Task 1. Give your opinion on the following:

5. How do you think science influences our life?

6. In what way is the life of the present man different from the life of the primitive man?

7. What are the main recent successes in science and technology?

8. Are there any dangers in scientific progress?

Task 2. Look through the text and agree or disagree with statements given after it. Task 3. Read and translate the text:

Science

Science covers the broad field of knowledge that deals with observed facts and the relationships among these facts. Scientists study a wide variety of subjects. For example, some scientists search for clues to the origin of the universe. Other researchers examine the structure of molecules in the cells of living plants and animals. Still others investigate why we act the way we do, or try to solve complicated mathematical problems. But in whatever field they work, all scientists explore the workings of the world.

Scientists use systematic methods of study to make observations and collect facts. They then work to develop theories that help them order or unify related facts. Scientific theories consist of general principles or laws that attempt to explain how and why something happens or happened. Science advances as scientists accumulate more detailed facts and gain a better understanding of these fundamental principles and laws.

A theory developed by a scientist cannot be accepted as part of scientific knowledge until it has been verified by the studies of other researches. In fact, for any knowledge to be truly scientific, it must be repeatedly tested experimentally and found to be true. This characteristic of science sets it apart from other branches of knowledge. For example, the humanities, which include religion, philosophy, and the arts, deal with ideas about nature and the meaning of life. Such ideas cannot be scientifically proved. There is no test that tells whether a philosophical system is right. No one can determine scientifically what feeling an artist tried to express in a painting. Nor can anyone perform an experiment for an error in a poem or a symphony.

Science also differs from other types of knowledge in that scientific progress depends on new ideas expanding or replacing old ones. Great works of art produced today do not take the place of masterpieces of the past. But the theories of modern scientists have revised many ideas held by earlier scientists. Repeated observations and experiments lead scientists to update existing theories and to propose new ones. As new discoveries continue to be made, even many recent scientific theories will become outdated and will have to be replaced by better theories that can explain more facts. In this way, scientific knowledge is always growing and improving.

The importance of science. Science has enormous influence on our lives. It provides the basis of much of modern technology – the tools, materials, techniques, and sources of power that make our lives and work easier. Modern science and technology have changed our lives in many dramatic ways. Airplanes, automobiles, communication satellites, computers, plastics, and television are only a few of the scientific and technological inventions that have transformed human life. Research by nuclear physicists has led to the development to the nuclear energy as a source of power. Agricultural output became larger as scientists have developed better varieties of plants and highly effective fertilizers. The development of antibiotics and other new drugs has helped control many infectious diseases. Studies in anatomy and physiology have led to amazing new surgical techniques and to the invention of life-saving machines that can do the work of such organs as the lungs, kidneys and heart.

Although scientific and technological achievements have benefited us in numerous ways, they have also created serious problems. The rapid growth of industrial technology, for instance, has resulted in such grave side effects as environmental pollution and fuel shortages. Breakthrough in nuclear research have led to the development of weapons of mass destruction. Some people fear that advanced biological research will produce new disease-causing bacteria or viruses that resist drugs. People are also concerned that computerized information systems may destroy personal privacy.

The harmful effects of some technological applications of science have led some people to question the value of scientific research. But science itself is neither good nor bad. The uses that businesses, governments and individuals choose to make of scientific knowledge determine whether that knowledge will help or harm society.

Scientific study can be divided into four major groups: 1) mathematics and logic; 2) the physical sciences; 3) the life sciences; 4) the social sciences. As scientific knowledge has grown and become increasingly complicated, many new fields of study have emerged. At the same time, the boundaries between scientific fields have become less and less clear-cut.

Mathematics and logic are not based on experimental testing. But they can be considered part of science because they are essential tools in almost all scientific study. Mathematics enables scientists to prepare exact statements of their findings and theories and to make numerical predictions about what will happen in the future. Logic provides the basis for all scientific reasoning.

The physical sciences examine the nature of the universe. They study the structure and properties of non-living matter, from tiny atoms to vast galaxies. The physical sciences include 1) astronomy; 2) chemistry; 3) geology; 4) meteorology and 5) physics.

The life sciences, also called the biological sciences or biology, involve the study of living organisms. There are two main fields of the life sciences. Botany deals with plants, and zoology with animals. Many of the branches, such as anatomy and physiology, overlap with, and contribute greatly to the study of medicine. Anatomy examines the structure of living things. Physiology deals with the normal functions of living things and their parts. There are also a lot of life sciences which concentrate on certain kinds of organisms (bacteriology etc.)

The social sciences deal with individuals, groups, and institutions that make up human society. The main branches of the social sciences include 1) anthropology; 2) economics; 3) political science; 4) psychology and 5) sociology.

1. A theory becomes a part of scientific knowledge before it is verified by the studies of other researchers.

2. A philosophical system can't be proved to be right.

3. Great works of art produced today have replaced masterpieces of the past.

4. Infection diseases do not spread because of the development of antibiotics and other new drugs.

5. Some people think that computerized information systems may harm society.

6. Political science concentrates on certain kinds of organisms.