考研英语第13套题

第十三套题 Part A Directions:

Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points) Text 1 07.8

With medicine, the boon of biotechnology has been obvious. People readily accept it when they see how better drugs and clearer diagnoses improve their lives. Why is it different when biotech is applied to agriculture? The answer is that the clearest gains from the current crop of genetically modified (GM) plants go not to consumers but to producers. Indeed, that was what their developers intended: an appeal to farmers offered the purveyors of GM technology the best hope of a speedy return. For consumers, especially in the rich world, the benefits of super-yielding soybeans are less clear: the world, by and large, already has too much food in its stores; developing countries principally lack money, not food as such. Yet companies still pitch their products as a cure for malnutrition even though little that they are doing can justify such a noble claim. In hyping the technology as the only answer to everything from pest control to world hunger, the industry has fed the popular view that its products are unsafe, unnecessary and bad for the environment.

Of the two main charges against GM crops, by far the weaker is that they are unsafe to eat. Critics assert that genetic engineering introduces into food genes that are not present naturally, can not be introduced through conventional breeding and may have unknown health effects that should be investigated before the food is sold to the public. GM crops such as the maize and soybeans that now blanket America certainly differ from their garden variety neighbours. But there is a broad scientific consensus that the present generation of GM foods is safe. Even so, this does little to reassure consumers. Food frights such as “mad cow”disease and revelations of cancer-causing dioxin (二噁英)in Belgian food have sorely undermined their confidence in scientific pronouncements and regulatory authorities alike. GM food have little future in Europe until this faith can be restored.

The second big worry about GM food is that it may harm the environment. The producers argue that the engineered traits—such as resistance to certain brands of herbicide or types of insects and virus—actually do ecological good by reducing chemical use and improving yields so that less land needs to go under the plough. Opponents retort that any such benefits are far outweighed by the damage such crops might do . They worry that pesticide-resistant genes may spread from plants that should be saved to weeds that have to be killed. They fear a loss of biodiversity. They fret that the in-built resistance to bugs that some GM crops will have may poison insects such as Monarch butterfly, and allow other, nastier bugs to develop a natural resistance and thrive.

Many of the fears are based on results from limited experiments, often in the laboratory. The only way to discover whether they will arise in real life, or whether they will be any more damaging than similar risks posed by conventional crops and farming practice, is to do more research in the field. Banning the experimental growth of GM plants as some protesters want simply deprives scientists of their most fruitful laboratory.［527 words］

1.GM crops are crops that.

［A］ consumers readily accept［B］ does nothing to benefit consumers ［C］ developing countries urgently need［D］ are basically safe to eat

2.Companies introduce GM food to the market as a solution to all these problems EXCEPT. ［A］ world hunger［B］ environment［C］ malnutrition［D］ pest control 3.The author suggests that the public does not accept GM food because. ［A］ biotech already caused problems like mad cow disease ［B］ GM foods are cheap to produce but dear to buy

［C］ the public no longer believes in scientific pronouncements ［D］ consumer confidence collapsed in recent food scares 4.Critics of GM food argue that the pesticide-resistant genes. ［A］ may poison good insects and let bad insects thrive ［B］ may kill the plants instead of the harmful weeds

［C］ have benefits far outweighing the damage they might do ［D］ do ecological good by reducing the use of chemicals

5.By presenting the case of GM food, the author of the passage probably aims to. ［A］ expose its risks［B］ propose an objective attitude to it

［C］ answer various charges against it［D］ exhibit its advantages Text 2 07.8

Parents try it often: more pocket money for good behavior, less for bad. Now the British government wants to introduce a similar scheme for the nation’s teenagers. From 2008, it proposes that everyone aged between 13 and 19 should have an Opportunity Card, loaded with ￡12 ($21)worth of credits. Those from poor backgrounds and engaged in useful activity such as voluntary work, or attending school regularly will get more credits, perhaps another ￡12 per month. Those who misbehave through truancy, vandalism and the like will get fewer, or none. The credits will be redeemable for sessions at sports centers, dancing lessons and other worthy pastimes.

