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Passage
One
Forty
to sixty percent of genetically modified organisms are finding
their way to the produce departments. That process involves
taking a gene from one plant or animal and putting it in
another. "So now, we make these changes in the laboratory
and put these changes back into corn by the new technology,"
Dr. Curtis Hannah said.
Not all consumers are pleased that researchers
are tinkering with food that finds its way to American dinner
tables. Opponents say that some produce is laced with pesticide
to make them drug resistant.
Labeling advocate Jodette Green said that
foods that have been genetically engineered need to be labeled.
A Massachusetts watchdog group said that
a local supermarket chain is selling a pancake mix containing
genetically engineered ingredients that aren't listed on
the label.
News Center 5's Rhondella Richardson reports
that MassPIRG launched its Safe Food Campaign on Thursday,
calling for accurate labeling and better testing of genetically
modified food.
MassPIRG said that packages of Shaw's Pancake
Mix contain GM food, but they aren't labeled as such. "There's
no info about the potentially dangerous DNA contained in
this pancake mix," Jill Rubin of MassPIRG said at an afternoon
press conference.
Cereal and many soy and corn products are
genetically modified, but they often don't say so on the
label. There are not rules or regulations requiring such
information on nutrition labels.
MassPIRG believes that childhood ear and
sinus infections could soon be incurable and that the consumption
of genetically engineered food creates more food allergies.
Shaw's pancake mix has not caused any known
health problems, but many feel that better labeling shouldn't
be too hard for a store to swallow. "I want to know what's
in everything I buy," shopper Alexander Grieco said. "I
have high blood pressure and high cholesterol."
MassPIRG targeted Shaw's Supermarkets in
its campaign because the Shaw's parent company in London
has voluntarily removed all genetically engineered ingredients
from its store brand products.
A local Shaw's spokesperson said that in
England, there was a lack of direction from the government
on what to do when consumers questioned product safety.
The Food and Drug Administration has found nothing unsafe
so far, and Shaw's awaits direction from the FDA before
any product is recalled.
(371 words)
1. One of the reasons why genetically engineered foods are
not welcome is that _________. ( C
)
(a) some of them are drug-resistant
(b) a high percentage of them come from the laboratory
(c) probably pesticide is put in them
(d) they are not nutrient
2. According to the article, MassPIRG is an organization ___________.
(
B
)
(a) in favor of genetically engineered foods
(b) not optimistic about genetically engineered foods
(c) politically-oriented
(d) responsible for testing genetically engineered food
3. Which of the following statements is true? (
B
)
(a) It has been strictly regulated that genetically engineered foods should
be labeled as such.
(b) Shaw's pancake mix didn't provide information about the potentially dangerous
DNA contained.
(c) Shaw's pancake mix has been proven safe and needn't be labeled.
(d) It will be too troublesome for Shaw's pancake mix to be labeled.
4. Shaw's Supermarkets _________. (
A
)
(a) are based in England
(b) are based in Massachusetts
(c) take the same measure both in Massachusetts and in London
(d) take all the genetically engineered foods off their shelves
5. It can be inferred from the text that __________. (
B
)
(a) cereal and many soy and corn products are genetically modified but the
fact is never made known to consumers
(b) food allergies might be caused by consuming genetically engineered food
(c) consumers don't care about the genetically engineered ingredients
(d) the English government has given direction on what to do when product
safety is questioned
TOP
Passage
Two
Today, the average American eats 19 pounds of fresh tomatoes
and 73 pounds of processed tomato products each year. The
fresh-tomato market alone has grown into a $5-billion-a-year
industry. Still, most Americans complain about the wet-cardboard
taste of out-of-season supermarket tomatoes.
In 1989 biologist Athanasios Theologies
and his colleagues at the U.S. Agricultural Research Service
in Albany, Calif., tackled the problem of restoring the
hearty, vine-ripened flavor to supermarket tomatoes. The
challenge: tomatoes harvested green to prevent bruising
and spoilage during shipment don't produce the natural ripening
gas, ethylene. Even when these green tomatoes are artificially
ripened with ethylene, the immature fruit lacks the complex
brew of sugars and acids that makes homegrown tomatoes so
tasty.
Theologies and his team located the gene
that triggers ethylene production. They manipulated the
genetic sequence using "splicing techniques" and reinserted
it into the DNA of the tomato cells. In theory this would
prevent the test tomato from producing ethylene on the vine.
They waited tensely while the genetically
engineered tomato plant bore its first green fruit in the
laboratory hot-house. As they had hoped, the tomato remained
on the vine long enough to develop its intricate flavor
components without the softening caused by ethylene.
The bioengineering process they patented
led to the Endless Summer tomato. When picked, these tomatoes
remain tough enough for safe shipment. Endless Summer tomatoes
are then exposed to ethylene gas in warehouses, where they
turn red and tender. They stay plump and fresh-tasting for
almost four weeks.
Plant breeders constantly search for tomatoes
that are virus-, drought- and cold-resistant, and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture is tracking over 2000 distinct
varieties. Supersteaks, for instance, can weigh several
pounds. The world record for the heaviest tomato goes to
Gordon Graham of Edmond, Okala., for a seven-pound, 12-ounce
Delicious.
