高三下Book 9 Module 2 DNA- the Secret of Life全模块教案[下学期]

外研版英语高三下Book 9 Module 2 DNA- the Secret of Life
全模块教案
I．模块教学目标
技能目标 Skill GoalsTalk about DNA — the Secret of LifeLearn to distinguish between facts and opinionsReview the language in use：it、much、now、the、this and was/wereLearn about the presentation skills: holding a debateWriting an article about making genetics safe and beneficial
II.目标语言
功能句式 Expressing opinionI think they are very exciting.I don’t think we should allow athletes to have genetic engineering.In my opinion, it is a bad idea for people to choose the gender of their baby.
词汇 1.四会词汇alter, ambitious, athlete, approve, benefit, bare, cell, characteristic, complicated, consequence, development, dawn, differentiate, disease, drought, edible, environment, eyesight, evolve, field, fancy, gender, gene. genetics, good-looking, health, height, hereditary, insure, identical, indescribably, inherit, insecticide, insert, issue, inspection, intelligence, investigation, label, modify, molecular, nonetheless, oppose, personality, physical, psychology, peculiar, qualification, question, queer, reaction, research, resemble, resistant, resistance, regulatory, shudder, shocked, structure, technology, trait, transfer, transgenic, twin, violence, weight 2.认读词汇allergic, carcinogen, cereals, drought, frail, flaxen, insecticide, implementation, molecular, maize, mild, organism, pimento, regulatory, shaft, soybean, vanished, vanish3.词组commit a murder, at one point, get on with, in detail, have an (enormous) influence on, look like, make a decision, make a discovery, take after, to a (great) extent, perform an operation,4.重点词汇和短语alter, ambitious, athlete, approve, benefit, characteristic, complicated, consequence, development, dawn, differentiate, environment, eyesight, evolve, fancy, gender, genetics, good-looking, hereditary, identical, indescribably, insure, issue, inherit, insert, inspection, intelligence, investigation, modify, molecular, nonetheless, oppose, personality, physical, psychology, peculiar, qualification, question, queer, reaction, resemble, resistant, regulatory, shudder, shocked, structure, technology, trait, transfer, transgenic, violence, commit a murder, at one point, get on with, in detail, have an (enormous) influence on, look like, make a decision, make a discovery, take after, to a (great) extent, perform an operation,
语法 Language in use: It, much, now, the, this, was/wereWe use it:used with seem, appear, looks (as if)it is / was +said /known etc that …We use much:Much is used to with singular nouns, uncountable.Modifying comparatives and superlatives.We use now:To say how a new situation means something can happen.To emphasise the period since something happened.We use the:To refer to something we have mentioned before.To refer to nationalities. We use this:This refers forward to something you are going to mention.This refers to the place or situation you are in now.We use was/were:To refer to something that happened, without needing to say who or what caused it.To refer to someone’s birth.
重点句子 1. Every cell in our bodies contains our genes, which pass hereditary characteristics on to our children.2. It has already had and will continue to have an enormous influence on our lives. 3. Should DNA testing be made a standard procedure in criminal investigations 4. If we start choosing the characteristics of our babies, we are altering nature in a very direct way.5. It was Crick who was the older of the two scientists.6.To a great extent, it’s your genes that decide7. With these new developments, life is going to become even more complicated.8. In Europe, a majority of consumers are in favour of banning them, and 79 percent of the UK public opposes GM food.9. The absence from his bearing of any kind of fear struck me at once.10. Gradually the truth dawned on me.
III. 教材分析与教材重组
1.教材分析
本模块以基因为话题，所谈及的内容是遗传基因的发现及基因在日常生活中的运用。通过同学们对所了解的基因相关知识进行讨论，使他们对基因这个遗传学领域的科学有一个更深入的了解，更加坚定他们学习科学的信心，从而，进一步揭开遗传学的神秘面纱，最终造福人类，造福世界。
1.1 INTRODUCTION Vocabulary and speaking设置了四个练习，第一部分选出三个词和
词组的恰当解释。第二部分让同学们分组讨论有关基因遗传的问题。第三部分让同学们选词填空以巩固相关词汇的运用。第四部分让同学们用上所给词汇讨论哪些性格是通过遗传得来的，哪些性格是后天环境影响所造成的。通过练习，使同学们掌握与本单元内容相关的词汇，同时在此基础上，让同学们练习说的能力。
1.2 READING AND VOCABULARY (1) 是一篇题为DNA — the Secret of Life的文章。通过阅读这篇文章，同学们可以进一步了解有关基因的一些信息。设置了六部分练习。第一、二部分练习考察学生对文章的理解能力。第三、四部分练习考察学生对文章词汇的理解和运用。第五部分练习考察学生对文章中一些重要句子的掌握和理解。第六部分练习考察学生对文章内容更深层的理解。
1.3 LANGUAGE IN USE (1) 设置了四个练习。同学们通过练习掌握the，this，now的
正确使用。
1.4 VOCABULARY AND LISTENING设置了四项任务。第一、四项任务帮助同学熟练运用所给词汇。第二、三项任务训练同学们听力能力。
1.5 LANGUAGE IN USE (2) 设置了五个练习。同学们通过练习掌握was / were，it，much的正确使用。
1.6 READING AND VOCABULARY (2) 是一篇题为Your Genes，Your future的文章。
使同学们了解科学家解读基因后将给人们带来的好处及危害。本部分设置了五部分练习。第一、二部分练习考察学生对文章的理解能力。第三、四部分练习考察学生对文章词汇的理解和运用。第五部分练习考察学生对文章的深入理解，同时给同学们发表自己观点提供了空间。
1.7 PRESENTATION SKILLS 通过在班级内举行一个关于基因会给社会带来很多好处的话题的辩论，培养同学们辩论的能力和技巧。本板块儿设置了四项任务：第一，二项任务是为辩论做准备工作。第三项任务同学们展开激烈的讨论。第四项任务让同学们通过投票选出获胜组。
1.8 READING PRACTICE设置了一篇题为GM Food---Good or Bad？的文章。使同学们进一步了解转基因食物。本部分设置了六项任务。第一项任务分组讨论六个关于转基因食品的相关问题。第二项任务阅读这篇文章并且找出转基因食品是好还是坏的答案。第三、四、五项任务通过多种方式检测同学们对文章的理解。第六项任务考察同学们对转基因食物的深刻理解并发表自己的见解。
1.9 CULTURE CORNER介绍了跨越19、20世纪的传奇科幻小说作家H.G.威尔斯(H.G.Wells.) 著成了经典小说《时光机器》。这种机器可以将人们带入80万年以后的未来。在那里，人类已经进化成了两个种族：艾洛伊族(Eloi)和莫洛克斯族(Morlocks)。这篇文章对这两个种族的特征进行了细致的描述.
