With medicine, the boon of biotechnology has been obvious. People readily accept it when they see how better drugs and clearer diagnoses improve their lives. Why is it different when biotech is applied to agriculture? The answer is that the clearest gains from the current crop of genetically modified (GM) plants go not to consumers but to producers. Indeed, that was what their developers intended: an appeal to farmers offered the purveyors of GM technology the best hope of a speedy return. For consumers, especially in the rich world, the benefits of superyielding soybeans are less clear: the world, by and large, already has too much food in its stores; developing countries principally lack money, not food as much, Yet companies still pitch their products as a cure for malnutrition even though little that they are doing can justify such a noble claim. In hyping the technology as the only answer to everything from pest control to world hunger, the industry has fed the popular view that its products are unsafe, unnecessary and bad for the environment.
Of the two main charges against GM crops, by far the weaker is that they are unsafe to eat. Critics assert that genetic engineering introduces into food genes that are not present naturally, can not be introduced through conventional breeding and may have unknown health effects that should be investigated before the food is sold to the public. GM crops such as the maize and soybeans that now blanket America certainly differ from their garden variety neighbours. But there is a broad scientific consensus that the present generation of GM food is safe. Even so, this does little to reassure consumers. Food frights such as “mad cows” disease and revelations of cancercausing dioxin in Belgian food have sorely undermined their confidence in scientific pronouncements and regulatory authorities alike. GM food have little future in Europe until this faith can be restored.
The second big wrong about GM food is that it may harm the environment. The producers argue that the engineered trait—such as resistance to certain brands of herbicide or types of insects and virus—actually do ecological good by reducing chemical use and improving yields so that less land needs to go under the plough. Opponents retort that any such benefits are far outweighed by the damage such crops might do. They worry that pesticideresistant genes may spread from plants that should be saved to weeds that have to be killed. They fear a loss of biodiversity. They fret that the inbuilt resistance to bugs that some GM crops will have may poison insects such as Monarch butterfly, and allow other, nastier bugs to develop a natural resistance and thrive.
Many of the fears are based on results from limited experiments, often in the laboratory. The only way to discover whether they will arise in real life, or whether they will be any more damaging than similar risks posed by conventional crops and farming practice, is to do more research in the field. Banning the experimental growth of GM plants as some protesters want simply deprives scientists of their most fruitful laboratory.(524 words)
1. GM crops are crops that____
[A] have a super-yielding quality.
[B] cannot be grown with conventional methods.
[C] may have unknown health effects.
[D] have unnatural genes introduced into them.
2. Companies introduce GM food to the market as a solution to all these problems EXCEPT____
[A] world hunger.
[B] environment.
[C] malnutrition.
[D] pest control.
3. The author suggests that the public does not accept GM food because____
[A] biotech already caused problems like mad cow disease.
[B] GM foods are cheap to produce but dear to buy.
[C] the public no longer believes in scientific pronouncements.
[D] consumer confidence collapsed in recent food scares.
4. Critics of GM food argue that the pesticide-resistant genes____
[A] may poison good insects and let bad insects thrive.
[B] may kill the plants instead of the harmful weeds.
[C] have benefits far outweighing the damage they might do.
[D] do ecological good by reducing the use of chemicals.
5. By presenting GM food, the author of the passage probably aims to____
[A] expose its risks.
[B] answer various charges against it.
[C] propose an objective attitude to it.
[D] exhibit its advantages diagnoses purveyors.
核心詞匯
pitch n. 程度,投擲,音高;v. 投,向前傾跌,扎牢,定調(diào),用瀝青覆蓋
malnutrition n. 營養(yǎng)不良
maize n. 玉米
dioxin n. [化] 二氧(雜)芑
herbicide n. 除草劑
outweigh v. 比…重,比…重要,比…有價(jià)值
pesticide n. 殺蟲劑
fret n. 煩躁,磨損,焦急;v. 煩惱,不滿,磨損
bugs a. 瘋狂的,發(fā)瘋的
nasty a. 污*的,下流的,險(xiǎn)惡的,脾氣不好的,惡意的
難句剖析
1. Critics assert that genetic engineering introduces into food genes that are not present naturally, can not be introduced through conventional breeding and may have unknown health effects that should be investigated before the food is sold to the public .
