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Reading answers with explanations

IELTS · Part 2 · Cambridge 17 — Test 2

A second attempt at domesticating the tomato: Reading answers

Answers to questions 14–26 (13 in all), each with why it is right.

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A It took at least 3,000 years for humans to learn how to domesticate the wild tomato and cultivate it for food.Now two separate teams in Brazil and China have done it all over again in less than three years.And they have done it better in some ways, as the re-domesticated tomatoes are more nutritious than the ones we eat at present. This approach relies on the revolutionary CRISPR genome editing technique, in which changes are deliberately made to the DNA of a living cell, allowing genetic material to be added, removed or altered.The technique could not only improve existing crops, but could also be used to turn thousands of wild plants into useful and appealing foods.In fact, a third team…

Answers 14–26

  1. 14

    a reference to a type of tomato that can resist a dangerous infection

    C Matching information

  2. 15

    an explanation of how problems can arise from focusing only on a certain type of tomato plant

    B Matching information

  3. 16

    a number of examples of plants that are not cultivated at present but could be useful as food sources

    E Matching information

  4. 17

    a comparison between the early domestication of the tomato and more recent research

    A Matching information

  5. 18

    a personal reaction to the flavour of a tomato that has been genetically edited

    C Matching information

  6. 19

    Domestication of certain plants could allow them to adapt to future environmental challenges

    B: Caixia Gao Matching features

  7. 20

    The idea of growing and eating unusual plants may not be accepted on a large scale.

    D: Jonathan Jones Matching features

  8. 21

    It is not advisable for the future direction of certain research to be made public.

    A: Jorg Kudla Matching features

  9. 22

    Present efforts to domesticate one wild fruit are limited by the costs involved.

    C: Joyce Van Eck Matching features

  10. 23

    Humans only make use of a small proportion of the plant food available on Earth.

    A: Jorg Kudla Matching features

  11. 24

    An undesirable trait such as loss of _______ may be caused by a mutation in a tomato gene.

    flavour / flavor Short answer

  12. 25

    By modifying one gene in a tomato plant, researchers made the tomato three times its original ________ .

    size Short answer

  13. 26

    A type of tomato which was not badly affected by _________ , and was rich in vitamin C, was produced by a team of researchers in China.

    salt Short answer

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