BBC英语｜The three-parent baby 拥有三个父母的小孩
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Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Neil and with me in the studio today is Harry.
大家好，欢迎收听《六分钟英语》。我是尼尔，今天节目的嘉宾是哈里。
Hello!
大家好！
We all have two biological parents but in the future if someone from the UK tells you they have three parents, it might be true.
我们都有两个亲生父母，但是在未来，如果有一个英国人告诉你，他有三个亲生父母，这有可能是真的。
That’s right. This is because the UK has become the first country to approve laws allowing the creation of babies with DNA from three people! DNA is the chemical structure present in the centre of a cell which defines somebody’s characteristics.This is to fight a particular disease.
没错。这是因为英国成为第一个支持从三个人身上获取DNA孕育婴儿的国家。DNA是细胞中的化学结构，决定一个人的特点。这是为了抵御一种特殊的疾病。
Yes. Sometimes parts of the DNA called genes are faulty; it means they don’t work properly and this might cause problems later on. A new technique will allow some of these genes to be replaced by healthy ones from a third person.
是的。有时候，部分DNA，也就是基因是有缺陷的。这意味着他们不能正常运作，之后也许会造成某些问题。最新的技术可以从第三人那里获取健康的基因，替代这部分运作不良的基因。
This practice is controversial – people argue about it.They fear we’re going to mess with nature and end up with a Frankenstein’s monster!
这项举动备受争议，人们对此持有不同的意见。他们害怕这项技术会打乱自然规律，造出“科学怪人”。
Wow, that would be frightening, let’s hope it doesn’t happen! Well, in this programme we’re talking about the three-parent baby and you’re going to learn some vocabulary related to reproduction.
哇，那是挺可怕的。希望这不会发生！在今天的节目中，我们要谈论拥有三个父母的婴儿，你也会学到一些跟繁殖有关的新单词。
Genetics – the science of how living creatures pass their characteristics to their offspring – is fascinating, Neil!
遗传学，也就是研究生物将他们的特性传给下一代的科学，它太神奇了。
It is fascinating, and you know what I find most surprising, Harry? It’s how much DNA we have in common with other living creatures.
是很神奇，你知道我觉得什么最不可思议吗？是我们的DNA和其他生物的DNA有很多的相似之处。
I’ve heard that a very high percentage of our DNA is similar to the DNA of monkeys.
我听说我们的DNA和猴子的DNA相似度很大。
The comparison with monkeys is easy. Over 95% of our DNA is identical to theirs. But what you might not know is… how much of our DNA is similar to the DNA in a banana?
和猴子比很容易。我们DNA与猴子的相似度高达95%。但是你可能不知道的是......你知道我们的DNA和香蕉的相似度是多少吗？
A banana?!
一个香蕉？！
Yes. And that’s my quiz question today. What percentage of our DNA is similar to that of a banana? Is it:a) About 1%b) About 20% orc) About 50%
是的。这是今天的问题。我们的DNA和香蕉的相似度是多少？a) 1%左右b) 20% 左右c) 50%左右
I think we have very little in common with bananas so I’m gonna go for 1%.
我认为相似度很小，所以我选1%。
Well, I’ll give you the correct answer at the end of the programme. Now let’s talk about the three-parent baby. A pioneering technique, in other words, a technique never used before, has been developed by scientists in Newcastle University here in the UK. The technique helps people with faulty mitochondria, which are structures that work like energy factories in our cells. The mitochondria are like batteries.
好的，节目的最后我会公布正确答案。现在我们来谈谈拥有三个父母的孩子。这一首创性的技术，换句话说，之前从未使用过的技术，是英国纽卡斯大学的科学家们创造的。此项技术可以帮助携带有缺陷的线粒体的人们，线粒体类似于我们细胞中的能量工厂。就像是电池。
And what kind of problems do people who inherit faulty mitochondria have?
携带有缺陷的线粒体的人会有什么问题呢？
They have serious health problems such as brain damage and heart failure.
他们会有严重的健康问题，例如脑损伤和心力衰竭。
That’s terrible! Maybe it would be good to have this technique approved.
