You Are What You Eat

      Genetic engineering is the scientific change of the genetic material in a living organism. It allows scientists to identify specific genes, to remove them from an organism's chromosomes (染色体), improve them, analyze them, and possibly clone them, and to then reinsert the changed gene into the original organism, or a completely different organism．Unlike traditional breeding, where a desired quality would be bred within the same species, genetic engineering can insert desired ones into organisms of different species. Wow…Did you catch that?

     Genetic engineering creates many positive contributions to agriculture. For example, by genetically engineered（GE）foods, anti-cancer agents, minerals and vitamins can be increased. Improved taste, shelf life, and better transport are all possible. Also, GE plants can increase pest and bacterial resistance, therefore, making the food safe for consumers.

    But some argue that the possible negative effects outweigh the positives, and critics are starting to voice their concerns. Unlike Europe, in the United States labeling is not required on genetically engineered foods or on foods that contain genetically engineered products. Most Americans do not realize that they are, in fact, eating GE foods.

    The public is also concerned about the unknown health risks. With limited understanding of genes, scientists cannot predict possible effects. Because most genes introduced into GE plants come from sources not introduced into the human body, it is impossible to know if they will cause reactions. Moreover, due to the lack of labeling if allergies develop, it will be extremely difficult to find the origin of them.

    There is also a major moral question in many minds. For many, the conflict is not if it is safe or not, but it disturbs them because it is unnatural and unnecessary. We are currently producing one and a half times the amount of food needed to feed the world, yet one in seven people are starving. GE food is unnecessary, and fails to address the root of hunger. Many believe that the only people who will benefit are the corporations that produce it.

    Scientists cannot foresee the possible effects of GE foods, but we eat them every day without even knowing it. We already have enough food, so why create more that could be potentially harmful to us, to the Earth and to all wildlife? I think that the benefits are amazing, but until we know for sure how these foods will affect us, they are not worth the risk．

63. According to the passage, traditional breeding is different from genetic engineering in that_____.

A. traditional breeding changes the genes in the same species

B. traditional breeding changes the genes in different species

C. traditional breeding takes place within the same species

D. traditional breeding is more scientific

64. “The lack of labeling” in Paragraph 4 indicates_________.

A. information concerning gene sources is unavailable to customers

B. it is currently possible to find the origins of some allergies

C. scientists try to hide potential dangers from customers

D. the US government is responsible for GE food

65. According to Paragraph 5, GE food is unnecessary because________.

A. it won't help solve the problem of hunger in the world

B. there are potential dangers in producing GE food

C. we're now producing more food than before

D. customers will benefit from GE food

66. What is the author's attitude towards genetic engineering?

      A. Welcoming             B. Disapproving          C. Unconcerned          D. Optimistic

When I was eight, I saw a movie about an island that had an erupting volcano and jungles filled with wild animals．The island was ruled by a beautiful woman called Tondalaya, the Fire Goddess of the Volcano．It was a low budget movie, but to me, it represented the perfect life．But through the years, Tondalaya was forgotten．
The week I turned 50, my marriage came to a sudden end．My house, furniture and everything I'd owned was sold to pay debts that I didn't even know existed．In a week I had lost my husband, my home and my parents who had refused to accept a divorce in the family．
I'd lost everything except my four teenage children．I used every penny I had to buy five plane tickets from Missouri to Hawaii．Everyone said I was crazy to think I could just run off to an island and survive．I was afraid they were right．
I worked 18 hours a day and lost 30 pounds because I lived on one meal a day．One night as I walked alone on the beach, I saw the red orange lava（火山岩） pouring out of Kilauea Volcano in the distance．It was time to live my imagination!
The next day, I quit my job, bought some art supplies and began doing what I loved．I hadn't painted a picture in 15 years．I wondered if 1 could still paint．My hands trembled the first time I picked up a brush．But after an hour had passed, I was lost in the colors spreading across the canvas（画布） in front of me．And as soon as I started believing in myself, other people started believing in me, too．The first painting sold for $ 1500．
The past six years have been filled with adventures．My children and I have gone swimming with dolphins, watched whales and hiked around the crater rim （火山口边缘） of the volcano．We wake up every morning with the ocean in front of us and the volcano behind us．
The dream I had more than 40 years ago is now reality．I'm living freely and happily ever after．
【小题1】Why did the writer go to Hawaii?

