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发表于 2011-3-1 13:31
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[Homework]SENEWS-2011-03-01
This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
White rice is the world's most popular form of rice. What goes through a million process that removes many nutrients has a result people who eat a poor diet based on white rice may not get enough vitamin A.
Each year, an estimated 250 thousand to half a million children go blind from vitamin A deficiency. The WHO says half of them die within a year of losing their sight, vitamin A deficiency is a problem espically in Africa and Southeast Asia.
So scientists found an answer, they combined white rice with plant components that the body can change into vitamin A. The rice contains beta ** and other **, this plant colorings give the rice a golden color.
The scientists also thought of a plan to give away this golden rice for free to poor farmers, but the rice is genetically engineered, they say they can not be made using traditional methods to breed plants.
The scientists work for ten years untill 1990 to develop the techonology to add genes to rice. Then they took nine more years to get the genes they wanted into the seed.
The first few tests took place in 2004 at ** State University in the United States. Golden rice is currently being tested in the Philippines, it is still not available for general use, ** says rice with two added genes will be available in 2013.
One gene comes from maize or corn, and the other from a soil **, Mr. Partrica is retired from the Swiss faderal institute of techonology, he blames the delays on too many rules about genetically modify corps.
Opponents say such crops may cause environmental damage by breeding with conventional plants. Opponents also question the safety of biotech foods, Mr. Partrica says golden rice has never been shown to be unsafe for the environment or people.
Many agricultural organizations support the project, but there are also critics including researchers for the environmental group Green Peace, several months ago, they questioned whether golden rice could do much for vitamin A deficiency.
They said releasing genetically modified rice in Asia could permanently change traditional rice varieties and wild ** of rice.
And that is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report written by Jerolin Washon, for more news about rice reasearch go to voaspecialenglish.com.I am Bob Daughty.
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