Narrator: Listen to a conversation between a student and his biology professor.

旁白：听一段学生和他生物学教授的对话。

Student: Professor Landrea.

学生：Landrea教授。

Professor: Hi, Dennis. You are right on time.

教授：你好啊，Dennis。你来的正好。

Come on in and have a seat.

过来坐下吧。

Student: Great! Thanks.

学生：太好了，谢啦。

Professor: So like I told you in class, I just wanted to take a few minutes to meet with everyone to make sure your class presentations for next week are all in order and coming along well.

教授：就像我在课上和你们讲的，我只是想花几分钟和你们每个人都见一下，以确保你们下周的演讲都准备好并且可以很好地呈现出来。

And as you know, you are supposed to report on some area of recent research in genetics, something…you know…original.

你知道，你们应该就最近关于遗传学的研究作报告，一些……你知道……原创的。

Student: Well, I think I found just the thing.

学生：我认为我找的内容正是这样的。

It actually occurred to me a couple nights ago while I was eating dinner in the cafeteria.

几天前的一个晚上，当我在学校餐厅吃饭的时候，我突然想到的。

Tell me professor, do you like broccoli?

教授可以不可以告诉我，你喜欢西兰花吗？

Professor: Broccoli? You mean the vegetable broccoli?

教授：西兰花，你指的是蔬菜西兰花？

Student: Yeah.

学生：是的。

Professor: Well, I guess not really.

教授：我想我不怎么喜欢。

Student: Me neither. I have never liked it or most other vegetables for that matter…Brussels sprouts, asparagus, cauliflower…you name it.

学生：我也是。就此而言，我从来不喜欢它或者大部分其他的蔬菜，球芽甘蓝、芦笋、花椰菜，凡是你能说出来的。

They just taste bitter and…well…nasty to me.

他们吃上去是苦的并且对我来说有点脏。

My mother always called me a picky eater.

我妈老说我是个挑食的人。

Professor: OK…And?

教授：好的，那么？

Student: And so I got to wondering: I mean, I am obviously not the only person like this.

学生：所以我开始想了：我的意思是，我并不是唯一一个不喜欢这些蔬菜的人。

So is this just because of some…like trauma from our childhoods?

那么这会不会是因为我们儿时的一些创伤呢？

Some bad experience we've had with vegetables?

我们和这些蔬菜之间有一些不好的经历？

Or could there be some genetic explanation for why some people are picky eaters and others aren't?

或者是否有一些遗传学上的解释来说明有些人是挑食的人而有些人不是？

Professor: OK. I see. Well, I suppose it's a possibility.

教授：好的，我明白了。我觉得这是一种可能性。

Student: Actually, it turns out it's more than a possibility.

学生：事实上，这个不仅是种可能性。

I started doing some research in the library that night and I found out that a biologist at the National Institutes of Health has been looking at that very question recently.

那天晚上，我开始在图书管理作研究，并且我发现国立卫生研究院的一个生物学家在最近已经开始研究这个问题了。

Professor: Well, I guess that's not too surprising.

教授：我想这个也没什么可以惊讶的。

And this is great stuff actually.

事实上这个话题很好。

So what's the verdict?

那么结论是什么？

Student: Well, this guy seems to have discovered a particular gene that actually makes it possible for people to taste the bitterness in certain green vegetables.

学生：这个人好像发现了有某个基因可能会让人尝出某些绿色植物中的苦味。

But people who have a mutation in that gene cannot taste the bitterness.

但是这个基因发生变异的那些人们就尝不出这样的苦味了。

Professor: Well…that's certainly fascinating!

教授：那实在是太吸引人了！

But…so this biologist is basically claiming that people who like to eat these vegetables actually have some sort of sensory deficit?

但是……那么这个生物学家只是声称那些喜欢吃蔬菜的人事实上是有某种感觉短缺吗？

Sort of makes us picky eaters than normal ones, doesn't it?

某种程度上让我们成为挑食者而不是正常的人，是这样吗？

I mean, that's kind of turning things on their head, isn't it?

我的意思是，这就是一种改变初衷，是吗？

Student: Well…then again, it wouldn't be the first time, would it?

学生：那么再一次，这个并不是第一次，不是吗？

Think of it this way: humans originally needed to have a stronger sensitivity to bitter-tasting foods so they could learn what plants were good for them and which ones might be poisonous.

让我们这样想：针对苦味的事物，人类一开始需要很强的敏感度，这样他们就可以知道什么食物对他们是有好处的，什么食物是有毒的。

But at some point, as people figured out what they could safely eat, this need became less crucial and a segment of the population lost that ability.

但是，在某一时刻，当人们发现他们可以很安全的食用的时候，这样的需求就变得不是那么重要并且有一部分的人群就失去这种能力了。

Professor: OK. Well, you make a compelling case.

教授：好的，你准备了一个非常令人兴奋的案例。

I can't wait to hear more about this when you deliver your report.

我急不可耐地想知道你关于这个话题的更多的内容了。