【解析】 本句的主干是Critics assert that…。第一個(gè)that引導(dǎo)賓語從句，第二個(gè)that引導(dǎo)定語從句修飾food genes，第三個(gè)that是代詞，指代food genes。
【譯文】 批評家認(rèn)為基因工程引進(jìn)的食物基因不是自然存在的，不能通過傳統(tǒng)飼養(yǎng)方法引進(jìn)，可能有未知的健康危害，因此應(yīng)該在食物出售給公眾之前對其進(jìn)行檢查。
2. The producers argue that the engineered trait—such as resistance to certain brands of herbicide or types of insects and virus—actually do ecological good by reducing chemical use and improving yields so that less land needs to go under the plough.
【解析】 句子的主干是The producers argue that…。that引導(dǎo)賓語從句, 賓語從句是“the engineered trait…actually do ecological good”;such as…是對engineered trait的進(jìn)一步解釋說明 。
【譯文】 生產(chǎn)者認(rèn)為像抵抗某種除草劑或一些種類的昆蟲和病毒這樣的特點(diǎn)確實(shí)對生態(tài)有益，因?yàn)樗鼈儨p少了化學(xué)用品的使用，并且提高了生產(chǎn)量從而減少了對耕地的需要。
3. The only way to discover whether they will arise in real life, or whether they will be any more damaging than similar risks posed by conventional crops and farming practice, is to do more research in the field.
【解析】 本句子的主干是The only way…is to do more research in the field。to discover 不定式短語作狀語，兩個(gè)whether引導(dǎo)的句子作discover的賓語。
【譯文】 去發(fā)現(xiàn)它們在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中是否會(huì)出現(xiàn)，或者他們是否比傳統(tǒng)作物帶來的類似的危險(xiǎn)更具破壞性的辦法，是做更多實(shí)地研究。
文章類型： 科普類——轉(zhuǎn)基因產(chǎn)品
作者首先分析了為什么轉(zhuǎn)基因技術(shù)應(yīng)用于農(nóng)業(yè)沒有像其他生物技術(shù)一樣被人們接受，并列舉了人們對轉(zhuǎn)基因食物的控訴，作者分析了產(chǎn)生那么多擔(dān)憂的原因，并提出解決方案，即要給予它們更多的實(shí)地研究。
1. 基因作物____
[A] 具有高產(chǎn)能。
[B] 不能用傳統(tǒng)方法種植。
[C] 可能會(huì)對健康有影響。
[D] 含有非自然的基因。
細(xì)節(jié)事實(shí)題【正確答案】[D]
原文對應(yīng)信息第二段第一句“Of the two main charges against GM crops, by far the weaker is that they are unsafe to eat. Critics assert that genetic engineering introduces into food genes that are not present naturally, can not be introduced…”可知，基因作物的基因不是自然的。
2. 企業(yè)把基因產(chǎn)品推向市場，它所能解決的問題除了____
[A] 世界饑餓。
[B] 環(huán)境。
[C] 營養(yǎng)不良。
[D] 害蟲防治。
判斷題【正確答案】[B]
原文對應(yīng)信息是第一段最后一句“In hyping the technology as the only answer to everything from pest control to world hunger, the industry has fed the popular view that its products are unsafe, unnecessary and bad for the environment.”對于環(huán)境，作者沒有提到。
3. 作者認(rèn)為公眾不接受基因食物的原因是____
[A] 生物技術(shù)已經(jīng)導(dǎo)致的疾病，如瘋牛病。
[B] 基因食物生產(chǎn)便宜但價(jià)格高。
[C] 公眾不再相信科學(xué)的聲明。
[D] 消費(fèi)者在最近的食物恐慌中失去了信心。
細(xì)節(jié)事實(shí)題【正確答案】[D]
原文對應(yīng)信息是第二段第六行“But there is a broad scientific consensus that the present generation of GM food is safe. Even so, this does little to reassure consumers. Food frights such as “mad cows” disease…”說明，消費(fèi)者因?yàn)樽罱氖澄锟只艙p害了他們對科學(xué)聲明和監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)的信心。
