2022年職稱英語考試閱讀理解習題(四十二)2JudithS.Weis,abiologyprofessorwhoservesaspresidentoftheAmericanInstituteofBiologicalSciences(AIBS)isleadinganationwideeffortto“defend”thetheoryofevolution.Weisleadstheeffortinthefaceofwhattheinstituteviewsasoppositionandindifferencefromschoolboardsandgovernmententities.

TheInstitutebelievesthattheteachingofevolutioninAmericaisbeingdiminishedbytheteachingofcreationismaswellasbyanoveralllackofteachingDarwin’stheoryinhighschool.“There’snothingthatrequiresschoolstoteachevolution.Sometimesteachersinhighschoolsjustleaveitout.Howeverfromthepointofviewofbiologists,evolutionisthecentraltheoryofbiologyuponwhicheverythingisbased,”saidWeis.“Unfortunately,teachingevolutionhasbecomeapoliticalissueinmanypartsofthecountryandAIBS,asarepresentativeofbiologists,wantedtobeamajorforcespeakingoutinfavorofitsteaching.”

WeissaidtheinstituteisworkingtogetherwiththeAmericanGeologicalInstituteandtheNationalAssociationofBiologyTeachersandits80-plusmemberorganizationstoaddressthepoliticalandlegislativethreatstoteachingevolution.Instateschallengingitsteaching,theinstituterespondsbysendingletterstoschoolboardsandstatelegislatures,byprovidingtestimonyatpublicmeetingsandbynotifyingmembersandaffiliatedorganizations.AIBS,withmorethan80membersocietiesand250,000members,hasestablishedanemailsystemenablingscientistsandteachersineachstate,andmembersocieties,tokeepeachotherinformedaboutthreatstotheteachingofevolution.

Darwin’stheoryofevolutionholdsthatlivingthingschangeandadapttotheirenvironmentandthatpresent-dayspecies(includinghumanbeings)aredescendedfromearlierspeciesthroughmodificationbynaturalselection.Thetheoryhasbeenacceptedbyscientistsfornearly100years,Weissaid,andhasbeenrefined,extendedandstrengthenedovertheyearsbyfindingsinpaleontologyanddevelopmentalbiology.Discoveriesingenetics,molecularbiologyandgenomics—allofwhichprovidesignificantbenefitsforhumanhealth—wouldnotbepossiblewithouttheunderlyingknowledgeofevolution.And,Weisadds,“modernmolecularbiologyandgenomicshaveincreasedourunderstandingofhowevolutionworks.”Nonetheless,evolutionremainsapolitically,ifnotscientifically,controversialissue.

Weissaidthatthisyearalone,sevenstateshavehadeitherlocalorstatewideeffortstowaterdowntheteachingofevolution,or“balance”itwiththeteachingofcreationism—areligiousbeliefthatdifferentspecieswerecreatedseparatelybyahigherpower,suchasGod.“Rarelydoesanyonenowusetheword‘creationism,’becausethat’stooobvious,”Weissaid.“Thecurrentterminologyis‘intelligentdesign.’”.

1．Accordingtothefirstparagraph,whichofthefollowingstatementsaboutthetheoryorevolutionistrue?

A.GovernmententitiessupportAIBS’sefforttodefendthetheoryofevolution.

B.SchoolboardsopposeAIBS’sefforttodefendthetheoryofevolution.

C.AIBSandschoolboardsadvocatetheteachingofthetheoryofevolution.

D.Thetheoryofevolutionandthatofcreationismco-existpeacefullyinschools.

2.WhichoneofthefollowingisNOTthereasonforanoveralllackofteachingDarwin’stheory?

A.Teachingofcreationismdiminishesteachingofevolution.

B.TeachersarenotrequiredtoteachDarwin’stheory.

C.teachersoftenleaveouttheteachingofevolution.

D.Darwin’stheoryisdeniedasthecentraltheoryofbiology.

3.AIBS’siscomposedof

A.morethan80societiesand250,000members.

B.250,000biologists.

C.80memberorganizations.

D.morethan250,000membersand80membersocieties.

4.AccordingtoWeisinthe5thparagraph,thetheoryofevolution

A.isfundamentaltothedevelopmentofmoderngenetics,molecularbiologyandgenomics.

B.isapoliticalissue.

C.isbasedongenetics,molecularbiologyandgenomics.

D.hasincreasedourunderstandingofhumanhealth.

5.Whydopeoplereplacethetermcreationismwiththetermintelligentdesignnowadays?

A.Because“i