16.On the occasional clear-frost autumn night,I was hiking through the dark forest with my GMO wolf.Yes,my best friend is a genetically modified organism(轉(zhuǎn)基因生物); deliberate selection has produced the blunt-toothed,small-pawed wonder that walks by my side.
Our world is changing rapidly.In the last five decades,global population has fully doubled,with 3.7billion hungry mouths added to our planet.During this same time span,the amount of land suitable for agriculture has increased by only 5%.Miraculously,this did not result in the great global famine(饑荒)one might have predicted.
How do scientists modify a plant so that it makes more food than its parents did?We could treat each harvest like a litter of wolf pups and select only plants bearing the fattest,richest seeds for the next season.This was the method our ancestors used to engineer rice,corn and wheat from the wild grasses they encountered.
During my childhood,advances in genetic technologies allowed scientists to identify and clone the genes responsible for repressing stem growth,leading to shorter,stronger stalks that could bear more seed-the high-yield crops that feed us today.The 21st century has brought with it a marvelous new set of high-tech tools with which to further quicken the process of artificial selection.Plant geneticists can now directly edit out or edit in sections of DNA using molecular scissors.We can minimize a plant's weaknesses while adding to its strengths,and we don't have to wait for seasons to pass to test the result.
It is the transformative potential of these techniques to quickly supply the next-generation crops required for upcoming climate change that has led me to believe in the safety and function of GMO plants in agricultural products.We need more GMO research to feed the world that we are creating.
I love the quiet forest that stands between my lab and my home.But I know that as a scientist,I am responsible first to humanity.We must feed,shelter and nurture one another as our first priority,and to do so,we must take advantage of our best technologies,which have always included some type of genetic modification.We must continue as before,nourishing the future as we feed ourselves,and each year plant only the very best of what we have collectively engineered.I keep the faith of my ancestors each night when I walk through the forest to my lab,and my GMO wolf does the same when she guards my way home.
63.Why does the author mention the wolf in the 1st paragraph?D
A.To advise people to keep wolves as pets
B.To persuade readers to welcome the new technology
C.To change people's attitude towards wolves
D.To introduce a technology used to humans'advantage
64.Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?B
A.GMO technology will help weatherproof future crops.
B.With GMO technology,famine has been eliminated.
C.Artificial selections make high-yield plants possible.
D.The author believes technology should contribute to future generations.
65.What can be learned about modifying a plant?C
A.It takes scientists seasons to know whether their selection is correct.
B.One way for ancestors to change a plant was to clone some genes.
C.Modern techniques help speed up the artificial selection by altering DNA.
D.The general public show strong faith in GMO plants.
66.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?B
A.GMO Technology-Turning Wolves into the Best Pets
B.Engineered Food-Feeding Future Generations
C.Engineered Food-To Be or Not To Be
D.GMO Technology-A Driving Force in World Peace.
分析 本文屬于說明文閱讀,作者通過這篇文章主要向我們描述了喂養(yǎng)后代的轉(zhuǎn)基因食物工程,轉(zhuǎn)基因食物正在被研究解決世界性的饑餓問題.
解答 63.D.推理判斷題.根據(jù)第一段Yes,my best friend is a genetically modified organism(轉(zhuǎn)基因生物); deliberate selection has produced the blunt-toothed,small-pawed wonder that walks by my side可知作者在第一段提到狼是為了介紹一種利用人類優(yōu)勢的技術(shù);故選D.
64.B.推理判斷題.根據(jù)第二段In the last five decades,global population has fully doubled,with 3.7billion hungry mouths added to our planet.During this same time span,the amount of land suitable for agriculture has increased by only 5%可知轉(zhuǎn)基因技術(shù)改善了農(nóng)作物產(chǎn)量,但還沒能消除饑荒;故選B.
65.C.細節(jié)理解題.根據(jù)第四段Plant geneticists can now directly edit out or edit in sections of DNA using molecular scissors可知現(xiàn)代技術(shù)有助于加快人工選擇過程通過改變DNA;故選C.
66.B.推理判斷題.根據(jù)最后一段We must continue as before,nourishing the future as we feed ourselves,and each year plant only the very best of what we have collectively engineered可知文章最好的標題是喂養(yǎng)后代的轉(zhuǎn)基因食物工程;故選B.
點評 考察學生的細節(jié)理解和推理判斷能力,做細節(jié)理解題時一定要找到文章中的原句,和題干進行比較,再做出正確的選擇.在做推理判斷題不要以個人的主觀想象代替文章的事實,要根據(jù)文章事實進行合乎邏輯的推理判斷.