Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
问题1选项
A.The recent finding of a changed gene in obese mice.
B.A breakthrough in understanding gene modification.
C.A newly discovered way for people to lose weight.
D.The self-repairing ability of a gene in obese mice.
问题2选项
A.It renders an organism unable to fight diseases.
B.It prevents the mice’s fatty tissues from growing.
C.It helps organisms adapt to environmental changes.
D.It renders mice unable to sense when to stop eating.
问题3选项
A.Human beings have more obesity genes than most mice do.
B.Half of a person’s total weight variation can be controlled.
C.People are born with a tendency to have a certain weight.
D.The function of the obesity genes is yet to be explored.
问题4选项
A.The worsening of natural environment.
B.The abundant provision of rich foods.
C.The accelerated pace of present-day life.
D.The adverse impact of the food industry.
Passage Two [12] Public interest was aroused by the latest discovery of a changed gene in obese mice. The news was made known by Rockefeller University geneticist Jeffrey Friedman. The researchers believe this gene influences development of a hormone that tells organism how fat or full it is. [13] Those with the changed gene may not sense when they have eaten enough or if they have sufficient fatty tissue, and thus can’t tell when to stop eating. The researchers also reported finding a gene nearly identical to the mouse obesity gene in humans. The operation of this gene in humans has not yet been demonstrated, however. [14] Still, professionals like University of Vermont psychologist Esther Rothblum reacted enthusiastically, “This research indicates that people really are born with a tendency to have a certain weight, just as they are to have a particular skin color or height.” Actually, behavioral geneticists believe that less than half of the total weight variation is programmed in the genes, while height is almost entirely genetically determined. Whatever role genes play, Americans are getting fatter. A survey by the Center for Disease Control found that obesity has increased greatly over the last 10 years. [15] Such rapid change underlines the role of environmental factors like the abundance of rich foods in Americans’ overeating. The Center for Disease Control has also found that teens are far less physically active than they were even a decade ago. Accepting that weight is predetermined can relieve guilt for overweight people. But people’s belief that they cannot control their weight can itself contribute to obesity.
12. What does the speaker say has aroused public interest? 【试题答案】A 【试题解析】题目问什么事引起了公众的兴趣。录音一开头便指出，最近在肥鼠身上发现了变异基因，这一发现引起了公众的兴趣，A选项“最近在肥鼠身上发现了变异基因”是录音原文的复现，因此正确。B选项“在理解基因改造方面实现突破”；C选项“人们减肥的新方法”和D选项“肥鼠身上某种基因的自我修复能力”在录音中没有信息提及，均可排除。 13. What do we learn about the changed gene? 【试题答案】D 【试题解析】题目问的是关于变异基因的相关信息。录音指出，那些携带变异基因的老鼠在过量进食时，自身却浑然不觉，因此不知道什么时候应该停止进食，D选项“它使老鼠无法感觉到何时停止进食”与录音原文表述一致，因此正确。A选项“它使生物体无法抵抗疾病”和C选项“它帮助生物体适应环境变化”在录音中没有信息提及；B选项“它阻止老鼠身上脂肪组织的生长”，录音中提及那些携带变异基因的老鼠无法感知自身是否有足够的脂肪组织，因此B选项错误。 14. What does University of Vermont psychologist Esther Rothblum say? 【试题答案】C 【试题解析】题目问佛蒙特大学的心理学家Esther Rothblum说了什么？录音说到了Esther Rothblum的观点：该研究表明，人天生就有一定的体重倾向，就像肤色和身高一样。C选项“人天生就有某种体重的倾向”与原文表述一致，因此正确。A选项“人的肥胖基因比老鼠的多”，录音中并没有将二者进行比较，因此可排除；B选项“有一半的影响体重的变量是可控的”，录音中只是提及：影响体重的变量中，不到一半由基因决定。至于其他的变量可控不可控并没有指明，该选项属于推断过度；D选项“肥胖基因的功能尚待探索”，这并不是Esther Rothblum的观点，因此可排除。 15. What accounts for Americans’ obesity according to a survey by the Center for Disease Control? 【试题答案】B 【试题解析】题目问根据疾病控制中心的调查，美国人肥胖的原因是什么。录音提到，过去十年美国肥胖的人越来越多，这一急剧增长的变化彰显了一些“环境因素”的影响，例如，丰富的食物。B选项中的abundant provision of rich foods是录音中abundance of rich foods的同义替换，因此B选项“丰富食物的充足供应”正确。A选项“自然环境的恶化”主要是利用录音中的environmental factors作干扰，实际上录音中说的是社会环境而不是自然环境，因此A选项错误；C选项“现今生活节奏的加快”和D选项“食品业的不利影响”在录音中均未提及，因此排除。
