Ползунова Обучение коммуникативному чтению 2015

¾J Writing

Write a short essay to answer this question: «How did Faraday’s personal life affect his scientific work?»

First read text 2 again and look at these notes. Then plan your essay. Use functional phrases of opinion giving, generalizing, ordering and summarizing: I think/suppose, I know for sure, in my opinion, as a rule, for the most part, generally speaking, as a matter of course, first of all, to begin with, another thing is, furthermore, moving on to, finally, in conclusion, to sum up. Write 200–250 words.

Paragraph 1 Early life:

poor family, not educated at school, worked with books

Vocabulary:

family background, bookbinder, no encouragement

Paragraph 2

Entry into science:

Royal institution, scientific community, secretary

Paragraph 3

Relationships:

Not a gentleman, treated like a servant, unhappy, problem with Davy

Vocabulary:

status, unhappy, think about

Paragraph 4 Private life:

modest, hard-working, refused honours

Vocabulary:

Discoveries, honours, banknote

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Revision vocabulary Units IV to VII

¾ A Use the words in the table to complete the sentences

1. Metal is an example of a good … – something through which electricity can pass.

2. To plan and to make is to … .

3. If you are …………….. , you are exact.

4. When writing an essay, try to avoid … of vocabulary. 5. When you sign up or join a school, you … .

6. The bus stop is right outside our front gate; that’s very … . 7. Materials such as metal, when they are heated, they … .

8. A … is a substance that increases the speed of chemical reactions.

9. If you decide you want to leave your job, you … .

10. I need to make some … before I ask the bank for a loan.

¾ B The words in bold are in the wrong sentences. Put each word into the correct sentence

1. To rotate power you need to be able to control electricity. 2. A device is produced as the secondary result of a process.

3. A mathematical statement showing two expressions are equal is a(n) by-product.

4. Electricity passes around buildings through dark matter.

5. Light is not absorbed or emitted by wires.

6. Compressed means having height, width and depth. 7. To generate means to turn around on an axis.

8. A(n) equation is a series of events.

9. The material was three-dimensional as it had been pushed tightly together.

10. This is the sequence we are going to use to carry out the experiment.

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Unit VIII

Before you read

Discuss these questions with your partner.

•What did early people commonly believe about the relationship between the Earth, the Sun and the other planets?

•Is it important for scientists to discover laws about the physical world? Why / Why not?

¾A Vocabulary

Match these words with their definitions.

9.hypothsize I. oval or egg-shaped

10.revolve J. what makes things fall

12.impact L. move around

¾Reading 1

The Law of Universal Gravitation

In ancient times, people believed that the Earth was the centre of the solar system and tried to understand and explain the movement of the Sun, the Moon, the stars and the planets around the Earth. As scientific knowledge and technology improved over time, this idea (called the ge-

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ocentric theory, from the ancient Greek words meaning Earth-centred) lost favour and new theories about the solar system were put forward.

Tycho Brahe (1546–1601) and Galileo (1564–1642) made accurate measurements of the heavens, which were the basis for later theories. Nicolas Copernicus (1473–1543) believed that the Earth was not the centre of the solar system but just another planet revolving around the Sun, which itself never moved. This type of theory was called heliocentric. Johannes Kepler (1571–1630), an a assistant to Brahe, used Brahe’s measurements to support Copernicus’ heliocentric theory. This led to his discovery of three laws relating to planetary movement, including the fact that the planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun.

It was left to Isaac Newton to expand on these theories by testing and proving Kepler’s laws. By observing things around him, Newton realized several things. One was that objects can be in one place, without moving. This is called inertia. Then, if the object moved, it moved toward another object. The phenomenon causing this pull of one object towards another was the force of gravity (or little g). Newton found that the mass of the two objects and the distance between them determined the strength of the force of gravity and developed an equation which expressed this relationship.

