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大学英语四级考试仔细阅读练习

洛基英语，中国在线英语教育领导品牌

If you want to spark a heated debate at a dinner party, bring up the topic about genetically modified foods. For many people, the concept of genetically altered, high-tech crop production raises all kinds of environmental, health, safety and ethical questions. Particularly in countries with long agrarian traditions -- and vocal green lobbies -- the idea seems against nature.

In fact, genetically modified foods are already yew much a part of our lives. A third of the corn and more than half the soybeans and cotton grown in the US last year were the product of biotechnology, according to the Department of Agriculture. More than 65 million acres of genetically modified crops will be planted in the US this year. The genetic is out of the bottle.

Yet there are clearly some very real issues that, need to be resolved, lake any new product entering the food chain, genetically modified foods must be subjected to rigorous testing. In wealthy count, des, the debate about biotech is tempered by the fact that we have a rich array of foods to choose from -- and a supply that far exceeds our needs. In developing countries desperate to feed fast-growing and underfed populations; the issue is simpler and much more urgent: Do the benefits of biotech outweigh the risks?

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?

Biotechnologists have developed genetically modified rice that is fortified with beta-carotene(β-胡萝卜素)—which the body converts into vitamin A -- and additional iron, mid 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).

Damage caused by pests is incredible. The European corn borer, for example, destroys 40 million tons of the world's corn crops annual]y, 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.

Viruses often cause massive failure in staple crops in developing countries. Two years ago, Africa lost more than half its cassava(树薯) crop --- a key source of

calories -- to the mosaic virus. 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.

Yet for all that promise, biotech is far from being the whole answer. In developing countries, lost crops are only one cause of hunger. Poverty plays the largest role. Today more than I billion people around the globe live on less than I 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.

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.

More and more biotech research is being carried out in developing countries. But to increase the impact of genetic research on tile 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 US 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?

Biotech is not a panacea(治百病的药), 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.

The world seems increasingly to have been divided into those who favor genetically modified (GM) 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(迅速发展的) 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 planting and importation of genetically modified agricultural

products. Much of the debate hinges on perceptions of safety. But what exactly does recent scientific research say about the hazards?

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.

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?

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 soil 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.

1. Majority of people in those countries maintaining a long history of agriculture believe ______.

A) genetically modified crop is beneficial

B) genetically modified crop causes environmental problems

C) high-tech crop is a great benefit to the world

D) genetically modified foods is a heated topic

[定位] 由题干中的majority of people in．．．和long history of agriculture能够定位到第一段第二、三句For many people，the concept of geneti cally altered，high-tech crop production raises all kinds of environmental．．．Particmlary in countries．．．the idea seems against nature．

[精解] 题干中的majority of people和文章中的many people意思相近；题干中的long history of agriculture意为“悠久的农业历史”，与文章第一段最后一句中的long agrarian traditions意思相同；分析定位句能够得出大多数的人，特别是有悠久农业历史的国家的人普遍认为转基因作物会引起环境、健康等问题，因此本题答案为B)。

答案:B

2. How much genetically modified corn was planted in the US last year?

A) More than half. B) 65 million acres. C) One third. D) Three quarters.

[定位] 根据题干中的genetically modified com 和in the US last year能够迅速定位到文章的第二段第二句 A third of the com．．．grown in the US last year were the product of biotechnology，．．．．

[精解] 根据定位句可知，去年的转基因玉米的种植面积占到三分之一，转基因大豆和棉花种植面积占到一半多。因此本题答案应为C)。

答案:C

3. Why is the debate on genetically modified foods more heated in developing countries?

A) Because they have a rich range of foods. B) Because the supply outstrips the need.

C) Because they have to feed fast-growing populations. D) Because the risks outweigh the benefits.

[定位] 根据题干中的debate on genetically modified foods 和heated in developing countries能够定位到第三段第四句In developing countries desperate to feed fast-growing and underfed populations．．．

[精解] 第三段讨论的是发达国家和发展中国家对待转基因食品的态度。由于发达国家的食品种类丰富而且供过于求，因此debate about biotech is tempered(缓和的)；而发展中国家人口增长迅速且大多吃不饱，需要大量食品，因此对于是否要采用转基因食品来解决人口和健康问题就显得很迫切。由此可知C)为本题答案。

答案:C

4. According to the UN's prediction, the growth population from now to 2050 is nearly all in ______.

A) western countries B) African countries

C) developed countries D) developing countries

[定位] ，根据题干中的According to the UN's prediction，the growth population from now to 2050能够定位到第四段的第三句And by 2050，the UN estimates，it will probably near 9 billion．Almost all that growth will occur in developing countries．

[精解] 根据题干在文章中的定位，题干中的prediction和文章中的estimate是同义词，都是“估计，预测”的意思；题干中的nearly和文章中的almost也是同义词；而第四句中的that指代的就是第三句中联合国估计的增长人口；occur 有“发生，出现”的意思；即增长的人口几乎都发生在developing countries；因此，本题答案为D)。

答案:D

5. Genetically modified crops can help to improve ______.

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大学英语四级考试模拟试题 Model Test Five Part ⅠListening Comprehension Directions: This section is designed to test your ability to understand spoken English. You will hear a selection of recorded materials and you must answer the questions that accompany them. Choose the correct answer---A, B, C or D, and then, mark your answer by writing the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet. Section A (C) 11. A) He will only be available in the afternoon. B) It’s not his office hour. C) He doesn’t have time. D) He is too tired after class. (A) 12. A) The woman insists on going out. B) The woman doesn’t like watching TV. C) The man promised her a gift on her birthday. D) The man is too tired to go out. (B) 13. A) There are too many courses offered to

大学英语四级考试试题及参考答案

2007年6月大学英语四级考试A卷试题以及答案 Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the topic of Welcome to our club. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given bellow: 欢迎辞，欢迎加入俱乐部。标题：Welcome to our club 书写提纲： 1. 表达你的欢迎； 2. 对你们俱乐部作一个简要介绍。 Welcome to English club! It could serve as a platform to show your outstanding abilities and help you develop a range of great skills. You can be involved in a variety of activities including staging musical dramas, holding group discussions and watching Oscar-winning movies. These extra-curricular activities could offer you ample opportunities. First, you active participation is helpful to strengthen the sense of responsibility and managing interpersonal relations. Second, various activities organized by us could raise your level of proficiency in English. A good command of English empowers you to enjoy decided competitive edge over your peers. You can file a written application to our staff office or email us via bonoo@https://www.wendangku.net/doc/ac1546520.html,. The deadline for entries is Sept.25th. Come on, join us now! 注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。 Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, mark Y (for YES) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage; Y(for NO) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. For questions 8-10. complete the sentences with the information given in the passage. Protect Your Privacy When Job-hunting Online Identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain. The numbers associated with identity theft are beginning to add up fast these days. A recent General Accounting Office report estimates that as many as 750.000 Americans are victims of identity theft every year. And thai number may be low, as many people choose not to report the crime even if they know they have been victimized. Identity theft is "an absolute epidemic," states Robert Ellis Smith, a respected author and