Scientists Make a Fake Cell
科學家製造出人造細胞
Introduction
Scientists at the University of Minnesota made a fake cell. They call it 'SpudCell'. They used chemicals, not living things, to make it.
明尼蘇達大學的科學家製造出一個人造細胞，他們將其稱為「SpudCell」。他們是使用化學物質而非生物來製造的。
Main Body
The SpudCell has a skin and DNA. It can grow and make copies of itself. It needs a special liquid to stay alive.
SpudCell 具有細胞膜和 DNA。它可以生長並自我複製。它需要一種特殊的液體才能生存。
But the cell is not fully alive. It cannot make its own food or parts. Because of this, it often stops working after a short time.
但這個細胞並非完全具有生命。它無法自行製造食物或組件。因此，它通常在短時間後就會停止運作。
Other scientists did similar work in 2010. Now, these scientists want to make better fake cells. They want to use them to make plastic and fuel in the future.
其他科學家在 2010 年也進行過類似的研究。現在，這些科學家希望製造出更完善的人造細胞，期許未來能將其用於生產塑膠和燃料。
Conclusion
The SpudCell shows that chemicals can act like living things. But it still needs help from scientists to work.
SpudCell 證明了化學物質可以像生物一樣運作。但它仍然需要科學家的協助才能運行。
Vocabulary Learning
💡 The 'Can' & 'Cannot' Power-Up
In this story, we see how to describe abilities (what something is able to do) using one simple word: Can.
The Pattern:
- Positive:
Subject+can+actionIt can grow. - Negative:
Subject+cannot+actionIt cannot make food.
Real-World Examples from the Text:
| ✅ YES (Ability) | ❌ NO (No Ability) |
|---|---|
| It can grow | It cannot make food |
| It can make copies | It cannot make parts |
Quick Rule for A2:
Notice that after can or cannot, the action word (verb) stays in its simplest form. We do not add "s", "ing", or "ed".
- Correct: It can grow.
- Wrong: It can grows. 🚩