Question

George Eberhardt turned 107 last month, and scientists would love to know how he and other older folks like him made it that far. So he's going to hand over some of his DNA.

He's one of 100 centenarians (百歲老人)taking part in a project that examines some of the oldest citizens with one of the newest scientific tools ： wholegenome sequencing (全基因組測(cè)試)，the deciphering of a person's complete collection of DNA.

Scientists think DNA from very old healthy people could offer clues to how they have lived so long. And that could one day lead to medicines to help the rest of us stay disease-free longer.

"It's very hard to get to 105 without some genetic advantages," says Dr Thomas Perls, a geriatrics(老年醫(yī)學(xué))expert at Boston University. Dr Perls is helping find centenarians for the Archon Genomics X Prize com?petition. The X Prize Foundation, best known for a space-flight competition, is offering up $ 10 million in prize money to researchers who decipher the complete DNA code from 100 people older than 100. The contest will be judged on accuracy, completeness and the speed and cost of sequencing.

Mr Eberhardt played and taught tennis until he was 94 and says he's participating in the X Prize project because he's interested in science and technology. It's not clear his genes will reveal much. Nobody else in his extended family reached 100， and he thinks only a cou?ple reached 90， he says in a telephone interview.

So why does he think he has lived so long? He attributes it to 70 years of marriage to his wife, Marie. She in turn cites his "intense interest in so many things" over a lifetime, from building radios as a child to pursu?ing a career in electronics research.

But scientists believe there's more to it, and they want to use genome sequencing to investigate. Dr Richard Cawthon of the University of Utah, who is see?king longevity genes by other means, says it may turn up genetic features that protect against multiple diseases or that slow the process of aging in general.

1.    What does the underlined word "deciphering" in the second paragraph probably mean?

A. Separating. B. Interpreting.

C. Gathering.  D. Comparing.

2.    The fourth paragraph is mainly about .

A. what the Archon Genomics X Prize competition

is about

B.    the significance of studying the genes that lead to longevity

C.    how whole-genome sequencing is applied to the study of genes

D.    the genetic advantages the centenarians have

3.    Which of the following is TRUE about Mr Eberhardt?

A.    He doesn't have any genetic advantages.

B.    Most of his family have been long-lived.

C.    His genes don't reveal much about why he has lived so long.

D.    He enjoys doing electronics research.

4.    Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A.    Comparing one hundred centenarians

B.    Who will win the Archon Genomics X Prize com?petition?

C.    A new technology―whole-genome sequencing

D.    Is the secret to a long life in the DNA of cente?narians?

Answer 1

【文章大意】為什么有些人會(huì)那么長(zhǎng)壽，以至于成為百歲老人？近曰，科學(xué)家們正準(zhǔn)備對(duì)一些百歲高齡的老人們進(jìn)行基因研究， 由此希望發(fā)現(xiàn)長(zhǎng)壽的秘密并研制出有助于延年益壽的藥物。

B詞義猜測(cè)題。前半句說(shuō)這是全基因組測(cè)試，后面用逗號(hào)隔開(kāi)，是前面部分的同位語(yǔ)，因此是對(duì)whole-genome sequencing的解釋。separate分隔；interpret解釋?zhuān)籫ather聚集；compare比較。所以選B項(xiàng)。

A段落大意題。文章第四段主要介紹了 Archon Genomics X Prize competition的概況。故選A項(xiàng)。

D 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)"…h(huán)is * intense interest in so many things' over a lifetime, from building radios as a child to pur?suing a career in electronics research.，，可知，Mr Eberhardt喜歡做一些電子產(chǎn)品的小研究。所以選D項(xiàng)。

D主旨大意題。文章主要講述了近期學(xué)者們希望通過(guò)對(duì)一些百歲老人DNA的研究來(lái)破解長(zhǎng)壽密碼。因此D項(xiàng)"長(zhǎng)壽的秘密藏在百歲老人的DNA里嗎？"為最佳選項(xiàng)。