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Ethics of Human Cloning 1

CNN 2 :Thank you for joining us today,Dr.Caplan,and welcome.Dr:Glad to be here.

CNN:What are the ethical pros and cons of cloning?

Dr:The pros are that you might be able to help infertile individuals and couples have children,and by making cloned cells,you might find a way to make tissues and even organs to treat diseases.That's called therapeutic cloning.The cons are that human cloning is not safe.Animal cloning has produced dead,deformed and diseased animals.However,I do favor making cloned cells for research.P:What do you mean by“cloning human beings”?Just parts,or whole people?

Dr:What they are talking about in Washington,D.C.today is cloning people.The debate about stem cells that's been going on for many weeks is about making parts for people.

P:why are we even considering human cloning when animal cloning is as yet unperfected?

Dr:Good question.I don't think we should be.But,unfortunately,some scientists out on the fringe are threatening to ignore the miserable track record with animals,and start cloning people now.

P:In retrospect,wouldn't it have been better to approve cloning research with oversight and regulations?

Dr:I agree again.It's still not too late to do that.The House of Representatives3 here in the United States has banned all cloning.That's too strong in my view.I think we should allow some research with cloned cells,see if that works,keep it under government oversight,and that will be the best protection we can have against kooks and cults.

P:Airplanes weren't perfected when we attempted to launch humans in space.Can't be said here?

Dr:No.Babies are not astronauts.They can't consent.So you really have to be sure from your animal work that it's safe before you try cloning in people.

P:What happens to messed up human clones?How do we deal with them?

Dr:That's a question that the people who say they want to clone keep ignoring.

P:Which country is currently leading the way in clone research?

Dr:Undoubtedly,it would be the United Kingdom.Britain has passed a law allowing government money for cell cloning.Also,the country of Singapore has said that it will permit cloning research.Thirty countries,including England,have banned cloning for human reproduction.

P:Are you worried that human cloning will create a commercial market for human fetuses?

Dr:Not really.I think that if you make cells from adult DNA,as Dolly was made,then you don't really have market in embryos.If you want to make a human clone baby,however,you'll need a lot of money,since it would cost tens of thousands of dollars to try that.

P:Is there much resistance to organ-cloning?

Dr:Not really.As long as you're not making people,if you're really just making cells,or even skin or liver in a dish—while this seems odd—there really isn't any serious objection to that kind of work.

P:What do you think of the idea of creating a perfect type of human(blue eyes,blonde hair etc.)and cloning him repeatedly?

Dr:Well,the real future battle will not be about cloning,it will be about designing better babies.That's genetic engineering,not cloning.I think parents will want to make better and improved children.The key ethical question will be whether society will allow that,or whether it will be seen as too dangerous in terms of equity and fairness to create people who are simply too perfect,relative to others.CNN:Do you have any final thoughts to share with us?

Dr:I would not worry that we'll see a human clone any time soon.The science with animals shows that it's very hard to do.On the other hand,I think it would be a bad idea to panic and ban all research with cloning.We should prohibit cloning worldwide for making babies.I think we should keep the door open a little bit for basic research with cloning cells.

CNN:Thank you for joining us today.

Dr:Visit our web site at www.bioethics.net.Thank you!

Notes

1.This text is taken from A Practical English Coursefor Journalism(1st edition),Liaoning Education Press,2006.

2.CNN:美国有线电视新闻网(Cable News Network)的英文缩写,由特纳广播公司(TBS)特德·特纳于1980年6月创办,通过卫星向有线电视网和卫星电视用户提供全天候的新闻节目,总部设在美国佐治亚州的亚特兰大。

3.House of Representatives(众议院):西方两院制国家的议会的下议院,有些国家称为第二院,众议院的议员人数是按各地人口多少的比例分配的,另一院为参议院(Senate)。众议院有其独有的权力:倡议法案之权,弹劾政府官员,以及在选举团僵持不下时选举总统。然而,所有这些权力都可由参议院反制(counter-check)。

Words and Expressions

1.ethical[ˈeθɪkl]adj.connected with beliefs and principles about what is right and wrong伦理学的;道德的,伦理的:Is it ethical to promote cigarettes through advertising?通过广告促销香烟符合伦理道德吗?

2.pros and cons:the advantages and disadvantages of sth.事物的利与弊;支持与反对:We weighed up the pros and cons.我们权衡利弊。

3.infertile[ɪnˈfɜːtaɪl]adj.(of people,animal and plants)not able to have babies or produce young不能生育的;不结果实的;贫瘠的:According to one survey,one woman in eight is infertile.根据一项调查,每8个女人里面就有1个不能生育。

4.cloned cells:cells of animals or plants that has been produced artificially,for example in a laboratory,from cells of another animal or plant克隆的,无性繁殖细胞:Researchers in Japan have cloned eight calves from the cloned cells of a single adult cow.日本的研究者已经利用一头成年母牛的无性繁殖细胞克隆了8头小牛。

5.tissue[ˈtɪʃuː]n.a mass of cells that form the different parts of humans and animals and plants(人或动植物的)组织:All the cells and tissues in the body benefit from the increased intake of oxygen.身体里所有细胞和组织得益于不断增加的氧气摄入。

6.therapeutic[ˌθerəˈpjuːtik]adj.designed to help treat an illness治疗的;医疗的;治病的:Yoga is a therapeutic physical exercise that focuses on breathing and relaxation瑜伽是一项具有理疗效果的体育锻炼方式,其注重呼吸和放松。.

