Are GMOs Safe?
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
Table of Con ten ts The Birth of GMOs.
Con 10 ts 转基因生物诞生表.
4 What—and Where—Are GMO Foods?
4 转基因食品在哪里?
6 The Benefits and Risks of GMOs.
6 转基因生物的好处和风险。
7 GMOs in the Environment.
7 转基因生物在环境中。
10 Are GMO Foods Good for People’s Health?
10 转基因生物食品是否有利于人民健康?
11 To Label or Not to Label?
11去标签还是不去标签?
13 The Future of GMOs.
13 转基因生物的未来。
15 Glossary.
15 词汇。
19 The Bir th of GMOs In 1994, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new kind of tomato for sale in the United States.
19 转基因生物 Bir th 1994年,食品药品管理局(FDA)批准一种新型番茄在美国销售.
Called the Flavr Savr, it was grown from seeds that researchers altered in a laboratory.
被称为"Flavr Savr",由研究者在实验室所改变的种子所生长.
Unlike traditional tomatoes, this new variety stayed firm long after ripening.
与传统番茄不同,这种新品种在成熟后很长一段时间保持坚固.
This feature allowed the tomatoes to ripen longer on the vine before they were picked and sent to market.
这个功能使得番茄在被取出并送往市场之前在藤上能更长时间地成熟.
Flavr Savr tomatoes were clearly labeled as being grown from seeds that were genetically modified.
Flavr Savr番茄被明确标注为由被转基因的种子所生长.
Initially, they sold very well.
最初,他们卖得非常好.
Within two years, however, concerns over safety had turned public opinion against them.
然而,在两年内,人们对安全的关切已使公众舆论反对他们。
They were removed from sale.
他们被取消销售。
The argument over genetically modified organisms (GMOs) had begun.
关于转基因生物的争论已经开始。
Since the birth of agriculture almost ten thousand years ago, humans have bred plants in order to grow food crops not found in the wild.
自从近一万年前的农业诞生以来,人类为种植野外没有的粮食作物而种植了植物.
For example, corn as it is known today never grew wild.
例如,今天已知的玉米从未野生过。
Instead, farmers developed it from a wild grass called teosinte by replanting only the seeds from the plants they liked best.
相反,农民从野生草地上发展出来,叫做"取出"(teosinte),只从他们最喜欢的植物上再植出种子.
Dr.
医生
Virginia Ursin (main) worked on the first genetically modified tomatoes (inset).
弗吉尼亚·乌尔辛(英语:Virginia Ursin (main))从事了第一部转基因番茄(inset).
Over the past few decades, people have developed new technology to grow foods that never existed before.
在过去几十年里,人们开发出新技术来种植前所未有的食物.
Now, people don’t have to grow generations of plants to make them look, taste, or behave differently.
现在,人们不需要种植几代的植物来使其外观、口味或行为不同。
Scientists can give a seed a new trait in the laboratory simply by giving it a new gene.
科学家只需给一粒种子一个新的基因,就可以在实验室中赋予一粒新的特质.
The gene can come from another type of plant or from a completely different organism.
该基因可以来自另一种植物,也可以来自完全不同的生物.
For example, most of the corn grown in the United States today has been changed to include genes from a soil bacterium called Bt.
例如,今天美国种植的大部分玉米被修改为包括了一种叫"Bt"的土壤细菌的基因.
The bacterium kills insects that ingest it.
细菌会杀死摄入它的昆虫
As a result, the new corn also has the ability to kill insects that feed on it.
因此,新玉米也有能力杀死以它为食的昆虫.
Creating a brand-new organism by combining the genes of existing, unrelated organisms is known as genetic engineering.
通过结合现有,不相干生物的基因来创造出全新的生物体,被称为基因工程.
The new varieties are known as genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
新品种被称作转基因生物(GMOs).
Some foods made from GMOs are now commonly eaten by people in the United States every day.
一些由转基因生物所制成的食物现在每天都被美国人们所普遍吃.
Genetically modified cornfields (main) look exactly like those that have not been modified with the Bt soil bacterium (inset).