4. 基因食物的批評表明抗蟲害基因____
[A] 可能會(huì)殺死益蟲而使得害蟲猖獗。
[B] 可能殺死植物而非雜草。
[C] 益處遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)大于壞處。
[D] 對生態(tài)有益，因?yàn)樗鼈儨p少了化學(xué)用品的使用。
細(xì)節(jié)事實(shí)題【正確答案】[A]
原文對應(yīng)信息是第三段最后一句“They fret that the inbuilt resistance to bugs that some GM crops will have may poison insects such as Monarch butterfly, and allow other, nastier bugs to develop a natural resistance and thrive. ”(他們——轉(zhuǎn)基因的反對者——擔(dān)心某些轉(zhuǎn)基因作物中對蟲子的內(nèi)在抵抗力可能會(huì)毒害帝王蝶等昆蟲，而使其他更有害的蟲子產(chǎn)生自然的抵抗力，從而繁盛。)可知，可能會(huì)殺死益蟲而使得害蟲猖獗。
5. 通過表述基因食物，作者的可能目的是____
[A] 暴露它的危險(xiǎn)。
[B] 回應(yīng)各種價(jià)格反對它。
[C] 表明一個(gè)客觀態(tài)度。
[D] 展示它的優(yōu)勢。
作者態(tài)度題【正確答案】[C]
文中作者分析了為什么轉(zhuǎn)基因技術(shù)應(yīng)用于農(nóng)業(yè)沒有像其他生物技術(shù)一樣被人們接受，并列舉了人們對轉(zhuǎn)基因食物的控訴。從前三段看作者好像站在反對者一邊，但在第四段作者分析了產(chǎn)生那么多擔(dān)憂的原因，并提出解決方案，即要給予它們更多的實(shí)地研究。從整體看作者對轉(zhuǎn)基因技術(shù)的態(tài)度是客觀、公平，所以C項(xiàng)正確。
試題解析
在醫(yī)藥方面生物技術(shù)的益處是明顯的。當(dāng)人們看到更好的藥物和更清晰的診斷改善了他們的生活時(shí)，人們欣然的接受了它。為什么當(dāng)生物技術(shù)應(yīng)用到農(nóng)業(yè)上則不同呢?原因是從現(xiàn)有的轉(zhuǎn)基因作物中得到最明顯益處的不是消費(fèi)者，而是生產(chǎn)者。誠然，轉(zhuǎn)基因技術(shù)的開發(fā)者的目的正是：通過迎合農(nóng)民要求的轉(zhuǎn)基因技術(shù)的承辦商帶來迅速回報(bào)。對消費(fèi)者,尤其是富裕國家的消費(fèi)者而言,大豆的超高產(chǎn)帶來的利益是不明顯的。世界大體上已經(jīng)有了太多的食物儲(chǔ)存，發(fā)展中國家缺少的主要是錢，而不是食物。而公司依然標(biāo)榜它們的產(chǎn)品是對抗?fàn)I養(yǎng)不良的良方，即使他們所做的事幾乎不能證明這樣一種崇高的聲明。轉(zhuǎn)基因行業(yè)大張旗鼓地宣傳轉(zhuǎn)基因技術(shù)是蟲害控制、世界饑餓等一切問題的解決辦法，反而讓大家都認(rèn)為它的產(chǎn)品不安全、不必要、對環(huán)境有害。
目前對轉(zhuǎn)基因作物的指責(zé)中較站不住腳的是它們吃起來不安全。批評家認(rèn)為基因工程引進(jìn)的食物基因不是自然存在的，不能通過傳統(tǒng)飼養(yǎng)方法引進(jìn)，可能有未知的健康危害，因此應(yīng)該在食物出售給公眾之前對其進(jìn)行檢查。像現(xiàn)在覆蓋美國的玉米和大豆這樣的轉(zhuǎn)基因作物肯定不同于它們在花園里的各種“近鄰”。但科學(xué)上廣泛一致認(rèn)為當(dāng)前這一代轉(zhuǎn)基因食物是安全的。而這絲毫不能讓消費(fèi)者放心。瘋牛病和比利時(shí)食物中發(fā)現(xiàn)的致癌二噁英等食物恐慌損害了他們對科學(xué)聲明和監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)的信心。直到信心恢復(fù)前轉(zhuǎn)基因食物在歐洲的前景不容樂觀。
第二大擔(dān)憂是轉(zhuǎn)基因食物對環(huán)境可能有害。生產(chǎn)者認(rèn)為像抵抗某種除草劑或一些種類的昆蟲和病毒這樣的特點(diǎn)確實(shí)對生態(tài)有益，因?yàn)樗鼈儨p少了化學(xué)用品的使用，并且提高了生產(chǎn)量從而減少了對耕地的需要。反對者反駁說，這些益處遠(yuǎn)小于作物可能帶來的害處。他們擔(dān)心抗殺蟲劑基因可能從應(yīng)該保護(hù)的植物擴(kuò)散到必須斬除的雜草中。他們也憂慮生物失去多樣性。他們擔(dān)憂的是某些轉(zhuǎn)基因植物中對蟲子的內(nèi)在抵抗力可能會(huì)毒害像帝王蝶這樣的昆蟲，并使得其他害蟲形成一種自然的抵抗力從而繁盛。
