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Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Phil. And I'm Georgie.
大家好。这是BBC六分钟英语节目。我是菲尔，我是乔基。
Animal testing is when living animals are used in scientific research to find out how effective a new medicine is, or how safe a product is for humans.
动物试验是指在科学研究中使用活体动物来了解新药的有效性或产品对人类的安全性。
Scientists in favour of it argue that animal testing shows whether medicines are safe or dangerous for humans, and has saved many lives.
支持动物试验的科学家认为，动物试验可以表明药物对人类是否安全，并且已经挽救了许多人的生命。
But animal rights campaigners say it's cruel, and also ineffective because animals and humans are so different.
但动物权利活动家表示，这很残忍，而且无效，因为动物和人类是如此不同。
Under British law, medicines must be tested on two different types of animals, usually starting with rats, mice or guinea pigs.
根据英国法律，药物必须在两种不同类型的动物身上进行测试，通常从大鼠、小鼠或豚鼠开始。
And in everyday English, the term human guinea pig can be used to mean the first people to have something tested on them.
在日常英语中，human guinea pig一词可用于表示第一批接受测试的人。
But now, groups both for and against animal testing are thinking again, thanks to a recent development in the debate: AI.
但现在，由于人工智能最近的发展，支持和反对动物试验的团体都在重新思考。
In this programme, we'll be hearing how artificial intelligence could help reduce the need for scientific testing on animals.
在本期节目中，我们将听到人工智能如何帮助减少动物试验的需要。
But first I have a question for you, Georgie. There's one commonly used medicine in particular, which is harmful for animals but safe for humans, but what?
但首先我要问你一个问题，乔基。有一种常用药物对动物有害，但对人类却安全，是什么呢？
Is it: a) antibiotics? b) aspirin? or, c) paracetamol? Hmm, I guess it's aspirin.
是抗生素？阿司匹林？还是扑热息痛？嗯，我猜是阿司匹林。
OK, Georgie, I'll reveal the answer at the end of the programme. Christine Ro is a science journalist who's interested in the animal testing debate.
好的，乔基，我将在节目结束时揭晓答案。克里斯汀·罗（Christine Ro）是一名科学记者，对动物测试争论很感兴趣。
Here, she explains to BBC World Service programme, 'Tech Life', some of the limitations of testing medicines on animals.
她向BBC世界服务节目“科技生活”解释了动物测试药物的一些局限性。
Of course, you can't necessarily predict from a mouse or a dog what's going to happen in a human, and there have been a number of cases where substances that have proven to be toxic in animals have been proven to be safe in humans, and vice versa.
当然，你无法从老鼠或狗身上预测会发生什么，而且有许多案例表明，对动物有毒的物质被证明对人类是安全的，反之亦然。
There are also, of course, animal welfare limitations to animal testing.
当然，动物测试也有动物福利限制。
Most people, I think, if they had the choice, would want their substances to be used on as few animals, or no animals, as possible, while still ensuring safety.
我认为，如果可以选择，大多数人都希望他们的物质尽可能少地用于动物，甚至不用于动物，同时仍然确保安全。
Now that's been a really difficult needle to thread, but AI might help to make that more possible.
现在，这真的是一个很难穿针引线的问题，但人工智能可能会让这个问题更容易解决。
Christine says that medicines which are safe for animals, might not be safe for humans.
克里斯汀说，对动物安全的药物，对人类来说可能并不安全。
But the opposite is also true – what's safe for humans might not be safe for animals.
但反之亦然，对人类安全的药物对动物来说可能并不安全。
Christine uses the phrase vice versa to show that the opposite of what she says is also true.
克里斯汀用“vice versa”这个短语来表明，她所说的反之亦然。
Christine also uses the idiom to thread the needle to describe a task which requires a lot of skill and precision, especially one involving a conflict.
克里斯汀还用“to thread the needle”这个习语来描述一项需要大量技能和精确度的任务，尤其是涉及冲突的任务。
Yes, medical animal testing may save human lives, but many people see it as cruel and distressing for the animal – it's a difficult needle to thread.