转基因玉米地(主)的外观与未用Bt土壤细菌(内置)进行改造的玉米地完全相同.
Wha t—and Where—Are GMO Foods?
转基因食品在哪里?
About 40 percent of all crops grown in the United States are genetically modified.
美国种植的所有作物中约有40%是转基因作物.
The most common crops currently grown with GMO technology are alfalfa, cotton, canola, corn, sugar beets, soy, and zucchini.
目前以转基因生物技术所种植的最常见作物有:阿法尔法,棉花,可兰花,玉米,糖甜菜,大豆和zu.
About 90 percent of the corn, cotton, and soybeans grown in the United States are GMOs.
美国种植的玉米,棉花和大豆中约有90%是转基因生物.
In all, it’s estimated that between 60 and 80 percent of processed foods in the United States contain GMOs.
估计美国60%至80%的加工食品含有转基因生物。
It can be surprising to learn about all the places these modified foods turn up.
了解这些被修改的食品出现的所有地点会令人惊讶.
For example, corn kernels are also made into products like corn meal and corn syrup.
例如,玉米内核也被制成玉米饭和玉米糖浆等产品.
In turn, those products become ingredients in cereal, cookies, pet foods, and countless other foods.
这些产品反过来成为谷物、饼干、宠物食品和无数其他食品的原料。
Most food labels include a list of ingredients.
大多数食品标签都包含一个成份列表.
However, they usually don’t say whether or not any of those ingredients were genetically modified.
他们通常不会说这些成分是否经过了基因改造。
That means almost all Americans have eaten GMO foods without knowing it.
这意味着几乎所有的美国人都吃过转基因动物的食物而不知不觉.
All the foods pictured above are made with corn.
上面描述的所有食物都是用玉米做的.
Some people are working to change that by asking the U.
有些人通过要求U来改变这种局面。
S.
师曰.
government to require that manufacturers label all food products containing GMO ingredients.
政府要求制造商对所有含有转基因生物成分的食品进行标签。
The law already requires that most food products have labels listing ingredients and nutritional facts.
法律已经要求大多数食品必须具有列出成分和营养事实的标签.
People who want labels for GMO foods believe that consumers also have a right to know whether or not they’re eating food grown using GMO technology.
希望为转基因生物食品贴标签的人认为,消费者也有权利知道自己是否正在吃用转基因生物技术种植的食物.
The Benefi ts and Risks of GMOs GMO food products became part of the U.
转基因生物的Benefi ts和risks的转基因生物食品也成为了U的一部分.
S.
师曰.
foods.
饮食.
Many GMO crops on the market today have had new genes added to help them resist crop- eating pests.
今天市场上的许多转基因生物作物都增加了新的基因来帮助他们抵抗作物-食用害虫.
Some experts say that because of this, farmers can spray fewer pesticides on their fields.
一些专家说,由于这个原因,农民可以在田地上喷洒较少的农药.
Many GMO crops are also designed to survive weed-killing chemicals.
许多转基因生物作物还被设计成能活过杀草化学品.
Farmers can spray herbicides on an entire field to destroy unwanted weeds without killing those crops.
农民可以在一整块地上喷洒除草剂来摧毁不需要的杂草而不会杀死这些作物.
Some people say GMO crops can be grown using fewer chemicals overall.
有些人说,转基因生物作物可以使用更少的化学物质总体来种植.
As a result, they say GMOs make agriculture less harmful to the environment and food safer for people.
因此,他们说转基因生物使得农业对环境的危害更小,对人们的食品更安全.
They also say that the stronger GMO plants can increase crop yields, making farming more profitable.
他们还说,更强大的转基因生物植物可以提高作物产量,使耕作更加有利可图.
However, some researchers say that as a whole, farmers have used more chemicals since they started planting GMO crops.
然而,一些研究者说,从整体上看,自开始种植转基因生物作物以来,农民使用更多的化学品.
Others say that some insects and weeds will adapt to the new crops and farmers’ increased spraying of weeds.
也有人表示,一些昆虫和杂草会适应新作物和农民增加喷洒杂草.
They fear that farmers will eventually need to use stronger chemicals to battle these new breeds of “superbugs” and “superweeds.”