这太可怕了。也许支持这项技术是件好事。
Well, not everybody agrees with it. Fiona Bruce, who is a Member of Parliament here in Britain, expressed concern when the proposal was discussed in Parliament.Listen out for the expression she uses right at the beginning of her speech. It means that when you start something, you can’t take it back.
并不是每个人都赞成。菲奥娜?布鲁斯是英国下院议员，在议会讨论该项提议时，她表达了对这项技术的担忧。让我们听听在演讲的开始她所使用的表述。是指你一旦开始某件事，就无法挽回。
Once the genie is out of the bottle,once these procedures that we are being asked to authorise today go ahead,there will be no going back for society.
妖怪一旦出了瓶子，我们今天同意授权的技术一旦应用就无法再回到最初了。
She says that the genie is out of the bottle. It’s an expression to do with fairy tales – in particular, the story of Aladdin, when he rubs a lamp and a genie appears. When the genie is released, anything is possible – even bad things. And there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it.
她说的是妖怪被放出了瓶子。这一表达出自一个神话故事，阿拉丁神灯的故事，讲一个人擦了擦一盏灯，一个妖怪就出现了。妖怪被放出来，万事皆有可能，糟糕的事情也有可能发生。而且没有人可以阻止。
So in the case of DNA engineering, people are afraid that similar techniques might be used to create designer babies – babies whose characteristics like height, sex, hair and eye colour are created to order.Or we might be looking at babies with several parents - and who knows where it might end.
在基因工程方面，人们担心这类技术会被用来孕育精心设计的婴儿，指那些体重，性别，发色和眼睛颜色都被设计好，从而被生育的孩子。或者我们想一想拥有好几个父母的孩子。谁知道最后会发展成为什么呢。
But the approval of this proposal has also made many people happy,
但是支持这项提议也会使很多人受益。
Yes, people like Victoria, a mother who has a sick child because of faulty mitochondria. She uses an expression which means ’amazing or astonishing’. Which expression is it?
是的，维多利亚就感到很开心，她的孩子因为线粒体有缺陷而患病。她用了一个表述来表达“吃惊的，惊异的”。她是怎么表达的呢？
It’s just mind-boggling what this could mean for our family and for other families who are affected. It’s just the best news!
这真是难以置信，你无法想到这对于我们家庭或其他类似情况的家庭意味着什么。这是我们听到的最好的消息！
She uses the expression ’mind-boggling’, in other words something astonishing, overwhelming. That’s great news for this lady. I’m happy for her.
她用的表述是“难以置信”，换句话说，是指某件事让人感到惊喜，不敢相信。对于这位女士来说，这是最好的消息。我衷心为她感到高兴。
Yes, it is.According to statistics faulty mitochondria affects one in every 6,500 babies - a considerable number of people. Well, this is an interesting subject but we’re running out of time and…
确实如此。数据显示，每6500个婴儿中就有一个人因为有缺陷的线粒体而备受影响，这个数据也是很惊人的。很有意思的话题，但是我们的时间快到了。
… and you’re going to tell me what percentage of DNA we have in common with a banana, aren’t you?
你要告诉我我们的基因和香蕉的相似度了吧。
I am.And the options I gave you were about 1%, 20% or 50%. And you said…
是的。我给你的选项是1%, 20% 或 50%。你选的是??????
I said I thought it was just 1%.
我觉得是1%。
Well, can you believe that it’s 50%?We are half… half and half like bananas.
你相信答案是50%吗？我们的DNA一半是与香蕉类似的。
That’s incredible!They’re not even mammals, we are so different to them … It’s mind-boggling!
这太难以置信了！香蕉甚至都不是哺乳动物。我们和香蕉相差太大了。这真是难以置信！
Let’s listen to today’s words once again, Harry.
我们再来听听今天提到的单词吧。
Yes. They were:
好的，有：
DNA
脱氧核糖核酸
genes
基因
faulty
有缺陷的
genetics
遗传学
pioneering
首创的
mitochondria (the singular is irregular: mitochondrion)
线粒体
the genie is out of the bottle
妖怪被放出了瓶子
designer babies
精心设计的婴儿
mind-boggling
难以置信的
Well, that’s it for today.
好了，今天的节目就到这里。
Bye!
再见