是的，医学动物试验可能会挽救人类的生命，但许多人认为这对动物来说是残忍和痛苦的——这是一根很难穿针引线的针。
But now, the challenge of threading that needle has got a little easier because of artificial intelligence.
但现在，由于人工智能的存在，穿针引线的挑战变得容易了一些。
Predicting how likely a new medicine is to harm humans, involves analysing the results of thousands of experiments.
预测一种新药对人类造成伤害的可能性，需要分析数千次实验的结果。
And one thing AI is really good at, is analysing mountains and mountains of data. Here's Christine Ro again, speaking with BBC World Service's, 'Tech Life'.
人工智能擅长的一件事就是分析海量数据。以下是克里斯汀·罗接受BBC国际服务“科技生活”节目采访的报道。
So, AI isn't the whole picture of course, but it's an increasingly important part of the picture.
人工智能当然不是全貌，但它是全貌中越来越重要的一部分。
And one reason for that, is that there is a huge amount of toxicology data to wade through when it comes to determining chemical safety, and on top of that, there's this staggering number of chemicals being invented all of the time.
其中一个原因是，在确定化学品安全性时，需要仔细研究大量的毒理学数据，除此之外，还有数量惊人的化学品不断被发明。
AI helps scientists wade through huge amounts of data. If you wade through something, you spend a lot of time and effort doing something boring or difficult, especially reading a lot of information.
人工智能帮助科学家仔细研究大量数据。如果你wade through something，你会花费大量时间和精力做一些无聊或困难的事情，尤其是阅读大量信息。
AI can process huge amounts of data, and what's more, that amount keeps growing as new chemicals are invented.
人工智能可以处理大量数据，而且，随着新化学品的发明，数据量还在不断增长。
Christine uses the phrase on top of that, meaning 'in addition to something', often this extra thing is negative.
克里斯汀使用了短语“on top of that”，意思是“除了某件事之外”，通常这件额外的事情是负面的。
She means there's already so much data to understand and additionally, there's even more to be understood about these new chemicals.
她的意思是已经有太多数据需要理解，此外，关于这些新化学品还有更多需要理解的地方。
Of course, the good news is that with AI, testing on animals could one day stop, although Christine warns that AI is not the whole picture, it's not a complete description of something which includes all the relevant information.
当然，好消息是，有了人工智能，动物实验终有一天会停止，尽管克里斯汀警告说，人工智能并不是全貌，它不是对某事的完整描述，并不包括所有相关信息。
Nevertheless, the news is a step forward for both animal welfare and for modern medicine.
尽管如此，这一消息对动物福利和现代医学来说都是向前迈出的一步。
Speaking of which, what was the answer to your question, Phil? What is a commonly used medicine which is safe for humans, but harmful to animals? I guessed it was aspirin.
说到这个，菲尔，你这个问题的答案是什么？什么常用药物对人类安全，但对动物有害？我猜是阿司匹林。
Which was the correct answer! Right, let's recap the vocabulary we've discussed, starting with human guinea pigs meaning the first people to have something new tested on them.
这是正确答案！好吧，让我们回顾一下我们讨论过的词汇，从human guinea pigs开始，意思是第一个在它们身上测试新东西的人。
The phrase vice versa is used to indicate that the opposite of what you have just said is also true.
短语“vice versa”用于表示你刚才说的相反情况也是正确的。
To thread the needle describes a task which requires extreme skill and precision to do successfully.
To thread the needle描述了一项需要极高技巧和精确度才能成功完成的任务。
The whole picture means a complete description of something, which includes all the relevant information and opinions about it.
The whole picture意味着对某事的完整描述，其中包括有关它的所有相关信息和意见。
If you wade through something, you spend a lot of time and effort doing something boring or difficult, especially reading a lot of information.
如果您wade through something，则表示您花费了大量的时间和精力去做一些无聊或困难的事情，尤其是阅读大量信息。
And finally, the phrase on top of something means 'in addition to something', and that extra thing is often negative. That's all for this week. Goodbye for now! Bye!
最后，短语on top of something的意思是“除了某事之外”，而这个额外的东西通常是负面的。本周就到这里。暂时再见！再见！
