1 A
clone is an exact copy of a plant or animal produced from any one cell. Since
Scottish scientists reported that they had managed to clone a sheep named Dolly
in 1997, research into cloning has grown rapidly. In May 1998, scientists in
Massachusetts managed to create two identical calves (牛犊) using cloning
technology. A mouse has also been cloned successfully. But the debate over
cloning humans really started when Chicago physicist Richard Seed made a
surprising announcement: "We will have managed to clone a human being within the
next two years," he told the world. 2 Seed’s announcement
provoked a lot of media attention, most of it negative. In Europe, nineteen
nations have already signed an agreement banning human cloning and in the US the
President announced: "We will be introducing a law to ban all human cloning and
many states in the US will have passed anti-cloning laws by the end of the
year." 3 Many researchers are not so negative about
cloning. They are worried that laws banning human cloning will threaten
important research. In March, The New England Journal of Medicine called any
plan to ban research on cloning humans seriously mistaken. Many researchers also
believe that in spite of attempts to ban it, human cloning will have become
routine by 2010 because it is impossible to stop the progress of
science. 4 Is there reason to fear that cloning will lead
to a nightmare world The public has been bombarded (轰炸) with newspaper
articles, television shows and films, as well as cartoons. Such information is
often misleading, and makes people wonder what on earth the scientists will be
doing next. 5 Within the next five to ten years scientists
will probably have found a way of cloning humans. It could be that pretty soon
we will be able to choose the person that we want our child to look like. But
how would it feel to be a clone among hundreds, the anti-cloners ask. Pretty
cool, answer the pro-cloners (赞成克隆的人). Paragraph 1 ______
A Strong reactions
B Anxiety about the future of cloning
C The right to choose
D What is cloning
E Arguments in favor of cloning
F A common sight