The Constant Evolution of the Humble Tomato

Heirloom tomatoes- varieties that have been passed down (truyền qua) through several generations of a family
because they are thought to have a particularly good flavor - are really no more 'natural' than the varieties
available in grocery stores. New studies promise to restore (khôi phục) their lost, healthy genes.
A. Famous for their taste, color, and organic (hữu cơ) appearance, heirloom tomatoes are favorites of gardeners
and advocates (những người ủng hộ) of locally grown foods. (15) The tomato enthusiast (người đam mê)
might conclude that, given the immense (vô cùng lớn) varieties, heirlooms must have a more diverse and
superior (vượt trội) set of genes than the tomatoes available in grocery stores, those ordinary hybrid (lai)
varieties such as cherry and plum. However, their seeming diversity is only skin-deep (ở bề mặt): heirlooms are
actually feeble (yếu ớt) and inbred (cận huyết)-the defective (lỗi) product of breeding experiments (các thí
nghiệm lai tạo) that began hundreds of years ago, and exploded thanks to enthusiastic backyard gardeners. The
irony of all this," says Steven Tanksley, a geneticist at Cornell University, (21) 'is all that diversity of heirlooms
can be accounted for (được giải thích) by a handful of genes. There're probably no more than 10 mutant (đột
biến) genes that create the diversity of heirlooms you see. But rather than simply proving that the myth about the
heirloom's diversity is wrong, Tanksley's deconstruction of the tomato genome, along with work by others, is
showing how a small berry-like fruit from the Andes became one of the world's top crops (giống cây trồng).
B. The cultivated (được trồng) tomato is a member of the nightshade family (họ cà) that includes New World
crops such as the potato, which spread around the globe after Christopher Columbus brought them back to Spain
in the 15th century. But whereas scientists have uncovered (phát hiện) a wealth of (nhiều) (22) archaeological
evidence on early farming practices in the New World, the record is blank when it comes to the tomato. The
modern tomato seems to have its origins in the Andes in South America and may have been domesticated (thuần
hóa) in Vera Cruz, (23) Mexico. Primitive (nguyên thủy) varieties still grow throughout the Americas. All told,
botanists (các nhà thực vật học) call as many as 13 species 'tomatoes', and consider an additional four to be
closely related.
C. One might assume that one of these known wild species became today's cultivated crop, but that's not the case:
the Mother Tomato has never been found. The closest relative is the (24) currant (quả lý) tomato which, based on
genetic comparisons, split from today's tomato some 1.4 million years ago. So researchers like Tanksley have to
work backward, crossing tomato varieties and species in order to understand how various genes influence shape
and size. Once isolated, Tanksley later inserts those genes into other tomato varieties to make his case with a
dramatic transformation (sự biến đổi đáng kể).
D. Tanksley concludes from his analyses that in their effort to make bigger, tastier, and faster-growing fruit, our
ancestors ultimately exploited (khai thác) just 30 mutations (đột biến) out of the tomato's 35,000 genes. Most of
these genes have only small effects on tomato size and shape, but recently Tanksley and his colleagues reported
that (17) they found a gene that increases fruit size by 50 percent. It was probably the most important event in
domestication. The first written record of tomatoes from Spain in the 1500s confirms that this (25) mutation,
which enlarges tomatoes by producing compartments (các ngăn) known as locules, existed back in the same
yellow tomatoes that gave Italians the word Pomodoro, or golden apple. Besides size, tomato farmers also selected
for shape. To discover those genes, (18) Esther van der Knaap, a Tanksley alumnus now at The Ohio State
University, took a gene from one heirloom tomato and inserted it into a wild relative. She observed that, as a
result, the tiny fruits became shaped like pears.
E. The selection of these traits (các đặc điểm) has, however, affected the heirloom's hardiness (khả năng chống
chịu). They often suffer from (26) infections that cause the fruit to crack, split and otherwise rot (thối rửa)
quickly. Wild plants must continuously evolve to fend off such infections, points out Roger Chetelat of the
Tomato Genetics Resource Center at the University of California. But in their quest for size, shape, and flavor,
humans have inadvertently (vô tình) eliminated defensive genes. As a result, most possess only a single disease-
resistant gene. (19) Chetelat elaborates (giải thích) that heirlooms' taste may have less to do with their genes than
with the productivity (năng suất) of the plant and the growing environment. Any plant that produces only two
fruits, as heirlooms sometimes do, is highly likely to produce juicier, sweeter, and more flavorful fruit than
varieties that produce 100, as commercial types do. In addition, heirlooms are sold ripened (chín) on the vine, a
certain way to get tastier results than allowing them to mature on the shelf. (14) This means breeders (nhà lai
tạo) feel confident that getting germ-beating genes back into heirlooms won't harm the desirable aspects of the
fruit. Modern breeding has resuscitated (hồi sinh) grocery store tomatoes with an influx (sự thâm nhập) of wild
genes; in the past 50 years, as many as 40 disease-resistant genes have been bred back into commercial crops.
F. In 1996 a tomato breeder and former Tanksley student named Doug Heath began a favorite project. After 12
years of traditional breeding with the help of molecular (phân tử) markers (dấu hiệu), (20) he created a new
multi-colored tomato less prone to cracking and also endowed with (được trang bị) 12 disease-resistant genes.
The original heirloom plant, Heath explains, had defective flowers, which is one reason why it produced only two
fruits compared with the 30 he gets from his new variety. (16) He claims he is also able to maintain a comparable
flavor and sugar profile even on productive plants. The heirloom's defects are, after all, just an accident of a
narrow breeding strategy left over from the very beginning of genetic modification (sự biến đổi).
Questions 14-17
Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.
14. An explanation of research aimed at restoring the health of the heirloom tomato. E
15. a reference to a false belief about the heirloom tomato. A
16. a description of the flavor of the heirloom tomato. FE
17. a reference to a single gene that significantly improves the cultivation of tomatoes. D
Questions 18-21
Look at the following statements (Questions 18-21) and the list of researchers below.
Match each statement with the correct researcher, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter, A, B, Cor D, in boxes 18-21 on your answer sheet.
18. The transplanting of certain genes into tomatoes can change their shape. B
19. The flavour of the heirloom tomato is largely dependent on actual yield and cultivation. C
20. A new type of tomato can be produced that is stronger than the original heirloom tomato yet equally sweet
and flavorsome. D
21. The wide variety of heirloom tomatoes is due to only a small number of genes. A

List of Researchers

A. Steven Tanksley.
B. Esther van der Kriaap
C. Roger Chetelat
D. Doug Heath

Questions 22-26
Complete the sentences below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 22-26 on your answer sheet.
22. There is little information on the origin of the tomato despite the existence of ARCHAEOLOGICAL data on
the growing of other New World crops.
23. Although it is uncertain, the tomato is thought to have first grown in the MEXICO
24. In regard to genetic similarities, the CURRANT tomato is the nearest to the earliest type of tomato
25. A genetic MUTATION which is evident in Pomodoro produced larger tomatoes.
26. INFECTIONS are a problem for heirloom tomatoes because they frequently lead to damage and
deterioration.