There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. In fact, she 41 nobody except her boyfriend, for he was always 42 to help her. She used to tell her boyfriend, “If I could see the 43 , I would marry you. ”

　 One day, someone donated a pair of 44 to her. When the bandages（绷带）came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend, for the 45 time. He asked her, “Now that you can see the world, will you 46 me?” The girl looked at her boyfriend and was greatly surprised to see that he was 　47 . She had never expected that．She would not like to be with a blind husband for the rest of her life，so she 48 to marry him．

Her boyfriend left in tears and a few days later wrote a 49 to her，saying，“My dear，take good care of your eyes． 50 they are yours. They were mine.”

　 This is how the human brain（人脑）often works when our status（地位）changes．Only a very few remember what 51 was like before．And we often ask for more than we need．Life is a gift. Today, before you complain about the 52 of your food，think of someone who has nothing to 53 . Before you complain about life，think of someone who went to heaven（天堂）too early. Before you complain about your old 54 , think of the people who are living in the streets．And when you are tired and complain about your job, think of those who have no jobs．So 55 what you have and don’t forget your past.

Sugar—free beets（甜菜）that still taste sweet, tastier tomatoes and brighter-colored fruits and vegetables that stay ripe（熟的）longer are all foods that are being grown now. How can they
carry traits, such as being tastier, brighter, and riper? They are genetically engineered.
Genetic engineering（基因工程）is like making a change in a recipe. For example, when you make cakes, you mix together all of the usual ingredients. If you add an extra ingredient, like salt, the cakes will taste differently.
Genes are ingredients in the recipe for life. They carry the traits of living things. Your genes dictate what color hair and eyes you’ll have, how tall you’ll be, as well as many other traits. Genes carry traits for plants, too. By adding genes to a plant, you can sometimes create new traits. For example, adding a certain gene to a potato plant can make the potato plant distasteful to bugs（虫子）. This makes some farmers happy because they don’t have to use chemicals to keep bugs away from their plants.
It sounds great, but some people are opposed to the idea of food that is genetically engineered. Ronnie Cummins, from the Campaign for Food Safety, is against it. He says that one of the major concerns is allergies（过敏）. Supermarkets don’t always label foods that are genetically engineered. A customer could unknowingly buy food that has an added gene from another plant that he or she is allergic to. It could be dangerous.
Gary Burton from Monsanto, a seed（种子）company that engineers food, disagrees. He says his company tests for allergies. Burton believes that genetic engineering is a valuable tool for making better food. The technology can help farmers use less insecticide（杀虫剂）and grow healthier crops. Burton thinks there are many advantages.
But Cummins says that we just don’t know what will happen in the future if we keep adding genes to foods. We could mistakenly create a monster.
People have different opinions about genetic engineering. One side supports it and thinks it will only help us. The other side is opposed to playing with nature and fears health risks. Which side do you think is right?
【小题1】What could be a good thing about food that is genetically engineered?