7.deformed[dɪˈfɔːmd]adj.(of a person or a part of the body) having a shape that is not normal because it has grown wrongly变形的,畸形的:She was born with deformed hands.她生下来就有一双畸形的手。

8.favor[ˈfeɪvə]vt.to provide suitable conditions for a particular person or group支持;赞成;照顾:We are in favor of her promotion to president.我们支持她竞选总统。

9.stem cell:a type of cell that can produce other cells which are able to develop into any kind of cell in the body干细胞:Stem-cell research is supported by many doctors.许多医生支持干细胞研究。

10.unperfected[ˌʌnpəˈfektɪd]adj.有缺陷的:She was freaked by his unperfected personality.她被他有缺陷的人格吓到了。

11.out on the fringe:处于前沿地位:Some scientists out on the fringe really made big contributions to our country.一些处于前沿地位的科学家确实为我们的国家做了大贡献。

12.track record:记录:The job needs someone with a good track record in investment.这项工作需要那些在投资领域有好记录的人来胜任。

13.in retrospect:回顾以往:It was,in retrospect,the happiest time in her life.回首过去,这是她人生中最快乐的时光。

14.oversight[ˈəʊvəsaɪt]n.the state of being in charge of sb.or sth.监督,照管;疏忽:The committee has oversight of finance and general policy.该委员会监管金融和基本政策。

15.kooks and cults:someone or religious group regarded as eccentric or crazy and standing out from a group疯子和狂热的信徒:Those bandits,kooks and cults,gangs,triads having no political motivation are anti-social armed forces.至于那些没有政治目的土匪、疯子、邪教、帮派、会党等是反社会武装。

16.mess up:搞得一团糟:When politicians mess things up,it is the people who pay the price.当政治家们把事情搞砸,往往是平民为其买单。

17.undoubtedly[ʌnˈdaʊtvdlɪ]adv.definitely毋庸置疑,的确;显然:There is undoubtedly a great deal of truth in what he says.毋庸置疑,他的话很有道理。

18.ban[bæn]vt.to forbid sb.to do sth.or go somewhere,especially officially禁止,下令禁止;剥夺权利:He was banned from driving for six months.他被禁止驾驶六个月。

19.reproduction[ˌriːprəˈdʌkʃn]n.the act or process of producing babies,young animal or plants繁殖,生殖;再生产:They are studying reproduction in shellfish.他们在研究贝类动物的繁殖。

20.fetus[ˈfiːtəs]n.a young human or animal before it is born,especially a human more than eight weeks after fertilization胎,胎儿:No one knows why a fetus is not automatically rejected by the mother's immune system.没人知道为什么一个胎儿不会被母亲的免疫系统自动排斥。

21.embryo[ˈembrɪəʊ]n.a young animal or plant in the very early stages of development before birth胚,胚胎:The idea already existed in embryo in his earlier novels.在他早期的小说里这种想法就已经形成。

22.resistance[rɪˈzɪstəns]n.the power not to be affected by sth.抵抗;阻力;抗力:Aids lowers the body's resistance to infection.艾滋病降低了身体对传染病的抵御能力。

23.organ-cloning:器官复制

24.liver[ˈlɪvə(r)]n.a large organ in your body which processes your blood and helps to clean unwanted substances out of it肝脏:Excessive dosage of drugs can result in injury to the liver.过量服用药物会导致肝损伤。

25.objection[əbˈdʒekʃn]n.a reason why you don't like or are opposed to sth.反对;反对的话,异议:I have no objection to him coming to stay.我不反对他留下。

26.genetic engineering:the science or activity of changing the genetic structure of an animal,plant,or other organism in order to make it stronger or more suitable for a particular purpose基因工程:Scientists have used genetic engineering to protect tomatoes against the effects offreezing.科学家们运用基因工程防止马铃薯受霜冻的影响。

27.in terms of:就……而言:He referred to your work in terms of high praise.他高度评价你的工作。

28.relative to:相对于:Relative to the size,the city is sparsely populated.相对于面积而言,该城市人口稀少。

29.prohibit[prəˈhɪbɪt]vt.to stop sth.from being done or used especially by law禁止,阻止,防止:Soviet citizens were prohibited from traveling abroad.苏联公民被禁止出境。

Exercises

I.Content Questions

Answer the questions based upon text comprehension.(1)What is the result of animal cloning?

(2)What is therapeutic cloning?

(3)Do you think we should ban all cloning?

(4)If you were the president,would you allow government money for cell cloning?

(5)What kind of world would be if all the states are allowed to clone human beings?

II.Vocabulary

Fill in the gaps with words and phrases given in the table.

(1) _________,I think that the decision seems extremely odd.

(2)It is necessary to get the youth to have a high_________concept.

(3)The _________couple had been visiting doctors for a year and they had their baby eventually.

(4)They are studying_________ in shellfish.

(5)The main_________ to the plan was that it would cost too much.

(6)The high cost of equipment_________ many people from taking up this sport.

(7)The job is great_________ salary,but it has its disadvantages.

(8)The _________properties of herbs are increasingly accepted by many patients.

III.Translation

Translate the sentences into Chinese.

(1)Animal cloning has produced dead,deformed and diseased animals.

(2)I do favor making cloned cells for research.

(3)The House of Representatives here in the United States has banned all cloning.

(4)I think it would be a bad idea to panic and ban all research with cloning.

(5)We should prohibit cloning worldwide for making babies. IkZOxmjeyL7Ph8yLJt01VEyC7yJZwTrcmMgyaQuaG389wMcEhFNhlnBvZomHJ//g

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