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
Supermarket shoppers have never been more spoilt for choice. But just when we thought traditional systems of selective farming h
Supermarket shoppers have never been more spoilt for choice. But just when we thought traditional systems of selective farming h
admin
2022-05-29
95
问题
Supermarket shoppers have never been more spoilt for choice. But just when we thought traditional systems of selective farming had created the most tempting array of foods money can buy, we are now being presented with the prospect of genetically created strains of cabbages, onion, tomato, potato and apple.
It may not tickle the fancy of food purists but it fires the imagination of scientists. Last week they discovered that the classic Parisian mushroom contains just the properties that, when genetically mixed with a wild strain of mushroom from the Sonora desert in California, could help it grow en masse while at the same time providing it with the resilience of the wild strain.
【R1】________
" We have found a way of increasing the success rate from one to 90 per cent. "
This is just one of the many products that, according to skeptics, are creating a generation of
"Frankenfoods". The first such food that may be consumed on a wide scale is a tomato which has been genetically manipulated so that it does not soften as it ripens.
【R2】________
Critics say that the new tomato—which cost $25 million to research—is designed to stay on supermarket shelves for longer. It has a ten-day life span.
Not surprisingly, every-hungry US is leading the search for these forbidden fruit. By changing the genes of a grapefruit, a grower from Texas has created a sweet, red, thin-skinned grapefruit expected to sell at a premium over its California and Florida competitors.
For chip fanatics who want to watch their waist-lines, new high-starch, low-moisture potatoes that absorb less fat when fried have been created, thanks to a gene from intestinal bacteria.
The scientists behind such new food argue that genetic engineering is simply an extension of animal and plant breeding methods and that by broadening the scope of the genetic changes that can be made, sources of food are increased. Accordingly, they argue, this does not inherently lead to foods that are less safe than those developed by conventional techniques. But if desirable genes are swapped irrespective of species barriers, could things spiral out of control? "Knowledge is not toxic, "said Mark Cant-ley , head of the biotechnology unit at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, "It has given us a far greater understanding of how living systems work at a molecular level and there is no reason for people to think that scientists and farmers should use that knowledge to do risky things. "
Clearly, financial incentive lies behind the development of these bigger, more productive foods. But we may have only ourselves to blame. In the early period of mass food commerce, food varieties were developed by traditional methods of selective breeding to suit the local palate. But as suppliers started to select and preserve plant variants that had larger fruit, consumer expectations rose, leading to the development of the desirable clones. Still, traditionalists and gourmets in
Europe are fighting their development.
【R3】________
Even in the pre-packaged US, where the slow-softening tomato will soon be reaching supermarkets, 1, 500 American chefs have lent their support to the Pure Food Campaign which calls for the international boycott of genetically engineered foods until more is known about the consequences of the technology and reliable controls have been introduced.
In the short term, much of the technology remains untested and in the long term the consequences for human biology are unknown.
Questions have arisen over whether new proteins in genetically modified food could cause allergies in some people.
【R4】________
Then there are the vegetarians who may be consuming animal non-vegetable proteins in what they think is a common tomato, or the practicing Jew who unknowingly consumes a fruit that has been enhanced with a pig’s gene. As yet, producers are under no obligation to label "transgeneic" products.
Environmentalists worry that new, genetically engineered plants may damage natural environment. A genetically engineered pest-resistant strain of plant that contacts with a native strain, for example, could turn them into virulent weeds beyond chemical control.
Animal welfare groups worry about the quality of life of farm animals manipulated so that they produce more meat, milk, and eggs but which may suffer physical damage in the process.
【R5】________
Many of these fears spring from ignorance. And although it is hard to separate the paranoia from the benefits, the fact remains that genetic engineering offers ways of solving serious medical and agricultural problems.
A. Western farmers have already bred cattle with more muscle than a skeleton can carry.
B. Supporters say the tomato, unsurprisingly called Flavr Savr, will taste better because it will be able to mature on the branch longer.
C. Consumer opposition means that there are genetically manipulated foods on the German markets, and the Norwegian government has recently put research into genetically engineered foods on hold.
D. For example, if a corn gene is introduced into a wheat gene for pest resistance, will those who are allergic to corn then be allergic to wheat?
E. "Mushrooms in the past were almost impossible to cross, "says Philippe Callac, one of the three scientists working on the mushroom.
F. Genetic engineering will interfere with the balance of nature.
【R2】
选项
答案
B
解析
由下一段第一句中提到的“tomato”可知只有B中“Supporters say the tomato”与之对应。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/KzPd777K
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
Welearnfromthepassagethatnavigationcomputers______.ThenavigationsystemsincarslikeLexus,BMWandAudiaremention
Whichofthefollowingisnotaplacewheremostoriginalclassicalmusicwaswritten?
Whichofthefollowingisnotaplacewheremostoriginalclassicalmusicwaswritten?
Whichofthefollowingisnotaplacewheremostoriginalclassicalmusicwaswritten?
Intheeyesofvisitorsfromtheoutsideworld______.Thetraditionspervasiveofhospitalitytostrangers______.
______theclimateaffectsthefuturesustainableagriculturaldevelopment?______theapproachestoresearchshouldbeadjusted
______theclimateaffectsthefuturesustainableagriculturaldevelopment?______pollutioncanbecontrolledbyincreasingthe
Psychologistssaytherearetwodifferentkindsofloneliness.
InwhichyeardidhebecomevicepresidentoftheNationalTrustforJersey?
RecentsurveysshowthatJapaneseyouthhavebecomea"MeGeneration"thatrejectstraditionalvalues."Around1980manyJap
随机试题
医患双方当事人对患者死亡有异议不能确定死因的情况,应当在患者死亡后多长时间内进行尸检
益母草膏的使用注意事项为
吕某承包了一座葡萄园后,在葡萄园南侧搭了一间草房。该葡萄园位于十分偏僻的地方,几乎无人来往。为了生活用电方便,吕某从葡萄园北面一根电杆上拉了一根电线,横穿葡萄园接入草房。吕某在拉电线时,未采取架空的方法,而是将电线搭在葡萄的铁丝网架上,使电线与铁丝直接接触
下列属于制定统计表的基本要求的选项是()。
计算会计档案保管期限的开始时间是()。
AS公司为一家高科技生产性企业,拥有一条甲产品生产线,该生产线由A、B和C三个机器设备组成并同时运转可生产出甲产品,该生产线于2002年12月达到预定可以使用状态并交付使用,A、B和C三个机器设备的入账价值分别为600万元、900万元、1500万元,预计使
1997—2008年,重庆市实际利用外商直接投资额平均每年增加()。
《蝴蝶夫人》是波兰的普契尼写的。()
小明买了7本书共花去100元,后发现有一本书质量有问题,故补了若干元换了另外一本书。回来后发现,退换后7本书的价格成等差数列且均为整数元,而最贵的书价格为26元。问最便宜的书多少钱7
微程序是在()时被执行的。
最新回复
(
0
)