第一篇（英译汉） Passage I（E—C）

相关词语 Related Words and Expressions

genetically modified foods 转基因食物

issue 难题

be subjected to 经受; 通过

be tempered by 缓和

cultivatable 可以耕种的; 可以利用的

beta-carotene β-胡萝卜素

virus 病菌

pest-resistant 防虫害的

panacea 万能药

Although there are still heated debates on genetically modified foods, they have become a part of our lives. According to the Department of Agriculture, a third of the corn and more than half the soybeans and cotton grown in the U.S. last year were the product of biotechnology. More than 65 million acres of genetically modified crops will be planted in the U.S. this year. Yet, there are clearly some very real issues that need to be resolved. Like any new product entering the food chain, genetically modified foods must be subjected to rigorous testing. In wealthy countries, the debate about biotech is tempered by the fact that we have a large amount of foods to choose from. On the contrary, in developing countries that are desperate to feed the fast-growing and underfed population, the issue is simpler and much more urgent: are the benefits of biotech worthy of the risks?

The U.N. estimates that by 2050, the world population will 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. It is estimated that nearly 800 million people around the world are under-nourished. Various shocking diseases are caused by lack of food.

How can biotech help? Biotechnologists have developed genetically modified rice that is rich in beta-carotene and additional iron, and 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 due to pests, drought, poor soil and crop viruses. Pest and viruses often cause large-scaled food crop failure in the developing countries. If pest-resistant genes can be put into seeds, the balance will be regained. Many scientists believe biotech could raise overall crop productivity in the developing countries as much as 25 percent, and help prevent the loss of those crops after they are harvested.

Although biotech has promising potential, it is far from being the answer. In developing countries, lost crops are only one cause of hunger. Poverty plays the largest role. Making genetically modified plants cannot reduce hunger if farmers cannot afford to buy them. Secondly, biotech cannot overcome the problem of distributing food in world evenly. Taken as a whole, the world produces enough food to feed everyone, but most of it is simply not in the most needed places.

Will trans-genetic foods feed the world? Biotech is not a panacea, but it does promise to transform agriculture in many developing countries. If that promise is not fulfilled, the real loser will be their people, who would suffer for years to come.