Millions of people die of hunger in southern Africa
every year, but when Zambia was offered thousands of tons of free maize by the
US, the government politely said no.
“We don’t know whether the food is
safe,” said Zambia’s commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Dipak Patel.
His worries are shared by countries around the world
that are in two minds about America’s genetically modified（GM,转基因的）crops．Just last week, EU（欧盟）member
nations were discussing whether or not to import GM sweet corn from the US．
Ever since people started farming, they have tried to
crossbreed（杂交）plants to make them stronger or better
tasting. At one time, only related plants could be crossed with each other．
But when GM techniques were developed in the 1970s,
scientists were able to put a single gene from a living creature into an
unrelated creature.
This means they can make crops more productive and
resistant to disease by adding genes from other species．They can also create food with special
characteristics, such as “golden rice”, which is enriched with vitamin A. But
many people believe GM foods are a health risk.
At the moment, the official argument is that GM foods
“are not likely to present risks for human health”. But there are still many
questions to be answered as the foods are produced in different ways.
Some experts believe the genetic
material added to plants can transfer to humans and give damage to our bodies.
Further harm could be caused by the genes from GM plants crossbreeding with
naturally produced crops．
People in China are also getting
worried about GM foods. More than 70 percent of the
country’s soybean oil is produced from imported GM
soybeans. Meanwhile, an investigation last November found that 12 of 60 famous
foods sold across the country were GM products. The government has begun to
introduce a marking system for GM goods so that people can choose whether or
not to eat them.
1.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. Harmful GM
foods B.
Advantages of GM foods
C. GM foods, a health risk? D.
the Techniques of GM foods
2.Why has Zambia refused the American free maize?
A. they decide to follow EU member’s advice
B. they are concerned about the safety of GM foods
C. they care little about the problem of starvation
D. they are too proud to accept free offer
3.It has been proved that _________.
A. GM foods are harmful to people’s
health
B. GM food is no better than naturally produced foods
C. only related plans could be crossed with each other
D. GM techniques can increase the production of crops
4.Which of the following statement is TRUE?
A. GM foods are a health risk.
B. Only Zambia worries about the safety of GM foods .
C. China’s government hasn’t taken any action about GM
foods.
D. Some experts believe human bodies can absorb
genetic material from GM foods.
5.What’s the author’s attitude towards GM foods?
A. Supportive. B.
Neutral. C.
Doubtful. D. Critical.
D. argued that the ban should be cancelled