Match the words with their definitions
| Heredity | /hɪˈrɛdɪti/ | a) the way in which children are treated as they are growing, especially as compared with the characteristics they are born with | |
| Intersect | /ɪntəˈsɛkt/ | b) a genetically determined characteristic | |
| Domain | /də(ʊ)ˈmeɪn/ | c) the passing on of physical or mental characteristics genetically from one generation to another | |
| Nurture | /ˈnəːtʃə/ | d) to make something pure or improve something, especially by e) removing unwanted material | |
| Allele | /ˈaliːl/ | f) a segment of a DNA or RNA molecule containing information coding for a protein or peptide sequence. | |
| Refine | /rɪˈfʌɪn/ | g) a distinct region of a complex molecule or structure. | |
| Exon | /ˈɛksən/ | h) each of two or more alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome. | |
| limb | /lɪm/ | i) to cross one another | |
| trait | /treɪt/ | j) an arm or leg of a person or animal | |
| locus | /ˈləʊkəs/ | k) the position of a gene or mutation on a chromosome. |
Fill in the gaps with the right word.
1) Most biological traits are under the influence of _____________ (many different genes) as well as the gene–environment interactions.
a) alleles b)genes c)polygenes d)traits
2) Some viruses store their _________ in RNA instead of DNA and some gene products are functional non-coding RNAs.
a)genes b) genome c)RNA d)traits
3) Regulatory regions of a gene can be far removed from its coding regions, and coding regions can be split into several_________.
a)types b) genes c)traits d) exons
4) Genes can acquire _________ in their sequence, leading to different variants, known as alleles, in the population.
a)variations b) mutations c)traits d) combinations
5) Through heredity, variations exhibited by individuals can accumulate and cause some species to evolve through the natural selection of specific _____________.
a) phenotype traits b) coding regions c)phenomena d) combinations
6) The intra- or extra-cellular environment of a cell or organism may switch gene__________ on or off.
a) combination b) restriction c) transcription d) variation
7) A gene is a locus (or region) of DNA which is made up of _____________ and is the molecular unit of heredity.
a) mutations b) bacteria c) pesticides d) nucleotides
8) Genetic variation is based on the variation in __________of genes in a gene pool.
a) mutation b) alleles c) structure d) traits
9) Gene structure and function, variation, and distribution are studied within the context of the__________.
a) limb b) alleles c) cell d) biology
10) Genetic processes work in __________ with an organism's environment and experiences to influence development and behavior, often referred to as nature versus nurture.
a) combination b) variation c) distribution d) population
Make up word combinations and translate them
| 1. phenotypic | a) reproduction |
| 2. gene | b) cell |
| 3. genetic | c) Traits |
| 4. acquire | d) information |
| 5. coding | e) mutations |
| 6. random | f) regions |
| 7. sexual | g) mutation |
| 8. parent | h) pool |
Find the synonyms. Match the two columns.
| 1) to be linked to | a) to appear b) to lead to c) to affect d) to be connected to e) to gain (get) f) to consist of |
| 2) to influence | |
| 3) to be made up of | |
| 4) to acquire | |
| 5) to occur | |
| 6) to cause |
Translate the words in brackets from Russian into English using the words given in ex. 4.3
Genes and Chromosomes
Each of us has a unique set of chemical blueprints which (влияют) our body’s looks and functions. Your genetic information is called your genetic code or “genome.” Your genome (состоит из) a chemical called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and is stored in almost every cell in your body.
The segments of DNA that contain the instructions for making specific body proteins are called genes. Sometimes we inherit genes that have some problems. Such genes (also called mutated or altered genes) do not perform their functions well, and cause defects in our organs. Some inherited diseases like cancer and sickle (связаны) to such mutated or bad genes. Along the segments of our DNA, genes are neatly packaged within structures called chromosomes.
When a mistake occurs as a cell is dividing, it can (вызвать) an error in the number of chromosomes a person has. The developing embryo then grows from cells that have either too many chromosomes or not enough. Genetic problems also (возникают) when abnormalities affect the sex chromosomes. Normally, a child will be a male if he (приобретает) one X chromosome from his mother and one Y chromosome from his father. A child will be a female if she inherits a double dose of X (one from each parent) and no Y.
Choose the right preposition.
1. A gene is the basic physical and functional unit (in, of, at) heredity.
2. In humans, genes vary (at, of, in) size from a few hundred DNA bases to more than 2 million bases.
3. Genes are also a small section of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), a chemical that has a genetic code (in, from, for) making proteins for living cells.
4. DNA is located (at, in, to) the nucleus of cells.
5. The strand in the DNA is made up (from, of, in) Letters G A T C.
6. The number of Chromosomes in a cell depends (at, on, in) what cell it is.
7. To inherit something means to derive or to receive something (at, from, with) a previous holder.
8. An individual who carries two copies (in, of, at) the same allele is homozygous.
9. This can be possible if the child inherits both blue recessive alleles (in, from, of) parents.
10. Characteristics or traits that are inherited are determined (in, by, from) genetic information.