1.10 TASK让同学们利用本单元所学知识及课外所了解的相关知识写一篇关于making
genetics safe and beneficial s的文章。
1.11 MODULE FILE总结了本单元应掌握的词汇和短语及一些词的用法。
1. 教材重组
2.1 阅读课 将INTRODUCTION Vocabulary and speaking 和READING AND VOCABULARY (1)两部分可以整合为一体，设计成一节阅读课。
2.2 语法课 将LANGUAGE IN USE (1) 和LANGUAGE IN USE (2) 两部分可以整合为
一体，设计成一节语法课。
2.3 听力课 将VOCABULARY AND LISTENING和WORKBOOK中的相关听力资料结合在一起，设计成一节听力课。
2.4 泛读课 将READING AND VOCABULARY (2)、 READING PRACTICE 和CULTURAL CORNER三部分可以整合为一体，设计成一节泛读课。
2.5写作课 将WRITING和WORKBOOK中的WRITING整合为一体，设计成一节写
作课。
2.6 口语课PRESENTATION SKILLS和WORKBOOK中的SPEAKING整合为一体，设
计成一节口语课。
3.课程设计与课时分配（经教材分析，本模块可分为六课时完成）
1st Period Reading
2nd Period Grammar
3rd Period Listening
4th Period Extensive Reading
5th Period Writing
6th Period Speaking
IV．分课时教案
The First Period Reading
Teaching goals教学目标
1. Target language目标语言
重点词汇和短语
alter, ambitious, athlete, benefit, characteristic, complicated, consequence, development, differentiate, environment, eyesight, gender, genetics, good-looking, hereditary, identical, insert, look like, take after, commit a murder,
2. Ability goals 能力目标
Enable the students to distinguish between facts and opinions and how to give their reasons for their opinion.
3.Learning ability goals 学能目标
Help the students how to give their reasons for their opinion.
Teaching important points 教学重点
Teach the students how to give their reasons for their opinion.
Teaching difficult points 教学难点
Enable the students how to distinguish between facts and opinions and how to give their reasons for their opinion.
Teaching methods 教学方法
Reading, listening and discussing.
Teaching aids 教具准备
A tape recorder, a multiple-media computer and a projector.
Teaching procedure and ways 教学过程与方式
Step I Lead-in
T: Good morning / afternoon, class!
Ss: Good morning / afternoon, Mr. / Ms…
T: First, look at the picture, can you tell me what it is
S: It is the DNA of the human beings.
T: You got it! Can you tell me something more about the DNA
S: DNA testing can help the police in criminal investigations.
S: DNA test helps identify parentage.
T: Can you give me the definition of the DNA I think you have learned some related knowledge from your biology class.
S: DNA is also called deoxyribonucleic (脱氧核糖核的) acid.
S: DNA is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms.
S: Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA.
S: Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus, but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (线粒体).
T: Terrific! You four students give the exact definition of the DNA. Today we are going to learn Unit 2 DNA--- the Secret of Life.
Step II Vocabulary
T: Now let learn some words and do some practice related to the topic DNA--- the Secret of Life.
Task 1
Match the word and phrases in the box with meanings.
Suggested answers:
look like: to have similar physical feature as someone else
resemble: a formal word meaning to have similar physical feature as someone else
take after: to be similar to an older person in your family in appearance or personality
T: Now let’s do some practice. Look at the slide. Fill in the blanks with the word and phrases.
look like resemble take after1. Your daughter does not ___________ you in any way.2. He _________ his father very much.3. She ________her mother in the way she moves her hands when she talks.
Suggested answers: 1. take after 2. looks like / resembles 3. resembles
Task 2
T: Here are two questions shown on the slide. You are given 3 minutes to have a discussion in pairs.
Show the two questions of Part 3 on the slide.
Suggested answers:
1. I look like my mother. I resemble her in many ways, such as the round face, double eye, and almond eye.
2. I take after my father in personality. For instance, I am a little willful, conversational and warmhearted.
Task 3
T: Please complete the sentences about the body with the words in the box. in order to use them freely.
Suggested answers:
1.cell 2.twin 3.genetics 4.diseases 5.gender 6.identical 7. environment
Task 4
T: Work in pairs. Discuss which characteristics you have inherited from your parents and which characteristics are formed by your environment. Use the words in the box.
S: Eye color and gene are natural-born, which I have inherited from my parents. Eyesight, health, height, intelligence, personality and weight are the characteristics that are partly inherited from my parents and at the same time which are partially formed by my environment.
Step III Reading
Deal with the reading passage
Skimming
T: Read Parts 1 and 2 of the passage and answer the questions. You are given 3 minutes to read the passage and find the answers to these questions.
3 minutes later.
T: The first one, why did Watson and Crick say, “We have discovered the secret of life”
S: Because Watson crick had succeeded in understanding the structure of DNA and how genes are able to reproduce themselves.
T: Good. The second one, do you think stories A – D in Part 2 are true Why \ Why not
S: Stories A and D are true. Stories B and C are not true in nowadays society, but maybe they will become possible in the near future.
T: Good job. Read Part 3 of the passage and answer the questions. You are given 2 minutes to read the passage and find the answers to these questions.
2 minutes later.
T: Time is up. The first one, what will genetic engineering help scientists to do in the near future
S: The new technology of genetic engineering will help scientists to insert new genes into unborn babies, children or adult.
T: The second one, what does the writer feel about the new developments in genetics
S: The author feel about the new developments in genetics has its advantages and disadvantages.
Scanning
T: You have got the main idea of Part 1 to Part 3 of the passage. Now turn to page 17, look at Exercise 3. I will check your understanding of the important words and phrases. Look at the words from the passage and choose the correct answers.
Suggested answers:
1.a 2. b 3. b 4. a 5. a 6. a 7. a 8. b
T: Look at Exercise 4 on page 18. Here are some words in the box, please answer the questions about the words in the box. You are given 4 minutes to prepare for it.
Suggested answers:
1. (a) sporter / sportsman (b) result / outcome / ending / aftermath (c) change / shift
(d) realm / scopes (d) beautiful / pretty / handsome
2. Yes, a plant has a structure.
3. Learning English can help us learn more advanced knowledge of the developed countries such as America.
4. IT is a technology that is used in business.
5. The two words which have more or less the same meaning are advance and development.
6. I will get rid of it.
T: Look at Exercise 5 on page 18. Here are 8 questions to test your further understanding of the text. You are given 6 minutes to prepare for it.
