雅思词汇课文（35）· The Ethics of Genetic Engineering 基因工程伦理

科学与伦理主题，约 350 词，融入 30 个雅思核心词。

🎧 课文朗读音频（约 1 分钟）

📖 课文 Text

The Ethics of Genetic Engineering

In 2012, a new tool called CRISPR-Cas9 was announced. Unlike previous genetic techniques, it was cheap, precise and easy to use. Within a decade, scientists had edited genes in human embryos, cured sickle-cell anaemia in adult patients, and modified mosquitoes to reduce the spread of malaria. The gene-editing revolution raises possibilities that were science fiction a generation ago — and ethical questions that society has barely begun to address.

The most urgent debate concerns heritable editing. Modifying the genes of an adult patient affects only that patient. Modifying an embryo alters not only the future child but also that child's descendants. In 2018, a Chinese scientist named He Jiankui announced that he had edited the genes of twin girls to make them resistant to HIV. He was widely condemned and sentenced to prison. Most nations prohibit heritable human editing.

Yet the line between therapy and enhancement is not always clear. Causing blindness to be cured is therapy. Choosing a child's height, intelligence or athletic ability is enhancement. Where should the boundary lie? Parents already spend fortunes on education and nutrition; should they be allowed to edit DNA as well?

The environmental applications are less controversial but no less significant. Researchers have engineered bacteria that break down plastic, crops that resist drought, and trees that absorb extra carbon. Gene drives could wipe out invasive species or eradicate malaria, but releasing modified organisms into the wild carries unpredictable ecological risks.

The global response has been cautious. The World Health Organization has issued guidelines. The European Union regulates gene editing under its strict GMO rules. Many countries ban human enhancement entirely.

The central challenge is governance. Genetic technology moves faster than law. Without international agreement, a country that relaxes rules could become a destination for procedures banned elsewhere. The choice is not whether to edit genes — that is already happening — but who decides, on what terms, and for whose benefit.

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🧠 课文理解 Comprehension

1. CRISPR-Cas9 was announced in...

• A. 2001
• B. 2012
• C. 2018
• D. 2020

2. He Jiankui was imprisoned because he...

• A. developed CRISPR
• B. edited the genes of twin human embryos
• C. cured sickle-cell anaemia
• D. studied mosquitoes

3. Heritable editing differs from adult therapy because...

• A. it is cheaper
• B. it affects the child's descendants
• C. it is always ethical
• D. it only affects skin cells

4. The passage says gene drives could...

• A. increase malaria
• B. wipe out invasive species or eradicate malaria
• C. cure HIV in adults
• D. replace vaccines

5. The central challenge identified in the passage is...

• A. the cost of CRISPR
• B. international governance, since technology moves faster than law
• C. public ignorance
• D. lack of scientific talent

✏️ 词汇练习 Vocabulary Practice

Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list. Change the form where necessary.

| precise / embryo / resistant / condemn / prohibit / enhance / controversial / unpredictable |

1. The engineer took ______ measurements to ensure the fit was exact.
2. The ______ develops rapidly during the first trimester.
3. The new strain is ______ to existing antibiotics.
4. Human rights groups ______ the use of child labour.
5. The law will ______ smoking in all public buildings.
6. Regular exercise can ______ both physical and mental health.
7. The decision to close the hospital remains deeply ______.
8. The weather in the mountains is highly ______.

✅ 答案 Answers

Comprehension

1. B　2. B　3. B　4. B　5. B

Vocabulary

1. precise　2. embryo　3. resistant　4. condemn　5. prohibit　6. enhance　7. controversial　8. unpredictable