Part Ⅳ Reading Comprehension(Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)
Section A

It has been called the Holy Grail of modern biology. Costing more than ￡2 billion, it is the most ambitious scientific project since the Apollo program that landed a man on the moon. And it will take longer to accomplish than the lunar missions, for it will not be complete until next century. Even before it is finished, according to those involved, this project should open up new understanding of, and new treatment for, many of the ailments that afflict humanity.

The objective of the Human Genome Project is simple to state but audacious in scope: to map and analyze every single gene within the double helix of humanity's DNA. The project will reveal a new human anatomy--not the bones, muscles and sinews, but the complete genetic blueprint for a human being. Those working on the Human Genome Project claim that the new genetic anatomy will transform medicine and reduce human suffering in the 21st century. But others see the future through a darker glass and fear that the project may open the door to a world peopled by Frankenstein's monsters and disfigured by a new eugenics(優(yōu)生學).

The genetic inheritance a baby receives from its parents at the moment of conception fixes much of its later development. The human genome is the compendium of all these inherited genetic instructions. Witten out along the double helix of DNA are the chemical letters of the genetic text, for the human genome contains more than 3 billion letters. On the printed page it would fill about 7,000 volumes. Yet within little more than a decade, the position of every letter and its relation to its neighbors will have been tracked down, analyzed and recorded.

If properly applied, the new knowledge generated by the Human Genome Project may free humanity from the terrible scourge of diverse diseases. But if the new knowledge is not used wisely, it also holds the threat of creating new forms of discrimination and new methods of oppression. Once before in this century, the relentless curiosity of scientific researchers brought to light forces of nature in the power of the atom, the mastery of which has shaped the destiny of nations and overshadowed all our lives. The Human Genome Project holds the promise that, ultimately, we may be able to alter our genetic inheritance if we so choose. But there is the central moral problem, how can we ensure that when we choose, we choose correctly? That such a potential is a promise and not a threat? We need only look at the past to understand the danger.

47. The passage compares the Human Gen0me Project in scale to the ______.
48. Some people fear that genetic ______ may be created by such a project.
49. To write out the human genome on paper would require ______ books.
50. What benefits can we expect to get from the Human Genome Project?
51. Why does the writer mention the discovery of the atomic power in the last paragraph?
Section A
47. Apollo program
48. monsters
49. 7,000
50. It may free humanity from the terrible scourge of diverse diseases./It may reduce people's suffering from some terrible diseases.
51. He wants to show that from past experience humans may not use the new knowledge wisely.

Section A
47.文章一開始就講到了人類基因工程規(guī)模浩大。從第二段第二句“Costing more than ￡2billion，it is the most ambitious scientific project since the Apollo program that landed a man on the moon.”可知，自阿波羅登月計劃以來，基因工程是最具有“雄心壯志”的科學研究項目。可見作者通過比較人類基因組工程和阿波羅登月計劃，向讀者揭示該工程的規(guī)模。因此，正確答案為“Apollo program”。
48.第二段最后一句“But others see the future through a darker glass and fear that the project may open the door to a world peopled by Frankenstein's monsters and disfigured by a new eugenics.”中的弗朗肯斯坦的怪物出自19世紀英國著名小說家瑪麗·雪萊的科幻小說《弗朗肯斯坦》，其中講述生物學家弗朗肯斯坦創(chuàng)造了一個面目可憎、奇丑無比的怪物，最終被其殺死的故事。可見有人擔心基因組工程一旦解開人類基因的全部秘密，最終毀滅締造者的基因怪獸可能會由此產(chǎn)生。因此，本題正確答案為“monsters”。
49.第三段第三、四句“Witten out along the double helix of DNA are the chemical letters of the genetic text，for the human genome contains more than 3 billion letters.On the printed page it would fill about 7，000 volumes.”中的volume指“一冊書、一卷書”。由此可知正確答案是“7，000”。
50.第二段第三句“Those working on the Human Genome Project claim that the new genetic anatomy will transform medicine and reduce human suffering in the 21st century.”和第四段第一句“If properly applied，the new knowledge generated by the Human Genome Project may free humanity from the terrible scourge of diverse diseases.”都提到如果合理應用該工程的研究結(jié)果，人類可以免受很多可怕的疾病的折磨。由此可見，本題可以回答為“It may free humanity from the terrible scourge of diverse diseases./It may reduce people's suffering from some terrible diseases.”。
51.最后一段第二句作者提到如果不能明智地運用基因組工程帶來的新知識，就有產(chǎn)生新的歧視和新的壓迫的危險(But if the new knowledge is not used wisely，it also holds the threat of creating new forms of discrimination and new methods of oppression.)。隨后作者提到了原子能的發(fā)現(xiàn)，并說明掌握原子能改變了國家的命運，也給我們的生活蒙上了陰影。作者由此表達了自己的擔心，即基因組工程如果不能被人類明智使用，也會給人類帶來無盡的威脅。因此，本題答案可以歸納為“He wants to show that from past experience humans may not use the new knowledge wisely.”。