Suggested answers:
1. Because the discovery of DNA has discovered the secret of life, which is how living things do reproduce themselves. In addition, the discovery of DNA has already had and will continue to have an enormous influence on our lives. We have already experienced the benefits in many areas.
2. Scientists were able to examine these cells, and then they compared the DNA from these cells with Waters’ DNA. When his DNA matched exactly, he proved to be a murderer.
3. The surgeon chose Julia’s husband’s best sperm. Then he put the chosen sperm into Julia’s body.
4. What he did is a kind of cheating action which goes against sports spirit.
5. Because it is very likely that their child will be born with a terrible, inherited illness.
6. The new technology of means that scientists will soon be able to create new characteristics.
7. With the development of the genetic engineering, the scientists will change the bad genes to cure the diseases.
8. For example, GM food is good or bad. And clone is moral or not.
T: Let’s come to Exercise 6 on page 18. Here are 5 questions. You can are given 4 minutes to have a discussion.
Suggested answers:
1. Story B is most exciting. Because if a surgeon used the genetic engineering to help the couples to have an intelligent child, most of the people will be so smart that they will create an advanced society.
2. Story B is most frightening. Because every person has the living rights, no matter he is healthy or not. We should value life. If the children have some illnesses, the parents would get rid of them. So many people’s lives will be deprived. How frightening it will be!
3. I think it is a bad idea for people to choose the gender of their baby. If so, we can’t keep the balance of the population’s gender, which will cause a lot of trouble.
4. We should pass laws to forbid the athletes to insert some kinds of genes. Law should punish the people who use genetic engineering to do bad things.
5. I think the developments in genetics in general are cheering. They will benefit us a lot in many fields, even though they will bring some negative factors. Don’t forget every coin has two sides. We can take measures to get rid of the disadvantages.
Step IV Homework
Read the passage The Jim Twins on page 99 and finish the Task 7 and Task 10.
The Second Period Grammar
Teaching goals 教学目标
1. Target language 目标语言
a.重点词汇和短语
hugely, immediately environment, afford, emphasise, characteristic, discovery, now that, so far, in a way, now that
b.重点句式
1. Scientists all over the world immediately accepted Watson and Crick’s explanation.
2. Now (that) you understand the problems, we can discuss how to answers them.
3. It looks as if they will get the prize.
4. It was said that Watson was very ambitious.
5. It was Crick who was the older of the two scientists.
2.Ability goals 能力目标
Enable the students to review these words: it, much, now, the, this, was/were correctly and freely.
3.Learning ability goals 学能目标
Help the students learn how to use these: it, much, now, the, this, was/were words correctly and freely.
Teaching important and difficult points 教学重难点
Teach the students the usage of these words: it, much, now, the, this, was/were.
Teaching methods 教学方法
Explaining, practice and pair work.
Teaching aids 教具准备
A multiple-computer and a projector.
Teaching procedures and ways 教学过程与方式
Step I Greeting and Revision
T: Good morning / afternoon, class!
Ss: Good morning / afternoon, Mr. / Ms …
T: Yesterday, you read the passage after class. Have you find the answers to Task 7
Ss: Yes!
T: The first one, what is the difference between the two types of twins, identical twins and fraternal twins
S: Identical twins have exactly the same heredity – their chromosomes are 100% alike. While fraternal twins only share up to half their genes, just 50%, the same as siblings who are not twins.
T: Exactly! The second one, why are scientists interested in studying identical twins who have been separated at birth
S: Because that their genes are identical. When identical twins have been separated at birth, this gives scientists the perfect opportunity to discover the influence of heredity.
T: Quite right! The last one, which has a bigger influence over who we are, heredity or environment
S: Heredity is important, but our environment has an important part to play, too.
T: Yes, both of them are essential to us. Let come to Task 10. Who would like to read the notes of what you can remember about “The Jim Twins” and their remarkable similarities
S: James Arthur Springer and James Edward Lewis were American twins who had been given up at birth and separately adopted. They were given the same name by their adoptive parents. Their favorite school subject had been Maths. They were both interested mechanical drawing and carpentry; the names of their fist wife and second wife are the same.
T: Ok, now check the passage to see what you have forgotten.
Step II Grammar
T: Now let’s review the usages of these following words：it、much、now、the、this and was/were. I will divide our class into six groups to conclude the usages of the six words separately. Let’s have a composition to see which group can give the quick, correct and whole answers. Now you can have a discussion.
(During the time students discussing, the teacher can go around the class to collect the answers and give the students necessary guidance. Then show the students the usages of the six words on the slide.)
T: I think you have a heated discussion and make a good conclusion at the same time. Now let’s look at the slide. Here are the usages of the six words.
We use the:
a. to name something in the world around us, or its climate, or other natural things that influence our lives, e.g. the sea, the sky, the mountains, the future.
b. to refer to something of which there is only one in your environment, or in the whole world.
c. to refer to something we have mentioned before.
d. to refer to nationalities.
e. to say how one thing changes when another thing changes.
f. to say which person or thing we mean.
g. to talk about all the people who have the same characteristic.
h. to make it clear that the person referred to is “the well-known one”
i. to make general statements, using one thing or person as an example of its group.
j. when it is clear from the situation which one we mean.
k. to talk about a person or thing that has more of a quality than others of that type.
i. with words that say that something is special, e.g. first, last, same, only.
We use this:
a. to refer forward to something you are going to mention.
b. to refer to people when you are identifying or introducing them.
c. to refer to the place or situation you are in now.
d. to be used with time expressions, e.g. this year, this evening.
e. to refer to things near you.
f. to refer back to something which has been mentioned.
We use now:
a. when you want to get people’s attention, or when you are going to talk about something new.
b. to say how a new situation means something can happen.
c. with certain prepositions: by, before, until, up, to, for.
d. to emphasise the period since something happened.
e. to talk about a situation that started in the past and still continues.
f. to talk about a present situation that is different from a past situation.
We use was/were:
a. to refer to something that happened, without needing to say who or what caused it.
b. to refer to something that was in the middle of happening at some time in the past.
c. to refer to someone’s birth.
d. to give advice.
e. to give much information about the subject, such as who, what, where, when, how, how old.
f. to refer to possible or necessary situations.
We use it:
a. used with seem, appear, looks (as if)
b. it is / was +said /known etc that …
c. refers to weather, date, time or distance
d. it + verb that = expresses an opinion or an emotion
e. it is / was + noun phrase + who / that = emphasizes the subject or object of the sentence
f. it is / was + adjective / noun phrase + that = expresses an opinion or an emotion
g. refers to a thing, situation or place that has been mentioned or is understood
h. I find it + adjective + that = expresses an opinion emotion
We use much:
Much is used to with singular nouns, uncountable, modifying comparatives and superlatives.
