Transcript Unit 6

Unit 7
Research into
Population Genetics
Background Information
Luca Cavalli-Sforza:
Cavalli-Sforza,
borna in
Genoa, Italy, was
with
Walter Bodmer
comprehensive
survey
educated
at thein
University
of Pavia
where he
of the subject
their Genetics,
Evolution
and
gained
his MDHe
in has
1944.
After
working
Man (1976).
also
done
much on
to show
bacterial genetics at Cambridge (1948－1950)
how genetic data from present human racial
and Milan (1950－1957) he has held chairs in
groups could
be used
to reconstruct
their
genetics
at Parma
(1958－1962)
and Pavia
past separations.
This
(1962－1970).
In 1970
hereconstruction,
was appointed based
on the analysis
of 58at
genes,
yields a of
professor
of genetics
the University
bifurcated
evolutionary
tree with
Caucasian
Stanford,
California,
a position
he held
until his
retirement
in races
1992. in
Cavalli-Sforza
has Orientals,
and African
one branch and
specialized
in the genetics
of human
Oceanians,mainly
and Amerinds
in the other.
populations, producing
Background Information:
Columbus:
Columbus’s Columbus,
real greatness
lies in the fact
Christopher
an Italian-born
that having
found(born
the West
IndiesItaly
— making
master
navigator
in Genoa,
in 1451
and
died
at Valladolid,
Spain in 1506)
who
major
errors
in his navigational
computations
sailed
in the service
Spain,
commonly
and location
in doingofso
— he is
was
able to find
described as the discoverer of the New World—
his way back to Europe and return to the
America. His four transatlantic voyages (1492India. 1493-1496,
It is as a result
of Columbus’
1493,
1498-1500,
and 1502-1504)
“discovery”
thatfor
theEuropean
New World
became part
opened
the way
exploration,
exploitation,
and world.
colonization of the Americas.
of the European
Background Information
The human genetic map:
An adult, for example, carries about a billion
Our hemoglobin
bodies are comprised
trillions
of
trillion
molecules.ofThe
flow of
microscopic
units called
cells.
Cells
in turn
genetic
information
is from
DNA
to RNA
to are
built
up from
specific
types
of molecules,
Protein.
Eachmany
protein
is a linear
polymer
of a
both large
and small.
Thedifferent
large molecules
or
specific
sequence
of 20
amino acids.
macromolecules
include
polysaccharides,
DNA
is also a linear
polymer
comprised of 4
nucleic
and proteins.
Proteins of
areamino
the
types
ofacids
nucleotides.
The sequence
workhorses
ofprotein
our cells.
There are
acids
in each
is encoded
byabout
a segment
40,000
types Three
of proteins
in our
of DNA different
called a gene.
consecutive
bodies. Eachinprotein
present
many,
many
nucleotides
a geneisencode
a in
single
amino
copies.
acid
in the corresponding protein. The genetic
code is universal among all living things.
Background Information:
Khoisan:
Khoisan is the name by which the lighter
skinned indigenous peoples of southern
Africa, the Khoi (Hottentots) and the San
(Bushmen) are known. These people were
the earliest inhabitants of Africa and
dominated the sub-continent for millennia
before the appearance of the Nguni and other
black peoples. There were probably about
120,000 living in South Africa around 1500.
Background Information
Basques:
There
are
about
660,000,
according
The
Basques
are
a people
whothe
liveBasques
into
a the
No one
knows
exactly
where
1991
Fewerthe
than
80,000
of these
arein
small census.
region (about
size
of Rhode
Island
came
from.
Some
say
theyfrontier
lived inwhich
that area
on
the
French
side
of
the
runsof
the United States) that straddles the border
since
Cro-Magnon
man
first roamed
through
the Basque
Country,
the restEurope.
on the
Spain and France from the sea in the west
Spanish
side.
Basques
speak
a language
called
Estimates
of
how
long
they
have
lived
there
into the Pyrenees in the east. This area is
euskara, but today only about 25% of the
vary
from
10,000
to in
75,000
years.seven
Some
called
Euskal
Herria
(comprising
population
is fluent
that tongue.
Even say
so, the
provinces,
historically:
Araba,
Bizkaia,Iberians.
they are
from
the
original
word
for descended
a Basque
person,
euskaldun,
means
Gipuzkoa,
and
Navarra
on language”.
theasSpanish
side;
“possessor
of theories
the
Basque
The
More fanciful
exist,
well. One
is
Laburdi,population
Zuberoa, and
Behe-Nafarroa
on the
Basque
is distinguished
physically
that the Basques are the descendents of the
by
a high
incidence of Rh Negative factor in the
French
side).
survivors
of Atlantis.
blood.
Text Structure Analysis:
Part I (Para. 1-2):
book 3-4):
The History and Geography of
PartThe
II (Para.
Human
Genes
proves
that the
areto
It III
took
decades
and pains
for“races”
scientists
Part
(Para.
5-9):
alike
under
the
skin and
creates
the first
collect
the four
information
needed
to draw
the
The
book’s
remarkable
discoveries:
Part IV (Para. 10):
genetic
map
the world,
the closest
1)A
colortree.
map
of of
genetic
variation
has Africa at
family
Apart
from
ofatthe
one
endwe
of
thescientific
range
andpurposes
Australia
the other;
thing
have
to a global
family tree.
research,
social
objective
is to weaken
2)Africa
wasits
the
birthplace
of humanity;
conventional
notions
of the
raceorigins
that cause
racial
3)the
genetic maps
show
of
populations;
and
prejudice.
4)genetic information is also the latest raw
material of the medical industry.
Summary of the Text:
As the most extensive survey to date on
how humans vary at the level of their genes,
the book The History and Geography of
Human Genes made two remarkable
contributions to science: There is no
scientific basis for the genetic superiority of
one race over any other one; and it creates
the first genetic map of the world. In the
process of collecting information for the book,
however, scientists encountered great
difficulties. The ultimate goal of their work is
to remove racial prejudice.
Words and Expressions
extensive
to date
 nothing less than
 migrate
 be confined to
 as of
 in effect
 assume
 adapt to
 indicate
 shed light on
 conventional


