Films and science fiction books have often played with the idea of reproducing exact copies of people. Today, science fiction has become science fact. We have our first real clones, though they are not human beings - yet!
The gene revolution began in 1997, when British scientists from Edinburgh University produced the first cloned sheep, Dolly. Since then scientists have cloned mice, cows, dogs and pigs.
Cloning animals opens exciting medical possibilities:
- Many people are in need of tissues and organs for transplantation. But it isn't easy to get such organs as, for example, heart, liver or kidneys. Cloning can solve this problem.
- Many animals are on the brink of extinction. Cloning can be used to preserve them.
- Scientists can create animals which produce more milk, meat and wool, or animals which don't catch certain diseases. This can save the lives of starving people.
Cloning is a controversial issue. Some people are ready to eat cloned fruits and vegetables, but many people are against cloning animals. They think it is morally unacceptable. The question of human cloning is even more controversial.
Suppose we cloned a man. Are we really sure he will be a man? Who will be responsible for him? Who will bring him up? Will he be happy? Will he have the same rights as we have?
What would happen if a dictator, someone like Hitler, cloned himself? Would we be able to survive?
Nevertheless, the idea of human cloning seems very exciting.
Notes
science fiction - научная фантастика
on the brink of extinction - на грани вымирания
kidney - почка
controversial - спорный
Text 9
CAN WE LIVE LONGER?
Scientists say that in the future people will live longer. With healthier lifestyles and better medical care the average person will live to 90 or 100 instead of 70 and 75 like today. When the human genome is decoded, we'll probably live up to 150. Incurable diseases will be cured and "bad" genes replaced.
But that's tomorrow. And today, we continue to stuff ourselves with fast food-chips and pizzas, hamburgers and hot dogs. We are always in a hurry. We have no time to enjoy a home-cooked dinner with family and friends. We want to eat now and we want to eat fast.
What is tasty is not always healthy. Doctors say that chips and pizzas -are fattening, cola spoils our teeth and coffee shortens our lives.
If we eat too much, we'll become obese, and obesity leads to heart disease, diabetes and other serious illnesses. But the world today is getting fatter and fatter. America is the world's leader in obesity, but Europe is quickly catching up.
Lack of exercise is another serious problem. We spend hours in front of our computers and TV-sets. Few of us do morning exercises. We walk less, because we prefer to use cars or public transport.
Research shows, however, that young people who don't take enough exercise often suffer from heart attacks.
It's common knowledge that smoking and drinking can shorten our lives dramatically. Cigarette-smoking, for example, kills about 3 million people every year. Many of them die from lung cancer. Some aren't even smokers. They are people who live or work with heavy smokers.
Yet many young people smoke and drink. Why? One answer is that tobacco and drinks companies invest enormous sums of money in advertising their products. For them cigarettes and alcoholic drinks mean money. For us they mean disease and even death.
We all know that the healthier we are, the better we feel. The better we feel, the longer we live. So why not take care of ourselves?
Notes
genome – генетический код, геном
to decode – расшифровывать
to stuff oneself with – набивать желудки
obese – тучный
to catch up – догонять
heavy smoker – заядлый курильщик
Text 10
OUR PLANET EARTH
The planet Earth is only a tiny part of the universe, but it's the only place where human beings can live.
Today, our planet is in serious danger. Acid rains, global warming, air and water pollution, overpopulation are the problems that threaten human life on Earth.
Who is to blame for the disaster? The answer is simple: all of us.
Our forests are disappearing because they are cut down or burnt. If this trend continues, one day we won't have enough oxygen to breathe.
The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear waste, chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The Mediterranean is already nearly dead; the North Sea is following. The Aral Sea is on the brink of extinction. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in the seas.
Every ten minutes one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out for ever. If nothing is done about it, one million species that are alive today may soon become extinct.
Air pollution is another serious problem. In Cairo just breathing the air is dangerous — equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. The same holds true for many Russian cities.
Factories emit tons of harmful chemicals. These emissions have disastrous consequences for our planet. They are the main reason for the greenhouse effect and acid rains.
An even greater threat are nuclear power stations. We all know how tragic the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are.
Fortunately, it's not too late to solve these problems. We have the time, the money and even the technology to make our planet a better, cleaner and safer place. We can plant trees and create parks for endangered species. We can recycle litter. We can support green parties and put pressure on those in power..Together we can save the planet and all of us with it.
Notes
the Mediterranean – Средиземное море
the Aral Sea – Аральское море
Cairo – Каир
Pollution – загрязнение
Industrial and nuclear waste – промышленные и ядерные отходы
on the brink of extinction – на грани исчезновения
the same holds true for – парниковый эффект
endangered – вымирающий (вид)
to recycle - утилизировать
Составитель: старший преподаватель Мерзликина Н.И.
Рецензент: кандидат филол. наук Рыбакова М.В.