Step III Practice (1)
In this part, enable the students to practise using the words: the, this, now.
T: Since you have mastered how to use these words. Now let’s do the following 4 exercises on page 20.
The teacher can check the answers one by one.
Step IV Practice (2)
In this part, enable the students to practise using the words: was / were, it, much.
T: Since you have mastered how to use these words. Now let’s do the following 5 exercises on page 22.
The teacher can check the answers one by one.
Step V Homework
Finish off the exercises on page 97 in WORKBOOK.
The Third Period Listening
Teaching goals 教学目标
1. Target language目标语言
a: 重点词汇和短语
ambitious, award, bestseller, fame, qualification, reaction, at one point
b: 重点句式
Crick wrote a book which became a bestseller.
What do we learn about, the age and nationality of the two scientists
Why was it Watson and Crick who made the discovery
2. Ability goals 能力目标
Enable the students to find out the specific information.
3. Learning ability goals 学能目标
Help the students learn how to find out the specific information.
Teaching important points 教学重点
Help the students learn something about the DNA discovery of Watson and Crick.
Teaching difficult points 教学难点
Help the students how to understand the detailed materials.
Teaching methods 教学方法
Listening and task-based activity.
Teaching aids 教具准备
A tape recorder, a multiple-computer and a projector.
Teaching procedures and ways 教学过程与方式
Step I Greeting and Revision
T: Good morning / afternoon, class!
Ss: Good morning / afternoon, Mr. / Ms …
The teacher checks the homework.
Step II Vocabulary
T: Before listening, let’s review some words that are related to the listening material. Now complete the sentences with the correct form of the words in the box. You are given 3 minutes to do it.
The teacher check the answers in class, if necessary, the teacher can give some explanations.
Step III Warming up
T: We have learned the text DNA – the secret of the life. Who can tell me the main idea of part one Volunteer
S: James Watson and Francis Crick found the answers to one of the most important questions of biology – how do living things reproduce themselves They had succeeded in understanding the structure of DNA and how genes are able to produce themselves. The discovery of DNA has been called the most import biological work of the last 100 years. It has already had and will continue to have an enormous influence on our lives. We have already experienced the benefits in many areas.
T: Terrific! Thank you for you brief and to the point conclusion of the text. Do you want to know more things--- how Watson and Crick discovered DNA
Ss: Yes!
T: Now we will listen to a passage of how Watson and Crick discovered DNA.
Step IV Listening
The purpose of this listening passage is to extend knowledge of how Watson and Crick discovered
DNA. At the same time, the teacher should teach them how to grasp the specific information.
T: I will play the tape for you. Check the true sentences in Activity 1.
After listening, listen to the material again.
T: Listen again and answer the questions. Before that, you should first read the 5 questions in order to know what information you should pay attention to while listening.
Then check the answer together.
Step V Listening task (Workbook P100-101)
Task 1
T: Turn to page 100. Here is a radio interview. There are 9 sentences. First listen to the passage attentively. After that you will check the sentences that you hear.
Task 2
T: Turn to page 101. Read the following 5 answers, and then write the questions according to the material you have heard just now.
After listening, listen to the material again.
T: Now listen again and check your answers.
Task 3
T: Read these sentences from the passage and answer the questions.
Task 4
T: Complete the sentences saying how Jason explains his success as a film scriptwriter according to the passage. First look through the passage with the blanks, then you will listen to the passage again focusing your attention to the contents of the blanks.
Step VI Homework
Preview Your Genes, Your Future and GM food – good or bad
Surf on the Internet to get some information about genes and the GM food.
The Fourth Period Extensive Reading
Teaching goals 教学目标
1. Target language目标语言
a: 重点词汇和短语
characteristic, inherit, complicated, nonetheless, complicated, transfer, transgenic, violence, peculiar, in detail, to a (great) extent, in favour of
b: 重点句式
1. To a great extent, it’s your genes that decide
2. With these new developments, life is going to become even more complicated.
3. In Europe, a majority of consumers are in favour of banning them, and 79 percent of the UK public opposes GM food.
4. The absence from his bearing of any kind of fear struck me at once.
5. Gradually the truth dawned on me.
2.Ability goals 能力目标
Enable the students to know about more knowledge about genes and GM food.
3.Learning ability goals 学能目标
Help the students get to know about more knowledge about genes.
Teaching important and difficult points 教学重难点
Enable the students to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of GM food.
Teaching methods 教学方法
Fast reading, careful reading and discussion.
Teaching aids 教具准备
A computer and a projector
Teaching procedures and ways 教学过程与方式
Step I Greeting and Revision
T: Good morning / afternoon, class!
Ss: Good morning / afternoon, Mr. / Ms …
T: What kind of information did you get from the Internet
S: Researchers from around the world have launched a three-year project aimed at identifying genes that are responsible for such common illnesses as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. The effort is an outgrowth of the Human Genome Project.
S: Like the fingerprints, each person has a unique DNA profile, or what is sometimes called a DNA "fingerprint."
S: Studies have shown GM maize and corn may already have led to serious environmental and health consequences and could have contaminated more natural seedlings.
S: Enterprises failing to label genetically modified products they produce or sell will face punishment,
T: You did a good job. You have known more about the genes and GM food which can help you learn these texts.
Step II Reading (1)
T: Now turn to page 22, we will read the article “Your Genes, Your future”. Before reading, who can give us a further explanation of the title for us Volunteer
S: As is known to us, every cell in our bodies contains our genes, which pass hereditary characteristics on to their children. Different people have different genes. Some people’s genes are excellent. Some are not so good. So there are some clever people. Some are normal. Some are stupid. Therefore, in a sense one’s genes can predict his future.
T: You got it! Now please read this passage quickly and complete the 2 sentences on page 22.
Get the students to finish it and then check the answers.
T: Read the passage again. First look through the 5 questions of Exercise 2 on page 23. While reading, pay more attention to the related information. You can discuss in groups.
Suggested answers:
1. Physical is inherited and characteristics are mostly inherited.
2. No, it doesn’t. For example, not all the prisoner’s children break the laws.
3. A person who lives in the world, is not only influenced by his genes but also by the environment he lives in, however, the scientist can only red his genes.
4. These new development refers to the fact that scientists will be able to “read” our genes in the near future.
5. For example, insurance companies may not want to insure people whose genes predict certain illnesses. Employers may not want to employ people who have a gene for violence.
T: Now let’s look at Exercise 3 on page 23. Match the words and expressions in the box with their meanings.
(If there is enough time, the teacher can ask the students to make sentences using the words and expressions in the box.)
