四級長篇閱讀試題原文

　　[D] The statistics on population growth and hunger are disturbing. Last year the world's population reached 6 billion. And by 2050, the UN estimates, it will be probably near 9 billion. Almost all that growth will occur in developing countries. At the same time, the world's available cultivable land per person is declining. Arable land has declined steadily since 1960 and will decrease by half over the next 50 years, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications ( ISAAA).

　　How can biotech help?

　　[E] Biotechnologists have developed genetically modified rice that is fortified with beta-carotene(胡蘿卜素)--which the body converts into vitamin A--and additional iron, and they are working on other kinds of nutritionally improved crops. Biotech can also improve farming productivity in places where food shortages are caused by crop damage attribution to pests, drought, poor soil and crop viruses, bacteria or fungi ( 真菌 ).

　　[F] Damage caused by pests is incredible. The European corn borer, for example, destroys 40 million tons of the-world's corn crops annually, about 7% of the total. Incorporating pest-resistant genes into seeds can help restore the balance. In trials of pest-resistant cotton in Africa, yields have increased significantly. So far, fears that genetically modified, pest-resistant crops might kill good insects as well as bad appear unfounded.

　　[G] Viruses often cause massive failure in staple crops in developing countries. Two years ago, Africa lost more than half its cassava (樹薯) crop--a key source of calories-to the mosaic virus (花葉病毒).Genetically modified, virus-resistant crops can reduce that damage, as can drought-tolerant seeds in regions where water shortages limit the amount of land under cultivation. Biotech can also help solve the problem of soil that contains excess aluminum, which can damage roots and cause many staple-crop failures. A gene that helps neutralize aluminum toxicity (毒性) in rice has been identified. Many scientists believe biotech could raise overall crop productivity in developing countries as much as 25% and help prevent the loss of those crops after they are harvested.

　　[H]Yet for all that promise, biotech is far from being the whole answer. In developing countries, lost crops are only one cause ofhunger. Poverty plays the largest role. Today more than 1 billion people around the globe live on less than 1 dollar a day. Making genetically modified crops available will not reduce hunger if farmers cannot afford to grow them or if the local population cannot afford to buy the food those farmers produce.

　　[I] Biotech has its own "distribution" problems. Private-sector biotech companies in the rich countries carry out much of the leading-edge research on genetically modified crops. Their products are often too costly for poor farmers in the developing world, and many of those products won't even reach the regions where they are most needed. Biotech firms have a strong financial incentive to target rich markets first in order to help them rapidly recoup the high costs of product development. But some of these companies are responding to needs of poor countries.

　　[J] More and more biotech research is being carried out in developing countries. But to increase the impact of genetic research on the food production of those countries, there is a need for better collaboration between government agencies--both local and in developed countries--and private biotech firms. The ISAAA, for example, is successfully partnering with the U. S. Agency for International Development, local researches and private biotech companies to find and deliver biotech solutions for farmers in developing countries.

　　Will "Franken-foods" feed the world?

　　[K]Biotech is not a panacea ( 治百病的藥), but it does promise to transform agriculture in many developing countries. If that promise is not fulfilled, the real losers will be their people, who could suffer for years to come.

　　[L] The world seems increasingly to have been divided into those who favor genetically modified foods and those who fear them. Advocates assert that growing genetically altered crops can be kinder to the environment and that eating foods from those plants is perfectly safe. And, they say, genetic engineering--which can induce plants to grow in poor soils or to produce more nutritious foods—will soon become an essential tool for helping to feed the world's burgeoning( 迅速發展的) population. Skeptics contend that genetically modified crops could pose unique risks to the environment and to health--risks too troubling to accept placidly. Taking that view, many European countries are restricting the cultivation and importation of genetically modified agricultural products. Much of the debate are concerned about of safety. But what exactly does recent scientific research say about the hazards?

　　[M] Two years ago in Edinburgh, Scotland, eco-vandals stormed a field, crushing canola plants. Last year in Maine, midnight raiders hacked down more than 3,000 experimental poplar trees. And in San Diego, protesters smashed sorghum and sprayed paint over greenhouse walls. This far-flung outrage took aim at genetically modified crops. But the protests backfired: all the destroyed plants were conventionally bred. In each case, activists mistook ordinary plants for genetically modified varieties.

