新视野大学英语视听说教程第四册 Unit 8 Task 2: Is it moral to clone humans?
Laura: Did you hear about that peculiar cult that claimed to have created the world’s first human clone?
Ian: Yeah, I did! They also said that it was aliens that created life on earth over 25,000 years ago. What are they on?
Laura: I know! It was so obviously just part of an elaborate hoax to bring publicity to their crazy movement. But I don’t think the truth can be far off. Scientists have been working on it for years.
Ian: Sure, but most scientists are working on cloning human cells or body parts that can be used to repair or replace damaged organs. Not complete human beings! That’s just science fiction!
Laura: Well, the science may seem to be very advanced, but the idea is not a new one. In A Journey to the West, Sun Wu-kung, the Monkey King, can clone himself from the hairs on his head. He just plucks a few hairs, chews them a bit, and when he spits them out, they change intoreplicas of him!
Ian: Really? Now that would be cool! You could send your clone to school while you went to the cinema, and then it could do your homework! Wow! Now that I think of it, it would be kind of fun to have a clone!
Laura: You would say that! Don’t you think it’s slightly immoral? I mean, it’s just like having a slave. Doesn’t the clone deserve a life of his own?
Ian: Sure, but human beings must learn to strike a balance between the welfare of a patient and of a clone.
Keys: 1.T 2.T 3.F 4.F 5.T
