【正文】 g, which is making new plants from parents of different varieties or species. Actually, plant breeding has been practiced for thousands of years, since near the beginning of human civilization. It is practiced worldwide by individuals such as gardeners and farmers and by professional plant breeders employed by organizations such as government institutions, universities, cropspecific industry associations or research centers. They have crossbred plants to create the new types of plants that are, for example, bigger, stronger, or more attractive. Crossbreeding can take such a long time, however, and it is inaccurate. Now, we can change exact sections of Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), so the process is more accurate and faster. But people all over the world are arguing about its benefits and disadvantages. Some people use the technology to produce desired characteristics of plants and animals. Other people are concerned that the genetically engineered plants may harm the environment and worried that they may be dangerous for people to eat. There are many reasons for changing plants in this way. International development agencies believe that breeding new crops is important for ensuring food security by developing new varieties that are higher yielding(高產(chǎn)的), disease resistant, drought tolerant or regionally adapted to different environments and growing conditions. For example, some genetically engineered plants can live through frost or draught. As a result, famers can make more profit because fewer plants will die. Some genetically engineered plants are more nutritious. They have less fat, taste better or stay fresher than nongenetically engineered plants. This will allow people to buy betterquality fruit and vegetables. Some genetically engineered plants can resist natural pests such as viruses or insects. This reduces the amount of chemical needed to kill pests, which is helpful to the environment. However, genetically engineered plants can cause unexpected problems. Genetically engineered plants that resist pests may pass on that characteristic to a wild relative. This may cause the wild plant to spread fast, because pests are not naturally killing it. Genetically engineered plants can also harm animals. A type of corn has been developed which kills a species of insect that destroys it. The pollen (花粉) from this corn, however, can also kill monarch butterflies—the most beautiful of all butterflies, which do not harm the corn. To ensure the most adapted varieties are identified, advocates of organic breeding now promote the use of direct selection for many desired characteristics. Genetic engineering is a very new science and we have a lot to learn about the good it can do and the damage it can cause. The main concern is that not enough tests are being done to ensure it is safe.（1）According to the passage, the purpose of plant breeding is to . A.beautify the environmentB.change the genes of plantsC.produce new plant varietiesD.assess the value of the practice（2）The author thinks crossbreeding inaccurate because . A.the sections of DNA are changedB.problems are sometimes causedC.manpower and resources are wastedD.animals are produced using the technology（3）The author39。s attitude toward crossbreeding is . A.doubtfulB.disapprovingC.objectiveD.supportive（4）Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage? Sp：Subpoint （次要點） C：ConclusionI：Introduction Cp：Central Point P：PointA.B.C.D.【答案】 （1）C（2）B（3）C（4）A 【解析】【分析】本文是一篇說明文，基因工程是一門非常新 的科學(xué)，關(guān)于它能帶來的好處和它能造成的破壞，我們有很多東西要學(xué)習(xí)。 （1）考查細節(jié)理解。根據(jù)第一段中的”Plant breeders try to create a specific oute of plants and potentially new plant varieties by changing the genes of the plants through breeding, which is making new plants from parents of different varieties or species.“植物育種家試圖通過育種改變植物的基因來創(chuàng)造植物和潛在的新植物品種的特定結(jié)果，即從不同品種或物種的親本培育新植物，可知植物育種的目的是生產(chǎn)新的植物品種，故選C。 （2）考查細節(jié)理解。根據(jù)倒數(shù)第四段中的”However, genetically engineered plants can cause unexpected problems.“可知作者認為雜交是錯誤的，是因為有時會產(chǎn)生問題，故選B。 （3）考查推理判斷。根據(jù)最后一段中的”Genetic engineering is a very new science and we have a lot to learn about the good it can do and the damage it can cause. The main concern is that not enough tests are being done to ensure it is safe.“基因工程是一門非常新的科學(xué)，關(guān)于它能帶來的好處和它能造成的破壞，我們有很多東西要學(xué)習(xí)。主要的問題是沒有進行足夠的測試來確保它是安全的。由此推斷出，作者對雜交的態(tài)度是客觀的，故選C。 （4）考查推理判斷。第一段引出了基因工程這個話題，接下來從三個方面說明了基因工程的益處，又從兩個方面闡述了基因工程的弊端，故選A。 【點評】本題考點涉及細節(jié)理解和推理判斷兩個題型的考查，是一篇科普類閱讀，考生需要準確捕捉細節(jié)信息，并根據(jù)上下文進行邏輯推理，從而選出正確答案。8．閱讀理解 On December 26, 2004, hundreds of tourists relaxed on Sri Lanka39。s Yala National Park39。s beaches. But at midmorning the park39。s elephants began crying wildly and running away from the ocean and up a nearby hill. The puzzled keepers could tell the animals were worried about something but what? What the keepers did not know was that a 30foot wall of water was headed straight toward them. This tsunami(海嘯) had been caused by an earthquake more than 1, 000 miles away in the Indian Ocean. When the huge wave hit the coast, it caused severe damage. Many people died. The elephants, however, were not swept away by the water. They stood safely on the hill. Scientists have long suspected that animals sense natural disasters before humans do. People have told stories of dogs refusing to go outside and sharks swimming to deeper waters before a hurricane. After