1. extensive: a. including or dealing with a
wide range of information （Para. 1）


The baby was put through extensive tests
during a 10-day stay.
他们让这个婴儿住院10天接受了全面的检查。
The function of the victories in providing
the regime with even more extensive
popular backing seems undeniable.
这些胜利为该政权提供了更为广泛的支持，这一点似
乎是不可否认的。
2. to date: until now


(Para. 1)
To date, research has focused on cell
multiplication.
迄今为止，研究已经集中到细胞繁殖上。
There is no evidence, to date, that making
people belt up turns them into worse
drivers.
至今仍没有迹象表明司机们系安全带会影响驾驶。
3. nothing less than: exactly the same as
(Para. 2)


You’re nothing less than a murderer.
你简直是一个杀人犯！
The present trend is nothing less than
alarming.
当前这种趋势确实令人担心。
4. migrate: move from one place to another
(Para. 2)



Mexican farm workers migrate into the
U.S. each year to find work at harvest time.
墨西哥农场工人每年有大批外出去美国，希望能在丰
收季节找到工作。
In September these birds migrate 2,000
miles south to a warmer climate.
九月，这些鸟向气候温暖的南方迁徙2000英里。
5. be confined to: be restricted or kept
within certain limits or time (Para. 3)


So far, fighting has been confined to the
capital.
到目前为止，战斗仍没有超出首都的范围。
Disasters of this sort were confined to
neither traditionally flooded land nor the
winter months.
这种灾难不只发生在洪水泛滥的地区，也不只发生在
冬季。
6. as of: starting from



