This line of inquiry did not begin until earlier this month—more than three months after the accident—because there were “too many emotions， too many egos，” said retired Adm. Harold Gehman， chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.
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Testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee， Gehman said this part of his inquiry was in its earliest stages， starting just 10 days ago. But Gehman said he already has concluded it is “inconceivable” that NASA would have been unable or unwilling to attempt a rescue for astronauts in orbit if senior shuttle managers and administrators had known there was fatal damage to Columbia's left wing.
Gehman told reporters after the hearing that answers to these important questions could have enormous impact， since they could place in a different context NASA's decisions against more aggressively checking possible wing damage in the days before Columbia's fatal return.
Investigators believe breakaway insulating foam damaged part of Columbia's wing shortly after liftoff， allowing superheated air to penetrate the wing during its fiery reentry on Feb.1， melt it from inside.
Among those decisions was the choice by NASA's senior shuttle managers and administrators to reject offers of satellite images of possible damage to Columbia's left wing before the accident. The subject dominated the early part of Wednesday's hearing.
Gehman complained managers and administrators “missed signals” when they rejected those offers for images， a pointedly harsh assessment of the space agency's inaction during the 16day shuttle mission.
“We will attempt to pin this issue down in our report， but there were a number of bureaucratic and administrative missed signals here，” Gehman told senators. “We're not quite so happy with the process.”
The investigative board already had recommended that NASA push for better coordination between the space agency and military offices in charge of satellites and telescopes. The U.S. National Imagery and Mapping Agency in March agreed to regularly capture detailed satellite images of space shuttles in orbit.
Still， Gehman said it was unclear whether even images from America's most sophisticated spy satellites might have detected on Columbia's wing any damage， which Gehman said could have been as small as two inches square. The precise capabilities of such satellites proved to be a sensitive topic during the Senate hearing.
26.This text is most probably taken from an article entitled “”。
[A] Gehman's Comments on Columbia Accident
[B] An Inquiry into Columbia Accident
[C] Shedding Light on Shuttle's Safety
[D] NASA's Problems Being Exposed
27.The word “they” in the sentence “since they could place” （Para.3） denotes
[A] “damages”[B] “answers”[C] “decisions”[D] “questions”
28.According to the writer， what may chiefly be responsible for the Columbia accident？
[A] A supposed damage to the left wing of the spacecraft.
[B] The deliberate rejection of satellite images.
[C] A sense of sentiment and arrogance involved.
[D] The space agency's inaction during its mission.
29.As mentioned in the text， the Wednesday's hearing revolved around
[A] the precise capabilities of spy satellites in orbit
[B] NASA's indecisions against checking upon the Columbia
[C] NASA's rejection of satellite images offered
[D] the coordination between NASA and military offices
30.Which of the following can best describe Gehman's attitude towards satellite images？
[A] Apprehensive. [B] Credulous. [C] Indifferent. [D] Cautious.
Text 3
Gene therapy and gene based drugs are two ways we could benefit from our growing mastery of genetic science. But there will be others as well. Here is one of the remarkable therapies on the cutting edge of genetic research that could make their way into mainstream medicine in the coming years.
While it's true that just about every cell in the body has the instructions to make a complete human， most of those instructions are inactivated， and with good reason： the last thing you want for your brain cells is to start churning out stomach acid or your nose to turn into a kidney. The only time cells truly have the potential to turn into any and all body parts is very early in a pregnancy， when socalled stem cells haven't begun to specialize
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Yet this untapped potential could be a terrific boon to medicine. Most diseases involve the death of healthy cells—brain cells in Alzheimer's， cardiac cells in heart disease， pancreatic cells in diabetes， to name a few； if doctors could isolate stem cells， then direct their growth， they might be able to furnish patients with healthy replacement tissue.
It was incredibly difficult， but last fall scientists at the University of Wisconsin managed to isolate stem cells and get them to grow into neural， gut， muscle and bone cells. The process still can't be controlled， and may have unforeseen limitations； but if efforts to understand and master stemcell development prove successful， doctors will have a therapeutic tool of incredible power.
The same applies to cloning， which is really just the other side of the coin； true cloning， as first shown with the sheep Dolly two years ago， involves taking a developed cell and reactivating the genome within， resetting its developmental instructions to a pristine state. Once that happens， the rejuvenated cell can develop into a fullfledged animal， genetically identical to its parent.
For agriculture， in which purely physical characteristics like milk production in a cow or low fat in a hog have real market value， biological carbon copies could become routine within a few years. This past year scientists have done for mice and cows what Ian Wilmut did for Dolly， and other creatures are bound to join the cloned menagerie in the coming year.
