「基因編輯嬰兒」的來龍去脈，我在這裡不做贅言。因為艱澀的科學知識、術語等不是本專欄的重點，本文將焦距於各英文媒體相關報導中的「描述性」段落，提取其中的語言知識點，供大家積累、賞析。
[第一段] It has long been a scientific dream: to inoculate people against terrible diseases before they’re born. Now a team of doctors based in China has dangled that possibility in front of us by claiming it has edited the DNA of two human embryos during in vitro fertilization. The goal of the project was to protect the two (who are now twin baby girls) from HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
[第二段] If this was intended to be a gift to the world, though, it came in ugly wrapping. The principal investigator didn’t bother with such scientific protocols as peer review and publishing in a respected journal. Instead, he made claims about his results informally to a colleague at a conference, granted an interview to The Associated Press and posted a video on YouTube. He offered no evidence or independent corroboration that his experiment succeeded.
[第三段] And if indeed it didtake place as described, it unquestionably crossed all sorts of ethical and safety lines.
[第四段] The reaction was explosive. ...
The Los Angeles Times Dec 3,2018
熱點話題「出現、發酵、尾聲」的全過程都會有各家媒體跟進報導 (news)。不同於重在闡述觀點、但有時會「沒頭沒尾」的「社論」 (editorial)，這些「新聞報導」 (news) 都會在開篇用一定的篇幅來概括事件的基本信息。經過反覆挑選，我決定以《洛杉磯時報》相關報導的文首來開始今天的講解：第一段和第二段「單刀直入」的介紹了本次事件兩個核心的信息點，其一是實驗本身、其二是成果公布的方式。
第一段中的dangle一詞十分生動：dangle本義表示「懸蕩」 < He dangled his watch in front of thebaby. 他在嬰兒面前搖晃著表 >，也可以做比喻引申表示「引誘」 (to offer as an inducement or an enticement) < The prospect of promotion was dangled before him. 晉升的希望在吸引著他 >，文中這裡同樣是比喻引申的用法。
dangle在表示「誘惑」或者「吸引」的時候 (to offer something good to someone, in order to persuade them to do something)，有常用搭配dangle sth in front of sb/before sb。該比喻義其實很好理解，同學們應該看過一個小故事，騎驢的人在驢的面前懸掛一根胡蘿蔔，驢子為了吃胡蘿蔔而開始向前跑，這就是一個理解dangle的本義「懸掛」和比喻義「誘惑」之間聯繫的好例子。
文首有提到，長期以來，通過生殖細胞的基因編輯來改造人類都只是一個科學的夢 (It has long been a scientific dream: to inoculate people against terrible diseases before they’re born.)，這背後有無限可能，但是科學家們由於倫理、技術安全等原因並沒有再向前邁出一步。而本次賀某團隊的實驗行為，就好比「摘下了禁果」，並且會「誘惑」其他人在這一禁區做更深入的研究行為。
第二段則提到實驗成果的公布方式是不合理的，即沒有選擇權威的期刊，而是通過大眾媒體。段首一句「If this was intended to be a gift to the world, though, it came in ugly wrapping.」將這種「公布方式的不合理性」生動地比作包裝醜陋的禮物，並且在結構上與作為短評的第三段相互呼應。
第三段中出現cross the line 「越界行為」。這裡可以視為一個慣用表達，也可以看作一種比喻：「生殖細胞的基因編輯」是禁區，但賀某團隊的實驗行為「越界」了。
U.S. National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins called He’s experiment 「a misadventure of amajor sort」 — starring 「a scientist who apparently believed that he was a hero. In fact, he crossed every line, scientifically and ethically.」
Associated Press News Dec 3,2018
我在前述中展示《洛杉磯時報》和《美聯社》相關報導中出現的習語表達cross the line。通過翻閱其它媒體關於本次事件評價部分的內容，我從《科學警報》、《路透社》等媒體報導中摘錄了類似表達，供大家積累。
If we really have passed this controversial milestone, the obvious concern is whether or not this will open the door to 'designer babies' made to measure to parents' exact specific ations interms of looks and IQ.
