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ESL Podcast 881 – Eating Genetically Modified Foods

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1

GLOSSARY

genetically modified – with changes having been made to the genes (building
blocks of life) within a plant or animal species
* In the future, will people be genetically modified to protect them from diseases?

genetically engineered – created to have some specific characteristics by
controlling the genes (building blocks of life) within a plant or animal species
* This corn has been genetically engineered to need less water and grow taller.

laboratory – a room where scientists design and perform experiments, or where
engineers build and test things
* Xavier spends long days at the laboratory, searching for a cure for cancer.

DNA – deoxyribonucleic acid; the chemical substance that carries genetic
information within living things
* Piotr is going to request a DNA test to determine whether the little girl is really
his daughter.

nutrient – a substance found in food or soil that animals or plants use to grow
and develop
* Growing children need foods with a lot of nutrients, like whole grains and fresh
fruits and vegetables.

resistant – not easily damaged by something; not easily harmed or negatively
influenced by something
* This watch is water-resistant, so it’s okay to shower with it, but you probably
shouldn’t leave it in the water for long periods of time.

disease – an illness; a sickness
* Polio, malaria, and many other diseases have been largely eliminated in North
America.

pest – an insect or rodent (small animal) that destroys crops, spreads disease,
and causes other types of harm or problems for humans
* Rats are a major pest in large cities.

mutation – a genetic change that makes one individual different from other
individuals of the same species
* If a woman is exposed to certain chemicals while she is pregnant, it can result
in mutations that cause birth defects in her baby.

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ESL Podcast 881 – Eating Genetically Modified Foods

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2

genetic makeup – the genetic structure of a particular organism or individual
* Scientists are analyzing the genetic makeup of certain plants to try to make
drugs that imitate their healing properties.

aversion – a strong dislike of something; hatred
* Lynn has a strong aversion to milk and doesn’t want to eat or drink anything
that has milk in it.

selective breeding – the practice of making plants or animals reproduce with
other plants or animals that have particular characteristics that one wants to
increase
* Over thousands of years, humans have used selective breeding to make larger
chickens that lay larger eggs more frequently.

to trust – to rely on someone; to believe that someone is good or honest and will
not do anything to hurt oneself
* Can I trust you to keep a secret?

Mother Nature – the idea of the natural world as a woman who controls what
happens and/or cares over all creatures
* Hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes remind us of how powerful Mother
Nature is.

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ESL Podcast 881 – Eating Genetically Modified Foods

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

3

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What kind of tomato is Nicky eating?
a) A tomato that is redder than other tomatoes.
b) A tomato that grew more quickly than other tomatoes.
c) A tomato that is less vulnerable to insects.

2. Whom does Ralph trust?
a) The natural world.
b) His mother.
c) Women who have been mothers.

______________


WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

pest
The word “pest,” in this podcast, means an insect or rodent (small animal) that
destroys crops, spreads disease, and causes other types of harm or problems for
humans: “Pests destroyed their wheat crop, so next year they’re planning to plant
something else.” A “pest” is also an annoying person who will not leave one
alone: “My little sister Dynee was a major pest when we were growing up, but
now we’re good friends.” As a verb, “to pester” means to annoy someone
repeatedly, possibly asking for something again and again: “Stop pestering your
boss for a raise! Instead, focus on performing your job really well to earn a raise,
instead of always just asking for one.” Or, “I hate the way marketers always call
at mealtime to pester us with whatever they’re selling.”

to trust
In this podcast, the verb “to trust” means to rely on someone, or to believe that
someone is good or honest and will not do anything to hurt oneself: “Do you trust
your teenagers to behave while you and your wife are gone for the weekend?”
The verb “to trust” also means to believe that something is true or accurate: “If
we trust their numbers, the business appears to be doing very well.” The phrase
“to trust (someone) with (something)” means to entrust, or to let someone have
control over something because one knows they will treat it well: “I’m going to
trust you with this expensive necklace, because I know you’ll be careful with it.”
Finally, the phrase “tried and trusted” describes something that has been done
many times and is proven to work well: “This software is a tried and trusted
solution for identifying security threats to a website.”

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ESL Podcast 881 – Eating Genetically Modified Foods

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

4

CULTURE NOTE

Genetically Modified Crops

Several genetically modified “crops” (plants grown for food or clothing) have been
approved for “consumption” (use, especially through eating). For example,
“papaya” (a large, tropical fruit with orange flesh and large, round, black seeds)
has been genetically modified to resist a virus that was threatening to “destroy”
(ruin) the papaya industry in Hawaii. Today, 80% of the papaya grown in Hawaii
is this genetically modified type. About 13% of the “zucchini” (a long, green
vegetable) grown in the United States is also genetically modified for resistance
to viruses.

