【英语时差8,16】好消息！玉米可能是一个新能源

Good News! Corn May Be A New Energy Source A gene¹ is a gene is a gene. But a single gene often has more than one job in the cell. Scientists working with corn genes² know that first hand. In the beginning, they thought the Glossy³ 15 gene only gave corn seedlings⁴ a waxy⁵ coat. Much to their surprise, they discovered Glossy 15 did more than that. They could use it to make super corn plants. When additional copies of the Glossy 15 gene were inserted into corn, the maturation process slowed down. This doesn’t seem like it would be very helpful. Why would people interested in making better corn plants want them to mature more slowly? Because when the plants mature at a slower rate, they become much larger by the end of the season. Unfortunately, producing bigger corn plants does not mean more corn. It seems that seed maturation is slowed by the gene also. But corn is grown for more than its seed. Its biomass of leaves and stems is used to feed cattle. Scientists also believe that because of the larger size, the new super corn would be an ideal energy crop to make ethanol. And super corn needs less nitrogen fertilizer, so it’s less costly⁶ to grow. Government Approval Scientists say the government needs to approve their new super corn, but they feel using Glossy 15 is a great way to safely improve corn production because they are using a gene that is already in the corn plant. It looks like it’s only a matter of time until you can thank the Glossy 15 gene for the steak on your plate or that gallon of ethanol in your tank.

1 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

2 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

3 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

4 seedlings   

n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ninety-five per cent of the new seedlings have survived. 新栽的树苗95%都已成活。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In such wet weather we must prevent the seedlings from rotting. 这样的阴雨天要防止烂秧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 waxy   

adj.苍白的；光滑的

参考例句：

• Choose small waxy potatoes for the salad.选些个头小、表皮光滑的土豆做色拉。
• The waxy oil keeps ears from getting too dry.这些蜡状耳油可以保持耳朵不会太干燥。

6 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。