他们担心农民最终需要使用更强大的化学品来对付这些新品种的"超级虫"和"超级草". “
This ongoing cycle could create new safety risks for both humans and the environment.
这一持续周期可能对人类和环境造成新的安全风险。
Farmers raising GMO crops can spray their entire fields with herbicides, which reduces the time and labor it takes to raise those crops.
种植转基因生物作物的农民可以用除草剂来喷洒他们的整个田地,这减少了种植这些作物所需的时间和劳动.
People who support GMO foods say that their potential to solve world hunger outweighs any unknown risks.
支持转基因生物食物的人说,他们解决世界饥饿问题的潜力大于任何未知的风险.
They say GMOs’ larger crop yields will be needed to feed people as Earth’s human population grows.
转基因生物需要更大的作物产量,
Researcher David Weisser says that limiting GMOs “only hurts the world’s starving population.”
研究者David Weisser说,限制转基因生物“只会伤害世界上饥饿的人口。 “
But some opponents say that widespread use of GMO crops is making the world’s food supply more vulnerable.
但有些反对者说,广泛使用转基因生物作物正在使世界粮食供应更加脆弱.
Experts at Princeton University warn that planting fewer varieties of crops “can lead to the quicker spread of diseases” in plants.
普林斯顿大学的专家警告说,在植物中种植较少的作物品种“可能导致疾病的更快传播”。
For example, imagine if everyone grew the same GMO corn seeds and a disease came along that wiped out that corn.
例如,想象一下,如果每个人都种植同样的转基因生物玉米种子, 并出现一种将玉米消灭的疾病。
It would then also wipe out an entire key food source in one fell swoop.
这样一来,它就会把整个关键食物源 都抹去。
Scientists record temperatures and light readings on laptops to learn how those variables affect plant growth.
科学家记录了手提电脑上的温度和光读取,以了解这些变量如何影响植物生长。
GMOs in the Environmen t Scientists develop the seeds for GMO crops in laboratories.
Environmen t 科学家在实验室为GMO作物开发种子.
But part of the GMO experiment is growing those crops on a wide scale in real life.
但是GMO实验的一部分是在现实生活中广泛种植这些作物.
Only then can experts discover how GMO seeds affect the environment and nearby wild plants and animals.
只有这样,专家才能发现转基因生物种子如何影响环境和附近的野生动植物.
For example, wind can carry pollen from a field of GMO crops to a neighboring field of wildflowers.
例如:风能将花粉从一地的转基因作物带到相邻的野花地.
If that pollen fertilizes some of those wildflowers, their offspring might take on new traits bred into the food crop.
如果花粉能给一些野花受精 他们的子孙可能会在食物作物中产生出新的特质
Insects and other animals that carry pollen might also be affected.
携带花粉的昆虫和其他动物也可能受到影响。
Some people fear that crops engineered to kill “pest” insects will also kill helpful insects such as ladybugs, bees, and butterflies.
有些人担心,为杀死 " 害虫 " 而设计的作物也会杀死有帮助的昆虫,如水虫、蜜蜂和蝴蝶等。
More studies need to be done to determine whether that claim is supported by fact.
还需要作更多的研究,以确定该索赔是否得到事实的证实。
The monarch butterfly is a beneficial insect that pollinates crops and other plants.
君主蝴蝶是一种对农作物和其他植物授粉的有益昆虫.
Monarch populations have declined as much as 90 percent in the past twenty years.
在过去20年里,君主制人口下降了多达90%。
Scientists have disagreed about whether or not Bt toxins harm monarch larvae that hatch and feed on GMO plants.
科学家对是否 Bt毒素会伤害孵出并以转基因生物植物为食的君主幼虫.
The amount of milkweed (main), the main food source for monarch butterflies (inset), is being reduced due to herbicides being sprayed on neighboring GMO fields.
由于相邻的转基因生物田地被喷洒除草剂,作为君主蝴蝶(被套入)主要食物来源的奶草(主)数量正在减少.
Are GMO Foods Good for People’s Heal th?
转基因动物食品对人民是否有益?
