Millions of people die of hunger in southern Africa every year, but when Zambia was offered thousands of tons of free maize by the US, the government politely said no.
“We don’t know whether the food is safe,” said Zambia’s merce, Trade and Industry Minister Dipak Patel.
His worries are shared by countries around the world that are in two minds about America’s genetically modified（GM,转基因的）crops．Just last week, EU（欧盟）member nations were discussing whether or not to import GM sweet corn from the US．
Ever since people started farming, they have tried to crossbreed（杂交）plants to make them stronger or better tasting. At one time, only related plants could be crossed with each other．
But when GM techniques were developed in the 1970s, scientists were able to put a single gene from a living creature into an unrelated creature.
This means they can make crops more productive and resistant to disease by adding genes from other species．They can also create food with special characteristics, such as “golden rice”, which is enriched with vitamin A. But many people believe GM foods are a health risk.
At the moment, the official argument is that GM foods “are not likely to present risks for human health”. But there are still many questions to be answered as the foods are produced in different ways.
Some experts believe the genetic material added to plants can transfer to humans and give damage to our bodies. Further harm could be caused by the genes from GM plants crossbreeding with naturally produced crops．
People in China are also getting worried about GM foods. More than 70 percent of the
country’s soybean oil is produced from imported GM soybeans. Meanwhile, an investigation last November found that 12 of 60 famous foods sold across the country were GM products. The government has begun to introduce a marking system for GM goods so that people can choose whether or not to eat them.
【小题1】Which is the best title for the passage?A．Harmful GM foodsB．Advantages of GM foodsC．GM foods, a health risk?D．the Techniques of GM foods【小题2】Why has Zambia refused the American free maize?A．they decide to follow EU member’s adviceB．they are concerned about the safety of GM foodsC．they care little about the problem of starvation D．they are too proud to accept free offer【小题3】It has been proved that .A．GM foods are harmful to people’s healthB．GM food is no better than naturally produced foods C．only related plans could be crossed with each other D．GM techniques can increase the production of crops【小题4】Which of the following statement is TRUE?A．GM foods are a health risk. B．Only Zambia worries about the safety of GM foods .C．China’s government hasn’t taken any action about GM foods.D．Some experts believe human bodies can absorb genetic material from GM foods.【小题5】What’s the author’s attitude towards GM foods?A．Supportive.B．Neutral.C．Doubtful.D．Critical.C
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(答案→)C
解析：文章大意：每年有数百万非洲人死于饥饿，但是赞比亚拒绝了美国无偿赞助的玉米，这是为什么呢？原来那是美国生产的转基因食品，世界上有很多人对这种食品持怀疑态度。
【小题1】C主旨大意题。根据第一段并浏览全文不难看出本文的中心是在讲转基因食品，但并没有证据证明转基因食品的确危害人的健康。作者也只是客观地陈述人们和各个国家的态度和看法。所以选择C、“转基因食品，对健康有危害吗？”。
【小题2】B 细节推断题。 根据文章第二段答语，“We don’t know whether the food is safe,”推断赞比亚政府关心转基因食品的安全问题。
【小题3】D 细节推断题。根据第二段内容when GM techniques were developed in the 1970s, scientists were able to put a single gene from a living creature into an unrelated creature.及第三段内容 This means they can make crops more productive and resistant to disease by adding genes from other species．推断出转基因技术能够增产已经被证明。所以选择D。根据第四段内容可知，争议说“转基因食品对人类不可能有危害，”但人们依然质疑一些有关问题，所以A项说，转基因食品对人体有害，这一点并没有得到充足证明，所以选项错误。
【小题4】D 细节理解题。根据文章倒数第二段Some experts believe the genetic material added to plants can transfer to humans and give damage to our bodies.一些专家相信加入到农作物中的转基因物质会渗入人体，对我们的身体造成危害，所以答案选D。
【小题5】B 作者意图题。纵观全文，作者只是客观地叙述了很多人和国家的态度和看法，自己并没有发表任何见解，故应该是持中立的态度(neutral)。A 支持的；C怀疑的；D批判的，所以答案选B。