Читай и говори пособие 1 курс

Poem to Enjoy

If …

Rudyard Kipling

If You can keep your head when all about you Are loosing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired of waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master; If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim, If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat these two impostors just the same;

If you can feel the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

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TOPIC 5: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

I. Revise the words and expressions.

1. amount, n	количество
2. certainty, n	несомненный факт
3. commodity, n	предмет потребления
4. data, n (sing. datum)	данные
5. discovery, n	открытие
6. emerge, v	появляться, возникать
7. emit, v	излучать
8. encounter, v	сталкиваться
9. engage , v	занимать, привлекать
10. enumerate, v	перечислять
11. essence, n	сущность
12. essential, adj	существенный, важный
13. frame, n	создавать, вырабатывать
14. gather, v	собирать
15. hypothesis, n	гипотеза
16. inquiry, n	исследование
17. investigate, v	исследовать
18. meet, v (met): to meet human needs	удовлетворять потребности людей
19. obtain, v	получать
20. predict, v	предсказывать
21. probability, n	вероятность
22. proceed, v	продолжать
23. science, n (applied, fundamental)	наука (прикладная,
	фундаментальная)
24. stress, v	подчеркивать, выделять
25. substance, n	вещество

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	DIFFERENT KINDS OF SCIENCE:
pure science	- considered only for its own nature as a skill or exercise of
	mind;
applied sciences	- put to a practical use;
practical science	- related to actual experience;
natural science	- related to biology;
physical science	- which relates to the nature of matter, force, structure;
social science	- relating to people’s lives and natures;
medical science	- relating to medicine;
life sciences	- all the sciences which relate to living things;
social sciences	- scientific study of societies.

II.Give a word or expression for the following.

1.to subject the most serious study;

2.a kind of matter, something any body consists of;

3.to name, to mention everybody or everything;

4.to get, to procure something;

5.information necessary for drawing a conclusion or making a decision;

6.to ascertain something unknown before;

7.to continue, to go on;

8.being of great practical importance;

9.possibility of putting into practice;

10.supposition requiring confirmation.

III.Match English and Russian equivalents

.
1. to deal with probability	1. прикладная наука
2. fundamental science	2. открыть новое вещество
3. a technique of inquiry	3. исследование
4. to gather the essential data	4. иметь дело с вероятностью
5. investigation	5.	огромное количество данных
6. to obtain knowledge	6.	перечислить причины

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7. applied science	7. фундаментальная наука
8. to enumerate reasons	8. продолжить исследование
9. to discover new substance	9. метод исследования
10. to emit rays	10. собрать важные данные
11. a great amount of data	11. получать знания
12. to proceed research	12. испускать лучи

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TEXT 5A. WHAT SCIENCE IS

Read the text and do the exercises.

It can be said that science is a cumulative body of knowledge about the natural world, obtained by the application of a peculiar method practiced by the scientist. It’s known that the word science itself is derived from the Latin «scire», i.e. to know, to have knowledge of, to experience. Fundamental and applied sciences are commonly distinguished, the former being concerned with fundamental laws of nature, the latter engaged in application of the knowledge obtained. Technology is the fruit of applied science, being the concrete practical expression of research done in the laboratory and applied to manufacturing commodities to meet human needs.

The word «scientist» was introduced only in 1840 by a Cambridge professor of philosophy who wrote: «We need a name for describing a cultivator of science in general. I should be inclined to call him a scientist». «The cultivators of science» before that time were known as «natural philosophers». They were curious, often eccentric, persons who poked inquiring fingers at nature. In the process of doing so they started a technique of inquiry which is now referred to as the «scientific method».

Briefly the following steps can be distinguished in this method. First comes the thought that initiates the inquiry. It’s known, for example, that in 1896 the physicist Henri Becquerel, in his communication to the French Academy of Science, reported that he had discovered rays of an unknown nature emitted spontaneously by uranium salts. His discovery exited Marie Curie, and together with her husband Pierre Curie she tried to obtain more knowledge about the radiation. What was it exactly? Where did it come from?

Second comes the collecting of facts: the techniques of doing this will differ according to the problem which is to be solved. But it is based on the experiment in which anything may be used to gather the essential data - from a test-tube to an earthsatellite. It’s known that the Curies encountered great difficulties in gathering their facts, as they investigated the mysterious uranium rays.

This leads to step three: organizing the facts and studying the relationships that emerge. It was already noted that the above rays were different from anything known. How to explain this? Did this radiation come from the atom itself? It might be expected that other materials also have the property of emitting radiation. Some

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investigations made by Mme Curie proved that this was so. The discovery was followed by further experiments with «active» radioelements only.

Step four consists in stating an hypothesis or theory: that is, framing a general truth that has emerged, and that may be modified as new facts emerge. In July 1898, the Curies announced the probable presence in pitchblende ores of a new element possessing powerful radioactivity. This was the beginning of the discovery of radium.

Then follows the clearer statement of the theory. In December 1898, the Curies reported to the Academy of Sciences: «The various reasons enumerated lead us to believe that the new radioactive substance contains a new element to which we propose to give the name of Radium. The new radioactive substance certainly contains a great amount of barium, and still its radioactivity is considerable. It can be suggested therefore that the radioactivity of radium must be enormous».

And the final step is the practical test of the theory, i.e. the prediction of new facts. This is essential, because from this flows the possibility of control by man of the forces of nature that are newly revealed.

Note should be taken of how Marie Curie used deductive reasoning in order to proceed with her research, this kind of «detective work» being basic to the methodology of science. It should be stressed further that she dealt with probability - and not with certainty - in her investigation. Also, although the Curies were doing the basic research work at great expense to themselves in hard physical toil, they knew that they were part of an international group of people all concerned with their search for truth. Their reports were published and immediately examined by scientists all over the world. Any defects in their arguments would be pointed out to them immediately.

