A.the influence of TV
B.the audience’s feedback
C.the directors’ motivation
D.the critics’ review
(1)Which statement is correct according to paragraph one?
A、Broccoli was first bred by Mendel
B、Broccoli wasn’t considered edible until 500 years ago
C、Mendel's work was considered most important in the history of genetics
D、Mendel’s study found its major application some 100 years ago
(2)What was cited as a result of the green revolution?
A、Sharp rise in worldwide wheat production
B、Extensive use of organic fertilizer
C、Large-scale adoption of genetic modification
D、Commercial success of genetically modified seeds.
(3)Which statement is true of GenBank according to the passage?
A、The number of gene sequences has doubled since its foundation
B、The commercial breeders are its main sponsors
C、It is a genetic sequence database
D、It was founded in 2004
(4)It can be learned from the passage that the significance of genetic modification is ______.
A、questioned by some critics
B、poorly conveyed to the public
C、appreciated by all breeders
D、fully understood only by scientists
(5)The word “novel” in paragraph three is closest in meaning to ______.
A、artificial
B、various
C、hybrid
D、new
How Telemedicine Is Transforming Healthcare
A) After years of big promises,telemedicine is finally living up to its potential.Driven by faster internet connections,ubiquitous (无处不在的)smartphoncs and changing insurance standards,more healthproviders are turning to electronic communications to do their jobs—and it's dramatically changing thedelivery of healthcare.
B)Doctors are linking up with patients by phone,email and webcam(网络摄像头).They're also
consulting with each other electronically—sometimes to make split-second decisions on heart attack sand strokes.P atients,meanwhile,are using new devices to relay their blood pressure,heart rate and other vital signs to their doctors so they can manage chronic conditions at home. Tele medicine alsoallows for better care in places where medical expertise is hard to come by. Five to 10 times a day,Doctors Without Borders relays questions about tough cases from its physicians in Niger,South Sudanand elsewhere to its network of 280 experts around the world,and back again via the internet.
C) As a measure of how rapidly telemedicine is spreading,consider:More than 15 million Americans received some kind of medical care remotely last year,according to the American Telemedicine Association,a trade group,which expects those numbers to grow by 30% this year.
D)None of this is to say that telemedicine has found its way into all corners of medicine. A recent survey of 500 tech-savvy(精通技术的)consumers found that 39% hadn't heard of telemedicine,and of those who haven't used it,42% said they preferred in-person doctor visits. In a poll of 1,500 family physicians,only 15% had used it in their practices—but 90% said they would if it were appropriately reimbursed(补偿).
E) What's more,for all the rapid growth,significant questions and challenges remain.Rules defining and regulating telemedicine differ widely from state to state. Physicians groups are issuing different guidelines about what care they consider appropriate to deliver and in what form.
F)Some critics also question whether the quality of care is keeping up with the rapid expansion of telemedicinc. And there's the question of what services physicians should be paid for:Insurancecoverage varies from health plan to health plan,and a big federal plan covers only a narrow range ofservices. Telemedicine's future will depend on how—and whether—regulators,providers,payers and patients can address these challenges. Here's a closer look at some of these issues;
G)Do patients trade quality for convenience?The fastest-growing services in telemedicine connect consumers with clinicians they've never met for a phone,video or email visit—on-demand,24/7.Typically,these are for nonemergency issues such as colds,flu,ear-aches and skin rashes,and theycost around $45,compared with approximately $100 at a doctor's office,$160 at an urgent-care clinic or $750 and up at an emergency room.
H) Many health plans and employers have rushed to offer the services and promote them as a convenient way for plan members to get medical care without leaving home or work. Nearly three-quarters of large employers will offer virtual doctor visits as a benefit to employees this year,up from 48% last year. Web companies such as Teladoc and American Well are expected to host some 1.2 million such virtual doctor visits this year,up 20%from last year,according to the American Tele me dicineAssociation.
I) But critics worry that such services may be sacrificing quality for convenience. Consulting a random doctor patients will never meet,they say,further fragments the health-care system,and even minorissues such as upper respiratory(上呼吸道的) infections can 't be thoroughly evaluated by a doctor who can't listen to your heart or feel your swollen glands.In a recent study,researchers posing as patients with skin problems sought help from 16 telemedicine sites—with unsettling results. In 62 encounters,f ewer than one-third disclosed clinicians’credential or let patients choose;only 32% discussed potential side effects of prescribed medications.Several sites misdiagnosed serious conditions,largelybecause they failed to ask basic follow-up questions,the researchers said.“Telemedicine holdsenormous promisc,but these sites are just not ready for prime time,”says Jack Resneck,the study'slead author.
