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

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

admin2009-06-15  66
问题                   The Gene Industry
Major companies are already in pursuit of commercial applications of the new biology. They dream of placing enzymes in the automobile to monitor exhaust and send data on pollution to a microprocessor that will then adjust the engine. They speak of what the New York Times calls "metal-hungry microbes 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 in the entire biotechnological 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 kidney, lives 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 God’? "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".
选项 A、using metal-hungry microbes
B、making use of enzymes
C、adjusting the engine
D、patenting new life forms
答案B
解析 该题问“根据文章来看，汽车发动机的尾气可能被什么检测到?”我们可以先看看备选答案，这是因为这个问题较接近生活，所以可能可以直接借助常识进行推理判断。A说“用渴望吃金属的微生物”，B说“使用酶”，C说“调整发动机”，D说“给予新的生命形式专利权”。不难从常识判断C和D都不正确。再借助原文，利用答案线索词exhaust of a car engine“汽车发动机的尾气”和-check“检测”，不难在第1段的第2句中发现答案相关句。该句说“他们梦想把酶放入汽车中去监控(汽车的)尾气并且向微机传送污染数据……”，依据此可判断B是正确的答案。
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