Sacrificed to Science?

Professor Colin Blakemore works at Oxford University Medical School doing research into eye problems and believes that animal research has given humans many benefits:

The use of animals has been central to the development of anaesthetics, vaccines and treatments for diabetes, cancer, developmental disorders…most of the major medical advances have been based on a background of animal research and development.

There are those who think the tests are simply unnecessary. The International Association Against Painful Experiments on Animals is an organization that promotes the use of alternative methods of research which do not make animals suffer. Their spokesman Colin Smith says:

Animal research is irrelevant to our health and it can often produce misleading results. People and animals are different in their reactions to drugs and in the way their bodies work. We only have to look at some of the medical mistakes to see this is so.

But Professor Blackmore stresses:

It would be completely irresponsible and unethical to use drugs on people that had not been thoroughly tested on animals. The famous example of thalidomide is a case for more animal testing, not less. The birth defects that the drug produced were a result of inadequate testing. If thalidomide were invented today, it would never be released for human use because new tests on pregnant animals would reveal the dangers.

Another organization that is developing other methods of research is FRAME. This is the Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments. It recognises that many experiments still have to be done on animals and is aiming for Reduction, Refinement and Replacement of animals in experiments. In 1981, it established a research programme to improve and expand non-animal testing. Increasingly, new technology is making it easier for us to find alternative methods of testing. Computer models can be used to simulate the way that cells work and to try to predict the toxicity of chemicals. Data from previous animal experiments is used to develop a computer model which will predict what will happen if you add a chemical with an unknown biological effect to a substance. The eventual aim of computer modeling is to reduce the number of animals used in experiments.

The Lethal Dose 50 test (LD50) may also be replaced. In the original test, all the animals in a test group are given a substance until half of them die. The test indicates toxicity. A method using a fixed amount, which gives the same eventual information but uses fewer animals and does not require that they die, may replace the LD50. Many other new techniques are now available that enable more research to be done in the test tube to see if chemicals produce harmful biological effects.

The number of animals used in laboratory tests has declined over the last 20 years. This is partly due to alternatives and partly to the fact that experiments are better disigned so fewer need to be used - healthier animals provide better experimental results. For example, it used to take 36 monkeys to test a sample of polio vaccine, now it takes only 22. Also, lack of money has reduced the number of animals used - they are expensive to buy and expensive to keep.

Birmingham University now has Britain's first department of Biomedical Ethics. Professor David Morton of the department is involved in animal research and is concerned with reducing animal suffering as much as possible. Animals spend 95% of their time in their cages and refinement also means making their lives better when not undergoing tests. This includes keeping them in more suitable cages, allowing social animals like dogs to live together and trying to reduce the boredom that these animals can experience.

In Professor Morton's laboratory, rabbits live together in large runs, filled with deep litter and boxes that they can hide in. The researchers have also refined some experiments. In the US, one experiment in nerve regeneration involves cutting a big nerve in a rat's leg, leaving its leg paralysed. In Morton's lab, the researcher cuts a small nerve in the foot. He can see if it can regrow and the rat can still run around its cage.

Even with these new developments in research, only a tiny proportion of all tests are done without using animals at some stage. The use of animals in experiments cannot stop immediately if medical research is to continue and consumer products are to be properly tested, and Professor Blakemore believes that sometimes there are no alternatives:

Wherever possible, for both ethical and scientific reasons, we do not use animals. But cells live in animals and we can only really see how they behave when they are inside animals. We cannot possibly reproduce in a test tube or a computer model all the complex reactions of the body to a drug or a disease. When it comes to research into heart disease and its effects on the body, or diseases of the brain for example, we do not have adequate substitutes for the use of animals.

As research techniques become more advanced, the number of animals used in experiments may decrease, but stopping testing on animals altogether is a long way away.

