A dramatic change, causing problems; very unusual and strange; to be the cause of violence; leave; pollute; initiate or cause; a very number of; a wild guess; make something stronger; worsen; stop abruptly, to strengthen.
2. Explain the meaning of the following expressions.
To move towards consensus, nothing but a boon; to prompt more deaths from heart stroke; those daunted by the roster of afflictions; to fend off the perils; to nudge utilities toward technologies; the evidence was too thin.
3. Answer the following questions.
- What are the United Nations scientific panel’s predictions? Do they coincide with the ones of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change?
- What is the scary scenario for Americas, Africa, Asia?
- How has the situation changed since scientists have moved toward consensus on warming inevitability?
- What is the history of the question? Are the concerns about greenhouse gases new?
- Is there any division in the opinion of the scientists today?
- What are the key points of anticipated effects on climate?
- What are the most successful adaptations to climate change?
Comment on the title of the article summarizing the arguments provided by the writer.
For discussion
- Were you impressed by the article? What arguments of the writer sound the most striking to you?
- Does Nancy Shute sound pessimistic to you? How is her position different from the stance of other environment-concerned authors?
- Where do you stand on the matter yourself?
■ 3.6 G. Monster Vegetables Escape from the Lab
Genetically engineered food will soon be on the supermarket shelves
By Keri Goldenhar
SUPERMARKET shoppers have never been more spoilt for choice. But just when we thought traditional systems of selective farming had created the most tempting array of foods money could buy, we are now being presented with the prospect of genetically created strains of cabbage, onion, tomato, potato and apple.
It may not tickle the fancy of food purists but it fires the imagination of scientists. Last week they discovered that the classic Parisian mushroom contains just the properties that, when genetically mixed with a wild strain of mushroom from the Sonora desert in California, could help it grow en masse while at the same time providing it with the resilience of the wild strain. "We have found a way of increasing the success rate from one to 90 per cent."
This is just one of the many products that, according to sceptics, are creating a new generation of "Frankenfoods". The first such food that may be consumed on a wide scale is a tomato which has been genetically manipulated so that it does not soften as it ripens. Critics say that the new tomato - which cost $25 million to research - is designed to stay on supermarket shelves for longer. It has a ten-day life span.
Not surprisingly, the ever-hungry US is leading the search for these forbidden fruit. By rearranging the genes of a grapefruit, a grower from Texas has created a sweet, red, thin-skinned grapefruit expected to sell at a premium over its California and Florida competitors.
For chip fanatics who want to watch their waistlines, new high-starch, low-moisture potatoes that absorb less fat when fried have been created, thanks to a gene from intestinal bacteria.
The scientists behind such new food argue that genetic engineering is simply an extension of animal and plant breeding methods and that by broadening the scope of the genetic changes that can be made, sources of food are increased. Accordingly, they argue, this does not inherently lead to foods that are less safe than those developed by conventional techniques. But if desirable genes are swapped irrespective of species barriers, could things spiral out of control? "Knowledge is not toxic." said Mark Cantley, head of the biotechnology unit at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. "It has given us a far greater understanding of how living systems work at a molecular level and there is no reason for people to think that scientists and farmers should use that knowledge to do risky things."
Clearly, financial incentive lies behind the development of these bigger, more productive foods. But we may have only ourselves to blame. In the early days of mass food commerce, food varieties were developed by traditional methods of selective breeding to suit the local palate. But as suppliers started to select and preserve plant variants that had larger fruit, consumer expectations rose, leading to the development of the desirable clones. Still, traditionalists and gourmets in Europe are fighting their development.
Even in the pre-packaged US, where the slow-softening tomato will soon be reaching supermarkets, 1.500 American chefs have lent their support to the Pure Food Campaign which calls for the international boycott of genetically engineered foods until more is known about the consequences of the technology and reliable controls have been introduced.
In the short term, much of the technology remains untested and in the long term the consequences for human biology are unknown. Questions have arisen over whether new proteins in genetically modified foods could cause allergies in some people.
Then there are the vegetarians who may be consuming animal non-vegetable proteins in what they think is a common tomato, or the practising Jew who unknowingly consumes a fruit that has been enhanced with a pig's gene. As yet, producers are under no obligation to label "transgenic" products.
Environmentalists worry that new, genetically engineered plants may damage the natural environment. A genetically engineered pest-resistant strain of plant that comes into contact with a native strain, for example, could turn them into virulent weeds beyond chemical control.
Animal welfare groups worry about the quality of life of farm animals manipulated so that they produce more meat, milk and eggs but which may suffer physical damage in the process.
Many of these fears spring from ignorance. And although it is hard to separate the paranoia from the benefits, the fact remains that genetic engineering offers ways of solving serious medical and agricultural problems. It would be a huge loss if exaggerated fears prevented its potential from being explored.
Vocabulary
tempt – to make someone to have or to do something, even though they know they really should not: be tempted; tempt sb into doing sth; tempt sb to do sth; tempt fate/providence – to do sth involving unnecessary risk; temptation (n): temptation to do sth; resist/overcome temptation; give in to (the) temptation; tempting (adj): it’s tempting to do sth.
tickle – to rub someone’s body gently with the fingers in order to make them laugh; be tickled pink (=be very pleased or amused); tickle sb’s fancy – to seem interesting and make you want it; tickle the ivories – play the piano; tickle (n): give sb a tickle; ticklish (adj): ticklish situation.
ripe – fully grown and ready to eat (fruit): be ripe for; the time is ripe for –it is a suitable condition for sth, especially for some kind of change; ripe old age; ripen (v).
premium – at a premium – 1. sold at a higher price than usual; 2. Unavailability of sth or difficulty to get it; premium quality – high quality; put/place a premium on – to consider one quality as being much more important than others; premium prices – higher than usual because there is not much of sth.
spiral – move in continuous curve that gets nearer to or further from its central point as it goes round; increase quickly and uncontrollably; spiral to/around; spiral (n); inflationary spiral.
palate – the sense of taste; palatable (adj): palatable wine; palatable idea –acceptable, pleasant (to).
1. Which of the statements below express arguments for genetic engineering and which against?
1. Genetic engineering may interfere with the balance of nature.
2. The development of new breeds of animals may lead to physical suffering.
3. There are no reliable controls for this technology.
4. Genetic engineering can create a wider variety of food sources.
5. Genetic research has led to a better understanding of living organisms.
6. The consequences of this technology are unknown.
2. According to the article, genetic engineering has already been used to modify the following foods:
mushrooms tomatoes grapefruit potatoes
Look quickly through the article and find the sections which mention these vegetables. What modifications have been made to each vegetable and what are the advantages expected to be?