This is the SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, I’m Barbara Klein.
Animal experts say one of the world’s most beautiful and rare kinds of big cat is close to disappearing from the wild. A study earlier this year found that about thirty Amur leopards(豹) still live free. The cats are also called Far Eastern leopards.
Recently, their numbers have been reduced by one. Some person shot a female Amur, then beat her to death. The animal’s body was discovered last month in the Barsovy National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Russia.
An official of the World Wildlife Fund, Darron, said this was the third such killing in the area in the past fives years. Mr. Collins said the death of even one adult female is a huge loss for the endangered cat. He noted that the killing reduces the possibility for cubs(幼兽) or young.
It is not clear how many Amur leopards still live free. One population count was performed in February and March. Wildlife expert Dmitry Pikuuov led this study. It found evidence of seven to nine males. The study identified(确定) three to seven females without cubs. Four leopards were identified as females with cubs. In all, five or six cubs were recorded. Six to eight animals could not be identified.
Most of the land where the Amur leopard once lived was in China. New roads and climate change there threatened(威胁) the animals. So did hunters who kill big cats for their body parts.
Mr. Pikuuov says adult Amurs need about five hundred square kilometers with good forests to survive. He said they also need a large and continuing supply of animals like deer for food. He believes the answer to saving the Amur leopard is for governments to provide protected spaces for wildlife.
【小题1】This passage is probably from____________.

Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow

water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small

fish gather by the thousands off an Alabama pirer. Birds covered in

oil are crawling deep into marshes （沼泽）, never to be seen again.

Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster（英国石油公司漏油事件）are seeing

some strange phenomena. Fish and other wildlife seem to be fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast in a trend that some researchers see as a potentially troubling sign. The animals' presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted, and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen. Also, the animals could easily be captured by their enemies.

    The nearly two-month-old spill（漏油）has created an environmental disaster in US history as tens of millions of gallons have flown into the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Scientists are seeing some unusual things as they try to understand the effects on thousands of species of marine life.

For nearly four hours Monday, a three-person crew with Greenpeace cruised past delicate

islands and mangrove-dotted inlets in Barataria Bay off southern Louisiana. They saw dolphins by the dozen frolicking（嬉戏）in the oily sheen（光泽）and oil-tinged pelicans feeding their young. But they spotted no dead animals.

"I think part of the reason why we're not seeing more yet is that the impacts of this crisis are

really just beginning," Greenpeace marine biologist John Hocevar said.

The counting of dead wildlife in the Gulf is more than an academic exercise; the deaths will

help determine how much BP pays in damages.

What do the marine life react to the BP disaster?

       A．Birds crawl deep into caves.

       B．Dolphins and sharks show up in deep water.

       C．Tens of thousands of marine animals are found dead.

       D．Sea creatures flee from oil spill, gathering near seashore.

Which of the following is NOT related to the potentially troubling sign?

       A．The usual habitat of deep-water animals is badly polluted.

       B．Many animals could be easily eaten by their enemies.

       C．Masses of fishes could die due to lack of oxygen.

       D．Some dolphins are frolicking in marshes.

The environmental disaster was caused by     .

      A．the damage of the Mexico Gulf ecosystem

       B．the lack of environmental sense of BP

       C．the nearly two-month-old oil spill

       D．the crowding marine life

What is John Hocevar’s attitude towards the disaster?

       A．Worried.   B．Disappointed.   C．Depressed.       D．Hesitant. 

From the passage, we can infer that         .

       A．Bp will pay much money according to the number of dead wildlife there

       B．marine scientists have seen some strange phenomena

       C．the disaster has little influence on dolphins

       D．a three-person crew reached no conclusion