T: Now let’s look at Exercise 4 on page 23. Explain the meaning of the words and phrases. First look at the examples, it not only gives the meaning of the word but also gives the meaning of word in the whole sentences. So you should also explain the meaning of the words and phrases in this way.
Suggested answers:
1. If someone has a good habit, he can grow well naturally. In this case, heredity plays an important role. So the scientists can predict the person’s height by looking at his parent’s height.
2. The need to wear glasses means the people can’t see the things clearly without glasses. The genetics is one of the reasons of the poor sight.
3. Eating habits means what kind of food a person likes or dislikes. Our genes affect the eating habits greatly..
4. If you like racing car, which is risky sport that means you enjoy dangerous sports.
5. How well we get on with other people mean what kind of people we are, communicative or not.
6. Read the genes means decode the genes. That is to say we can know the genes clearly.
T: We have learnt DNA – The Secret of Life on page 16. Now let’s read it again. Compare it with Your Genes, Your Future on page 23.
(The teacher should allow the students to give various answers as long as reasonable. In this way, the teacher can train the students’ active thought.)
Suggested answers:
1. I find Your Genes, Your Future is more exciting. At the beginning, there is a mysterious envelope for me.
2. Both of the passages worry me. They both mentioned some problems would come into being with the development of the genetics.
3. DNA – The Secret of Life gives the examples from real life. I prefer examples from real life in other passage.
4. Your Genes, Your Future gives more scientific information. I prefer to have more scientific information.
5. I will remember the passage Your Genes, Your Future for long. From this passage, I know that although inborn factors are important, the acquired factor is also very important.
Step III Reading (2)
T: GM food is very popular today. But is it good or bad for us Now we will read a passage about this topic. Before reading, work in pairs and discuss your answers to the 6 questions on page 25 that help you understand the passage better.
Suggested answers:
1. GM food means the food is produced from the plants which are genetically modified.
2. We can tell the difference between ordinary food from GM food from the label of the food.
3. There is not very much GM food in China.
4. Fr instance, GM rice offers high yields and improved nutritional content to better feed the rice-eating population.
5. Studies have shown GM maize and corn may already have led to serious environmental and health consequences and could have contaminated more natural seedlings.
6. GM food should be labeled, so as to give consumers the right to know and to choose.
T: Now read the passage and find the answers to the question: GM food – good or bad
(The teacher should ask the students to give their reasons.)
T: Read the passage again, answers the questions of Exercise 3 on page 26.
Suggested answers:
1. Yes, they are the same food.
2. It can leave a poison in soil that kills helpful as well as harmful insects.
3. Reducing the amount of insecticides needed by using GM crops can reduce the amount of cancer producing chemicals – carcinogens that are found in food.
4. Maybe it will even kill him or her.
5. The author gives some figures, including percentage, to show the mount of GM food in US and to show the number of people who think it’s dangerous. The contrast shows that most of the people accept the GM food and US produced a large amount of it.
6. “Agricultural Organism Transgenic Engineering Safety Implementation Measures” issued by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture do not apply to imported agricultural products.
7. During a survey of big marketplaces in Beijing no imported transgenic products were found.
8. China Consumers’ Association states that GM products should be labeled, so as to give consumers the right to know and to choose.
9. Yes, I think the writer agrees with this action.
T: Look at the questions of Exercise 4 on page 26. Please have a discussion and give the answers to these questions.
Suggested answers:
1. a. The crop with a gene that kills pests can leave a poison in the soil that kills helpful as well as harmful insects.
b. The crop contains anti-carcinogens.
c. The poison in the soil that kills helpful as well as harmful insects.
2. a. We can plant a crop with a gene that kills pests to reduce the amount of insecticides needed.
b. The crops, which are attacked by insects, need insecticides.
c. We can plant a crop with a gene that kills pests.
3. a. It is a gene that produces an allergic reaction.
b. The person is sensitive to some kinds of food.
c. The person might not know there are some allergic materials in the modified food.
4. a. “Agricultural Organism Transgenic Engineering Safety Implementation Measures” are issued by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture.
b. They do not apply to imported agricultural products.
c. GM food may enter the country from abroad to conquer our market.
T: Now work in pairs and discuss your answers to the questions. The first one: Are you for or against GM food Explain why.
S1: I am for GM food. Because GM food offers high yields and improved nutritional content to better feed the population. Moreover, there is no evidence showing GM foods are harmful to health.
S2: I don’t agree with you. I am against GM food. No harmful evidence does not mean the products are safe. The side effect of a new product is usually found only after a long period. So we should be so careful when choosing the GM food.
T: Terrific! The second one, what do you think should be done about GM food in China Ban the planting of GM crops, ban the sales of GM food, or anything else
S1: I think we should ban the planting of GM crops, because by far we have not had clear evidences about whether GM crops are good or bad. So we should be cautious.
S2: I think we should ban the sales of GM crops. The scientists do more experiments about it chronically to prove what kind of food it is on earth.
S3: I think we should label the GM food clearly. First, the customers have the rights to make their own choices. Second, in the future if the GM food had some side effect, we can clearly judge the source of the food.
T: Thank you! You all give us the excusable answers.
Step V Homework
Read Two Creatures in The Time Machine and give answers to the first question on page 27.
The Fifth Period Writing
Teaching goals 教学目标
1. Target language目标语言
a: 重点词汇和短语
genetics, beneficial, advance, briefly, insert, enormous, alter, consequence, in this way
b: 重点句式
1. In the last sixty years, scientists have learnt an enormous amount about genetics.
2. Scientists will soon be able to insert new genes into unborn babies.
3. What will the consequences be
2. Ability goals 能力目标
Enable the students to an article about making genetics safe and beneficial.
3. Learning ability goals学能目标
Help the students learn how to an article about making genetics safe and beneficial.
Teaching important and difficult points教学重难点
Teach the students the tips about how to write the article about making genetics safe and beneficial.
Teaching methods 教学方法
Talking, task-based method and pair work..
Teaching aids 教具准备
A computer and a projector.
Teaching procedures and ways 教学过程与方式
Step I Greeting and Revision
T: Good morning / afternoon, class!
Ss: Good morning / afternoon, Mr. / Ms …
T: I will check your homework. First how are the Eloi and the Morlocks different from each other
S: The Eloi was a slight creature – perhaps four feet high. His legs were bare to the knees. Their hair came to a sharp end at the neck and the cheek. Their mouths were small, with bright red, rather thin lips. Their eyes were large and mild. However, the Morlocks was a queer little ape-like figure. It was a dull white and had strange, large grayish-red eyes. Also there was flaxen hair on its head and down its back.
T: Well done, thank you. You gave a detailed description of the Eloi and the Morlocks.
