An Australian – based scientist announced yesterday he had made a step forward in forensic (用于法庭的) DNA testing so that an individual can be identified by a single cell.

Ian Findlay, from the Australian Genome Research Facility at the University of Queensland, said current DNA testing required 200 to 500 cells to gain a similar level of accuracy.

“What we have done has brought that down to one cell,” Dr Findlay said after releasing details of his DNA testing technique at a Sydney conference.

The technology could allow investigators to pick up DNA identities from plastic cards and even build up a complete history of the people who have handled a paper document.

“You’d have to wear a space suit to stop yourself from leaving traces. You can identify cells on the paper, so you can work out where it’s come from and who’s touched it,” he said.

The technique could also be used to trace the thrower of a punch from cells left behind on the skin of their victim. Even the wearing of latex gloves would not help: small cells can pass through the gloves, and the constant flow of genetic material given off by the human body would leave further evidence.

“We gained a skin cell from a document dating back 30 years and managed to gain a DNA fingerprint. DNA evidence can remain fresh for decades, perhaps even centuries,” Dr Findlay said.

“The potential for this technology to solve unsolved crimes is great,” he said.

But Dr Findlay, named scientist of the year in 1998 by the European Society of Human Genetics, said the new testing needed to be scientifically validated, which would take up to five years.

He said, “There are serious consequences taking on technologies too early. The public has to be sure that they have the utmost confidence in the security and court systems.”

1．The main advantage of the new technology is that          .

       A．a(chǎn) single cell can identify an individual

       B．it has brought down the cost of DNA testing

       C．a(chǎn) higher level of accuracy can be acquired with a single cell

       D．it needs less than 200 cells to gain a certain level of accuracy

2．The underlined word “validated” means “       .”

       A．confirmed           B．imagined              C．supposed             D．criticized

3．According to Ian Findlay, the new technology can          .

      A．help to keep DNA evidence fresh for decades and even centuries

       B．make the process of DNA testing much more simplified

       C．help to pick up DNA identities more easily

       D．be widely used in five years at most

4．The last paragraph suggests that         .

       A．the immediate adopting of the technology may cause mistakes

       B．the public have acknowledged the new testing technology

       C．it is safe to put the new technology into use now

       D．Dr Findlay is quite sure of his new technology

5．The aim of the passage is to         .

       A．praise Ian Findlay for his work

       B．report a piece of interesting new

       C．inform us of the wide use of DNA testing

       D．tell us a recent improvement in DNA testing

In recent years many countries of the world have been faced with the problem of how to make their workers more productive. Some experts claim the answer is to make jobs more varied. But do more varied jobs lead to greater productivity? There is evidence to suggest that while variety certainly makes workers’ life more enjoyable, it does not actually make them work harder. As far as increasing productivity is concerned, the variety is not an important factor. Other experts feel that giving the worker freedom to do his job in his own way is important and there is no doubt that this is true. The problem is that this kind of freedom cannot easily be given in the modern factory with its complicated machinery which must be used in a fixed way. Thus while freedom of choice may be important, there is usually very little that can be done to creat it. Another important consideration is how much each worker contributes to the product he is making. In most factories the worker sees only one small part of the product. Some car factories are now experimenting with having many small production lines rather than one large one, so that each worker contributes more to the production of the cars on his line. It would seem that not only is the degree of worker’s contribution an important factor, but it is also one we can do something about. To what extent more money led to greater productivity? The workers themselves certainly think this is important. But perhaps they want more money only because the work they do is so boring. Money just lets them enjoy their spare time more. A similar argument may explain demands for shorter working hours. Perhaps if we succeed in making their jobs more enjoyable, they will neither want more money, nor will shorter working hours be so important to them.

1．Which of the following is not mentioned as a factor leading to greater productivity?

       A．Making jobs more varied.                     B．More money and shorter working hours.

       C．Degrees of work contribution.              D．Modern and complicated machinery.

2．According to the passage, workers want more money because        .

       A．their jobs are very boring                      B．they can enjoy more freedom

       C．it makes their jobs more interesting        D．they want shorter working hours

3．If we succeed in making workers’ job more interesting,          .

       A．they will want more money

       B．they will demand shorter working hours

       C．they will ask for more money and shorter working hours

       D．more money and shorter working hours will not be so concerned

4．In this passage, the author tries to tell us         .

       A．how to make workers more comfortable

       B．possible factors leading to greater productivity

       C．more money leads to greater productivity

       D．how to make workers’ jobs more interesting

5．The author of this passage is probably a        .

       A．teacher                B．worker                C．manager              D．physicist

Drug Reactions – A Major Cause of Death

Adverse (不良的) drug reactions may cause the deaths of over 100,000 US hospital patients each year, making them a leading cause of death nationwide, according to report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“The incidence (發(fā)生率) of serious and fatal adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in US hospital was found to be extremely high,” say researchers at the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada.

