问答题 Scientists continue to find new ways to insert genes for specific traits into plant and animal DNA. A field of promise—and a subject of debate—genetic engineering is changing the food we eat and the world we live in.Just what are genetically engineered foods, and who is eating them What do we know about their benefits—and their risks What effect might engineered plants have on the environment and on agricultural practices around the world Can they help feed and preserve the health of the Earth"s burgeoningpopulationIn the past decade or so, the biotech plants that go into these processed foods have leaped from hothouse odditiesto crops planted on a massive scale—on 130 million acres in 13 countries, among them Argentina, Canada, China, South Africa, Australia, Germany, and Spain. On U. S. farmland, acreage planted with genetically engineered crops jumped nearly 25-fold from 3.6 million acres in 1996 to 88.2 million acres in 2001. More than 50 different "designer" crops have passed through a federal review process, and about a hundred more are undergoing field trials.[Key Words]burgeon v.迅速成长、迅速发展 oddity n.奇异，古怪

问答题 One measure of a robust transportation system is the diversity of travel modes. US cities are dominated by a single mode: the private car. On average, each person in the US cities sampled in 1990 logged10,870 kilometers (6,750 miles) of city driving more than a round trip across North America. Growth in car use in the US cities between 1980 and 1990 was 2,000 kilometers per person, nearly double the increase in the Canadian cities, which have the next highest driving level. In industrial countries, urban car use has tended to rise as population density has declined. US cities have led the trend toward dispersed, low-density development. Between 1983 and 1990, the average roundtrip commute to work in the United States grew 25%, to 17 kilometers (11 miles). As cities sprawl, cars become essential while transit, bicycling, and walking become less practical. Compact Asian and European cities thus have the highest levels of non-motorized transport.As car use rises, car-related problems mount. Fatal crashes, for example, increase. The exception is cities in developing countries, where low car use is offset by poor signals and safety regulations. Nonetheless, highly car-reliant US cities exceed even developing Asian cities in per capital traffic fatalities. Worldwide, traffic accidents kill some 885,000 people each year—equivalent to 10 fatal jumbo jetcrashes per day—and injure many times more.[Key Words]log v.把……记入航海(或飞行) transit n.运输，经过jumbo jet 大型喷气式客机

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