Before Reading >> Warm-up Exercises

I. Journey on the Paper

Now let’s go on a journey through the most spectacular 100 years in the history of science and technology to have an overview of how our understanding of the world has grown from 1900 to today.

MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH — Medicine and Health

1900:

Patients battle illness, while doctors can do little more than counsel (劝告) and comfort them and keep them clean.

Today:

Doctors treat and often cure patients with a vast array (一大批) of medicines and medical technologies, but some diseases are still incurable.

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE — Physics and Astronomy

1900:

The Milky Way galaxy (星系) (including some unexplained nebular clouds (星云)) is the known universe. Newton’s laws explain the physical world. Matter is composed of atoms.

Today:

The Milky Way is just one galaxy among countless millions we have observed in the universe. There is no set of laws that explains all phenomena in the physical world, although there are many theories. Atoms are composed of many subatomic particles, all of which derive from (来自于) energy.

RESEARCH INTO OURSELVES – Human Behavior

1900:

There is no cure for the mentally ill, who are confined to insane asylums (精神病院). “Mind” and “body” are thought of as two separate things.

Today:

Mental illness can be treated with a range of therapies (治疗) and medications. We know a great deal about the chemistry and the parts of the brain that control our behavior and thoughts.

FASTER, CLOSER, BETTER — Technology

1900:

The only way to view the Olympic Games in Paris is in person. News about the Games travels to America via (通过) telegraph and is printed in newspapers.

Today:

Millions worldwide watch the 2008 Beijing Olympics on television, transmitted instantaneously (瞬间地) by satellite. The news spreads as well by radio, newspaper, and the World Wide Web.

ORIGINS — Earth and Life Science

1900:

There is no good explanation for catastrophic events such as earthquakes. The Earth is thought to be a mere 50 million years old, and the evolution of species is hotly debated.

Today:

The plates (板块) that make up the Earth’s crust (地壳) move over time, causing earthquakes and volcanoes. The Earth is known to be 4,500 million years old. The genetic code of DNA, which drives evolution, is better understood every day.

II. Brainstorming

Brainstorm some of the scientific and technological inventions

(cell phone, e-mail, clone, nuclear weapons, nanotechnology (纳米技术), laptop (笔记本电脑), genetic engineering)

Discussion

Do all these inventions always change our lives for the better? Give examples to explain your opinion.

III. Clone

i. News

News 1 In Feb. 1997

In February 1997 a group of geneticists (遗传学家) led by Ian Wilmut at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland, announced that they had cloned a sheep from the mammary gland tissue (乳腺组织) of a six-year-old ewe (母羊), the first time scientists have been able to clone an adult mammal (哺乳动物).

News 2 In Apr. 1998

Dolly, the first-ever mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell, with her first lamb, named Bonnie, is seen at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland in this image on April 23, 1998. Dolly, who was naturally mated at the end of last year with a Welsh Mountain ram (公羊), gave birth to Bonnie on April 13, proving that despite her unusual origins, she is able to breed normally and produce healthy offspring.

News 3 In Feb. 2003

Dolly, the sheep, the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell, has been put down after she was found to have a lung disease, the Roslin Institute in Scotland’s capital Edinburgh said on Feb 17, 2003.

“She was suffering from an incurable disease,” said Dr. Harry Griffin, after Roslin released a statement saying the decision had been taken to put Dolly down after she contracted (感染) progressive lung disease.

ii. Discussion

What is your attitude towards clone?

Clone is a member of a group of organisms or plants produced non-sexually from one ancestor.

The suggested ethical and practical arguments both for and against cloning:

For:

1. Animals from endangered species could be cloned to prevent extinction.

2. Cloning would be a good source for organ and bone marrow (骨髓) transplants.

3. Sterile (不育的) couples will be able to have offspring who will have either the mother’s or father’s genetic pattern.

Against:

1. Technology is not well developed.  It has a low fertility rate (出生率).  In cloning Dolly, 277 eggs were used, 30 started to divide, nine induced pregnancy, and only one survived to term (临产).

2. Clones may be treated as second-class citizens and the unknown psychosocial harm with impacts on the family and society.

3. Loss of genetic variation.

iii. Ads Designing

Decide for yourself which side of the issue to support and then plan a public service advertisement campaign for or against cloning.

1. Use attention-grabbing images and snappy (简洁) yet informative language in your ads.

2. You might find models of such images and language in other public service advertisements, such as the ones that discourage people from smoking. (图略) (A few good examples can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org and www.badvertising.org.)

Before Reading >> Background Information

I. Stephen Hawking

i. Brief Introduction to Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking (1942~ ): British theoretical physicist and mathematician

ii. Chronology of Stephen Hawking

– 1942

Born in Oxford, England.