This is prime example of the government’s favourite approach to public policy: interventionist, but delivered through a market mechanism. It sounds tempting, benefiting both the participants and, by keeping them out of trouble, everyone else too. The government cites academic research that shows a correlation between inactivity and misbehaviour. Healthy hobbies such as sport, art and music, by contrast, give young people a sense of purpose.

But there are flaws. If the incentive for good deeds mutates into a mere “payment”, it risks blunting goodwill. To link so tightly doing good to immediate material reward can end up corroding community spirit. As many parents find out, a child paid for being tidy soon learns to expect to be paid for other things, too. And bribing young people into education seems odd. Attending classes should be desirable for its own sake. If British education is so unattractive then perhaps the supply side, rather than the demand, needs attention.

Even if you think good can come of incentives, a system of credits is not the way to reward people. The credits will be easy to create and hard to control. The scheme is supposed to be decentralized—giving lots of local authorities and other government agencies the right to issue what will seem like costless cash. That can lead to inflation and ballooning liabilities.

Worse, the scheme offers limitless scope for government meddling in private lives: will card-holders be allowed to spend their credits on tooth-rotting fizzy drinks, or sweets, or biscuits? Or just certain categories of government-approved food? On all sorts of computer-games and

DVDs, or just wholesome ones? It is easy to imagine the scheme being extended to all the population: the health service could give patients extra credits for keeping fit, or stopping smoking; parents could issue them in exchange for tip-offs. The mind boggles.

The planned credits on the new card are not freely spendable. They are under the control of an arbitrary outside power. They resemble, in fact, the pernicious system of “truck” abolished in Britain in the 19th century, in which factory owners paid their workers in tokens, redeemable only for an overpriced selection of goods on sale at a company shop. The labour movement rightly despised that. It is odd that a Labour government should be introducing a similar scheme for young people.［500 words］

6. We can learn from the text that Opportunity Card .

［A］ encourages teenagers to deposit their pocket money ［B］ is accessible to only poor young people

［C］ can not be obtained by teenagers who behave badly ［D］ enables the young to pay for positive activities 7. The government proposes Opportunity Card in order to . ［A］ give young people greater spending power

［B］ increase youngsters’ likelihood of engaging in constructive activities ［C］ intervene in the economical life of young people

［D］ save parents the trouble of monitoring teenagers’ activities 8. According to the author, Opportunity Card project is likely to . ［A］ reduce the motivation of young people to pursue an education ［B］ increase young people’s involvement in criminal activity ［C］ disrupt the order of the market economy

［D］ result in teenagers’ disobedience to authority

9. The author mentions the abolition of the “truck” system to . ［A］ warn the government to learn from the mistakes of others ［B］ criticize the government’s hypocrisy

［C］ show a money substitute is always inferior to the real thing ［D］ predict the failure of Opportunity Card project

10. The author’s attitude towards the scheme of Opportunity Card seems to be that of. ［A］ opposition［B］ suspicion［C］ approval［D］ indifference Text 3 07.8

Today, the country has gone a long way toward an appearance of classlessness. Americans of all sorts are awash in luxuries that would have dazzled their grandparents. Social diversity has erased many of the old markers. It has become harder to read people’s status in the clothes they wear, the cars they drive, the votes they cast, the god they worship, the color of their skin. The contours of class have blurred; some say they have disappeared.

But class is still a powerful force in American life. Over the past three decades, it has come to play a greater, not lesser, role in important ways. At a time when education matters more than ever, success in school remains linked tightly to class. At a time when the country is increasingly integrated racially, the rich are isolating themselves more and more. At a time of extraordinary advances in medicine, class differences in health and lifespan are wide and appear to be widening. And new research on mobility, the movement of families up and down the economic ladder, shows

there is far less of it than economists once thought and less than most people believe. In fact, mobility, which once supported the working lives of Americans as it rose in the decades after World War II, has lately flattened out or possibly even declined, many researchers say.

Mobility is the promise that lies at the heart of the American dream. It is supposed to take the sting out of the widening gulf between the have-mores and the have-nots. There are poor and rich in the United States, of course, the argument goes; but as long as one can become the other, as long as there is something close to equality of opportunity, the differences between them do not add up to class barriers.

