2.We will break through to a complete theory of the universe.
3.We will understand fully the order the universe is governed by in the not-too-distant future.
4.This hope is just a mirage.
5.There will be no ultimate theory.
6.We will not find a consistent model.
Exercise 4 (in pairs)
You have different points of view. Contradict your partner. Model: The universe is a mystery.
The universe isn’t a mystery.
1.I agree with the view that the universe is a mystery.
2.The universe behaves in an arbitrary manner.
3.Very high particle energies occur in normal situations on the earth.
4.It is necessary to spend large sums on studying very high particle energies.
5.We must find out what happens at these energies because it is necessary.
6.A complete understanding of the universe is within our powers.
7.We can perceive the order the universe is governed by.
8.This approach is the only way to understand the universe.
9.We will find a consistent model that describes everything in the universe.
UNIT 2
THE LAWS OF NATURE
“Evolution is not something that applies to life here on earth; it applies to the whole universe. The universe required ten billion years of evolution before life became possible; the evolution of the stars and the evolving of new chemical elements in the nuclear furnaces of the stars were
the prerequisites for the generation of life. The laws that we understand as the laws of nature had to be finely tuned to make this possible.”
John Polkinghorne
− 51 −
PRE-READING TASK Study some grammar points. I. Model verbs can, could, may, might are used to indicate that it is possible for something to happen or to be = possible. Might is more unsure than may. Could is more unsure than can. Must is the most sure of all = highly probable
Study the sentences.
1.This can be just an illusion.
2.We may know the answer one day.
3.If the theory of inflation is correct, the universe must contain enough dark matter to bring the density up to the critical density.
There are four infinitives:
to do (simple), to be doing (continuous), to have done (perfect), to have been doing (perfect continuous)
a. We use a modal verb + sim-
ple infinitive for an action in the present or future.
b. We use a modal verb + perfect infinitive for an action in the past.
Study the sentence.
1.The equipment might not have withstood the temperature.
2.When I was a graduate student scientists did not believe that there must have been a big bang singularity and hence a beginning of time. Now nearly
everyone believes that the universe began with a singularity, at which the laws of physics broke down.
c.We use a modal verb + continuous infinitive to say that the action is developing as a process.
Study the sentence.
No-one in the early twentieth century suggested that the universe might be evolving with time.
d.We use a modal verb + perfect continuous infinitive to say how long the situation has been happening.
Study the sentence.
The universe can have been going only for a finite time.
II When we imagine a situation we use: would (could) + Vo for the present
would (could) + have V3 for the past
would Russian – бы could Russian – мог бы
Study the sentences.
1.The fact that nothing can travel faster than light means that the round trip to the nearest star would take at least eight years.
2.The observation of a black hole explosion would provide very important information on elementary particle physics, in-
− 52 −
formation that might not be available any other way.
III. We use to V (in order to V) to talk about the purpose of doing something = why someone does something.
Study the sentences.
1. Our present variants of a complete unified theory contain
a number of quantities, like the size of the electric charge on a particle. The values of these quantities cannot be predicted by our theories. Instead, they have to be chosen to agree with observations.
Give Russian correspondence:
so (therefore), even though (even if), the way (how), by some amount, at one time (at a single point in time), otherwise (if it were different), the same, that is to say (that is), so far (up to the present moment)
SCIENCE IS A DECLARATION OF ORDER
“Order is the first heaven’s law.”
Pope, English poet
Study the passage. Mind the underlined grammar points.
We look at the world we live in and find it a strange, exciting place, full of chaos, full of change. Science is a frame into which the world, as we see it, can sometimes be fit. In the world of science, order replaces chaos. Science is a declaration of order. It is the expression of the faith that the Universe lies under law, and that we can learn that law. In the world of endless change, science looks for whatever remains unchanging. Science tries to identify quantities that do not change under suitable conditions – energy, momentum, and mass. So, scientists talk about the law of conservation of energy, the law of momentum and so on.
Even though we may know the laws that govern the universe, we are not able to use them to predict far into the future. This is because the solutions to the equations of physics may exhibit [igzibit] a property known as chaos [keiə s]. What this means is that the equations may be unstable: slightly change the way a system behaves by a small amount at one time, and the later behavior of the system may soon become completely different. For example, if you slightly change the way you
− 53 −
spin a roulette wheel, you will change the number that comes up. It is practically impossible to predict the number that will come up; otherwise, physicists could be making a fortune at the casinos.
The second law of thermodynamics formulated by a German physicist Ludwig Boltzmann states that the total amount of disorder in the universe (which is measured by a quantity called entropy) always increases with time. This, like the argument about human progress, suggests that the universe can have been going only for a finite [fainait] time. Otherwise it would have degenerated into a state of complete disorder, in which everything would be at the same temperature.
Stephen Hawking
“Life can only exist where the second law of thermodynamics operates – that is to say – where there is energy flowing from a higher level to a lower level.”
Colin Wilson
Vocabulary Notes
1.a frame – a hollow structure inside which you can fit something
2.to fit something into something – to place something into something
3.a faith – assurance
4.to remain unchanging – not to change
5.to identify – (here) – to specify – to select
6.suitable – appropriate – right for some purpose
7.to exhibit – to display
8.slightly – a bit
9.This suggests – This indicates
POST-READING TASK
(To be done at home in writing)
I. How do you perceive the world? Write a couple of sentences. II. Write out of the passage 4 definitions of science.
III. Answer the questions:
1.Why are physicists not making a fortune in the casinos?
2.Physicists state that the universe can have been going only for a finite time. How do they know?
−54 −
IV. You are supposed to read any text three times. First, you read and don’t understand; second, you read and understand what is written; third, you read and understand what is not written.
Read the passage for the third time and complete the sentences.
1.The universe lies ………….
2.The function of science is to …………………….
3.So far science has discovered ……………………..
4.The goal of science is to develop …………………. to describe everything.
5.A theory of physics is a ………………………..
6.A mathematical model is a …………………….
7.So, ……………………………………………….
8.Science is mostly concerned with ………. To measure something, you have to have a unit of measurement. For example, a second is a fixed unit to ………….; a metre is a fixed unit to ……. Statistical physics uses entropy as a unit of measurement. Entropy is a unit to………..
9.We live in ……………………….
10.Any system tends to ……. with time.
11.So, ……………………………..
V. Put in the prepositions.
1.We look … the world we live in and find it a strange, exciting place, full of chaos, full of change.
2.… the world … endless change, science looks … whatever remains unchanging.
3.Science tries to identify quantities that do not change … suitable conditions.
4.Slightly change the way a system behaves … a small amount … one time.
5.The total amount …disorder … the universe is measured … a quantity called entropy.
6.The total amount … disorder … the universe always increases …
time
7.The universe can have been going only … a finite time.
8.Otherwise, the universe would have degenerated … a state … complete disorder, … which everything would be … the same temperature.
9.Energy is flowing … a higher level … lower level.
−55 −