Is anything possible?

Into the 21st century

A step ahead

Gaining on … for future

Beyond the Future

Looking ahead

Into the Future

“Given so much time, the “impossible” becomes possible, the possible probable and the probable virtually certain. One has only to wait: time itself performs miracles.”

George Wald

Learning Objectives

The objectives of this module are

• to organize information in a timeline

• to use timelines for narrating and reporting

• to make use of time and sequence expressions

• to revisit Future Tenses

• to learn how to show relationships between ideas

• to talk about the latest and future//possible in future achievements in science

• to write a

Unit 1 Gaining on previous //past success

Lead In

1. At the turn of the century what are the achievements in major fields of science? And what are the challenges?

2. Work with a partner. Come up with 3 most important scientific and/or technological innovations for the last decade. Have any of these innovations affected you personally?

3. Name modern inventions for the last 50 years you couldn’t live without?

Reading

1. Read the five opening paragraphs of the report at the UNESCO/ICSU World Conference on Science (WCS) below and answer the following questions:

a) What kind of discoveries does the author focus on?

b) What have been the unforeseen consequences of advances in science?

c) How does the author prove that “science finds itself in a challenging

situation”?

d) According to the report what is the greatest achievement in the 20^th century?

e) Are the authors optimistic about science in future?

Science for the Twenty-First Century

The second half of the 20th century has witnessed a great number of scientific discoveries and technological innovations which have had, and continue to have, the greatest impact on humanity and are frequently closely interconnected. The origins of the universe, the evolution of life on Earth, the structure and function of bio-molecules and many natural phenomena, ranging from the subatomic to the cosmic scale, are far better understood today than they were 50 years ago.

At the same time, the progress that scientists have made has provided unforeseen power, which enables us to change our lives, our world, as well as our future. On the other hand, this power can also have negative consequences. It is a factor that has contributed to the damage to the Earth's natural environments and it has been used to construct weapons of mass destruction - reminding us that with power comes the responsibility to use it wisely.

At the dawn of the 21st century, science finds itself in a challenging situation. Today, there are more professionally trained scientists alive than in all previous generations combined together. At the same time humankind's most pressing challenges such as food supply, public health, global climate change, or the protection of biodiversity seem to escalate. So, there is a need in combined scientists’ efforts. The globalization of markets, production, and finances may lead to a shift from national research and development priorities towards a world-wide

network of research activities.

Apart from large-scale research programmes which require international co-operation, scientific research which provides little or no short-term economic returns may be called into question.

The twentieth century saw more momentous change than any previous century: change for better, change for worse; change that either

worse; change that either

brought enormous benefits to human beings, or threatens the very existence of the

human species. Many factors contributed to this change but the key factor was the progress in science.

Nevertheless, in the next 50 years science will continue to surprise us both with what it discovers and creates.

2. Work in groups of three (A, B and C). Read your text extract and complete the table.

1 field of science
2 achievements
3 practical application (comments)

Text A

Mathematics differs from the other sciences in that its subject is not nature. Progress in mathematics is usually not directly realized by the public since its results are so abstract and often isolated from every-day experience that they are difficult to understand. However, occasionally some mathematical news becomes visible to a broader public. One example is the application of large prime numbers for encryption purposes. Sometimes a result in pure mathematics also catches public attention. For example, the recent proof of Fermat’s last theorem, which although simply stated, resisted the best efforts of mathematicians for more than three and a half centuries. But mathematics is more than just peculiar theorems and occasional popular achievements. Because of its precision and rigour/accuracy, it is an essential tool for all of the sciences. There are many examples from the history of science in which the development of new mathematical methods allowed scientists to formulate fundamentally new theories and to achieve revolutionary conceptual breakthroughs. One of the most spectacular cases in this century was Einstein's use of the non-Euclidian geometry developed by Riemann in the 19th century to formulate the general theory of relativity. The last part of the 20th century has seen spectacular advances in mathematics, especially in the theory of dynamical systems and in stochastic analysis*. A combination of analytical and geometrical ideas has been characteristic of these developments. One example is the use of diffusion-reaction equations** to understand biological pattern formation***. Another example is the advances in our understanding of turbulence, in particular in the context of weather forecasting. At mid-century, mathematics was examining its own foundations. Today we see a different trend, which is strongly influenced by recent advances in computing technology. Mathematical modelling, the development of algorithms, and scientific computing have become powerful tools for all the sciences. They promise to play a crucial role in future progress.

