Scientific and technological wonders of the modern world
Presentation
In the 2nd century BC a list of the most impressive man-made objects was presented. These objects were called The Seven Wonders of the World. Match the picture with the name of the wonder:
1) the Pharos, lighthouse of Alexandria; 2) the Hanging Gardens of Babylon; 3) the Statue of Zeus at Olympia; 4) the Colossus of Rhodes; 5) the Pyramids of Egypt; 6) the Tomb of Mausolus; 7) the Temple of Diana
a. b. c. d.
e. f. g.
What are all these ancient wonders: pictures, statues, clothes, buildings, jewellery?
Pre-reading task
What do you think of the wonders of the modern world? Put them in order according to which you think is the most important:
computers |
mobile phones |
space travel |
television |
the Internet |
nanotechnology |
medical science |
|
You can change the list or add some more ideas.
Reading
Everybody knows that the wonders of the Ancient world were all buildings and statues. In the last two centuries we have seen unprecedented technical and scientific achievements. At the touch of a button, we can now look up almost anything we need to know on the Internet. We have electricity, airplanes, television. These are surely our modern wonders. Here’s the list.
1. Space travel
Sixty years ago there wasn’t any space program because people didn’t have the technology for space travel. Today there are space shuttles, space stations and even space tourists. So how did it all begin?
The race to space began in 1957 with the satellite Sputnik 1. Sputnik was less than 1 meter long, and was only in space for three weeks. Still, it was the first satellite to fly round the Earth. After the satellite, came the first man in space – Yuri Gagarin. His ship, Vostok 1, flew round the Earth just once. Other astronauts went into space the following year, but it took eight more years to make the next big step. On 20th July 1969 Apollo 11 arrived on the moon. Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. He stepped out of the space capsule and made his famous statement: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”. In 1971 people watched the first space station, Salyut 1, fly into space. In 1990-s space programs from different countries started to work together. The result was the International Space Station, a space city the size of a football pitch. The first part of the ISS was launched in November 1998. In 2001 Denis Tito became the first tourist in space, he paid $10 million to visit the space station. Two years later, the first man-made object, Mars Rover, landed on Mars. Scientists are already planning the first manned mission to Mars. Today we continue to watch other planets and look for new life. There aren’t many new places left to explore on Earth, so more and more people are interested in space. Space is the final frontier.