- •Science and technological progress
- •Vocabulary
- •Vocabulary practice
- •2 Fill in the blanks using a word or word combination from the following list:
- •3 Fill in the correct word derived at the end of the sentence.
- •Discussion
- •Public opinion poll
- •Reading
- •Work on the text
- •1 Ask each other questions based on the text. Do it in pairs.
- •2 Answer the following questions using the information from the text or from any other sources.
- •Summary 1
- •Summary 2
- •Reading (ib)
- •1 Read the passage as fast as possible. From the four titles presented below choose the one which better expresses the main idea. Explain your choice.
- •Reading (ic)
- •2 Read carefully the second paragraph of the text and say a few words about the possible fields of investigation in the 21st century.
- •3 Read the passage carefully and find answers to the following questions.
- •4 Look through the passage and find English equivalents for the following Russian phrases.
- •5 Topics for discussion.
- •Reading (1d)
- •Work on the text
- •1 Look through the passage and find English equivalents for the following Russian phrases.
- •2 Examine each paragragh of the text above carefully and find answers to the following questions.
- •3 Look through the passage and fill in the blanks with the proper information. In some cases grammatical changes are necessary.
- •Supplementary reading
- •1 Answer the following questions.
- •2 Make a report about the houses described in this article paying attention to their shape and the materials they are made of.
- •Uses of the internet
- •Work on the text
- •1 Ask each other questions based on the text. Do it in pairs.
- •2 Tell the group whether these statements are true or false.
- •Shaping the future
- •Discussion
- •1 Read the following and discuss the likelihood of the predictions using the expressions in the box.
- •2 Which of these technologies would:
- •4 Complete the sentences with one word from the boxes. Then finish at least five with some predictions of your own concerning business, politics, the environment, leisure or life in general.
- •5 Read out the predictions you made in 4 to the rest of the group. Be prepared to support your views. Reading
- •1 Skim the extracts and match the extracts with the people.
- •2 Read the extracts for the second time and match the extracts with each speaker’s attitude towards technology, listed a – h.
- •The futurists
- •1 What are the latest trends and developments that you know or have heard about?
- •3 Team up with people from the other group. Explain your choice of titles, summarise what you read and discuss possible implications and opportunities for:
- •Listening
- •4 Listen to six business people’s opinions on the issues in 3 and compare your views. Choose one extract you like most. Explain why? Speaker 1
- •Speaker 2
- •Speaker 3
- •Speaker 4
- •Speaker 5
- •Speaker 6
- •For and against
- •1 Work in groups. Read one of the texts about modern technologies. Share your ideas with your partners.
- •2 Discuss the technology you’ve read about with the other group. Compare them according to:
- •3 Work in 3 groups. Read one of the extracts and make a short presentation of it.
- •4 Team up with the people of the other group and discuss possible technological implications and opportunities for:
- •Writing
- •1 Read the following and write an essay, giving your opinions on the statement.
- •Feedback
- •1 Share your opinion about the unit on the following:
- •2 Summarise your information (use the essay). Supplement
- •1 Read the following vision of the future. Then summarise and present the themes in your text to a partner.
- •2 Discuss the following questions in pairs or small groups.
- •1 Read the following vision of the future. Then summarise and present the themes in your text to a partner.
- •2 Discuss the following questions in pairs or small groups.
- •Innovations in transport
- •1 Read the text.
- •2 Answer the questions.
- •Reading and comprehension
- •Learn the meaning of the following words:
- •Read the text about electric cars and answer the questions below.
- •Reading and comprehension
- •3 Answer the questions.
- •4 Are these sentences about the text true or false?
- •5 Here are notes on the main points of “The Train with No Wheels”. Make full sentences and write a paragraph using the conjunction.
- •Future trends of a modern car warm up
- •1 Discuss the point how future-oriented you are.
- •2 Do this quiz. Answer the questions? Choose the variants that suits you more and find out your prospects.
- •Reading and comprehension
- •1 Study the meaning of these words so that you can understand the text better.
- •Try and guess the meaning of the following derivative and compound words:
- •Read the text about the car of the future and do the tasks that follows.
- •Discussion
- •Writing
- •Feedback
- •Listening
- •3 Complete the sentences.
- •4 Which speaker is:
- •5 Match words from the two columns to make expressions from the texts.
- •Speaking
- •1 Complete the table with these phrases used to talk about the future.
- •2 Work with your partner. Prepare a short presentation on one of these topics.
- •Reading and comprehension
- •1 Go through the vocabulary below to avoid difficulties of understanding:
- •2 Answer the following questions:
- •Supplement texts for reading
- •Contents
- •Технический прогресс
- •246653, Г. Гомель, ул. Кирова, 34.
Speaker 4
Well, it all sounds like a good idea at first, doesn’t it? You can take your skills anywhere in the world via the Internet without actually leaving home. But it’s not really practical, is it? I mean for one thing, most jobs can’t be done by telecommuting, even with things like videoconferencing and stuff like that. They’ve been talking about it for ages, but nobody seems to like working that way. Personally, I think you need human contact in most jobs. I know I do in mine. And I can’t see professionals in the EU and the US and Japan just letting people in South-east Asia and Africa take their jobs. I mean it’s bad enough exploiting cheap manual labour in those places already. But imagine if you also had low-paid engineers and lawyers and doctors working on the Net. The consequences for the professions could be devastating, not to mention the actual quality of service you might be getting.
