With only about 1,000 pandas left in the world , China is desperately trying to clone the animal and save the endangered species . That's a move similar to what a Texas A&M University researcher has been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah's Ark ” .

Dr . Duane Kraemer , a professor in Texas A&M's College of Veterinary Medicine and a pioneer in embryo （胚胎） transfer work and related procedures , said he salutes the Chinese effort and “I wish them all the best success possible . It's a worthwhile project , certainly not an easy one , and it's very much like what we're attempting here at Texas A&M — to save animals from extinction” .

Noah's Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos, semens （精子） and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen . If certain species should become extinct, Kraemer says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future .

It is estimated that as many as 2,000 species of mammals , birds and reptiles will become extinct over the next 100 years . The panda , native only to China , is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years .

This week , Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit . They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal .

The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete .

“The nuclear transfer of one species to another is not easy , and the lack of available panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes . “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy . It takes a long time and it's difficult , but this could be groundbreaking science if it works . They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk , so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer , who is one of the leaders of the Missyplicity Project at Texas A&M , the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog .

“They are trying to do something that's never been done , and this is very similar to our work in Noah's Ark . We're both trying to save animals that face extinction . I certainly applaud their effort and there's a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do . It's a research that is very much needed . ”

1 ． The aim of “Noah's Ark ” Project is to .

A ． salute the Chinese efforts in saving pandas

B ． implant embryo into a host animal

C ． introduce cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit

D ． save endangered animals from extinction

2 ． How long will the Chinese panda-cloning project take according to the passage?

A ． 3 to 5 years . B ． 1 year . C ． 25 years . D ． 2 years .

3 ． The word “groundbreaking” (Paragraph 7) can be interpreted as .

A ． pioneering B ． essentially new C ． epoch-making D ． evolutionary

4 ． What could be the major problem in cloning pandas according to Professor Kraemer?

A ． Lack of host animals . B ． Lack of available panda eggs .

C ． Lack of funds . D ． Lack of qualified researchers .

5 ． The best title for the passage may be .

A ． China's Efforts to Clone Pandas B ． China — the Native Place of Pandas Foreve r

C ． Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas D ． China 's First Cloned Panda

1 ． D 。

2 ． A 。

3 ． A 。

4 ． B 。

5 ． A 。

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