题目
Scientists have been trying to figure out how to alter the genes of humans for many years，and it looks like they've finally cracked (破解)the code. But while this may seem like a great step forward in science， some also believe that it's one step back when it comes to ethics(道德准则). In August，a group of scientists from the USA and South Korea worked together to successfully edit a human embryo (胚胎)and remove a genetic mutation (突变)that would have led to heart disease， reported The Guardian. This was done with the help of CRISPR， a gene-editing tool that allows scientists to "cut and paste" human DNA. Although this was the first example of an embryo's genes being changed successfully，the advantages of gene editing have already been tested in living patients. In 2015， a five-month-old girl from the UK was saved after doctors used edited cells to fight off her cancer. As of today，she's alive and well. And in the USA last year， scientists managed to remove HIV cells from several patients by editing the genes inside their bodies. Some people hope that in the future， diseases or birth defects could simply be "edited out". However， others believe this could lead to so-called designer babies， giving parents the option to choose everything from eye color to intelligence. "You could find wealthy parents buying the latest 'upgrades' for their children， leading to even greater inequality than we already live with，" Marcy Camovsky， director of the San Francisco Center for Genetics， told BBC News. In spite of these ethical concerns， experts say it's not possible to create the "perfect" human being. Despite the progress scientists have made，we don't understand human genes enough to give all unborn children great brainpower or amazing singing abilities. "Right now，we know nothing about genetic enhancement，" Hank Greely， a director at Stanford University， USA， told The New York Times. "We're never going to be able to say， honestly， this embryo looks like it would score high on the two-part SAT." So it looks like if we want good exam results，or to impress people with our piano skills，we'll have to stick with the old fashioned method of plain hard work---at least for now.(1)The underlined word "alter" in Paragraph 1 probably means______.A. recordB. changeC. removeD. increase(2)What was the first successful example of human embryo gene editing？______A. A genetic mutation related to heart disease was removed by scientists.B. A newborn baby with cancer was saved by edited cells.C. HIV cells were removed from patients' bodies.D. Some birth defects were simply edited out.(3)Why do some people consider human gene editing a step backwards？______A. They don't think it is an effective way to fight diseases.B. They are concerned that it could lead to genetic mutations.C. They think it could lead to designer babies and increased inequality.D. They worry that it could make parents abandon children with birth defects.(4)What can we conclude from the text？______A. Gene editing is regarded as the perfect way to treat birth defects.B. There is still a long way to go to fully understand human genes.C. Gene editing could help enhance human intelligence in the near future.D. Scientists are pessimistic (悲观的)about the future of gene editing.
Scientists have been trying to figure out how to alter the genes of humans for many years，and it looks like they've finally cracked (破解)the code. But while this may seem like a great step forward in science， some also believe that it's one step back when it comes to ethics(道德准则). In August，a group of scientists from the USA and South Korea worked together to successfully edit a human embryo (胚胎)and remove a genetic mutation (突变)that would have led to heart disease， reported The Guardian. This was done with the help of CRISPR， a gene-editing tool that allows scientists to "cut and paste" human DNA.
Although this was the first example of an embryo's genes being changed successfully，the advantages of gene editing have already been tested in living patients. In 2015， a five-month-old girl from the UK was saved after doctors used edited cells to fight off her cancer. As of today，she's alive and well. And in the USA last year， scientists managed to remove HIV cells from several patients by editing the genes inside their bodies.
Some people hope that in the future， diseases or birth defects could simply be "edited out". However， others believe this could lead to so-called designer babies， giving parents the option to choose everything from eye color to intelligence. "You could find wealthy parents buying the latest 'upgrades' for their children， leading to even greater inequality than we already live with，" Marcy Camovsky， director of the San Francisco Center for Genetics， told BBC News.
In spite of these ethical concerns， experts say it's not possible to create the "perfect" human being. Despite the progress scientists have made，we don't understand human genes enough to give all unborn children great brainpower or amazing singing abilities. "Right now，we know nothing about genetic enhancement，" Hank Greely， a director at Stanford University， USA， told The New York Times. "We're never going to be able to say， honestly， this embryo looks like it would score high on the two-part SAT."
So it looks like if we want good exam results，or to impress people with our piano skills，we'll have to stick with the old fashioned method of plain hard work---at least for now.
(1)The underlined word "alter" in Paragraph 1 probably means______.
A. record
B. change
C. remove
D. increase
(2)What was the first successful example of human embryo gene editing？______
A. A genetic mutation related to heart disease was removed by scientists.
B. A newborn baby with cancer was saved by edited cells.
C. HIV cells were removed from patients' bodies.
D. Some birth defects were simply edited out.
(3)Why do some people consider human gene editing a step backwards？______
A. They don't think it is an effective way to fight diseases.
B. They are concerned that it could lead to genetic mutations.
C. They think it could lead to designer babies and increased inequality.
D. They worry that it could make parents abandon children with birth defects.
(4)What can we conclude from the text？______
A. Gene editing is regarded as the perfect way to treat birth defects.
B. There is still a long way to go to fully understand human genes.
C. Gene editing could help enhance human intelligence in the near future.
D. Scientists are pessimistic (悲观的)about the future of gene editing.
Although this was the first example of an embryo's genes being changed successfully，the advantages of gene editing have already been tested in living patients. In 2015， a five-month-old girl from the UK was saved after doctors used edited cells to fight off her cancer. As of today，she's alive and well. And in the USA last year， scientists managed to remove HIV cells from several patients by editing the genes inside their bodies.
Some people hope that in the future， diseases or birth defects could simply be "edited out". However， others believe this could lead to so-called designer babies， giving parents the option to choose everything from eye color to intelligence. "You could find wealthy parents buying the latest 'upgrades' for their children， leading to even greater inequality than we already live with，" Marcy Camovsky， director of the San Francisco Center for Genetics， told BBC News.
