For most people, meat is a necessary part of any meal. But just ask yourself, would you still eat it if you knew that it had come from a cloned chicken or pig?

The European Food Safety Authority has, so far, found no indication（25）______ food products, such as milk and meat, from cloned animals, are less safe than ones from normal animals. However, there are still economic and ethical (伦理的) concerns related to (26) ______(eat) cloned animals.

That’s (27) ______ the European Union has launched a proposal to ban the sale and import of food from cloned animals.

First of all, cloning is extremely costly. More importantly, cloning has a low success rate. It means that many cloned animals won’t survive into adulthood, and some (28) ______ die before they are even born. This causes unnecessary suffering among animals and is opposed by animal rights supporters.

While it would make it illegal to sell and import cloned animals, the proposal says that (29) ______ sale and import of food from the offspring (后代) of clones would be allowed since they are not considered to be the direct products of cloning. But they are required to be clearly labeled (30) _____ ___customers can choose whether they want them or not.

The proposal (31) ______ (put) to the European Parliament and member states, and it is not expected to come into force until 2016.

California has long attracted visitors seeking fortune, fame or both. Way back in 1849, hundreds of thousands started digging (32) ______ gold in the great Gold Rush of California, a historical event that (33) ______ (capture) the American imagination.

Nowadays, the state is the most diverse（多元化的）in the entire mainland US – both in terms of the races of its people and the languages that (34) ______ speak. Thus, California is a true example of the “melting pot”, so often (35) ______(associate) with the US.

But why is it (36) ______ all these different types of people choose to live and work in California? You’ve probably heard of Silicon Valley. Located outside of San Francisco in northern California, it is home to many of the world’s most successful technology companies. (37) ______ you ever send texts on an iPhone, e-mail with Yahoo, search on Google or edit pictures with Photoshop, then you have Silicon Valley to thank.

But it’s not just electronic innovation that inspires people to move to California. Another major draw is one of (38) ______ (old) American dreams — the chance (39) ______ (become) a movie or TV star. People (40) ______ visit California get a special rush from going to Mount Lee in Santa Monica and seeing the famous Hollywood sign, a lasting symbol of the American film and television industries.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This question has remained unsolved for hundreds of years, yet soon it might not be a problem anymore — the egg of the future may not   41   a chicken at all.

But if not from a chicken, where will the egg come from? Apparently, a plant is one of the possibilities, as Hampton Creek, a food technology company in San Francisco, US, has found. They created a    42    for eggs, called Beyond Eggs, using a mixture of 11 plants, including sunflowers and a variety of beans.

Unlike the image you might now have in your mind, Beyond Eggs look nothing like    43   eggs. They are sold as gray powder that you mix with water before cooking. But the final product tastes just like the real thing.

But the question is, why    44    with “plant eggs”? What’s the problem with ordinary eggs?

The truth is that 99 percent of our eggs come from industrial warehouses (养鸡场仓库) where chickens are crowded into cages too small for them to even spread their wings. This cruelty is what    45    Hampton Creek to carry out the Beyond Eggs project in the first place.

In addition, the cages where chickens are kept so close together are a hotbed for viruses. To help the chickens stay healthy, farmers feed them antibiotics (抗生素), which may cause dangerous bacteria to grow    46    to the drugs and    47    spread to humans through eggs and meat.

In fact,    48    the egg is not a new idea, but Beyond Eggs seems to be the most successful attempt so far.

Besides their great taste and eco-friendliness, Beyond Eggs provide the same nutritional    49    as real eggs, and they’re even healthier since they don’t contain cholesterol (胆固醇). The company also    50    that the cost of their products is around 19 percent less than real eggs, which makes them more affordable.

Have you ever gotten a sunburn? If you have, you’ve already learned the hard way about the sun’s ultraviolet (紫外线的), or UV light. It can burn your skin so bad that it turns it red or even makes it peel off. The    51    helps you remember to wear sunscreen the next time.

Well, Earth has its own version of sunscreen, the ozone (臭氧) layer, which    52    us all from the vast majority of the UV light released by the sun. Without it, we wouldn’t just get a sunburn. Life on Earth would go    53    due to the hugely damaging power of all those UV rays.