Science Alert Nov 26, 2018
milestone本義表示裡程碑 (a stone serving as a milepost)，也可以表示發展進程中的重大事件、轉折點。類似前文中的cross the line，這裡則是pass this controversial milestone
Several specific factors in He’s work sent up ethical red flags.
Axios Nov 27, 2018
red flag字面義表示「紅旗」，即一種警告訊號 (a warning signal)。這裡的send up ethical red flags對應前文中的cross ethical lines
「Pandora’s box has been opened. We still might have a glimmer of hope to close it before it’s too late,」 the scientists said in their letter, a copy of which was posted by the Chinese news website The Paper.
Reuters Nov 28, 2018
11月26日下午，122位科學家在新浪微博「知識分子」帳號上發布聯合聲明稱：對於在現階段不經嚴格倫理和安全性審查，貿然嘗試做可遺傳的人體胚胎基因編輯的任何嘗試，堅決反對，強烈譴責。國家一定要迅速立法嚴格監管，潘多拉魔盒已經打開，我們可能還有一線機會在不可挽回前，關上它。
「潘多拉的魔盒」 Pandora’s box同樣在報導中多次出現，如果檢索谷歌的話，你會發現之前該表達多出現在「人工智慧」相關的報導中。這裡的open the Pandora’s box等同於前文中的cross the line, pass this controversial milestone, send up ethical red flags
《洛杉磯時報》該篇報導中從第四段開始著筆介紹各界對於本次事件的反應，「The reaction was explosive.」。
話題性事件的發生、發酵過程中，各大媒體肯對會對「reaction」進行多樣化的表達，以下我從多方報導中摘錄「關於本次基因編輯嬰兒事件造成的反應」的相關表述，逐一分解。
簡單一些，我們可以選擇stun, shock, cause much disquiet, drew worldwide condemnation等。來看一下《時代周刊》、《赫芬頓郵報》、《商業內幕》、《雅虎新聞》和《路透社》的報導節選。
The scientist stunned the medical community last week in a YouTube video, in which he claimed to have altered embryos for a couple during fertility treatments.
Time Dec 3, 2018
... shocked the scientific community
The Huffington Post Dec 4, 2018
diseases, as Business Insider has previously reported, but the idea that He has gone ahead and manipulated human genes caused much disquiet.
Business Insider Nov 27, 2018
It drew worldwide condemnation, with experts pointing out such research was unethical because children born using it could die from unknown side effects and the technology could be abused.
Yahoo News Nov 28, 2018
Geneticist draws the ire of scientists.
Reuters Nov 28, 2018
生動一些，我們就需要使用一些搭配了。來看一下《大西洋月刊》、《赫芬頓郵報》、《科學雜誌》、《彭博社》、《路透社》、《南華早報》、《雅虎新聞》和《美聯社》的報導節選。
Before last week, few people had heard the name He Jiankui. But on November 25, the young Chinese researcher became the center of a global firestorm when it emerged that he had allegedly made the first crispr-edited babies, twin girls named Lulu and Nana.
The Atlantic Dec 3, 2018
Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who triggered a firestorm of controversy last week when he claimed to have produced the world’s first gene-edited babies, is rumored to be missing, according to local news outlets.
The Huffington Post Dec 4, 2018
《大西洋月刊》和《赫芬頓郵報》中都使用了firestorm這個詞彙表達。firestorm字面含義表示「風暴性大火」 (a very large fire that is kept burning by the high winds that it causes) < the firestorm that leveled Hiroshima after the atomic blast. 原子彈爆炸後，把廣島夷為平地的風暴性大火 >，也可以做比喻引申表示批評、爭論、反對等的「大爆發」 (a lot of protests, complaints, or arguments that happen suddenly and all at once)，比如上述報導中的用法。
He sent shockwaves through the global scientific community last week with his claim that he』d used a gene-editing technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the embryonic genes of a pair of twin girls. He, who said he was 「proud」 of hiswork, also revealed that a second pregnancy was underway related to his research.
The Huffington Post Dec 4, 2018
The news of He’s claim had just broken, and shock waves were starting to reverberate.
