阅读理解。Once upon a time, on his way to the Himalayas, was a saint(圣徒). He came across a shallow river he had to cross. Just when he was about to wet his feet, he saw a scorpion(蝎子)helplessly trying to come out of the river. It was almost touching the bank but not enough to gain hold of the ground. The saint saw scorpions struggle and decided to save it. He picked up the scorpion in his right hand with the intention to place it on the dry surface. No sooner did he do that than the scorpion stung and rushed off the hand, landing in the water again. It struggled to come out of water again. The saints body was in pain but his mind, calm. Seeing that the scorpion could lose its life, the saint used left hand this time to lift the scorpion out of water. However, it panicked and stung again. Once again, it sped off the hand and fell in water. He was left with both hands filled with pain. He was not the one to give up either. He tried again. This time, he cupped his hands together and lifted the scorpion in one swift movement. Before it could react, he safely dropped it on the land. The scorpion disappeared into the pebbles that lay near the bank. He felt happy, for he succeeded in carrying out his rescue, for saving another life. It was worth the pain he thought. At a distance, a man, surprised and shocked, had watched the whole process. He approached the saint and said, “Can I ask you a question please? ”“Yes, you may. ”“First of all, there was no need to save a scorpion. It does no good to anybody. Secondly, if you must save it, you could have simply tried once. Im surprised that even after it stung you, you still went on. Why? ”“Oh! Thats pretty simple, ”he replied softly rubbing his stung hands against each other. “This was a scorpion, a creature really low on the food chain, a creature whose nature is to sting(蜇), to panic, to harm. It is supposed to be weak. However, I am supposed to be a saint, a person whose job is to love everybody, to offer love. I am supposed to be the strong one, the one higher up on the food chain. With my principles, my philosophy(人生观)and practice, I am supposed to save other creatures. Right? ”The man nodded. 【文章大意】一个圣徒从河里拯救一只蝎子时, 先后被蜇了两次, 但他仍旧努力把它救了出来。这让一位路人非常不理解。这位圣徒告诉他: 作为一个圣徒, 我的职责是向所有的生命传达爱, 拯救其他的生命是我最大的幸福。1. When a saint saw a scorpion struggling to come out of the river, he . A. was in the shallow riverB. was climbing the HimalayasC. was on the river bankD. had just crossed the river【解析】选 C。推理判断题。根据第一段可知, 从前, 有一个圣徒, 他徒步行走在前往喜马拉雅山的路上。途经一条小河, 当他正要踏入小河时, 一只挣扎想逃离水面的蝎子映入眼帘。由此可判断出答案为 C。2. Why did the scorpion sting and rush off his right hand? A. Because it was full of panic at that time. B. Because it wanted to get to the bank itself. C. Because the saint harmed it badly. D. Because the saint tried to kill it. 【解析】选 A。细节理解题。根据第三段中的 However, it panicked and stung again. 可知, 当时是因为惊慌失措, 蝎子才对他进行攻击。故答案为 A。3. How did the man nearby feel at the saints behaviour of saving the scorpion? A. Happy. B. Angry. C. Frightened. D. Puzzled. 【解析】选 D。观点态度题。根据第七段内容: 首先, 拯救一只蝎子是没有必要的, 对谁来说这都是没有好处的。其次, 您救它一次就够了。令人惊讶的是, 即便它蜇了您, 您却仍旧努力去救它。这是为什么? 由此可判断出他对圣徒的行为感到迷惑不解。故答案为 D。4. From the passage we can infer . A. the saint regretted having saved the scorpion laterB. the scorpion stung the saint three times in allC. the man thought the saint a fool and left angrilyD. the saint thought it his duty to save other creatures【解析】选 D。推理判断题。根据最后一段内容: 作为一个圣徒, 我的职责是向所有生命传达爱。我的原则、人生观和生活历练告诉我, 我应该拯救其他的生命。由此可判断出答案为D。阅读理解。Can people change their skin color without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes. Scientists have found the gene that determines skin color.The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 per cent of Europeans. The other is found in 93 to 100 per cent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science.Scientists have changed the color of a dark-striped zebrafish（斑马鱼） to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment (色素) gene into a young fish. As with humans, zebrafish skin color is determined by pigment cells, which contain melanin (黑色素). The number, size and darkness of melanin per pigment cell determine skin color.It appears that, like the golden zebrafish, light-skinned Europeans also have a mutation (变异) in the gene for melanin production. This results in less pigmented skin.However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in human and zebrafish genes.Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about 1.5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra-violet rays of the sun (太阳光紫外线), which can cause skin cancer.But when modern humans leave Africa to live in northern latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D. So the related gene changes, according to Cheng.Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin color, said Cheng.The new discovery could lead to m