(Para. 3)
As of the first of July, all back seat
passengers must wear seat belts.
从7月1日起，所有后座上的乘客必须系安全带。
The new timetable will come into effect as
of January 2003.
新的时间表将从2003年1月起生效。
7. in effect: in fact


(Para. 3)
What the management is saying, in effect,
is that they are going to stop recruiting
new staff.
管理层的实际意思是，他们将停止招聘新员工。
In effect, your sister is making a fool of
you.
事实上，你妹妹在愚弄你。
8. assume: think or accept that sth. is true
but without proof of it




(Para. 5)
If you are rude to other people, your child
will assume that this kind of behavior is
acceptable.
如果你对别人不礼貌，你的孩子就会认为这样做是可
以的。
In other academic areas it is assumed that
the teacher knows more than the student.
在其他学术领域，人们都想当然地认为老师总是比学
生知道的多。
9. adapt to: change in order to deal more
successfully with a new situation (Para. 4)


In deeper waters, dwells an astonishing range
of creatures adapting well to great pressures,
extreme darkness, and a food supply only
available there.
在深水区居住着种类惊人庞大的生物，它们能适应巨大的压
力，极度的黑暗和有限的食物。
Old buildings and streets, well cared for and
adapted to today’s needs, vastly enhance the
quality of life.
古老的建筑和街道被很好地维护和调整以适应今天的需要，
这大大地提高了我们的生活质量。
10. indicate: v. be a sign of; show that sth.
is possible or likely (Para. 9)



These responses indicate that there is a
general feeling of dissatisfaction among
voters of all age groups.
这些回应表明，各个年龄层的投票者都有一种普遍的不
满情绪。
Mr. Meacher indicated that a Labour
government would be likely set up new
industrial courts.
米彻先生表示，工党政府将可能成立新的工业法庭！
11. shed light on: make a problem easier
to understand


(Para. 7)
Scientists working in the Gobi desert have
shed new light on the life of dinosaurs.
在戈壁滩上工作的科学家们对恐龙的生活有了新的认识。
The research is expected to shed light on
the social consequences of cities’ changing
economic roles.
这一研究希望弄清城市不断变化的经济角色所带来的社
会影响。
12. conventional: a. following what is
traditional or considered to be normal (Para. 10)


The house was built with conventional
materials.
这房子是用传统的材料建造的。
They are a conventional family.
他们是一个传统的家庭。
Questions for Discussion:
1.
How did the researchers obtain the
information to write their book?
2. What two scientific aims does the book
have?
Writing:
A Letter of Self-recommendation (自荐信)
1.阐明你欲深造的专业
2. 阐述你的学业背景……
3. 表明在此深造的目的和理由
写作模式（1）
1) With four years of my college life
devoted entirely to…, I am thrilled to find
myself particularly interested in... 2) To
make an outstanding researcher of me in
this field, however, I am very conscious of
my inadequacy in… and so strongly
motivated to pursue a master’s degree in
the Department of… at your University.
写作模式（2）
3) Fully aware of the importance of solid
academic foundation to my professional
pursuit, I committed myself, from the very
beginning, to the acquisition of basic
knowledge. 4) An obvious indication of my
diligence was the fact that… 5) While at
the stage of major courses, I could
integrate the fragments of my insight from
each lecture or book into a better
understanding of the area
进一步阐述)
写作模式（3）


of... 6) The deeper I immersed myself into
the ocean of…, in fact, the greater my
enthusiasm grew for… 7) So, I seized on
every chance, including…, to… and to… 8)
And meanwhile I never slackened my
efforts in… 9) I always cling to the motto
that any success in life rests with…
写作模式（4）

10) What I have done so far, however, is
just the first step on my way to being… 11)
To my great delight, the Department of…
of your University, high ranked in the
world and rich with academic climate, can
render me better able to… 12) Thus, I have
every reason to believe that my… and
your…, complete with my firm
commitment to…, will turn my ambition
into reality.