Human cloning， on the other hand， may be technically feasible but legally and emotionally more difficult. Still， one day it will happen. The ability to reset body cells to a pristine， undeveloped state could give doctors exactly the same advantages they would get from stem cells： the potential to make healthy body tissues of all sorts， and thus to cure disease. That could prove to be a true “miracle cure.”
31.The writer holds that the potential to make healthy body tissues will
[A] aggravate moral issues of human cloning
[B] bring great benefits to human beings
[C] help scientists decode body instructions
[D] involve employing surgical instruments
32.The word “rejuvenated” （Para. 5） most probably means
[A] modified[B] recollected[C] classified[D] reactivated
33.The research at the University of Wisconsin is mentioned to show
[A] the isolation of stem cells
[B] the effects of gene therapies
[C] the advantages of human cloning
[D] the limitations of tissue replacements
34.Which of the following is true according to the text？
[A] The principle of gene therapy is applicable to that of cloning.
[B] The isolation of stem cells is too difficult to be feasible.
[C] It is reasonable for all body instructions to be activated.
[D] Cloned animals will eventually take control of the world.
35.Towards the genetic research， the author's attitude can best be said to be that of
[A] frustration [B] indifference[C] amazement[D] opposition
Text 4
Nancy Casey was born in Chicago， Illinois， and left when she was three years old. Her family moved to Iowa and lived on 900 acres of farmland， where Nancy trained horses and ponies and helped raise all kinds of farm animals. Nancy loved animals then， and still has a big place in her heart for them. She currently has two Siamese cats， Misha and Iman. At sixteen years old， Nancy's family moved to California and Nancy became a big city girl. The public was very aware at the uncanny resemblance between the two divas， and Nancy was discovered as Liz at age eighteen.
In high school， Nancy was quite popular. She was a cheerleader， a school princess， she took tap， jazz， ballet and played basketball. Her junior year， she met her high school sweetheart and was married a year after graduation. At the time， she was offered a screen test from Warner Brothers films， but Nancy decided marriage was the more important choice.
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Nancy studied interior design at UCLA， and worked as a contract designer doing commercial work for restaurants， hotels and homes. Her interest in design took her to places like Paris and France to study art and architecture. Along the way， she had also worked as a legal secretary in law firms， but her most interesting work has been as the Elizabeth Taylor LOOKALIKE.
In 1988， a friend of Nancy's suggested that she send in her photo to a celebrity LOOKALIKE agent. She was immediately called as Liz for corporate functions. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. At the time， Liz was in the public eye with a new fragrance， book and husband. Work poured in for Nancy.
Nancy does not mistake her own identity and that of her character Liz. Since Nancy has looked like Elizabeth Taylor her whole life， she has become accustomed to being stared at， or mistaken for the star. However， Nancy says that working as a LOOKALIKE has given her the opportunity to feel what it must be like to be a celebrity for a day. LOOKALIKE work has also helped her to play the role. Working in this field has brought many new and wonderful things to Nancy's life. She is grateful to the friends she has met， places she has traveled to and the opportunity to get a glimpse into the entertainment world of film， television and performing.
Nancy recalls the time she met her inspiration. She's a true survivor， her compassion for others in need， her loyalty， her unique and full life while always in the public eye and her ability to cope with judgment and scrutiny， is amazing， to say the least. I have met her briefly and found her to be very earthy， with a great sense of humor. She's a very tiny woman for the great amount of clout and power that she possesses.
Nancy feels her similarities to Elizabeth are a gift. Nancy has worked almost fulltime as a celebrity LOOKALIKE for film， television， print， commercials and on the corporate circuit. As a professional actress she has appeared on numerous television shows such as The Joan Rivers Show， Entertainment Tonight， Dream On， Hard Copy and Inside Edition. Her film credits include Dave， Postcards from the Edge， Sister Act H and Repossessed.
36.It can be known from this passage that Nancy
［A］ changed her name
［B］ misses the horses on the Iowa farmland
［C］ has two cats with similar looks
［D］ has a strong affection for animals
37.Which of the following is true according to the passage？
［A］ Nancy once turned down a film producer's invitation.
［B］ Nancy regards marriage the most important thing.
［C］ Nancy never engages herself in advertising.
［D］ Nancy wrote an autobiography.
38.It can be inferred from the passage that Taylor
［A］ never got married all her life［B］ married at least twice
［C］ got divorced in 1988［D］ got divorced at least twice
39.What does the phrase “play the role” in the 5th paragraph probably mean？
［A］ Being a celebrity.［B］ Being a look alike.
［C］ Being an actress.［D］ Playing a role in a film.
40.Nancy's comment on Taylor is one of
［A］ flattery［B］ contempt［C］ appreciation［D］ depreciation
Part B
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