Name: BBC 6 Minute English April 02, 2015 - Three-parent Baby
Uploaded: 2015-04-03T04:49:46.000Z
Duration: 6 min 1 s

Neil: Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil and with me in the studio today is Harry.

你好，歡迎收看《6分鐘英語》。歡迎來到6分鐘英語。我是尼爾，今天和我一起來到演播室的是哈利。

but in the future if someone from the UK tells you they have three parents, it might be true.

但將來如果有英國人告訴你他們有三個父母，可能是真的。

Harry: That's right. This is because the UK has become

哈利。是的。這是因為英國已經成為

the first country to approve laws allowing the creation of babies with DNA from three people!

第一個準許法律允許用三個人的DNA製造嬰兒的國家!

DNA is the chemical structure present in the centre of a cell which defines somebody's characteristics.

DNA是存在於細胞中心的化學結構，它定義了某人的特徵。

Neil: Yes. Sometimes parts of the DNA called genes are faulty.

尼爾：是的。有時候，被稱為基因的DNA的一部分是有問題的。

it means they don't work properly and this might cause problems later on.

這意味著它們不能正常工作，這可能會導致以後的問題。

A new technique will allow some of these genes to be replaced by healthy ones from a third person.

一種新的技術將允許其中的一些基因被來自第三人的健康基因所取代。

Harry: This practice is controversial ─ people argue about it.

哈利這種做法是有爭議的--人們在爭論它。

They fear we're going to mess with nature and end up with a Frankenstein's monster!

他們擔心我們會擾亂自然，最後會出現一個科學怪人!

Neil: Wow, that would be frightening, let's hope it doesn't happen!

尼爾：哇，那就太可怕了，希望不會發生吧!

Well, in this programme we're talking about the three-parent baby

好吧，在這個節目中，我們談論的是三個父母的嬰兒。

and you're going to learn some vocabulary related to reproduction.

和你'要學習一些與生殖有關的詞彙。

Harry: Genetics ─ the science of how living creatures

哈利遺傳學 -- 關於生物如何生存的科學。

pass their characteristics to their offspring ─ is fascinating, Neil!

把它們的特性傳給它們的後代 -- 真迷人，尼爾！

Neil: It is fascinating, and you know what I find most surprising, Harry?

尼爾：這很吸引人，你知道我覺得最令人驚訝的是什麼嗎，哈里？

It's how much DNA we have in common with other living creatures.

這'是我們與其他生物有多少共同的DNA。

Harry: I've heard that a very high percentage of our DNA is similar to the DNA of monkeys.

哈里，我聽說我們的DNA有很高的比例我'聽說我們的DNA中有很高的比例與猴子的DNA相似。

Neil: The comparison with monkeys is easy. Over 95% of our DNA is identical to theirs.

尼爾：與猴子的比較很容易。我們95%以上的DNA都和它們的相同。

But what you might not know is... how much of our DNA is similar to the DNA in a banana?

但你可能不知道的是... 我們的DNA有多少與香蕉的DNA相似？

Neil: Yes. And that's my quiz question today.

尼爾：是的。這就是我今天的測驗題。

What percentage of our DNA is similar to that of a banana?  Is it:

我們的DNA與香蕉相似的比例是多少？  是這樣的

Harry: I think we have very little in common with bananas so I'm gonna go for 1%.

哈里，我覺得我們和香蕉沒什麼共同點我想我們和香蕉沒有什麼共同點，所以我'要去1%。

Neil: Well, I'll give you the correct answer at the end of the programme.

尼爾：好吧，我'會在節目結束後給你正確的答案。

Now let's talk about the three-parent baby. A pioneering technique,

現在讓我們來談談三親嬰兒。一種開創性的技術。

in other words, a technique never used before, has been developed by scientists in Newcastle University here in the UK.

換句話說，一種從未使用過的技術，已經被英國紐卡斯爾大學的科學家們開發出來了。

The technique helps people with faulty mitochondria

該技術可以幫助線粒體有問題的人。

which are structures that work like energy factories in our cells. The mitochondria are like batteries.

這些結構就像我們細胞中的能量工廠一樣工作。線粒體就像電池。

Harry: And what kind of problems do people who inherit faulty mitochondria have?

Harry:什麼樣的問題做人 誰繼承有問題的線粒體有？

Neil: They have serious health problems such as brain damage and heart failure.

尼爾：他們有嚴重的健康問題，如腦損傷和心臟衰竭。

Harry: That's terrible! Maybe it would be good to have this technique approved.

