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  3. Genetically modified maize (玉米) causes cancer: that was the gist of one of the most controversial studies in recent memory, publ

Genetically modified maize (玉米) causes cancer: that was the gist of one of the most controversial studies in recent memory, publ

admin2022-08-18  22
问题     Genetically modified maize (玉米) causes cancer: that was the gist of one of the most controversial studies in recent memory, published in September 2012 by Food and Chemical Toxicology. Well, actually, it doesn’t. On November 28th the journal retracted (撤回) it. It would be too much to say that GM foods have thereby been proven safe. But no other study has so far found significant health risks in mammals as a result of eating them.
    The article was by Gilles-Eric Seralini of the University of Caen, in France, and his colleagues. It described what happened to rats fed with NK603 maize, a variety made resistant to a herbicide called glyphosate (草甘膦) by a genetic modification made by Monsanto, an American firm.
    In Dr. Seralini’s experiment, rats fed with the modified maize were reckoned more likely to develop tumours than those which had not been. Females were especially badly affected: their death rates were two or three times as high as those of control groups. (Rats fed with diluted (稀释的) glyphosate also suffered health damage.)
    The article was explosive. Jean-Marc Ayrault, France’s prime minister, said that if its results were confirmed his government would press for a Europe-wide ban on NK603 maize. Russia suspended imports of the crop. Kenya banned all GM crops. The article came out two months before a referendum (公投) in California that would have required the labelling of all GM foods. It played a role in the vote, though in the event the proposition was defeated. The paper had all the more impact because it contradicted previous studies on GM foods.
    But Dr. Seralini’s paper was also explosive for reasons unrelated to its content. It stirred up controversy before it was even published because the authors insisted that journalists who were given advance copies could not seek independent comment on the contents when writing their articles, and would face a large fine if they did so. This was an unusual and widely criticised requirement, which had the effect of ensuring that third-party criticism of the paper did not appear during the important early days when a huge amount of public attention was focused on the findings. That may help explain the panicky reactions in France, Kenya and Russia.
    Though the paper has been retracted, that is unlikely to be end of the matter. The journal’s publisher said there was "no evidence of fraud or intentional misrepresentation of the data", which are the usual justifications for retraction. Scientific opinion runs strongly against the conclusion that GM foods are harmful—but not universally so.
What does the author mean by saying "that is unlikely to be end of the matter" (Line 1, Para. 6)?
选项 A、The publisher of the journal is dissatisfied with the retraction.
B、Not all the people believe that GM foods are healthy.
C、There is no evidence of fraud or misrepresentation of the data.
D、Scientists decline to comment on the GM foods.
答案B
解析 语义题。根据题干定位到原文最后一段。该段首句提到，此次事件不太可能以那篇文章被撤回而结束。后文进一步指出，该刊物的发行者称，论文中“没有任何虚假论据或者对数据的歪曲解释”，这是对撤回论文的常用辩护理由。虽然科学意见强烈反对转基因食品有害的结论—但并不是人人都这样。可知此次事件还不太可能就此结束的原因在于：并不是所有人都认同转基因食品无害这样一个观点，故选B。
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