视听说

Activity A :reading on GM Food

Genetically modified (GM) foods and genetically engineered crops have become a controversial and heated topic over the last several decades, with no likely end to the debate in sight anytime soon. The term itself is used to describe food crops that have been modified through a specific range of techniques, which ultimately give the crops completely new or improved qualities. These qualities could include improved resistance to pests or they may involve increasing the nutritional value of the food. For some, the concept of a genetically modified food can seem very unusual, primarily because it is seen as meddling with nature. However, the uses are thought to be beneficial to humans for a number of reasons. By genetically modifying foods, technologists can insert the gene from one organism into another organism that does not normally carry that gene. The organism's genes may be sourced from one or more other organisms, depending on the desired effects. One example is the use of bacteria. If a specific kind of bacteria had a protein that could eliminate the larvae from insects, the use of genes from this bacteria into a crop can mean that the crop has a natural resistance to that insect. In this way, farmers can reduce costs and improve crop yields by handling pests without having to use toxic pesticides and herbicides. If you consider the struggles of growing crops each year, only to have all of the farmer's hard work destroyed by uncontrollable pests or weather conditions, you can begin to appreciate how some people strongly support the use of genetically modified food. However, the process is not without controversy.

As you read more about the process of genetic modification, you will begin to learn that the consequences are not always positive ones. When changes are made to an organism, the results are not always completely predictable, which in some cases could cause issues to human health or the health of the environment and delicate ecosystem. For instance, there is the potential for allergies to occur when foods are genetically modified. If you were severely allergic to peanuts and a gene from peanuts was inserted into an apple, you might eat the apple thinking that there is no allergy issue. Yet, you could suffer from a major immunological reaction as a result of the genetic modification. On the other side of the issue are those who cite global problems such as poverty. By improving the nutritional quality of a food—for instance, increasing a nutrient in a staple food for a specific country—the idea is that micro nutrient deficiencies can be alleviated. In the same light, others believe that instead of genetic modification, we should be focusing on ways to simply improve access to a broad range of nutritious foods. Additional issues relating to genetically modified food include the concern that this technology could negatively impact the environment. The biodiversity in the environment is a real issue that could be affected by the production of genetically modified foods.

Task 1 The following words are taken from the article you’ve just read. Choose 5 of them to make statements about GM Food in your own words.

resistance (resistant) bacteria nutritional (nutrition/malnutrition)

protein yields pesticides and herbicides

uncontrollable predictable potential

controversial issue ecosystem

allergic (allergy) poverty nutrient

alleviate negative biodiversity

转基因食品和转基因作物在过去几十年里已成为一个有争议的热门话题，很快就不可能结束这场争论。这个术语本身就是用来描述通过特定的技术进行改良的粮食作物，这些作物最终会给作物带来全新的或改良的品质。这些品质可以包括提高对害虫的抵抗力，也可能包括增加食物的营养价值。对一些人来说，转基因食品的概念似乎非常不寻常，主要是因为它被视为对大自然的干涉。然而，使用被认为是有益的理由的人。通过基因改造食物，技术人员可以将基因从一个生物体插入另一个通常不携带该基因的生物体。生物体的基因可能来源于一个或多个其他生物体，这取决于所期望的效果。其中一个例子就是细菌的使用。如果一种特定的细菌有一种能消灭昆虫幼虫的蛋白质，那么利用这种细菌的基因转化成作物就意味着庄稼对这种昆虫有天然的抵抗力。这样，农民可以通过处理害虫而不用使用有毒的杀虫剂和除草剂来降低成本和提高作物产量。如果你考虑每年农作物的斗争，只有农民的辛勤工作被不可控的害虫或天气所破坏，你就可以开始欣赏一些人强烈支持使用转基因食品了。然而，这个过程并非没有争议。

当你阅读更多关于基因改造的过程时，你会开始认识到，结果并不总是积极的。当一个生物体发生变化时，结果并不总是完全可预测的，在某些情况下，这可能会对人类健康或环境的健康和微妙的生态系统造成问题。例如，当食物被基因改造时，就有可能发生过敏。如果你对花生过敏，把花生中的基因插入苹果，你可能会吃苹果，认为没有过敏问题。然而，由于遗传修饰，你可能会遭受主要的免疫反应。关于这个问题的另一面是那些贫困等全球性问题举。举例来说，通过改善食物的营养品质，增加特定国家主食的营养素，可以减少微量营养素的不足。同样，其他人认为，不是基因改造，我们应该专注于简单地改善获得广泛营养食品的途径。与转基因食品有关的其他问题包括对这项技术可能对环境产生负面影响的关切。环境中的生物多样性是一个真正的问题，可能会受到转基因食品生产的影响。

今天我要向大家介绍一下GM food以及人们对GM food或赞成或反对的一些观点。GM food一直是个很有争议的话题。那些对 GM food持赞成观点的人认为该项技术可以以更少的成本提供更多的食物，从而缓解贫困国家的饥饿问题。而另一些人提出不应把GM food看做单纯的农业问题，它涉及到政治、社会、环境等方面。他们担心，这项技术会引发不可预见的后果。另外，一些学者还指出，GM food不会成为缓解贫困国家现存问题的途径，相反它会使问题更严重。实际上，一些贫困国家本身就反对这项技术。看来对GM food利与弊的探究在未来的几年都仍将是个热门论题。

转基因食物术语本身就是用来描述通过特定的技术进行改良的粮食作物，这些作物最终会给作物带来全新的或改良的品质。这种技术有利有弊。有利的一方面科学家可以根据人们所期望的效果通过基因改造获得人们理想中的食物。通过转基因技术，使作物携带抗虫基因，从而缓解农民繁重的工作。有弊的一方面当一个生物体发生变化时，结果并不总是完全可预测的，在某些情况下，这可能会对人类健康或环境的健康和微妙的生态系统造成问题。所以对GM food利与弊的探究在未来的几年都仍将是个热门论题。

GM The term itself is used to describe food crops that have been modified through a specific range of techniques, which ultimately give the crops completely new or improved qualities.

This technology is both beneficial and harmful.

On the one hand, scientists can obtain the ideal food by genetically modifying them according to the desired effect.

Through transgenic technology, so that crops carry insect-resistant genes, thereby alleviating the heavy work of farmers.

On the one hand, when an organism changes, the results are not always predictable, and in some cases this may pose a problem for human health or environmental health and delicate ecosystems. So the GM food pros and cons of exploration in the next few years will still be a controversial topic.

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