👉Communicative area: discussing advantages and disadvantages of the scientific progress, writing an opinion paragraph
👉Active vocabulary: app, data, digital, genius, technology, vehicle, web
What do you think when you hear science and technology?
Listen to some questions about science and technology and
think of your answers.
Listen to the answers. Do you agree with the answers?
Read the article below. What is its main idea?
Moving with the Gear Train of Modern Science
By Ajeet Khurana
Fire was the first discovery and wheel was the first invention. Since that time, we have travelled far. Science has taken us to territories we could not have imagined some centuries ago. The 20th century was when science really came into its own. Half of our present day inventions were unthinkable a century ago.
Science has brought great changes in every field but the one place where it has really shone is technology. Today, we have access to some of the most advanced technical inventions. A few centuries ago, a genius called Leonardo da Vinci made the first blue-print for an aeroplane. Today, even the economy class, domestic flights have become passe. It is time for the new inventions.
Some time ago, NASA launched a Space Shuttle called Discovery. Imagine, a metallic object run on hydrogen fuel, in space, thousand miles away, bringing us news, data and newer means of improvement.
It’s not only about the air.
Vehicleswhich run on land are packed with newer inventions of the day. All modern cars have technology written all over them. These are the mechanical devices which have made us a Nano-race.
We have come into a digital age. Computers have given way to laptops and then to notebooks and palmtops. LCDs and Plasmas have replaced picture-tube televisions.
The mobiles have turned into a complete island of entertainment and communication.
Internet has brought the impossible within means. Web has made online education possible. A teacher in Spain can teach a student in Nigeria with the help of computer apps and Voice
Chat modules.
Science has really beautified life. Today, you can visit your distant relative on the other side of the globe within a day. You can look at an award ceremony held in London, sitting in a shelter in Algeria. You can put thousands and thousands pages of text into a pin size chip and still have plenty of space left.
You cannot come back from the dead but that’s probably the only thing you cannot do. The borders of time and space are certainly shrinking.
1. What were the first discovery and the first invention according to the text?
2. How does the author describe the progress of science from earlier times to the 20th century?
3. Who was Leonardo da Vinci, and what was his contribution related to aviation?
4. What recent space mission is mentioned, and what is its significance?
5. How have vehicles changed with technological advancements, according to the text?
6. What does the text say about the evolution of computers and televisions?
7. How has the internet transformed communication and education?
8. What examples are given to show how science has beautified life?
9. According to the author, what is the only thing science cannot do?
10. What does the phrase "the borders of time and space are certainly shrinking" mean in the context of the passage?
