全新版大学英语综合教程第二册单元8课文解读

全新版大学英语综合教程第二册单元8课文解读

　导语：保护自然肯定是有好处的，但也需要成本，怎样权衡利弊呢，下面是一篇关于保护环境的英语课文，欢迎大家学习。

Protecting Our Environment

　Part I Pre-Reading Task

　Listen to the recording two or three times and then think over the following questions:

　1. What kind of paradise is described in the song?

　2. Why do people have to pay to see the trees?

　3. What would happen if farmers continued to use DDT?

　4. What is the theme of the song?

　The following words in the recording may be new to you:

　pink

　a. 粉红色的

　boutique

　n. 时装店

　hot spot

　n. (sl.) nightclub 夜总会

　insect

　n. 昆虫

　Part II

　Text?

　Protecting nature certainly has benefits, but it has costs as well. How are we to balance the two when deciding how far we should go in caring for the environment?

　SAVING NATURE, BUT onLY FOR MAN

　Charles Krauthammer

　Environmental sensitivity is now as required an attitude in polite society as is, belief in democracy or aversion to nylon. But now that everyone has claims to love Mother Earth, how are we to choose among the dozens of conflicting proposals, restrictions, projects, regulations and laws advanced in the name of the environment? Clearly not everything with an environmental claim is worth doing. How to choose?

　There is a simple way. First, distinguish between environmental luxuries and environmental necessities. Luxuries are those things it would be nice to have if costless. Necessities are those things we must have regardless. Then apply a rule. Call it the fundamental principle of sensible environmentalism: Combating ecological change that directly threatens the health and safety of people is an environmental necessity. All else is luxury.

　For example: preserving the atmosphere, by both protecting the ozone layer and halting the greenhouse effect, is an environmental necessity. In April scientists reported that ozone damage is far worse than previously thought. Ozone reduction not only causes skin cancer and eye cataracts, it also destroys plankton, the beginning of the food chain on top of which we humans sit.

　The reality of the greenhouse effect is more speculative, though its possible consequences are far deadlier: melting ice caps, flooded coastlines, disturbed climate, dried up plains and, ultimately, empty breadbaskets. The American Midwest feeds the world. Are we prepared to see Iowa acquire Albuquerque's climate? And Siberia acquire Iowa's?

　Ozone reduction and the greenhouse effect are human disasters. They happen to occur in the environment. But they are urgent because they directly threaten man. A sensible environmentalism, the only kind of environmentalism that will win universal public support, begins by unashamedly declaring that nature is here to serve man. A sensible environmentalism is entirely man-centered: it calls for man to preserve nature, but on the grounds of self-preservation.

　A sensible environmentalism does not sentimentalize the earth. It does not ask people to sacrifice in the name of other creatures. After all, it is hard enough to ask people to sacrifice in the name of other humans. (Think of the public resistance to foreign aid and welfare.) Ask hardworking voters to sacrifice in the name of the snail darter, and, if they are feeling polite, they will give you a shrug.

　Of course, this man-centeredness runs against the grain of a contemporary environmentalism that worships the earth to the point of excess. One scientific theory ? Gaia theory ? actually claims that Earth is a living organism. This kind of environmentalism likes to consider itself spiritual. It is nothing more than sentimental. It takes, for example, a highly selective view of the kindliness of nature. My nature worship stops with the May storms that killed more than 125,000 Bengalis and left 10 million homeless.

　A non-sentimental environmentalism is one founded on Protagoras' principle that "Man is the measure of all things." Such a principle helps us to fight our way through the jungle of environmental argument. Take the current debate raging over oil drilling in a corner of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. Environmentalists, fighting against a bill working its way through Congress to permit such exploration, argue that we should be conserving energy instead of drilling for it. This is a false either/or proposition. The country does need a substantial energy tax to reduce consumption. But it needs more production too. Government estimates indicate a nearly fifty-fifty chance that under the ANWR lies one of the five largest oil fields ever discovered in America.

　We have just come through a war fought in part over oil: Energy dependence costs Americans not just dollars but lives. It is a ridiculous sentimentalism that would deny ourselves oil that is peacefully attainable because it risks disrupting the breeding grounds of Arctic reindeer.

　I like the reindeer as much as the next man. And I would be rather sorry if their mating patterns are disturbed. But you can't have everything. And if the choice is between the welfare of reindeer and reducing oil dependence that gets people killed in wars, I choose man over reindeer every time.

