Question

    The US Government has decided that meat from cloned animals is safe to eat and does not require special labeling(标记）．

    The Food and Drug Administration（FDA）planned to speak to industry groups before an announcement was made yesterday. The regulatory agency claimed that it would approve the consumption of meat from cloned livestock(家禽）in a scientific journal article published online earlier this month.

    Consumer groups say labels are a must，because surveys have shown people are uncomfortable with the idea of eating meat from cloned livestock.

    However，FDA regulators concluded that cloned animals were virtually indistinguishable from traditional livestock and that no special identification labels were needed.

    “Labels should only be used if the quality of the meat is greatly changed by how it is produced，”said Barb Glenn of the Biotechnology Industry Organization.

    Critics of cloning say the judgment is still out on the safety of food from cloned animals.

    “Consumers are going to be buying a product that has potential safety problems and a whole load of ethical(伦理上的）issues tied to it, without any labeling”， said Joseph Mendelson，legal director of the Centre for Food Safety.

    Carol Tucker Foreman，director of food policy at the Consumer Federation of America，said，“the FDA is ignoring research that shows cloning results in more deaths and deformed(畸形的）animals than other reproductive technologies. ”

    The FDA scientists wrote that by the time clones reached six to eighteen months of age，they were almost the same as traditionally bred animals.

    Final approval of cloned animals for food will be months away; the FDA will accept comments from the public after issuing a draft risk assessment(公布风险评估草案）yesterday.

    Approval of cloned livestock has taken five years because big food companies are nervous that consumers might reject milk and meat from cloned animals.

67. What does the underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refer to?

A. The Food and Drug Administration.

B. The US Government.

C. An announcement.

D. A consumer.

68. Why do FDA regulators think it unnecessary to label the food from cloned animals?

A. Because they think it will take a lot of time.

B. Because they think it will waste a lot of paper.

C. Because they think the cloned animals are almost the same as the traditional ones.

D. Because they think the quality of the meat from the cloned animals has been changed.

69. When will the final approval of food from cloned animals come?

A. After the public accept cloned animal products.

B. After the government agrees to pass a bill.

C. After food from cloned animals is labeled.

D. After the FDA has assessed comments from the public.

70. Why has it taken 5 years to approve of food from cloned animals?

A. Because consumers may be afraid to buy the food from cloned animals.

B. Because big food companies are afraid that few consumers buy cloned animal products.

C. Because the Consumer Federation of America objected to approving the proposal.

D. Because the food from cloned animals is dangerous to eat.

Answer 1

67. 【解析】选A。词义理解题。从第二段第一句“食品药品管理局计划向工业集团发表讲话”，和第二句“该管理局已称它会批准……”可以判断，it指该管理局，即FDA。

68. 【解析】选C。细节理解题。由倒数第三段可知FDA的科学家们写道，克隆的时间达到6到18个月，它们几乎和传统方式饲养的动物相同。因此克隆动物的肉食没有必要标注商标。

69. 【解析】选D。推理判断题。由倒数第二段可知对克隆动物食品的最终批准是数月之后，美国食品药品管理局将接受公众对风险评估草案的意见。

70. 【解析】选B。细节理解题。由最后一段可知对克隆动物的食品的批准花费五年的时间，原因是大食品公司害怕消费者可能会拒绝这些食品。