首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
"Junk science" is how Elliot Morley, Britain’s minister responsible for genetically modified farming, describes studies that cla
"Junk science" is how Elliot Morley, Britain’s minister responsible for genetically modified farming, describes studies that cla
admin
2022-07-24
18
问题
"Junk science" is how Elliot Morley, Britain’s minister responsible for genetically modified farming, describes studies that claim GM crops would be hazardous to Britain’s wildlife and consumers. This week the government granted permission for a strain of GM maize to be grown commercially as cattle feed. That has incensed environmentalists and organic farmers, who say GM is unpopular (probably correct) and based on bad science (probably not).
Three years of field testing have shown the herbicide-resistant maize, Bayer’s Chardon LL, to be safe and even kinder to the environment than non-GM maize. Two other crops on trial—a GM sugar-beet and a GM oilseed rape—will not be grown because they were worse for biodiversity (weeds) than conventional strains.
The trials have not made the worries about introducing even a safe GM crop go away, though. Opponents say GM will stealthily take over the country by cross-pollination, will damage wildlife and introduce something nasty into the human food chain. How solid is all this?
Evidence from America, which planted 105.7m acres of biotech crops in 2003, suggests concerns are overblown. In practice it is easy to separate crops and prevent them from cross-pollinating. Even oilseed rape, which is particularly promiscuous, can be kept over 99% pure if it is a hundred metres away from another plantation. Cross-pollination probably will happen, but so far it has caused no problems: genetic material in plants changes all the time through sexual reproduction anyway.
Damage to wildlife is difficult to measure, but there is evidence that GM has had a positive effect, with birds and insects returning to GM cotton plantations in America. Certainly, GM crops tend to need fewer chemicals to protect them. Monsanto says its sugarbeet, which was on trial along with the Chardon maize, requires 46% less herbicide than a conventional strain. Supposed threats to consumers, whether human or animal, are the most flaky. One recent study appeared to show that Chardon maize could be fatal to cattle, but the heifer in question in fact died from botulism. The British Medical Association now says there is "very little potential for GM foods to cause harmful health effects" in people either. People have been eating the stuff in America for years, with no ill effects so far.
The messing around with genetic material that makes some people dislike GM crops has gone on for years in conventional plant breeding, where crops are exposed to radiation and chemicals to encourage them to mutate. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, over 2,000 types of crop have been bombarded with gamma rays to produce mutants, many of which are grown by organic farmers.
"All food is frankenfood, " according to Professor Howard Dalton, chief scientific adviser to the Department for Food and Rural Affairs, "but everybody’s got used to it. " Maybe everybody will get used to GM soon, too.
According to the British government________.
选项
A、genetically modified farming can be described as junk science.
B、GM crops pose hazards to Britain’s wildlife and consumers.
C、GM food is not favored by the public.
D、a kind of GM crop will be grown as animal feed.
答案
D
解析
根据第一段,A项并没有提到,故排除。转基因作物对英国野生动物和消费者有害,这是经过研究发现的,并不是政府公布的的结果,故排除B项。文中只是说转基因食物不受那些环保主义者和有机农民的青睐,并未提及公众都不喜欢,故排除C项。而根据文章第一段第二句“This week the government granted permission for a strain of GM maize to be grown commercially as cattle feed. ”可知,政府已经批准可以种植转基因玉米来作为牲畜饲料,故选D。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/CBPd777K
本试题收录于:
公共英语五级笔试题库公共英语(PETS)分类
0
公共英语五级笔试
公共英语(PETS)
相关试题推荐
WhatcanweconcludefromparagraphsoneandtwoaboutAmericabetween1994and1997?Whereinthepassagedoestheauthorgive
______hotweathermaycauseserioushealthproblemsassociatedwithairpollution?______thedeadlyheatwavecankillpeople?
Itwasamomentmostbusinessexecutiveswouldpausetosavor:latelastyear,GermansportinggoodspioneerAdidaslearnedthat
Tostartanewbusiness,youshouldfirst______.
Whatarethebiggestfour-leggedanimalslivingonland?
______ispopularinthesouth?______isofspecialvalueforperfumemakingbecauseofitsfragrance?
WhathasbecomeabigissueforeducatorsinAmericanschoolsbetweenthesexes?
Inrecentyears,therehasbeenasteadyassaultonsaltfromthedoctors:Saltisbadforyou—regardlessofyourhealth.Politi
Notlongago,amysteriousChristmascarddroppedthroughourmailslot.TheenvelopewasaddressedtoamannamedRaoul,who,I
Everyprofessionortrade,everyart,andeverysciencehasitstechnicalvocabulary,thefunctionofwhichispartlytorefert
随机试题
A.生之本B.气海C.水谷之海D.仓廪之本胃为
叙述节流装置的测量原理,并写出质量流量基本计算公式。
价值原则
脑出血患者急性期一般采取何种卧位
血型不合输血后,患者出现严重溶血反应,实验室检查的重要依据是
会计职业道德中的“提高技能”,其主要内容包括()。
孔子的许多教诲,说来都挺好听,诸如“刚、毅、木、讷”,“温、行、忠、信”以及“温、良、恭、俭、让”等等,都不失为“为人之道”。然而,这些“优良品质”历来都是统治者、强者以及教育者用来_________被统治者、弱者和受教育者的,他们自己一个个却未必____
吕骥撰写的_________是中国近代最早论述民间音乐的分类及研究方法的文章。
【反击右倾翻案风】
设窗体上有一个列表框控件List1,含有若干列表项。以下能表示当前被选中的列表项内容的是
最新回复
(
0
)