UNIT 8
SCIENCE − PUBLIC RELATIONSHIP
“For changes to be made in the right direction, the public needs to have a basic understanding of science.”
Stephen Hawking
PREREADING TASK Study some grammar points.
I. The words in italics show the attitude of the speaker to the idea he expresses.
S is likely to V = probably (вероятно) S is unlikely to V = hardly (вряд ли)
We use two variants.
1.It is likely that the world we live in will change dramatically in the next hundred years.
2.The world we live in is likely to change dramatically in the next hundred years.
Study the sentences.
1.Going through a black hole is unlikely to be a popular and reliable
method of space travel.
2. The realization that I had an incurable disease that was likely to kill me in a few years was a bit of a shock.
II One is a personal pronoun and can be used as the subject of the sentence = You
You don’t translate it.
Study the sentences.
1.Even if one wanted to, one could not put the clock back to an early
age.
2.The only way we could detect dark matter would be by its effect on the expansion of the universe. One can determine how fast the expansion is slowing down by measuring the speed at which distant galaxies are moving away from us. The point is we are observing these galaxies in the distant past, when light left them on its journey to us. One can plot a graph of the speed of the galaxies against their brightness or magnitude, which is a measure of their distance from us.
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III. We can use without + Ving to show how something happens.
Study the sentence.
1.Many science programs on TV present scientific wonders simply as magic without explaining them and showing how they fit into the framework of scientific ideas.
IV. N + to V (to be + V3) – an infinitive after a noun characterizes it and expresses an action that must be done or can be done in the future.
Study the sentences.
1.“There are books to be read and thrown away; there are books to be read and put on the shelf; and there are some few to be read and digested” (Seneca)
2.These are the data to be verified.
3.When we look for life on Mars, we need an astrophysicist to characterize the environment, the chemist to understand the chemistry of the soils, the geologist to understand the rock formations, the biologist and a paleontologist.
4.Genetic engineering and computers are the two developments most likely to change the way we live. = Genetic engineering and computers are the two developments which are most likely to change the way we live.
Give Russian correspondence:
in a dry and uninteresting manner (way), rather than (instead of), so (thus – therefore), moreover (more than that), although (though), in terms of (through, by means of), in the form of, anyway (in any case), to provide (to be), the way (how), to realize (to understand), as (since, for), by far (so far, up till the present moment), in a responsible way, actual (real), Rather (when we use rather we introduce a correction)
PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARDS SCIENCE
Study the passage. Mind the underlined grammar points.
What can be done to give the public the scientific background it needs to make informed decisions on subjects like acid rain, the greenhouse effect, nuclear weapons and genetic engineering? Clearly, the basis must lie in what is taught in schools. But in school science is presented in a dry and uninteresting manner. Children learn science by rou-
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tine to pass examinations rather than by careful thought, so they don’t see its relevance to the world around them. Moreover, science is often taught in terms of equations. Although equations are a concise and accurate way of describing mathematical ideas, they frighten most people. Scientists and engineers, however, tend to express their ideas in the form of equations because they need to know the precise values of quantities.
Anyway, the science people learn in schools could provide the basic framework. But the rate of scientific progress is now so rapid that there are always new developments that have occurred since one was at school or university. I never learned about molecular biology or transistors at school, but genetic engineering and computers are the two developments most likely to change the way we live. Popular books and magazines articles about science could help, but even the most successful popular books are read only by a small proportion of the population. Only television can reach a truly mass audience. There are some very good science programs on TV, but others present scientific wonders simply as magic, without explaining them or showing how they fit into the framework of scientific ideas. Producers of television science programs should realize that they have a responsibility to educate the public, not just to entertain it.
What are the science-related issues that the public will have to make decisions on in the near future? By far the most urgent is that of nuclear weapons. A nuclear war could mean the end of all human life on earth within days. It would only take a computer error to trigger a global war. It is very important that the public realize the danger and put pressure on all governments to agree to large arms cuts. The major powers have behaved in a reasonably responsible way, but one cannot have such confidence in minor powers like Libya, Iraq or Pakistan. The danger is not so much in the actual nuclear weapons that such powers may soon possess. Rather the danger is that a nuclear war between two minor powers could draw in the major powers with their enormous arsenals.
Stephen Hawking
Vocabulary Notes
1.thought – reasoning
2.relevance – connection
3.concise – laconicsizable – compact
4.They tend to express – they usually express
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5.a value is a particular number or quantity that can replace a general expression such as x or y.
6.a framework – a structure
7.a rate – a speed – we use a rate when speaking about processes
8.a power – a state
POST-READING TASK
(To be done at home in writing) I. Analyze the passage.
1.Make up a list of information channels through which the public could be given scientific background.
2.Evaluate the pros @ cons of each information channel.
II. Add another sentence using so …
1.Children learn science by routine to pass examinations rather than by careful thought, so …….
2.Scientists need to know the precise values of quantities, so
………………
3.The rate of scientific progress is now extremely rapid, so
……………….
4.Even the most successful popular books are read only by a small proportion of the population, so ……………….
III. Formulate questions.
1.Children do not see the relevance of science to the world around
them. (Why?)
2.Popular science books are read by a small proportion of the population. (Why?)
3.Only television can reach truly mass audiences. (Why?)
4.Many science programs present scientific wonders simply as magic. (Why?)
IV. Cut down the paragraphs to the topical sentences, make necessary changes and write a summary. Use some introductory words: Hawking is sure that; He thinks, considers, believes; He is afraid that; He doubts that; in his opinion, He takes the view
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CLASS EXERCISES
Exercise 1 (in pairs)
You have been present at the lecture given by Hawking in Spain. Exchange your opinions using your summary as the basis.
Exercise 2 (in groups)
To test the scientific background you have, answer the questions.
1.What are acid rains caused by?
2.What is the greenhouse effect caused by? Does it affect the climate change? Why?
3.What does genetic engineering deal with?
4.What is the most urgent science-related issue that the public will have to make decisions on?
5.In what way would the major powers behave in case of a conflict.
Exercise 3 (do it yourself)
In your own words write another sentence which, in your opinion, may be the cause of the previous one, and compare the sentence formulated by you with the one written by the author.
1.Unfortunately, the basis to give people scientific background can’t lie in what is taught in schools because …
2.Children do not see the relevance of science to the world around them because …
3.Science is often taught in terms of equations because …
4.Equations frighten most people because …
Exercise 4 (in groups) A Round Table Talk
Student A asks the first question of post-reading task III, student B answers it and addresses with the next question to student C.
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