U. S. growers produced $2.2 billion in strawberries in 2020, mostly in California,according to the U. S. Department of Agriculture. But consumers discarded an estimated 35% of strawberries due to spoilage. To reduce consumer waste, the J.R. Sim-plot Company and Plant Sciences Inc. have teamed up to edit the DNA of strawberries and make these new-improved fruits available on the commercial market.

The new technology will improve the shelf life of strawberries and extend their growing season. What’s more, it may help . farmers achieve higher production on less land, with reduced water and labor needs. In this way, farmers can grow healthier strawberry plants more efficiently, and the fruits will stay fresh for longer.

The companies will use CRISPR-Cas9 to edit the strawberries’ genes. This technology works like the cut-and-paste command on a computer. It allows scientists to identify a gene in the strawberry and cut it out. Then, they can sew the two ends of the gene back together or replace the old gene with the one that codes for an improvement.

Using CRISPR-Cas9 technology is much faster and more efficient than the selective breeding of cross, which can take years. It consists of crossing plants with the most desirable qualities over and over again until the ideal plant is achieved. ButCRISPR-Cas9 allows scientists to come straight to the point and avoid spending much time on plant breeding. Plants modified by CRISPR-Cas9 technology are nearly the same as plants bred using traditional methods.

“We are still working with everything that nature has provided. With traditional breeding, whatever features nature has kicked out of the DNA, that’s the hand you have been played,” Zachary Lippman, a plant biologist, told National Geographic. “With gene editing, now you are having an ace (王牌) up your sleeve.”The two companies are currently working on mapping out the genes of their strawberry varieties so they can identify which genes code for which features. If successful, they’ll launch the first commercially available gene-edited strawberries in the next years.

【小题1】What does the underlined word “discarded” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Threw away.

B．Mixed up.

C．Broke down.

D．Picked up.

【小题2】What is the technology’s benefit to farmers?

A．Planting bigger strawberry plants.

B．Having higher output on less land.

C．Helping improve the taste of strawberries.

D．Shortening the growth cycle of strawberries.

【小题3】What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?

A．How the technology works.

B．What makes up CRISPR-Cas9.

C．Why the technology is developed.

D．Where the technology can be applied.

【小题4】How does the author highlight the advantage of the technology in Paragraph 4?

A．By listing examples.

B．By explaining, a concept.

C．By making comparisons.

D．By proving research results.

【小题5】What can we infer from Lippman’s words?

A．He is good at traditional breeding methods.

B．He likes fruits with longer shelf lives.

C．He will help perfect the technology.

D．He is hopeful about the technology.