Question

                                          C

                           

             The eventual extinction of the large prehistoric animals has always attracted researchers. However,it is impossible to recreate most of them,either because the fossilized(變成化石的) C>NA is too old (dinosaur) or just not available. But the one exception may be the woolly mammoth,which lived about 8,000 years ago.

             Thanks to their relatively recent disappearance and the ice-cold weather they lived in,plenty of well-preserved specimens(標本) have been discovered. In the last few years,scientists have been able to piece together the mammar's  genetic code(遺傳密碼) using some frozen hair and also recreate its blood,with the help of DNA that was found preserved in the bone. Now,a group of Japanese scientists want to take it one step further and bring the mammoth back to life.

              The team of scientists plan to start with a journey to Siberia this summer,to seek out the DNA from a flash-frozen specimen of the mammal. In case they are unable to find one,they will use the tissue of a preserved mammoth that currently sits in a Russian laboratory. 

              The scientists will join the mammoth s DNA with an empty egg of the mammoth's closest present-day relative — the elephant. Then,by using an electric current,they will trick the egg into growing and dividing. After a few days,the researchers will put it inside a female elephant, which will act as a surrogate mother(代孕母親) .

              Then begins the waiting game — for it takes about 600 days,for an elephant or in this case a woolly mammoth baby,to fully develop — that is,if everything goes well and the surrogate mother doesn’t reject the egg.

              If luckily we do get a baby mammoth,scientists are not sure if they would produce more,but they are hoping they will be able to study it and answer the age-old question of how they became extinct — were they hunted down by humans or did they die because of climate change?

              Will the woolly mammoth come back to life? We have to wait and see.

28. The remains of the woolly mammoth are kept well partly due to .

   A. their long hair   B. their big size

   C. the coldness   D. human activity

29. Why do the Japanese scientists plan to go to Siberia?

   A. To find suitable DNA.

   B. To preserve the specimen.

   C. To recreate the mammoth's blood.

   D. To seek help from the Russian scientists.

30. The fourth paragraph mainly deals with .

   A. the future of the cloned mammoth

   B. the process of cloning the mammoth

   C. the difficulty the scientists are faced with

   D. the relation between the mammoth and the elephant

31. If the scientists’ efforts pay off,we are most likely to.

   A. clone a lot of mammoths

   B. bring dinosaurs back to life

   C. know the effects of climate change

   D. find out why the mammoth died out

Answer 1

28. C 29. A 30. B 31. D

C篇(現(xiàn)代技術(shù))

本文是說明文。日本的科學家正在嘗試克隆猛犸象，企圖復活這一史前龐然大物。

28. C. 細節(jié)理解題。由第二段中的the ice-cold weather they lived in, plenty of well-preserved specimens have been discovered及frozen可知，猛碼象生活的 地域氣候寒冷，這使得它們的遺骸保存得比較完好。

29. A. 細節(jié)理解題。由第三段中的to seek out the DNA from a flash-frozen specimen of the mammal可知，科學家去西伯利亞是要找到合適的猛犸象DNA.

30. B. 段落大意題。由第四段中的join the mammoth's DNA with an empty egg,Then,by using an electric current,After a few days可知，本段介紹了科學家克隆猛犸象將會實施的步驟。

31. D. 細節(jié)理解題。由倒數(shù)第二段中的 but they are hoping they will be able to study it and answer the age-old question of how they became extinct 可知，如果克隆成功，科學家可以通過研究猛犸象寶 寶來探究猛犸象滅絕背后的原因。