Once they decided to have children, MiShel and Carl Meissner tackled the next big issue: Should they try to have a girl? It was no small matter. MiShel's brother had become blind from a hereditary(遗传的)condition in his early 20s, and the Meissners had learned that the condition is a 1passed from mothers to sons. If they had a boy, he would have a 50 per cent chance of having the condition. A girl would be 2 The British couple's 3about gender selection led them to Virginia, US where a new sperm(精子)-separation technique, called MicroSort, was under 4When MiShel became pregnant, she gave birth to a daughter. They will try to have a second daughter using the technique later this year. This is not only a 5effective way to select a child's gender. It also brings a host of ethical(伦理的)and practical considerations—especially for the majority of families who use the technique for 6reasons. The clinic offers sex selection for two purposes: to help couples 7passing on a gender-linked 8disease and to allow those who already have a child to "balance" their family by having a baby of the opposite sex. The technology is still 9However, Blauer says the company has an 10success rate: 91 per cent of the women who become pregnant after sorting for a girl are successful, while 76 per cent who sort for a boy and get pregnant are successful. A)genetic B)overlapped C)impressive D)unaffected E)perpetually F)investigation G)inquiries H)feats I)disorder J)gropes K)experimental L)seemingly M)elicit N)nonmedical O)avoid