There are good reasons besides taste for
eating tomatoes. According to a Harvard University study,
a diet rich in tomatoes—whether eaten raw in salads or
puréed in a sauce—might dramatically decrease the risk
of prostate cancer. The key to the tomato's possible cancer-fighting
ability, according to Harvard's Dr. Edward Giovannucci:
the antioxidant lycopene.
(349 words)
6. What
most Americans complain is that supermarket tomatoes are ___________.
( B
)
(a) not well stored
(b) not good in taste
(c) out-of-date and inedible
(d) not nutrient
7. The challenge met in the research by Theologies was that
__________. (
A
)
(a) tomatoes harvested green don't produce ethylene
(b) tomatoes harvested green cannot be so ripen as homemade tomatoes
(c) green tomatoes produce ethylene on the vine
(d) if green tomatoes are injected with ethylene, they will taste worse
8. As far as genetically engineered tomatoes are concerned,
which of the following statements is Not true? (
D
)
(a) They don't produce ethylene on the vine, theoretically speaking.
(b) Their genetic order is rearranged
(c) When they are on the vine, they aren't prone to softening.
(d) They can't stay long enough on the vine when they are green.
9.What
is Not suggested in the text about Endless Summer tomatoes?
(
B
)
(a) They don't produce ethylene on the vine but they are exposed to ethylene
gas in warehouses after shipment.
(b) They produce ethylene on the vine and will be exposed to ethylene gas
in warehouses after shipment.
(c) They can grow during all the seasons.
(d) They can remain fresh-tasting for about a month.
10. One of the reasons why tomatoes are good to eat is that
_______________. (
B
)
(a) they are tasty and not affected by ethylene
(b) they can lower the risk of cancer
(c) they are strongly recommended on the web
(d) they are home-grown
TOP
Passage
Three
A French author, George Perec, once wrote a 300-page novel
without using the letter e. To write a 5 000-word manifesto
on the "new economy" without once using the word America,
or even the words United States, cannot have been much easier,
but the European Union's leaders were equal to the task
when they met in Lisbon last week.
At the end of a summit devoted mainly to
"employment, economic reform and social cohesion", they
produced an 18-page blueprint for "radical transformation
of the European economy", chock-a-block with digital literacy
and the like. But admit that Europe is learning from A******?
No, thanks. Europe will build its new economy "in a manner
consistent with its values and concepts of society", i.e.,
slowly and late.
One big reason European leaders do not mention
America in their document may be that they hope to leave
vague the embarrassing cause of their onrush of liberalism.
As the American economy has gone on growing, as the American
stock market has refused obstinately to crash, and as the
dollar has humiliated the euro, so the Europeans have found
their long-accumulating envy of the American boom turning
into mild panic. They fear that the United States is pulling
so far ahead of them in growth, and investment, and technology,
and power, and prosperity, as to deny Europe all hope of
catching up for generations at least. Something must be
done or, at least, said.
And plenty of it, apparently. The policy
recommendations from Lisbon cascade down through 41 numbered
paragraphs. A purist might have found it reassuring if the
words private sector had merited more than a single mention,
in paragraph 41. But there are plenty of steps, or at least
promises to take steps, in the right direction. The governments
have promised to deregulate their markets in telecoms, financial
services, transport and energy; to spend more on adult education;
to encourage scientific research; and to support new Internet
infrastructure. Even France, the main foot-dragger, claims
it is arguing only about the timing, not the principle,
of liberalization. There are brave attempts, by E.U. standards
at least, to attach firm dates for carrying out some of
the changes; and nowhere does the document call for the
setting-up of any new bureaucracy, a remarkable achievement—again, by E.U. standards—in itself. Instead, heads of
government will regroup for further summits each spring
to check on progress.
(397 words)
11. The instance of the French author is
mentioned as ____________. (
B
)
(a) an explanation for not using the word America in E.U.'s document
(b) an introduction into E.U.'s attitude to America on economic issues
(c) a contrast between France and America
(d) evidence of E.U.'s economic development
12. According to the author, E.U. leaders do
not mention America in their document mainly because___________.
(
B
)
(a) America refuses to cooperate with E.U.
(b) American boom makes them feel humiliated
(c) European economy has undergone a radical transformation
(d) there exists a hostile feeling between E.U. and America
13. It is not suggested in the text that ___________. (
D
)
(a) E.U. is stimulated by America to make great efforts towards liberalization
(b) E.U. is reluctant to admit that they're learning from America
(c) the growing American economy would be extremely hard for E.U. to catch up
with
(d) E.U. is determined to follow America's pattern of economic development once
and for all
14. In
Lisbon summit, ___________.
( A
)
(a) E.U. governments have promised to take steps towards liberalization
(b) the setting up of a new bureaucracy is on the agenda
(c) France refuses to discuss the time of liberalization
(d) dates of liberalization are fixed
15. "The governments have promised to deregulate
their market...", the underlined word means____________. (
D
)
(a) have more control over
(b) rebuild
(c) open
(d) remove controls from
TOP
测验结果：15 题中 共答对题，
答错题， 还有题未答。
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