Frank and Ann are having a conversation about GM foods. Put six words you expect to hear in the conversation in the 'yes' column. Put the other words in the 'no' column
| 1. Husband | 2. experiments | 3. Chemicals | 4. History |
| 5. Risks | 6. Crops | 7. Flowers | 8. Controls |
| 9. Wildlife | 10. transport | 11. kitchen | 12. hungry |
| Yes |
| No |
Transcript
Frank:So why are you so against genetically modified food then? I think you’ve been taken in by all the bad press.
Ann:No, that’s not true. I’ve read up on the subject and I think there are just too many risks.
Frank:The GM foods that you get are probably safer than non GM foods.
Ann:Don’t be daft. Where’ve you got that from?
Frank:Well, there are tighter controls for GM food. There are controls in each country and then at a European level as well. If they pass through all of those controls before they reach the shops, they must be ok.
Ann:I just don’t like the idea of having my food altered. What’s wrong with the food we’ve always had?
Frank:We have to move with the times. The possibilities for GM food are endless.
Ann:What, redder tomatoes or bigger strawberries?
Frank:Yes, for one thing. But what about vegetables with a higher vitamin content or bananas with vaccines built into them.
Ann:What? (laughing)
Frank:It’s true. They’ve developed a way to produce bananas with the Hepatitis B vaccine.
Ann:Mm, not sure what I think of that. We haven’t done enough research, and playing around with crops is playing havoc with the wildlife. There are whole species of birds that are in danger of becoming extinct. Larks for example, they are rapidly decreasing in numbers, and it’s because of the chemicals they are using on GM foods.
Frank:They haven’t proved that.
Ann:Not yet, no. But it’s only a matter of time.
Frank:Mm.
Ann:And another thing that worries me is the power that a few food companies will have if we start to rely on GM food. They’ll dominate the poor countries even more than they do today.
Frank:They’ll feed them.
Ann:At a price, yes. Maybe. I’m worried about the food chain, too.
Frank:What do you mean?
Ann:Well, playing around with nature causes no end of damage to some plants and animals. When a species dies out or mutates, it has a knock on effect on the whole ecosystem.
Frank:I think you’re being cynical. You’re not giving GM food a chance.
Ann:Not cynical; just cautious.
Frank:Ok, consider this. Global warming is threatening to destroy the habitat of polar bears.
Ann:What’s this got to do with genetically modified food?
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Frank:Everything. We could use GM food to change the polar bears’ habitat now. That way, we can prevent them from becoming extinct.
Ann:Ok, I quite like that idea.
Frank:Good. You’re starting to come round to my way of thinking.
Ann:No. I’m just trying to understand. I don’t like being a guinea pig and we are all being guinea pigs for the experiments they’re doing on GM foods. I guess I don’t like the way thing seem to just be happening without much of a debate.
Frank:What do you mean? We’re talking about it all the time.
Ann:Talking maybe, but nobody’s listening.
After listening
Exercise 3. True or False
1. Frank thinks Ann has been influenced by the newspapers.
2. Frank thinks non-GM foods are safer than GM foods.
3. Scientists have worked out a way of introducing a vaccine into bananas.
4. Ann thinks food companies will make money out of feeding poor countries.
5. Frank thinks Ann is being negative.
6. Ann is worried about guinea pigs becoming extinct.
Exercise 4. Read this summary of the conversation between Frank and Ann and choose the correct words.
Frank is in favour of genetically modified food because he believes it can help to _________1 food for poor countries. He also thinks it should be used to make more vitamin-enhanced _________2 and to change the habitats of species that are in danger of losing their habitats and becoming_________3. Ann disagrees. She thinks GM foods are _________4 and potentially _________5. She is worried about rich countries dominating poor countries when they control the food supplies. She doesn't like the fact that companies are using her for their GM _________6. Ann thinks that GM food is responsible for the _________7 in the numbers of some birds. Frank says there is _________8 evidence to prove this.
| 1. provide / save 2. vegetables / meat 3. extinct / ill 4. tasteless / unnatural | 5. expensive / dangerous 6. advertising / experiments 7. rise / fall 8. no / some |
Exercise 5. Who agrees with the following statements ?
1. There are tighter controls for GM food.
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2. We haven’t done enough research, and playing around with crops is playing havoc with the wildlife.
3. They’ve developed a way to produce bananas with the Hepatitis B vaccine.
4. If they pass through all of those controls before they reach the shops, they must be ok.
5 And another thing that worries me is the power that a few food companies will have if we start to rely on GM food.
6. When a species dies out or mutates, it has a knock on effect on the whole ecosystem.
7.Global warming is threatening to destroy the habitat of polar bears.
8. We could use GM food to change the polar bears’ habitat now .
9. I don’t like being a guinea pig and we are all being guinea pigs for the experiments they’re doing on GM foods.
Discussion
1.What are the laws in your country regarding GM food?
2.Is GM food a threat to the future or is it rather a source of hope, in your opinion?
Food Sciences Vocabulary
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