Question

【題目】Today there are 7.4 billion people on the earth. By the year 2050 there may be 12.5 billion. There are many people to feed. We need more and more food.

One way to produce more food is growing stronger plants. For thousands of years, farmers have made plants better. Every season, they pick the best plants for the next season. It works very slowly. Since 1983, scientists have been able to change plants more quickly by changing their genetic (遺傳的) material. Foods from plants grown in this way are called genetically modified foods, or GM foods.

By changing the genetic material of a plant, it is possible to make new plants. Scientists make plants which are strong against plant diseases. They can also help in our diseases; a kind of rice will be grown, for example, which stops people becoming blind.

Rich countries produce GM foods because they are easy to grow and bring in more money. Poor countries are interested in them because they help produce more food.

GM plants are not natural. No one knows how good or bad they are. Making GM foods is only one way of feeding people in 2050. There are strong feelings against them because they are unnatural. They may feed people, then hurt them or their children later. But both rich and poor countries are interested in their uses, and they are not going to go away. In 2050, we may think differently about them.

【1】---How many people are there on the earth now?---_________ billion.

A. 7.4 B. 12.5 C. 18.5 D. 20.5

【2】How have scientists been able to change plants more quickly?

A. By making the best plants. B. By asking the farmers to grow plants.

C. By changing their genetic material. D. By changing planting environment.

【3】Why do poor countries produce GM foods?

A. Because they are easy to grow and bring in more money.

B. Because they are easy to grow and very cheap.

C. Because they help produce more food.

D. Because they are the best plants.

【4】What’s the meaning of GM in the second paragraph?

A. 傳統(tǒng) B. 非轉(zhuǎn)基因 C. 自然 D. 轉(zhuǎn)基因

【5】Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. GM plants are not natural.

B. GM plants are strong against plant diseases.

C. Everyone knows how good or bad GM plants are.

D. GM foods may hurt people or their children later.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】 A

【2】 C

【3】 C

【4】 D

【5】 C

【解析】

這篇短文主要講述轉(zhuǎn)基因問題。文章指出，轉(zhuǎn)基因可以使植物增強(qiáng)抗病能力，也可以對人類疾病有幫助。同時指出，轉(zhuǎn)基因植物非自然生長，其好壞尚不可知。

【1】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)短文開頭的句子Today there are 7.4 billion people on the earth.可知，現(xiàn)在地球上有74億人口。故答案選A。

【2】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)短文中的句子Since 1983, scientists have been able to change plants more quickly by changing their genetic (遺傳的) material.可知，科學(xué)家們通過改變植物的遺傳物質(zhì)來讓植物更快地增長。故答案為C。

【3】細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)短文中的句子Rich countries produce GM foods because they are easy to grow and bring in more money. Poor countries are interested in them because they help produce more food. 富裕國家生產(chǎn)轉(zhuǎn)基因食品是因為它們很容易生長并帶來更多的資金。貧窮國家對它們感興趣，因為它們幫助生產(chǎn)更多的糧食。故答案選C。

【4】詞義猜測題。根據(jù)文中句子Foods from plants grown in this way are called genetically modified foods, or GM foods. 植物以這種方式生長的食物被稱為轉(zhuǎn)基因食品。genetically modified foods轉(zhuǎn)基因食品，GM是genetically modified的縮寫，故GM的意思是“轉(zhuǎn)基因”，答案為D。

【5】判斷正誤題。根據(jù)短文最后一段中的句子GM plants are not natural. No one knows how good or bad they are.可知，轉(zhuǎn)基因植物不是天然的。沒有人知道它們是好是壞。故C選項的描述是錯誤的。