MP3音檔 (按右鍵可下載聽)：
http://static.iyuba.com/sounds/minutes/1027.mp3
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👯 中英文稿：
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Sophie…
大家好，歡迎收聽六分鐘英語。我是蘇菲。
And I’m Neil. I was watching the news the other day, Sophie.
我是尼爾。蘇菲，我在看前幾天的新聞。
Learn anything interesting?
有什麼有趣的事嗎？
Yes, actually. UK scientists have been authorised by the government to genetically modify human embryos for research. What they can’t do though is implant modified embryos into women. They talked a lot about gene editing...
當然有。英國科學家獲政府批准，以研究為目的修改人類胚胎基因。但他們不能將基因修改的胚胎植入婦女體內。他們還談論了很多關於基因編輯的事。
Can you explain to us what gene editing is?
你能解釋一下什麼是基因修改嗎？
Mmm… I think this means there are these letters in a code – A-B-C something…I can’t remember exactly…
我認為是指基因的編碼由A-B-C什麼字母組成，具體的我不記得了。
Gene editing is the ability to manipulate – or control – DNA. And in case you didn’t know, DNA is short for deoxyribonucleic acid – this is a substance in the cells of animals and plants that contains genetic information. And a gene is part of the DNA in the cell that controls the physical development and behaviour of a plant or animal and is passed on from its parents.
基因編輯是對DNA進行操縱或控制的能力。以免你不知道，DNA是去氧核糖核酸的縮寫。這種物質存在於動植物的細胞內，儲存有基因資訊。基因是細胞內DNA的一部分，控制著動植物的身體發育和行為方式，從父母那裡遺傳而來。
Phew! Thanks for the science lesson, Sophie.
唷！蘇菲，謝謝你給我上的這堂科學課。
You’re welcome. Now here’s a question for you, Neil: Which science fiction film anticipates gene editing in a dystopian society where humans are genetically engineered? Is it…a) Robocop b) Gattaca or c) Blade Runner
不客氣。有一個問題要問你：哪部科幻電影預言了反烏托邦社會的基因編輯，那裡的人們接受了基因工程的改造？a) 《機械戰警》b) 《千鈞一髮》還是c) 《銀翼殺手》
Mmm… I don’t really understand the question but I’m going to say c) Blade Runner. What’s dystopian?
恩，其實我不太明白這個問題，我選c) 銀翼殺手。什麼是反烏托邦？
Dystopian means an imaginary society where people are unhappy and afraid.Well, moving on, let’s listen to BBC journalist Fergus Walsh talking about how gene editing works.
反烏托邦指一種假像的社會，人們在其中生活得不幸福，充滿恐懼。好了，繼續，我們來聽聽BBC記者Fergus Walsh講述基因編輯如何起作用。
Think of gene editing as a molecular sat nav. It scans the DNA searching for the error. Then it uses molecular scissors to snip through both strands, which switches off the faulty gene. Or it can repair the code by inserting a healthy copy of the gene. These techniques raise the prospect of treating – even curing – some genetic diseases – and it’s not science fiction.
將基因編輯想像為分子的衛星導航。它對DNA進行掃描來發現漏洞。之後使用分子剪刀將雙鏈剪斷，阻斷錯誤的基因。或者可以通過植入健康的基因修復基因編碼。這些技術有望治療甚至治癒一些基因疾病，而且這並不是科幻小說。
So DNA is a set of instructions for how our bodies work written using a chemical code of four letters – A, T, C, G. But sometimes the code contains mistakes.
DNA是一系列指令，以四個字母A, T, C, G組成的化學編碼指示我們的身體如何運作。但是有時這些編碼會出現錯誤。
Yes. You find spelling mistakes by scanning – or searching – through the DNA. Then you snip – or cut out – the mistake or faulty gene from the code using molecular scissors. Faulty by the way, means something that isn’t working properly – like the faulty brakes on my bike.
是的。你可以通過掃描發現錯誤編碼。然後用分子剪刀將有缺陷的基因切除。有缺陷的是指某物不能正常運作，就像我自行車上的閘不靈了。
That sounds really dangerous, Neil!
這聽上去真的很危險，尼爾！
Yeah, but I’m more worried about my faulty genes. I might have all sorts of genetic mistakes inside me.