Even as mobility seems to have stagnated, the ranks of the elite are opening. Today, anyone may have a shot at becoming a United States Supreme Court justice or a C.E.O., and there are more and more self-made billionaires. Only 37 members of last year’s Forbes 400, a list of the richest Americans, inherited their wealth, down from almost 200 in the mid-1980’s.

A paradox lies at the heart of this new American meritocracy. Merit has replaced the old system of inherited privilege, in which parents to the manner born handed down the manor to their children. But merit, it turns out, is at least partly class-based. Parents with money, education and connections cultivate in their children the habits that the meritocracy rewards. When their children then succeed, their success is seen as earned. In place of the old system have arisen new ways of transmitting advantage that are beginning to assert themselves.［462 words］

11. American society is characterized by the coexistence of .

［A］ increased input in education and unsatisfactory performance of schools ［B］ racial integration and a narrower gap between the rich and the poor ［C］ medical development and equality in health care

［D］ the rise in living standards and the relative stability in economic status 12. It can be inferred that the social mobility in America .

［A］ has predictably diminished［B］ is only an ambition of workers

［C］ is deeply rooted in American Dream［D］ has removed class barriers 13. The new American meritocracy is class-based because.

［A］ entry into the ranks of the elite has opened solely to the upper class ［B］ the rich and influential can help their children win the social contest ［C］ it has become harder to move up from one economic class to another ［D］ the social class into which one is born determines one’s social status 14. Which of the following is true according to the text? ［A］ U.S. has a less rigid class structure than before. ［B］ The American Dream has lost its original vitality. ［C］ It is easier for the lower class to become wealthy. ［D］ Heritage still plays a key role upon one’s success. 15. The best title for the text may be .

［A］ American Ladder Is Tough to Climb［B］ the Myth of a Classless America ［C］ Is the American Dream Still Possible［D］ How to Cross Class Lines Text 4 07.8

As part of an ambitious attempt to revive CBSNews.com with a broad array of free video news produced just for its Web site, CBS said yesterday that it would also introduce a Web log to comment on CBS newscasts, whether broadcast or online. To be written by Vaughn Ververs, who

had been the editor of The Hotline, a Web site covering politics, the Web log, to be called Public Eye, will assemble questions from viewers and criticism from various sources, and immediately bring in reactions from the CBS newsroom.

The changes more broadly reflect an effort to expand the reach of CBS News, which has been outmatched by its rivals both on television and online. CBS, which is being split off from Viacom, is among the many major media companies expanding their Internet activities, mainly to chase advertising dollars that are moving online. Last year, it bought full control of SportsLine, a sports site in which it had a partial interest. And in March it hired Larry S. Kramer, the creator and former chief executive of MarketWatch.com, to run its Internet unit.

CBS has decided to treat its online news site much the way other networks treat their cable networks. Its correspondents and producers will create video news reports throughout the day that will be distributed only on the Web site. In addition, Web users will be able to see most of the breaking-news reports used on the network’s daily broadcasts, though they will not be able to watch entire programs. CBS’s contracts with its affiliated TV stations prohibit relaying most of its broadcast programs over the Web. To get around that, Bob Schieffer, the anchor of “The CBS Evening News,” will be the host of a somewhat shorter edition for the Web. But the main point of the new service will be to let viewers assemble their own Internet newscasts selecting from dozens of reports at any given time.

In instituting a running online critique of its news operations, CBS is breaking ground. Many news organizations have hired ombudsmen to represent readers and offer an independent commentary on their reports. Still, Gina Lubrano, executive secretary of the Organization of News Ombudsmen, said that none of the major television networks in the United States had ombudsmen who dealt with the public, although some foreign networks and local stations do.

Andrew Heyward, the president of CBS News，said that Mr. Ververs’ charge was not to express his own opinion about CBS News. “I’m calling him the Ombudsman,” Mr. Heyward said. “His job is not to draw his own conclusions about us, but to mediate a dialogue between viewers and CBS News.”Mr. Heyward said the purpose of the new blog was not to criticize CBS but to make the news gathering process more open. Mr. Ververs will have the right to interview CBS correspondents and executives, and even bring cameras into the network’s daily news meetings.［491 words］

16.CBS will introduce a Web log mainly in order to. ［A］ provide free video news on the web site

［B］ assemble and deliver political news to online users ［C］ listen to the viewers and give them responses ［D］ track viewer needs and preferences

17.Attempt to expand the reach of CBS News is revealed in its effort to.

