Question

    A new kind of rice, golden rice, may soon make its way into the world’s food supply by the year 2021, reports Science magazine.

Golden rice was actually first developed back in the 1990s by German scientists who were looking for creative ways to reduce rates of Vitamin A deficiency(维生素A缺乏症) in human body, which continues to be a major concern throughout the developing world. Beta-carotene(胡萝卜素), which exists in some plants, can change into vitamin A in our body.

In view of beta-carotene’s characteristics, German scientists tried and managed to make rice filled with additional beta-carotene, which has a strong red orange color. The beta-carotene that is added to this rice is actually what conduces to its special golden color.

To German scientists, developing this rice was meaningful. But as with all GM(转基因的) crops, some people warn that the golden rice may be unnecessary and even harmful, possibly having some environment consequences. Until now, those voices have prevented golden rice from being planted anywhere.

However, that’s about to change. Bangladesh now plans to become the first country to approve golden rice for planting. Recently, golden rice is receiving a series of tests before the final approval of Bangladesh. Tests conducted by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) found no new farming challenges with golden rice and no big differences in quality between the crop and the traditional varieties, with the exception that golden rice is more nutritious. Some other organizations are still doing tests about the environmental influences of the crop. If those results are also good, then golden rice will have received all the approval it needs to move forward with planting.

As for the future market for the golden rice, the crop will need to gain the public’s trust. And it remains to be seen whether golden rice will offer a better nutritional and economical choice compared to other sources of vitamin A, such as other vegetables where it occurs naturally.

1.What was German scientists’ main purpose of working on rice?

A.To raise its output. B.To make it look prettier.

C.To collect its beta-carotene. D.To improve its vitamin A content in our body.

2.What does the underlined part “conduces to” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A.Causes. B.Changes. C.Removes. D.Lightens.

3.What do BRRI’s tests show about golden rice?

A.It can hardly grow on the farmland of Bangladesh. B.It is nutritionally better than traditional rice.

C.It may do serious harm to the environment. D.It is no different from other rice in taste.

4.How is golden rice’s future market in the author’s opinion?

A.Promising. B.Worrying. C.Uncertain. D.Hopeless.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.B

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。据《科学》杂志报道，一种名为“黄金大米”的新型大米有望在2021年进入世界粮食供应市场。黄金大米最早是在20世纪90年代由德国科学家发明的，当时他们正在寻找降低人体维生素A缺乏率的创造性方法，而维生素A缺乏率一直是发展中国家的主要担忧。对德国科学家来说，培育这种水稻意义重大。黄金大米比传统大米更有营养，但是对于未来市场的发展，仍需要获得公众的信任。

1.

推理判断题。根据第二段中Golden rice was actually first developed back in the 1990s by German scientists who were looking for creative ways to reduce rates of Vitamin A deficiency(维生素A缺乏症) in human body, which continues to be a major concern throughout the developing world.可知事实上，黄金大米最早是在20世纪90年代由德国科学家发明的，当时他们正在寻找降低人体维生素A缺乏率的创造性方法，而维生素A缺乏率一直是发展中国家的主要担忧。由此可推知，德国科学家研究水稻的主要目的是提高我们体内维生素A的含量。故选D。

2.

词义猜测题。根据划线短语上文The beta-carotene that is added to this rice is actually what以及后文its special golden color.可知这种大米中添加的β-胡萝卜素是大米呈现特殊的金黄色的原因。由此可知，划线短语意思为“原因”。A. Causes.原因；B. Changes.改变；C. Removes.除掉；D. Lightens.点亮。故选A。

3.

细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中Tests conducted by the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) found no new farming challenges with golden rice and no big differences in quality between the crop and the traditional varieties, with the exception that golden rice is more nutritious.可知孟加拉国水稻研究所（BRRI）进行的测试发现，黄金水稻没有带来新的农业挑战，这种作物和传统品种之间的质量也没有很大差异，只是黄金水稻更有营养。由此可知，BRRI的测试表明黄金大米的营养比传统大米更好。故选B。

4.

推理判断题。根据最后一段As for the future market for the golden rice, the crop will need to gain the public’s trust. And it remains to be seen whether golden rice will offer a better nutritional and economical choice compared to other sources of vitamin A, such as other vegetables where it occurs naturally.可知至于黄金大米的未来市场，这种作物需要获得公众的信任。与其他维生素A来源（如天然产生维生素A的其他蔬菜）相比，黄金大米是否会提供更好的营养和经济的选择还有待观察。由此可推知，作者认为黄金大米的未来市场还不确定。故选C。