2015年全国硕士研究生入学考试英语复习练习题（3）
Text 3In2010, a federal judge shook America’s biotech industry to its core.
Companies had won patents for isolated DNA for decades-by 2005 some 20% of human
genes were patented .But in March 2012 a judge ruled that genes were
unpatentable. Executives were violently agitated. The Biotechnology Industry
Organisation (BIO), a trade group, assured members that this was just a
“preliminary step” in a longer battle
On July 29th they were relieved, at least temporarily. A federal appeals
court overturned the prior decision, ruling that Muriad Genetics could indeed
hold patents to two genes that help forecast a woman’s risk of breast cancer
.The chief executive of Mytiad, a company in Utah, said the ruling was a
blessing to firms and patients alike.
But as companies continue their attempts at personalised medicine, the
courts will remain rather busy. The Myriad case itself is probably not over.
Critics make three main arguments against gene patents: a gene is a product of
nature, so it may not be patented; gene patents suppress innovation rather than
reward it; and patents monopolies restrict access to genetic tests such as
Myriads A growing number seem to agree. Last year a federal task-force urged
reform for patents related to genetic tests. In October the Department of
Justice filed a brief in the Myriad case, arguing that an isolated DNA molecule
“is no less a product of nature…than are cotton fibres that have been separated
from cotton seeds.”
Despite the appeals court’s decision, big questions remain unanswered. For
example, it is unclear whether the sequencing of a whole genome violates the
patents of individual genes within it. The case may yet reach the Supreme
Court.
As the industry advances, however, other suits may have an even greater
impact. Companies are unlikely to file many more patents for human DNA
molecules-most are unlikely patented or in the public domain. Firms are now
studying how genes interact, looking for correlations that might be used to
determine the causes of disease or predict a drug’s efficacy. Companies are
eager to win patents for “connecting the dots,” explains Hans Sauer, a lawyer
for the BIO.
Their success may be determined by a suit related to this issue, brought by
the Mayo Clinic, which the Supreme Court will hear in its next term. The BIO
recently held a convention which included sessions to coach lawyer on the
shifting landscape for patents. Each meeting was packed.
31. It can be learned from Paragraph 1 that the biotech companies would
like_____.
their executives to be active
judges to rule out gene patenting
genes to be patentable
the BIO to issue a warning
32. Those who are against gene patents believe that_____.
genetic tests are not reliable
only man-made products are patentable
patants on genes depend much on innovation
courts should restrict access to genetic tests
33. According to Hans Sauer , companies are eager to win patents
for_____.
establishing disease correlations
discovering gene interactions
drawing pictures of genes
identifying human DNA
34. By saying“Each meeting was packed”(Line 4,Para.6), the author means
that______.
the supreme court was authoritative
the BIO was a powerful organisation
gene patenting was a great concern
lawyers were keen to attend conventions
35. Generally speaking, the author’s attitude toward gene patenting
is______.
critical
supportive
scornful
objective
Text 4
The great recession may be over, but this era of high joblessness is
probably beginning. Before it ends, it will likely change the life course and
character of a generation of young adults. And ultimately, it is likely to
reshape our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for
years.
No one tries harder than the jobless to find silver linings in this
national economic disaster. Many said that unemployment, while extremely
painful, had improved them in some ways: they had become less materialistic and
more financially prudent; they were more aware of the struggles of others. In
limited respects, perhaps the recession will leave society better off. At the
very least, it has awoken us from our national fever dream of easy riches and
bigger houses, and put a necessary end to an era of reckless personal
spending.
But for the most part, these benefits seem thin, uncertain, and far off. In
The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth, the economic historian Benjamin
Friedman argues that both inside and outside the U.S., lengthy periods of
economic stagnation or decline have almost always left society more
mean-spirited and less inclusive, and have usually stopped or reversed the
advance of rights and freedoms. Anti-immigrant sentiment typically increases, as
does conflict between races and classes.
Income inequality usually falls during a recession, but it has not shrunk
in this one. Indeed, this period of economic weakness may reinforce class
divides, and decrease opportunities to cross them - especially for young people.
The research of Till Von Wachter, the economic at Columbia University, suggests
that not all people graduating into a recession see their life chances dimmed:
those with degrees from elite universities catch up fairly quickly to where they
otherwise would have been if they had graduated in better times; it is the
masses beneath them that are left behind.
In the Internet age, it is particularly easy to see the resentment that has
always been hidden within American society. More difficult, in the moment, is
discerning precisely how these lean times are affecting society’s character. In
many respects, the U.S. was more socially tolerant entering this recession than
at any time in its history, and a variety of national polls on social conflict
since then have shown mixed results. We will have to wait and see exactly how
these hard times will reshape our social fabric. But they certainly will reshape
it, and all the more so the longer they extend.
36. By saying “to find silver linings”(Line 1,Para.2)the author suggests
that the jobless try to ___.
seek subsidies from the government
explore reasons for the unemployment
make profit from the troubled economy
look on the bright side of the recession
37. According to Paragraph 2, the recession has made people___.
realize the national dream
struggle against each other
challenge their prudence
reconsider their lifestyle
38. Benjamin Friedman believes that economic recessions may___.
impose a heavier burden on immigrants
bring out more evils of human nature
promote the advance of rights and freedoms
ease conflicts between races and classes
39. The research of Till Von Wachter suggests that in the recession
graduates from elite universities tend to___.
lag behind the others due to decreased opportunities
catch up quickly with experienced employees
see their life chances as dimmed as the others
recover more quickly than the others
40. The author thinks that the influence of hard times on society is
_____.
certain
positive
trivial
destructive
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