The ozone layer    54    Earth’s stratosphere (同温层), a part of the atmosphere that    55    from about 10 kilometers up to nearly 50 kilometers above the ground. Despite its name, the ozone layer isn’t just ozone gas. It contains relatively higher concentrations of ozone than the lower atmosphere, but that’s still a small amount    56    those of the main elements of the atmosphere. Even so, it    57    a lot of UV rays, preventing them from reaching the surface of Earth.

However, people weren’t fully aware of its importance until 1985, when a huge hole in the layer was found over Antarctica.

The    58    quickly pointed to a kind of chemical called chlorofluorocarbon, or CFC, which was widely used in refrigerators, air conditioners and hairsprays. CFCs are able to rise up to the stratosphere and cause reactions that destroy ozone. With a    59    ozone layer, people on Earth are more likely to develop skin cancer, cataracts (白内障) and other health problems due to too much UV light    60   .

As a result of this discovery, an international treaty (条约) called the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987 to    61    the manufacture of CFC products so that the ozone layer could slowly recover and return to its natural state by 2050.

   62    , at a time when it seemed that everything was going back to    63    , earlier this month scientists detected four new man-made gases in Greenland and Australia that could causes new risks to the ozone layer.

Scientists haven’t identified the    64    of the gases, but “this highlights that ozone loss is not yet yesterday’s story,” said Professor Piers Forster from the University of Leeds, UK, to BBC. Scientists believe that there are more such gases out there, and they still have much work to do to “   65    the holes”.

Here is some must-know information from a handbook on how people behave in doing business in some countries.

In Brazil

Brazilians are warm and friendly. They often stand close when talking and it is common for them to touch the person on the shoulder. People often greet each other (particularly women) with light cheek kisses. Schedules tend to be flexible, with business meetings sometimes starting later than planned. But to be safe, be on time. Meals can stretch for hours—there’s no such thing as rushing a meal in Brazil. Lunches also can start in the mid to late afternoon. Brazilians are social, preferring face-to-face communication over mails or phone calls.

In Singapore

Singaporeans shake hands when they meet and often also greet each other with a small, polite bow. Business cards should be offered and received with two hands. Arriving late is considered disrespectful. So be on time. Efficiency(效率) is the goal, so meetings and dealings often are fast-paced. Singaporeans are direct in their discussions, even when the subject is about money. Rank is important and authority is respected. This determines both people interact in meetings. For example, people avoid disagreeing outright with someone with a higher rank.

In the United Arab Emirates

In the UAE, status is important, so the most senior or oldest should be greeted first with their titles. The handshake seems to be longer than elsewhere. So, do not pull away the handshake. Women should cover themselves when it comes to dress. Men also tend to be covered from neck to elbows(肘部) and down to the knees. People do not avoid entertaining in their homes, but they also hold business meals at restaurants. Touching or passing food or eating with your left hand is to be avoided. When meetings are one-to-one, if your host offers you coffee, you should refuse. It might seem odd, but it is a cultural tradition. Coffee should only be accepted if it is always set out or presented.

In Switzerland

The Swiss tend to be formal and address each other by last name. They also are respectful of private lives. You should be careful not to ask about personal topics. Punctuality (守时) is vital, something that comes from a deep respect for others’ time. Arrive at any meeting or event a few minutes early to be safe. They also have clear structure in their companies. Higher-ups make the final decisions, even if others might disagree. Neat, clean dress is expected. The Swiss follow formal table manners. They also keep their hands visible at the table and their elbows off the table. It is polite to finish the food on your plate.

66. The passage is mainly about ________.

   A. communication types                       B. the workplace atmosphere

   C. customs and social manners                 D. living conditions and standards

67. Why do Singaporeans avoid arguing with their boss?

   A. They put efficiency in the first place.

   B. They dislike face-to-face communication.

   C. They want to finish meetings as quickly as possible.

   D. They are supposed to obey the person of a higher rank.

68. In the UAE, when should you refuse the coffee if it is offered?

   A. When greeting seniors.                     B. When meeting the host alone.

   C. When attending a presentation.               D. When dining with business partners.

69. In which country do people care about where to put their hands at the dinner table?

   A. In Brazil.                                B. In Singapore.

   C. In the United Arab Emirate.                 D. In Switzerland.