Step II Pre-writing
T: In this module, we have read some reading passages about genes. Now read them again. While reading, you should choose three advances in genetics that you think create or will create problems. Then you will work in pairs and have a discussion about what the problems are and what can be done to solve them. You are given 10 minutes to do it.
T: Who can tell us the three advances in genetics that you think create or will create problems. Volunteer
S1: Story B in the text DNA – the Secret of Life tells us the genetic engineering can help the rich couples have a highly intelligent, good-looking baby. In the near future, we can have such a social phenomenon, the richer the family is, the more intelligent their children are. At that time, we will have a polarized (两极分化的) society.
S2: Story C in the text DNA – the Secret of Life tells us the advance in genetics can insert an animal gene into an athlete, which makes him to be a world champion. As a matter of fact, it is a kind of cheating behavior.
S3: Story D in the text DNA – the Secret of Life tells us the DNA tests can now detect inherited illnesses before the child is born. If all the parents whose babies are not healthy will get rid of the unborn babies, they are cruel and not humanistic. At the same time, the babies will lose their rights to live in the world owing to their brutal parents.
T: I quite agree with you. Since the problems exist. But what can we do to solve them Now please have a discussion to find out the solutions to solve the problems. You are given 4 minutes to do it.
4 minutes later.
T: Time is up. Who would like to explain your solutions to us Volunteer
S: The rapid development of science is inevitable(必然的), although there are some side effect at the same time. We should not deny the new technology just because of the disadvantages it brings to us. We cannot prevent the advancement of the society. Some reasonable laws can help us get rid of the side effect. The people who disobey the laws will be put into prison.
T: A good idea!
Step III Writing
T: We will write an article about making genetics safe and beneficial. Just now you have listed the problems that the advances in genetics create and will create. Luckily, you have also found the solutions to solve the problems. How can we write a good composition about making genetics safe and beneficial Please have a discussion about how to write the article and what you should pay more attention to.
S: The theme of the article is how to make genetics safe and beneficial. So the emphases should be put on the solutions to make genetics safe and beneficial.
S: First we should introduce the subject of genetics. For example, in the last 60 years, scientists have learnt an enormous amount about genetics.
S: Second we should give a brief description about the three advances the genetics brings.
S: Third the problems connected with theses advances should be described.
S: The most important thing is to write what we can and should do to solve these problems.
T: You did a good job! Now let’s write the article according to the suggestion you mentioned above.
A sample version:
In the last sixty years, scientists have learnt an enormous amount about genetics, which benefits our human beings greatly. As is know to us all, every coin has two sides. The genetics engineering has its advantages as well as disadvantages. So we should analyze the impact of genetics pro and con.
Firstly, the genetics engineering brings a lot of benefits. For example, GM food can solve the famine in the world. DNA testing can help in criminal investigations, the genetics engineering can help create a “designer baby”, and DNA test can now detect inherited illnesses before the child is born.
Meanwhile, genetics engineering creates some big problems connected with these advances. For instance, People whose genes predict illness may not get job or insurance cover. Owing to the current absence of reliable data on genetic, there exist potential risks when people eat GM food.
So, what should we do to solve these problems We should carefully consider and respond to the challenges and opportunities that arise from scientific advances in human genetics. The authorities should pass a law that is fair, reasonable, and consistent with existing discrimination statutes. We will all gain much from the continuing advances in genetic science. But those advances should never come at the cost of basic fairness and equality under law.
Step IV Homework
Write a passage according to article on page 102.
The Sixth Period Speaking
Teaching goals 教学目标
1. Target language目标语言
a: 重点词汇和短语
announcement, motion, criminal, investigation, detect, inherit, famine, modification, victory,
entertaining, argument, presentation, amusing, audience, in my view, above all, for example
b: 重点句式
1. DNA testing can help in criminal investigation.
2. Tests can now detect inherited illnesses before the child is born.
3. GM food could solve famine in the world.
4. Genetic engineering is the victory of science over nature.
5. Try to think about interesting or amusing ways to present your arguments.
2. Ability goals 能力目标
Enable the students to hold a debate about genes and GM food.
3. Learning ability goals 学能目标
Help the students learn how to hold a debate about genes and GM food.
Teaching important and difficult points教学重难点
Teach the students the presentation skills of holding a debate about genes and GM food.
Teaching methods 教学方法
Speaking, task-based activity and presenting.
Teaching aids 教具准备
A computer and a projector.
Teaching procedures and ways 教学过程与方式
Step I Greeting and Revision
T: Good morning / afternoon, class!
Ss: Good morning / afternoon, Mr. / Ms …
T: I will check your homework, who would like to read your composition in class, volunteer
S: I take after my mother who is a teacher in some ways. She is good at English, literature and writing, and so am I. She is very timid. She dares not to swim and skate. But I can swim and skate very well. She always encourages me to be brave. In addition, I have lots of friends who do well in these two sports, who influenced me a lot. I think heredity and environment are so important for us.
T: Well done! Thank you.
Step II Preparation
T: In this Module, we have acquired more information about genetic engineering. Today we will hold a class debate about the genetic engineering. The theme of the debate is “We believe that genetic engineering will bring enormous advantages to society. Here are 8 ideas from this module. Now you are given 5 minutes to decide if the following ideas argue for or against the motion.
5 minutes later.
T: Time is up. Who can tell me the ideas argue for the motion
S: DNA testing can help in criminal investigations, and the genetics engineering can help create a “designer baby”.
S: DNA test can now detect inherited illnesses before the child is born, GM food can solve the famine in the world, and Genetic engineering is the victory of science over nature.
T: You got it! Who can tell me the ideas argue for the motion
S: People whose genes predict illness may not get job or insurance cover.
S: It will be difficult to know what genetic modification to food has been made and how they would affect you, and we don’t know the effect of genetic modifications of crops on the environment.
T: Good! You have grouped the ideas under two heads. One is for the motion; the other is against the motion. Now work in two groups. You will decide if you are going to argue for or against the motion.
Step III Presentation Skills
T: let’s make a good preparation to our debate. Now please have a discussion about how can we have a successful debate and what preparation we should prepare for it. You are given 6 minutes to have a discussion.
T: Time is up. Who can say something about how to prepare for the debate Volunteer
S: We should make a list of our arguments and opinions using the ideas in Activity 1 and the resources of this module. Then prepare the arguments by the language in the box and the examples that we have found in this module, or elsewhere, such as Internet.
S: we should make sure we have powerful examples to support our arguments.
S: At the same time, we must think about what the other group will say, and prepare contrasting arguments against their ideas.
S: We should prepare our opinions about the motion, based on our arguments.
S: There is a formal structure. First we should say: “The motion is… I believe that….” Then we make an opening statement, and then we present a contrasting argument and give an opinion. Finally we will make a conclusion.