是，但是我更擔心有缺陷的基因。也許我身體內部存在各種基因缺陷。
That wouldn’t surprise me. But you’ve actually touched on a serious point. Latest research suggests all our bodies do contain genetic mistakes, some of which could cause disease. And as reporter Fergus Walsh said at the end of the clip, gene editing could be important for treating or even curing inherited genetic diseases. For patients with blood, immune, muscle or skin disorders it offers the possibility that their faulty cells could be removed, or changed in the lab, and then put back.
這我一點也不驚訝。不過你確實提到很關鍵的一點。最近研究顯示我們的身體都存在基因缺陷，一些甚至會導致疾病。就如Fergus Walsh記者最後所說，基因編輯對治療甚至治癒遺傳疾病很重要。對於血液、免疫系統、肌肉或皮膚疾病的患者來說，基因編輯為他們的治療提供了可能性，他們有缺陷的細胞可以被移除，或者在實驗室將其修改，然後放回體內。
That sounds amazing. But is there a catch?
這聽上去很棒。但是有什麼隱患嗎？
And that means a problem or drawback. Yes. Some people think that if editing the genes of a human embryo is allowed for curing disease, this will lead to editing the genes of embryos for reasons other than health. Let’s listen to Marcy Darnovsky, executive director of the Centre for Genetics and Society in California talking about her concerns.
隱患是指問題或缺陷。有的。一些人認為如果人體胚胎的基因可以修改，用以治療疾病，這將導致以健康外的目的進行的胚胎基因修改。Marcy Darnovsky是加州遺傳學與社會中心的執行董事，我們來聽聽她的擔憂。
It’s too risky, we don’t need it, there are other ways to have healthy children, and it would open the door – possibly – to a world of genetic haves and have nots. We don’t need more inequality, we don’t need more discrimination in the world.
這種方式太冒險了，我們不需要，還有其他方式可以生育健康的孩子。而且這會催生富人與窮人之間的基因差距。我們不能再創造不公了，世界不能再多一種歧視。
An embryo by the way is an animal or human starting to develop inside its mother. Marcy Darnovsky is against gene editing because it may be used to create designer babies– or babies whose genes have been selected to have certain desirable characteristics.
胚胎是指動物或人類在母體內發育時的最初形式。Marcy Darnovsky反對基因編輯，因為這會被用來進行人工培育良種嬰兒，即父母選擇嬰兒具備怎樣的基因特點。
She says it may open the door – or make it possible – a situation where embryos are genetically enhanced – or improved – to be more intelligent or physically stronger, for example.
她說這會提供一種可能，使得胚胎的基因得到改善，使得孩子智商更加聰明，身體更加強壯。
And this will lead to more discrimination in the world – which means treating some people less fairly than others…
這會導致更多的歧視，也就是不公正得區別對待一些人。
…which is something that science fiction has been predicting for many years. It’s that dystopian society we were discussing earlier, Neil! Which science fiction film anticipates gene editing in a dystopian society where humans are genetically engineered? Is it… a) Robocop b) Gattaca or c) Blade Runner?
這就是許多年前科幻小說就已經預言到的事。就是我們之前討論過的反烏托邦社會。哪部科幻電影預言了反烏托邦社會的基因編輯，那裡的人們接受了基因工程的改造？a) 《機械戰警》b) 《千鈞一髮》還是c) 《銀翼殺手》
And I said c) Blade Runner.
我選的是c) 《銀翼殺手》。
Sorry, Neil! It was b) Gattaca. This 1997 sci-fi film centres on the character Vincent Freeman, who wasn’t genetically engineered, but is able to buy the genetic identity of another man in order to pursue his dream of travelling into space. The film’s title uses the letters G, A, T and C, which are the four chemical codes making up DNA.
不好意思，尼爾！正確答案是b) 《千鈞一髮》。這部1997年的科幻電影主要圍繞主人公Vincent Freeman展開，他並未接受基因工程的改造，但為了能實現自己遨遊太空的夢想，他買下了另一個人的基因身份。這個電影的名字用到了G, A, T, C這幾個字母，這是組成DNA的四個化學代碼。
Now here are today’s words:
現在，我們再來聽一遍今天的單詞：
gene editing 基因編輯 / manipulate 操縱 / DNA 去氧核糖核酸 / gene 基因 / dystopian 反烏托邦 / scanning 流覽 / snip 剪斷 / faulty 缺陷 / catch 隱患 / embryo 胚胎 / designer babies / 人工培育良種嬰兒 / open the door 有可能 / enhanced 改善 / discrimination 歧視
Well, that’s the end of today’s 6 Minute English.Please do join us again soon!
今天的六分鐘英語就到這裡。我們下次再會！
Bye.
再見！
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