同等学力英语一日一练（五）

Genetically modified (GM) foodstuffs are here to stay. That’s not to say that food produced by __1__ agriculture will disappear, __2__ simply that food buying patterns will polarize. It may even be that GM food will become the food of __3__ because consumers come to appreciate the health benefits of reduced __4__ use.

　　 The reason GM food will not go away is that we need a three-fold increase in food production by the year 2050 to keep __5 __with the world’s __6__ population growth to ten or eleven billion. It’s not __7__a question of more mouths to feed either. __8__ is often forgotten is that all these extra people will take up space, reducing the overall land __9 __for agriculture.

　　 It may well be that in the long term it is the developing world __10__ benefits most from GM foods. It’s true that for the next ten years or so GM crops may be __11__ expensive. But the lesson of personal computers is applicable here ——once the technology has been developed for money-spinning crops, __12__ maize, soy beans and cotton, it will become __13__ for all. This doesn’t mean, unfortunately, that families will __14__ , but severity and duration will be helped by an __15__ ability to produce and distribute food.

　　 __16__ we move into this new era of agriculture we’re embarking on a journey the world has seen any number of times with experiments before. We have been __17__ species of wheat for several thousand years. Genetic engineers