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英语四级新闻听力练习分享,希望通过这篇文章的学习对你们有所帮助,下面跟随小编一起学习吧。
1.
A. From rice.
B. From wheat.
C. From apple.
D. From orange.
2.
A. Blight killed nearly all American chestnut trees during the 20th century.
B. Chinese chestnut trees are not resistant to blight.
C. The USDA commonly approves genetically engineered crops.
D. Most corn and soybean fields in the United States are used to grow crops engineered in some way.
二、听力文本
The researchers will ask the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to consider approving an American chestnut tree with a gene from wheat. The nuts have a gene that provides resistance to a condition known as blight. The disease killed nearly all American chestnut trees during the 20th century. Some people are afraid of starting what they call an "irreversible experiment" in a highly complex ecosystem. Others see a technology already used in food production, one that could help save forests under attack from invasive organisms and diseases. Efforts to create American chestnut trees with an ability to fight the blight, like Chinese chestnut trees, are very complex. The genetically engineered method is easier, scientists say. The researchers will ask the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to examine the risks of the new tree. They want the agency to change its rules. The USDA commonly approves genetically engineered crops. Most corn and soybean fields in the United States are used to grow crops engineered in some way. But engineered trees have not been planted in the forests for environmental reasons. That could change as genetic changes become more common and trees are increasingly threatened by climate change and blight. Some scientists are concerned about the long-term effects of adding planting trees that can live for more than 200 years. Yet trees are dying from newly identified diseases and some scientists say biotech could help where other efforts have failed.
Question 1: According to the news report, where did researchers get the gene that provides resistance to a condition known as blight?
Question 2: According to the news report, which of the following statements is not correct?
三、重点词汇
1. chestnut: a large tree with leaves divided into five parts and large, round nuts 栗树
2. blight: a disease that damages and kills plants (植物的)枯萎病,疫病
3. irreversible: not possible to change; impossible to return to a previous condition 不可改变的,不可逆转的
4. invasive: moving into all areas of something and difficult to stop 侵袭的,侵入的
四、背景知识
美国板栗树曾是东部落叶林中雄伟的硬木树之一,其中许多树高达80至120英尺,直径8英尺或更高。Thoreau在瓦尔登(Walden)写过的“无边无际的板栗树林”曾经在阿巴拉契亚山脉中长大。它们为野生动物提供栖息地和肥料作物,为人类提供营养丰富的坚果作物,并提供有价值的木材来源。由于它们的快速生长速率和抗腐蚀木材,它们还具有显着的碳固存潜力,这在气候变化的这些日子里非常重要。该物种几乎被栗树枯萎病消灭,这是一种由外来真菌病原体Cryphonectria parasitica引起的毁灭性疾病。一个世纪以前,当人们开始进口亚洲栗子时,这种真菌被意外地引入美国。它将美国板栗从东部森林中的优势冠层物种减少到仅仅是一种罕见的灌木。但是,美国的团队正在努力恢复美洲板栗(Castanea dentate)。威廉·是美国纽约州立大学环境科学与林业学院美洲板栗树研究及重建项目的联合负责人之一。过去的四十年中,的研究小组从小麦中转移了一种基因,这种基因可以使栗树抵抗致命的酸。已经与美国农业部、美国环境保护局和美国食品和药物管理局讨论,向环境释放这些树木的可能性。“对它们每一棵树来说,这都是全新的。” 说:,“这让它更具挑战性。”根据美国国家科学院、工程学和医学院于1月8日发布的一份报告,对这种转基因树木的和研究挑战可能会使这种转变变得更加困难。然而,报告的作者说,基因工程促进森林健康的潜力很大,值得进一步研究。
五参考答案
Question 1: B
Question 2: B