* - вероятностный анализ

** - уравнение реакции диффузии

*** - формирование биологического образца\рисунка

The road that leads us from Edison's tin-foil cylinder to today's audio DVD is a fascinating avenue crammed with remarkable people, inventions and innovations. Our past accomplishments contribute to what we are today, and signpost the future as a never-ending quest to push the envelope of what is possible in audio.

Text B

The chemical sciences have made breath-taking advances during the last five decades. They have provided innumerable benefits through an extremely wide range of applications. These include not only new materials, food additives, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides, but also new analytical tools for the study of living matter as well as the environment. The structures of many molecules were determined and this has provided the basis for their synthesis and production on an industrial scale. Notable examples are vitamins, which complement many biochemical reactions in the human body, and antibiotics, which have saved many lives. In addition to characterising and synthesising a vast number of natural products, chemists have also designed absolutely new compounds. Major progress was also made in the synthesis of tailor-made polymers*, composite materials, and ceramics which is capable of superconduction. Recent advances in supramolecular!!! chemistry have already had an impact on materials design. Organic chemistry was instrumental to the great advances in understanding the structure and function of biomolecules. This has had an enormous impact on the bio-medical sciences. For instance, in 1954, the first naturally occurring protein hormone was analysed and then synthesised. For the first time, it was shown that an artificially produced protein has exactly the same properties as those naturally produced. The synthesis of insulin, a life-saving protein for diabetics, followed shortly thereafter. In 1959, the three-dimensional structure of haemoglobin (the oxygen-transporting molecule that makes blood red) was determined at atomic resolution**. Since then, the structures of thousands of biologically important molecules have been described. This knowledge plays a vital role in the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics. Aided by fast computers, medicinal chemists increasingly use the knowledge of bio-molecular structures to design small compounds with very specific pharmacological properties*** and make significant contributions both to our understanding of life processes and to medicine. The chemical sciences are also contributing to the environmental sciences. For example, they provide new materials and contribute to the development of new means to crop protection, as well as animal and human health.

* - полимер с заданными свойствами?????//полимер предназначенный для определенных целей

** - (исследование) на уровне атомов

*** - фармакологические свойства

Text C

Over the last fifty years, our own solar system and its origins have become much better known. Many new satellites and rings around planets have been discovered and the nature of comets has been disclosed. One of the main reasons for this development was the beginning of the space age. All of these innovations were made possible by new observation instruments. Fifty years ago, the largest telescope was a 5-metre optical telescope, whereas modern telescopes are four times larger and more powerful. Furthermore, in 1990, the Hubble space telescope was sent into orbit. It has provided a host of new information about our universe, as the radiation it collects does not have to pass through the Earth's atmosphere. From the early 1960s on, communication satellites were sent into orbit, making wireless communication possible all around the world. Landings on the moon and the planets by probes of ever-increasing sophistication started in the mid-1960s and continue today. Some of them have brought back samples making an in-depth chemical analysis of their composition possible. In 1969, the first man set foot on the moon, only twelve years after the first satellite was launched. One straightforward example is the development of weather satellites, which have become indispensable for tracking hurricanes and other violent storms. While these storms are still potentially destroying/dangerous, timely warning of their approach has saved many lives and helped to avoid vast property damage. Another example is the Earth resource satellites, which have become an integral part of geological data collection and provide us with a better means of assessing the Earth's resources. In addition, these satellites supply information about forest growth and crop diseases*.

* - заболевания сельскохозяйственных культур

(Adapted from “Science for the Twenty-First Century: A New Commitment”, by Paul Hoyningen-Huene, Marcel Weber, and Eric Oberheim)

3. Now exchange information with other students in your group to list all the achievements mentioned in the texts.

Comprehension check

1. Look back in the text and find words that are similar in meaning to the word important. How many did you find? Check in the dictionary the difference in their meanings. (OR find the words that have the meaning “важный”)

Focus on language

1. Read the sentences from the article and study the models in the box.

• Innumerable benefits include not only new materials, food additives, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides, but also new analytical tools for the study of living matter.