［A］ institute a running online critique ［B］ chase benefits of web advertising ［C］ invest in a new sports site ［D］ start joint venture with MarketWatch.com 18.To present its information, the new CBS news site will.

［A］ distribute its video news report both on television and online ［B］ report breaking-news on the network’s daily broadcasts ［C］ relay most of its broadcast programs with its affiliated stations ［D］ arrange advertisements before or after each video clips

19.CBS is going to be different from other major TV networks in US in that. ［A］ Internet users have more control over their viewing

［B］ most video news are made available and free over the Internet ［C］ viewer representatives are employed to give commentary ［D］ staff are hired to edit and produce the new video segments

20.Mr. Ververs’ new blog format is expected to change the way viewers receive news by. ［A］ offering his independent commentary on the reports ［B］ criticizing what the station did wrong

［C］ starting a dialogue between viewers and CBS News ［D］ interviewing CBS correspondents and executives

Part B 05.5 Directions:

In the following article, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 21—25, choose the most suitable one from the list A—F to fit into each of the numbered blank. There is one extra choice that does not fit in any of the gaps. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points) Shopping used to be nothing more than a way of obtaining food, clothing and other necessities of life. Today, however, shopping symbolises the materialistic culture of western society and its popularity as a leisure activity reflects the rise of consumerism. （21） . Having more money has meant spending patterns have changed. While traditional models of economic behaviour assume that consumers are rational and weigh up the costs and benefits before making a purchase, anyone who has ever walked into a shop and left five minutes later with a new jacket and 180 less in their wallet knows that this theory does not always hold true.

（22） . Her research on consumer behaviour identified impulsive buying as an attempt by shoppers to bolster their self-image, particularly for those who suffered from so-called compulsive buying or shopping addiction, a condition that affects 2 to 5 per cent of adults in the West.

The three-year study compared excessive buyers to a similar group of ordinary consumers. Excessive shoppers were more materialistic and believed that buying goods was a pathway to success, happiness and identity. “Excessive buying is a coping strategy to fill the gaps between how shoppers feel about themselves and the person they want to be” Dr Dittmar said. （23）. Her research also reveals that certain types of goods are more likely to be bought on impulse than others. Those most frequently reported -clothes, jewellery, ornaments - are closely related to self-image and appearance. This finding is contrary to usual theories about impulse shopping, which explain it as a short-term gratification winning out over longer-term concerns such as debt. （24） . In other words, shoppers were more willing to wait for “low impulse” goods such as kitchenware, than they were for clothes or other “high impulse” items. However, it was found that some of the 60 consumers asked to maintain a shopping diary for the study often regretted their impulsive purchases. Dr Dittmar said, “When people had explicitly bought for self-image reasons, regret was more likely to occur.”

But this finding was ambiguous because shopping addicts were more motivated by self-image than ordinary shoppers and were more likely to regret their actions. “It’s not quite clear which way round this relationship goes, but there is a link between being very concerned with self-image goods and regretting impulse buying.” The conclusions drawn by Dr Dittmar about the treatment

of compulsive shoppers are that prescribing anti-depressant drugs might solve the problem but only as long as sufferers continue to take them. Instead, they needed therapeutic help to address the underlying causes such as poor self-image.

（25） .“In no sense do these people directly force anyone to buy anything. But they are very sophisticated, making advertisements and shopping environments very seductive and playing on the idea that if you buy product X you will be much more attractive.” ［491 words］

\\[A\\] Dr Dittmar said that the idea that consumers’ impulsiveness differed, depending on the type of goods, was also supported by the finding that shoppers were less willing to delay gratification for items bought on impulse.

\\[B\\] But there are pitfalls, such as debt and addiction to buying. Addicts shop for shopping’s sake rather than to buy what they need.

