19．Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

　A. Dcotor Severino Antinori is strongly oppsed to cloning human beings.

　B. Up to now, seven kinds of animals have been cloned, including sheep, cats, humans and rabbits.

　C. Professor Rudolf Jaenisch is carrying on an experiment on cloning an eight- week -old embryo.

　D. Ronald Green doubts about the future successful birth of the so -called cloned embryo.

18．What does the underlined word “ban ”in the third paragraph mean most probably?

　A. order that forbids cloning

　B. suggestion to carrying on cloning

　C. anger at cloning

　D. cheer for cloning

17．What is the doctors’ general attitude to cloning of humans according to the passage?

　A. They are against it.

　B. They support it.

　C. They welcome it.

　D. They pay no attention to it.

16．What do the underlined words “on the brink of” in the first paragraph mean most probably?

　A. on the side of

　B. on the point of

　C. in search of

　D. in favour of

15．Which statement is true according to the passage?

　A. The jokes by computer are less funny than those by humans.

　B. The Germans cannot find the submitted jokes amusing.

　C. Males are better at word play compared with women.

　D. Females like to use humour to show that they are superior.

E

　Rome -Doctors and medical groups around the world last weekend reacted with strong opposition to the news that an Italian specialist is on the brink of cloning the first human baby.

　Dr. Severino Antinori, who is the head of a hospital in Rome, has been referred to in an Arab newspaper as claiming that one of his patients is eight weeks pregnant(怀孕)with a cloned baby.

　Antinori refused to comment on the reports, but in March 2001 he said he hoped to produce a cloned embryo (卵)for implantation within two years. So far seven different kinds of mammals have already successfully cloned, including sheep, cats and most recently rabbits.

　Doctors showed their doubt and were strongly opposed although they admit that human cloning would finally come true unless there was a world wide ban on the practice.

　Professor Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: “I find it astonishing that people do this where the result can be foretold that it will not be a normal baby. It is using humans as guinea pigs. It makes people feel sick. ”But Ronald Green, director of the Ethics institute at Darmouth College in the US, said it is unlikely that an eight - week - old pregnancy would lead to a birth.

　So far all cloned animals have suffered from some different serious disorders, many of them dying soon after their births .

　Doctors are opposed to human cloning because they are worried about the welfare of the cloned child if there is one.

　“There are no benefits of cloned human beings, just harm, ”said Dr. Michael Wilks of the UK.

14．The writer gave the examples of the British, the French and the Germans________.

　A. to show thane French people have a better sense of humour

　B. to prove the British people have a sense of “toilet humour”

　C. to show people from different nations have different senses of humour

　D. to prove that the Germans have no sense of humour

13．What is the main idea of the 4th and 5th paragraph?

　A. Man and woman have different senses of humour.

　B. male and female have similar senses of humour.

　C. About 10, 000 jokes have been submitted from September 2001 to December 2001.

　D. Scientists have collected enough evidence to make conclusions.

12．We can infer from the passage that________.

　A. most of the people all over he world are completely honest

　B. psychologists and philosophers take interest in the “laugh lab” project

　C. ordinary people are not interested in “the laugh lab” project at all

　D. people tell the ruth about themselves only when they laugh

11．Scientist started“ the laugh lab” project________

　A. to find the funniest joke in European countries

　B. to know what funny people are from different nations and cultures

　C. to find out the differences between the male and female sense of humour

　D. to get more personal details about participants

10．Where would you be most likely to find a passage like this?

　A. In a home medical encyclopedia(百科全书).

　B. In a humorous story about a couple who sail around the world.

　C. In a newspaper account of the National Cup sailing competition.

　D. In a science text.

D

　Dr Wiseman started “the laugh lab” project in September 2001. It is the largest study of humour. Participants(参加者)are invited to log on to the laugh lab website, give a few personal details, tell their favourite jokes and judge the jokes told by other people.

　The project will last for a year, and the organizers hope to finally discover the world’s funniest joke. But there is also a serious purpose. The researches want to know what people from different nations and cultures find funny. And they want to find out the differences between the male and female sense of humour. The idea is that if we want to understand each other, we have to find out what makes us laugh.

　This is a subject that has long interested psychologists(心理学家)and philosophers(哲学家). Most of the time, people are not completely honest. We do things that society expects us to and say things that help us get what we want. But laughing cannot be controlled. When we laugh, we tell the truth about ourselves.

　By December 2001 over 10, 000 jokes had been submitted. This gave the scientists enough evidence (证据)to make early conclusions. It seems that men and women do have different senses of humour, for instance.

　“Our findings show the major differences in the ways in which males and females use humour, ”　said Dr.　Wiseman. “Males use humour to appear superior(优越)to others, while women are more skilled in languages and prefer word play. ”

　Researchers also found that there really is such a thing as a national sense of humour. the British enjoy what is usually called “toilet humour”. But the French like their jokes short and sharp: “You’re a high priced lawyer. Will you answer two questions for 500?” “Yes. What’s the second question?”

　The Germans are famous for not having a sense of humour. But the survey found that German participants were more likely to find submitted jokes funny than any other nationality. Perhaps that proves the point. Is this joke funny? I don’t know, but let’s say yes, just to be safe.

　Dr Wiseman and his workmates also submitted jokes created by computer. But none of those who took part in the survey found any of them amusing. Perhaps this is relief. Computers already seem like they can do everything. At least they should leave the funny stuff to us.