D
Smells like money to us
US researchers Richard Axel and Linda Buck received the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday.
They got the award for their efforts to better understand the mysterious mechanism by which animals differentiate among odors(味道).They shared the US $1.36 million prize.
Axel,58，is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics and pathology at Columbia University in New York.Buck,57，is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences，at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle，Washington.
They discovered a family of about 1,000 genes that produce a large variety of proteins that sense particular smells.These proteins are found in cells in nose that communicate with the brain.The pair published their work in 1991 after years of experiments.
Before Axel and Buck's work，scientists had no idea how many genes might be involved in smell.Nor did they know how those genes behaved inside cells，or how the brain handled the information relayed by nasal cells to create a perception of smell.
“Therefore，we can consciously experience the smell of a particular flower in spring and recall this smell memory at other times，” the Nobel foundation said.
The work has a range of practical applications：From the development of bettertasting medicines to finding ways to block a mosquito's ability to smell humans.Some of the odordetecting molecules identified by Axel have been patented by Columbia for commercial applications.
The award for medicine opens a week(seven days) of Nobel Prizes that concludes on October 11 with the economics prize.The peace prize will be announced on October 8.The physics award is announced on Tuesday and the chemistry prize will be announced on Wednesday.A date for the literature prize has not been set by the Swedish Academy.
【语篇解读】 一对夫妇作了一个重大发现：动物如何来分辨不同的气味。这一发现获得了诺贝尔生理学和医学奖，还使他们得到一大笔奖金。本文介绍了这项发现对医学界以及人类遗传基因的研究的贡献。
47.The title “Smells like money to us” really means that ________.
A.the two people got much money for their work
B.their findings can make people smell money
C.smells have something to do with money
D.their findings may bring a lot of money
解析 语义猜测题。文章第二段中提到Richard Axel and Linda Buck got the award for their efforts to better understand the mysterious mechanism by which animals differentiate among odors(味道).They shared the US $1.36 million prize，故选D，他们的发现给他们带来了财富。
答案 D
48.From the text we know that ________.
A.each Nobel Prize is shared by two researchers
B.they received Nobel Prize for discovering smells
C.before 1991 scientists knew nothing about smells
D.their findings are very important to medicine
解析 推理判断题。The work has a range of practical applications：From the development of bettertasting medicines to finding ways to block a mosquito's ability to smell humans.由此句可知他们的发现对医学也是很有用的。
答案 D
49.The word said by the Nobel foundation shows that ________.
A.we couldn't experience the smell of a particular flower before
B.we know how to experience the smell of a particular flower now
C.we know better how our brain works when we experience smell
D.we now have a full understanding about smells of flowers
解析 推理判断题。“Therefore，we can consciously experience the smell of a particular flower in spring and recall this smell memory at other times，” the Nobel foundation said.本句意为：因此，我们能有意识地去体会春天里的特别的花香，在其他时间还可以回味这种回忆。我们的嗅觉让我们闻到了花香，而对花香的回忆是大脑来完成的。所以本题答案为C。
答案 C
50.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A.The 2004 Nobel Medicine Prize announced on October 4.
B.The 2004 Nobel Chemistry Prize announced on October 9.
C.The two researchers began their work thirteen years ago.
D.The two researchers found how cells work in the brains.
解析 推理判断题。US researchers Richard Axel and Linda Buck received the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday.由本句可得出答案。
答案 A
