Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ben Hodges
As yet, there’s been no final decision as to whether commercial GM crops are going to be farmed in
Britain. It’s inevitable that they will be in the near future, though, when all the controversy about it
has died down. When that happens, I’ll be applying for a licence straight away. If you’re not involved
in farming, then I’m not sure you know how much hard work goes into getting food into the shops
and on the table. I’m all for using scientific methods to produce high quality food and, as far as I’m
concerned, any crop that is resistant to disease without being sprayed with chemicals is a good thing.
I’ve got nothing against organic farming except that it’s very expensive and I don’t think it’s possible
to produce enough food for everyone using such methods. I think people will come round to GM
farming when they realise this.
Mary Cullen
It’s all a bit confusing, to be honest, knowing what food is safe to eat and what isn’t. There have been
so many health scares about food recently that I’m not sure I trust the government to tell the truth. I
mean they did seem to mislead the public about mad cow disease, didn’t they? I am very concerned
about GM food because I want to be sure that what I give my kids to eat isn’t going to harm them
now or in the long run. I always check the labels on packaging so that I know I’m not buying
anything that has a GM product in it, just to be on the safe side. If the scientists can prove beyond a
doubt that it’s risk-free that would put my mind at rest and I’d be quite happy to buy it. But until then,
I’d rather not gamble with the health of my children.
1. What does Ben want to do when the controversy over GM foods dies down?
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2. What does Ben believe about organic farming?
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3. What does Mary think is so confusing?
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4. What does Mary do before buying packaged food?
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B. Fill in the blanks using the words given. There is one extra word. ( 5 points)
1. Daily staples / factors like bread and milk seem to be getting more and more expensive.
2. Do you think addicted / obesity is a serious problem in this country?
3. A tablet / syrup is a pill – a small piece of medicine.
4. What a day! I had a consumption / host of problems to deal with and I’m exhausted!
5. I don’t know a thing about technology, I have to ask the experts / celebrities at the shop.
PART TWO GRAMMAR
A. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word given. (5 points)
1. Adrianna insisted on .........................................(pay) for my dinner at the restaurant.
2. My parents refused to.......................................(allow) me to go on the trip.
3. Georgina accused me of....................................(take) her pink sweater.
4. Mark advised us to.....................................(stay) at the hotel because of the upcoming storm.
5. Bernie apologised for ..........................................(shout) at us during the test.
B. Complete the sentences using the words in bold. Use two to five words. (5 points)
1. Marcello agreed / refused that there was still a lot of work to do.
2. They all suggested telling / to tell Kate everything.
3. Can you believe Linda accused / forbade me of trying to get her fired?
4. Mr. Smith ordered us to tell / telling his wife exactly what happened.
5. Mom said that we can / could go to Italy on holiday that summer.
PART THREE