\\[C\\] Helga Dittmar, senior lecturer in psychology at Sussex University, has found that consumer goods are the material symbols of who a person is and who they would like to be.

\\[D\\] Her research also raises questions over the methods used to attract shoppers and encourage them to buy. Although advertisers and retailers increasingly appeal to consumers’ self-image, Dr Dittmar said it was very difficult to argue that these factors were responsible for compulsive shopping.

\\[E\\] Although there were other ways of dealing with poor self-image, such as over-exercising or alcoholism, she said that shopping had become one of the most important strategies. This was especially true for women, who were three times more likely to be compulsive shoppers than men, as shopping was a socially approved activity, and allowed those who do not go out to work to get out of the house, Dr Dittmar said.

\\[F\\] Women make the majority of buying decisions—estimates anywhere from 60—80% and growing. Despite these facts, some industries have created frustrating walls and barriers failing to cater to the buying characteristics women are looking for.

\\[G\\] This has been made possible by the 75 per cent increase in disposable income in the past 20 years. The number of credit cards in use has more than quadrupled, and the amount of outstanding consumer debt has almost tripled in the same period.

Part C 07.8 Directions:

Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written clearly on ANSWER SHEET 2.(10 points)

The nature of the dream-state is highly subjective and a truly personal experience making the scientific analysis of dreaming somewhat prohibitive. （26）Dreams often contain material that is nonsensical and challenging to interpret rationally, making the characterization of dreams from an objective point of view a perplexing task. While we all dream, there is incredible variability in the subjective dream experience. Some people rarely remember their dreams and erroneously conclude that they do not dream at all, while others experience vivid dreams with rich visual imagery and emotional content. （27）Sometimes, the story-lines that make up people’s dreams follow a tight narrative and have a relatively smooth transition from scene to scene, while at other times dreams appear as illogical and haphazard associations lacking a coherent sense of flow. Some people have full control of their dreams, exerting conscious control over the supposedly random events which typify dreaming, while others are mere bystanders watching the events

unfold without any sense of agency approximating waking volition. （28）With the multiplicity of dream dynamics, it is no surprise that there are differing views on the nature of dreams, as a researcher’s views on dreaming may directly relate to his own subjective experience of dreaming.

Despite this subjective nature of dreams, an evolutionary analysis of dreams should not be disregarded and considered outside the realm of scientific inquiry. （29）Since the cognitive revolution, psychology and other disciplines have made significant progress in developing and implementing methodologies meant to reveal truths about the mental processes underlying our subjective experiences. For example, the tools of cognitive neuroscience have allowed neuroimaging data to inform our theories of cognition. It is not unreasonable to think that these methods will one day allow for a correlation to be established between certain patterns of brain activity and corresponding dream content, not unlike how current technology now allows accurate prediction of information from subjective experiences.

As an example, neuroimaging evidence can provide information to distinguish between lower-level sensory experiences as well as higher-level perceptual experiences. （30）In this vein, it is important to approach the study of dreams in a scientific fashion, not biased by our own subjective dream experiences, but rather by letting our theories rest on scientifically collected data. Towards this aim of objective and scrutinizing scientific inquiry, below we present data concerning the function of dreaming.［400 words］ 答案