　Similarly the spotted owl. I am no enemy of the owl. If it could be preserved at no or little cost, I would agree: the variety of nature is a good, a high aesthetic good. But it is no more than that. And sometimes aesthetic goods have to be sacrificed to the more fundamental ones. If the cost of preserving the spotted owl is the loss of livelihood for 30,000 logging families, I choose family over owl.

　The important distinction is between those environmental goods that are fundamental and those that are merely aesthetic. Nature is our charge. It is not our master. It is to be respected and even cultivated. But it is man's world. And when man has to choose between his well-being and that of nature, nature will have to accommodate.

　Man should accommodate only when his fate and that of nature are bound up together. The most urgent accommodation must be made when the very integrity of man's environment ? e.g., atmospheric ozone ? is threatened. When the threat to man is of a lesser order (say, the pollutants from coal- and oil-fired generators that cause death from disease but not fatal damage to the ecosystem), a more moderate accommodation that balances economic against health concerns is in order. But in either case the principle is the same: protect the environment ? because it is man's environment.

　The sentimental environmentalists will call this saving nature with a totally wrong frame of mind. Exactly. A sensible ? a humanistic ? environmentalism does it not for nature's sake but for our own.

　New Words and expressions

　environmental

　a. (自然)环境的

　environment n.

　sensitivity

　n. 敏感(性)

　belief

　n. 信念，信仰;相信

　democracy

　n. 民主(制度)

　conflicting

　a. being in disagreement, collision, or opposition 不一致的，冲突的，矛盾的

　conflict vi.

　proposal

　n. sth. proposed 提议，建议

　restriction

　n. sth. that restricts, such as a law or rule 限制;限制性规定

　regulation

　n. an official rule or order 规章;规定

　in the name of

　for the reason of; using the excuse of 以?为由，以?为借口，以?的名义

　distinguish

　v. recognize the difference (between) 区别，辨别

　regardless

　ad. in spite of everything; anyway 不顾一切地;无论如何

　fundamental

　a. of the basis or foundation of sth. 基本的，根本的

　environmentalism

　n. 环境保护论;环境论

　combat

　v. fight or struggle (against) (与?)斗争，战斗

　ecological

　a. of ecology 生态的;生态学的

　atmosphere

　n. 大气;气氛

　ozone▲

　n. 臭氧

　layer

　n. a single thickness of a material covering a surface 层

　reduction

　n. making or becoming less or smaller 减少

　cancer

　n. 癌，恶性肿瘤

　cataract

　n. 白内障

　plankton

　n. 浮游生物

　reality

　n. 现实;真实

　speculative

　a. 猜测性的，推测的

　consequence

　n. the result or effect of an action or condition 后果，结果

　deadly

　a. causing or able to cause fatal injury or serious damage 致命的，毁灭性的

　melt

　v. (cause a solid to) become liquid (使)融化，(使)熔化

　urgent

　a. calling for immediate attention 紧急的;急迫的

　universal

　a. 全世界的;普遍的，全体的

　unashamedly

　ad. without showing guilt or embarrassment 坦然地，满不在乎地

　man-centered

　a. 以人为中心的，只考虑人类的利益的

　call for

　require, demand 要求

　on the grounds of/on?grounds

　for reasons of 因为;以?为理由

　self-preservation

　n. 自我保护

　sentimentalize

　vt. treat or consider in a sentimental way 感情用事地对待(或看待)

　creature

　n. a living being, especially an animal 生物(尤指动物)

　resistance

　n. opposition 反对，反抗

　voter

　n. 投票者，(法定)选举人

　vote

　v. express one's choice in favour of (a person or political party) at an election 投票选举

　snail darter

　n. 蜗牛鱼(一种濒临绝种的很小的淡水鱼)

　run/go against the grain (of sth. or to do sth.)

