Section A
It has been called the Holy Grail of modern biology. Costing
more than £2 billion, it is the most ambitious scientific project since the
Apollo program that landed a man on the moon. And it will take longer to
accomplish than the lunar missions, for it will not be complete until next
century. Even before it is finished, according to those involved, this project
should open up new understanding of, and new treatment for, many of the ailments
that afflict humanity. The objective of the Human Genome Project
is simple to state but audacious in scope: to map and analyze every single gene
within the double helix of humanity’s DNA. The project will reveal a new human
anatomy--not the bones, muscles and sinews, but the complete genetic blueprint
for a human being. Those working on the Human Genome Project claim that the new
genetic anatomy will transform medicine and reduce human suffering in the 21st
century. But others see the future through a darker glass and fear that the
project may open the door to a world peopled by Frankenstein’s monsters and
disfigured by a new eugenics(优生学). The genetic inheritance a
baby receives from its parents at the moment of conception fixes much of its
later development. The human genome is the compendium of all these inherited
genetic instructions. Witten out along the double helix of DNA are the chemical
letters of the genetic text, for the human genome contains more than 3 billion
letters. On the printed page it would fill about 7,000 volumes. Yet within
little more than a decade, the position of every letter and its relation to its
neighbors will have been tracked down, analyzed and recorded. If
properly applied, the new knowledge generated by the Human Genome Project may
free humanity from the terrible scourge of diverse diseases. But if the new
knowledge is not used wisely, it also holds the threat of creating new forms of
discrimination and new methods of oppression. Once before in this century, the
relentless curiosity of scientific researchers brought to light forces of nature
in the power of the atom, the mastery of which has shaped the destiny of nations
and overshadowed all our lives. The Human Genome Project holds the promise that,
ultimately, we may be able to alter our genetic inheritance if we so choose. But
there is the central moral problem, how can we ensure that when we choose, we
choose correctly That such a potential is a promise and not a threat We need
only look at the past to understand the danger. What benefits can we expect to get from the Human Genome Project
【参考答案】
It may free humanity from the terrible scourge of diverse di......