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  3. The Gene Industry Major companies are already in pursuit of commercial applications of the new biology. They dream of placin

The Gene Industry Major companies are already in pursuit of commercial applications of the new biology. They dream of placin

admin2016-07-17  28
问题                             The Gene Industry
    Major companies are already in pursuit of commercial applications of the new biology. They dream of placing enzymes (霉) in the automobile to monitor exhausts and send data on pollution to a microprocessor (微处理机) that will then adjust the engine. They speak of what the New York Times calls "metal-hungry microbes(渴望吃金属的微生物) that might be used to mine valuable trace metals from ocean water". They have already demanded and won the right to patent new lifeforms.
    Nervous critics, including many scientists, worry that there is corporate, national, international, and inter-scientific rivalry jn the entire biotechnological(生物工艺学) field. They create images not of oil spills, but of " microbe spills " that could spread disease and destroy entire populations. The creation and accidental release of extremely poisonous microbes, however, is only one cause for alarm. Completely rational and respectable scientists are talking about possibilities that stagger the imagination.Should we breed people with cow-like stomachs so they can digest grass and hay, thereby relieving the food problem by modifying us to eat lower down on the food chain?
    Should we biologically alter workers to fit the job requirement, for example, creating pilots with faster reaction times or assembly-line workers designed to do our monotonous work for us? Should we attempt to eliminate "inferior" people and breed a "super-race"? (Hitler tried this, but without the genetic weaponry that may soon issue from our laboratories. ) Should we produce soldiers to do our fighting? Should we use genetic forecasting to pre-eliminate "unfit" babies? Should we grow reserve organs for ourselves, each of us having, as it were, a "savings bank" full of spare kidneys, livers or hands?
    Wild as these notions may sound, every one has its advocates (and opposers) in the scientific community as well as its striking commercial application. As two critics of genetic engineering, Jeremy Rifkin and Ted Howard, state in their book Who Should Play Godl " Broad scale genetic engineering will probably be introduced to America much the same way as assembly lines, automobiles, vaccines, computers and all the other technologies. As each new genetic advance becomes commercially practical, a new consumer need will be exploited and a market for the new technology will be created. "
According to the passage, which of the following would worry the critics the most?
选项 A、The unanticipated explosion of population.
B、The creation of biological solar cells.
C、The accidental spill of oil.
D、The unexpected release of destructive microbes.
答案D
解析 文章第二段中“They create images not of oil spills,but of“microbe spills”that could spread diseases and destroy entire populations.”他们设想的不是石油的泄漏,而是“微生物泄漏”,而微生物的泄漏能传播疾病,甚至摧毁全民。只要对这句话稍加分析,就可推出正确答案应是D“The unexpected release of destructive microbes”。
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