UNIT 8 Cloning
Text A A Clone is Born
Objectives,
Students will be able to,
1,understand the main idea (cloning is a two-edged
sword) and structure of the text;
2,appreciate the writing strategies employed by the
author,
3,master the key language points and grammatical
structures in the text;
4,conduct a series of reading,listening,speaking
and writing activities related to the theme of the
unit,
Background,
? clone,a group of organisms or cells that are
genetically identical,having been produced from
one parent by asexual reproduction,The individual
organisms or cells are precise copies of the parent
and genetically identical to it,Clones are found
naturally among single-celled organisms (such as
bacteria),a few invertebrates (such as corals),and
some asexually reproducing plants (as in the
production of runners by a strawberry plant),
In agriculture,plant cloning can be used to
advantage,in that individuals with desirable
properties,such as pest-resistance or high
growth rates,can be replicated exactly without
the unpredictable results associated with sexual
reproduction,Artificial cloning of animals and
cells can be achieved by teasing apart the cells
of the early embryo,Similarly,cells capable of
growing into mature plants can be obtained from
plant growth-regions (meristems),
In genetic engineering cloning refers to the
copying of DNA molecules,
? genetic engineering,the deliberate
modification of the genetic make-up
(genome) of an organism by manipulation
of its DNA,Genetic engineering
techniques include cell fusion and the use
of recombinant DNA (rDNA),Since the late
1960s these techniques have held out the
most exciting promise for biotechnology,
In such a new field controversy inevitably
abounds,Worries concerning release of
genetically novel bacteria into the
environment,or the possible manipulation of
human embryos,have led to the setting up
in the USA of the Genetic Manipulation
Advisory Group (GAMA),Legislation
governing genetic research has also been
passed in several other countries,
Text Structure,
? Paras 1-2
Dolly the sheep,a clone,was born,
? Paras 3-6
Dolly’s birth has made cloning a reality and
human cloning a possibility,
? Paras 7-11
People have to face the ethical problems of
human cloning,
? Paras 12-16
Cloning technology could benefit people in
more than one way,
give birth to
1),bear (a child),bring forth
e.g,Although a mother panda often gives birth to two cubs,
she usually abandons one of them without attempting to
care for it,
The research has shown that mothers who smoke give
birth more frequently to premature or underweight babies,
2),create,originate
e.g,The extraordinary experience gave birth to his latest
novel,
Einstein gave birth to a whole new way of looking at
matter and energy,
for all the world
→ in every respect; exactly
e.g,I felt for all the world as if I was still a child,
He looked for all the world like a country
doctor,
dot
1),Spread things or people
in various separate places
over an area
e.g,From the top floor we could
see the trees dotting the
landscape,
The sky was dotted with stars,
2),n,a small round mark
e.g,He forgot the dot on the letter
i and so it looked like an 1,
The stars just look like
thousands of tiny dots of light,
take up
go and live; move into (a certain
position)
e.g,The hunter took up his quarters in a hut,
As the crowd grew,riot police took up their
positions,
oppose
express strong disapproval with the aim of
preventing or changing a course action; resist
e.g,My father opposed my wish to become a musician,
The local residents strongly opposed the chemical
companies dumping their waste in the sea,
pattern, be opposed to, be against
e.g,We are utterly opposed to any form of terrorism,
They are strongly opposed to the presence of
American troops in this region,
compromise
1),n,a settlement in which each side gives up
some demands
e.g,The two countries continued to have difficulties
reaching a compromise on a solution to the problem of acid
rain,
2),V,
pattern, compromise with sb,over sth,
compromise on sth,
e.g,The government has compromised with its critics over
monetary policies,
Israel had originally wanted $1 billion in aid,but
compromised on the $650 million,
inherit
1),have features or qualities from
an ancestor
e.g,Although all humans share the
same set of genes,individuals can
inherit different forms of a given gene,
making each person genetically
unique,
Deficiencies in immune function