They carried on an analysis of 39 ADR-related studies at US hospitals over the past 30 years and defined as ADR as “any harmful, unintended, and undesired effect of a drug which occurs at doses used in humans for prevention, diagnosis, or therapy（治療）.”

An average of 6.7% of all hospitalized patients experience an ADR every year, according to the researchers. They estimate that “in 1994, overall 2,216, 000 hospitalized patients had serious ADRs, and 106,000 had fatal ADRs.” This means that ADRs may rank as the fourth single largest cause of death in America.

And these incidence figures are probably conservative, the researchers add, since their ADR definition did not include outcomes linked to problems in drug administration, overdoses, drug abuse, and therapeutic failures.

The control of ADRs also means spending more money. One US study estimated the overall cost of treating ADRs at up to $4 billion per year.

Dr. David Bates of Brigham and women’s hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, believes that healthcare workers need to pay more attention to the problem, especially since many ADRs are easily preventable. “When a patient develops an allergy or sensitivity, it is often not recorded, ” Bates notes, “and patients receive drug to which they have known allergies or sensitivities with disturbing frequency.” He believes computerized surveillance(監(jiān)視)systems－still works－in－progress at many of the nation’s hospitals－should help cut down the frequency of these types errors.

1．Researchers at the University of Toronto believe that            .

       A．ADRs have caused medical problems, though they seldom lead to death.

       B．ADRs have very often caused patients to die in Canada.

       C．ADRs have caused many deaths in America over the past 30 years.

       D．it is easy to prevent ADRs from happening.

2．According to the passage, about 7 out of 100 hospitalized patients in America           .

       A．die of ADRs each year                          B．never experience ADRs each year

       C．suffer from ADRs each year                 D．have fatal ADRs each year

3．Adverse drug reactions might include           .

       A．a(chǎn)n allergy to a certain drug                    B．drug abuse

       C．problems in drug administration             D．therapeutic failures

4．The underlined word “conservative” in the 5th paragraph possible means          .

       A．very exact           B．too high               C．underestimated     D．too low

5．According to Dr David Bates, hospitals in America           .

       A．a(chǎn)re not paying enough attention to possibilities of ADRs happenings

       B．have never tried to use computers to prevent ADRs from happening

       C．shouldn’t use those drugs which will cause side effects to their patients

       D．should know that many ADRs are not easily preventable

閱讀下面短文，并根據(jù)短文后的要求回答問題。

The attraction for records is a key part in our passion for the Olympic Games. The record stands as a symbolic message of human greatness and unlimited possibility.

The Olympic have always lived up to its motto – faster, higher, stronger. Since the first modern games were held in Athens in 1896, records have fallen steadily in every sport.

Will this continue? No one knows for sure. Some scientists believe the end of the trend is in sight. They see a limit to increase in strength and note that athletes are just about pushing their bodies to the maximum. They also point out that performance services and equipment may have reached their limits.

On the other hand, there are those                         and believe that records will fall in the future as in the past. Some arguments are:

1) Sports nutrition is still more art than science. Increasingly advanced research will likely come up with diets that will improve performance among world – class competitors.

2) Science and technology are advancing rapidly. This will lead to a better understanding of complex physical movements. Also, with today’s hi – tech uniforms, cushioned shoes, and other advanced equipment, athletes can achieve better performance.

3) The international family from which to select athletes will widen. As the economy of the underdeveloped countries improves, more high level sport training opportunities will be available to a much larger part of the world’s population.

Obviously, athletes have not yet reached the limit of human performance. But maybe someday, the Olympic Games have to adopt a new motto, since “Faster, Higher, Stronger” will no longer be practicable.

1．What’s the purpose of the passage? (within 15 words)

2．Fill in the blank in paragraph 4 with proper words or phrases. (within 10 words)

3．Which of the three reasons seems more reasonable and convincing to you? Why? (within 30 words)

4．Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.

5．What can we learn about the writer’s attitude from the last paragraph?(within 20 words)

根據(jù)下面提示，請(qǐng)以lifelong Learning為題，寫一篇120—150詞的英語短文。

1．你如何看待終身學(xué)習(xí)？

2．你認(rèn)為終身學(xué)習(xí)有哪些方式？

3．你會(huì)采取哪種方式？

After staying in hospital for long, the patient was advised to go to the seaside to

________ his health.

A．take on        B．pick up        C．carry on         D．make up

-- “Neal, listen,” she said, looking straight at him. “I ask you not to get_____ in this kind of matter.

-- It’s none of your business”.

A．caught        B．involved          C．a(chǎn)ttached        D．connected

______ his age, he did it quite well, so don’t ________ him any more.

A．Given; blame               B．Considered; say

C．To regard; scold            D．Considering; speak

In terms of teachers, the school is very good. However, when it ______ building, the school is poor.

A．refers to        B．speaks of              C．comes to         D．talks about

Because he was ________ the new limit, he was stopped and wanted for speeding.

A．good at         B．tired from           C．unaware of          D．uninterested in