Do you know that a fast reader can get the ideas better than a slow reader can? Of course, you save time by reading fast, but this is not the main reason for fast reading. The main reason is that you understand better what you are reading when you read fast.

　　As your eyes move along the line of print, they make fixations (注视) or pauses (停顿) . It is important that you see several words at a fixation. It is also important that your eyes leave a group of words quickly and move on to another group. The number of letters or words that you see at a fixation are called your eye span (视幅、视跨). Pay more attention to improving your rate of reading. With practice you can learn to read faster than you usually read.

　　The way in which you read always depends on what you are reading and for what purpose (目的) . You should know the different ways of reading so that you can apply whatever method that is necessary. Here are four ways of reading, but not all, they may increase your reading rate.

　　1．Skimming is an important kind of reading. This method can be used when you wish to review something that you have forgotten. You may skim to find a lost place of a statement that you have read and cannot recall. You may skim to get an idea of a story.

　　2．Rapid first reading and then rereading certain parts carefully is important. You may use this type of reading to study a science lesson or a history lesson.

　　3．You need to do careful reading and rereading sometimes. This type of reading is necessary for making an intensive study of the main subject of your school curriculum (课程), solving arithmetic problems, studying rules for playing a game, or reading directions .

　　4．Rapid reading is used when reading stories for enjoyment. You may also do rapid reading when reviewing material that you already know well.

1．A fast reader can get the ideas ________ a slow reader can.

[　　]

2．In this passage, “eye span” means ________.

[　　]

A．eyesight

B．a group of words

C．the number of letters or words you see at a fixation

D．your reading speed

3．The way of reading always depends on ________.

[　　]

4．The word “Skimming” means ________.

[　　]

5．Careful reading is an important kinds of reading ________.

[　　]

A．when you read a story for enjoyment

B．when you review a lesson that you already know well

C．when you read the directions before using a camera which is expensive

D．when yon wish to find a lost place that you have read

Reading Comprehension

　　Cloning technology made its first leap from science fiction to science fact in 1997. That year, Scottish researcher lan Wilmut created the world's first animal clone：a sheep named Dolly. In making Dolly, Wilmut defied(对…挑战) nature because Dolly was produced without the union of male and female sex cells.

The method that Wilmut used to create Dolly is neither a top-secret nor hard to understand. First, he removed an egg cell from an adult female sheep. Then, he used a fine needle to suck out(吸出) the egg' s nucleus(细胞核), the structure that houses a cell' s DNA(deoxyribonucleic acid(脱氧核糖核酸). DNA contains the biological material that determines what an organism looks like and how it functions.

　　Next, Wilmut removed a skin cell from another sheep－the sheep he wished to copy. Placing the empty egg cell and the skin cell side by side, he forced the two cells to fuse by zapping(用辐射线照射) them with a charge(电荷) of electricity. By doing that, Wilmut created an egg from one animal that contained the DNA of another.

　　The new egg cell divided and developed into an embryo(胚胎). Wilmut then implanted(移植) the embryo in he womb(子宫). In time, the embryo developed into a lamb sheep－Dolly.

　　For years later, a whole barnyard of animal clone, including sheep, mice, cows, pigs, and goats, has, come to life in labs around the globe. Now, the race is on how to produce the first human clone although many people are strongly against it.

1．What does the first sentence in the passage mean?

[　　]

A．Cloning technology made its first appearance in science fiction in 1997.

B．Cloning technology made it possible to turn something in the story into reality in 1997.

C．Clothing technology was a science fact that was accepted for the first time in 1997.

D．Cloning technology was the first technology used in creating a real life in 1997.

2．The technique Wilmut used to clone Dolly

[　　]

A．is rarely understood by other scientists

B．was used by scientists before

C．is a secret to the world

D．is none of the above

3．How important is one' s DNA?

[　　]

A．One's appearance and behavior depend on his DNA.

B．The length of one's life depends on his DNA.

C．One's characteristic depends on his DNA.

D．What one looks like is determined by his DNA.

4．Which of the following statements is true?

[　　]

A．Dolly was cloned from a skin cell.

B．Dolly was produced from two cells.

C．Dolly was made from a sheep's DNA.

D．Dolly was created from an organism.

5．What does the last paragraph of the passage tell?

[　　]

A．Now different animals have been cloned in the world.

B．The animals in the barnyard have been cloned, and there is a challenge in the world to clone other animals.

C．Humans have produced many cloned animals, and now they have started a race in developing cloning technology.

D．Besides cloning many kinds of animals, there is a competition in the world to clone the first man.

--- Did you finish _____ the book?
---Yes, I did. Thanks ____ your dictionary, I had a better understanding of it.

“Well, we're in our new house. Let's get a new pet to get along with it,” Mrs. Brown said to her husband.” That sounds like a pretty good idea,” he answered. “Do you want to see the ads in the newspaper？” “No. Let's go to the animal shelter. Many pets there need homes. Since tomorrow is Saturday, we can both go,” she said.

The next morning the Browns met Mr Snow at the animal shelter. “We want to be sure that the pets here go to good homes,” Mr Snow said, “So I need to ask you some questions.”

After they talked for a while, the Browns decided to get a small dog. It wouldn't need a big house or a big yard. A small dog would bark（吠）and warn them if someone tried to break into their house. After Mr Snow gave the Browns a book on pet care, they chose one and wanted to take her home right away. But the animal doctor hadn't checked her yet. So Mr Snow told them to return on Sunday.

On Sunday afternoon the Browns went to the animal shelter. The animal doctor said, “Shadow has had all of her shots(预防针). She will be healthy.” The browns thanked the doctor and took Shadow home.

1.From the reading we learn that _______.

　 A. the Browns have never had a pet before.

　 B. the Browns knew about Shadow from the newspaper.

　 C. Shadow is a small and healthy dog.

　 D. Mr Brown didn't quite agree with his wife.

2.The underlined word shelter in the reading means _______.

　 A. a place to sell small dogs

B. a place to keep homeless animals

　 C. a place to study animals

D. a place to sell books on pet care

3.Mr Snow asked the Browns some questions to _______.

　 A. see if they had moved to a new house

B. find out how rich the Browns were

　 C. know where they'd keep their new pet

D. make sure they'd take care of pets

4.The Browns thinks that a small dog _______.

　 A. doesn't need any room to keep

B. can help them watch their house

　 C. eats less food than a bigger one

D. usually has a beautiful name

5.It's clear that _______.

　 A. Shadow will not be easy to get ill

B. the Browns were not good with Shadow

　 C. Mr Snow didn't check Shadow at all

D. Shadow likes barking a lot