2010考研英語閱讀精讀100篇(高分版)十八

        2010考研英語閱讀精讀100篇(高分版)TEXT EIGHTEEN
　　European Union environmental officials have determined that two kinds of genetically modified corn could harm butterflies, affect food chains and disturb life in rivers and streams, and they have proposed a ban on the sale of the seeds, which are made by DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences and Syngenta. The preliminary decisions are circulating within the European Commission, which has the final say. Some officials there are skeptical of a ban that would upset the powerful biotechnology industry and could exacerbate tensions with important trading partners like the United States. The seeds are not available on the European market for cultivation.

　　In the decisions, the environment commissioner, Stavros Dimas, contends that the genetically modified corn, or maize could affect certain butterfly species, specifically the monarch, and other beneficial insects. For instance, research this year indicates that larvae of the monarch butterfly exposed to the genetically modified corn ''behave differently than other larvae.'' In the decision concerning the corn seeds produced by Dow and Pioneer, Mr. Dimas calls ''potential damage on the environment irreversible.'' In the decision on Syngenta's corn, he says that ''the level of risk generated by the cultivation of this product for the environment is unacceptable.''

　　A decision by the European Union to bar cultivation of the genetically modified crops would be the first of its kind in the trade bloc, and would intensify the continuing battle over genetically modified corn. Banning the applications for corn crops also would mark a bold new step for European environmental authorities, who are already aggressively pursuing regulations on emissions from cars and aircraft, setting it at odds with the United States and angering industries.

　　''These products have been grown in the U.S. and other countries for years,'' said Stephen Norton, a spokesman for the United States trade representative. ''We are not aware of any other case when a product has been rejected after having been reviewed and determined safe'' by European food safety authorities, he said.

　　Barbara Helfferich, a spokeswoman for Mr. Dimas, declined to comment on the specifics of the procedure because commissioners had not yet made a final decision. But she said that the European Union was within its rights to make decisions based on the ''precautionary principle'' even when scientists had found no definitive evidence proving products can cause harm. She said that the decisions by Mr. Dimas could go before the commission within a few weeks, but she said that no date had been set. In the decisions, Mr. Dimas cited recent research showing that consumption of genetically modified ''corn byproducts reduced growth and increased mortality of nontarget stream insects'' and that these insects ''are important prey for aquatic and riparian predators'' and that this could have ''unexpected ecosystem-scale consequences.''

　　Although still preliminary, his decisions could drastically tilt the policy against future approvals of genetically modified crops, said Nathalie Moll, a spokeswoman for Europabio, an industry group with 80 members including Syngenta, Pioneer and Dow. Europabio says that the crops grown using the genetically modified corn are already imported into several European countries, including France and Germany, where they are used to feed animals like cows and chickens.

　　Rob Gianfranceschi, spokesman at the United States mission to the European Union in Brussels, said it was too early to comment on a decision that had not yet been formalized. But he made clear that the United States remained frustrated with European policies on genetically modified crops.

　　1. The preliminary decisions are made by_____

　　[A] DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences and Syngenta.

　　[B] European Union environmental officials.

　　[C] European Commision.

　　[D] Starvros Dimas.

　　2. To the decisions, the European Commission officials’ attitudes are _____

　　[A] skeptical.

　　[B] controversial.

　　[C] contradictory.

　　[D] divergent.

　　3. About the decisions, which one of the following statements is TRUE?

　　[A] The decisions aims to put a ban the sale of the seeds of genetically modified corn due to political and biological concerns.

　　[B] The decisions are warmly embraced by all EU members but bitterly rejected by their trade partners.

　　[C] The decisions could probably be made even if no definitive evidence proving the products harmful is found.

　　[D] there is high possibility that the decisions would be approved by the European Commission.

　　4. Mr. Dimas cited many researches on the genetically modified corn in his decision in order to_____

　　[A] dispel some officials’ doubt on his decisions.

　　[B] enhance the strength of his decision-making.

　　[C] demonstrate the latest achievement of his decision.

　　[D] assure that they can be presented before the commission with solid evidence.