大部分擔(dān)憂都是以有限的實(shí)驗(yàn)為依據(jù)，通常是實(shí)驗(yàn)室中的實(shí)驗(yàn)。去發(fā)現(xiàn)它們在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中是否會(huì)出現(xiàn)，或者它們是否比傳統(tǒng)作物帶來的類似的危險(xiǎn)更具破壞性的辦法，是做更多實(shí)地研究。*者禁止轉(zhuǎn)基因作物的生產(chǎn)只是剝奪了科學(xué)家最多產(chǎn)的實(shí)驗(yàn)室。
第一段：生物技術(shù)在農(nóng)業(yè)上的應(yīng)用生產(chǎn)者益處大于消費(fèi)者。
第二段：轉(zhuǎn)基因作物吃起來是安全的。
第三段：關(guān)于轉(zhuǎn)基因食物對環(huán)境的影響。
第四段：作者提出解決方案，即要給予它們更多的實(shí)地研究。
Of the two main charges against GM crops, by far the weaker is that they are unsafe to eat. Critics assert that genetic engineering introduces into food genes that are not present naturally, can not be introduced through conventional breeding and may have unknown health effects that should be investigated before the food is sold to the public. GM crops such as the maize and soybeans that now blanket America certainly differ from their garden variety neighbours. But there is a broad scientific consensus that the present generation of GM food is safe. Even so, this does little to reassure consumers. Food frights such as “mad cows” disease and revelations of cancercausing dioxin in Belgian food have sorely undermined their confidence in scientific pronouncements and regulatory authorities alike. GM food have little future in Europe until this faith can be restored.
The second big wrong about GM food is that it may harm the environment. The producers argue that the engineered trait—such as resistance to certain brands of herbicide or types of insects and virus—actually do ecological good by reducing chemical use and improving yields so that less land needs to go under the plough. Opponents retort that any such benefits are far outweighed by the damage such crops might do. They worry that pesticideresistant genes may spread from plants that should be saved to weeds that have to be killed. They fear a loss of biodiversity. They fret that the inbuilt resistance to bugs that some GM crops will have may poison insects such as Monarch butterfly, and allow other, nastier bugs to develop a natural resistance and thrive.
Many of the fears are based on results from limited experiments, often in the laboratory. The only way to discover whether they will arise in real life, or whether they will be any more damaging than similar risks posed by conventional crops and farming practice, is to do more research in the field. Banning the experimental growth of GM plants as some protesters want simply deprives scientists of their most fruitful laboratory.(524 words)
1. GM crops are crops that____
[A] have a super-yielding quality.
