ACCORDING TO THE STUDIES, WHICH STRATEGY WOULD BE BEST FOR LEARNIN...
65.
According to the studies, which strategy would be best for learning to play the piano?
A. Learning in the evening, and then getting a good night’s sleep
B. Learning immediately after getting up very early
C. Learning in the morning, and then doing something else
D. Learning late in the evening and then taking a short nap
Passage B
Scientists at a Texas university have successfully cloned a cat for the first time. DNA obtained from a female
donor cat named Rainbow was transplanted into an egg cell whose nucleus and chromosomes had been
previously removed. The egg cell was then implanted into a surrogate mother, Allie. Sixty-six days later, a
kitten, later named Copy Cat, was born. The breakthrough in cloning a household pet was greeted with
excitement by pet lovers, many of whom have already “banked” their pets’ DNA and even made financial
contributions to the university in the hope of one day obtaining a clone. The news was also welcomed by
scientists interested in the preservation of endangered species.
Although scientists now have the technology to clone animals, Copy Cat’s birth came only after several
unsuccessful attempts at cloning a cat. Researchers first tried using skin cells from a donor cat to create a
clone, but only one pregnancy resulted out of 188 embryos, and this ended in a miscarriage. Scientists then
tried using cells from cats’ ovarian tissue. Out of 87 such embryos, only Copy Cat survived. Although
comparable to the success rate in sheep, cows, goats and pigs, these odds must be reduced to make pet
cloning feasible.
Animal rights activists claim that pet cloning is dangerous for the animals involved, and that it could
needlessly increase the pet population of the country. Also, activists say that believing cloning will bring the
same animal back is a fallacy.
Although Copy Cat’s coat color is similar to Rainbow’s and a genetic match confirms that she is indeed a
clone, her behavior and personality are very different. Rainbow is reserved, while Copy Cat is playful and
curious. In reality, social environment and upbringing are more likely to determine the personality of an
animal than genetic material and blood type.