英语听力—环球英语 1414 Building Better Food

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Christy VanArragon.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Adam Navis. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　A farmer stands at the edge of his field.  He looks out over the growing corn.  This farm has belonged to his family for years.  His grandfather grew corn on this land.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But the farmer is not at peace.  His corn is not healthy.  There are insects eating the corn before it is ready for harvest.  The farmer might not have much corn to sell this year. This farmer must make a choice.  He must decide whether or not he will grow a different kind of corn next year.  It is a special kind of corn. Insects will not eat it. It will grow stronger, faster, and produce more corn.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The farmer decides to grow the new corn.  This may seem like a simple choice.  However, this new kind of corn has problems too. Today’s Spotlight is on these new kinds of crops.  They are called GMOs.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　A GMO is a genetically² modified³ organism⁴.  GMO’s are plants that have been changed, using science.  Scientists change the genetics of the plant to try to fix problems or make it a better crop.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　GMOs often are resistant⁵ to diseases⁶ and insects.  Scientists change the plants so that common insects will not eat the plants.  And the plants can also resist common diseases. Sometimes more of the desired crop will come from one seed.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　For example, in India, scientists planted two pieces of land with cotton.  They planted one field with seeds of traditional cotton.  They planted the other field with seeds of GMO cotton.  The land and the care for the plants were exactly the same.   At harvest time, the GMO cotton produced 87 percent more cotton than the traditional seeds.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　They had also changed the GMO cotton to resist bollworms.  Bollworms often eat cotton crops in India.  Farmers need to treat GMO cotton plants for bollworm much less often.  This means that farmers need fewer chemicals to grow the GMO cotton.  These chemicals are very strong and sometimes dangerous. When farmers use fewer chemicals, it is better for the environment. It is also better for the farmers’ health.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　GMOs also need less fertilizer⁷.  Fertilizer helps plants grow bigger and produce more. But using too much fertilizer is also bad for the environment.  The extra fertilizer goes into the rivers and lakes near the farms.  This can cause damage to fish and water environments.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　There is one more good thing about GMO crops. Scientists can design them to have higher nutrition. The crops can have more healthy substances than traditional crops. Sometimes, they can also grow in worse conditions, in places where traditional crops would not grow. Increasing the food value of crops is important to poor nations.  People in nations suffering from hunger could grow healthier grains or better vegetables.  This would mean better health for the people living there.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Each kind of GMO crop is created for a particular need.  For example, scientists in Switzerland created “golden rice.” It prevents Vitamin A deficiency⁸. When people do not get enough Vitamin A, they become blind. Golden rice is cooked and eaten like regular white rice.  However it provides people with vitamin A not found in white rice.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　There are many reasons that large companies and small organizations are developing GMO’s. However, many other experts do not think that GMOs will help solve hunger and environmental problems. Greenpeace is a global environmental organization. It says on its website,

 

　　“Lack of food is not the cause of hunger around the world.  Political problems and failures are the cause.  World hunger has an estimated⁹ one billion victims.  In other words, more food does not always mean fewer hungry people.”

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Just as GMO’s have many good things, there are also serious concerns about them.  For example, farmers in the United States often grow GMO corn and soybeans.  However the GMO plants do not always produce more corn and soybeans.  Sometimes they even produce less than traditional crops.  The GMO seeds cost farmers a lot more money.  This means that the farmer pays more for seeds with no improvement¹⁰ in his harvest.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Another reason experts are concerned about GMOs is the companies that make the seeds. The largest GMO seed company is Monsanto.  They engineer 90 percent of all GMO seeds. This means that Monsanto owns these seeds.  Monsanto sells them at any price they decide.  This also means that a farmer cannot save his seeds.  Saving seeds is a traditional way of preparing for next year’s planting.  But Monsanto does not permit this tradition. Farmers have to buy new seeds each year from them.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Sometimes a farmer growing traditional seeds has a farm next to a farm growing GMO seeds.  The two crops are growing side by side.  In the growing season the plants release¹¹ their pollen¹². This powder comes from the plants to help them create new seeds.  Sometimes the wind will blow pollen from one farm to the other.  This means that the GMO pollen will affect the traditional farmer’s plants.  Some of his traditional plants might change to be more like the GMO plants.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In the past, Monsanto has taken these traditional farmers to court.  They want the farmer to pay because some of his plants are like the GMO plants.  The farmer has done nothing to cause this change.  The wind simply blew the pollen across the fields.  Monsanto is a big, powerful company.  They often win this battle.  The small farmer must pay a lot of money to Monsanto.  Sometimes it is all the money they have.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　GMO plants can sometimes help farmers. They can be healthier, and better for the environment. But there are many concerns. Nature has not created GMO plants. They could create environmental problems in the future. This is especially true when big companies like Monsanto are selling them.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Farmers must decide what they think is the best choice for them, the environment, and the world.  Do you support the use of traditional crops, or GMO crops? What do you choose to eat? Share your ideas on our website at http://www.radioenglish.net

 

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　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer of this program was Johanna Poole. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. This program is called ‘Building Better Food?’.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

3 modified   

adj.改良的，改进的，修正的vt.修饰v.修改，更改( modify的过去式和过去分词 )；改变；修饰；缓和

参考例句：

• The software we use has been modified for us. 我们使用的软件已按我们的需要作过修改。
• The heating system has recently been modified to make it more efficient. 暖气设备最近已进行了改造，使其效率得到提高。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 organism   

n.生物，有机体；(如生物的)机体、有机组织

参考例句：

• The economy is not a mechanical device but a living organism.经济不是一套机械装置,而是活的有机体。
• Selection will root out such organism.自然选择将把这些物种消灭掉。

5 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

6 diseases   

n.疾病( disease的名词复数 )；弊端；恶疾；痼疾

参考例句：

• Smoking is a causative factor in several major diseases. 抽烟是引起几种严重疾病的病因。
• The illness frequently coexists with other chronic diseases. 这种病往往与其他慢性病同时存在。

7 fertilizer   

n.肥料，化肥

参考例句：

• Fertilizer enriches the soil.肥料使土壤肥沃。
• Get some more fertilizer for the garden.给花园再多施些肥料。

8 deficiency   

n.缺乏，不足，缺点，缺陷

参考例句：

• During the war children suffered from a deficiency of food.战争期间孩子们遭受缺乏食物之苦。
• Fortunately,color deficiency is not a serious medical problem.幸运的是，色盲并不是一种严重的医学问题。

9 estimated   

adj．根据估计的

参考例句：

• She estimated the breadth of the lake to be 500 metres. 她估计湖面大约有500米宽。
• The man estimated for the repair of the car. 那人估算了修理汽车的费用。

10 improvement   

n.改进，增进；改进之处，改善的地方

参考例句：

• The doctor noticed a gradual improvement in his patient.医生注意到病人在逐渐恢复健康。
• I can detect signs of improvement in your thinking.我可以察觉出你思考问题方面的进步。

11 release   

vt.发布，发表，发行；释放，放开

参考例句：

• After my examination I had a feeling of release.考完试后我有如释重负之感。
• This medicine will give you release from pain.这药吃后会解除你的疼痛。

12 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。