　be contrary to one's inclination, desire, or feeling 与(?)格格不入;违反意愿(做某事)

　contemporary

　a. current; modern 当代的，现代的

　worship

　n., vt. 崇拜;崇敬

　to the point of

　to a degree that can be described as 达到?的程度

　excess

　n. more than the reasonable degree or amount 过节，无节制

　organism

　n. 生物体，有机体

　spiritual

　a. of the spirit as opposed to matter 精神的;非物质的

　nothing more than

　just the same as; only 无异于;只不过，仅仅

　sentimental

　a. 感情用事的;多愁善感的

　selective

　a. of or characterized by selection 选择的;有选择性的

　Bengali

　n., a. 孟加拉人(的);孟加拉语(的);孟加拉的

　jungle

　n. 杂乱无章的事物;(热带)丛林

　current

　a. occurring in or existing at the present time 当前的，现在的

　debate

　n. 辩论;争论

　rage

　vi. continue with great force; be intense 激烈地进行

　wildlife

　n. wild animals and vegetation, especially animals living in a natural state (总称)野生动物(尤指野生动物)

　refuge▲

　n. a place providing protection or shelter 庇护所;避难处

　work one's way

　manage to reach or go through; make efforts to attain one's goal 设法抵达(或获得通过);努力达到目标

　congress

　n. 国会;立法机关;代表大会

　exploration

　n. the act or an instance of exploring 勘查，探测;探索

　conserve▲

　vt. protect from loss or harm; preserve 保护;保存

　either/or

　a. 只能两者择其一的`

　proposition▲

　n. 提议;命题

　consumption

　n. the act of consuming; the amount consumed 消费(量)

　come through

　experience, survive or overcome (a difficulty, etc.) 经历;从(?中)活下来(或挺过来)

　in part

　to some extent; partly 在某种程度上;部分地

　dependence

　n. the state of being dependent 依靠，依赖

　ridiculous

　a. absurd 可笑的，荒谬的

　sentimentalism

　n. 感情用事;多愁善感，感伤主义

　deny

　vt. refuse to grant or allow 不给;不准

　attainable

　a. that can be reached or achieved 可达到的;可得到的

　attain

　vt. 达到;取得

　disrupt▲

　vt. throw into confusion or disorder 使陷于混乱;干扰

　breeding ground

　动物繁殖的地方

　breed (bred)

　v. bear, produce (young) (使)繁殖;产(后代)

　reindeer

　n. (单复同)驯鹿

　Arctic

　a., n. 北级(的)，北极圈(的)

　mate

　v. (使)交配

　similarly

　ad. in a similar way 同样地，相同地

　owl▲

　n. 猫头鹰

　aesthetic▲

　a. 美学的;美感的;美的

　livelihood

　n. a means of living 生计

　logging

　n. 伐木业

　log

　v. cut down, trim, and haul (timber) 砍伐;伐(木)

　distinction

　n. difference 区别，差别

　charge

　n. a person or thing committed to the care of another 被照管的人(或事物)

　well-being

　n. the state of being healthy, happy, or prosperous 幸福;福祉

　accommodate▲

　vi. adapt 适应新的情况;迁就

　vt. 容纳，向?提供住处;协调

　accommodation n.

　fate

　n. 命运，结局

　bind (bound)

　vt. tie or fasten; tie together 捆，绑;将?绑在一起

　e.g. (abbr.)

　for example 例如

　atmospheric

　a. of, relating to, or existing in the atmosphere 大气的

　threat

　n. 威胁

　lesser

　a. smaller in amount, value, or importance 较小的，更少的，次要的

　pollutant

　n. something that pollutes 污染物

　generator

　n. 发电机

　fatal

　a. causing death; bringing ruin 致命的;毁灭性的

　ecosystem

　n. 生态系统

　moderate

　a. not extreme; within sensible limits 适中的;适度的

　concern

　n. 有利害关系的事，关心的事，担扰

　frame

　n. state, condition; basic structure around which sth. is built 状态;框架，构架

　frame of mind

　mental attitude or outlook 心绪;心境

　humanistic

　a. of humanism or humanists 人本主义的，人文主义的

　Proper Names

　Charles Krauthammer

　杰尔斯?克劳特哈默

　Midwest

　美国中西部

　Lowa

　(美国)爱荷华州

　Albuquerque

　阿尔伯克基(美国新墨西哥州城市)

　Siberia

　西伯利亚(俄罗斯一地区)

　Gaia

　(希神)盖亚(大地女神)

　Protagoras

　普罗泰戈拉 (c.481 ? c.411 B.C.，古希腊哲学家)

　Alaska

　(美国)阿拉斯加州

Language sense Enhancement

　1. Read aloud paragraphs 1-5 and learn them by heart.

　2. Read aloud the following poem:

　The Beauty of Nature

　James Teh

　One cool evening, I put aside all duty,

　To sit alone, watching the sun set,

　And as I do, I think of scenes filled with beauty,

　Scenes I wish to never forget.

