Find in the text the words for the following equivalents.

1. astonished/surprised -
2. surprising/shocking -
3. a difficult problem to solve
4. prohibited/forbidden
5. major achievements
6. intensified
7. dispute/argument
8. factors that are subject to change
9. appropriate
10. flawed

On March 7, 1997, the world was stunned when Scottish scientists at the Roslin Institute revealed they had successfully cloned an adult sheep. While the researchers said they had no aim to ever clone human material, human cloning was now theoretically possible, the Washington Post reported. Rather, the scientists said, the ability to clone adult animals offered the promise of agricultural and medical advances.
Nevertheless, this scientific turning point – astounding scientists worldwide who had repeatedly attempted to clone other adult animals – has led to an ethical dilemma. Should human cloning be outlawed? Is it ethical to grow human embryos to use in potentially life-saving treatments? Is cloning the next logical step (after in vitro fertilization) for infertile couples who desire children?
The recent breakthroughs – first Dolly and now the hotly debated use of stem cells – have only been possible due to more than 40 years of genetic research. Scientists have been cloning cells for years by copying genes and other parts of chromosomes to create enough identical material for further study.
After Dolly’s birth more questions fuelled the evolving controversy. How safe was it to even consider cloning a human when so many variables and unknowns existed? Dolly was one success out of more than 200 attempts. How could some scientists consider human cloning a safe option when so many things could go wrong?
More recently, the cloning debate has intensified around the topic of therapeutic cloning. Dr Ian Wilmot, one of the scientists responsible for cloning Dolly, states that cloning offers many possibilities. One is the generation of genetically modified animal organs that are suitable for transplantation into humans, making it possible to repair imperfect organs and other body parts.
Still both politically and ethically, the questions and concerns regarding the cloning of human cells remain.