VOA慢速英语2014 科学家发现咖啡的秘密

 

AS IT IS 2014-09-20 Scientists Discover Secrets of Coffee 科学家发现咖啡的秘密

An international team of researchers has created a sequence, or map, of the genes² of the coffee plant known as Robusta. About one-third of the coffee drunk worldwide comes from this plant.

The researchers call coffee “the irresistible³ bean that delivers the most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world.”

Researchers hope to use the map they created to make changes to the plant’s genes.

The researchers were surprised to discover the genes for caffeine. They discovered coffee’s caffeine genes are not linked to the caffeine genes in the cacao tree. Cacao beans are used to make chocolate.

With the new gene¹ map, researchers say they may be able to develop plants that can survive climate change. They may also be able to create a coffee plant that does not have caffeine. The researchers say that would let growers and coffee makers⁴ produce coffee that tastes better than the kind that has the caffeine removed.

We drink 2.5 billion cups of coffee every day. Coffee is the main agricultural crop in many tropical countries.

The genetic⁵ map of the coffee plant Robusta was published in the journal Science. The researchers say the plant “joins a long list of crop species that have been sequenced using ever-improving” computer programs.  

1 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

2 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

3 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。

4 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。