A
Conservationists in Brazil are ready to try cloning eight animals that are under pressure, including jaguars and manned wolves.
Other conservation groups have welcomed the plan, but say the priority (优先)should always be to preserve species in the wild by reducing hunting and maintaining habitats(栖息地)．“While cloning is a tool of last resort (手段), it may prove valuable for some species，” says Ian Harrison，a conservationist in Virginia.“Experimenting with it now, using species that are not at immediate risk of extinction，is important.”
None of these animals are endangered, but Brazil's agricultural research agency, Embrapa, wants a headstart.The eight species live in the Cerrado, a tropical plain.They will be cloned and kept as a reserve in case wild populations collapse (崩溃). As well as jaguars and manned wolves, the researchers also hope to clone black lion tamarins，bush dogs，coatis，collared anteaters, gray brocket deer and bison.
Embrapa created Brazil's first cloned animal in 2001, a cow that died last year.It has cloned over 100 animals, mainly cows and horses.Rare animals have been cloned before, including the oxlike gaur (野牛)and a wild cow.Since then, more cloning techniques have been developed, increasing the chances of success.
“The key is to save a little piece of skin, blood or other living cells before the genes from these individuals are lost from the planet forever.A freezer could store the genetics for all the pandas in China, or all the mountain gorillas in Africa，” says Robert Lanza, who headed the group that produced the gaur.“If you have the genetic material you can clone and reintroduce genetic diversity whenever you want.”
Rhiannon Lloyd of the University of Portsmouth, UK, runs a facility that stores DNA of threatened and extinct species.She backs Embrapa's plan：“Collecting from dead specimens (标本) prevents the valuable information within their cells being lost forever.”
本文报道了巴西将克隆八种濒危动物这一则消息。
1．What is Ian Harrison's attitude towards Embrapa's cloning of eight species?
A．Critical. B．Negative.
C．Subjective.D．Supporting.
答案：D
解析：观点态度题。从第二段最后一句“Experimenting with it now, using species that...is important.”可知，Ian Harrison对克隆八种动物的计划持赞同的态度，故选D。
2．Why does Embrapa plan to clone the eight species?
A．To test their chances of survival.
B．To warn hunters to stop hunting.
C．To prevent them from collapsing.
D．To remind people of their habitats.
答案：C
解析：细节理解题。从第三段第三句“They will be cloned and kept as a reserve in case wild populations collapse(崩溃)．”可知，克隆的目的是防止这些物种灭绝，故选C。
3．The eight species include the following except ________.
A．gray brocket deer B．manned wolves
C．oxlike gaurs D．bush dogs
答案：C
解析：细节理解题。从第三段的“As well as jaguars and manned wolves，the researchers also hope to clone black lion tamarins，bush dogs，coatis，collared anteaters，gray brocket deer and bison.”可知，oxlike gaur不在这八大物种之列，故选C。
4．It is implied in the text that ________.
A．so far no rare animals have been cloned in the world
B．Embrapa has cloned many endangered animals since 2001
C．cloning can't lead to genetic diversity among the eight species
D．it will be more successful to clone these endangered species in the future
答案：D
解析：推理判断题。从第四段最后一句“Since then，more cloning techniques have been developed，increasing the chances of success.”和第五、六段的内容可知，克隆技术越来越高，克隆出的动物存活率也越来越高，故选D。
