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 (百岁老人)taking part in a project that examines some of the oldest citizens with one of the newest scientific tools ： wholegenome sequencing (全基因组测试)，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(老年医学)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】为什么有些人会那么长寿，以至于成为百岁老人？近曰，科学家们正准备对一些百岁高龄的老人们进行基因研究， 由此希望发现长寿的秘密并研制出有助于延年益寿的药物。

B词义猜测题。前半句说这是全基因组测试，后面用逗号隔开，是前面部分的同位语，因此是对whole-genome sequencing的解释。separate分隔；interpret解释；gather聚集；compare比较。所以选B项。

A段落大意题。文章第四段主要介绍了 Archon Genomics X Prize competition的概况。故选A项。

D 细节理解题。根据"…his * 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喜欢做一些电子产品的小研究。所以选D项。

D主旨大意题。文章主要讲述了近期学者们希望通过对一些百岁老人DNA的研究来破解长寿密码。因此D项"长寿的秘密藏在百岁老人的DNA里吗？"为最佳选项。