4．Currently，it's the beginning of the rainy season in the heart of Brunei（文萊），and I have never been so sweaty.Last night I was poking at insects larger than I'd ever seen or even，in my worst nightmares，imagined existed，but despite this，I'm still having the time of my life.
I'm on a taxonomy expedition at the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre in the Kingdom of Brunei Darussalam with a small group of entomologists（昆蟲學家），biotech researchers and laypeople（門外漢）like me.We are searching for new species in the rainforest under the guidance of a research organization.Taxon Expeditions is one of a new crop of private organizations that is
tapping into the pockets of people who are science-curious but not science-trained.We help to fund this research，and we get to participate in it.
I can't emphasise how remarkable this is.I spent a lot of time as a child dozing in my Snoopy sleeping bag under the table in my mother's lab as she worked on her Ph.D.in development genetics.Sequencing DNA in the 1980s wasn't something that a person just did in a few hours，and it certainly wasn't done using a device that fitted in the palm of one's hand.And the result wasn't then immediately cross-referenced with an offline version of an online public database of more than 5.3 million "DNA barcodes" to see if the organism being sequenced is a newly discovered species.
And the craziest thing about all of this is that the sequencer costs less than ￡1，000 from a company based in Oxford.I would recommend pairing up with an actual geneticist，a biotech expert and a real entomologist to make sense of the data，but the implications for the future of access to hands-on science are astonishing.Mark my words：we are less than a generation away from an army of layperson bioprospectors（生物勘探員）working the field using a little bit of scientific training and a lot of YouTube online knowledge.
But if a trip to the rainforest with an organisation like Taxon is out of the question，then you can still do research as close as your back garden.The same group that took me to the rainforest went to the Vondel-park in the centre of Amsterdam and identified a new wasp that had never been recorded by science.And yes，the sequencer - while less expensive than a high-end smart-phone -- does require a little more training than a touchscreen.But this kind of science is rapidly trickling down to the rest of us，so getting any science kit or apps in the hands of your kids or grand-kids this holiday season is an investment.Because there's noting like discovery to fuel the future.
（1）What can we learn about the writer of the passage？
A．The writer is a biotech researcher.
B．The writer is interested in science despite not being an expert.
C．The writer had spent a lot of money participating in the expedition.
D．The writer is a staff member at the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Center.
（2）The underlined phrase "tapping into the pickets of people" probably means "
".
A．trying to make money from people
B．a(chǎn)ttempting to arouse people's interest
C．trying to develop the potential of people
D．a(chǎn)ttempting to boost people's knowledge
（3）Why does the writer say that the implications for the future of access to hands-on science are astonishing？
A．Because teaming up with real experts to work on a project is by no means easy.
B．Because scientific devices like sequencers are affordable for the average person.
C．Because the assistance of non-professional bio prospectors aiding in scientific research is less than a generation away.
D．Because affordable devices，basic scientific training，and online knowledge make it possible for the average person to conduct useful research.
（4）We can conclude from the passage that
.
A．scientific research is still restricted to some trained experts
B．devices like sequencers are easier to operate than smart-phone
C．one doesn't need to be scientifically trained to take part in valuable research
D．doing research in one's own garden can help promote the development of science