译文：

为科学而献身

科林·布莱克默教授在牛津大学医学院工作，从事眼睛疾病的研究。他相信对动物的研究已使人类获益匪浅。

使用动物对于麻醉学和疫苗的发展，对糖尿病、癌症和紊乱的治疗等极其重要。多数重要的医学都是以动物研究和开发的背景为基础的。

有些人认为这些实验毫无必要。国际反动物痉实验协会是一个提倡使用不使动物痉的替代方法的组织。他们的发言人科林·史密斯说：对动物的研究和我们的健康无关，它常常产生令人误入歧途的结果。人和动物对药物的反应及他们身体运作的方式都不同。我们只要看一看医疗失误就会明白。

但布莱克默说：

没有认真在动物身上实验的药物大人身上使用，是完全不负责和不合道理的。萨力多胺就是一个著名的例子。它证明需要更多的动物实验而不是更少的动物实验。这种药物引起的先天性畸形是缺乏实验的结果。如果萨力多胺是现在发明的，它就不会被批准为人类使用，因为在有孕的动物身上实验会提示其危险。

另一个开发其他研究办法的组织是FRAME，"替代动物医学实验基金会"的简称。它认识到许多实验仍然不得不使用动物，该基金会旨在减少使用动物，改良使用动物，甚至替代动物。在1981年，它们设立了一个改进和扩大无动物实验的研究项目。渐渐地，新科技使我们更易于找到进行实验可供选择的办法。电脑模型可以用来模拟细胞的活动方式和预测化学制品的毒性。以前的动物数据用来开发一个电脑模型，它能预测如果一种物质中加入某种未知生物作用的化学药品会发生什么。电脑模型的最终目标是减少用于实验的动物数量。

致死计量50实验（LD50）也可以被代替。在过去的实验中，实验群中所有的动物被喂给一种物质，直到其中一半死亡。这个实验表明其毒性。一种用固定的数量可以得到相同的结论，但是使用较少动物而且不使它们死亡的方法可能代替LD50。现在已有许多其他的技术，可使更多的研究工作在试管中进行，从而发现化学药品是否产生有害的生物作用。

过去的20年里，实验室里实验中使用的动物数量减少；其部分原因是由于可供选择的方法多了，另外部分是由于实验设计得更好，因为使用更健康的动物能产生更好的实验结果，所以用的动物减少了。例如，过去常用36只猴子来实验脊髓质炎疫苗样本，现在只用22只。缺少资料已使所使用的动物数量减少了――购买和使用动物都很昂贵。

伯明翰大学现在设有英国首家生物医学伦里学系。系里的大卫·莫顿教授从事动物研究，并对尽可能地减少动物的痉很关心。动物们在笼子里度过了他们95％的时间，改良也意味阒不进行实验时使它和得更好些。这包括在更舒适的笼子里喂养它们，允许像狗那类喜欢合群的动物生活在一起，尽量减少这些动物可能经历的烦恼。

在莫顿教授的实验室里，大批兔子一起生活，到处是厚厚的干草和箱子供它们躲藏。者们还改进了一些实验。在美国，神经再生方面的发切断鼠脚里的一条小神经。他可以看到神经是否可以再生，而老鼠仍在笼子里四处跑。

尽管这些研究有了新成果，所有的裕只有极少数在某一阶段不使用动物。如果医学实验研究还要继续，消费性门牌号学要严格地进行检验，这样在实验中使用动物就不会立即停止。布莱克莫教授相信有时是无可选择的。

无论在何处，有可能的话，基于伦理和科学的原因，我们不应使用动物做实验。但是细胞生活在动物体内，只有当细胞在动物体内时我们才能真正看清它们是如何活动的。我们不可能在试管中或电脑模型里复制出身体对疾病或芗的所有复杂反应。涉及到研究心脏病和它对身体的影响时，例如脑内疾病，我们没有代替使用动物的合适的替代物。

随着研究技术变得更先进，实验中使用的动物数量可能会减少，但完全停止在动物身上实验还有很长的路要走。

课文讲解：

一、单词讲解

1.release

1)vt.释放：Don't release the rope不要放开绳子

2）n.解放 Lincoln proclaimed the release of the slaves. 林肯宣布解放奴隶。

2。Alternative

1）adj.其他的 We retumed by the alternative road. 我们从其他路返回。

2）n.（两个以上的）选择:We had to fight , there was no (other)alternative.

3. simulate

1)假装 Anne simulated interest to please her friend.

2)模仿 A sheet of metal was shaken to simulate the noise of thunder 震动一块金属片以模仿雷声。

4.disorder

1)n.混乱：The house was in disorder because of the young children.

2)vt.扰乱： He disordered my mind.