　I think of the beach, with the sand and the sea,

　The waves roaring up, then gently lapping the beach,

　The cries of the seagulls, so happy, so free,

　It only men realized the lesson it can teach.

　I think of a lake, the crystal clear water,

　So pure, so smooth, and cool on my skin,

　The air, so clean, no toxic slaughter,

　There's a key, a lesson held within.

　I think of a waterfall, water freely flowing,

　The gentle gush, gurgling in my ears,

　The wind on my face, calmly blowing,

　So many have not learnt in so many years.

　The sunset, the beach, the lake, the waterfall,

　They're things of nature, not man-made at all,

　Characteristics unbeatable by man have they all,

　They're peace and beauty, both of which it seems men want to fall.

　3. Read the following quotations. Learn them by heart if you can. You might need to look up new words in a dictionary.

　Complete adaptation to environment means death. The essential point in all response is the desire to control environment.

　 John Dewey

　We won't have a society if we destroy the environment.

　 Margaret Mead

　We make the world we live in and shape our own environment.

　 Orison Swett Marden

　When man is happy, he is in harmony with himself and his environment.

　 Oscar Wilde

　4.Read the following joke for fun:

　Man: how many environmentalists does it take to change a light bulb?

　Woman: Ten. One to install the new bulb and nine to figure out what to do with the discarded bulb for the next 10,000 years.

;

Human Cloning: A Scientist's Story

Dr. Samuel Wood via interview

I was extremely close with my

mother all my life. She was a brilliant educator, writer and wonderful woman.

Sadly, she developed complications related to diabetes. When she lost her

eyesight and most of her ability to walk, it was absolutely horrifying for me.

She passed away from a fall seven or eight years ago. At her funeral, I swore

that one day I'd do something about conditions like hers.

克隆人：一位科学家的故事

塞缪尔·伍德博士采访录

我一生与母亲无比亲密。她是一位卓越的教育家、作家，是一位了不起的女士。不幸的是，她患上了糖尿病引起的并发症。当她丧失视力和大部分行走能力时，我惊恐万状。七、八年前，她摔了一跤便离开人世。在她的葬礼上，我发誓有朝一日要为她那样的疾病做点什么。

2. Years passed and I read about the work the South Koreans had done

with stem cells. In 2004 and 2005 Hwang Woo-Suk fraudulently reported that he

had succeeded in creating human embryonic stem cells by cloning.

时间一年年过去，我读到了韩国人在干细胞研究方面所做的工作。在2004年和2005年间，黄禹锡谎称他已通过克隆技术成功地培养出人类胚胎干细胞。

3. Back then it wasn't known it was a fraud, so it was very exciting

to think that a long list of diseases could be treated.

当时人们并不知道那是造假，所以想到一长串疾病有望得到医治，人们兴奋不已。

4. I founded the stem cell research company Stemagen with another

gentleman whose father had died of ALS. We went out for drinks one night and we

started talking about our parents. We wanted to do something that would be a

legacy for them.

我与另一位先生共同创建了斯塔摩根干细胞研究公司。那位先生的父亲死于肌萎缩性（脊髓）侧索硬化。一天晚上，我们外出小酌，谈论起我们的父母。我们想做点什么，以此作为他们身后留下的遗产。

5. For Better Or Worse?

是福是祸？

6. The moment we decided to start Stemagen, I read all there was to

read about the various cloning efforts in the past. The cloned sheep Dolly in

1997 was very interesting, but at that stage people were not focusing on the

stem cell aspect of cloning; they were focusing on the reproductive

possibilities of cloning.

一决定创建斯塔摩根干细胞研究公司，我就阅读了有关以往各种克隆实验的所有资料。1997年的克隆羊多利引起了人们极大的兴趣。但在那个时候，人们关注的不是克隆技术的干细胞层面，而是其无性繁殖的可能性问题。

7. Human reproductive cloning is just simply wrong ethically from a

medical standpoint and a scientific standpoint, even ignoring any religious

issues associated with it. The reason is that the majority of reproductive

clones in other species are actually abnormal, with very high miscarriage

rates, very high stillbirth rates, fetal anomalies, death soon after birth, et

cetera.

从医学和科学的角度来看，克隆人在伦理道德上就是错误的，即便不去理会与其相关的宗教问题。其原因在于其他物种的无性繁殖个体事实上大多数都是畸形的，流产率很高，死产率很高，胎儿畸形，出生不久便夭折，等等。

8. It would just be absolutely wrong to take a human being and put

them through what may well involve significant suffering for really no good

end. Even though people could take the techniques that we've developed and

attempt to do it (or perhaps even be successful doing it), we hope that they

would not.

