Ruth Simmons (the end) + Genetics (new sequence)

Hey,

today we first finished our comment on the oral document featuring Ruth Simmons. Here is what we said about her:

Ruth Simmons was motivated by her parents to hit the books, that's to say to become someone important.
She earned a scholarship and she graduated at the top of her class.

When she was growing up, people told her she would be a sheer secretary because she was black and she was a woman.

Despite these remarks, Ruth Simmons began her career as a teacher of English litterature. Then she became the dean of Princeton. And finally she made history by becoming the President of Brown university, an ivy
league college; she was the first Afro-American woman to have this status. She was successful thanks to her parents, her background, and her education.

Society changes / evolves. Prejudices against black people and woman are less and less important.

 

Then we continued the lesson with the start of our new sequence about science and genetics. We particularly focused our attention on the study of an opinion poll about cloning. You had to comment and debate about this issue. Here is what we said about it:

The document is the results of an opinion poll / survey carried out in the USA. It deals with cloning. The major part of people are against cloning. But they make a difference between animals and people.
It seems more ethical to clone a sheep than a human being.
Many people are against cloning because of their religious beliefs.
They believe creating life thanks to science is unnatural. Human beings are not gods.
However, there are reason why cloning could be positive such as organ transplant; the organs would not be rejected and it would not be difficult to find a donor. Presently, there is lack / shortage of donors.

Additional vocabulary:

D.N.A: ADN
Blood type
Blood cell
stem cell
(to) undergo surgery (a surgeon)

HW: continue thinking about the issue and get prepare to give your arguments for or against cloning.

Files: download the opinion poll again here.