TED演讲:大爱无疆 爱本无条件(8)

 A compound that has been tested in mice, BMN-111,is useful in preventing the action of the achondroplasia gene¹. 有一种叫 BMN-111的化合物，经老鼠实验，在抑制软骨发育不全基因方面非常有效。

Achondroplasia is the most common form of dwarfism, 软骨发育不全是侏儒症最常见的表现形式，

and mice who have been given that substance and who have the achondroplasia gene,grow to full size. 有软骨发育不全基因的小鼠摄取BMN-11以后，可以生长到正常体型。

Testing in humans is around the corner. 临床试验指日可待。

There are blood tests which are making progress that would pick up Down syndrome² more clearly and earlier in pregnancies³ than ever before,making it easier and easier for people to eliminate those pregnancies,or to terminate them. 通过血液检测唐氏综合症的技术也在进步可以在怀孕早期更明确地检测出唐氏综合症，使它更容易尽早终止，唐氏综合症胎儿妊娠，

And so we have both social progress and medical progress. 我们的社会进步了，医学也发展了。

And I believe in both of them. 我认同这两方面的进步。

I believe the social progress is fantastic and meaningful and wonderful, 我相信社会的进步精彩且有意义，

and I think the same thing about the medical progress. 我认为医学的进步也是如此。

But I think it's a tragedy when one of them doesn't see the other. 但我认为两者互不理解着实可悲。

And when I see the way they're intersecting in conditions like the three I've just described, 当我看到他们交汇的方式像我刚才描述的三个病例，

I sometimes think it's like those moments in grand opera when the hero realizes he loves the heroine at the exact moment that she lies expiring on a divan⁴. 我有时觉得这就像那些悲壮的歌剧，当英雄意识到他爱上女主角的时候就是女主角躺在长沙发上，奄奄一息。

We have to think about how we feel about cures altogether. 我们要全盘考量对于治愈的态度

And a lot of the time the question of parenthood is, 父母常常面对的问题是，

what do we validate⁵ in our children,and what do we cure in them? 孩子在哪些方面值得肯定，哪些方面需要治愈？

Jim Sinclair, a prominent autism activist⁶, said, 有名的自闭症专家，吉姆·辛克莱说，

When parents say 'I wish my child did not have autism,what they're really saying is 'I wish the child I have did not exist and I had a different, non-autistic child instead. 当父母说，我希望我的孩子没有自闭症，他们真正的意思是，我希望我的孩子并不存在，而希望有一个没有自闭症的孩子。

1 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

2 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

3 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。

4 divan   

n.长沙发；（波斯或其他东方诗人的）诗集

参考例句：

• Lord Henry stretched himself out on the divan and laughed.亨利勋爵伸手摊脚地躺在沙发椅上，笑着。
• She noticed that Muffat was sitting resignedly on a narrow divan-bed.她看见莫法正垂头丧气地坐在一张不宽的坐床上。

5 validate   

vt.（法律）使有效，使生效

参考例句：

• You need an official signature to validate the order.你要有正式的签字，这张汇票才能生效。
• In order to validate the agreement,both parties sign it.为使协议有效，双方在上面签了字。

6 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。