　　5. The word “tilt” (Line 1, Paragraph 6) most probably means_____

　　[A] incline.

　　[B] affect.

　　[C] induce.

　　[D] evoke.

　　文章剖析：

　　這篇文章介紹了聯合國環境官員就轉基因食品提出決議的一些情況。第一段介紹該決議目前在歐洲委員會中流傳;第二段是環境專員具體在其決議中的觀點;第三段說明如果該決議落實將會是首例;第四段是美國貿易代表發言人的觀點;第五段講述Dimas先生關于決議談的一些情況;第六、七段是其他人和機構的一些觀點。

　　詞匯注釋：

　　genetically adv. 基因地

　　exacerbate v. 惡化，使加劇

　　monarch n. 黑脈金斑蝶

　　larvae n. 幼蟲

　　aquatic adj. 水生的

　　riparian adj. 河邊的，水濱的

　　predator n. 掠奪者，捕食其他動物的的動物

　　難句突破：

　　(1) European Union environmental officials have determined that two kinds of genetically modified corn could harm butterflies, affect food chains and disturb life in rivers and streams, and they have proposed a ban on the sale of the seeds, which are made by DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences and Syngenta.

　　[主體句式] EU environmental officials have determined that…and they have proposed…

　　[結構分析] 該句是一個并列結構的復雜句。前一個分句帶有賓語從句，賓語從句的謂語是三個并列結構的動詞;后一個分句中，which 引導的非限定性定語從句是用來修飾the seeds的。

　　[句子譯文] 歐盟環境官員已經確定有兩種轉基因作物會傷害蝴蝶、影響食物鏈、妨害水游生物。他們還建議禁止出售該類種子，這些種子由DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences 和Syngenta研制。

　　(2) In the decisions, Mr. Dimas cited recent research showing that consumption of genetically modified ''corn byproducts reduced growth and increased mortality of nontarget stream insects'' and that these insects ''are important prey for aquatic and riparian predators'' and that this could have ''unexpected ecosystem-scale consequences.''

　　[主體句式] Mr. Dimas cited recent research…

　　[句子結構] 該句是一個簡單句，賓語research后面的現代分詞是它的定語，該現代分詞結構看似復雜，其實是三個并列的that 引導的從句構成的。

　　[句子譯文] 在這些決定中，Dimas引用了最近的一些研究，這些研究表明對轉基因“谷物副產品”的消費會“抑制生長，增加nontarget昆蟲死亡率”，而且這些昆蟲“是水生動物重要的食物”，因此這可能有“無法預料的影響整體生態系統規模的后果”。

　　題目分析：

　　[答案]D

　　[難度系數] ☆☆☆☆

　　[分析] 細節題。本題具有一定的難度，文章一開頭就提到歐盟環境官員確定了一些事實，并且建議要禁止銷售轉基因作物的種子。然后就提到決議在歐盟委員會中間流傳。這樣感覺仿佛是這些官員擬定的決議，但從文章下面的論述多次提到Dimas先生在決議中的觀點，第六段也提到他的決議雖然是初步的但可能有很大影響。由此看來，該決議是Dimas先生提出的可能性大，答案為D。

　　[答案]D

　　[難度系數] ☆☆☆

　　[分析] 推理題。文章第一段提到這些決議目前在歐洲委員會中間流傳，一些官員對禁令表示懷疑，主要害怕禁令會影響外交關系。而從文章下面的部分可以看出，這些決議仿佛在歐洲委員會中間得到一些支持，那么可以這些官員所持的態度是有分歧的。選項D最為符合題意。B選項有一定的合理性和迷惑性，但是相比D選項顯得不夠準確。

　　[答案]C

　　[難度系數] ☆☆☆☆

　　[分析] 細節題。選項A，從全文可以看出，這些決議只是初步擬定的，還沒有最后確定，而且文章也沒有明確說明是否同時處于政治和生物上的考慮。因此該選項不正確。選項B，文章并沒有提到是否歐盟所有成員國都對該項決議表示熱情歡迎;選項C，文章第五段Dimas先生的發言人談到了這一點，說即使沒有確鑿證據，歐洲委員會可以基于“預防原則”做出決定，這個選項是正確的;D，目前該決議還未有明確說法，該選項錯誤。因此，答案為C。

