Legal and Moral Implications of Cloning Unit 8

Stage 1: Warming-up Activities Stage 2: Reading-Centred Activities Stage 3: Vocabulary Exercises Stage 4: Translating and Writing

Warming-up Activities Group work Questions for thought and discussion Background information Enriching your vocabulary Comparing the following words Group work Questions for thought and discussion Background information Enriching your vocabulary Comparing the following words

Group work Think about the pre- reading questions before listening and anticipate what we are going to read.

2. Pre-reading questions for the students 2.1.From a medical standpoint, what are the positive and negative effects of human cloning? Hint:It’s a great progress in the medical field. The cloned organs will save the lives of some people who are seriously ill. Yet before this technique is clinically used, it still needs to be tested.

2.2. From a social and moral standpoint, do you think cloning would be a good thing for humans? Hint: Perhaps it’s not acceptable. It will cause a confused relationship between a human clone and the donor of its DNA. A disrespected social class will appear.

Questions for thought and discussion Listen to a short passage carefully and then answer the following questions.

Background information cloning:the process of making a genetically identical organism through nonsexual means. Examples: Dolly, and the sheep cloned in China, etc.

Enriching your vocabulary Read the sentences carefully and guess the meaning of the italicized term in each sentence according to the context and your own experiences.

Comparing the following words a)machine machinery b)fatal vital critical

Homework Learn the new words and expressions of the text by heart. Go over the text and try to get the main idea of the text. Prepare to tell a story about the symbols of American or Chinese culture.

Reading-Centred Activities 1.Global Reading Task Text structure analysis The essay focuses on one central theme: the legal and moral implications of cloning. One characteristic writing technique that runs throughout the reading passage is listing.

The essay lists a number of questions about the legal and moral implications that arise from cloning. The whole passage can be divided into 4 parts:

Background situation: It was science fiction coning to life: With the success of cloning an adult mammal, a world with human clones was suddenly within reach. Para.1 Responses to the general situation: Responses from the governments: Governments hurried to draft guide- lines for an unknown future and President Clinton ordered a national commission to study the relative issues. Some countries began examining the moral implications of cloning other species.( Para.2) Responses from scientists etc.: like the Theory of Relativity, the splitting of the atom, and the first space flight, cloning has generated a long list of difficult puzzles for scientists, politicians,and philosophers.( Para. 3)

A list of puzzles or questions: 6 puzzles are listed. Why would anyone want to clone a human being in the first place? There are two broad categories of situations in which people want to clone a human being. Paras. 4 & 5 Would a cloned human be identical to the original? A cloned human is not identical to the original but most of the physical differences between originals and copies are so minor that detection of them would require a sophisticated laboratory. The only possible major difference is bearing children. This is a question of wait-and-see. Paras Will it be possible to clone the dead? In theory at least it might be possible. Paras. 6 & 7

What if parents decided to clone a child in order to harvest organs? For human beings, it would be psychologically harmful if a child sensed he was born simply as an organ donor, but for nonfatal organ transplants it seems acceptable. For animals used as organ donors, it is OK provided techniques are improved. Paras How would a human clone refer to the donor of its DNA? It sounds reasonable to refer to the donor as “ Most honored sir or madam ”. But an editorial director of one dictionary prefers “ original ” and “ copy ”. Paras

What are the other implications of cloning for society? Genetic engineering will create a new (and disrespected) social class: “ the clones ”. Whether or not they were humans will cause debate. Paras. 17 & 18 Conclusion: The list of questions could go on; people are just beginning to wonder about the future of the world after cloning. Para. 19

Reading-Centred Activities 2. Detailed Reading Task Language points Simulated writing (exercises 8 and 9 )

Language points to be explained and practiced (1)Word last week that…caught the imagination of everyone. (Para. 1) Word spread fast that he had won the Nobel prize. (2) work for: (Para. 1) a. apply to The rules of safe driving work for everyone.

b. make efforts to achieve something They worked for the complete abolition of capitalist exploitation of men by men. (3) come to life: (Para. 1) be alive or vivid When I mentioned out plans for a trip abroad, the kids came to life at once. (4) in the wake of: (Para. 2) coming after or following Airport security was extra tight in the wake of yesterday’s bomb attacks. (5) in the first place…, in the second place… (Para. 4)

It was unwise to suggest that others should store tinned food. In the first place few people would have room to store much and in the second tinned food should be treated with great care. (6) in theory: (Para.7) In theory and practice, human beings can be cloned. (7) be identical to/with: (Para. 8) be exactly the same as The tests are identical to those carried out last year. (8) What if…: (Para. 11) What would happen if… What if we go and see a film tomorrow night? (9) get around/round:(para. 13) overcome; avoid or find a satisfactory way of dealing with.

The administration got around this problem by introducing a new law. (10) under the name of: (Para. 15) using a name different from one’s own I’ve come to collect my tickets—— I reserved them by phone yesterday under the name of Tremin. compare: a. in the name of sth: for the sake of They acted in the name of democracy. b. in the name of sb: representing a certain group of people Could you write a letter in the name of all the young people in the village?

(11) regardless of: (Para. 15) pay no attention to He bought everything he liked regardless of price. (12) be concerned about/over: (Para. 18) give one’s attention to or worry about Why are you so concerned about the boy’s safety? (13) puzzle over: (Para. 18) think hard about, find the answer by thinking hard Why waste effort puzzling over his intentions? If you don’t like his idea, don’t accept it.

Questions put forward by the students. How did the world react to the first successfully cloned sheep? What are the two broad categories human cloning situations often fall into? According to the author, why are twins more alike than clones? Biologically speaking, what is the only possible major difference between a clone and the original? Why do some parents want to save their fatally ill child through cloning?

Could cloned animals be used as organ donors? How did Judith Martin suggest referring to one’s DNA donors? What is the gravest concern about human cloning for society? Homework: review the text