C. Keywords
controversy, pros, cons.
Vocabulary
controversy, defect, gene therapy, pro,con, non-reversible, ecological, dominance, human guinea pig.
C1. You're going to hear a talk on the new genetic food technology.
Listen carefully, focus on the pros and cons and then complete the outline.
You'll be aware of the controversy in Europe and United States over food that has been genetically modified.
But why should our scientists want to do this?
Well, genetic engineering could be used to repair a genetic defect as with the current scientifc trials of gene therapy in humans,
to make a characteristic already natural to that organism even better, for example, to increase the growth rate pf a crop, to improve resistance to disease or outside damage, for example, crop disease or resistance to cold or drought,
to make the organism do something it would not normally do, for example, getting a tomato to ripen without going soft, this can be done simply by taking one of its own genes turning its pattern upside down and putting it back again.
It sounds like an amazing new technology, but opinions differ greatly on the pros and cons of genetically engineering food (GE food).
Supporters of GE food said that GE crops will reduce chemical inputs to the land, help the environment, increase the possibility of growing crops in difficult geographic areas, improve nutritional qualities of food.
Opponents of GE food say that GE crops may upset the complex environmental balance, create many new non-reversible ecological problems,
increase the dominance of major corporations and disadvantage small farmers, as these rich corporations will control seed varieties, at the worst, cause damage to the human immune system and cause cancer.
At the moment, there is much controversy surrounding GE food. Some people claim GE food is safe for humansa and safe for the environment and will benefit everyone.
Some say they support research into GE food because they recognize the possible benefits for economic food supply in the future.
But many also say that nothing has yet been proved for this new technology and the risks are so great, that it is wise to go slow.
None of the GE food so far produced are at all necessary. So why are they being sold?
Why not wait longer until more scientific trials are carried out?
Some say no to GE foods. They are not worth risk to the environment and our health. They say organic or semi-organic farming is the answer to feeding the world.
This type of farming needs lots of labor, but needs no debt and no large corporations.
Others are angry that GE food is already being sold and that there is no way for consumers to know if they are consuming food made from plants that have had their genes altered in a laboratory.
They feel that they have been tricked by big corporations and they don't like being human guinea pigs for these new GE food.
They insist on clear labelling on food packaging to show whether GE food products are present.
It is a brave new world we are facing in the 21st century.
As the molecular biologist Michael Antonious says, Genetic engineering and conventional breeding are worlds apart.
What nature has done for us for millions of years is now suddenly out of date.
Today's scientists face huge problems in deciding whether the benefits of the new technology are worth risks.
It is your future that is being decided here. It might be worth offering the scientists some guidance.