[B] cannot be grown with conventional methods.
[C] may have unknown health effects.
[D] have unnatural genes introduced into them.
2. Companies introduce GM food to the market as a solution to all these problems EXCEPT____
[A] world hunger.
[B] environment.
[C] malnutrition.
[D] pest control.
3. The author suggests that the public does not accept GM food because____
[A] biotech already caused problems like mad cow disease.
[B] GM foods are cheap to produce but dear to buy.
[C] the public no longer believes in scientific pronouncements.
[D] consumer confidence collapsed in recent food scares.
4. Critics of GM food argue that the pesticide-resistant genes____
[A] may poison good insects and let bad insects thrive.
[B] may kill the plants instead of the harmful weeds.
[C] have benefits far outweighing the damage they might do.
[D] do ecological good by reducing the use of chemicals.
5. By presenting GM food, the author of the passage probably aims to____
[A] expose its risks.
[B] answer various charges against it.
[C] propose an objective attitude to it.
[D] exhibit its advantages diagnoses purveyors.
核心詞匯
pitch n. 程度,投擲,音高;v. 投,向前傾跌,扎牢,定調(diào),用瀝青覆蓋
malnutrition n. 營養(yǎng)不良
maize n. 玉米
dioxin n. [化] 二氧(雜)芑
herbicide n. 除草劑
outweigh v. 比…重,比…重要,比…有價(jià)值
pesticide n. 殺蟲劑
fret n. 煩躁,磨損,焦急;v. 煩惱,不滿,磨損
bugs a. 瘋狂的,發(fā)瘋的
nasty a. 污*的,下流的,險(xiǎn)惡的,脾氣不好的,惡意的
難句剖析
1. Critics assert that genetic engineering introduces into food genes that are not present naturally, can not be introduced through conventional breeding and may have unknown health effects that should be investigated before the food is sold to the public .
【解析】 本句的主干是Critics assert that…。第一個(gè)that引導(dǎo)賓語從句，第二個(gè)that引導(dǎo)定語從句修飾food genes，第三個(gè)that是代詞，指代food genes。
【譯文】 批評家認(rèn)為基因工程引進(jìn)的食物基因不是自然存在的，不能通過傳統(tǒng)飼養(yǎng)方法引進(jìn)，可能有未知的健康危害，因此應(yīng)該在食物出售給公眾之前對其進(jìn)行檢查。
2. The producers argue that the engineered trait—such as resistance to certain brands of herbicide or types of insects and virus—actually do ecological good by reducing chemical use and improving yields so that less land needs to go under the plough.
【解析】 句子的主干是The producers argue that…。that引導(dǎo)賓語從句, 賓語從句是“the engineered trait…actually do ecological good”;such as…是對engineered trait的進(jìn)一步解釋說明 。
【譯文】 生產(chǎn)者認(rèn)為像抵抗某種除草劑或一些種類的昆蟲和病毒這樣的特點(diǎn)確實(shí)對生態(tài)有益，因?yàn)樗鼈儨p少了化學(xué)用品的使用，并且提高了生產(chǎn)量從而減少了對耕地的需要。
3. The only way to discover whether they will arise in real life, or whether they will be any more damaging than similar risks posed by conventional crops and farming practice, is to do more research in the field.
