全球首例！美国批准转基因三文鱼上市

 　　The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved genetically³ modified salmon⁴, the first such altered animal allowed for human consumption in the United States.

　　美国食品药品管理局周四批准了转基因三文鱼被人类食用。批准转基因动物食用在美国尚属首次。

　　The Obama administration had stalled in approving the fast-growing salmon for more than five years amid consumer concerns about eating genetically modified foods. But the agency said Thursday the fish is safe to eat.

　　奥巴马政府五年多以来一直未能批准快速增长的转基因三文鱼上市，因为消费者一直担心食用转基因食品是否安全。但本周四，食品药品监督管理局已经明确了，转基因三文鱼可以安全食用。

　　In announcing the approval, the FDA said that there are "no biologically relevant differences in the nutritional⁵ profile of AquAdvantage Salmon compared to that of other farm-raised Atlantic salmon."

　　食品药品管理局表示，AquAdvantage三文鱼（美国AquaBounty技术公司的研究人员将大西洋三文鱼、太平洋奇努克三文鱼以及大洋鳕鱼三种鱼进行基因杂交改造，培育出来的一种全新三文鱼品种）与其他农场养殖的大西洋三文鱼的营养含量没什么生物区别。

　　全球首例！美国批准转基因三文鱼上市

　　AquAdvantage Salmon was created by the Massachusetts-based company AquaBounty. Ron Stotish, the company's CEO, said in a statement that the fish is a "game changer that brings healthy and nutritious⁶ food to consumers in an environmentally responsible manner without damaging the ocean and other marine⁷ habitats."

　　马萨诸塞州公司AquaBounty培育了AquAdvantage这一三文鱼品种。该公司CEO罗恩·斯拖提希在一次声明中表示，该品种三文鱼是一个革命者，它将给消费者带来健康营养的食物，并且承担起环境责任，不损害海洋及海洋生物。

　　The fish grows twice as fast as normal salmon, so it reaches market size more quickly. It has an added growth hormone⁸ from the Pacific Chinook salmon that allows the fish to produce growth hormone all year long. The engineers were able to keep the hormone active by using another gene¹ from an eel-like fish called an ocean pout⁹ that acts like an "on" switch for the hormone. Typical Atlantic salmon produce the growth hormone for only part of the year.

　　这种鱼的生长速度是普通三文鱼的两倍，能更快速地上市。它体内含有从太平洋奇努克三文鱼身上提取的激素，可以使之一整年不断产生生长激素。工程师用另一种类似鳗鱼的大洋鳕鱼基因保持生长激素的活跃，促进AquAdvantage三文鱼生长。普通三文鱼一年内只有部分时间产生生长激素。

　　The FDA has also said the fish is unlikely to harm the environment. The fish would be bred female and sterile¹⁰, though a very small percentage might still be able to breed. The company has argued the potential for escape is low.

　　食品药品管理局表示该鱼种损害环境的可能性很低。只养殖了雌鱼和绝育鱼，仅有一小部分仍能繁殖。该公司称流入自然的可能性很低。

　　There is no evidence that the foods would be unsafe, but for some people, it's an ethical¹¹ issue.

　　没有证据证明这种鱼不安全，但部分人认为这是个道德问题。

　　Some retailers¹² have pledged not to sell the salmon, and it's still unclear whether the public will have an appetite for the fish if it is approved. Genetic² engineering is already widely used for crops, but the government until now has not considered allowing the consumption of modified animals. Although the potential benefits and profits are huge, many people have qualms¹³ about manipulating the genetic code of other living creatures.

　　部分经销商承诺不销售这个品种，且批准后这种鱼是否为大众所接受还不得而知。基因工程已经在农作物上大规模应用，但政府直到现在才考虑允许转基因动物的消费。虽然利益和利润极大，许多人对于操纵改变其他生物遗传密码的行为感到不安。

　　Critics call the modified salmon a "frankenfish." They worry that it could cause human allergies¹⁴ and the eventual¹⁵ decimation of the natural salmon population if it escapes and breeds in the wild. Others believe breeding engineered animals is an ethical issue.

　　批评者将这种转基因三文鱼称为“科学怪鱼”（美国一部恐怖电影名）他们担心造成人类过敏，且一旦流入自然后繁殖，造成天然三文鱼的灭绝。还有人认为繁殖转基因动物是不道德的。

　　Vocabulary

　　qualm: 疑虑；不安

　　decimation: 大量毁灭

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 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

3 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

4 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

5 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

6 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

7 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

9 pout   

v.撅嘴；绷脸；n.撅嘴；生气，不高兴

参考例句：

• She looked at her lover with a pretentious pout.她看着恋人，故作不悦地撅着嘴。
• He whined and pouted when he did not get what he wanted.他要是没得到想要的东西就会发牢骚、撅嘴。

10 sterile   

adj.不毛的，不孕的，无菌的，枯燥的，贫瘠的

参考例句：

• This top fits over the bottle and keeps the teat sterile.这个盖子严实地盖在奶瓶上，保持奶嘴无菌。
• The farmers turned the sterile land into high fields.农民们把不毛之地变成了高产田。

11 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

12 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

13 qualms   

n.不安；内疚

参考例句：

• He felt no qualms about borrowing money from friends.他没有对于从朋友那里借钱感到不安。
• He has no qualms about lying.他撒谎毫不内疚。

14 allergies   

n.[医]过敏症；[口]厌恶，反感；（对食物、花粉、虫咬等的）过敏症( allergy的名词复数 )；变态反应，变应性

参考例句：

• Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
• Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句

15 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。