T: Well done! I will give you some presentation skills. As we know, Debates are quite formal, but should be interesting and entertaining. Some speakers may win a debate, not because of the strength of their arguments, but because the style of presentation. Try to think about interesting or amusing ways to present your arguments. Make sure you look at the audience and not at your notes, Above all, smile and look as if you are enjoying yourself! Are you clear You are given 10 minute to prepare your debate.
Step IV Debating
The teacher can divide the class into three groups, one is to argue for the motion, one is to argue against the motion, and the third is the judges who have the rights to vote for or against the motion. Their vote will determine the result of the debate.
T: Are you ready First the representative of the group who argue for the motion presents your opinions.
S: The motion is we believe that genetic engineering will bring enormous advantages to society. For example, DNA testing can help in criminal investigations; the genetics engineering can help create a “designer baby”. DNA test can also now detect inherited illnesses before the child is born, GM food can solve the famine in the world. I think Genetic engineering is the victory of science over nature.
T: Now it is your turn, the representative of the group who argue against the motion present your opinions, please.
S: The motion is we don’t believe that genetic engineering will bring enormous advances to society but bring us a lot of problems. For instance, People whose genes predict illness may not get job or insurance cover. It will be difficult to know what genetic modifications to food have been made and how they would affect you, and we don’t know the effect of genetic modification of crops on the environment. Therefore, we think that genetic engineering will bring enormous disadvantages to society.
T: The representative of the group who argue for the motion, it is your turn, please.
S: Nobody in the world can stop the wheels of the social advancement. Every coin has two sides. We cannot get rid of the cars just because of the car accidents. Genetic engineering brings some disadvantages. But we can take some measures to reduce its bad effects. That is why I recommend that you vote for the motion.
T: It is your turn, the representative of the group who argue for the motion, please.
S: Not all the new things are good things that we should accept it. Genetic engineering has deprived so many babies living rights before they are born. Don’t you think it is cruel But should those advances come at the cost of basic fairness and equality That is why I recommend that you vote against the motion.
T: Terrific! Just now we have enjoyed an excellent debate.
Step V Voting
T: The most exciting moment is coming. The representative of the judges, would you please announce the result of the debate
S: The winner is the group who argue for the motion.
T: Let’s congratulate to the winners. Can you give comment on the debate, judge
S: The representative of the group who argue for the motion gave the brief and to the point presentation. He was always looking at the audience but not the notes and his facial expression is very natural.
S: The representative of the group who argue against the motion did not give enough proofs and at the same time he is a little bit nervous.
T: I think you all did a good job! Thank you very much for your excellent performance.
Step VI Homework
1. Review the whole module.
2. Preview the next module.
附 件
DNA scientist Francis Crick dies at 88
Nobel Prize-winning scientist Francis Crick, who co-discovered the spiral, "double-helix" structure of DNA in 1953 and opened the way for everything from gene-spliced crops and medicines to DNA fingerprinting and the genetic detection of diseases, has died. He was 88.
Crick died Wednesday after a battle with colon cancer, according to the Salk Institute, the research body where Crick worked in recent years.
The British-born Crick was 36 and working at the University of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory in 1953 when he and the American-born James Watson, just 24, struck upon the idea that the DNA molecule resembles a twisted ladder.
After making the discovery, Crick walked into a Cambridge pub and announced that he and Watson had "found the secret of life." But only a few people at the time "even thought it was interesting," Crick once said, and it took years before the groundbreaking discovery was firmly accepted.
Decades later, the discovery's impact can be seen everywhere. It laid the foundation for the biotechnology industry, enabling scientists to engineer bigger tomatoes, doctors to pursue gene therapy to treat disease, and police to solve crimes through DNA evidence.
Biotechnology is a billion-a-year industry that has produced some 160 drugs and vaccines, that has produced some 160 drugs and vaccines, treating everything from breast cancer to diabetes. Seven million farmers in 18 countries grew genetically engineered crops last year, allowing them to grow food with fewer pesticides.
"It's almost too difficult to pay him high enough tribute for what he contributed," said Stanford University scientist Paul Berg, who won the Nobel in chemistry in 1980 for his pioneering work with genetic engineering.
Crick's work "helped to usher in a golden age of molecular biology," said Lord May of Oxford, president of Britain's academy of scientists, the Royal Society.
Crick and Watson were awarded the Nobel in medicine in 1962.
Watson's 1968 best seller "The Double Helix" told how he and Crick used bits of wire, colored beads, sheet metal and cardboard cutouts to construct a 3-D model of the molecule.
Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is made up of four chemical building blocks, known as "bases." Each "rung" in the twisted ladder is made up of two bases, and the various combinations of bases and the order in which the rungs are arranged spell out the information stored in genes.
Building on their work and that of others over the decades, scientists can now alter genes to breed out disease and breed in desired traits.
That newfound power has stirred ethical debates, but Crick said there was no way in the 1950s that he could have foretold modern DNA developments.
"Think of the effect television has had worldwide on politics," he said. "You can't possibly expect the man who invented the transistor to have seen that."
In a statement Thursday, Watson hailed Crick "for his extraordinarily focused intelligence and for the many ways he showed me kindness and developed my self-confidence."
"He treated me as though I were a member of his family," Watson said. "Being with him for two years in a small room in Cambridge was truly a privilege. I always looked forward to being with him and speaking to him, up until the moment of his death."
In person Crick was provocative, quick-witted and charming, though he rarely consented to interviews. He was averse to attention of any sort, he said, not because he was anti-social but because it cut into his thinking time.
Unlike many scientists, Crick did not spend his days toiling in a lab or instructing students. Instead, he read and mused in his Salk Institute office overlooking the Pacific Ocean, putting in full days well beyond retirement age. He had come to Salk after resigning from the Cambridge faculty in 1977.
Watson and Crick benefited from work by researchers Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin of King's College in London. Wilkins shared the Nobel with the two men; Franklin died in 1958. Nobel prizes are not awarded posthumously.
Francis Harry Compton Crick was born in Northampton, England, in 1916 to a shoe factory owner and his wife, who bought their young son a children's encyclopedia to help answer his many science questions. He studied physics at University College of London and then built underwater mines for the British government during World War II.
After the war, Crick became interested in "the division between the living and the non-living" and decided to teach himself biology and chemistry.
Among Crick's writings was "Life Itself: Its Origin and Nature," a book suggesting that the Earth began when microorganisms were dropped by a spaceship from a higher civilization. In another treatise, Crick proposed that dreams exist to let the brain do some housecleaning, to clear itself for the next set of tasks.
