1.      Listen to the introductory part of the presentation and answer the questions.


§  What is the topic of the presentation?

§  What is the purpose of the presentation?

§  How many main points will it have?

§  What are they?




2.      Fill in the gaps in the second part. Use the expressions from the list.  Check with your
partner, then listen and check agai.


      1-2 million  -  creation  -  produced   - variety  -  types   - was developed -  dietary -
available  -  in the picture  -          conducted  -  deficiency   - 21^st^   -  124  million  -
500,000  -   118

Now let’s start with _______________ of golden rice. Golden rice is a _______________ of rice, or
Oryza sativa in Latin, which is _______________ through genetic modification to biosynthesize the
precursors of beta-carotene or pro-vitamin A in the edible parts of rice. Now you may ask why it’s
necessary to produce genetically modified rice. Well, golden rice _______________ in the year 2000
as a fortified food to be used in areas where there is a shortage of _______________ vitamin A. Now
in 2005, a new variety called Golden Rice 2 was announced, this produces up to 23 times more
beta-carotene than the original variety. Neither variety is currently _______________ for human
consumption. Here _______________ , you can compare all three _______________ of rice. Normal rice
is here – on the bottom right. Golden rice can be seen on the left and Golden Rice 2 is just at the
top right end.

The research that led to golden rice was _______________  with the goal of helping children who
suffer from Vitamin A deficiency (VAD). Now I’d like you to look at this map, which shows the
important vitamin A _______________  areas in the world. These are in red on the map. The rest you
can see just from the legend here.

Now at the beginning of the _______________  century, _______________  people, in  _______________
 countries in Africa and South East Asia, were estimated to be affected by VAD. Now VAD is also
responsible for _______________  deaths, _______________  that’s half a million cases of  blindness
and millions of cases of xerophthalmia annually.


3.      Decide which of the sentences are true and which are false (T/F). If they are false,
explain why.

Children and women are at highest risk.

Some countries are going to introduce vitamin A supplementation programmes.

Rice was chosen because it is for many children a basic crop in these countries.

Golden rice is a cheap alternative to vitamin supplements.


4.      List the positive aspects of GM rice production that are mentioned in the presentation.





5.      Listen to the rest of the presentation and take down the arguments against GM rice and
possible solutions to the problems involved.


arguments against                                                  suggested solution






6.      What is xerophthalmia? Make up the definition of the words listed here.


Xerophthalmia by a drying and of conjunctiva, and caused and by a characterized deficiency of
disease A the wrinkling vitamin cornea.




7.      Answer the question


§  What were the reasons that led to the production of GM rice?




§  How was Golden rice produced?




§  What is the potential of GM rice?




8.      Search the internet and find more information on Golden rice and/or other GM crops.


9.      Go back to the first paragraph and find the expressions that can be used in any
presentation.  Then use the Power Point presentation (in IS) as a guideline to your own
presentation.