Continuing to test and expand his findings, Newton hypothesized that this relationship existed not only between objects on the Earth but also objects in space. This led in 1687 to Newton’s Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, usually called Principia) in which he wrote about his historic discovery of the Law of Universal Gravitation (or big G). By calling his discovery a law, it meant that the relationships he had discovered were true everywhere and in all cases.

Newton’s discovery had a huge impact on scientific thinking for centuries afterwards. In fact, his findings were not improved upon until 1905, when Albert Einstein introduced his Special Theory of Relativity.

¾ B Comprehension

Read the text and choose the correct title for each paragraph. There is one title which you do not need to use.

Paragraph 1. …

Paragraph 2. …

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Paragraph 3. …

Paragraph 4. …

Paragraph 5. …

A.Newton’s discovery

B.Early theories of heliocentrism

C.The strength of Newton’s Law

D.Geocentrism

E.Newton’s observations

F.Einstein’s theories

¾ C Translation work. Explain the grammar of the sentences

1.The belief in ancient times that the earth was the centre of the solar system led to incorrect theories.

2.The fact that planets move in elliptical orbits around the sun was explained by Copernicus’ heliocentric theory.

3.Johannes Kepler tested and proved Copernicus’ heliocentric theo-

ry.

4.It was Isaac Newton who, while observing things around him, realized that objects could be in one place without moving. He called this phenomenon inertia.

5.The force of gravity is the attraction of one object towards another. It is determined by the mass of the two objects and the distance between them.

6.The Law of Universal Gravitation is true everywhere and in all cases, not only on Earth but also in space.

7.The discovery of the Law of Gravitation had a strong influence on scientific thinking for centuries.

Before you listen

Discuss these questions with your partner.

•Does all research led to important discoveries? Explain your an-

swer.

•What role does the work of earlier researches play in scientific discoveries?

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¾ D Listening CD 2 (track 7)

You will hear five students talking about famous scientists. Match each statement with the speaker. There is one statement which you do not need to use.

Speaker 1. …

Speaker 2. …

Speaker 3. …

Speaker 4. …

Speaker 5. …

A.He believed in a combination of the geocentric and heliocentric theories.

B.He used scientific methods to explain planetary motion.

C.He believed in the heliocentric theory.

D.He believed nothing was accidental.

E.He believed in the geocentric theory.

F.He was the first to measure the movement of the stars.

Before you read

Discuss these questions with your partner.

•Do you know anything about the scientist Isaac Newton?

•Is it a good idea for scientists to tell others about their research results? Why / Why not?

¾ E Vocabulary

The words in bold are all in the wrong sentences. Put the words into the correct sentences.

1.My uncle worried so much about his work that he had a mint. …

2.Our class visited the estate and we saw how money is made. …

3.That crystal vase is very calculus and will easily break. …

4.The branch of mathematics that is concerned with limits and with the differentiation and integration of functions is called a delay. …

5.The telescope had a huge old castle and beautiful gardens. …

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6.A nervous breakdown has a large convex lens so that you can see things which are far away. …

7.There was a fragile so we were so late. …

Reading 2

Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton was born on Christmas Day 1642, according to the calendar which was used in England at that time, or, according to the modern calendar, 4th January, 1643. His father was a wealthy farmer in the north of England, and the owner of a large estate which included the family home, called Woolsthorpe. Unfortunately, his father had died several months before Newton was born, so he never knew him. When he was two, his mother married again and moved to another village, leaving him behind to be brought up by his grandmother.

When his stepfather died some years later, Newton’s mother returned to Woolsthorpe, together with the three children from her second marriage. Even though Newton’s family was wealthy, his mother did not want him to go to school. Instead, she wanted him to learn to be a farmer and to take care of the family’s estate. Newton did not like farming and was not very good at it. Eventually, he was allowed to return to school and then to attend university, although he had to work to earn money to cover at least some of his expenses.

