新视野大学英语第三版第二册课文语法讲解_Unit8

新视野三版

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B2 U8 Text A

Animals or children?

—

A scientist's choice

1

I am the enemy! I am one of those cursed, cruel physician scientists involved

in animal research. These rumors sting, for I have never thought of myself as

an evil person. I became a children's doctor because of my love for children

and my supreme desire to keep them healthy. During medical school

and residency, I saw many children die of cancer and bloodshed from injury

—

circumstances against which medicine has made great progress but stil has a

long way to go. More importantly, I also saw children healthy thanks to

advances in medical science such as infant breathing support, powerful new

medicines

and

surgical

techniques

and

the

entire

field

of organ transplantation. My desire to tip the scales in favor of healthy, happy

children drew me to medical research.

*

2

M

y accusers have twisted the truth into a fable and cast me as

the devil. They claim that I have no moral compass, that I torture innocent

animals for the sole purpose of career advancement, and that my experiments

have no relevance to ile, an uncaring public barely watches,

convinced

that

the

issue

has

no

significance,

and

publicity-conscious senators and politicians increasingly give way to

the lobbying of animal rights activists.

3

We, in medical research, have also been unbelievably uncaring. We have

al owed the most extreme animal rights protesters to creep in and frame the

issue as one of

a knowledgeable public would consent to the importance of animal research

for public health. Perhaps we have been mistaken in not responding to the

emotional tone of the argument. Perhaps we should have responded to those

sad slogans and posters of animals by waving equal y sad posters of children

dying of cancer or external wounds.

4

In the animal rights forum, much is made of the volume of pain these animals

experience in the name of medical sts deny that we are trying to

help and say it is evidence of our evil and cruel nature. A more reasonable

argument, however, can be advanced in our defense. Life is often cruel to

animals and human beings. Teenagers are flung from trucks and suffer severe

head injuries. Young children barely able to walk find themselves at the bottom

of swimming pools while a parent is occupied with something else. From

everyday germs to gang violence, no life is free of pain. Physicians hoping to

relieve the eternal suffering of these tragedies have only three choices: 1)

create an animal model of the problem to understand the process and test new

therapies; 2) experiment on human beings (some experiments wil succeed,

most wil fail); or 3) leave medical knowledge static, hoping that accidental

discoveries wil lead us forward.

5

Some animal rights activists would suggest an optional fourth choice,

*******claiming

that

computer

models

can

create

a

nimal

experiments,

thus omitting actual experiments. Computers can imitate the effects of

wel -understood principles on complex systems, as in the application of the

laws of physics to airplane and automobile design. However, when the

principles themselves are in question, as is the case with the complex

biological systems of human life under study, computer modeling alone is of

little value.

6

One of the terrifying effects of arresting the use of animals in medical

research is that the impact wil not be felt for years or even decades. Drugs to

cure infection wil remain undiscovered, surgical and diagnostic techniques wil

remain undeveloped, and fundamental biological processes that might have

been understood wil remain mysteries. There is the danger that quick

decisions by wel -meaning politicians wil create resolution to diplomatical y

satisfy the smal minority of loud protesters while the consequences and

damaging impact of those decisions wil not be apparent until long after.

7

Fortunately, most of us enjoy good health, and the agony of watching one's

child die has become a rare experience. Yet our good fortune should not make

us unappreciative. Protection from serious sickness and drugs to combat heart

*disease, high blood pressure and stroke are al

based on animal

research. Most complex surgical procedures such as heart or hip surgery and

organ

transplantation

surgeries

were

initial y

developed

in

animals. Techniques to replace defective genes, the cause of so much

disease, as wel as the development of synthetic organs are presently

undergoing animal studies. These studies, and any subsequent advances, wil

effectively end if animal research is severely restricted.

8

In America today, death has become an event isolated from our daily

existence. As a doctor who has watched many children die and seen their

parents' infinite grief, I am particularly angered by any minute expression of

caring for the suffering of creatures and so little for sick and dying human

beings. People are too protected from the reality of human life and death and

what it means.

9

Make no mistake, however. I would never advocate needless cruel treatment

of animals. The animal rights movement has made a contribution in making us

more aware of animals' needs and the need to search harder for suitable

alternatives. But if the more radical members of this movement are successful

in threatening further research, their efforts wil bring about a tragedy that wil

cost many lives. Hence the real question is whether an uncaring majority can

be aroused to protect its future against a loud, but misdirected, minority.

Language Points

：

1 Animals or children?

—

A scientist’s choice (Title)

Meaning:

A scientist is now facing two choices: in favor of animals or children.

2 I am the enemy! I am one of those cursed, cruel physician scientists involved

in

animal research. These rumors sting, for I have never thought of myself as an

evil

person. (Para. 1)

Meaning:

I am the enemy

–

the one who is condemned as a cold-hearted physician

scientist

doing

animal

research.

These

rumors

make

me

upset

as

I've

never

considered

myself as being evil.

Meaning beyond words:

The physician’s ironic tone in the sentences well reflects

his

indignation and anger at the animal rights activists.

3

I

became

a

children’s

doctor

because

of

my

love

for

children

and

my

supreme

desire to keep them healthy. (Para. 1)

Meaning:

My love for children and strong desire to keep them healthy drove me

to be a

children’s doctor.

Usage note:

supreme, superior, super, superb

*supreme, superior, super, superb

比较级，也没有

最高级，

但它们的词义和用法稍有差别。

1

supreme

基本词义表示

―

（程度）最大的，最高的，极度的

‖

，一般 用在名

词前作定语，修

饰名词，其副词是

supremel y

，表示

―

极度地；极其

‖

，常用于强调不好的品

质。例如：

The

Supreme

Commander

was

in

bad

temper

as

the

task

for

him

had

changed

abruptly

*and fundamental y.

最

高指挥官很生气，因为他的任务突然彻底地改变了。