Question

American farmers first planted genetically engineered(GE) crops in 1996.Today eighty percent of the cropland for soybeans, corn and cotton in the United States is transgenic(转基因的).Genetic engineering adds or changes genes in a plant to produce desired qualities.

The United States is one of the twenty-five countries where farmers planted genetically engineered crops in 2009.An agricultural biotechnology group says GE crops planting decreased in Europe. But the amount of cropland planted with GE crops rose by about seven percent worldwide.

The National Research Council, part of the National Academies in Washington, recently published a study. The study examined how genetically engineered crops have affected farming in the United States. It found that many farmers have better harvests, better weed control and fewer losses from insect damage compared to traditional crops.

LaReesa Wolfenbarger is a University of Nebraska biology professor and a member of the committee that wrote the report. She says they found that genetically engineered crops can be better for the environment.

LaReesa Wolfenbarger:“In general, we find that genetically engineered crops have had fewer harmful effects on the environment than non-GE crops produced conventionally.”

For example, she noted that crops designed to resist damage by glyphosate(草甘膦) need fewer pesticides(杀虫剂).Glyphosate is a chemical used in weed killing products.

But some farmers have used so much glyphosate that a number of kinds of weeds can now resist it. David Ervin of Portland State University in Oregon led the committee that wrote the report. Professor Ervin says this means that some farmers are again using more poisonous herbicides(除草剂) to control weeds. He says the problem needs immediate attention.

Earlier this year, a professor at the University of Western Australia commented on the overuse of glyphosate. Stephen Powles wrote about it in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States. He said glyphosate is as important in worldwide food production as penicillin（青霉素）is in medicine for fighting disease. He called for better use of glyphosate-resistant crop technology.

64.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The amount of cropland planted with GE crops increased by seven percent in the US.

B. The amount of cropland planted with GE crops decreased in Europe.

C. American farmers first planted GE crops two decades ago.

D. Eighty percent of the crops in the US are transgenic.

65.In comparison with traditional crops, GE crops________.

A. need better soil                 B. need more glyphosate

C. can resist insect attacks better   D. are more likely to be bothered by weeds

66.According to David Ervin,____________________.

A. to control weeds is quite easy

B. glyphosate is of little use to planting

C. glyphosate is as important as penicillin 

D. people should attach great importance to the overuse of herbicides

67.The author writes this passage to____________.

A. advise people to stop using pesticides

B. prove that GE crops have better harvests

C. call on more countries to plant GE crops

D. discuss the issues surrounding GE crops

Answer 1

BCDD