J)The American Telemedicine Association and other organizations have started accreditation(鉴定)programs to identify top-quality telemedicine sites. The American Medical Association this month approved new ethical guidelines for telemedicine,calling for participating doctors to recognize thelimitations of such services and ensure that they have sufficient information to make clinicalre commendations.
K) Who pays for the services? While employers and health plans have been eager to cover virtual urgent-care visits,insurers have been far less willing to pay for telemedicine when doctors use phone,email orvideo to consult with existing patients about continuing issues.“It's very hard to get paid unless youphysically see the patient,”says Peter Rasmussen,medical director of distance health at the ClevelandClinic. Some 32 states have passed“ parity”(等同的) laws requiring private insurers to reimbursedoctors for services delivered remotely if the same service would be covered in person,though notnecessarily at the same rate or frequency.Medicare lags further behind.The federal health plan forthe elderly covers a small number of telemedicine services—only for beneficiaries in rural areas andonly when the services are received in a hospital,doctor's office or clinic.
L) Bills to expand Medicare coverage of telemedicine have bipartisan (两党的)support in Congress. Opponents worry that such expansion would be costly for taxpayers,but advocates say it would save money in the long run.
M)Experts say more hospitals are likely to invest in telemedicine systems as they move away from fee-for-service payments and into managed-care-type contracts that give them a set fee to provide care for patients and allow them to keep any savings they achieve.
N) Is the state-by-state regulatory system outdated? Historically,regulation of medicine has been left to individual states. But some industry members contend that having 50 different sets of rules,licensing fees and even definitions of“medical practice”makes less sense in the era of telemedicine and is hampering its growth.Currently,doctors must have a valid license in the state where the patient islocated to provide medical care,which means virtual-visit companies can match users only with locallylicensed clinicians. It also causes administrative hassles(麻烦)for world-class medical centers thatattract patients from across the country.At the Mayo Clinic,doctors who treat out-of-state patientscan follow up with them via phone,email or web chats when they return home,but they can onlydiscuss the conditions they treated in person.“If the patient wants to talk about a new problem,thedoctor has to be licensed in that state to discuss it. If not,the patient should talk to his primary-carephysician about it,”says Steve Ommen,who runs Mayo's Connected Care program.
O) To date,17 states have joined a compact that will allow a doctor licensed in one member state to quickly obtain a license in another. While welcoming the move,some telemedicine advocates wouldprefer states to automatically honor one another's licenses,as they do with drivers' licenses.But statesaren't likely to surrender control of medical practice,and most are considering new regulations. Thisyear,more than 200 telemedicine-related bills have been introduced in 42 states,many regarding whatservices Medicaid will cover and whether payers should reimburse for remote patient monitoring.“Alot of states are still trying to define telemedicine,”says Lisa Robbin,chief advocacy officer for theFederation of State Medical Boards.
36. An overwhelming majority of family physicians are willing to use telemedicine if they are duly paid.
37. Many employers are eager to provide telemedicine service as a benefit to their employees because of its convenience.
38. Different states have markedly different regulations for telemedicine.
39. With telemedicine,patients in regions short of professional medical service are able to receive better medical care.
40. Unlike employers and health plans,insurers have been rather reluctant to pay for some telemedicine services.
41. Some supporters of telemedicine hope states will accept each other's medical practice licenses as valid.42. The fastest growing area for telemedicine services is for lesser health problems.
43. As telemedicine spreads quickly,some of its opponents doubt whether its service quality can be guaranteed.
44. The results obtained by researchers who pretended to be patients seeking help from telemedicine providers are disturbing.
45.Some people argue that the fact that different states have different regulations concerning medical services hinders the development of telemedicine.
The review study,"Organic Agriculture in the 21st Century,”is featured as the cover story for theFebruary issue of the journal Nature Plants. It is the first to compare organic and conventional agricultureacross the main goals of sustainability identified by the National Academy of Sciences: productivity,economics,and environment.
Critics have long argued that organic agriculture is inefficient,requiring more land to yield the sameamount of food. It's true that organic farming produces lower yields,averaging 10 to 20 percent less thanconventional. Advocates contend that the environmental advantages of organic agriculture far outweighthe lower yields,and that increasing research and breeding resources for organic systems would reduce theyield gap.Sometimes excluded from these arguments is the fact that we already produce enough food tomore than feed the world's 7.4 billion people but do not provide adequate access to all individuals
In some cases,organic yields can be higher than conventional. For example,in severe droughtconditions,which are expected to increase with climate change in many areas,organic farms can produceas good,if not better,yields because of the higher water-holding capacity of organically farmed soils.