Science Magazine Dec 4, 2018
《赫芬頓郵報》和《科學雜誌》中都提到了shockwave (also shock wave) 這個表達。它本義表示爆炸或者地震產生的「衝擊波」 (a very strong wave of air pressure or heat from an explosion, earthquake etc)，也可以作shockwaves (also shock waves) 的形式，表示「嚴重的混亂、衝突或者反應」，尤其用在新聞報導中 (strong feelings of shock that people feel when something bad happens unexpectedly - used especially in news reports)。
sent shock waves through是相關的常見搭配，再舉一個例子「The child's murder sent shockwaves through the neighborhood. 孩子被謀殺的消息在街坊鄰裡間引起了轟動」。
shock waves were starting to reverberate中的reverberate表示「迴響」或者「迴蕩」，這裡則將事件還在「發酵」形象地表達了出來。
His revelations have sparked a robust debate over the ethical boundaries of genetic editing and prompted calls for stricter regulation amid fears that the world could be moving closer to producing designer babies.
Bloomberg News Nov 28, 2018
He’s announcement, which has not been verified, sparked an international outcry about the ethics and safety of such research.
Reuters Dec 3, 2018
He announced on Monday that healthy twin sisters, named Lulu and Nana, had been born this month from embryos modified by his team to switch off an HIV-related gene, sparking a chorus of condemnation from around the world.
South China Morning Post Nov 27,2018
prompted widespread condemnation from scientists in China and elsewhere
Yahoo News Nov 27, 2018
A Chinese scientist’s claim that he has created the world’s first gene-edited children has caught health regulators flat-footed and triggered a flood of condemnation from research bodies.
Yahoo News Nov 26, 2018
上述《彭博社》、《路透社》、《南華早報》、《雅虎新聞》中的spark a robust debate, spark an international outcry, prompt widespread condemnation, trigger a flood of condemnation都可以視為同義表達。
a robust debate即表示「熱烈的討論」 (robust: having or showing vigor, strength, or firmness)。
an international outcry即表示「國際社會的強烈抗議」 (outcry: a strong protest or objection)。
widespread condemnation和a flood of condemnation都表示「廣泛的譴責」。
Early last year, a little-known Chinese researcher turned up at an elite meeting in Berkeley, California, where scientists and ethicists were discussing a technology that had shaken the field to its core — an emerging tool for 「editing」 genes, the strings of DNA that form the blue printof life.
Associated Press News Dec 3,2018
該《美聯社》報導選段中出現了習慣用語to the core，表示極深的程度 (extremely or completely)。常用搭配有shaken/shocked/thrilled to thecore
When I heard the news, I was shaken to the core. 聽到這個消息的時候，我被嚇得魂飛魄散。
That woman is rotten to thecore! 那個女人糟透了！
He was a bureaucrat to the core.他是個不折不扣的官僚主義者。
In a ground breaking development, a Chinese scientist has claimed that he altered the DNA of human embryos, and that at least two of these embryos became recently-born Chinese twins Lulu and Nana, pseudonyms because of privacy concerns for the family. Though the reports are unconfirmed, the announcement is sparking moral outrage from lay people and scientists alike.
ABC News Nov 26, 2018
《ABC新聞》這一段落中可以提取出如何表達「大眾和科學家」：... is sparking moral outrage from lay people and scientists alike
Amid a barrage of criticism, China’s National Health Commission late on Monday ordered officials to 「seriously investigate and verify」 He’s claims. Shenzhen’s Health and Family Planning commission said it was investigating the ethics committee and review process of He’s work.