　　[N] It's easy to understand why. In a way, genetically modified crops--now on some 109 million acres of farmland worldwide--are invisible. You can't see, taste or touch a gene inserted into a plant or sense its effects on the environment. You can't tell, just by looking, whether pollen containing a foreign gene can poison butterflies or fertilize plants miles away. That invisibility is precisely what worries people. How, exactly, will genetically modified crops affect the environment--and when will we notice?

　　[O] Advocates of genetically modified or transgenic crops say the plants will benefit the environment by requiring fewer toxic pesticides than conventional crops. But critics fear the potential risks and wonder how big the benefits really are. "We have so many questions about these plants," remarks Guenther Stotzky, a soft microbiologist at New York University. "There's a lot we don't know and need to find out. "As genetically modified crops multiply in the landscape, unprecedented numbers of researchers have started fanning into the fields to get the missing information. Some of their recent findings are reassuring; others suggest a need for vigilance.

　　四級長篇閱讀試題選項

　　46. According to the UN's prediction, the population growth from now to 2050 is nearly all in developing countries.

　　47. Those people and countries restricting and opposed to planting and importing of genetically modified $ plants worry about their safety.

　　48. The boosters of genetically modified crops argue that these altered plants need fewer toxic pesticides.

　　49. The mosaic virus led to the loss of more than half of African main food two years ago.

　　50. Genetically modified crops can help to improve nutrient contents and farming productivity.

　　51. The most important factor that leads to hunger in developing countries is poverty, not crops lost.

　　52. The far-flung outrage destroys fields and plants because they misidentified ordinary plants for genetically modified varieties.

　　53. The debate on genetically modified foods is more heated in developing countries with fast-growing and half-starved populations.

　　54. One third of corn planted in America was genetically modified corn last year.

　　55. Majority of people believe genetically modified crop causes environmental problems.

　　四級長篇閱讀試題答案：

　　46. According to the UN's prediction, the population growth from now to 2050 is nearly all in developing countries

　　譯文 根據聯合國的預測，從現在到2050年的人口增長幾乎都集中在發展中家。

　　定位 關鍵詞UN，2050，in developing countries定位到原文劃線句。

　　47. Those people and countries restricting and opposed to planting and importing of genetically modified plants worry about their safety.

　　譯文 對轉基因農作物產品的種植和進口持限制與反對態度的人們和國家所擔心的足其安全問題。

　　定位 由關鍵詞restricting，safety定位到原文劃線句。

　　48. The boosters of genetically modified crops argue that these altered plants need fewer toxic pesticides.

　　譯文 轉基因作物支持者辯稱轉基因作物需要更少的有毒殺蟲劑。

　　定位 由關鍵詞fewer toxic pesticides定位到原文劃線句。

　　49. The mosaic virus led to the loss of more than half of African main food two years ago.

　　譯文 兩年前，花葉病毒導致非洲的主要食物損失了一半以上。

　　定位 由關鍵詞The mosaic virus，half，African定位到原文劃線句。

　　50. Genetically modified crops can help to improve nutrient contents and farming productivity.

　　譯文 轉基因作物有助于改善作物的營養成分和農業生產力。

　　定位 由關鍵詞Genetically modified，nutrient，farming productivity定位到原文劃線句。

　　51. The most important factor that leads to hunger in developing countries is poverty, not crops lost.

　　譯文 在發展中國家，導致饑餓的最重要原因是貧窮，而非作物損失。

　　定位 由關鍵詞poverty，developing countries定位到原文劃線句。

　　52. The far-flung outrage destroys fields and plants because they misidentified ordinary plants for genetically modified varieties.

　　譯文 這些暴行破壞了田地與農作物，他們把一般作物誤認為是轉基因作物。

　　定位 由關鍵詞far-flung outrage，destroys定位到原文劃線句。

　　53. The debate on genetically modified foods is more heated in developing countries with fast-growing and half-starved populations.

　　譯文 在人口快速增長且吃不飽飯的發展中國家，對于轉基因作物的爭議更加激烈。

　　定位 由關鍵詞developing countries.population定位到原文劃線句。

　　54. One third of corn planted in America was genetically modified corn last year.

　　譯文 秘去年，美國轉基因玉米的種植面積占到了三分之一。

　　定位 由關鍵詞third，planted，America，last year定位到原文劃線句。

　　55. Majority of people believe genetically modified crop causes environmental problems.

　　譯文 大多數人認為轉基因作物會引起環境問題。

　　定位 由關鍵詞people，environmental定位到原：史劃線句。