In recent years a new farming revolution has begun, one that involves the【C1】_____of life at a fundamental level—the gene. The study of genetics has【C2】__a new industry called biotechnology. As the name suggests, it【C3】__biology and modern technology through such techniques as genetic engineering. Some of the new biotech companies specialize in agriculture and are working feverishly to【C4】__seeds that give a high yield, that【C5】__diseases, drought and frost, and that reduce the need for【C6】__chemicals. If such goals could be achieved, it would be most【C7】_____. But some have raised concerns about genetically engineered crops.

In nature, genetic diversity is created within certain【C8】_____. A rose can be crossed with a different kind of rose, but a rose will never cross with a potato. Genetic engineering,【C9】__, usually involves taking genes from one species and inserting them into another【C10】__to transfer a desired characteristic. This could mean, for example, selecting a gene which leads to the production of a chemical with anti-freeze【C11】__from an arctic fish, and inserting it into a potato or strawberry to make it frost-resistant.【C12】__, then, biotechnology allows humans to【C13】_____the genetic walls that separate species.

Like the green revolution,【C14】_____some call the gene revolution contributes to the problem of genetic uniformity—some say even more so【C15】__geneticists can employ techniques such as cloning and【C16】_____ culture, processes that produce perfectly【C17】_____copies. Concerns about the erosion of biodiversity, therefore, remain. Genetically altered plants, however, raise new【C18】__, such as the effects that they may have on us and the environment. “We are flying blindly into a new【C19】__of agricultural biotechnology with high hopes, few constraints, and little idea of the potential【C20】_____,” said science writer Jeremy Rifkin.

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