Key questions about modern medical science

What exactly is cloning and do I need to worry about it?

Cloning is 'making a copy of a plant or animal by taking a cell from it and developing it artificially' There is nothing new about this — plants were cloned in Ancient Greece over 2,000 years ago, and the first cloned frog appeared in 1968. But interest in cloning grew in 1997 when Dr Ian Wilmut and his colleagues from Edinburgh University announced the birth of the world's first cloned sheep, Dolly. However, many people were worried: what if the same techniques were used for some rich, elderly person to reinvent himself; or if an evil dictator produced hundreds of copies of himself in order to take over the world; or grieving relatives used cloning to bring their loved ones back to life?

The truth is that there is no chance that any copy of a human being would be identical either physically or mentally, any more than children are identical to their parents. The possible benefits of cloning, however, are numerous, for artificially producing human tissues and organs for transplant, and for preserving endangered animal species. Biologists have already genetically engineered headless frogs so it may in future be possible to clone headless humans whose organs could be used for transplants.

How can transplants from other animals help humans?

In one famous case, a British girl born with a rare bone condition that left her with only one ear, had a new one grown for her at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in the USA. By taking cells from her existing ear and transplanting them onto the back of a mouse, scientists grew her another one, which could then be transplanted back.

Exercise 8. Answer the questions below.

a) Will it ever be possible to produce exact copies of human beings?

b) What are the possible advantages of cloning human beings?

c) What cells have used American scientists?

d) Why do some people criticise the idea of head transplants?

e) Which ideas in the text do you think:

· are positive steps forward?

· are worrying, from an ethical point of view?

· should be prohibited? Explain why.

Check yourself

1. Choose the right variant: Why don't you buy her a book ____________?

GLOSSARY

Make up a topic “ How can transplants help humans?” and retell it.

Read and translate the text №9 “ The divorced mum”, p.169

References

Main:

1. Clive Oxenden, Christina Latham-Koenig English. File Upper-Intermediate Student’s book. Oxford University Press 2012.

2. Clive Oxenden, Christina Latham-Koenig. English File Upper-Intermediate Work book. Oxford University Press 2012.

Additional:

3. Sarah Cunningham, Peter Moor. Cutting Edge Upper – Intermediate Student’s book. Pearson Education, Longman 2010.

4. http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com

5. http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=5247

Hand out №20 (110)

Discipline: English as a foreign language Credits - 2

Upper - intermediate level Practical lesson Lexical theme: Music

Grammar: Using either… or/neither…nor

Teacher: assistant professor Mangazina Zhanel Raulievna

Exercise 1. Answer the questions. Try to use the words/phrases in bold

· Do you prefer listening to songs in your own language or in English? Why?

· What do you think is more important for a pop song to be a hit: catchy tune or good lyrics?

· What’s the best live performance you’ve ever been to?

Are you a big fan of any particular pop group or artist?

Exercise 2. In pairs / groups, discuss which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

Exercise 3. Read the text and translate without a dictionary.

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