Todaythereare6billionpeopleontheearth.
Bytheyear2050theremaybe12.5billion.Thismeansweneedmorefood.
Onewaytoproducemorefoodisbygrowingstrongerplants.Forthousandsofyears,farmershavemade
plantsbetter.Everyseason,theypickthebestplantsforthenextseason.Itworksveryslowly.Since1983,
scientistshavebeenabletochangeplantsmorequicklybychangingtheirgeneticmaterial(遗传物质).Foods
fromplantsgrowninthiswayarecalledgeneticallymodifiedfoods(转基因食品),orGMfoods.
Bychangingthegeneticmaterialofaplant,itispossibletomakenewplants.Theymakeplantswhichare
strongagainstplantdiseases.Theycanalsohelpinourdiseases:akindofriceisbeingprepared(准备),for
example,whichstopspeoplefrombecomingblind.
RichcountriesproduceGMfoodbecausetheyareeasytogrowandbringinmoremoney.Poorcountries
areinterestedinthembecausetheyhelpproducemorefood.
GMplantsarenotnatural.Nooneknowshowgoodorbadtheyare.MakingGMfoodsisonlyoneway
offeedingpeoplein2050.Therearestrongfeelingsagainstthem,becausetheyareunnatural.Theymayfeed
people,thenhurtthemortheirchildrenlater.But,bothrichandpoorcountriesareveryinterestedintheiruse,
andtheyarenotgoingtogoaway.In2050wemaythinkdifferentlyaboutthem.
1.Whatwillthepopulationoftheworldbein2050?
2.Howdidscientistschangeplantsquickly?
3.what'stheadvantagesofGMfoods?
4.what'sthedisadvantagesofGMfoods?
5,DoallthepeoplelikeGMfoods?