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Passage 25
Once they decided to have children, MiShel and Carl Meissner tackled the next big issue: Should they try to have a girl? It was no small matter. MiShel’s brother had become blind from a hereditary (遗传的）condition in his early 20s, and the Meissners had learned that the condition is a _1_ passed from mothers to sons. If they had a boy, he would have a 50 per cent chance of having the condition. A girl would be _2_.
The British couple's _3_ about gender selection led them to Virginia, US where a new sperm (精子）-separation technique, called MicroSort, was under _4_ . When MiShel became pregnant, she gave birth to a daughter. They will try to have a second daughter using the technique later this year.
This is not only a _5_ effective way to select a child’s gender. It also brings a host of ethical (伦理的）and practical considerations—especially for the majority of families who use the technique for _6_ reasons.
The clinic offers sex selection for two purposes: to help couples _7_ passing on a gender-linked _8_ disease and to allow those who already have a child to “balance” their family by having a baby of the opposite sex.
The technology is still _9_. However, Blauer says the company has an _10_ success rate: 91 per cent of the women who become pregnant after sorting for a girl are successful, while 76 per cent who sort for a boy and get pregnant are successful.
A) genetic B) overlapped C) impressive D) unaffected
E) perpetually F) investigation G) inquiries H) feats
I) disorder J) gropes K) experimental L) seemingly
M) elicit N) nonmedical O) avoid
