. If it proves possible to scale up his techniques, that would remove the source of the controversy over stem-cell research. Three months after he took office, Barack Obama lifted restrictions on federal funding for research on new stem-cell cultures, saying that he thought sound science and moral values were consistent with one another. But progress has been slow: the first human trials in America, involving two people with spinal-cord injuries who have been injected with stem cells developed by Geron, are only just under way. The sick children who first inspired scientists to conduct research into stem cells in order to develop treatments that might help them are now young adults. As Ms Park notes, the fight over stem-cell research is not over, and those who might benefit from stem-cell medicine remain in need. What is the author’s tone in writing the passage

A. Enthusiastic.
B. Objective.
C. Satirical.
D. Doubtful.

Despite what you might think from its name, the Museum of Afghan Civilization will be the very model of a modern major museum when it opens in January. It will be housed in an angular, postmodern building, designed by France’s Yona Friedman. It will display the art of Afghanistan from prehistory to today, with works collected from all over the world. And it will have a nifty website, complete with high-definition reproductions and interactive information guides. What the museum won’t have is a front door, a parking lot, or a cafeteria. That’s because the museum is the first designed as a virtual building only. Why put the objects in an imaginary building, instead of just creating a website full of pictures Pascale Bastide, President of the Paris-based association Afghanculture, says she hopes that hiring an architect will imbue her project (afghanculturemuseum.org) with the gravitas of a traditional museum, as well as make viewers feel as though they are actively traveling to a museum rather than passively seeing reproductions of its artwork. Bastide is quick to admit that "nothing replaces real contact with an objet d’art (小艺术品,古玩), but the site’s interactive approach comes close. Visitors will encounter a digital image of Friedman’s design, set against its imagined location: the Bamiyan caves, where two monumental Buddha statues had stood since the fourth century A. D. before being destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. Viewers can spin the building to view it from all sides, then click to enter multimedia " pavilions," which can be organized chronologically, geographically, or thematically. Friedman’s design will serve as the shell. The interior will change just like in a real-world museum, where curators (馆长) erect temporary walls according to an exhibition’s needs. Bricks and mortar (传统实体企业) aside, the Museum of Afghan Civilization will operate like a typical art institution. The website will have a director (Bastide) and a team of curators (a Princeton professor, a French museum conservator, an Afghan archeologist, and an Afghan linguist). Oh, and there’s also a designer with a background in videogames. Afghanculturemuseum.org obviously isn’t the only museum with a website, but its purely virtual form could affect the traditional museum world. For one thing, it all but eliminates the debate over whether a museum’s priority should be to display artworks or preserve them. Today’s digital reproduction technologies are generally harmless to the art (unlike the light and air in a museum), so they allow the public to see works otherwise accessible only to those with white gloves and doctorates. Virtual museums still take money to launch; Bastide is looking for $10 million in private and government funding. They won’t make the traditional museums obsolete, either. But their lower maintenance costs and sustainable approach to exhibitions might mean fewer traditional museums created in the future. That said, Bastide hopes that one day, in a stable, democratic Afghanistan, a physical Museum of Afghan Civilization might be built. But for now, the virtual approach will allow the museum to live—without having to exist. Why does Afghanculturemuseum. org eliminate the debate on whether a museum’s priority should be to display artworks or to preserve them

A. Because it can replace the traditional museum in the near future.
Because it only allows the doctorates to see works that need particular protection.
C. Because when displaying the artworks, it also prevents others from stealing them.
D. Because it almost eliminates the contradiction between displaying and preserving artworks.

情景: 假定你是班长,通知同学周六搞活动。要求同学上午7:30在校门集合。上午参观艺术博物馆,下午去公园植树。自备午餐。天气预报有雨。要带好雨伞。 任务:请你用英语写一个50字左右的通知。 请用下面格式: Notice Attention please, everyone! Monitor of Class One

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