In spite of these ethical concerns， experts say it's not possible to create the "perfect" human being. Despite the progress scientists have made，we don't understand human genes enough to give all unborn children great brainpower or amazing singing abilities. "Right now，we know nothing about genetic enhancement，" Hank Greely， a director at Stanford University， USA， told The New York Times. "We're never going to be able to say， honestly， this embryo looks like it would score high on the two-part SAT."
So it looks like if we want good exam results，or to impress people with our piano skills，we'll have to stick with the old fashioned method of plain hard work---at least for now.
(1)The underlined word "alter" in Paragraph 1 probably means______.
A. record
B. change
C. remove
D. increase
(2)What was the first successful example of human embryo gene editing？______
A. A genetic mutation related to heart disease was removed by scientists.
B. A newborn baby with cancer was saved by edited cells.
C. HIV cells were removed from patients' bodies.
D. Some birth defects were simply edited out.
(3)Why do some people consider human gene editing a step backwards？______
A. They don't think it is an effective way to fight diseases.
B. They are concerned that it could lead to genetic mutations.
C. They think it could lead to designer babies and increased inequality.
D. They worry that it could make parents abandon children with birth defects.
(4)What can we conclude from the text？______
A. Gene editing is regarded as the perfect way to treat birth defects.
B. There is still a long way to go to fully understand human genes.
C. Gene editing could help enhance human intelligence in the near future.
D. Scientists are pessimistic (悲观的)about the future of gene editing.
题目解答
答案
(1)B．词义猜测题。根据文章第一段Scientists have been trying to figure out how to alter the genes of humans for many years now，and it looks like they've finally cracked(破解)the code.多年来，科学家们一直在研究如何改变人类的基因，看起来他们终于破解了密码。可知意为" 改变"。A. record记录；B. change改变；C. remove去除；D. increase增加。故选B．
(2)A．细节理解题。根据文章第二段 In August，a group of scientists from the US and South Korea worked together to successfully edit a human embryo and remove a genetic mutation(突变)that would have led to heart disease今年8月，一群来自美国和韩国的科学家合作，成功地编辑了一个人类胚胎，并去除了一个可能导致心脏病的基因突变突变．可知人类胚胎基因编辑的第一个成功例子是 一个与心脏病有关的基因突变被科学家们移除了。故选A．
(3)C．推理判断题。根据文章第八段You could find wealthy parents buying the latest‘upgrades'for their children，leading to even greater inequality than we already live with你可能会发现富有的父母为他们的孩子购买最新的"升级"，导致了比我们已经生活在，更大的不平等，可知有些人认为人类基因编辑是一种倒退他们认为这可能会导致设计婴儿和增加不平等。故选C．
(4)B．推理判断题。根据文章最后一段So it looks like if we want good exam results，or to impress people with our piano skills，we'11 have to stick with the old fashioned method of plain hard work-at least for now所以看起来，如果我们想取得好的考试成绩，或者用我们的钢琴技巧给人们留下深刻的印象，我们就必须坚持传统的艰苦工作方法--至少现在是这样。可知 要完全了解人类基因还有很长的路要走。故选B．
(2)A．细节理解题。根据文章第二段 In August，a group of scientists from the US and South Korea worked together to successfully edit a human embryo and remove a genetic mutation(突变)that would have led to heart disease今年8月，一群来自美国和韩国的科学家合作，成功地编辑了一个人类胚胎，并去除了一个可能导致心脏病的基因突变突变．可知人类胚胎基因编辑的第一个成功例子是 一个与心脏病有关的基因突变被科学家们移除了。故选A．
(3)C．推理判断题。根据文章第八段You could find wealthy parents buying the latest‘upgrades'for their children，leading to even greater inequality than we already live with你可能会发现富有的父母为他们的孩子购买最新的"升级"，导致了比我们已经生活在，更大的不平等，可知有些人认为人类基因编辑是一种倒退他们认为这可能会导致设计婴儿和增加不平等。故选C．
(4)B．推理判断题。根据文章最后一段So it looks like if we want good exam results，or to impress people with our piano skills，we'11 have to stick with the old fashioned method of plain hard work-at least for now所以看起来，如果我们想取得好的考试成绩，或者用我们的钢琴技巧给人们留下深刻的印象，我们就必须坚持传统的艰苦工作方法--至少现在是这样。可知 要完全了解人类基因还有很长的路要走。故选B．
解析
步骤 1：理解“alter”的含义
根据上下文，科学家们多年来一直在研究如何改变人类的基因，因此“alter”在这里的意思是“改变”。
步骤 2：确定第一个成功的例子
根据文章，第一个成功的例子是科学家们成功地编辑了一个人类胚胎，并去除了一个可能导致心脏病的基因突变。
步骤 3：理解为什么一些人认为人类基因编辑是道德上的倒退
一些人认为人类基因编辑可能会导致所谓的“设计婴儿”，这可能会导致更大的不平等。
步骤 4：理解文章的结论
尽管科学家们已经取得了进展，但我们还不完全了解人类基因，因此无法创造出“完美”的人类。
根据上下文，科学家们多年来一直在研究如何改变人类的基因，因此“alter”在这里的意思是“改变”。
步骤 2：确定第一个成功的例子
根据文章，第一个成功的例子是科学家们成功地编辑了一个人类胚胎，并去除了一个可能导致心脏病的基因突变。
步骤 3：理解为什么一些人认为人类基因编辑是道德上的倒退
一些人认为人类基因编辑可能会导致所谓的“设计婴儿”，这可能会导致更大的不平等。
步骤 4：理解文章的结论
尽管科学家们已经取得了进展，但我们还不完全了解人类基因，因此无法创造出“完美”的人类。