Many “cooking oils” (liquid fat used for cooking other foods) are made from
genetically modified crops, such as soybeans, and corn. “High fructose corn
syrup” (a sugar substitute made from corn) and other products are also made
from these genetically modified crops.

A lot of the sugar produced in the United States is also “derived” (made) from
genetically modified crops, particularly sugar beets, which have been genetically
modified to be more “tolerant to” (not affected by) “herbicides” (chemicals used to
kill “weeds” (unwanted plants)). The sugar produced from genetically modified
crops is chemically identical to “conventional” (produced in traditional ways,
without the use of genetic modifications) sugar, but some people remain
concerned about the “consequences” (what happens as a result) of consuming
genetically modified foods.

As of 2012, no genetically modified animals have been approved for
consumption, but the “FDA” (Food and Drug Administration, a U.S. government
agency) is considering approval of genetically modified “salmon” (a type of fish
with pink meat) for consumption.

______________

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a

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ESL Podcast 881 – Eating Genetically Modified Foods

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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

5

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 881: Eating
Genetically Modified Foods.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 881. I'm your host Dr.
Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in
beautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is ESLPod.com. Go there and look at the ESL Podcast Blog as well
as our special courses in daily and business English.

This episode is a dialog between Ralph and Nicky, about eating what is called
genetically modified foods. Let’s get started.

[start of dialog]

Ralph: What’s that?

Nicky: It’s a bigger and better tomato. It’s been genetically modified.

Ralph: You’re not going to eat that, are you?

Nicky: Of course I am. I’m making a salad. Want one?

Ralph: No way. I don’t want to eat something that’s been genetically engineered
in a laboratory. Who knows what kind of strange DNA it has.

Nicky: It’s perfectly safe. It’s been modified to grow faster, have more nutrients,
and be resistant to disease and pests.

Ralph: And it may contain strange mutations as part of its genetic makeup that
they didn’t tell you about. I really wouldn’t eat that if I were you.

Nicky: Where did you get this aversion to genetically modified foods? Scientists
and farmers have always used selective breeding with animals and crops to bring
you bigger and better food. This is nothing different.

Ralph: Of course it is. And just because it’s bigger, doesn’t mean it’s better. I’ll
eat food that’s been modified by the only person I trust.

Nicky: Who’s that?

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ESL Podcast 881 – Eating Genetically Modified Foods

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these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

6

Ralph: Mother Nature!

[end of dialog]

Our dialog begins with Ralph saying to Nicky, “What’s that?” Nicky says “It's a
bigger and better tomato.” A tomato is something that you might eat with a salad
or on a sandwich, or use to make sauce for your pasta. Nicky says “It's a bigger
and better tomato. It's been genetically modified.” “To modify” (modify) means to
change something. “To genetically modify something” means to change the
genes, if you will, the components of a plant or an animal that determine what
kind of plant and animal that is. “Genes” (genes) are what we might call the
building blocks of life. They’re the basic components, the elements that life is
constructed on. It's hard to explain that in a very complete manner here, but
that's what “genetically” means related to your genes.

Ralph says, “You're not going to eat that, are you?” Ralph doesn't think Nicky
should eat it. Nicky says, “Of course I am. I'm making a salad. Want one?” –
meaning do you want one? Ralph says, “No way.” “No way” is a very strong way
of saying “No, absolutely not.” “No way. I don't want to eat something that's been
genetically engineered in a laboratory.” “To engineer,” (engineer) as a verb,
means to change, to usually change the structure of something. “Genetically
engineered” would be something where scientists have changed the genetic
makeup, the genetic composition of that particular plant or animal. A “laboratory”
is a place where scientists do experiments.

Ralph says, “Who knows what kind of strange DNA it has.” “DNA” is the chemical
substance that carries the genetic information. It's what carries the information
from our genes that affects our eye color, our skin color, our physical makeup
and so forth. Nicky says that, “This tomato is perfectly safe.” It's completely safe.
“It's been modified to grow faster, have more nutrients and be resistant to
disease and pests.”

So, Nicky is saying the tomato is safe. “It has been changed only to make it grow
faster to give it more nutrients, and to make it resistant to disease and pests.”
“Nutrients” (nutrients) is a general word used to describe the substances or the
elements within a plant that help you grow, that animals eat, or humans eat that
helps their body grow better. It could be a lot of different things. Each food would
have different kinds of nutrients.

