Read the text below and choose the correct alternative

A group responsible for world food safety has agreed on the first international rules to govern the safety of foods made with genetic engineering.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission approved the rules at a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland earlier this month. Codex is a joint agency of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. One-hundred-sixty-five nations belong to the organization.

Delegates to the Codex Commission meeting examined concerns about the safety of foods made with genetic engineering. Many groups and individuals have expressed concern that such foods could be harmful to human health and the environment.

Genetic engineering is the technology of changing the genes of living things. The changed gene directs the plant or other organism to do things it normally does not do. For example, some crops are genetically engineered to resist harmful insects. The technology has helped farmers increase crop production. It also reduces the need to use chemicals to kill insects.

The Codex Commission agreed that food from genetically engineered organisms should be tested and approved by governments before it can be sold. The delegates said genetically engineered foods should be tested for anything that could cause allergic reactions in humans. They said information about anything known to cause such a reaction should be clearly shown on the product. However, the delegates were not able to agree on a proposal to require the identification of all foods made with genetic engineering.

(George Grow, VOA Special English Science Report, July 26, 2001

1. The appropriate title for the report is
a. (  ) Genetically engineered foods theories.
b. (  ) Reasons for accepting engineered foods.
c. (  ) Rules for genetically engineered foods.
d. (  ) Genetically engineered foods apothegm.
e. (  ) Joint decision on engineered foods.

2. Genetically engineered foods
a. (  ) are expected to be harmful only to the environment.
b. (  ) ought not to be harmful to human health and the environment.
c. (  ) are likely to harm human health and the environment.
d. (  ) must be prohibited.
e. (  ) could be approved by governments anyhow.

3. The functions of the underlined words in the text are respectively:
a. (  ) noun / verb
b. (  ) verb / verb
c. (  ) verb / adjective
d. (  ) adjective / adjective
e. (  ) noun / adjective

4. Select the alternative that does not correspond to the text.
a. (  ) Governments ought to test food from genetically engineered organisms before allowing its sale.
b. (  ) Crop production increased due to the help of technology.
c. (  ) Delegates were unable to come to consensus of having genetic engineering foods identified.
d. (  ) Not all crops are genetically engineered to resist harmless insects.
e. (  ) The technology of altering the genes of living things is known as genetic engineering.

5. Write T if the statement is True and F if the statement is False
a. (  ) The United Nations Food and the World Health Organization are joint agencies which constitute Codex.
b. (  ) Due to the help of this technology, fewer chemicals are needed to kill insects.
c. (  ) Rules to govern the safety of foods made with genetic engineering have been dictated by the world food safety group.
d. (  ) Engineered foods are responsible for causing any allergic reactions in humans.
e. (  ) According to Codex Commission foods made with genetic engineering should be banned before causing damage to the environment.

 

 

Gabarito Comentado

Questão 1. A alternativa correta é a letra c (título apropriado para o texto).

A alternativa a é incorreta, pois o texto não trata de nenhuma teoria.

A alternativa b é incorreta, pois o texto não se refere à aceitação de alimentos transformados geneticamente.

A alternativa d é incorreta, pois não se trata de um provérbio ou ditado. Veja que o termo apothegm do grego significa provérbio ou ditado.

A alternativa e é incorreta, pois não se trata de nenhuma decisão conjunta sobre esse tipo de alimentos.

Questão 2. Vejamos a seguinte sentença no parágrafo 3: Many groups and individuals have expressed concern that such foods could be harmful to human health and the environment. É a chave para a resposta.  O uso do verbo modal could na sentença implica em uma possibilidade.

Analisemos, então as alternativas:

a. incorreta, pois exclui a saúde humana.

b. incorreta; veja o uso do auxiliar na negativa (ought not to be ....)

c. é a alternativa correta. É interessante prestar atenção ao uso de likely na sentença. Veja que esta palavra implica em probabilidade.

d. incorreta, pois não é isto que diz o texto.

e. incorreta, pois o texto não diz que o governo, de qualquer forma (anyhow), pode aprovar esses alimentos. 

Questão 3. A alternativa correta é a e. Preste atenção às referências:

…the Codex Commission meeting ….. e  ….genetically engineered organisms…

meeting é portanto um substântivo e engineered um adjetivo, pois qualifica o substantivo organisms.

Questão 4. Esta é tricky! Veja que a questão pede a alternativa que não corresponde ao texto. Sendo assim, a resposta é a letra d, onde harmless (não nocivo) indica justamente o contrário de tudo que foi dito no texto.

Questão 5. As respostas são: F; T; F; F; F

Analisemos as respostas falsas: alternativa a é falsa, pois a Condex é uma joint agency.

A alternativa c é falsa, pois se trata de acordo e não de algo imposto (dictated by).

A alternativa d é falsa, pois é totalmente ilógica.

A alternativa e é falsa, pois isso não é dito no texto. Não se fala em banir os alimentos transformados geneticamente antes que causem danos ao ambiente.        

 

Copyright (C) 2002 by Vera Queiroz