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¡¡¡¡Directions:

¡¡¡¡In the following article, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 41¡«45, choose the most suitable one from the list A¡«G to fit into each of the numbered blanks. There are two extra choices which do not fit in any of the gaps. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

¡¡¡¡The world¡¯s major scientific agencies have declared that, in principle, genetically modified (GM) crops present no greater threat to human health than those produced by traditional breeding. ¡°I don¡¯t see any problems at all for GM plants in terms of human health,¡± says Robert McKinney, director of the division of safety at the United States National Institute of Health.

¡¡¡¡41) . They argue that it could discourage serious considerations of the ¡°remote but real risks¡± associated with the broadening of plant breeding brought about by the development of GM plants.

¡¡¡¡Most scientists believe that such risks are hypothetical, and that current safeguards are adequate. 42) .

¡¡¡¡For example, although the question of whether to label GM foods is usually considered to be an issue of consumer choice rather than public health, several scientists say there is also a strong argument for labeling to facilitate health studies to detect any increases in allergies or diseases that might be linked to GM foods.

¡¡¡¡43) .

¡¡¡¡This view is supported by Ben Miflin, a former director of the Institute of Arable Crops, who is a supporter of the potential benefits of GM crops. He argues that, under current monitoring conditions, any unanticipated health impact of such foods would need to be a ¡°monumental disaster¡± to be detectable.

¡¡¡¡44) . Hans Buhk, director of the Robert Koch Institute, has called for the creation of a list of the genes introduced into the crop.

¡¡¡¡¡°Scientists do not know everything in advance,¡± says Buhk, adding that unexpected events cannot be ruled out. He points to a tomato that was designed to have an increased shelf life, using gene technology directed against the gene that causes ripening. According to Buhk, this tomato was in fact produced by an unpredicted effect of gene technology.

¡¡¡¡45) . At the same time, many are critical of recent health scares, claiming that the arguments for and against such foods have been exaggerated.

¡¡¡¡What is clear, however, is that crop plants contain many compounds that have the potential to damage human health, and that even conventional plant breeding has come close to producing plant varieties that could present serious health risks. Such harmful plants never came to market, however, as they were detected by the current quality control procedures. Miflin and others believe that the stricter approval procedures for GM foods reduce the possibility of such mishaps.

¡¡¡¡But this does not reduce the need for vigilance and research to better understand the impact of gene technology on plant.

¡¡¡¡£ÛA£Ý The possibility of such unexpected occurrences seems to be the major area of uncertainty among scientists working on the potential health impacts of GM foods.

¡¡¡¡£ÛB£Ý Even among ardent supports of GM foods, however, calls are being heard for more research on health risks, and for the introduction of monitoring systems that would allow the early detection of any longª²term problems.

¡¡¡¡£ÛC£Ý Some researchers have proposed specific monitoring strategies.

¡¡¡¡£ÛD£Ý But this view is being seen as an oversimplification by critics of gene technology and by some of its supports.

¡¡¡¡£ÛE£Ý But there is a broad scientific consensus that the present generation of GM foods is safe.

¡¡¡¡£ÛF£Ý The need for careful monitoring is urgent, because thousands of GM foods will be introduced on a global scale in the near future, says Suzanne Wuethele, a risk assessor at the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

¡¡¡¡£ÛG£Ý The second big worry about GM food is that it may harm the environment. Critics worry that the pesticide-resistant genes introduced into crops by genetic engineering may spread from plants that should be saved to seeds that have to be killed. They fear a loss of bio-diversity.