　　[答案]B

　　[難度系數] ☆☆☆

　　[分析] 推理題。Dimas先生在其擬定的決議中多次引用了關于轉基因產品的研究，其目的是證實自己的決議是有根據的，這樣就更有說服力。選項A，他自己擬定決議在先，這些官員懷疑在后，擬訂時不一定存在這種想法;D，這不是其主要的目的。因此，A最為恰當。

　　[答案]A

　　[難度系數] ☆☆

　　[分析] 猜詞題。根據上下文意思“Although still preliminary, his decisions could drastically tilt the policy against future approvals of genetically modified crops, said Nathalie Moll, a spokeswoman for Europabio, an industry group with 80 members including Syngenta, Pioneer and Dow”，盡管他的決議還是初步的，但是卻能夠讓政策傾向于反對未來批準轉基因食品。答案中A最為符合。

　　參考譯文：

　　歐盟環境官員已經確定有兩種轉基因作物會傷害蝴蝶、影響食物鏈、妨害水游生物。他們還建議禁止出售該類種子，這些種子由DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences 和Syngenta研制。初步決議在歐盟委員會中通報，由該委員會做出最后決定。該禁令對蓬勃發展的生物技術業是一個打擊，也可能會惡化與重要貿易伙伴(如美國)的緊張關系，因此一些官員對禁令持懷疑態度。目前在歐洲培育市場還沒有銷售這些種子。

　　在決議中，環境專員Stavros Dimas稱轉基因谷物或玉米可能對一些蝴蝶品種有害，尤其是黑脈金斑蝶，對其他一些益蟲也有害處。比如，今年的一項研究表明在轉基因谷類中生長的黑脈金斑蝶的幼蟲“和其他幼蟲表現不一樣。”在關于Dow 和 Pioneer公司生產種子的決議中，Dimas先生認為“對環境潛在的危害是不可逆轉的。”而就Syngenta生產的谷物，他說“培育這種產品帶來的風險級別對環境來說是不能接受的。”

　　歐盟決定禁止轉基因作物的種植，這是在易集團中的首例，也將激化就轉基因作物一直以來的斗爭。禁止將該技術用于谷物作物也標志著歐洲環境機構大膽邁出新的一步，這些機構已大手筆地就汽車和飛機排放制定規則，而這次的禁令使得他們將自己置于與美國及憤怒行業的紛爭中。

　　“這些產品已經在美國和其他國家生長數年了，”美國貿易代表發言人Stephen Norton這樣說，“我們還不知道有這樣的先例，那就是一種產品已經通過歐洲衛生安全機構審查并被認定安全，現在卻又被否定。”

　　Dimas 先生的女發言人Barbara Helfferich不愿意就程序的細節作評論，因為委員們還未做出最后決定。但是她說歐盟有權利基于“預防原則”做出決定，即使科學家并未發現確定證據來證明該產品有害。她說Dimas先生的決定在未來幾周內就可在委員會前出臺，但具體日期還未確定。在這些決定中，Dimas引用了最近的一些研究，這些研究表明對轉基因“谷物副產品”的消費會“抑制生長，增加nontarget昆蟲死亡率”，而且這些昆蟲“是水生動物重要的食物”，因此這可能有“無法預料的影響整體生態系統規模的后果”。

　　盡管他的決定還是初步的，但是卻會使未來批準轉基因谷物的政策向一邊傾斜，這是Europabio女發言人Nathalie Moll的觀點，Europabio是擁有80名成員的一個工業組織，Syngenta, Pioneer and Dow都是其成員。Europabio稱運用轉基因谷物生長的作物已經進口到幾個歐洲國家，包括法國和德國，用于飼養牛、雞這樣的動物。

　　赴歐盟的美國發言人Rob Gianfranceschi稱目前就對尚未正式出臺的決定作出評論還為時過早，但是他明確表示美國對于歐洲對轉基因谷物的政策表示失望。