hard to believe that in this day and age someone would do that Lillian: Stem cell research sounds pretty impressive, I'll admit. But just what is it? Gregory: Well, a stem cell is a special type of cell. It is a general cell that, when it devides, can become any specif ic type of cell Lillian: You mean, a stem cell can become a heart cell? Or a brain or a kidney cell? Gregory: That's about it. Stem cells are a part of the body' s maintenance and repair stem. When they divide, they can become any cell type Lillian: I guess there would be some tremendous med ical advantages in that sort of research Gregory: You' ve said a mouthful. Recently, scientists were able to help a man who lost a jawbone for cancer. They recreated bone material for his jaw from stem cells. What it means is that since the new bone was created out of the person's own cells, there was no problem with rejection because the dNA was the same Lillian: I bet the person was delighted. Why would anyone oppose that sort of research? It would seem to have endless potential to benefit the human race Gregory: I agree, but there are people who think we should not interfere with nature and manipulatewhat is natural Lillian: It's easier to hold such a narrow view if you're not in a position to need the benefits of the research. If you' re missing a jawbone because of cancer, you probably support the research 1. What is the mainly about? 2. Who is against stem cell research? 3. What is special about a stem cell? 4. When can a stem cell become another cell type? 5. Accord ing to the passage, why do some people oppose stem cell research? Keys: 1. B 2.A 3.A 4.A 5D Task 2: The Improvement of rice Script Scientists now know a lot more about a grain that people have eaten for ten thousand years. (S1) Research teams around the world have completed a map of the(S2)genes of rices. The find ings appeared last week in the(s3)ioumal Nature The aim is to speed up the improvement of rice. The scientists(S4) warn that the kinds of rice plants used now have reached the limit of their(S5)productivity. Yet world rice production must(S6) grow by an estimated 30 percent in the next twenty to meet demand By 2025, as many as 4.6 billion people will depend on rice for (S7) survival. There is a lot of pressure on breeders to improve the crop, and the rice genome is a valuable tool to do that.( S8)Plant breeders have already used preliminary information from the rice genome to create experimental strains of ricehard to believe that in this day and age, someone would do that. Lillian: Stem cell research sounds pretty impressive, I’ll admit. But just what is it? Gregory: Well, a stem cell is a special type of cell. It is a general cell that, when it devides, can become any specific type of cell. Lillian: You mean, a stem cell can become a heart cell? Or a brain or a kidney cell? Gregory: That’s about it. Stem cells are a part of the body’s maintenance and repair system. When they divide, they can become any cell type. Lillian: I guess there would be some tremendous medical advantages in that sort of research. Gregory: You’ve said a mouthful. Recently, scientists were able to help a man who lost a jawbone for cancer. They recreated bone material for his jaw from stem cells. What it means is that since the new bone was created out of the person’s own cells, there was no problem with rejection because the DNA was the same. Lillian: I bet the person was delighted. Why would anyone oppose that sort of research? It would seem to have endless potential to benefit the human race. Gregory: I agree, but there are people who think we should not interfere with nature and manipulate “what is natural”. Lillian: It’s easier to hold such a narrow view if you’re not in a position to need the benefits of the research. If you’re missing a jawbone because of cancer, you probably support the research. 1. What is the passage mainly about? 2. Who is against stem cell research? 3. What is special about a stem cell? 4. When can a stem cell become another cell type? 5. According to the passage, why do some people oppose stem cell research? Keys: 1.B 2.A 3.A 4.A 5.D Task 2: The Improvement of Rice Script Scientists now know a lot more about a grain that people have eaten for ten thousand years. (S1) Research teams around the world have completed a map of the (S2) genes of rices. The findings appeared last week in the (S3) journal Nature. The aim is to speed up the improvement of rice. The scientists (S4) warn that the kinds of rice plants used now have reached the limit of their (S5) productivity. Yet world rice production must (S6) grow by an estimated 30 percent in the next twenty to meet demand. By 2025, as many as 4.6 billion people will depend on rice for (S7) survival. There is a lot of pressure on breeders to improve the crop, and the rice genome is a valuable tool to do that. (S8) Plant breeders have already used preliminary information from the rice genome to create experimental strains of rice