环球英语 — 31：Special People
Voice 1
Hello. I’m Christy VanArragon.
Voice 2
And I’m Elizabeth Lickiss. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Some scientists are studying something very strange. It is something they have never seen before. They are studying five young adults who cannot walk upright. They bend over and use their hands and their feet in order to move along. The scientists want to find out why these people cannot stand up straight. Some of the scientists believe they are sick. Other scientists have a different theory.
Voice 2
These five people are members of the Ulas family. They live in Turkey. Their parents had nineteen children. Most of them learned to walk in the usual way. But three girls and a boy have never been able to stand up straight or to walk. Another girl can stand for a short time. She can walk a few steps but she also uses her hands and her feet.
Voice 1
Since early in the year 2005, scientists and doctors have been studying this family. The five young people have spent time in hospital. They have had many medical tests. They have other problems as well as their difficulty with walking. They have very limited language. They are unable to count from one to ten. And the different parts of their bodies do not co-operate well with one another.
But what is causing these problems? There has been much discussion and disagreement about them. Did they just lack good food and the right kind of care when they were babies? Or are their problems genetic?
Voice 2
The scientists discovered that these five young people suffer from a rare genetic condition. It is called cerebellar hypoplasia. This condition is caused by a group of damaged genes. The damaged genes prevent an important part of the brain from developing. It is the part of the brain that affects how the parts of the body co-operate with each other.
Voice 1
Some scientists think that the damaged genes may be the ones that cause human beings to walk on two legs. If that is true, it would explain why the five young people cannot walk normally. These scientists think that other genes may have started working instead of the damaged genes. The scientists suggest that these genes are ‘older’. They may be the genes that cause animals to walk on all four legs. They think that these genes could have existed in our ancient ancestors.
Some scientists are saying that these five young people of the Ulas family represent a missing link with our ancestors. Uner Tan, a Turkish scientist, believes they are like a model. He thinks they demonstrate how human beings developed.
Voice 2
Mr and Mrs Ulas have had many difficulties. They have struggled to care for their large family. The people who live near them have been hostile towards them. They drive the five young people away when they see them. These local people do not like the Ulas children because their behaviour is different from normal.
Voice 1
All parents want their children to be loved and accepted. The Ulas parents are no different. Mr Ulas said, ‘I would give everything I have to help my children walk normally’. Mr and Mrs Ulas were very unhappy when they heard what the scientists were suggesting. They were angry that these scientists seemed to be saying their children were not really human.
Voice 2
But other scientists explain the problem in a completely different way. Dr Stephen Jones is a professor of genetics at University College London. He agrees that the problem is genetic in origin. But he says, ‘You cannot say that because people walk on their hands and feet they must represent a link to animals such as apes’.
Dr. Jones believes that other facts combined with the genetic problem. He thinks the two things together have caused the sad condition of the Ulas children.
Voice 1
Mr and Mrs Ulas are very close relations. Two people like that can be in danger of producing unhealthy children. Mrs Ulas had seven children in the space of five years. It is possible that this would cause the children to be weak. The Ulas family live far away from a town or a city. There was no-one to help their sick children when they were born. These facts could easily explain why these young people have suffered such tragic lives.
Voice 2
The scientists continue to argue over the case. It raises very important questions and they cannot agree about the answers. A team of scientists from Germany believes there is one main difference between humans and animals. It is the fact that humans can walk on two legs. These scientists say that this is what really defines a human being. Other scientists believe there is much more to being human than that.
Voice 1
The Bible teaches that God created people to be special, and separate from the animals. This is something more than the way we walk. The Bible says that God made people to be like himself. He gave them the same qualities that he has. The Bible calls it ‘being made in the image of God’.
Voice 2
People love other people and show kindness and care. This is a quality from God. The Bible says God is love. And to some degree, all people desire to know God. This shows that human nature is spiritual. The image of God in us searches for the God who made us.
Voice 1
Christians believe that every person is made in the image of God, even people who have minds or bodies that do not work normally. But the Bible teaches that the image was ruined when humans rebelled against God, and started to sin. Only one person has ever truly represented the image of God and that is Jesus Christ.
Christians believe that Jesus Christ never sinned. He came to the world in order to repair that ruined image. Jesus begins to recreate the image of God in the life of any person who believes in Jesus as the way back to God.
Voice 2
The scientists will continue to discuss the issues surrounding the Ulas family. They will probably continue to disagree! But their interest has already brought the family help. Doctors are working with the young people to improve both their speech and their walking.
The worst affected child is a boy called Hussein. He hated not being able to walk upright. He was angry and very unhappy. But Hussein began using a device on wheels. It supported him while he learned to walk. After much effort, he can now stand up and walk alone. He is a happy man! Life is getting better for Hussein, his sisters and the whole Ulas family.