What science does tell us is that mainstream conventional farming systems have provided growingsupplies of food and other products but often at the expense of other sustainability goals.
Conventional agriculture may produce more food,but it often comes at a cost to the environment.Biodiversity loss,environmental degradation,and severe impacts on ecosystem services have not onlyaccompanied conventional farming systems but have often extended well beyond their field boundaries.With organic agriculture,environmental costs tend to be lower and the benefits greater.
Overall,organic farms tend to store more soil carbon,have better soil quality, and reduce soil erosioncompared to their conventional counterparts. Organic agriculture also creates less soil and water pollutionand lower greenhouse gas emissions. And it's more energy-efficient because it doesn't rely on syntheticfertilizers or pesticides.
Organic agriculture is also associated with greater biodiversity of plants,animals,insects andmicroorganisms as well as genetic diversity. Biodiversity increases the services that nature provides andimproves the ability of farming systems to adapt to changing conditions.
Despite lower yields,organic agriculture is more profitable for farmers because consumers are willingto pay more.Higher prices,called price premiums,can be justified as a way to compensate farmers forproviding ecosystem services and avoiding environmental damage or external costs.
51. What do we learn from the conclusion of the author's review study?
A)More resources should be tapped for feeding the world's population.
B)Organic farming may be exploited to solve the global food problem.
C)The long-term prospects of organic farming are yet to be explored.
D) Organic farming is at least as promising as conventional farming.
52. What is the critics' argument against organic farming?
A)It cannot meet the need for food.
B) It cannot increase farm yields.
C )It is not really practical.
D) It is not that productive.
53. What does the author think should be taken into account in arguing about organic farming?
A)Growth in world population.
B)Deterioration in soil fertility.
C) Inequality in food distribution.
D)Advance in farming technology.
54. What does science tell us about conventional farming?
A) It will not be able to meet global food demand.
B)It is not conducive to sustainable development.
C) It will eventually give way to organic farming.
D) It is going mainstream throughout the world.
55. Why does the author think higher prices of organic farm produce are justifiable?
A)They give farmers going organic a big competitive edge.
B)They motivate farmers to upgrade farming technology.
C) Organic farming costs more than conventional farming.
D)Organic farming does long-term good to the ecosystem.
But I wonder:If American education is so poor,why is it that this is still the country of innovation. When I was 12 in Indonesia,I had to memorize the names of all the world's major cities,from Kabul to Karachi.At the same age,my son,who was brought up a Californian,thought that Buenos Aires was Spanish for good food.However,unlike children of his age in Asia and Europe,my son had studied creative geography.When he was only 6,he drew a map of the route that he traveled to get to school,including the streets,the traffic signs and the houses that he passed.
Dissatisfied American parents forget that in this country their children are able to experiment freely with ideas; without this they will not really be able to think or to believe in themselves.
Critics of American education cannot grasp one thing:freedom.America,I think,is the only country that extends even to children the license to freely speak,write and be creative.Our public education certainly is not perfect, but it is a great deal better than any other.I think I have found the answer to my question.
36.From the text we learn that ______.
A.both Americans and immigrants are dissatisfied with the quality of American education
B.the author shares the general idea that American education is worse than education in many othercountries
C.Japanese schools in America require their American teachers to teach mathematics at Japanese levels
D.the author's German friend was a little displeased because the mathematics test for his son was too easy
37.Which of the following is NOT true?
A.The author most probably was an immigrant from Asia and received some school education there.
B.Buenos Aires must be the name of a city,as are Kabul and Karachi.
C.Children in other countries are not likely to learn creative geography.
D.The knowledge of geography of the author's son shows that American education is poor.
38.Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A.If children are not allowed to experiment freely with ideas they won't grow up independent and creative.
B.Most Americans think the present American educational system is not as good as it used to be
C.Private schools run by Japanese businessmen maintain a higher level than American public schools.
D.Americans are more innovative than other people in the world.
39.In the last paragraph the author say,“I have found the answer to my question.”What is the question?
A.Is Japanese education better than American education?
B.Why do Japanese businessmen send their children to Japanese-staffed schools?
C.Why was my son not taught enough geographic knowledge?
D.Is American education really worse than education in other countries?
40.What would be the best title for this passage?
A.American education and education in foreign countries
B.Improvement needed for American education
C.Freedom to think-characteristic of American education
D.Education and innovation in America
A.some; some
B.any; any
C.some; any
D.any; some
A.some new furnitures
B.some new furniture
C.a new furniture
D.furnitures