研究幹細胞，古爾登、山中伸彌共享諾貝爾醫學獎，BBC 特別報導－英美美語

＊閱讀全文請點擊此連結

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19869673

＊新聞標題

Gurdon and Yamanaka share Nobel prize for stem cell work

＊標題解說

‧ Gurdon and Yamanaka：兩位諾貝爾得主的 last name, 姓氏

注意到新聞標題用 last name, 不是 first name.

‧ stem cell：幹細胞（看看你常用的字典是否有收這個詞彙？）

a basic type of cell which can divide and develop into cells with

particular functions. All the different kinds of cells in the human body

develop from stem cells

Stem cells are the key to the body's ability to renew itself.

http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/stem+cell

‧ Nobel prize：諾貝爾獎（名詞）

＊內文解析

■ 兩位幹細胞先驅研究者共同獲得諾貝爾醫學或生理學獎。

Two pioneers of stem cell research have shared the Nobel prize for medicine or physiology.

‧ physiology：生理學

the scientific study of the normal functions of living things http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/physiology

注意：物理學是 physics

‧ pioneer：先驅（名詞）pioneers（複數型）

■ 來自英國 約翰 Gurdon戈登 和來自日本的山中伸彌Yamanaka因改變成年細胞轉化為可以在體內成為任何其他類型的細胞的幹細胞，被授予該獎項。

John Gurdon from the UK and Shinya Yamanaka from Japan were awarded the prize for changing adult cells into stem cells, which can become any other type of cell in the body.

‧ 簡化來看：X and Y were awarded Z for doing this.

X和 Y 被授予 Z 因為做了某事

X= John Gurdon from the UK 來自英國的約翰戈登

Y= Shinya Yamanaka from Japan來自日本的山中伸彌

Z= the prize 該獎項

changing adult cells into stem cells 之後的 which 子句說明

stem cells 幹細胞可以發揮的功用：become any other type of cell

in the body.

成為任何在體內其他類型的細胞

‧ change the adult cells into stem cells：改變成年細胞為幹細胞

■ Gurdon 教授用一種內臟的樣本複製了青蛙而山中伸彌教授改變了基因來重新編寫細胞的程式。

Prof Gurdon used a gut sample to clone frogs and Prof Yamanaka altered genes to reprogramme cells.

‧ 簡化來看：Prof Gurdon used A to do X and Prof Yamanaka altered B to do Y.

A= gut sample 內臟的樣本

X= clone frogs 複製了青蛙

‧ clone something：複製某物（動詞）

to produce an exact copy of an animal or a plant from its cells

A team from the UK were the first to successfully clone an animal.

http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/clone_2

B= genes 基因（複數型）gene（名詞）

a unit inside a cell which controls a particular quality in a living thing

that has been passed on from its parents

a dominant/recessive gene

http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/gene

Y= reprogramme cells重新編寫細胞的程式。

‧ alter：改變（動詞）

■ Gurdon教授十五歲的學校成績單是這麼寫的

Gurdon school report, aged 15

‧ report：不是只有報告的意思，查字典的時候要找的合適的意思→成績單

（British English 英式）（North American English report card 美式）

a written statement about a student's work at school, college, etc

a school report

to get a good/bad report

http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/report_2

■ 「我相信Gurdon有想成為一名科學家的想法，但依他現在的表現，這是很荒謬的，如果他學不會簡單的生物學事實，他就不可能做專業研究員的工作，對他和必需教他的人來說，純粹是浪費時間。」

"I believe Gurdon has ideas about becoming a scientist; on his present showing this is quite ridiculous; if he can't learn simple biological facts he would have no chance of doing the work of a specialist, and it would be a sheer waste of time, both on his part and of those who would have to teach him."

‧ ridiculous：荒謬的（形容詞）

‧ waste：浪費（名詞）

a situation in which it is not worth spending time, money, etc. on something

These meetings are a complete waste of time.

http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/waste_2

‧ a sheer waste of time：純粹浪費時間（片語）

BBC 的科學版編輯，David Shukman Science editor, BBC News採訪了Gurdon 教授

■ 我問他對於其間50年的差距 有何看法：從1962年出版突破性的論文到現在才剛剛獲獎。

I asked what he thought of the 50-year gap between publishing his ground-breaking paper, in 1962, and winning the award only now.

‧ 簡化來看：I asked what he thought of X

我問他對X 的看法

X= the 50-year gap between A and B

A 和B 之間50年的差距（gap）

A= publishing his ground-breaking paper in 1962, 1962年出版突破性的論文

B= winning the award only now 現在才剛剛獲獎

‧ groundbreaking：突破性的（形容詞）

這個字不需寫成 ground-breaking字典上是一個字

making new discoveries; using new methods

a groundbreaking piece of research

http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/groundbreaking

■ 其實，他說，對青蛙細胞的實驗是早在1958年進行的—「相當長的時間之前」，但他以無限的耐心說，科學最管用是靠確認自己的理論是正確的。

Actually, he said, the experiment on the frog cells was carried out back in 1958 - "rather a long time ago", but he said, with infinite patience, that science works best by making sure one's theories are right.

‧ Science works best by X.

靠X , science works best, 科學運作得最好

X= making sure one's theories are right. 確認自己的理論是正確的

針對幹細胞 BBC 特別做了介紹

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11518539

■ 這個領域對很多人來說都是第一次接觸，以前課本沒教過呢。

紐約時報報導了，1962年出生的山中伸彌教授在專門研究幹細胞之前，是接受外科醫生訓練的，但他放棄了因為發現自己沒有那方面的天分。

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/09/health/research/cloning-and-stem-cell-discoveries-earn-nobel-prize-in-medicine.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&pagewanted=all

In a brief interview today, Dr. Yamanaka, who was born in 1962 in Higashiosaka, Japan, said that he had trained as surgeon but “gave it up because I learned I was not talented.”

‧ talented：有天分的（形容詞）

having a natural ability to do something well

a talented player

http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/talented

消息傳來，中文的新聞網站，紛紛報導了兩人得獎成名之前的事蹟

http://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2012/10/270269.shtm

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/dfpd/dfjyzc/2012-10-10/content_7202698.html

http://sa.ylib.com/MagCont.aspx?Unit=columns&id=1326

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/2012%E8%AB%BE%E8%B2%9D%E7%88%BE%E9%86%AB%E5%AD%B8%E7%8D%8E%E5%BE%97%E4%B8%BB-%E5%B1%B1%E4%B8%AD%E4%BC%B8%E5%BD%8C-shinya-yamanaka-093500560.html

＊字彙整理

讀他們的新聞，感受到原來讀新聞也像讀小說一樣有趣，讀英文新聞，我們藉此學習一些談論研究幹細胞的用語：

‧ 幹細胞：stem cell（名詞）