FIVE Americans _ the three Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine last week. It was the first American sweep of the Nobel science prizes since 1983. It's rare for Americans not to receive any of the science prizes, especially in recent years. In 2004, seven Americans were among the 10 laureates for the science prizes. Last year, the figure was five out of 10. The huge sums of money invested in scientific research is one factor that has helped many Americans to win awards. Another reason is the vast number of researchers working in the US. American universities also often have a more "creative university environment"where people can focus on research for a long period without any pressure, said Anders Liljas, member of the Nobel Committee. New hope for AIDS patients? AMERICAN scientists Craig Mello (top) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Andrew Fire (above) of Stanford University School of Medicine won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine last Monday. Their discovery is a process that researchers hope to use to silence disease-causing genes . It offers new ways for disease treatment. Scientists now hope to develop a new technique that could be used to treat diseases, such as cancers, AIDS and Parkinson's disease. Like father, like son? AS the son of a Nobel Prize winning professor, Roger D. Kornberg (left) had a lot to live up to. But, nearly half a century after his father, won his award, Kornberg, 59, a Stanford University professor, won his own last Wednesday: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His research into how cells read their genes is very important. It could help lead to the development of new drugs to fight cancer , heart disease and other illnesses, experts said. First light of the universe TWO Americans won the Nobel Prize in Physics last Tuesday for measuring the oldest light in the heavens. It is considered as "one of the greatest discoveries of the century". It convinced scientists that the Big Bang theory of the universe's origin is correct.... The passage is probably taken from _ . A) a science report B) a news report C) a history lecture D) an advertisement
B
prefix = st1 /Britainis facing a sharp rise in its rat population as growing numbers of people leave fast food scraps in the street , an environment group warned . Keep Britain Tidy said the rodents were stopping their traditional hunts underground and were roaming the streets ,tempted by discarded burgers ,pizzas and crisps. "The rat population is on the rise and soon it'll be as common to see a rodent on our street as it is to see a dog or a cat," said group Director ,Sue Nelson. The practice of dumping fast food litter and scraps on the street rather than in the trash-with young men the worst offenders-was behind the rise. According to the National Rodent Survey in 2005, Britain's rat population has grown by nearly one quarter since 2000 and is now estimated at 60 million , two million more than the human population. On average a rat can give birth every 24--28 days and just a single pair of rats can produce a colony of 2,000 a year. Around 200 people a year get Weil's Disease----an infection which can lead to liver or kidney failure and eventually death and which is arrived in rat's waste. To highlight the issue , Keep Britain Tidy launched a cinema ad entitled "How close do you want them to get?" The advertisement gave a shocking image of a young woman sleeping in a bed of rots, echoing the nightmare scene from James Herbert's classic horror tale The Rats, in which mutant rodents begin to prey on humans. What is the human population now according to the writer? A) 60 million. B) 58 million. C) 35 million. D) 2 million.
B
*Question*
NEW YORK--Australian mining enterpriser Clive Palmer on Tuesday unveiled blueprints for Titanic II, a modern copy of the doomed ocean liner, although he didn't call the ship unsinkable any more. The ship will largely recreate the design and decoration of the fabled original, with some modifications to keep it in line with current safety rules and shipbuilding practices, and the addition of some modern comforts such as air conditioning, Palmer said at a press conference in New York. The three passenger classes, however, will be prevented from mingling , as in 1912, Palmer said. "I'm not too superstitious . "Palmer said when asked whether recreating a ship best-known for sinking was tempting fate. White Star Line, the operator of the original ship, had said the Titanic was designed to be unsinkable. About 1, 500 people died on Titanic's _ voyage in 1912 from Southampton to New York after the ship collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Palmer, who created the company Blue Star Line last year, refused to make a similar boast. "Anything will sink if you put a hole in it,"Palmer said. "I think it would be very cavalier to say it." Unlike the original, TitanicII will have more than enough space in its lifeboats for every person on board and will have additional escape staircases. Markku Kanerva, sales director at Deltamarin, the Finnish company designing the ship, said it would be "the safest cruise ship in the world". Palmer refused to answer questions about the project's cost. Although the Titanic was the world's largest ship in her time, she would be smaller than many of today's modern cruise ships. "It's not about the money, "Palmer said. "I've got enough money for it. I think that's all that matters." Forbes estimated Palmer's net worth to be $795 million in 2012. He describes himself as a billionaire. TitanicII will be built by Chinese state-owned CSC Jinling Shipyard, which has already built four ore carriers for Palmer's mining business, he said. The contract to build TitanicII has not yet been... What's the best title of the passage? A) The old Titanic B) The blueprints of TitanicII C) The unsinkable TitanicII D) Clive Palmer--a billionaire
**Answer**
B