In some cases, people who support growing GMO foods say that those foods can solve serious human health problems.
在某些情况下,支持种植转基因生物食物的人说,这些食物可以解决严重的人类健康问题.
They say GMOs can produce more food for people in the world’s poorest areas.
转基因生物可以为世界上最贫穷地区的人民生产更多的食物。
In addition, some GMO crops have been developed to help fight disease in those areas.
此外,还开发了一些转基因生物作物来帮助这些地区防治疾病。
For example, scientists are experimenting with rice that has been changed to produce vitamin A.
例如,科学家们正在实验已经改变为生产维生素A的稻米.
The new rice could help prevent blindness in places where people’s diets lack vitamin A.
新的大米有助于预防人们饮食缺乏维生素A的地方失明。
However, some people say humans shouldn’t eat GMO food until scientists know more about its long-term effects on health.
但有些人说, 人类不应该吃转基因生物食物,
They are concerned that genetically modified crops or the chemicals to grow them may cause diseases such as cancer.
他们担心转基因作物或种植这些作物的化学品可能造成癌症等疾病。
Another concern is new food allergies because some GMO foods contain proteins that people have never eaten before.
另一个关切是新的食物过敏,因为一些转基因生物食物含有人们以前从未吃过的蛋白质.
Soy, eggs, milk, and peanuts are common food allergens.
大豆,鸡蛋,牛奶,和花生是常见的食物过敏剂.
Many studies have assessed the health risks of eating GMO foods.
许多研究评估了食用转基因生物食品的健康风险.
However, people debate whether or not these studies have provided good enough answers.
然而,人们对这些研究是否提供了足够好的答案进行了争论.
People on one side say that hundreds of published studies on GMOs show no significant harm to human health.
一方的人说,数百起关于转基因生物的已发表的研究表明,对人类健康没有重大危害.
People on the other side point to several hundred studies that they say do show that GMOs are harmful.
另一边的人指出,他们所说的几百项研究确实表明转基因生物是有害的。
For example, studies have charted increases in depression, weight gain, and Alzheimer’s disease since GMO foods went on the market.
例如,自GMO食品上市以来,研究预测了抑郁症、体重增高和阿尔茨海默症的发病率增加。
One reason people on both sides of the issue can’t agree on the conclusion is that they can’t agree on the evidence.
问题双方人士无法认同这个结论,
Each side questions whether the other side’s research is fair and accurate.
双方质疑对方的研究是否公平而准确.
GMO opponents say that the studies showing GMO crops are safe are not reliable because they are carried out by the same companies that profit from those crops.
转基因生物反对者说,显示转基因生物作物安全性的研究并不可靠,因为这些研究是由从这些作物中获利的公司进行的。
Advocates for the industry say that the studies cited by their opponents are faulty or biased.
业界的倡导者说,他们反对者引用的研究有错误或有偏见.
Furthermore, because private companies own the patents for most genetically engineered seeds, independent researchers have reportedly faced obstacles to doing strict, unbiased studies on those seeds.
此外,由于私营公司拥有大多数转基因种子的专利,独立研究人员据说在对这些种子进行严格、无偏见的研究方面面临障碍。
The positive or negative effects of any new technology cannot be fully understood without long-term study.
不进行长期研究,就无法充分了解任何新技术的积极或消极影响。
To Label or No t to Label?
标签还是不标签?
The debate about the benefits versus the risks of GMO foods has met with a different reaction in the United States than in many other countries around the world.
关于转基因生物食品的效益与风险的争论在美国受到的反应与世界其他许多国家不同.
In more than sixty countries, GMOs have either been banned until further study can prove them safe, or foods containing GMOs must be labeled.
在60多个国家,转基因生物要么被禁止,直到进一步研究能够证明它们安全,要么必须给含有转基因生物的食品贴上标签.
In the United States, GMO foods are allowed on the market unless they can be proved to be harmful.
在美国,转基因生物食品允许上市,除非能够被证明有害.
The government does not require special labels for foods made from GMOs.
政府并不要求对由转基因生物制作的食品进行特殊标签.