– 1958

Entered Oxford University and became especially interested in thermodynamics (热力学), relativity theory, and quantum mechanics (量子力学).

– 1962

Received a bachelor’s degree in physics and then enrolled as a research student in general relativity at the University of Cambridge.

– 1966

Earned his Ph.D. degree at the University of Cambridge. Stayed at the University of Cambridge to do post-doctoral research. Diagnosed as having Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) (肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化).

(Quote: “I am quite often asked: How do you feel about having ALS? The answer is, not a lot. I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many.”)

– 1977

Became a professor of physics.

– 1979

Appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, a post once held by Isaac Newton.

– 1988

Published his famous book A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes.

– 1993

Wrote Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays.

– 1996

Co-authored a book with Sir Roger Penrose titled The Nature of Space and Time.

iii. Main Achievements of Stephen Hawking

singularity:

(A point in space-time at which the space-time curvature (曲率) becomes infinite.)

black hole:

(A region of space-time from which nothing, not even light, can escape. Nothing can escape because gravity is so strong.)

With the help of the following words and expressions, listen to a recording of more information on black hole.

Key Words:

object: n. 物体

emit: v. 放射，吐露

the event horizon: 事件视界，即黑洞的边界

entropy: n. 熵，热力学概念。

fatal: a. 重大的，致命的

motivate: v. 激发

irritation: n. 愤怒

misuse: v. 误用，错用

turn out: 结果是

manner: n. 方式，风格

Script:

By their very definition, black holes are objects which are not supposed to emit anything. It therefore seemed that the area of the event horizon of a black hole could not be regarded as its entropy. In fact in 1972, I wrote a paper on this subject with Brandon Carter and an American colleague Jim Bardeen. We pointed out that, although there were many similarities between entropy and the area of the event horizon, there was this apparently fatal difficulty. I must admit that in writing this paper I was motivated partly by irritation with Beckenstein, because I felt he had misused my discovery of the increase of the area of the event horizon. However, it turned out in the end that he was basically correct, though in a manner he had certainly not expected.

A Brief History of Time:

(One of his books to make his work accessible to the public.)

Medal of Freedom:

Script:

Persistent in his pursuit of knowledge, Stephen Hawking has unlocked new pathways of discovery and inspired people around the world. He has dedicated his life to exploring the fundamental laws that govern the universe, and he has contributed to some of the greatest scientific discoveries of our time. His work has stirred the imagination of experts and lay persons alike. Living with a disability and possessing an uncommon ease of spirit, Stephen Hawking’s attitude and achievements inspire hope, intellectual curiosity, and respect for the tremendous power of science.

II. Albert Einstein

i. Monologue of Einstein

Albert Einstein (1879~1955)  

Script:

I was born in Ulm, Germany in 1879.

As you may know, 1905 was a big year for me. That’s when I turned the world upside down, at least for scientists, with several new ideas. I proposed that space and time had to be looked at in a whole new way — that Newton’s view of space and time was inaccurate. These ideas became known as the special theory of relativity and introduced the equation E=mc².

Ten years later I presented the general theory of relativity. The general theory showed that gravity is not a force, as Newton had thought. It is instead a curvature (曲率) of the space-time continuum.

ii. Albert Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity

Listen to the recording and choose the best answer.

1) Which of the following does not change according to Einstein? ______ (C)

A. Time                                          B. Mass                                         C. Speed of light                                            D. Length

2) The two spaceships mentioned are exactly alike except for ______. (B)

A. speed                                        B. color                                          C. mass                                                                     D. motion

3) What does the scientist in the spaceship measure? ______ (B)

A. The speed of the spaceship.

B. The time needed for a beam of light’s travel in the spaceship.

C. The speed of the other spaceship.

D. The time needed for a beam of light’s travel in the other spaceship.

4) What did the scientist in the red ship see or conclude? ______ (D)

A. His beam of light does not appear to go straight up.

B.     The beam of light in the blue ship appears to come straight down.

C. Time passed more slowly in the red ship.

D. The blue ship is shorter than the red one.

Script:

The most important of Albert Einstein’s theories published that year became known as his “Special Theory of Relativity.” He said the speed of light is always the same — almost three-hundred-thousand kilometers a second. Where the light is coming from or who is measuring it does not change the speed. However, he said, time can change. And mass can change. And length can change. They depend on where a person is in relation to an object or an event.

Imagine two space vehicles with a scientist travelling in each one. One spaceship is red. One is blue. Except for color, both spaceships are exactly alike. They pass one another far out in space.

