2. 考研
  3. " There are no shortcuts in evolution," famed Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis once said. He might have reconsidered those w

" There are no shortcuts in evolution," famed Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis once said. He might have reconsidered those w

admin2014-04-20  20
问题     " There are no shortcuts in evolution," famed Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis once said. He might have reconsidered those words if he could have foreseen the coming revolution in biotechnology, including the ability to alter genes and manipulate stem cells. These breakthroughs could bring on an age of directed reproduction and evolution in which humans will bypass the incremental process of natural selection and set off on a high-speed genetic course of their own. Some of the latest and greatest advances like pluripotent stem cells, gene targeting, and artificial chromosomes could leapfrog over evolution and let us take control of our genome, maybe even turn ourselves into a whole new species.
    Bioethicist John Harris of the University of Manchester, believes that achieving our potential "might require some deliberate changes" to our genes. He predicts that genetic engineering will eventually lead to what he calls "enhancement evolution. " Through the nuanced use of biotechnology, enhancement evolution will gradually introduce genes that improve the species, one person at a time. At that point, deliberate selection will replace natural selection as the driving force for species change. " We are not suited to survive designed as we are," Harris says. " We are hugely vulnerable to diseases, and new diseases come along all the time. It’s amazing we haven’t been entirely wiped out by one. "
    The first changes to the human genome, Harris believes, will happen within small test populations. This will allow us to assess the risks and benefits of the modifications and then decide how to proceed.
    Enhancement evolution has plenty of critics. Lanza, for one, is uneasy about giving parents the power to design their children’s genomes. What if a couple wants a world-class athlete in the family and provides those genes, but the child grows up wanting to play chess, he asks. And what if some of the modifications go seriously wrong? Who should have the final say on when and how the human genome should be changed?
    On the other hand, if technology can enable us to eliminate disease and disabilities from our children or insert genes that might make them smarter or better looking, why wouldn’t we use it? As DNA guru James Watson once said, " Evolution can be just damn cruel. " At least it is today. Tomorrow the responsibility for evolution may rest on our own shoulders—for better or for worse.  
What is the author’s attitude towards enhancement evolution?
选项 A、Skeptical.
B、Impartial.
C、Supportive.
D、Biased.
答案C
解析 观点题。本题主要依据最后一段解答即可。虽然谈到了正反两方的意见，但作者自己的看法集中出现在末段。首句即强调了“增强性进化”的益处，既然有好处，why wouldn’t we use it?为什么不利用它呢?其后，作者更指出，当代人承担着决定未来进化发展的重担，故运用新技术已经是无可回避的，无论结果终将如何。因此，作者对“增强性进化”还是持支持态度的，答案为[C]。四个选项中最易排除[A]和[D]，两者意义都是负面的。而无论从末段还是从全文中反对意见所占的篇幅来看，作者都不会是持负面态度的。[B]项impartial，意为“不偏不倚”，而由原文看来，作者虽然对两派意见都进行了引述，但最后还是做出了选择，故[B]也不符合原意。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/DJO4777K
0

考研英语一

相关试题推荐
随机试题
最新回复(0)