五、阅读理解
Biotech foods (转基因食品) are produced from animals and plants that have been made genetically different. Genetic alteration (基因改变) is nothing new. Humans have been changing the genetic features of plants for thousands of years by keeping seeds from the best crops and planting them the following years, and by breeding (培育) different kinds to make them taste sweeter, grow bigger, or last longer.
Traditional farmers always used plants or animals that were related (相关的), or genetically similar. However, today's genetic engineers can change just a few genes at a time between species (物种) that are hardly related, or not related at all. There are surprising examples: Mouse genes are put into vegetable plants to make them produce more Vitamin C. Moth (飞蛾) genes are put into apple trees to help them from being harmed by diseases. Anyway, the purpose of traditional and modern ones is the same to add genes from an animal or a plant to make another grow better.
Q: ▲?
According to a report from the National Academy of Sciences, "Nothing can prove that these genetic foods (GE foods) are harmful to people." Some GE foods might even be safer than non-GE foods.
However, many people fear that when moving genes across completely different species, something could go wrong, with the possibility of unexpected health risk.
Q: Can biotech foods help feed the world?
According to the WHO, between 250,000 and 500,000 kids go blind every year in short of Vitamin A, with half of those children dying of losing their sight. "Golden rice"—a biotech variety named for its yellow colour—is thought to be a possible solution to the illness caused by Vitamin A shortage.
Other experts, however, hold the opposite opinion. "Golden rice alone won't greatly reduce Vitamin A shortage," says Professor Nestle of New York University. "Whether it will improve Vitamin A levels remains to be seen."
Q: What's next?
Whether biotech foods will help solve world hunger or improve our lives remains to be seen. Their possibility is large, yet they carry risks. If science goes on with great care, testing new products completely and using dependable judgment (鉴定), the world may avoid the dangers of genetic alteration while enjoying its advantages.
() 1. Traditional farmers bred an animal or a plant by .
A. keeping the gene of the same plant each year
B. using some related plants or animals to breed
C. creating an animal or plant with special features
D. changing a few genes at a time from one plant to another
() 2. What can be put in the ▲?
A. What exactly are biotech foods
B. How to add genes into biotech foods
C. Are biotech foods really safe for humans
D. Can biotech foods harm the environment
() 3. The main idea of the last paragraph is .
A. with care, the safe use of biotech foods could possibly be realized
B. the world has already seen great progress thanks to biotech foods
C. biotech food development has been slowed by many risks
D. the risks of biotech foods seem to be greater than any possible advantage
() 4. What's the best title for the passage?
A. Biotech Foods, Good or Bad? B. Dangerous Biotech Foods
C. Plants and Animals D. The Past of Biotech foods

1.B 2.C 3.A 4.A

【分析】
1. 第1题：先定位题干关键词“Traditional farmers bred”，回到原文第二段寻找对应信息，原文明确说明传统农民使用有亲缘关系、基因相似的动植物进行培育，对比选项即可锁定答案。
2. 第2题：观察空格后的段落内容，该段围绕“转基因食品是否对人体有害”展开论述，先引用权威报告表明无证据证明其有害，接着转折提到人们担心存在未知健康风险，由此推断空格处的问题应聚焦转基因食品的安全性。
3. 第3题：分析最后一段逻辑，段落先指出转基因食品前景与风险并存，最后通过条件句强调若科学研究足够谨慎，就能在享受其优势的同时规避风险，核心是谨慎前提下可实现转基因食品的安全利用，据此判断段落主旨。
4. 第4题：梳理全文脉络，文章先介绍转基因食品的发展历程，随后围绕“是否安全”“能否解决饥饿”两个核心问题展开讨论，最后探讨未来发展方向，整体是在探讨转基因食品的利弊，据此选择最佳标题。
【解析】
1. 第1题：根据原文第二段第一句“Traditional farmers always used plants or animals that were related (相关的), or genetically similar.”可知，传统农民通过使用有亲缘关系的动植物进行培育，对应选项B。
2. 第2题：空格后段落围绕“转基因食品对人体是否安全”展开，先表明无证据证明其有害，再提及人们的担忧，因此空格处的问题应为“Are biotech foods really safe for humans”，对应选项C。
3. 第3题：最后一段关键句为“If science goes on with great care, testing new products completely and using dependable judgment (鉴定), the world may avoid the dangers of genetic alteration while enjoying its advantages.”，说明谨慎开展研究的话，有望安全利用转基因食品，对应选项A。
4. 第4题：全文从转基因食品的起源、安全性争议、能否解决饥饿问题及未来发展等方面，全面探讨其利弊，因此最佳标题为“Biotech Foods, Good or Bad?”，对应选项A。
【答案】
1.B 2.C 3.A 4.A
【知识点】
1. 细节信息查找
2. 主旨逻辑推断
3. 文章标题归纳
【点评】
本文围绕转基因食品展开多维度讨论，涵盖其发展历程、安全性争议、应用潜力及未来展望。题目考查了阅读理解常见的细节查找、主旨推断和标题归纳题型，要求学生精准定位原文信息，梳理段落逻辑，把握文章核心主题。解题时需注重提取原文关键语句，结合选项逐一分析排除干扰项。
【难度系数】
0.6