Neither scientist feels that his ship is moving. To each, it seems that the other ship is moving, not his. As they pass at high speed, the scientist in each ship measures how long it takes a beam of light to travel from the floor to the top of his spaceship, hit a mirror and return to the floor. Each spaceship has a window that lets each scientist see the experiment of the other.

They begin their experiments at exactly the same moment. The scientist in the blue ship sees his beam of light go straight up and come straight down. But he sees that the light beam in the red ship does not do this. The red ship is moving so fast that the beam does not appear to go straight up. It forms a path up and down that looks like an upside down “V”.

The scientist in the red ship would see exactly the same thing as he watched the experiment by the other scientist. He could say that time passed more slowly in the other ship. Each scientist would be correct, because the passing of time is linked to the position of the observer.

Each scientist also would see that the other spaceship was shorter than his own. The higher the speeds the spaceships were travelling, the shorter the other ship would appear. And although the other ship would seem shorter, its mass would increase. It would seem to get heavier. The ideas were difficult to accept. Yet other scientists did experiments to prove that Einstein’s theory was correct.

iii. Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity

Listen to the passage, and fill in the blanks with the missing word(s) you hear.

Ten years after his paper on the special theory of relativity, Albert Einstein finished work on another theory. It described what he called his “General Theory of Relativity.” It expanded his special theory to include the motion of objects that are gaining speed. This theory offered new ideas about gravity and the close relationship between matter and energy. It built on the ideas about mass he had expressed in 1905.

Einstein said that an object loses mass when it gives off light, which is a kind of energy. He believed that matter and energy were different forms of the same thing. That was the basis of his famous mathematical statement E=MC² (Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared). This statement or formula explained that a great amount of energy could come from a small piece of matter. It explained how the sun could give off heat and light for millions of years. This formula also led to the discovery of atomic energy.

In his general theory of relativity, Einstein said that gravity, like time, is not always the same. Gravity changes as observers speed up or slow down. He also said that gravity from very large objects, such as stars, could turn the path of light waves that passed nearby. This seemed unbelievable. But in 1919, British scientists confirmed his theory when the sun was completely blocked during a solar eclipse. Albert Einstein immediately became famous around the world.

III. Frankenstein

i. A General Introduction

Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, generally known as Frankenstein, is a novel written by Mary Shelley. The title of the novel refers to a scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who learns how to create life and creates a being in the likeness of man, but larger than average and more powerful. In popular culture, people have tended incorrectly to refer to the monster as “Frankenstein”.

ii. A Clip in the Novel – Frankenstein

1. What was the author interested in?

(The man was interested in human bodies.)

2. What did the author begin to do?

(The author began to work with dead bodies. He studied the progress of their decay, and examined the change from life to death, and death to life.)

3. What did the author finally discover?

(He finally discovered how life was created.)

4. What was the author’s attitude towards knowledge?

(Knowledge is dangerous.)

5. What is the author’s first task?

(The first task is to create a body.)

Global Reading >> Part Division of the Text

Global Reading >> Further Understanding

I. For Part 1 Questions and Answers

1. What is the attitude of some people towards the changes brought about by science and technology?

(Some people would like to stop these changes and go back to what they see as a purer and simpler age.)

2. What was life like before science and technology began to change our way of life?

(For the vast majority of the population, life was nasty, brutish, and short.)

3. What would happen if all government money for research were cut off?

(The force of competition would still bring about advances in technology if all government money for research were cut off.)

4. Is it possible to prevent science and technology from further development? Why or why not?

(No. The only way to prevent further developments would be a global state that suppressed anything new, and human initiative and inventiveness are such that even this would not succeed.)

5. What are general public’s attitudes towards science and technology?

(They expect the steady increase in the standard of living that new developments in science and technology have brought to continue, but they also distrust science because they don’t understand it. Besides, the public also has a great interest in science.)

II. For Part 2 Skimming

1. Skim Part 2 to find out a mini-exposition.

Topic sentence: How to educate the public in science?

Supporting point 1: science education in schools

Supporting point 2: replacing equations with words and diagrams

Supporting point 3: making use of popular media such as newspapers, magazines and above all TV

2. This part is full of comparison and contrast, read this part and fill in the following table with information obtained from this part.

III. For Part 3 True or False

1. Our civilization is more advanced than other alien civilizations according to the joke. (T)

2. We have not been contacted by an alien civilization because of the insufficient development of the science and technology. (F)

(We have not been contacted by an alien civilization because any alien civilization tends to destroy themselves when they reach our stage.)

3) The author has had sufficient evidence to prove that the joke is wrong. (F)

(The author has not had sufficient evidence, but he believes that the good sense of the public might prove the joke is wrong.)