Mr Bush's first veto
布什首次动用否决权（陈继龙 编译）
Jul 20th 2006 | WASHINGTON, DC
From The Economist print edition
FIVE and a half years into hisp_______①,George Bush finally vetoed a bill this week. （1）Oddly enough, it was one that most Americans support: it would have expanded federal funding for embryonic[1] stem-cell research.The House and Senate had both passed the bill by wide, but not veto-proof margins, so Mr Bush's word is final, at least until after the mid-term elections in November.
本周，乔治•布什最终对一项法案行使了他担任总统五年半以来的第一次否决权。说也奇怪，这是一项大多数美国人都支持的法案——加大联邦政府对胚胎干细胞研究的资助。虽然参众两院均通过了此项法案，但并未获得可以避开总统否决权的多数票，（译注：根据美国法律，总统无权否决在国会获三分之二多数通过的法案。）因此布什的意见是决定性的，至少在11月中期选举前是如此。
Stem cells are cells that have not yet decided what they want to be when they grow up. That is, they can become blood cells, brain cells, or pretty much any other type of cell. Their versatility makes them extremely useful for medical research. Thee_______②snag[2]is that the best stem cells are harvested from human embryos, killing them. For the most ardentpro-lifers[3],including Mr Bush and many of his core supporters, that is murder. Proponents of embryonic stem-cell research point out thathordes[4]of embryos are created during fertility treatment, and the vast majority of these are either frozen indefinitely or destroyed._______________________.（难道将它们应用于可能具有挽救生命意义的研究真的错了吗？）（2）Yes, said Mr Bush on July 19th, flanked[5] by some families who had “adopted” other people's frozen embryos and used them to have children of their own.
干细胞是一种尚未确定成熟为何种细胞的细胞。也就是说，它们可以变成血细胞、脑细胞或者几乎所有其它类型的细胞。它们的多功能性使其对医学研究极为有用。阻碍干细胞研究的伦理问题在于，最好的干细胞都是在将人类胚胎杀死之后从中采集的。对包括布什及其核心支持者在内的大多数坚决反对堕胎的人而言，这就是谋杀。支持干细胞研究的人指出，研究所用的胚胎都是通过人工受孕形成的，而且绝大多数将被无限期冷冻或者杀死。难道将它们应用于可能具有挽救生命意义的研究真的错了吗？7月19日布什说，是的。一些“领养”了他人冷冻胚胎、并用来怀上自己孩子的家庭也站在了他这边。
Mr Bush's veto does not kill stem-cell research. Scientists whospurn[6]federal cash may do as they please. The government still pays for research on stem cells taken from adults, a process that does not kill thed_______③.（3）And a decision by Mr Bush in 2001 allows federally-funded scientists to experiment on the few dozen embryonic stem-cell “lines” that already existed then, which can be propagated[7] in a laboratory.
布什的否决没有彻底封杀干细胞研究。对联邦政府资助不屑一顾的科学家们只要愿意，还是会照搞不误。政府仍将为成人干细胞研究提供资助，此类研究不用杀死干细胞供者。布什2001年决定同意获政府资助的科学家仅对少量已经采集到的干细胞“系”进行实验，这些干细胞系可以在实验室中繁殖。
Nonetheless, scientists are furious with Mr Bush. Federal funding would surely push them faster towards thosee_______④cures. Research based on adult stem cells may be promising, but not nearly as promising as that based on embryonic ones. There are worries that those few dozen embryonic stem-cell lines represent too narrow a gene pool, and that they cannot be endlessly extended without damaging them. （4）Other countries, such as Britain and China, are enthusiastically experimenting on embryonic stem cells. But the world's most innovative nation is hanging back.
但是，科学家们仍对布什非常不满。联邦政府的资助必将推动他们更快找到根治那些疑难杂症的方法。虽然成人干细胞研究也许有着不错的前景，但仍比不上胚胎干细胞。还有人担心那些极少数的冷冻胚胎干细胞系所包含的基因谱过窄，如若不被破坏，应用范围就得不到拓展。英国和中国等一些其它国家正在热火朝天地开展胚胎干细胞实验，而美国这个世界上最具创新精神的国家却打起了退堂鼓。
[QUIZ]
1. 根据上下文及英文释义，完成单词填空：
①p______（n.the period of time during which someone is president）
②e______（adj.relating to principles of what is right and wrong [= moral]）
③d______（n.someone who gives blood or a body organ so that it can be used in the medical treatment of someone else）
④e______（adj.difficult to achieve or understand）
2. 英译汉（将划线部分英文翻译成中文）：
3．汉译英（根据译文提示和上下文，在空白处填入相应英文）：
[NOTES](LONGMAN)
1. embryonic adj.胚胎的
2. snag n.暗桩；阻碍，障碍
3. pro-lifer n.反对堕胎者
4. horde n.群；游牧部落
5. flank v.在……的两侧；夹击
如：Lewis entered flanked by two bodyguards. 刘易斯进去了，身边左右各有一名保镖。/mountains flanking the road马路两旁的山峦
6. spurn v.傲慢地拒绝；拒斥
7. propagate v.繁殖（reproduce）；传播，宣传
[KEY TO QUIZ]
[replyview]1. ①presidency总统任期
②ethical 合乎道德的（表示“morally good behaviour”的词汇：good • right • ethical • decent 正派的，端庄的• honorable值得尊敬的 • be above/beyond reproach无可指摘的）
③donor 供体（如：blood donor献血者）
④elusive 难懂的；难找的2.（见译文，仅供参考，欢迎指正）
3. Is it really wrong to use them for potentially life-saving research?