Speaker 5
Well, this idea that our kids are going to be achieving a hundred times more over their working lives sounds a little improbable to me. Surely it depends on what kind of job they’re doing. Everybody seems to think we all work at lightning speed these days. But, let’s face it, in some jobs, things haven’t changed all that much in twenty years. We’re not all computer geeks. I don’t think life itself is so much faster. It’s just that we want so much more out of it and that’s why we get so stressed trying to fit it all in. when I go on business trips to the States, it always amazes me how hyperactive everybody is. They’re fixing up a time to play tennis on the phone, having lunch at their desk while they do their spreadsheets, skin the Wall Street Journal and instant message their childminder to check their kid’s doing her math homework. You want to go out for a beer with them, you need an appointment! I think what they need is to come to Mexico and relax a little.
Speaker 6
I think Naisbitt is absolutely right. As we get more technological, we also want to recapture some of the old-fashioned values of a simpler, slower, more natural age. I mean the quickest way to buy a book is through Amazon, which is a marvelous service, but it cannot really compare with the pleasure of wandering around a good bookshop. I have a lot of fun playing computer games with my seven-year-old son, but I still want to take him ice-skating or play football in the park. I work for a design company and, interestingly, if you look at many of the most popular industrial designs of the last ten years or so, you find they all have an organic, retro look about them: the iMac, for example, the Nokia mobile phone, the Dyson vacuum cleaner, the Smart Car. No straight lines, lots of curves and bright colours. Soft, subtle technology. As Naisbitt says, high-tech, but high-touch.
For and against
1 Work in groups. Read one of the texts about modern technologies. Share your ideas with your partners.
NANOTECHNOLOGY
Nanotechnology is so new, no one is really sure what will come of it. In order to understand the unusual world of nanotechnology, we need to get an idea of the units of measure involved. A nanometer (nm) is one-billionth of a meter, smaller than the wavelength of visible light and a hundred-thousandth the width of a human hair Nanotechnology is rapidly becoming an interdisciplinary field. Biologists, chemists, physicists and engineers are all involved in the study of substances at the nanoscale. Right now, it means that scientists are experimenting with substances at the nanoscale to learn about their properties and how we might be able to take advantage of them in various applications. Engineers are trying to use nano-size wires to create smaller, more powerful microprocessors. Doctors are searching for ways to use nanoparticles in medical applications. Still, we've got a long way to go before nanotechnology dominates the technology and medical markets. In 1959, physicist and future Nobel prize winner Richard Feynman gave a lecture to the American Physical Society called "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom." The focus of his speech was about the field of miniaturization and how he believed man would create increa-singly smaller, powerful devices. In 1986, K. Eric Drexler wrote "Engines of Creation" and introduced the term nanotechnology. Scientific research really expanded over the last decade. Inventors and corporations aren't far behind – today, more than 13,000 patents registered with the U.S. Patent Office have the word "nano" in them. At the nanoscale, objects are so small that we can't see them – even with alight microscope. Nano-scientists have to use tools like scanning tunneling microscopes or atomic force microscopes to observe anything at the nanoscale. Scanning tunneling microscopes use a weak electric current to probe the scanned material. Atomic force microscopes scan surfaces with an incredibly fine tip. Both microscopes send data to a computer which can assemble the information and project it graphically onto a monitor. While this is exciting, it's only the tip of the iceberg as far as how nanotechnology may impact us in the future.
|
GENETIC ENGINEERING
We are hearing this term “Gene-tic Engineering” (GE)with increasing frequency these days. For those readers who may not be sure of its meaning, some definitions follow. When we speak of genes, we are referring to chemical substances in the cells of all living things that establish an organism’s charac-teristics. GE is the changing of certain genes, usually to improve an organism in some way. In recent years, for example, certain genes have been placed in tomato plants to make tomatoes taste better and keep them fresh in supermarkets for a longer time. Cows have been treated with a growth hormone that makes dairy cattle give more milk and reduces the amount of fat in the meat of beef cattle. These sound like positive things, don’t they? After all, many people say, the technology exists to improve our lives. Why shouldn’t this technology be used? Perhaps the issue isn’t so simple, however. There are plenty of people around who oppose GE. Why? Two specific objections come to mind. One is that the balance of nature might be upset. Suppose, for example, that scientists are able to genetically engineer certain plants so that insects will not eat them. This will protect the plants, but the insects will be deprived of a food supply –and other animals that depend on those insects for food will lose their food supply, too. A second objection is a moral question. Is it acceptable or right for us to change the make up of living things? Supporters of GE say the benefits outweigh the dangers. Look at the improvements that can be made in plants raised for food, they say. Because of Genetic Engineering, plants can be grown that produce more fruits and vegetables and resist disease. In a world where more and more food will be needed in the future, this is a benefit. The medical advances provided by GE, say the supporters, are even more impressive. Consider cancer, for example. If Genetic Engineering can provide a way to cure or prevent this disease, shouldn’t it be used? And if Genetic Engineering can be used to kill AIDS, shouldn’t it be permitted? Opponents of Genetic Engineering it should be stopped, or at least limited. Proponents of GE say it should be promoted and expanded. The debate goes on.
|