may be either inherited or acquired
2),receive (money,property,etc,
of an ancestor)
e.g,He has no son to inherit his land,
Mary inherited the money from her
parents,
comment
1),n,a written or spoken remark giving an opinion
e.g,He was making rude comments about her haircut,
There has been no comment so far from police about the
bomb attack happening yesterday,
2),V,(followed by on)
e.g,The president refused to comment on the issue of gun
violence on campus,
The teacher commented on the fact that some students
were absent for class,
transplant
1),remove tissue or an organ from one person or animal and put it into
another
e.g,To repair injuries such as burns,skin is sometimes transplant from
one area of the body to another,
2),remove a growing plant with its roots and plant it elsewhere
e.g,Tea was transplant from China to India and Sri Lanka,
3),n,transplant(ation)
e.g,In some instances,surgeons may perform a lung transplant to save a
patient’s life,
Advances in organ transplantation have brought new hope to those
afflicted with disease organs,
lash out at
make a sudden violent attack at with
blows or words
e.g,He lashed out at them with his fists,
It seemed that he was going to lash out
at the salesman,but he controlled himself,
immune
1),protected against through the body’s
natural resistance (followed by to)
e.g,It seemed for a while that infants were
immune to Aids,
My brother seems to be immune t colds－
he just never gets them,
2),not affected by sth,(followed by to )
e.g,Football is not immune to economic
recession,
merge
→ (cause to ) combine
e.g,In the story he merged his mind with the
robot’s and shared its thoughts,
The two colleges will be merged to form a
university,
start out
1),intend when starting
e.g,They started out wanting a house,but eventually
bought a flat,
Peter didn’t start out to apply for Yale University － it
just happened that way,
2),begin
e.g,He started out in the personnel department; later he
was transferred to the sales department,
She started out as a teacher and only began writing in
his thirties,
grow into
→ become gradually as time passes
e.g,With the construction of the highways,
the village is growing into a town,
She is growing into a beautiful young
woman,
Text A A Clone is Born
Objectives,
Students will be able to,
1,understand the main idea (cloning is a two-edged
sword) and structure of the text;
2,appreciate the writing strategies employed by the
author,
3,master the key language points and grammatical
structures in the text;
4,conduct a series of reading,listening,speaking
and writing activities related to the theme of the
unit,
Background,
? clone,a group of organisms or cells that are
genetically identical,having been produced from
one parent by asexual reproduction,The individual
organisms or cells are precise copies of the parent
and genetically identical to it,Clones are found
naturally among single-celled organisms (such as
bacteria),a few invertebrates (such as corals),and
some asexually reproducing plants (as in the
production of runners by a strawberry plant),
In agriculture,plant cloning can be used to
advantage,in that individuals with desirable
properties,such as pest-resistance or high
growth rates,can be replicated exactly without
the unpredictable results associated with sexual
reproduction,Artificial cloning of animals and
cells can be achieved by teasing apart the cells
of the early embryo,Similarly,cells capable of
growing into mature plants can be obtained from
plant growth-regions (meristems),
In genetic engineering cloning refers to the
copying of DNA molecules,
? genetic engineering,the deliberate
modification of the genetic make-up
(genome) of an organism by manipulation
of its DNA,Genetic engineering
techniques include cell fusion and the use
of recombinant DNA (rDNA),Since the late
1960s these techniques have held out the
most exciting promise for biotechnology,
In such a new field controversy inevitably
abounds,Worries concerning release of
genetically novel bacteria into the
environment,or the possible manipulation of
human embryos,have led to the setting up
in the USA of the Genetic Manipulation
Advisory Group (GAMA),Legislation
governing genetic research has also been
passed in several other countries,
Text Structure,
? Paras 1-2
Dolly the sheep,a clone,was born,
? Paras 3-6
Dolly’s birth has made cloning a reality and
human cloning a possibility,
? Paras 7-11
People have to face the ethical problems of
