Mark Twain once observed that giving up smoking is easy. He knew, because he'd done it hundreds of times himself. Giving up for ever is a trifle more difficult, apparently, and it is well known that it is much more difficult for some people than for others. Why is this so？
Few doctors believe any longer that it is simply a question of will power. And for those people that continue to view addicts as merely "weak", recent genetic research may force a rethink. A study conducted by Jacqueline Vink, of the Free University of Amsterdam, used a database called the Netherlands Twin Register to analyze the smoking habits of twins. Her results, published in the Pharmacogenomics Journal, suggest that an individual's degree of nicotine dependence, and even the number of cigarettes he smokes per day, are strongly genetically influenced.
The Netherlands Twin Register is a voluntary database that contains details of some 7,000 pairs of adult twins (aged between 15 and 70) and 28,000 pairs of childhood twins. Such databases are prized by geneticists because they allow the comparison of identical twins (who share all their genes) with fraternal twins (who share half). In this case, however, Dr. Vink did not make use of that fact. For her, the database was merely a convenient repository of information. Instead of comparing identical and fraternal twins, she concentrated on the adult fraternal twins, most of whom had completed questionnaires about their habits, including smoking, and 536 of whom had given DNA samples to the register.
The human genome is huge. It consists of billions of DNA "letters", some of which can be strung together to make sense (the genes) but many of which have either no function, or an unknown function, To follow what is going on, geneticists rely on markers they have identified within the genome. These are places where the genetic letters may vary between individuals. If a particular variant is routinely associated with a particular physical feature or a behavior. pattern, it suggests that a particular version of a nearby gene is influencing that feature or behavior.
Dr. Vink found four markers which seemed to be associated with smoking. They were on chromosomes 3, 6, 10 and 14, suggesting that at least four genes are involved. Dr. Vink hopes that finding genes responsible for nicotine dependence will make it possible to identify the causes of such dependence. That will help to classify smokers better (some are social smokers while others are physically addicted) and thus enable "quitting" programs to be customized.
Results such as Dr. Vink's must be interpreted with care. Association studies, as such projects are known, have a disturbing habit of disappearing, as it were, in a puff of smoke when someone tries to replicate them. But if Dr. Vink really has exposed a genetic link with addiction, then Mark Twain's problem may eventually become a thing of the past.
Mark Twain is mentioned in the passage in order to show that
A．he is a man with very Strong will power.
B．it is easy to give up smoking temporarily.
C．famous writers are often heavy smokers.
D．only few people have his determination.
A study of art history might be a good way to learn more about a culture than is possible to learn in general history classes, Most【B1】history courses primarily concentrate on polities, economies, and war. But art history【B2】on much more than this【B3】art reflects not only the political【B4】of a people, but also religious beliefs, emotions, and psychology. In addition,【B5】about the daily activities of our【B6】or of people very different from our own can be provided by art, In short, art【B7】the essential qualities of a time and a place, and a study of it【B8】offers us a deeper understanding【B9】can be found in most history, books.
In history books,【B10】information about the political life of a country is【B11】; that is, facts about polities axe given,【B12】opinions are not expressed. Art, on the other hand, is【B13】, it reflects emotions and opinions. The great Spanish painter Francisco Goya was perhaps the first【B14】"political" artist. In his well-known painting The Third of May, 1080, he【B15】the Spanish government for its【B16】of power over people.
In the same way, art can【B17】a culture's religious beliefs. For hundreds of years in Europe, religious alt was almost the only【B18】of art that existed. Churches and other religious buildings were filled with paintings that【B19】people and stories from the Bible. By【B20】, one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle East was(and still is) its absence of human and animal images.
【B1】
A．usual
B．typical
C．average
D．popular
Mobile Phones:Are They about to Transform. Our Lives？ We love them so much that some of us sleep with them under the pillow,yet we are increasingly concerned that we cannot escape their electronic reach.We use them to convey our most intimate secrets,yet we worry that they are a threat to our privacy.We rely on them more than the lnternet to cope with modern life,yet many of us don’t believe advertisements saying we need more advanced services.
Sweeping aside the doubts that many people feel about the benefits of new third generation phones and fears over the health effects of phone masts(天线竿),a recent report clains that the long-term effects of new mobile technologies will be entirely positive so long as the public can be convinced to make use of them.Research about users of mobile phones reveals that the mobile has already moved beyond being a mere practical communications tool to become the backbone (支柱)of modern social life,from love affairs to friendship to work.One female teacher,32,told the researchers:“I love my phone.It’s my friend.”
The close relationship between user and phone is most pronounced among teenagers,the report says,who regard their mobiles as an expression of their identity.This is partly because mobiles are seen as being beyond the control of parents.But the researchers suggest that another reason may be that mobiles,especially taxt messaging,are seen as a way of overcoming shyness.“Texting is often used for apologies,to excuse lateness or to communicate other things that make us uncomfortable,”the report says,The impact of phones,however,has been local rather than global,supporting existing friendships and networks,rather than opening users to a new broader community.Even the language of texting in one area can be incomprehensible to anybody from another area.
Among the most important benefits of using mobile phones,the report claims,will be a vastly improved mobile infrastructure(基础设施),providing gains throughout the economy,and the provision of a more sophisticated location-based services for users.The report calls on govemment to put more effort into the delivery of services by bobile phone,with suggestions including public transport and traffic information and doctors’ text messages to remind patients of appointments.“I love that idea,”one user said in an interview.“It would mean I wouldn’t have to write a hundred messages to myself.”
There are many other possibilities.At a recent trade fair in Sweden,a mobile navigation product was launched.When the user enters a destination,a route is automatically downloaded to their mobile and presented by voice,pictures and maps as they drive.In future,these devices will also be able to plan around congestion(交通堵塞)and road works in real time.Third generation phones will also allow for remote monitoring of patients by doctors.In Britain scientists are developing a asthma(哮喘)management solution,using mobiles to detect early signs of an attack.
第11题：What does the writer suggest in the first paragraph about our attitudes to mobile phones？
A．We can’t live without them.
B．We are worried about using them so much.
C．We have contradictory feelings about them.
D．We need them more than anything else to deal with modem life.