EXERCISES:

I.Fill in the blanks in the sentences using the appropriate words and word combinations from the following list.

at great expense; to meet human needs; to point out; to encounter difficulties; to refer to; to emerge; to distinguish; search for truth.

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1. Technology is the fruit of science applied to manufacturing commodities ... . 2. «Natural philosophers» being rather curious started a technique of inquiry which ...

now ... as the «scientific method».3. There are some steps ... in this method. 4. The Curies are known ... in investigating the mysterious uranium rays. 5. A general truth may be modified as new facts ... . 6. The Curies were doing the basic research work

... to themselves in hard physical toil. 7. They were part of an international group of people all concerned with their ... . 8. Scientists all over the world examined the Curies reports and any defects in their arguments ... to them immediately.

II.Correct the statements if they are not true.

1.Fundamental science is concerned with fundamental laws of nature, whereas applied science is engaged in application of the knowledge obtained.

2.The word «scientist» was introduced by a Greek philosopher in ancient times.

3.Pierre Curie was the first to discover rays of an unknown nature emitted by uranium salts.

4.The technique of collecting facts differs according to the problem which is to be solved.

5.The Curies reported that the radioactivity of radium must be limited.

6.It was probability that Marie Curie dealt with in her investigation.

7.The Curies performed their research in complete isolation as they didn’t want anybody to help them.

III.Say what you have learnt about:

1. the origin of the word «science»; 2. fundamental sciences; 3. applied sciences; 4. scientific method.

IV. Think and answer.

1.How did the word «scientist» appear?

2.What steps are distinguished in the scientific method? What are they characterized by?

V. Make a short summary of the text.

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TEXT 5B. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS IN MODERN SOCIETY

Study the following text and do the tasks given bellow

Natural science is the main characteristic feature distinguishing the present civilization from the other civilizations in the past. From its early beginning in the 16th century the developments of science have influenced the course of western civilization more and more. Until today it plays the most dominant role. It is not much of exaggeration to say that we live in a world that materially and intellectually has been created by science.

The point is easy to illustrate on the material level. There’s hardly an article used in the homes, in the places of work, or in the places of enjoyment that has not been modified by technology based on science.

Another part of the story is less obvious and less well known, but far more important. It’s a story of expanding intellectual horizons - the impact of science on the mind of a man. Fundamentally, science is an intellectual enterprise, an attempt to understand the world in a particular way. All the developments are but the results, the outcomes of this intellectual activity.

Over the past 150 years the range of human knowledge has been doubled every 12 or 15 years. In 1930 man knew 4 times as much as he did in 1900; by 1960 his knowledge had grown sixteenfold, and in the year 2000 it was a hundred times what it had been a century previously.

The second part of the 20th century has brought a number of technical innovations which are still very young but which are taken so much for granted that it’s as if they’ve always existed.

The transistor was not invented until 1948. This piece of electronic equipment found wide use in space technology, computers, transistor radios, medical instruments, television sets - in fact, wherever precise control and modulation of electrical signals was required, however, the invention of ICs (integrated circuits) in 1958 brought in a new era of change in the field so fundamental, that it already has the characteristics of a second industrial revolution.

A mere 12 years separated the launching of the satellite Sputnik 1 in 1957 and man’s first landing on the Moon in 1969. The first long-term orbital station Salyut launched in 1971 opened a new era in space research. Another period of 10 years and

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in 1981 we could witness the launching of a typically new cosmic vehicle - the Shuttle.

It’s not difficult to continue with other examples but the point is clear. Events such as these are characteristic of the rate of technological development in the second half of the 20th century. They suggest that the technological innovations we are to experience during the next 20 years to come may well surpass our wildest fantasies and today’s tomorrow may well become tomorrow’s the day before yesterday. Science occupies a central position in modern society. It dominates man’s whole existence. Research and innovations in technology should improve society’s living and working conditions and remedy the negative effects of technical and social changes.

I.Give your impressions of:

1.the influence of science on the course of western civilization; 2. prominent technical innovations of the 20th century; 3. the rate of technological development.

II.Think and answer.

1.Why is it possible to say that the world we live in has been created by science?

2.How does science influence the mind of a man?

3.What’s the role of science in modern society?

TEXT 5C. THE MOST PROFOUND TECHNOLOGY

Study the text and do the tasks given bellow.

In recent years, scientific and technological developments have drastically changed human life on our planet, as well as our views both of ourselves as

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individuals in society and of the universe as a whole. Maybe one of the most profound developments of the last decade is the discovery of recombinant DNA technology, which allows scientists to introduce genetic material (or genes) from one organism into another. In its simplest form, the technology requires the isolation of a piece of DNA, either directly from the DNA of the organism under study, or artificially synthesized from an RNA template, by using a viral enzyme called reverse transcriptase. This piece of DNA is then ligated to a fragment of bacterial DNA, which has the capacity to replicate itself independently. The recombinant molecule thus produced can be introduced into the common intestinal bacterium Escherishchia coli, which can be grown in very large amounts in synthetic media. Under proper conditions, the foreign gene will not only replicate in the bacteria, but also express itself, through the process of transcription and translation, to give rise to large amounts of the specific protein coded by the foreign gene.

The technology has already been successfully applied to the production of several therapeutically important biomolecules, such as insulin, interferon, and growth hormones. Many other important applications are under detailed investigation in laboratories throughout the world.

I.Give your impressions of:

1.the most prominent development of the last years; 2. the application of the new technology.

II.Think and answer.

1.What does recombinant DNA technology consist of?

2.Where was recombination DNA technology used?

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