Question

Life is full of surprises and you never know how things will turn out.

Sir John Gurdon is a good example of this. As a boy, he was told he was hopeless at science and was at bottom of his class. Now, aged 79，the very same Gurdon shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine with Japanese stem cell (干細胞) researcher Shinya Yamanaka.

Like so many scientists, Gurdon shows us where the power of curiosity and perseverance(堅持) can lead.

When he was 15 in 1948，Gurdon ranked last out of the 250 boys at his high school in biology and every other science subject. Gurdon’s high school science teacher even said that his dream of becoming a scientist was “quite ridiculous”.

In spite of his teacher’s criticisms(批評), Gurdon followed his curiosity and kept working hard. He went to the lab early and left later than anyone else. He experienced thousands of failures.

“My own belief is that we will, in the end，understand everything about how cells actually work，”Gurdon said.

In 1962, Gurdon took a cell from an adult frog and moved its genetic (基因的) information into an egg cell. The egg cell then grew into a clone of the adult frog. This technique later helped to create the sheep Dolly in 1996，the first cloned mammal(哺乳動物) in the world.

In 2006，Gurdon’s work was developed by Yamanaka to show that a sample(樣本) of a person’s skin can be used to create stem cells. Using this technique, doctors can repair a patient’s heart after a heart attack.

“Luck favors the prepared mind,” Gurdon told the Nobel Prize Organization. “Ninety percent of the time things don’t work, but when they do, you have to seize(抓住) the chance.”

1.Who won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine?

A. Sir John Gurdon

B. Shinya Yamanaka

C. Sir John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka

D. Gurdon’s science teacher

2.What does the underlined word “ridiculous” mean?

A. 荒謬的 B. 無畏的 C. 荒廢的 D. 無知的

3.In what order are the following events mentioned in the passage.

a. create the sheep Dolly

b. take a cell from an adult frog

c. use a person’s skin to create stem cells

d. move a frog’s genetic information into an egg cell

e. grow into a clone of the adult frog

A. b-a-c-d-e B. b-d-e-a-c C. b-d-a-e-c D. b-c-d-a-e

4.According to the passage, which statement is TRUE?

A. Sheep Dolly was the first cloned animal in the world.

B. Gurdon ranked first at his high school in biology.

C. It’s impossible for the doctors to repair a patient’s heart after a heart attack.

D. According to the science teacher, Gurdon was not a gifted student.

5.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. Ninety percent of the time things don’t work.

B. Luck favors the prepared mind.

C. Life is full of pleasure.

D. How to know cells actually work.

Answer 1