The Guardian Nov 27, 2018
《衛報》這一節選段落中的a barrage of criticism和前文中的a flood of condemnation, a chorus of condemnation結構相同、含義相近。
barrage本表示「彈幕」或者「火力網」 (the continuous firing of guns, dropping of bombs etc, especially to protect soldiers as they move towards an enemy)，也可以表示批評、質問等集中或者有壓倒之勢的傾瀉 (a lot of criticism, questions, complaints etc that are said at the same time, or very quickly one after another)。
chorus本義表示「合唱」 (a large group of people who sing together)，也可以表示「由一些人同時發聲」 (a simultaneous utterance by a number of people) < a chorus of jeers from the bystanders 旁觀者發出的嘲弄 >
休息一下眼睛哦
前文中梳理了如何概括表述各界對本次事件的「反應」，接下來我們來看一下各方對本次事件以及當事人賀某的「評價」。雖然「反應」和「評價」往往是分不開的，但是後者會涉及更多的描述性細節，這些細節就是我們可以積累的語言知識點。
官方對於本事件的評價是「性質極其惡劣」，《時代周刊》和《商業內幕》都處理成extremely abominable或者extremely abominable in nature，《日經亞洲評論》則處理成extremely nasty。
abominable和nasty都可以表示「非常令人不愉快的」。
「The nature of this incident is extremely nasty, and relevant bodies have been ordered to temporarily halt the scientific research activities of relevant personnel,」 the state news agency Xinhua said, citing the health ministry, scienceand technology ministry and China Association for Scienceand Technology.
Nikkei Asian Review Nov 29, 2018
The Chinese scientist is now facing an investigation from China’s National Health Commissionon the experiment, with a top official at the Ministry of Science and Technology telling state media that He’s work was 「extremely abominable.」
Time Dec 3, 2018
However, last week, Xu Nanping, vice minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, told the Xinhua News Agency that Chinese authorities had ordered the research of anybody involved in "the gene-edited babies incident"to be suspended. Xu said the experiments were"extremely abominable in nature."
Business Insider Dec 4, 2018
官方之外，各界對於賀某其人、其事的評價的「花樣」就十分豐富了。
crazy, monstrous, unethical一類常見表達暫且不表，多家媒體中反覆出現了rogue這個詞。
rogue表示「無賴、流氓、惡棍」這類含義，即「不講道德、欺詐和不可靠的人」 (a man or boy who behaves badly, but who you like in spite of this - often used humorously)。
A global consensus wasn’t enough to stop one rogue scientist from bringing Crispr babies into the world.
WIRED Nov 30, 2018
美國《連線》雜誌直接將賀某描述成「無賴科學家」 (rogue scientist)。
Condemnation would make He a rogue and a scientific outcast.
WIRED Nov 27, 2018
《連線》雜誌在另一篇報導中又提到了「scientific outcast」，表示賀某會被科學界拋棄。outcast表示「被逐出或者被拋棄的人」 (someone who is not accepted by the people they live among, or who has been forced out of their home)。
But if a rogue scientist tinkering quietly in a lab can smash through norms and meddle with the human genome to feed his own ego or scientific curiosity, the worry is that many more dangerous applications of CRISPR could be in store.
Vox Nov 26, 2018
《Vox新聞》中除了「rogue scientist」還提到了tinker這個詞彙表達。
tinker表示「隨便地或以外行方式做（尤指試著修理或改進某物）」，而賀某正是物理學出身，卻在基因編輯領域有超越禁忌的想法。
China’s gene editing Frankenstein He Jiankui, dubbed 『mad genius』 by colleagues, had early dreams of becoming Chinese Einstein.
The Huffington Post Nov 27, 2018
He was called 「China’s Frankenstein」 after he released a video on YouTube in which he claimed that his team had modified the embryos of two sisters to switch off an HIV-related gene because their father had the virus.
Newsweek Dec 4, 2018
《赫芬頓郵報》和《新聞周刊》的節選段落中都展示了本來想成為「中國的愛因斯坦」的賀某，因為投機的心理和行為，現如今則變成了「中國的弗蘭肯斯坦」。這裡指出了賀某「半路出家」的「外行」身份，所以前文中tinker的使用是十分恰當的。
Frankenstein也有一層比喻義，表示「自己所創造而無法控制的事物」或者「作法自斃者」。因為原著中弗蘭肯斯坦創造的怪物毀滅了他本人，這和賀某所作所為就對應上了。
加油~堅持住哦
本專欄的創作意圖是幫助大家提高寫作能力，那麼光有詞的積累是不夠的。講解的最後，我再為大家整理出一個句式和兩份語料積累。望有所幫助。
Herein lies one of the more potent arguments against gene editing. The complexity of the human genome means that no edit can be entirely without consequence. Every time we change the genome hoping to offer some sort of benefit, our actions will likely result in some sort of harm as well. The exact nature of these trade-offs are often only evident after the fact, often when itis too late to do anything about it.
