VOA慢速英語:Three Biotechnology Scientists Win 2013 World Food Prize

From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report.

這里是美國之音慢速英語農業(yè)報道。

The World Food Prize has been awarded to three developers of genetically modified crops, or GMOs. Mary-Dell Chilton, Marc van Montagu and Rob Fraley received the award on October 17th.

世界糧食獎被授予給轉基因作物的三位開發(fā)者?，旣?- 戴爾·齊爾頓(Mary-Dell Chilton)、馬克 - 范·蒙塔古(Marc Van Montagu)以及羅伯特·福瑞里(Robert Fraley)于10月17日榮獲該獎項。

The award praises the technology they created for being able to increase the quantity and availability of food, it also says GMOs help deal with a growing world population and changes in weather patterns. But the selection of the three scientists has been criticized by people who question the safety and value of GMOs.

該獎項表彰了他們創(chuàng)造的能夠提高糧食數(shù)量和可用性的技術，并表示轉基因作物有助于應對全球日益增長的人口和氣候變化。但這三位科學家的選擇一直被質疑轉基因作物安全性和價值的人們所批評。

In the 1970s, Marc van Montagu, a Belgian scientist discovered bacteria in soil performing a kind of natural genetic engineering. He found that the bacteria placed a piece of their genetic material, or DNA inside the plant cells, the cells then produce chemicals that work good for the bacteria.

上世紀70年代，比利時科學家蒙塔古發(fā)現(xiàn)土壤中的細菌在進行一種自然基因工程。他發(fā)現(xiàn)這種細菌將其遺傳物質的一部分注入植物細胞內，然后這種細胞會產生有益于這種細菌的化學物質。

"Once we [saw] bacteria can insert DNA to give a new property to a plant, we were able to replace that part of the DNA [with] DNA that we want that gives new, useful properties to the plant," van Montagu said.

蒙塔古表示，“我們看到了細菌可以通過注入DNA賦予植物新特性，我們就能將那部分DNA用我們想要的DNA代替，賦予植物新的有幫助的特性。”

His work was the beginning of plant biotechnology. Mary-Dell Chilton and Rob Fraley both Americans, produced the first genetically modified plants using that technology.

他的成果是植物生物技術的開端。齊爾頓和福瑞里都是美國人，他們使用該技術生產了首批轉基因作物。

Ms Chilton was studying a common plant infection called crown gall when she witnessed the same thing as Mr van Montagu. She discovered that it forms when a germ called Agrobacterium puts a piece of its own DNA into the plant cell's genes, the plant then makes food for the bacteria.

齊爾頓女士當時在研究一種被稱為細菌性根癌病的常見植物感染，這時她親眼目睹了和蒙塔古先生同樣的事情。她發(fā)現(xiàn)當一種被稱為根癌農桿菌的細菌將其自身DNA注入植物細胞基因后，這種植物就會為該細菌提供養(yǎng)分，細菌性根癌病就形成了。

Ms Chilton, Mr van Montagu and Mr Fraley along with the Monsanto company created the technology to reproduce plants while changing their DNA.

齊爾頓女士、蒙塔古先生、福瑞里先生攜手孟山都公司創(chuàng)造了通過改變DNA重新繁殖植物的技術。

Genetic engineering can add information to plants to produce different kinds of things, such as a protein that kills insects. Farmers quickly accepted and supported the new technology first used in 1996. Nearly all the corn and cotton grown in the United States is made with GMOs.

基因工程能夠向植物增加信息來生產不同的東西，像一種殺蟲的蛋白質。農民們迅速接受并支持這種于1996年首次得到應用的新技術。幾乎所有美國種植的玉米和棉花都是轉基因作物。

The World Food Prize organization in the American state of IOWA says 17 million farmers worldwide grew GMO crops in 2012. It says the technology increased production and reduced the usage of harmful chemical on crops.

美國愛荷華州的世界糧食獎組織表示，2012年全球有1700萬農民種植轉基因作物。它說，這種技術提高了產量并減少了有害農藥的使用。

Doug Gurian-Sherman is a scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists. He says the technology could be useful, but as there is no proof it is necessary to feed the world.

道格·格里安 - 謝爾曼(Doug Gurian-Sherman)是憂思科學家聯(lián)盟的一位科學家。他表示，這種技術可能有用，但尚未有證據(jù)表明它對養(yǎng)活世界人口有必要。

"My understanding of the prize is you should be giving it to people that have shown major positive, unequivocally positive accomplishments in world agriculture. And I don't see, so far, this technology being anywhere near that yet," Gurian-Sherman said.

格里安 - 謝爾曼表示，“我認為該獎項應該授予在世界農業(yè)上已經體現(xiàn)出重大利好和明確積極成就的人。到目前為止，我并未發(fā)現(xiàn)轉基因技術接近這一要求。”

Opposition to GMOs is also spreading. In the Philippines, protesters destroyed test fields of rice that had been genetically engineered to produce vitamin A.

反轉基因也正在蔓延。在菲律賓，示威者損毀了經過基因工程改造能產生維生素A的水稻的試驗田。