让人经受极有可能遭到巨大痛苦的事，却又得不到什么好的结果，那是绝对错误的。即使有人能够利用我们研发的技术，并且试图付诸实践（也许还能成功），我们还是希望他们不要那样做。

9. On the other hand,

therapeutic cloning does not involve any type of risk to human life and

actually provides tremendous potential for the relief of suffering in real

human beings who are going through some awful things.

从另一方面来说，治疗性的克隆技术不牵涉任何对人生命的威胁，还能真正为正在经受痛苦的人们提供缓解痛苦的极大的可能性。

10. I'm a pure scientist in some ways, and I know that many

different studies or findings could be used for evil. Our job as scientists is

to make the most of this technology and make it available to the greatest

number of other scientists who can help us do good things with it. There's

really no effective way for an individual scientist to stop someone else from

using the knowledge for something they shouldn't.

在某种程度上，我是一个纯粹的科学家，可我知道种种研究或发现可能被用来做邪恶之事。作为科学家，我们的工作是充分利用这一技术，并且使之被尽可能多的其他科学家掌握，帮助我们做好事。对于科学家个人而言，其实没有什么行之有效的方法可以阻止他人将知识用在他们不该用的地方。

11. We need to be honest about the techniques that we used. They

need to be able to be replicated by other people, and so, we are providing a

roadmap. I would hope that the legislation that's in place and the great public

disapproval that would result from any attempt to clone a human would dissuade

anyone from going down that path.

我们必须诚实地说明我们所使用的技术。这些技术必须能够被他人复制，这样，我们等于提供了一张路线图。我希望适当的法规以及公众对于试图克隆人的极力反对能够劝阻任何有此企图的人走那条路。

12. What is it they say? There is no technology that hasn't been

used for some evil purpose at some point. Quite honestly I do think that

someone will attempt human reproductive cloning. I do think it's inevitable,

and it's virtually impossible to legislate that away.

他们是怎么说的？他们说没有一项技术不曾在某个时候为了某种罪恶目的而被利用过。坦诚地说，我确实认为有人会试图克隆人。我确实认为那是不可避免的事，而且实际上也不可能通过立法加以阻止。

13. Claim to Fame

出名

14. I am spoken of as the first man to "clone himself."

There are different types of cloning. At the cellular level, yes, it's true I

am the first man to clone himself. We thought a great deal about how to deal

with the issue of whose cells we should use and whether we should let the world

and the scientific community know who the first cellular clone was.

我被说成是第一个“克隆自己”的人。有不同类型的克隆。在细胞层面上讲，没错，我的确是第一个克隆自己的人。我们应该使用谁的细胞，是否应该让世人及科学界知晓谁是第一个细胞克隆体，对于如何处理上述问题我们想得很多。

15. In the end we decided

that we wanted to put a human face on cloning.

最终，我们决定要让克隆体人性化。

16. I didn't anticipate it would create the firestorm of controversy

that it's created, but I'm still glad we went down that path. We received

thousands of e-mails and phone calls from people who need help.

我没料到这样做竟会掀起如此轩然大波，但是对于我们走过的这条路，我仍感到高兴。我们从需要帮助的人们那里收到了成千上万的电子邮件和电话。

17. I think by coming forward and putting a face to it we made it

very real, and now people around the world know that cloning is here. I believe

that very soon it will be used therapeutically, so I think our purpose was

served.

我认为通过主动地让克隆体人性化，我们使克隆技术变得十分真实。现在全世界的人都知道克隆来了。我相信不久克隆技术将被用于治疗疾病，所以我认为我们的目的达到了。

18. Pure Science

纯科学

19. What happens is an informed and consenting woman donates an egg

and we remove her genetic material from the egg. Then we place a single skin

cell inside that egg.

事情是这样的：一位被告知实情并表示同意的女士捐出一个卵子。我们取出卵子中的基因材料，然后把单个皮肤细胞置入这个卵子。

20. What we're really interested in is creating disease-specific and

person-specific stem cell lines. The procedure of taking cells from a person

takes no more than a minute or two. You can take some skin cells from the arm,

for example, and in one to two minutes, you can get the cells that you need to

carry out this process.