1.D2.B3.D4.A5.B6.D7.B8.C9.A10.A

11.D12.C13.B14.B15.A16.C17.A18.B19.A20.C 21.G22.C23.E24.A25.D

26.梦里经常会出现一些荒谬的情节，人们很难对其进行合情合理的解释，因此，对梦进行客观的描绘就成为一项着实令人头疼的工作。

27.有时，人们梦中的故事情节不仅叙述紧凑，而且一幕幕之间过渡也相对较平稳、晓畅，而其它一些时候，梦又似乎尽是些随意的联想，不合逻辑，也缺乏连贯性。

28.梦境如此千变万化，因此在梦的性质问题上仁者见仁，智者见智也就不足为奇了，因为每个研究者的观点可能都与他自己的主观经历直接相关。

29.自认知革命兴起以来，心理学和其它一些学科在发展和实现一些方法论上都取得了显著的进步，这些方法论旨在揭示我们主观经历背后的心理过程的真实情况。

30.在这方面，以一种科学的方式对梦进行研究就显得难能可贵，我们关于梦的种种理论应该以收集的各种科学数据为依据，而不应受我们的主观经历的影响。

本单元试题详解 第一篇总体分析

本文是一篇讨论为什么转基因技术在农业上不被人们接受的文章，总体结构是提出问题——分析问题——解决问题。

第一段:提出全文要解决的主要问题，即为什么转基因技术在农业上的应用没有像其他生物技术一样被人们接受，然后分析了原因，即生产者而不是消费者从中得到了最明显的益处。 第二、三段:分别论述了对转基因食物的两大主要控诉。

第四段:提出了消除人们疑虑的方法，即对转基因作物给予更多的实地研究。

试题精解

1.转基因作物是的作物。

［A］ 消费者乐意接受 ［B］ 对消费者毫无益处 ［C］ 发展中国家急需［D］ 基本上可以放心食用

［精解］ 答案D本题考查第一、二段的事实细节。第二段首句提到，对转基因作物的两大指责中比较缺乏说服力的是说它们吃起来不安全。该段中间部分又提到，科学上广泛一致认为现在的转基因食物是安全的。因此［D］项正确。

文章一开始就将生物技术在药物方面的应用与它在农业方面的应用作比较，指出前者的好处显而易见，人们也乐意接受，而后者则不同，［A］项与文意相反。第一段第四句提到，现有的转基因作物带来的最明显的好处不属于消费者而属于生产者。但我们不能由此推出，它对消费者毫无益处，［B］项显然不对。第一段倒数第三句提到，发展中国家主要缺钱，而不那么缺食物，因此［C］项不对。

2.公司将转基因食物引入市场是解决除了之外所有问题的方法。 ［A］ 全球饥饿［B］ 环境［C］ 营养不良［D］ 防治虫害

［精解］ 答案B本题考查第一段的事实细节。第一段最后两句提到，公司标榜转基因产品是治疗营养不良的良方；他们也大力宣传转基因技术是防治虫害、解决全球饥饿等一切问题的惟一方法，只有［B］项没有提及，因此是正确答案。 3.作者暗示公众不接受转基因食物，是因为。

［A］ 生物技术已经引起了像疯牛病这样的问题［B］ 转基因食物生产成本低但市场价格高

［C］ 公众不再相信科学声明［D］ 在最近的食物恐慌中消费者丧失了信心

［精解］ 答案D本题考查考生根据上下文推理引申的能力。第二段倒数第三、四句提到，尽管转基因食物是安全的，但消费者却不放心。紧接着下一句就给出了原因：像疯牛病和在比利时食物中发现的致癌物二噁英等食物恐慌严重损害了消费者对科学声明和监管机构的信心。［D］项是对该句的改写，是公众不接受转基因食物的原因。

文中没有说疯牛病是生物技术引起的，所以［A］项错误。文中没有提及转基因食物的价格问题，所以［B］项不选。文章只提到公众对科学声明的信心受损，［C］项是对它的过度引申，因此不正确。

4.转基因食物的批评者们认为抗杀虫剂基因。

［A］ 可能毒害益虫而让害虫大量繁殖［B］ 可能杀死植物而不是有害的杂草 ［C］ 利远大于弊［D］ 通过减少化学药品的使用而对生态环境有益

［精解］ 答案A本题考查第三段的事实细节。第三段末句提到，他们（转基因的反对者）担心某些转基因作物中对虫子的内在抵抗力可能会毒害帝王蝶这样的昆虫，而使其他更有害的虫子产生自然的抵抗力，从而增多。帝王蝶是益虫的代表，所以［A］项正确。 该段第四句提到，转基因的反对者担心抗杀虫剂基因可能会从应该受到保护的植物扩散到要除掉的杂草上，但未提到会杀死庄稼，［B］项错误。［C］项将该段第三句提到的“弊大于利”偷换成“利大于弊”。［D］项是该段首句提到的转基因作物生产者的观点。 5.通过介绍转基因食物的案例，文章作者可能意在。 ［A］ 揭示它的风险［B］ 对它提出一种客观的看法 ［C］ 反驳对它的各种控诉［D］ 列举它的好处

