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新人教版英语选修八第二单元Reading的课文译文

新人教版英语选修八第二单元Reading的课文译文
新人教版英语选修八第二单元Reading的课文译文

新人教版英语选修八第二单元Reading的课文译文

克隆:它将把我们引向何方?

克隆一直与我们同在,而如今它还要持续下去。这是一种用来生产与原型完全相同的动植物的方法。当园艺师从生长着的植物上剪下枝条来培植新植物时,或者当你从植物上取下一小部分放在实验室里生长时,就会产生这种现象。这种现象也发生在动物身上,从同一个原生卵子产生性别和相貌相同的双胞胎也是克隆。实际上,它们是自然克隆现象。

克隆技术有两大用途。第一,园艺师一直用它生产大量的供商用的植物;第二,它在对新植物物种的研究以及在对动物的医学研究方面都是很有价值的。克隆植物简单,但克隆动物就比较复杂了,在程序上也就难以处理了。起初,这种程序不够精确,所以克隆哺乳动物的多次尝试都失败了。但是,科学家的决心和耐心最终得到了回报,这就是1996年具有突破性的克隆羊“多莉”的诞生。它的程序如下图(略)所示:

1.母羊(甲)提供一个卵细胞。

2.在卵细胞中取出细胞核。

3.卵细胞准备接受新的细胞核。

4.母羊(乙)提供一个供克隆的躯干细胞,该细胞应包含有生产一头新羊所需要的全部基因。

5.取出该细胞的细胞核。

6.用电把母羊(乙)的躯干细胞核和母羊(甲)的卵细胞连接起来。

7.细胞分裂并生长成胚胎。

8.把胚胎置入另外一头寄生的母羊(丙)体内。

9.这头小羔羊就是母羊(乙)所提供的细胞核克隆而成的。

整个科学界都在关注着首例成功的克隆动物多莉羊的成长。多莉看来是在正常地成长着,这很令人鼓舞。接着传来了多莉病重的坏消息。研究克隆的科学家发现多莉得的病更容易发生在年老的羊身上,这让他们很沮丧。可悲的是,同样无法控制的命运也在影响着其它物种,如克隆鼠。科学家们脑海里产生的问题是“这是不是所有克隆动物的一个主要困难呢?”多莉只存活了六年,这是它的原型羊寿命的一半,然而多莉在死之前却又成功地以自然方式生产了一头小羔羊。

另一方面,多莉的出生引起了一阵强烈的反对,对媒体和公众的想象力也产生了巨大的影响。它引起了争议,因为它突然打开了人们的眼界,看到了有可能利用克隆技术来治疗重病,甚至还有可能克隆出人类。

报纸还报道说,有些邪恶头目希望把自己克隆出来,而且宗教领袖还提出了道德方面的问题。各国政府惶恐不安,许多政府明令禁止进行克隆人类的研究。有些国家,如中国和英国,则仍然在收集克隆技术有可能提供丰富的医疗救助的证据。然而科学家们仍对克隆技术有助于人类还是有害于人类,以及克隆技术将把我们引向哪里感到困惑。

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