我们真正感兴趣的是建立特定疾病及特定个体的干细胞系列。从某人身上取出细胞的程序不过一两分钟的工夫。比方说，你可以从手臂提取皮肤细胞，一两分钟后，便可得到实施这一过程所需的细胞。

21. This process enables us to study the causes of specific

diseases, such as Alzheimer's Disease, ALS or Parkinson's Disease, and then

research a variety of treatments for these diseases. If the stem cell lines are

created for any given individual and are later transplanted back into the

individual, they will not be rejected by the individual.

这一过程有助于我们探究诸如早老性痴呆病、肌萎缩性（脊髓）侧索硬化或者帕金森氏病之类特定疾病的起因，并着手研究治疗这些疾病的种种方法。如果干细胞系列是针对某一特定个体而培育的，然后又被移植回那个个体，它们就不会遭排异。

22. Sweet Success

甜蜜的成功

23. I always thought that when our research was successful I would

just be pleased that we had accomplished this when others had not. In reality,

it is transcendent — when you look through the microscope, you see what you may

have looked like a long time ago, at least in part.

我一直这么想，当我们的研究获得成功时，我会为我们取得了别人还未取得的成果而欣喜。事实上，这一研究成果真是妙不可言——透过显微镜，你至少部分地看到自己很久以前大概是什么模样。

24. When I looked down and saw that cloned blastocyst, it brought

tears to my eyes. I had done this for my

mother, and I realized, had she only been able to live a few years longer,

maybe we could have used this technology to help her. It was emotional to see

that potential, which she never had a chance to experience.

当我低下头看到克隆出的胚泡时，不由得泪水盈眶。我是为母亲而做这一研究的。我想，母亲只要能多活几年，我们或许就可以利用这一技术挽救她。看到存在那样一种可能，一种母亲没有机会亲身享用的可能，不禁令人感慨万千。

25. There's a big misconception out there that we decided to destroy

these embryos for some reason. There was

so much skepticism about this process because of the scientific fraud from the

past that it was critical that there be no doubt that they were clones.

我们出于某种原因决定毁掉这些克隆胚胎，对此外界有很大误解。由于以往的科学造假行为，人们对于我们的研究过程抱有诸多怀疑，所以确保它们确系克隆胚胎是至关重要的。

26. In the process of analysis, the embryos were destroyed by

necessity. In other words, to get the genetic material from inside the cells to

analyze it, you have to destroy the cell. We would have loved to have been able

to avoid destroying them.

在分析的过程中，我们必须毁掉那些胚胎。换句话说，从细胞里提取遗传物质进行分析，你只得毁坏细胞。我们多么希望能够避免毁掉它们啊。

27. Now we're working full-time on creating stem cell lines, and

people are watching with great interest.

目前我们正夜以继日地培育干细胞系列，人们也饶有兴趣地关注着这项工作的进展。

28. The Pope And The President

教皇和总统

29. There are a variety of opponents to our work.

我们的工作遭到各方人士的反对。

30. We were condemned by theVaticanand mentioned in a negative

light in President Bush's State of the Union address. In a sense it's an honor

because it shows that we're doing something significant. It's not every day

that you get condemned by theVaticanand President Bush in the same week.

罗马教廷谴责我们，布什总统的国情咨文对我们也颇有微词。在某种意义上，这是一种荣耀，因为这表明我们正做着有重大意义的事情。一周之内同时遭到罗马教廷和布什总统的谴责，这样的事可不是天天发生的。

31. There's usually no dialogue between the researchers in the

embryonic stem cell field and those who oppose it.

胚胎干细胞领域的研究人员和持反对意见的人士之间往往没有对话。

32. It doesn't make sense to me that it's such an emotional and

contentious topic. Logically, this is not life. I agree it's a potential life,

but the vast majority of embryos never become life. The majority generate,

don't implant and die. A fetus is a life. That argument makes sense to me, but

it doesn't make sense to me to look at an embryo in a lab and give it all the

rights of a human life.

这个话题如此惹人激动，并引起偌大的争议，依我看来实在大可不必。从逻辑上讲，胚胎并不是生命。我承认胚胎有可能成为生命，但是，大多数胚胎永远不会成为生命。多数胚胎生成后，并不用于移植，随即消亡。胎儿具有生命。依我之见，那个观点才合乎情理。但是，看着实验室里的胚胎，赋予它人命的一切权利，在我看来则有失偏颇。