human cloning,
? Paras 12-16
Cloning technology could benefit people in
more than one way,
give birth to
1),bear (a child),bring forth
e.g,Although a mother panda often gives birth to two cubs,
she usually abandons one of them without attempting to
care for it,
The research has shown that mothers who smoke give
birth more frequently to premature or underweight babies,
2),create,originate
e.g,The extraordinary experience gave birth to his latest
novel,
Einstein gave birth to a whole new way of looking at
matter and energy,
for all the world
→ in every respect; exactly
e.g,I felt for all the world as if I was still a child,
He looked for all the world like a country
doctor,
dot
1),Spread things or people
in various separate places
over an area
e.g,From the top floor we could
see the trees dotting the
landscape,
The sky was dotted with stars,
2),n,a small round mark
e.g,He forgot the dot on the letter
i and so it looked like an 1,
The stars just look like
thousands of tiny dots of light,
take up
go and live; move into (a certain
position)
e.g,The hunter took up his quarters in a hut,
As the crowd grew,riot police took up their
positions,
oppose
express strong disapproval with the aim of
preventing or changing a course action; resist
e.g,My father opposed my wish to become a musician,
The local residents strongly opposed the chemical
companies dumping their waste in the sea,
pattern, be opposed to, be against
e.g,We are utterly opposed to any form of terrorism,
They are strongly opposed to the presence of
American troops in this region,
compromise
1),n,a settlement in which each side gives up
some demands
e.g,The two countries continued to have difficulties
reaching a compromise on a solution to the problem of acid
rain,
2),V,
pattern, compromise with sb,over sth,
compromise on sth,
e.g,The government has compromised with its critics over
monetary policies,
Israel had originally wanted $1 billion in aid,but
compromised on the $650 million,
inherit
1),have features or qualities from
an ancestor
e.g,Although all humans share the
same set of genes,individuals can
inherit different forms of a given gene,
making each person genetically
unique,
Deficiencies in immune function
may be either inherited or acquired
2),receive (money,property,etc,
of an ancestor)
e.g,He has no son to inherit his land,
Mary inherited the money from her
parents,
comment
1),n,a written or spoken remark giving an opinion
e.g,He was making rude comments about her haircut,
There has been no comment so far from police about the
bomb attack happening yesterday,
2),V,(followed by on)
e.g,The president refused to comment on the issue of gun
violence on campus,
The teacher commented on the fact that some students
were absent for class,
transplant
1),remove tissue or an organ from one person or animal and put it into
another
e.g,To repair injuries such as burns,skin is sometimes transplant from
one area of the body to another,
2),remove a growing plant with its roots and plant it elsewhere
e.g,Tea was transplant from China to India and Sri Lanka,
3),n,transplant(ation)
e.g,In some instances,surgeons may perform a lung transplant to save a
patient’s life,
Advances in organ transplantation have brought new hope to those
afflicted with disease organs,
lash out at
make a sudden violent attack at with
blows or words
e.g,He lashed out at them with his fists,
It seemed that he was going to lash out
at the salesman,but he controlled himself,
immune
1),protected against through the body’s
natural resistance (followed by to)
e.g,It seemed for a while that infants were
immune to Aids,
My brother seems to be immune t colds－
he just never gets them,
2),not affected by sth,(followed by to )
e.g,Football is not immune to economic
recession,
merge
→ (cause to ) combine
e.g,In the story he merged his mind with the
robot’s and shared its thoughts,
The two colleges will be merged to form a
university,
start out
1),intend when starting
e.g,They started out wanting a house,but eventually
bought a flat,
Peter didn’t start out to apply for Yale University － it
just happened that way,
2),begin
e.g,He started out in the personnel department; later he
was transferred to the sales department,
She started out as a teacher and only began writing in
his thirties,
grow into
→ become gradually as time passes
e.g,With the construction of the highways,
the village is growing into a town,
She is growing into a beautiful young
woman,
