As a new age of genetic research draws near, soon, we may be able to choose the hair color build the IQ of our kids. Should we change embryos (胚胎) to improve intelligence or physical characteristics?
A beauty editor believes it will be difficult to stop the demand for “designer babies” once the technology is in place. “Once genetic scientists can change embryos to produce more beautiful children, there will be consumer demand,” she says. She acknowledges that fashion magazines may be partly responsible for fueling this discontent with a certain kind of appearance, but claims one cannot blame the media alone if people believe a bit of plastic surgery will change their lives. “Like it or not,” she argues, “we know that the pretty rots the part.”
Well-known plastic surgeons agree with this view. “People are looking for respect and self-confidence in a dog-eat-dog world that measures us by our appearance,” one specialist claims. “I understand their anxiety and offer a solution—cosmetic enhancement (整容美化). The next logical step is genetic enhancement, which would give the unborn child with similar physical advantages.”
Some philosophers also approve of genetic intervention (介入). As one of them put it, “What parent doesn’t wish for a beautiful, healthy baby? Why is it morally unacceptable to use technology to realize that dream? Moreover, a child designed to have high intelligence or sporting ability would hardly have reasons for complaint.”
However, many people are deeply disturbed by the idea of embryo enhancement. Some fear it will lead to a reduction in genetic differences, resulting in a lack of tolerance for diversity and disability. “And who is to say that this future generation of Barbies will be content?” asks the beauty editor. In her experience, people who pursue physical perfection through plastic surgery aren’t necessarily satisfied. They may suffer unwanted side effects-insecurity and increasing dissatisfaction with their self-image. What if the gene edited kid, or their parents, were to feel similarly dissatisfied?
【小题1】What does the underlined phrase “this view” in Paragraph 3 refer to?| A．People are often judged by their looks. |
| B．Cosmetic surgery reduces people’s lives. |
| C．The media make people worry about their looks. |
| D．People prefer genetic enhancement to plastic surgery. |
| A．Worried | B．Disapproving. | C．Agreeable. | D．Cautious. |
| A．Those who receive it may not like the results. |
| B．It will make future generations look like Barbies. |
| C．The money it requires should be spent on general medical care. |
| D．It will raise the standards of physical beauty to unattainable levels. |
| A．The advantages of genetic enhancement. |
| B．The development of genetic enhancement. |
| C．The promising future of genetic enhancement. |
| D．People’s different opinions on genetic enhancement. |