哈利。太可怕了！也許這種技術能得到認可就好了。

Neil: Well, not everybody agrees with it.

尼爾：嗯，不是每個人都同意。

Fiona Bruce, who is a Member of Parliament here in Britain, expressed concern when the proposal was discussed.

在英國這裡擔任議員的Fiona Bruce在討論該提案時表示關切。

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.

這意味著，當你開始做某件事時，你不能把它收回來。

Fiona Bruce MP: Once the genie is out of the bottle,

菲奧娜-布魯斯議員：一旦精靈從瓶子裡出來。

once these procedures that we are being asked to authorise today go ahead, there will be no going back for society.

今天我們被要求授權的這些程序一旦進行，社會就沒有回頭路了。

Harry: 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

這是一種與童話故事有關的表達方式，尤其是阿拉丁的故事。

when he rubs a lamp and a genie appears. When the genie is released, anything is possible ─ even bad things.

當他擦拭一盞燈，一個精靈就會出現。當精靈被釋放時，任何事情都有可能發生，甚至是壞事。

And there's nothing anyone can do to stop it.

people are afraid that similar techniques might be used to create designer babies

人們擔心類似的技術會被用來製造名牌嬰兒。

babies whose characteristics like height, sex, hair and eye colour are created to order.

嬰兒的身高、性別、頭髮和眼睛顏色等特徵都是按順序創造的。

Or we might be looking at babies with several parents - and who knows where it might end.

或者我們可能會看到有幾個父母的嬰兒--誰也不知道它的結局是什麼。

Harry: But the approval of this proposal has also made many people happy,

哈利。但這個方案的通過也讓很多人高興。

Neil: Yes, people like Victoria, a mother who has a sick child because of faulty mitochondria.

尼爾：是的，像維多利亞這樣的人，一個母親因為線粒體有問題而讓孩子生病。

She uses an expression which means 'amazing or astonishing'.

她用的是一種表達方式，意思是'驚人的或驚人的&39;。

Victoria Holliday: It's just mind-boggling what this could mean

Victoria Holliday。這意味著什麼？

for our family and for other families who are affected. It's just the best news!

為我們的家庭和其他受影響的家庭。這只是最好的消息!

Harry: She uses the expression 'mind-boggling',

哈利。她用的是'mind -boggling&39;的說法。

in other words something astonishing, overwhelming. That's great news for this lady. I'm happy for her.

換句話說就是一些驚人的，讓人難以接受的事情。這'是這位女士的好消息。我'為她高興。

Neil: Yes, it is. According to statistics faulty

尼爾：是的，是這樣的。據統計有問題

mitochondria affects one in every 6,500 babies - a considerable number of people.

線粒體影響著每6500個嬰兒中就有一個，這是一個相當大的數字。

Well, this is an interesting subject but we're running out of time and...

嗯，這是一個有趣的話題，但我們的時間不多了，而且... ...

Harry: ... and you're going to tell me what percentage of DNA we have in common with a banana, aren't you?

哈里：......你'要告訴我，我們和香蕉的共同DNA比例是多少，是不是'？

Neil: I am. And the options I gave you were about

哈利，我說過我認為只有1%。我說我以為只是1%。

Neil: Well, can you believe that it's 50%? We are half... half and half like bananas.

好吧，你能相信這是50%嗎？我們是一半... 一半和一半像香蕉。

Harry: That's incredible! They're not even mammals,

哈利。That's incredible!他們'甚至不是哺乳動物。

we are so different to them ... It's mind-boggling!

我們和他們是如此的不同......。這是令人難以置信的!

Neil: Let's listen to today's words once again, Harry.

尼爾：讓我們再聽一遍今天'的話，哈里。

Harry: Yes. They were: DNA, genes, faulty, genetics,

Harry:是的，他們是：他們是。DNA，基因，有問題，遺傳學。

pioneering, mitochondria (the singular is irregular: mitochondrion)

開創性，線粒體(單數不規範：線粒體)

the genie is out of the bottle, designer babies and mind-boggling.

精靈出竅，設計師寶貝，讓人匪夷所思。

Neil: Well, that's it for today. Do go to www.bbclearningenglish.com

尼爾：好了，今天就到這裡吧。請上www.bbclearningenglish.com。

to find more 6 Minute English programmes. Until next time. Goodbye!

尋找更多6分鐘英語節目。直到下一次。再見！