Nicky says that the tomato was also modified to be resistant to disease and
pests. “To be resistant” means that you are not easily damaged by something,

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ESL Podcast 881 – Eating Genetically Modified Foods

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

7

you are not easily harmed by something. “Disease” is the same as sickness or
illness, when something is not growing and functioning the way it should. “Pests”
(pests) are insects or small animals that destroy plants, that destroy the plants
that we use to get food from. So pests are always bad things, whether they’re
mosquitoes or rodents or any other sort of animal that is going to harm the plants
that we are growing to eat.

Ralph says, “And it may contain strange mutations as part of its genetic makeup
that they don't tell you about.” Ralph is saying that these genetically modified
foods are dangerous because they may contain strange mutations. A “mutation”
(mutation) is a genetic change that makes one individual different from another
individual. But it's not, if you will, a change that you would expect to take place.
So, usually mutation, when we're talking about science fiction, for example, is
when something changes in some weird way, some strange way that is
considered dangerous or unusual. Mutation is part of the way that the world
works in terms of DNA and genes, but here Ralph is using the word as a
negative, as a criticism of this genetically modified food. Ralph says that these
mutations could be part of the tomatoes’ genetic makeup. We’ve already talked
about what “genetic” refers to. “Makeup” (makeup) – one word – refers to
composition what something is made of. Ralph says, “I really wouldn't eat that if I
were you.” That's a common expression, “If I were you” – if I were in your
situation, I would not do that.

Nicky says, “Where did you get this aversion to genetically modified foods?” An
“aversion” (aversion) is a hatred or strong dislike of something, something that
you would want to avoid. Nicky says, “Scientists and farmers have always used
selective breeding with animals and crops to bring you bigger and better food.
This is nothing different.” “Selective breeding” (breeding) is the practice of
making plants or animals reproduce, or produce new plants or animals that have
particular characteristics that you want to increase.

So, if you have two different kinds of dogs and you want to make a dog that is a
mixture of these two kinds of dogs, well, you would put the two dogs together –
one would have to be male and one would have to be female, of course – and let
them do what they do, and then you would “breed” a new animal, a combination
of these two different animals. “Selective breeding” is using that basic logic, that
basic process with plants or animals, in order to produce plants or animals that
have certain characteristics. That's what Nicky says farmers and scientists have
been doing for many years and that this is nothing different.

Ralph says, “Of course it is.” “And just because it's bigger” – meaning, the tomato
– “doesn't mean it's better. I'll eat food that's been modified by the only person I

English as a Second Language Podcast

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ESL Podcast 881 – Eating Genetically Modified Foods

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

8

trust.” “To trust” means to believe, in this case, or to rely on. Nicky asked, “Who’s
that?” – who is that person that you trust? Ralph responds, “Mother Nature.”
Mother Nature is not a real person. We say “Mother Nature” to refer to the idea
that the whole world, the natural world is somehow controlled by this female
figure, I guess. Mother Nature refers to the way the environment is, the way
nature is without people interfering with it, without men and women making
changes to the environment. That's basically the idea behind this term “Mother
Nature.”

Ralph treats Mother Nature as a real person that he can trust. What he's really
saying here is that he only wants to eat food that is somehow natural, that
doesn't have any sort of either chemicals, perhaps, or genetic modifications that
would change the way the food is produced.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialog]

Ralph: What’s that?

Nicky: It’s a bigger and better tomato. It’s been genetically modified.

Ralph: You’re not going to eat that, are you?

Nicky: Of course I am. I’m making a salad. Want one?

Ralph: No way. I don’t want to eat something that’s been genetically engineered
in a laboratory. Who knows what kind of strange DNA it has.

Nicky: It’s perfectly safe. It’s been modified to grow faster, have more nutrients,
and be resistant to disease and pests.

Ralph: And it may contain strange mutations as part of its genetic makeup that
they didn’t tell you about. I really wouldn’t eat that if I were you.

Nicky: Where did you get this aversion to genetically modified foods? Scientists
and farmers have always used selective breeding with animals and crops to bring
you bigger and better food. This is nothing different.

Ralph: Of course it is. And just because it’s bigger, doesn’t mean it’s better. I’ll
eat food that’s been modified by the only person I trust.

English as a Second Language Podcast

www.eslpod.com

ESL Podcast 881 – Eating Genetically Modified Foods

These materials are copyrighted by the Center for Educational Development (2013). Posting of
these materials on another website or distributing them in any way is prohibited.

9

Nicky: Who’s that?

Ralph: Mother Nature!

[end of dialog]

The person I trust to produce the best podcast scripts on the Internet is our very
own Dr. Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come
back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,
hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. Copyright 2013 by the Center for Educational
Development.