The food we eat seems to have profound effects on our health. Although science has made enormous steps in making food more fit to eat, it has, at the same time, made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shown that perhaps eighty percent of all human illnesses are related to diet and forty percent of cancer is related to the diet as well, especially cancer of the colon. Different cultures are more prone to contract certain illnesses because is not a new discovery. In 1945, government researchers realized that nitrates and nitrites, commonly used to preserve color in meats, and other food additives, caused cancer. Yet, these carcinogenic additives remain in our food, and it becomes more difficult all the time to know which things on the packaging labels of processed food are helpful or harmful. The additives which we eat are not all so direct. Farmers often give penicillin to beef and poultry, and because of this, penicillin has been found in the milk of treated coes. Sometimes similar drugs are administered to animals not for medicinal purposes, but for financial reasons. The farmers are simply trying to fatten the animals in order to obtain a higher price on the market. Although the Food and Drug Administration has tried repeatedly to control thjese procedures, the practices continue.
51. How has science done a disservice to mankind?
A. Because of science, disease caused by contaminated food has been virtually eradicated.
B. It has caused a lack of information concerning the value of food.
C. Asa result of scientific intervention, some poteneially harmful substances have been added to our food.
D. The scientists have preserved the color of meats, but not of vegetables.
52. What are nitrates used for?
A. They preserve flavor in packaged foods.
B. They preserve the color of meats.
C. They are the objects of research.
D. They cause animals to become fatter.
53. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Drugs are given to animals only for medical reasons.
B. Some of the additives in our food are added to the food itself and some are given to the living animals.
C. Researchers have known about the potential hazards of food additives for over fifty years.
D. Food may cause forty percent of cancer in the world.