Lekcja057_060.doc

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Lekcja 1,2,3

BBC English 2000

Lekcja 057 - MAPPING OUT DNA

 

Encoded in our genes are the instructions for life - the building blocks of DNA that determine nearly everything about us, from our eye-colour, to the diseases we might be prone to. A worldwide effort is underway to map out the three billion DNA building blocks that form our genetic make-up. It is hoped that the information can be used to develop treatments for a whole host of diseases, including cancer, arthritis, diabetes and heart disease.

 

Słownictwo:

mapping out DNA               mapowanie chromosomów

encoded               zakodowany

building blocks               cegiełki, klocki

DNA               kwasy dezoksy-rybo-nukleinowe

to determine               określać, decydować

prone to               skłonny, mający skłonność, podatny na

underway               w toku, w trakcie realizacji

to map out               opracować mapę, mapować

genetic make-up               wyposażenie/budowa genetyczna

to develop treatments               opracować metody leczenia

host               mnogość, mnóstwo

cancer               rak

arthritis               zapalenie stawów

diabetes               cukrzyca

heart disease               choroby serca

 

Lekcja 058 - WHAT MAKES US HUMAN

 

We are related to all living organisms through our DNA. We even share 75% of our genome with pumpkins! The difference in the genetic blueprint that builds a person or a pumpkin is not a large one. And when it comes to animals, the affinity between them and us is even greater. Take a chimpanzee, for example. His and our genetic blueprints are almost identical, with a mere 1.5% difference between them. So, what makes humans human and chimps chimps is decided by differences in the make-up of just a few genes we share.

Man's best friend - the dog - gets the same diseases we do. So, analysing the dog's genome helps identify genes responsible for diseases in humans. Dogs and humans share genes for a number of illnesses: blindness, diabetes and some cancers.

 

Słownictwo:

human               ludzki, człowieczy

to be related               być spokrewnionym

genome               genom

blueprint               matryca, wzorzec

pumpkin               dynia

affinity               bliskość, podobieństwo

to share               dzielić

blindness               ślepota

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lekcja 059 - GAY GENE

 

The first evidence for a gay gene was published in 1993, amid massive publicity. The study looked at families with more than one homosexual member. The first thing they discovered was that in these families there were more relatives on the mother's side who were homosexual, than on the father's side. This suggested that there was something in the X-chromosome that might contribute to having homosexual orientation.

They looked at the X-chromosomes of pairs of brothers who were both homosexual to see if they had anything in common genetically that the heterosexual males in the same family did not have. And they found that 33 out of 40 pairs of gay brothers did all possess the same unusual bits of DNA, genetic material, on the X-chromosome. They concluded that this was strong evidence that somewhere there was a gene, or genes, predisposing to male homosexuality.

 

Słownictwo:

evidence               dowód, dowody

gay               gej

publicity               rozgłos

study               praca (naukowa), studium

relative               krewny

orientation               orientacja, skłonności, predyspozycje

male               mężczyzna lub męski, płci męskiej

to conclude               dojść do wniosku

to predispose               predestynować

 

Lekcja 060 - LIFE EXPECTANCY

 

Scientists tell us that it will soon be normal to live to the age of 130 or more. Already, we are slowing down the ageing process. We are certainly getting healthier. A hundred years ago our life expectancy was around 40 years of age. Today, in the developed world, life expectancy is double that age and is sure to increase.

There is another factor at play now. Scientists are discovering the secrets of our genes. The genes, which cause haemophilia and muscular dystrophy, have already been tracked down. These diseases are disappearing with a lot of other killer diseases. They are disappearing as a result of a relatively new science - the science of genetic engineering.

 

Słownictwo:

life expectancy               średnia długość życia

ageing process               proces starzenia się

developed world               kraje wysokouprzemysłowione

factor at play               czynnik, który odgrywa rolę; który się liczy

muscular dystrophy               zanik mięśni

to track down               wytropić, zidentyfikować

killer disease               choroba śmiertelna

genetic engineering               inżynieria genetyczna

 

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