• The scientists have made the progress that has provided unforeseen power, which enables us to change our lives, our world as well as our future.

• Because of its precision, mathematics is an essential tool for all of the sciences.

Showing relationships between ideas (1) To connect words and phrases that have the same grammatical function in a sentence we use conjunctions, prepositions and adverbs. conjunctions* E.g.: The twentieth century saw much momentous change that either brought enormous benefits to human beings, or threatens the very existence of the human species. Both … and … when connects two subjects require plural verb Not only … but also … Either … or … Neither … nor …** when connects two subjects, the latter determines whether the verb is singular or plural * The same grammatical form should follow each word of the pair. **is already negative in meaning so doesn’t require negative form of a verb prepositions E.g.: Apart from large-scale research programmes, scientific research which provides little or no short-term economic returns may be called into question. Because of … Due to …* are followed by an object noun show cause and effect Apart from … Except for … In addition to … show contrast continue the same idea * in formal writing is followed by a noun clause introduced by the fact that adverbs E.g.: The chemical sciences developed new analytical tools for the study of living matter as well as the environment. As well as is usually followed by an object noun??? indicates addition

Practice

1. Change the following sentences using an appropriate conjunction, preposition or adverb. (в скобках ключи)

1. Big cities suffer from air pollution. They also suffer from the shortage of fresh drinking water. (both … and/as well as)

2. Nowadays biochemistry doesn’t provide an answer to the fundamental question of the generation of life on earth. Modern biology doesn’t answer this question either. (neither … nor)

3. The research project will be funded from one of the sources: local or national. (either … or)

4. The research project took a lot of time and much money. (not only … but also …/as well as/both … and)

5. The cost and size of computing power has been reduced. The design and implementation of the Internet allows access to information from all over the globe at an unprecedented level and speed. (in addition to …)

6. Discovery and study of quasars, black holes and pulsars were made possible by new observation instruments.(due to)

7. The concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is increasing because the vast amount of fossil fuels is burnt every day. (because of …)

Listening

Listen about achievements made in other fields of science during the 20^th century. Complete the table. Discuss as a class

1 field of science
2 achievements
3 practical application

Writing

Summarize the information you have learnt in the unit on the greatest scientific advances in the 20^th century into a paragraph. Write about 10 – 15 sentences. Follow the guidelines below:

• Identify the key points of the report and the supporting details the authors use to illustrate them.

• Summarize the key points and the supporting details in your own words.

• Arrange your information in a logical order. Make use of the appropriate linking words you have learnt in the unit.

• Make sure you stated the authors’ names, the title of the report and the source it comes from in your first sentences.

• Express your opinion on the information presented in the report.

Functional language
The text	was written by …
The report	was presented at …
The article	was published in …
	comes from …
	reports on …
The text	discusses …
The report	describes …
The article	informs on/about …
The author	deals with …
	considers the problem of …
The information presented in the …	is very interesting because …
The report	is widely-discussed in the press because …
The problem	is the most up-to-date.
	of great
	of particular	interest
I find the information	of general	value	because …
	of little	significance
	of no

Get real

Search the Internet sites and popular science magazines to find information on the latest advances made in your field of science in the first decade of the 21^st century. Report your findings to the class.

Reading

1. Look at the pictures. What kind of invention do they describe?

2. Match the following words with the definitions and then with the pictures. Translate the words into Russian.

parchment	a special kind of paper that is made of conductive plastic containing tiny balls that respond to an electric charge,
paper	ancient writing material from stems of aquatic plant used in ancient Egypt for writing and drawing on
e-paper	material made from the skin of a sheep or goat, used in the past for writing manuscripts on
papyrus	a small plate made of clay
clay tablet	material that you write and draw on and that is also used for wrapping and packing things

3. Read the text and reconstruct the text on evolution of paper and papermaking using the timeline. Make use of the functional language below the text.