Despite the fact that Newton was studying Law at Cambridge, where the ideas of Aristotle were greatly respected, he became more interested in modern philosophers like Rene Descartes, Thomas Hobbes and Robert Boyle and also explored the ideas of Nicolas Copernicus, Galileo and Johannes Kepler. At some point, he became interested in mathematics, including the work of Euclid and Descartes, which eventually resulted in Newton’s invention of calculus. In the field of optics, he made important discoveries about light and colour theory, as well as building the first reflecting telescope. He was also involved in alchemy, religion and, of course, physics, where his discovery of the laws of planetary motion and gravity were great advances and also served as the basis for later work, such as Albert Einstein’s. He was also interested in politics, serving as a Member of Parliament and in other governmental positions.

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Throughout his life, Newton was a fragile, sensitive person, who did not take well to criticism. In fact, he often delayed publishing his work because he was afraid of being criticized, which led to many problems later on. He suffered two nervous breakdowns and finally stopped doing research. However, he remained active by working for the government as Warden, and later Master, of the Royal Mint, where his efforts produced important results. He was made a knight by Queen Anne in 1705.

Newton died on the 20th March, 1727. The epitaph for his tomb, which is in London’s Westminster Abbey, was written by the poet, Alexander Pope:

Nature and nature’s laws lay hid in night; God said «Let Newton be!» and all was light.

¾ F Comprehension

Read the text and choose the correct answer.

1.As a young child, Newton A. lived on a small farm.

B. lived at Woolsthorpe with his grandmother. C. lived with his parents.

D. lived with her mother and her new husband.

2.Newton’s mother

A.took him with her when she remarried.

B.wanted him to go to school.

C.thought he should be a farmer.

D.covered all costs of his education.

3.Newton was originally studying to be A. a physicist.

B. a philosopher. C. a mathematician. D. a lawyer.

4.Newton was not particularly influenced by A. the ideas of Aristotle.

B. the ideas of Descartes. C. the ideas of Copernicus. D. the ideas of Euclid.

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5. Newton had problems in his later life because

A.he was so famous.

B.he was afraid of criticism.

C.he published his work.

D.he stopped doing research.

¾ G Translation work. Explain the grammar of the sentences

1.Newton’s mother wanted him to be a farmer but he was not very good at it.

2.While studying Law at Cambridge, Newton became interested in modern philosophy.

3.Newton’s interest in mathematics eventually resulted in the invention of calculus.

4.While working in the field of optics, Isaac Newton made some important discoveries about light and colour and built the first reflecting telescope.

5.The laws of planetary motion and the Law of Universal Gravitation discovered by Newton were of paramount importance. Later they were used by Albert Einstein in his scientific work.

6.It is interesting to note that Newton was involved in politics as well. He was even a Member of Parliament.

7.Newton is known to have been intolerant to criticism. His intolerance caused many conflicts and finally he stopped doing research.

Before you listen

Discuss these questions with your partner.

•Can you explain why we see colours?

•Do you know the famous story of how Newton discovered gravity?

¾ H Listening CD 2 (track 9)

You will hear part of a radio programme about great scientists. Listen and fill in the notes.

Optics is the branch of physics that studies the physical (1) … of light known as optics.

Newton claimed that a prism could (2) … white light into a spectrum of colours.

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A second prism and lens could recompose the multi-coloured spectrum into (3) … light.

Newton said (4) … with coloured light caused us to see colours. Newton believed light is made up of particles connected to (5) … . Newton’s calculations said gravity kept the Moon in (6) … .

¾ I Speaking

Discuss these questions with your partner.

•Do you agree that Newton was one of the most important scientists in world history? Why / Why not?

•What areas of science was Newton’s contribution crucial to?

Task

Read text 1 again and give two-minute presentation on the Law of Universal Gravitation.

Talk about:

•the geocentric theory

•heliocentric theories

•Newton and his theory of gravity

First complete these notes. Use them in your presentation.

To begin with, we need to discuss what was believed in ancient times. The geocentric theory held …

…

…

…

Later theories were based on … and the theories said

…

…

…

Isaac Newton added to these theories by

…

…

…

…

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