Genetically modified （GM) foodstuffs are here to stay. That2s not to say that food produce

Genetically modified (GM) foodstuffs are here to stay. That2s not to say that food produced by【1】agriculture will disappear,【2】simply that food buying patterns will polarize. It may even be that GM food will become the food of【3】because consumers come to appreciate the health benefits of reduced【4】use.

The reason GM food will not go away is that we need a three-fold increase in food production by the year 2050 to keep【5】with the world’s【6】population growth to ten or eleven billion. It's not【7】a question of more mouths to feed either.【8】is often forgotten is that all these extra people will take up space, reducing the overall land【9】for agriculture.

It rr\ay well be that in the long term it is the developing world【10】benefits most from GM foods. It's true that for the next ten years or so GM crops may be【11】expensive. But the lesson of personal computers is applicable here—once the technology has been developed for money-spinning crops,【12】maize, soy beans and cotton, it will become【13】for all. This doesn't mean, unfortunately, that families will【14】, but severity and duration will be helped by an【15】 ability to produce and distribute food.

【16】we move into this new era of agriculture we're embarking on a journey the world has seen any number of times with experiments before. We have been【17】species of wheat for several thousand years. Genetic engineers like me are not doing anything as【18】as making a cabbage into a cauliflower—【19】has been done by plant breeders in the past. We're simply tapping into the whole gene pool,【20】concentrating on one species at a time.

(1)

A．conventional

B．conversational

C．converse

D．contradictory