With genetic testing becoming increasingly popular,many people are left wondering exactly how accurate it is. Whether you are taking a DNA test to build your extended DNA family tree, or want precise information on inborn(先天的)health conditions, it is important to understand how accurate genetic tests are,and what information we can rely upon.
随着基因检测日益普及，许多人不禁好奇：这类检测究竟有多准确？无论你是通过DNA检测构建庞大的基因家族谱系，还是想获取关于先天健康状况的精准信息，了解基因检测的准确度、以及哪些信息值得信赖，都至关重要。
How accurate DNA tests are relies greatly upon the kind of test being taken, on the specific question you ask, and on how complex the genetics behind a trait(特征)is. For example,tests for traits that depend on a single gene provide much more reliable results, because you can see whether a disease-causing trait is present.
DNA检测的准确性，在很大程度上取决于检测的类型、你想要探究的具体问题，以及某一性状背后的基因复杂程度。例如，针对由单一基因决定的性状所做的检测，结果会可靠得多，因为可以直接判断是否存在致病性状。
Ancestry tests claim to reveal our genetic identities. But saying you are 30 percent East Asian or American hardly reflects your real ancestry.
祖源检测号称能揭示我们的基因身份。但声称你有30%的东亚血统或美洲血统，几乎无法反映你真实的祖先渊源。
What about using DNA tests to discover distant family members? There are tools to compare one's DNA with others' to find distant relatives based on their genetic identification. These kinds of applications are generally accurate. It's relatively easy to tell whether two DNA samples belong to close relatives. With distant relatives, results become hazier.
那通过DNA检测寻找远亲亲属又如何呢？现有技术可以将个人DNA与他人进行比对，依据基因标识寻找远亲，这类应用的结果通常较为准确。判断两份DNA样本是否来自近亲相对容易，但针对远亲的检测结果就会变得模糊不清。
Genetic health tests claim to be able to detect certain hereditary(遗传的) diseases, or other health conditions. While certain rare diseases can be easily identified, most potential health conditions cannot be identified by genetic testing alone. The large majority of our traits and diseases also depend upon non-genetic factors,such as lifestyle, the environment,and many others.
基因健康检测宣称能够检测某些遗传性疾病或其他健康问题。虽然部分罕见病可以轻易被识别，但绝大多数潜在健康问题无法仅靠基因检测确诊。我们的大部分性状与疾病，同时还受非基因因素影响，比如生活方式、环境等诸多方面。
Genetic tests for multi-factorial traits are often very tricky to interpret. Height, for example, depends on hundreds of genes, each contributing a little to the outcome,together with a bunch of environmental factors.A test can look at many genes at once, but it's difficult to predict how they will play together. Then you should also account for non-genetic factors that are not written in the DNA.
针对多因素性状的基因检测，其结果往往很难解读。以身高为例，它由数百个基因共同决定，每个基因仅产生微小影响，同时还受一系列环境因素作用。检测虽能同时分析多个基因，却很难预测这些基因如何共同作用，更何况还要考虑DNA中未体现的非基因因素。
Tests that offer to find your perfect romantic match and those claiming to predict personality or talents based on your DNA are pure nonsense. At the moment, the scientific bases for these applications are non-existent or incredibly weak.
至于那些号称能帮你找到完美伴侣、或是通过DNA预测性格与天赋的检测，则纯属无稽之谈。目前，这类应用完全缺乏科学依据，或是相关理论支撑极为薄弱。
文章重点词汇（四级高频）
1. 核心名词
genetic
/dʒəˈnetɪk/ adj. 遗传的，基因的
genetic testing
基因检测
accuracy
/ˈækjərəsi/ n. 准确性
accurate
/ˈækjərət/ adj. 准确的
precise
/prɪˈsaɪs/ adj. 精确的
inborn
/ˌɪnˈbɔːn/ adj. 先天的，天生的
trait
/treɪt/ n. 特征，特性
gene
/dʒiːn/ n. 基因
ancestry
/ˈænsestri/ n. 祖先，血统
sample
/ˈsɑːmpl/ n. 样本
relative
/ˈrelətɪv/ n. 亲戚
hereditary
/həˈredɪtri/ adj. 遗传的
disease
/dɪˈziːz/ n. 疾病
factor
/ˈfæktə(r)/ n. 因素
lifestyle
/ˈlaɪfstaɪl/ n. 生活方式
environment
/ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt/ n. 环境
outcome
/ˈaʊtkʌm/ n. 结果
personality
/ˌpɜːsəˈnæləti/ n. 性格
talent
/ˈtælənt/ n. 天赋，才能
basis
/ˈbeɪsɪs/ n. 基础，依据（复数 bases）
2. 核心动词
rely (on)
/rɪˈlaɪ/ v. 依靠，信赖
reveal
/rɪˈviːl/ v. 揭示，显示
reflect
/rɪˈflekt/ v. 反映
detect
/dɪˈtekt/ v. 检测，发现
identify
/aɪˈdentɪfaɪ/ v. 识别，确认
predict
/prɪˈdɪkt/ v. 预测
interpret
/ɪnˈtɜːprɪt/ v. 解释，解读
contribute (to)
/kənˈtrɪbjuːt/ v. 贡献，促成
account for
解释；考虑到
claim
/kleɪm/ v. 声称，宣称
3. 高频形容词 & 副词
increasingly
/ɪnˈkriːsɪŋli/ adv. 越来越多地
reliable
/rɪˈlaɪəbl/ adj. 可靠的
potential
/pəˈtenʃl/ adj. 潜在的
multi-factorial
/ˌmʌlti fækˈtɔːriəl/ adj. 多因素的
tricky
/ˈtrɪki/ adj. 棘手的，难处理的
relatively
/ˈrelətɪvli/ adv. 相对地
hazy
/ˈheɪzi/ adj. 模糊的，不清晰的
pure
/pjʊə(r)/ adj. 纯粹的，完全的
incredibly
/ɪnˈkredəbli/ adv. 极其，非常
non-existent
/ˌnɒn ɪɡˈzɪstənt/ adj. 不存在的
4. 短语搭配
extended family tree
大家族谱系
health conditions
健康状况
distant relatives
远亲
close relatives
近亲
non-genetic factors
非基因因素
romantic match
情感伴侣，婚恋匹配
pure nonsense
纯属无稽之谈