［精解］ 答案B本题考查作者的写作意图。文中作者分析了为什么转基因技术应用于农业没有像其他生物技术一样被人们接受，并列举了人们对转基因食物的控诉。从前三段看作者好像站在反对者一边，但在第四段作者分析了产生那么多担忧的原因，并提出解决方案，即要给予它们更多的实地研究。从整体看作者对待转基因技术的态度是客观，公平的，所以［B］

项正确。

核心词汇或超纲词汇

(9)biodiversity(1)boon（7）breed(3)by and large(13)deprive（8）herbicide(6)hype(10)in-built(5)malnutrition(12)monarch(4)pitch(2)purveyor (11)resistance

全文翻译

生物技术在医药方面的益处是明显的。当人们看到更好的药物和更明确的诊断改善了他们的生活时，人们欣然地接受了它。为什么当生物技术应用于农业时则不同呢？原因是从现有的转基因作物中受益最明显的不是消费者，而是生产者。诚然，转基因技术的开发者期望通过满足农民要求，为这项技术的承办商带来迅速的回报。对消费者而言，尤其是富裕国家的消费者，大豆的高产带来的利益是不明显的。世界基本上已经有了太多的食物储存，发展中国家缺少的主要是钱，而不是食物。而公司依然标榜它们的产品是治疗营养不良的良方，即使他们所做的事几乎无法证明这样一种高尚的声明。转基因行业大张旗鼓地宣传转基因技术是解决从虫害防治到全球世界饥饿等一切问题的惟一解决方法，反而让大家都认为它的产品不安全、多余、对环境有害。

目前对转基因作物的指责中比较缺乏说服力的是它们吃起来不安全。批评家认为基因工程引进的食物基因不是自然存在的，不能通过传统的饲养方法引进，可能对健康产生未知的不良影响，因此应该在食物出售给公众之前对其进行检查。像现在覆盖美国的玉米和大豆这样的转基因作物肯定与它们在花园中的各种“近邻”不同。但科学上广泛一致认为目前这一代转基因食物是安全的。而这丝毫不能让消费者放心。疯牛病和在比利时食物中发现的致癌物二噁英等食物恐慌削弱了人们对科学声明和监管机构的信心。除非信心恢复，否则转基因食物在欧洲的前景并不容乐观。

第二大担忧是转基因食物可能对环境有害。生产者认为像抵抗某些除草剂或一些昆虫和病毒这样的特点确实对生态有益，因为它们减少了化学用品的使用，并且提高了生产量从而减少了对耕地的需要。反对者则反驳说，这些益处远小于转基因作物可能带来的害处。他们担心抗杀虫剂基因可能会从应该受到保护的植物扩散到必须清除的杂草中。他们也担心生物失去多样性。他们担忧的是某些转基因作物对虫子的内在抵抗力可能会毒害像帝王蝶这样的昆虫，并使其它更有害的虫子形成一种自然的抵抗力从而大量繁殖。 大部分担忧都是以有限的实验为依据，通常是实验室中的实验。发现它们是否会在现实生活中出现，或者它们是否比传统作物带来的类似危险更具破坏性的惟一方法，是做更多的实地研究。抗议者禁止转基因作物的实验性栽培只是想剥夺科学家最硕果累累的实验室。

第二篇总体分析

本文主要分析了英国政府计划对青少年实行的“机会记分卡”项目所存在的弊端。 第一、二段：介绍了“机会记分卡”项目所针对的对象及其目的。

第三至五段：从教育、经济、私人生活等方面论述该项目所存在的隐患。 第六段：联系历史上的类似做法，警告政府不要推行该项目。

试题精解

6.从文中我们可知，机会积分卡。

［A］ 鼓励青少年把零花钱存起来［B］ 只发给贫穷的年轻人

［C］ 不发给表现不好的青少年［D］ 使年轻人可以支付参加有益活动的费用

［精解］ 答案D第一段末句提到，机会记分卡中的分数可用于支付体育中心的课程、舞蹈

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