2009级三级半期考A卷2010年10月A卷-1Mid-termExaminationPaperforGrade2009,BandIIIPartIWriting(30minutes)(15%)注意:此部分试题在答题卡1上PartⅡReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(15minutes)(10%)Directions:Inthispart,youwillhave15minutestogooverthepassagequicklyandanswerthequestionsonAnswerSheet1.Forquestions1-7,choosethebestanswerfromthechoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Forquestions8to10,completethesentenceswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage.Whatwilltheworldbelikeinfiftyyears?Thisweeksometopscientists,includingNobelPrizewinners,gavetheirvisionofhowtheworldwilllookin2056,fromgas-poweredcarstoextraordinaryhealthadvances,JohnInghamreportsonwhattheworld’sfinestmindsbelieveourfutureswillbe.Forthoseofusluckyenoughtolivethatlong,2056willbeaworldofalmostperpetualyouth,whereobesityisaremotememoryandrobotsbecomeourcompanions.Wewillberubbingshoulderswithaliensandcolonizingouterspace.Betterstill,ourdescendantsmightatlastliveinaworldatpeacewithitself.Thepredictionisthatwewillhavefoundasourceofinexhaustible,safe,greenenergy,andthatsciencewillhavekilledoffreligion.Iftheyarerightwewillhaveremovedtwoofthemaincausesofwar-ourdependenceonoilandreligiousprejudice.Willwereally,astoday’sscientistsclaim,beabletoliveforeveroratleastcheattheageingprocesssothattheaveragepersonlivesto150?Ofcourse,allthesepredictionscomewithascientifichealthwarning.HarvardprofessorStevenPinkersays:“Thisisaninvitationtolookfoolish,aswiththepredictionsofdomedcitiesandnuclear-poweredvacuumcleanersthatweremade50yearago.”LivinglongerAnthonyAtala,directoroftheWakeForestInstituteinNorthCarolina,believesfailingorganswillberepairedbyinjectingcellsintothebody.Theywillnaturallygostraighttotheinjuryandhelphealit.Asystemofinjectionswithoutneedlescouldalsoslowtheageingprocessbyusingthesameprocessto“tune”cells.BruceLahn,professorofhumangeneticsattheUniversityofChicago,anticipatestheabilitytoproduce“unlimitedsupplies”oftransplantablehumanorganswithouttheneedforhumandonors.Theseorganswouldbegrowninanimalssuchaspigs.Whenapatientneededaneworgan,suchasakidney,thesurgeonwouldcontactacommercialorganproducer,givehimthepatient’simmunologicalprofileandwouldthenbesentakidneywiththecorrecttissuetype.2009级三级半期考A卷2010年10月A卷-2Theseorganswouldbeentirelycomposedofhumancells,grownbyintroducingthemintoanimalhosts,andallowingthemtodevelopintoanorganinplaceoftheanimal’sown.ButProf.Lahnbelievesthatfarmedbrainswouldbe“offlimits.”Hesays:“Veryfewpeoplewouldwanttohavetheirbrainsreplacedbysomeoneelse’sandweprobablydon’twanttoputahumanbraininananimalbody.”RichardMiller,aprofessorattheUniversityofMichigan,thinksscientistcoulddevelop“authenticanti-ageingdrugs”byworkingouthowcellsinlargeranimalssuchaswhalesandhumansresistmanyformsofinjuries.Hesays:“It’sisnowroutine,inlaboratorymammals,toextendlifespanbyabout40%.Turningonthesameprotectivesystemsinpeopleshould,by2056,createthefirstclassof100-year-oldswhoareasvigorousandproductiveastoday’speopleintheir60s.”AliensColinPillinger,professorofplanetarysciencesattheOpenUniversity,says:“IfancythatatleastwewillbeabletoshowthatlifedidstarttoevolveonMarsaswellasEarth.”Within50yearshehopesscientistswillprovethatalienlifecamehereinMartianmeteorites(陨石).ChrisMcKay,aplanetaryscientistatNASA’sAmesResearchCenter,believesthatin50yearswemayfindevidenceofalienlifeintheancientpermanentfrostofMarsoronotherplanets.Headds:“ThereisevenachancewewillfindalienlifeformshereonEarth.ItmightbeasdifferentasEnglishistoChinese.”PrincetonprofessorFreemanDysonthinksit“likely”thatlifefromouterspacewillbediscoveredbefore2056becausethetoolsforfindingit,suchasopticalandradiodetectionanddataprocessing,areimproving.Hesays:“Assoonasthefirstevidenceisfound,wewillknowwhattolookforandadditionaldiscoveriesarelikelytofollowquickly.Suchdiscoveriesarelikelytohaverevolutionaryconsequencesforbiology,astronomyandphilosophy.Theymayalsochangethewaywelookatourselvesandourplaceintheuniverse.”ColoniesinspaceRichardGott,professorofastrophysicsatPrinceton,hopesmanwillsetupaself-sufficientcolonyonMars,whichwouldbea“lifeinsurancepolicyagainstwhatevercatastrophes,naturalorotherwise,mightoccuronEarth.“TherealspaceraceiswhetherwewillcolonizeoffEarthontootherworldsbeforemoneyforthespaceprogramrunsout.”SpinalinjuriesEllenHeber-Katz,aprofessorattheWistarInstituteinPhiladelphia,foreseescuresforinjuriescausingparalysissuchastheonethatafflictedSupermanstarChristopherReeve.Shesays:“Ibelievethatthedayisnotfaroffwhenwewillbeabletoprescribedrugsthatcausesevered(断裂的)spinalcordstoheal,heartstoregenerateandlostlimbstoregrow.2009级三级半期考A卷2010年10月A卷-3“Peoplewillcometoexpectthatinjuredordiseasedorgansaremeanttoberepairedfromwithin,inmuchthesamewaythatwefixanapplianceorautomobile:byreplacingthedamagedpartwithamanufacturer-certifiednewpart.”Shepredictsthatwithin5to10yearsfingersandtoeswillberegrownandlimbswillstarttoberegrownafewyearslater.Repairstothenervoussystemwillstartwithopticnervesand,intime,thespinalcord.“Within50yearswholebodyreplacementwillberoutine,”Prof.Heber-Katzadds.ObesitySydneyBrenner,seniordistinguishedfellowoftheCrick-JacobsCenterinCalifornia