Yet public opinion polls show that most consumers in the United States want to see labels on foods containing genetically modified ingredients.
然而民意调查显示,美国大多数消费者想看到含有转基因成份的食品上的标签.
They say that clearly labeling products containing GMO ingredients would help people choose whether they want to consume GMO foods.
他们说,明确标注含有转基因生物成分的产品将有助于人们选择是否要消费转基因生物食品.
In the United Kingdom, items that contain GMO foods must be labeled (right).
在英国,含有转基因生物食品的物品必须被贴上标签(右).
In the United States, some non-GMO foods carry labels (left).
在美国,一些非GMO食品带有标签(左).
Some people are working to get new laws passed that would require labeling of GMO foods in the states where they live.
有些人正在努力争取通过新的法律,要求在他们居住的州里给转基因生物食品贴上标签。
In 2014, Vermont became the first state to require labels on GMO foods sold within its boundaries.
2014年,佛蒙特州成为第一个要求在其境内销售的GMO食品上贴上标签的州.
Some businesses across the country, such as specialty grocery stores, have also pledged to label any GMO foods they sell.
全国各地的一些企业,如特产杂货店,也承诺给所销售的任何转基因食品贴上标签.
The companies that develop, grow, and market genetically modified foods say that requiring GMO labels on their products will unfairly hurt their business.
开发、种植和销售转基因食品的公司说,要求在其产品上贴上转基因生物标签将不公平地损害其业务。
Spokespeople for the GMO industry argue that labels won’t help educate the public with the facts about GMOs.
转基因生物行业的发言人认为标签无助于教育公众了解转基因生物的事实。
Some say that due to public fears about the risks of GMOs, any label will scare people away.
有人说,由于公众担心转基因生物的风险,任何标签都会将人们吓跑.
They say that labels will lump together GMO products that are made with different methods or ingredients.
他们说标签会拼凑出用不同方法或成份制作的转基因生物产品.
They warn that labels will only increase fear and slow development of new GMO products that might benefit people.
他们警告说,标签只会增加恐惧,并会缓慢地开发出可能有利于人们的新转基因生物产品.
Finally, they say that labeling every product will be expensive and complicated.
最后,他们说,给每个产品贴上标签将十分昂贵和复杂。
At a two-day environmental conference in Paris in 2012, France’s Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault (standing) voted to maintain a temporary ban on the cultivation of GMO foods in his country.
2012年在巴黎举行的为期两天的环境会议上,法国总理让-马克·艾罗(Jean-Marc Ayrault)投票决定继续暂时禁止他的国家种植转基因生物食品.
The Fu ture of GMOs People have been eating foods grown from genetically engineered seeds for only the past two decades.
转基因生物的富克特人 仅仅在过去20年里就一直在吃 基因工程种子所培育的食物
While hundreds of published reports have explored the benefits and risks of GMO foods, many people believe the jury is still out on whether or not GMO foods are safe.
虽然有上百份已发表的报告探讨了转基因生物食品的好处和风险,但许多人认为,关于转基因生物食品是否安全的问题,陪审团仍然置之不理.
Saving Seeds for a Rainy Day A century ago, farmers could buy seeds for more than three hundred unique varieties of corn.
将种子保存为雨水 天数 一个世纪前,农民可以买到300多种玉米的种子。
Today, most commercially grown corn comes from hybrid seeds from the same few varieties of corn.
如今,大多数商业种植的玉米出自同属少数品种的玉米杂交种子.
Meanwhile, many of the world’s historic and traditional foods have gone extinct— including 90 percent of historic fruit and vegetable varieties in the United States.
与此同时,世界上许多历史和传统食品已经灭绝,包括美国90%的历史水果和蔬菜品种。
To address this problem, people have started seed banks around the world to save seeds from traditional, or “heirloom,” crops.
为了解决这一问题,人们在世界各地建立了种子库,从传统作物或“花生”作物中拯救种子。
By preserving a diverse array of crops— as well as the knowledge of the people who grew them— they hope to ensure more food choices for future generations.
通过保护各种作物——以及种植这些作物的人的知识——他们希望确保后代有更多的食物选择。