A
With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone(克隆) the animal and save the endangered species(物种)．That's similar to what Texas A&M University researchers have been undertaking(负责) for the past five years in a project called “Noah's Ark”．
Noah's Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen(氮)．If certain species should become extinct, Dr.Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A&M'S College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds and reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years.The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit.They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.
The entire procedure(过程) could take from three to five years to complete.
“The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem，” Kraemer believes.“They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy(having a baby)．It takes a long time and it's difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works.They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort，” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A&M, the firstever attempt at cloning a dog.
“They are trying to do something that's never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah's Ark.We're both trying to save animals that face extinction.I certainly appreciate their effort and there's a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do.It's a research that is very much needed.”
【语篇解读】 本文介绍了科学家们正在运用克隆技术拯救如中国的大熊猫这种即将绝种的动物。
1．The aim of “Noah's Ark” project is to ________．
A．make effort to clone the endangered pandas
B．save endangered animals from dying out
C．collect DNA of endangered animals to study
D．transfer the nuclear of one animal to another
B [推理判断题。根据文章第一段中所说“save the endangered species(物种)”及第二句的“That's similar to what Texas A & M University”可推知此题答案为B。]
2．According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of ________．
A．available panda eggs
B．host animals
C．qualified researchers
D．enough money
A [细节理解题。根据文章第六段中Kraemer所说的话可推知此题答案为A。]
3．The best title for the passage may be ________．
A．China's Success in Pandas Cloning
B．The First Cloned Panda in the World
C．Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas
D．China — the Native Place of Pandas Forever
C [主旨大意题。根据文章第一段及全文内容可归纳出此题答案为C。]
4．From the passage we know that ________．
A．Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a cat
B．scientists try to implant a panda's egg into a tiger
C．Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches
D．about two thousand of species will probably die out in about a century
D [细节理解题。根据文章第三段第一句可推知此题答案为D。]
