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 fanning h
Supermarket shoppers have never been more spoilt for choice. But just when we thought traditional systems of selective fanning h
admin
2016-11-25
42
问题
Supermarket shoppers have never been more spoilt for choice. But just when we thought traditional systems of selective fanning 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 Cantley, head of the biotechnology unit at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation 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.
【R5】
选项
答案
A
解析
只有A放在此处才能与上一段意思连贯。A为对上段“farm animals”的举例。故选A。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/RBWd777K
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
Theauthorassumesthatwelivein______.
Theauthorassumesthatwelivein______.
Growingupwithoutafatheraroundcanpresentalotofchallengestoagirl.Quiteapartfromthebehaviourproblemsandlower
Peoplewhohavealotofstressaremorelikelytobecomesick.
Peoplewhohavealotofstressaremorelikelytobecomesick.
Throughouthistorytherehavebeenmanyunusualtaxesleviedonsuchthingsashats,beds,baths,marriages,andfunerals.Aton
Internationalinvestorsseemincapableofendingtheirloveaffairwiththedollar.America’seconomyhasslowedsharplythisye
DoesthepublisherofDouglasStarr’sexcellentBlood—AnEpicHistory,ofMedicineandCommerceactuallyexpecttosellmanycop
DoesthepublisherofDouglasStarr’sexcellentBlood—AnEpicHistory,ofMedicineandCommerceactuallyexpecttosellmanycop
Thetraditionalcalculationoftheeconomicreturntohighereducationisinaccuratebecause______.Whichofthefollowingist
随机试题
甲乙双方均愿就合同纠纷以仲裁方式解决,但始终未达成书面协议。后甲向仲裁委员会申请仲裁,此时仲裁委员会正确的处理方法是()。
变态反应性疾病的共同临床特征不包括
患者,男,42岁,因剧烈腹泻来诊,根据临床症状和查体结果,高度怀疑为霍乱,正在等待实验室检查结果以确认诊断。该患者治疗无效不幸死亡,应将其尸体立即进行卫生处理并()
根据下面材料回答问题。2011年某省广电产业实际创收收入达192.98亿元,同比增长32.33%。该省电影票房收入10.6亿元,同比增长45.24%。有线电视用户达1970.12万户,比上年末净增84.24万户,其中有线数字电视用户达1177.48万户。
截至2008年底,安徽全省总人口678万,占全国人口8%,居全国第()位。
电子书是利用计算机技术将一定的文字、图片、声音、影像等信息,通过数码方式_____在以光电磁为介质的设备中,再借助______设备来读取、复制和传输。
下列关于HTML标记的说法,正确的是
希尔排序法属于______类型的排序法。
CustomsofBulgaria:MarriageandFamily保加利亚习俗:婚姻与家庭Theaverageageforwomentomarryisbetween18and25.25tendto(1)
Astheplacecircledovertheairport,everyonesensedthatsomethingwaswrong.Theplanewasmovingunsteadilythroughtheair
最新回复
(
0
)