【解析】 本句子的主干是The only way…is to do more research in the field。to discover 不定式短語作狀語，兩個(gè)whether引導(dǎo)的句子作discover的賓語。
【譯文】 去發(fā)現(xiàn)它們在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中是否會(huì)出現(xiàn)，或者他們是否比傳統(tǒng)作物帶來的類似的危險(xiǎn)更具破壞性的辦法，是做更多實(shí)地研究。
文章類型： 科普類——轉(zhuǎn)基因產(chǎn)品
作者首先分析了為什么轉(zhuǎn)基因技術(shù)應(yīng)用于農(nóng)業(yè)沒有像其他生物技術(shù)一樣被人們接受，并列舉了人們對轉(zhuǎn)基因食物的控訴，作者分析了產(chǎn)生那么多擔(dān)憂的原因，并提出解決方案，即要給予它們更多的實(shí)地研究。
1. 基因作物____
[A] 具有高產(chǎn)能。
[B] 不能用傳統(tǒng)方法種植。
[C] 可能會(huì)對健康有影響。
[D] 含有非自然的基因。
細(xì)節(jié)事實(shí)題【正確答案】[D]
原文對應(yīng)信息第二段第一句“Of the two main charges against GM crops, by far the weaker is that they are unsafe to eat. Critics assert that genetic engineering introduces into food genes that are not present naturally, can not be introduced…”可知，基因作物的基因不是自然的。
2. 企業(yè)把基因產(chǎn)品推向市場，它所能解決的問題除了____
[A] 世界饑餓。
[B] 環(huán)境。
[C] 營養(yǎng)不良。
[D] 害蟲防治。
判斷題【正確答案】[B]
原文對應(yīng)信息是第一段最后一句“In hyping the technology as the only answer to everything from pest control to world hunger, the industry has fed the popular view that its products are unsafe, unnecessary and bad for the environment.”對于環(huán)境，作者沒有提到。
3. 作者認(rèn)為公眾不接受基因食物的原因是____
[A] 生物技術(shù)已經(jīng)導(dǎo)致的疾病，如瘋牛病。
[B] 基因食物生產(chǎn)便宜但價(jià)格高。
[C] 公眾不再相信科學(xué)的聲明。
[D] 消費(fèi)者在最近的食物恐慌中失去了信心。
細(xì)節(jié)事實(shí)題【正確答案】[D]
原文對應(yīng)信息是第二段第六行“But there is a broad scientific consensus that the present generation of GM food is safe. Even so, this does little to reassure consumers. Food frights such as “mad cows” disease…”說明，消費(fèi)者因?yàn)樽罱氖澄锟只艙p害了他們對科學(xué)聲明和監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)的信心。
4. 基因食物的批評表明抗蟲害基因____
[A] 可能會(huì)殺死益蟲而使得害蟲猖獗。
[B] 可能殺死植物而非雜草。
[C] 益處遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)大于壞處。
[D] 對生態(tài)有益，因?yàn)樗鼈儨p少了化學(xué)用品的使用。
細(xì)節(jié)事實(shí)題【正確答案】[A]
原文對應(yīng)信息是第三段最后一句“They fret that the inbuilt resistance to bugs that some GM crops will have may poison insects such as Monarch butterfly, and allow other, nastier bugs to develop a natural resistance and thrive. ”(他們——轉(zhuǎn)基因的反對者——擔(dān)心某些轉(zhuǎn)基因作物中對蟲子的內(nèi)在抵抗力可能會(huì)毒害帝王蝶等昆蟲，而使其他更有害的蟲子產(chǎn)生自然的抵抗力，從而繁盛。)可知，可能會(huì)殺死益蟲而使得害蟲猖獗。