5.misleading adj. 使人易产生错觉的、误导的： This is a misleading question.

6.reproduce

1)繁殖： Some tropical fish reproduce themselves by laying eggs. 某些热带鱼靠产卵繁殖。

2）复制、翻印： I wonder if this photograph will be reproduced?

7. undergo 经历、经受：She underwent a thorough examination at the hospital.

二、课文解释

1. Animal research is irrelevant to our health and it can often produce misleading results. 动物研究与我们的健康没有关系，而且还经常产生误导。

Be irrelevant to 表示“与。。。没有关系” 例如：His death is irrelevant to the hospital 他的死与医院没有关系。

2.It could be completely irresponsible and unethical to use drugs on people that had not been thoroughly tested on animals. 没有在动物身上进行过全面试验的药物，用于人类是完全不负责任和不道德的行为。

1)use drugs on 表示“将药物用于。。。。”例如： They use drugs on th patients who are dying. 他们将药物用于那些垂死的病人身上。

2） test on 表示“拿。。。做试验”例如： We have to test on animals to make sure some medicaine has no side effect.

3.Data from previous animal experiments is used to develop a computer model which will predict what will happen if you add a chemical with an unknown biological effect to a substance.从以前的动物实验中获得的数据可以用来开发计算机模型，如果你在某种物质中添加一种未知其生物效果的化学成分，该计算机模型将会预测出会产生什么样的结果。

1)rom previous animal experiments 做定语，修饰idea.

2)add…to…表示“将。。。加入到。。。。中去”例如： please add some sugar to the milk .

3)a chemical with an unknown biological effect 中with 短语做定语，修饰chemical.

4.Amethod using a fixed amount, which gives the same eventual information but uses fewer animals and does not require that they die, may replace the LD50。一种使用固定数量（动物）的方法可以取代LD50（药剂致死量50试验），采用这种固定数量试验法，能够获取同样的结果，但却使用了较少的动物，并且不需要将动物致死。

此句较复杂，主句是Amethod…may replace the LD50. 主语method 后接两个定语：1）现在分词短语using a fixed amount 2)which引导的非限制性定语从句。 该从句中有三个并列谓语 :gives, uses , does not require. 另外，要注意require后面的宾语从句要求用（should)+原形动词。

5.This is a partly due to alternatives and partly to the fact that experiments are better designed so fewer need to be used…这部分是因为有了替代方法，部分是因为试验设计得更好，因此使用了更少的动物。。。。

1)due to表示“因为，由于。。。”例如： The bad harvest this year is due to the flood. 今年因发大水收成很坏。

2）That experments are better designed 是the fact 的同位语从句，在同位语从句中，so引导结果状语从句。

6.When it comes to research into heart disease and its effects on the body, or diseases of the brain for example, we do not have adequate substitutes for the use of animals 例如，当涉及心脏病的研究及其对身体的影响时，或者当涉及大脑的各种疾病时，我们就没有足够的东西来取代动物。

1)come to 表示“谈到、论及、涉及”例如:When it comes to that film, I know nothing aobut it. 当说起那部电影时，我一无所知。

2）substitute表示”替换物、替代品“与介词for搭配。 例如： We used honey as a substitute for sugar. 我们用蜂蜜做糖的替代品。

7. We cannnot possibly reproduce in a test tube or a computer model all the complex rreactions of the body to a drug or a disease. 我们不可能在试管中或在计算机模型中再现出肌体对药物或疾病的复杂反应。

1）in a test tube or a computer model 作状语，修饰reproduce.因为reproduce的宾语较长，所以将状语提前。

2）reactions to 表示”对。。。的反应“。例如： Some people have strong reactions to this smell.有些人对这种味道有强烈反应。

8.As research techniques become more advanced, the number of animals used in experiments may decrease, but stopping testing on animals altogether is a long way away. 由于技术越来越先进，在试验中使用的动物的数量可能会下降，但完全停止动物试验还有很长的路要走。

1）这是一个复杂句，but前后为并列的两个分句：前一个分句又是一个主从复合句，as引导的从句作伴随状语。

2）a long way away表示”很遥远“。例如： purchasing a car is a long way away for each family in China 。在中国，每个家庭都购买小汽车还很遥远。