Crick acknowledged that some of his postulations were offbeat and speculative. But, he told The Associated Press in 1994, "A man who is right every time is not likely to do very much."
Crick is survived by his wife, artist Odile Speed; three children; and four grandchildren. The family will hold a private funeral service, his wife said.
Note:
spiral: 螺旋形的 fingerprinting指纹识别 colon cancer：结肠癌 biotechnology：生物工艺学 gene therapy: 基因治疗 molecular biology：分子生物学 spell out：清楚地说明 breed out：在人工繁殖中消除 transistor：晶体管 cut into：侵犯，打断treatise：论文
IS GM GOOD FOR ME
People disagree whether GM foods pose a health risk to those who eat them.
Views for 1. GM crops are tested much more extensively than non-GM crops.2. Any differences between the GM and non-GM crops are studied in detail and full health and safety assessments are made. Such tests include food safety, nutritional quality and allergenic. No crop or food can be grown or sold unless it is proven that they are at least as safe and nutritious as their non-GM counterparts3. Hundreds of millions of people and animals worldwide eat food and feed from GM crops and there have been no ill effects, supporting fully the responsible approach taken by industry and regulators.4. In the future GM crops providing extra nutrients or medicinal substances will make a positive and direct contribution to human and animal health.
Views against 1. GM foods might be bad for our health. There has not been enough research to evaluate the short or long-term effects of GM foods on both human and animal health. 2. The risk assessments done so far are not robust enough to take into consideration all the unknowns and uncertainties that currently exist. We may be in for some unpleasant surprises.3. GM foods aren’t needed for a healthy, balanced diet.
ARE GM FOODS SAFE
There is disagreement about whether current GM foods can cause health problems.
Views for 1. Testing and approval systems for GM crops specifically look for real and potential problems, e.g. the creation of a new allergen. 2. The responsible approach taken by industry and regulatory authorities has meant that hundreds of millions of tonnes of GM crops have been eaten without any ill effects. 3. Indeed, the development of a soybean containing a Brazil nut protein was halted by the company involved at the research stage as soon as an allergen problem was detected, and before it was ever grown outside of a greenhouse. This demonstrates that the safety assessments and regulatory system work.4. In 2002 an EU study which looked at 14 years of research by 400 groups of independent scientists concluded that “GM crops are probably safer than their non-GM counterparts”.
Views against 1. Inserted genes might come from plants and animals that have never formed part of our diet before, and this might lead to unexpected health problems. Also, the insertion of the gene might disrupt normal function in ways we can’t see or predict. In both cases, the new foods might produce substances that, for example, trigger allergic reactions. 2. Genes can cross from the food we eat to the bacteria in our stomachs, and these might include antibiotic-resistant genes that have been routinely used as marker genes in GM technology. This could render antibiotics ineffective against human and animal diseases.3. Testing is not adequate and a full system of safety checks is needed. Safety testing systems cannot be 100 per cent effective in predicting allergenic because we don’t know why some things cause allergies and others don’t.
WHAT ABOUT ALLERGIES/DISEASES
People disagree whether GM foods present a different kind of threat to health than new non-GM foods.
Views for 1. This question is not specific to GM and can be asked of any new food that comes on the market. 2. All GM food is tested for its allergenic potential. There is no evidence at all of allergic and other reactions to the foods from the GM crops currently being grown and eaten by millions of people. 3. In 2002 an EU study which looked at 14 years of research by 400 groups of independent scientists concluded that GM crops are probably safer than their non-GM counterparts.4. Future GM crops may in fact eliminate allergens from foods such as the peanut or wheat.
Views against 1. Because GM crops introduce new proteins into our diet, it is only a matter of time before a GM food will be shown to cause one or other disease or allergy. 2. There is already evidence of increasing allergy to soya products for example, which might be linked with the growth in the use of GM soya. We do not know enough about what triggers allergies to make our current testing procedures adequate. Long-term population studies are needed. So far, they have not been done, and claims that there have been no effects cannot be believed.
WILL GM FOOD BE HARMFUL IN THE FUTURE
People disagree about the future risks of eating GM foods, and about whether these risks are justified.
Views for 1. This question is not specific to GM and can be asked of any new food that comes on the market.2. Testing and monitoring systems are stringent and robust and GM crops and foods can only be grown and eaten if it is proven that they are at least as safe as their non-GM counterparts. 3. As far as eating DNA from GM foods is concerned, we eat DNA every day, in our food. DNA is and always has been digested in our stomachs and DNA from GM plants is no different.
Views against 1. GM is being pushed forward far too fast, without adequate monitoring. 2. The current testing and monitoring regimes deal with what we know now and are inadequate to pick up long-term problems. We need new, more rigorous testing methods. Because we don’t know enough about how genes work, there may be unpleasant surprises later down the line, after we may have already committed ourselves deeply to GM. 3. The problem is, harmful effects will probably only emerge from large-scale experiments in nature, which exposes us to the risk anyway.
IS ALTERING GENETIC MAKE-UP SAFE
People disagree about whether changing the genetic make-up of organisms through GM technology is harmful, or merely an extension of current breeding practices.
Views for 1. Mutation (changes to the DNA code) is happening all the time in nature. This is a fundamental process of evolution.2. Conventional modern breeding uses chemicals and irradiation to create mutations and new varieties. GM is only different from these processes in that it is more precise. Testing regimes specifically watch out for any unexpected events triggered by the process and such events are eliminated.
Views against 1. GM makes it possible to take genes from one species and put them in to a totally different species, crossing plant-animal boundaries for example. 2. Effects of that transfer on the host organism are unpredictable. 3. Scientists do not know enough about how genes work together to claim that there is no harm. Some unexpected harmful results might be missed in testing or only appear later.
CAN WE COPE WITH ANY GM PROBLEMS
People disagree about the potential for GM foods to cause problems and whether we have the ability to prevent or respond to them.
Views for 1. “Could we cope with any problems ” needs to be asked of all agriculture, not just GM-based systems, and of all foods. 2. There is no evidence that extra risks to health are involved in GM. In fact, non-food GM crops are being developed that will help treat and prevent disease. These include vaccines and medicines that can be produced more cheaply and more effectively in plants than in laboratories.3. GM crops are subject to a great deal of monitoring, which will be able to pick up problems and ensure that they are dealt with.
Views against 1. We actually know very little about what is happening, and how difficult it is therefore to track what harm is being or might be done. 2. The safeguards in place are based on assumptions, not evidence, and on the current state of affairs not the future. If GM technology is accepted, our exposure to its products, in food and in the environment, will radically increase. 3. Any problems in living systems are different in kind from other products – once an organism is released, or cross-contamination occurs, we cannot ‘recall’ them if things go wrong.