5. 通過表述基因食物，作者的可能目的是____
[A] 暴露它的危險(xiǎn)。
[B] 回應(yīng)各種價(jià)格反對它。
[C] 表明一個(gè)客觀態(tài)度。
[D] 展示它的優(yōu)勢。
作者態(tài)度題【正確答案】[C]
文中作者分析了為什么轉(zhuǎn)基因技術(shù)應(yīng)用于農(nóng)業(yè)沒有像其他生物技術(shù)一樣被人們接受，并列舉了人們對轉(zhuǎn)基因食物的控訴。從前三段看作者好像站在反對者一邊，但在第四段作者分析了產(chǎn)生那么多擔(dān)憂的原因，并提出解決方案，即要給予它們更多的實(shí)地研究。從整體看作者對轉(zhuǎn)基因技術(shù)的態(tài)度是客觀、公平，所以C項(xiàng)正確。
試題解析
在醫(yī)藥方面生物技術(shù)的益處是明顯的。當(dāng)人們看到更好的藥物和更清晰的診斷改善了他們的生活時(shí)，人們欣然的接受了它。為什么當(dāng)生物技術(shù)應(yīng)用到農(nóng)業(yè)上則不同呢?原因是從現(xiàn)有的轉(zhuǎn)基因作物中得到最明顯益處的不是消費(fèi)者，而是生產(chǎn)者。誠然，轉(zhuǎn)基因技術(shù)的開發(fā)者的目的正是：通過迎合農(nóng)民要求的轉(zhuǎn)基因技術(shù)的承辦商帶來迅速回報(bào)。對消費(fèi)者,尤其是富裕國家的消費(fèi)者而言,大豆的超高產(chǎn)帶來的利益是不明顯的。世界大體上已經(jīng)有了太多的食物儲(chǔ)存，發(fā)展中國家缺少的主要是錢，而不是食物。而公司依然標(biāo)榜它們的產(chǎn)品是對抗?fàn)I養(yǎng)不良的良方，即使他們所做的事幾乎不能證明這樣一種崇高的聲明。轉(zhuǎn)基因行業(yè)大張旗鼓地宣傳轉(zhuǎn)基因技術(shù)是蟲害控制、世界饑餓等一切問題的解決辦法，反而讓大家都認(rèn)為它的產(chǎn)品不安全、不必要、對環(huán)境有害。
目前對轉(zhuǎn)基因作物的指責(zé)中較站不住腳的是它們吃起來不安全。批評家認(rèn)為基因工程引進(jìn)的食物基因不是自然存在的，不能通過傳統(tǒng)飼養(yǎng)方法引進(jìn)，可能有未知的健康危害，因此應(yīng)該在食物出售給公眾之前對其進(jìn)行檢查。像現(xiàn)在覆蓋美國的玉米和大豆這樣的轉(zhuǎn)基因作物肯定不同于它們在花園里的各種“近鄰”。但科學(xué)上廣泛一致認(rèn)為當(dāng)前這一代轉(zhuǎn)基因食物是安全的。而這絲毫不能讓消費(fèi)者放心。瘋牛病和比利時(shí)食物中發(fā)現(xiàn)的致癌二噁英等食物恐慌損害了他們對科學(xué)聲明和監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)的信心。直到信心恢復(fù)前轉(zhuǎn)基因食物在歐洲的前景不容樂觀。
第二大擔(dān)憂是轉(zhuǎn)基因食物對環(huán)境可能有害。生產(chǎn)者認(rèn)為像抵抗某種除草劑或一些種類的昆蟲和病毒這樣的特點(diǎn)確實(shí)對生態(tài)有益，因?yàn)樗鼈儨p少了化學(xué)用品的使用，并且提高了生產(chǎn)量從而減少了對耕地的需要。反對者反駁說，這些益處遠(yuǎn)小于作物可能帶來的害處。他們擔(dān)心抗殺蟲劑基因可能從應(yīng)該保護(hù)的植物擴(kuò)散到必須斬除的雜草中。他們也憂慮生物失去多樣性。他們擔(dān)憂的是某些轉(zhuǎn)基因植物中對蟲子的內(nèi)在抵抗力可能會(huì)毒害像帝王蝶這樣的昆蟲，并使得其他害蟲形成一種自然的抵抗力從而繁盛。
大部分擔(dān)憂都是以有限的實(shí)驗(yàn)為依據(jù)，通常是實(shí)驗(yàn)室中的實(shí)驗(yàn)。去發(fā)現(xiàn)它們在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中是否會(huì)出現(xiàn)，或者它們是否比傳統(tǒng)作物帶來的類似的危險(xiǎn)更具破壞性的辦法，是做更多實(shí)地研究。*者禁止轉(zhuǎn)基因作物的生產(chǎn)只是剝奪了科學(xué)家最多產(chǎn)的實(shí)驗(yàn)室。
第一段：生物技術(shù)在農(nóng)業(yè)上的應(yīng)用生產(chǎn)者益處大于消費(fèi)者。
第二段：轉(zhuǎn)基因作物吃起來是安全的。
第三段：關(guān)于轉(zhuǎn)基因食物對環(huán)境的影響。
第四段：作者提出解決方案，即要給予它們更多的實(shí)地研究。