Mint Dec 5, 2018
如果想要表達「這是反對基因編輯的有利論據之一」，同學們可能會寫成：
「One of the more potent arguments against gene editing exists here.」
或者
「Here comes one of the more potent arguments against gene editing.」
印度財經日報《Mint》則處理成「Herein lies one of the more potent arguments against gene editing.」，這裡出現了一個值得積累的句式「Herein lies ...」，語法角度來看是「完全倒裝」（即當表示方位的副詞位於句首時，如there,here, up, down, in, away等，句子謂語是不及物動詞，如go,come , run等，可將謂語動詞全部置於主語之前）。
herein表示「in this」，再舉兩個和文中相同用法的例子：Herein lies a problem. 問題就在這裡* Herein lies the answer. 答案就在這裡。
① What He actually achieved is indeed unclear, but none of the scenarios look good. ② If He really did get approval, then it confirms suspicions about Chinese regulators』 lackadaisical attitude toward ethics. ③ If he went rogue on something so big, then it suggests that oversight institutions have little power to keep scientists in line. ④ And if his claims ultimately turn out to be untrue, then it fits the narrative of rampant fraud and embellishment in Chinese science. ⑤ The birth of the first gene-edited babies could be a major technical achievement, but it has turned into a disaster for China’s scientific reputation.
The Atlantic 27, 2018
《大西洋月刊》的社論節選共分五句：第①句拋出觀點「不論賀某的實驗是否成功，其所造成的影響都是消極的」；第②③④句連用三次「if then」結構，進一步推演三種可能，來論證首句的觀點；第⑤句呼應首句，並具體點明所產生的消極影響是什麼。
第①句中的scenario本義指電影、戲劇的腳本或者劇情梗概 (a written description of the characters, place, and things that will happen in a film, play etc)，這裡則指「預料中可能發生的情況」(a situation that could possibly happen)。
第②句中的lackadaisical表示「無精打採的、缺乏活力或興趣的」 (lacking spirit, liveliness, or interest) 或者「動作遲緩的」 (languid)，常見搭配有a lackadaisical approach/attitude to/towards，表示一種不積極的態度。
第③句中的go rogue on something可以理解為「在某事上胡鬧」，即做出了不誠實或者不道德的行為。比如美國總統川普曾經因為在推特上的口無遮攔而引起了不少麻煩，就可以表達為go rogue on social media
第④句中的fits the narrative可以積累在寫作中，表示事實與某種先入為主的觀念、想法、評價等相符合。
The history of IVF shows that there was no demonstrable case made for the necessity of test-tube babies and neither were there years of evidence from, say, primate studies for scientists to conclude that IVF babies would be as healthy or no more at risk from infections than naturally conceived babies. The evidence for its suitability and safety only emerged over time. Assuming that Mr. He’s done what he claims, he deserves to be rapped but not condemned or vilified. He’s broken a red light, not crossed a rubicon.
The Hindu Dec 3, 2018
《印度教徒報》的社論節選中的觀點明顯與《大西洋月刊》的不同。我挑選出的這兩篇社論的觀點節選部分，可以對應現如今國內網民的兩種觀點。本專欄以語言學習為主，相關討論同學們可以自行體會。這裡主要為大家拆解《印度教徒報》相關社論節選中段尾兩句裡的知識難點。
rap本義指「輕敲」或者「輕叩」，可以同義於criticize或者blame。
condemn則表示「非常強烈地譴責」 (to say very strongly that you do not approve of something or someone, especially because you think it is morally wrong)
vilify則表示「詆毀」或者「中傷」 (to say or write bad things about someone or something)
red light字面義即「紅燈」，即「危險信號」。可以對應前文中的red flag來理解。
cross the Rubicon是習慣用語，表示「to do something that will have extremely important effects in the future and that you cannot change」，其中的「Rubicon」即指「越過就無可挽回的界線，通常造成不可改變的責任」。這裡的cross the Rubicon可以對應cross the line of morality andethics來理解。
點擊圖片即可參與
要記得常來看我
--- 未完待續 ---