纽约时报 令人爱恨交加的转基因作物(3)

In recent years, many environmental groups have also quietly walked back their opposition¹ as evidence has mounted that existing G.M.O.s are both safe to eat and not inherently bad for the environment.

近年来，许多环保组织也悄悄地撤回了反对意见，因为越来越多的证据表明，现有的转基因生物既可以安全食用，而且本身并不会对环境造成危害。

The introduction of Bt corn, which contains a gene² from Bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally insect-resistant bacterium³ that organic farmers routinely spray on crops, dropped the crop's insecticide use by 35 percent. A pest-resistant Bt eggplant has become similarly popular in Bangladesh, where farmers have also embraced flood-tolerant "scuba⁴ rice," a variety engineered to survive being submerged for up to 14 days rather than just three. Each year, Bangladesh and India lose roughly four million tons of rice to flooding — enough to feed 30 million people — and waste a corresponding volume of pesticides⁵ and herbicides, which then enter the groundwater.

Bt玉米含有苏云金芽孢杆菌的基因，苏云金芽孢杆菌是一种天然的抗虫细菌，有机耕种的农民经常将其喷洒在作物上，Bt玉米的引入使作物的杀虫剂使用量减少了35%。在孟加拉国，一种抗虫害的Bt茄子也备受欢迎，当地农民还接受了耐涝的“潜水水稻”，这种转基因水稻可以在水下生存长达14天，而不是只有3天。孟加拉国和印度每年因洪水损失约400万吨大米——足以养活3000万人——并浪费相应数量的杀虫剂和除草剂，这些之后都会进入地下水。

In North America, though, such benefits can seem remote compared with what we think of as "eating naturally." That's especially true because, for many of us, G.M.O.s and the harms of industrial agriculture (monocultures, overuse of pesticides and herbicides) remain inextricably linked.

然而，在北美，与我们所认为的“自然饮食”相比，这些好处似乎遥不可及。这一点尤其正确，因为对我们许多人来说，转基因生物和工业化农业的危害（单一种植、过度使用杀虫剂和除草剂）仍然密不可分。

In 1996, researchers determined⁶ that soybeans containing a gene from a Brazil nut could trigger a reaction in someone who is allergic⁷. (The soybeans were experimental and never intended for the market.) Adding a new gene — or simply changing how a gene is regulated (i.e., how active it is) — rarely affects just a single thing. Moreover, our understanding of these interactions, and their effects, is constantly evolving. Charles Benbrook, executive director of the Heartland Health Research Alliance, also notes that any potential health impacts from G.M.O.s would be stronger in whole foods — produce we consume raw, unprocessed and in large amounts — than in ingredients like corn syrup⁸.

1996年，研究人员确定，含有巴西坚果基因的大豆可能会引发过敏者的反应（这些大豆是实验性的，从未打算投放市场。）添加一个新基因——或者仅仅改变一个基因的调节方式（即其活性程度）——几乎不会只影响一件事。此外，我们对这些相互作用及其影响的理解也在不断发展。哈特兰健康研究联盟的执行主任查尔斯·本布鲁克也指出，与玉米糖浆等原料相比，转基因食品对健康的任何潜在影响，在我们食用的所有未经烹饪、未经加工的大量食品中都要更强。

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

3 bacterium   

n.(pl.)bacteria 细菌

参考例句：

• The bacterium possibly goes in the human body by the mouth.细菌可能通过口进入人体。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。

4 scuba   

n.水中呼吸器

参考例句：

• I first got hooked on scuba diving when I was twelve.12岁时我开始迷上了带水中呼吸器潜水。
• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。

5 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

7 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

8 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。