1. Warm up activity:
□ Share the following introduction with your friend and give your own views on the opinions expressed in the passage.
Science has grown rapidly over the past few centuries, making things possible that were once considered completely impossible. Science has done a lot to cure many of our worldly troubles, but one thing about science is that it isn't perfect, and never will be. The reason for this is that there is no last word in science. There is always more to discover.
□ Why do you think there is no last word with science?
2. Now read the text and answer the questions that follow. It is about some of the breakthroughs that have not happened yet.
DNA Computer
Imagine having an iPod capable of holding thousands of years of high definition video. A DNA computer would make such a device very possible. DNA is the substance that living organisms use to store genetic information. What makes DNA special is that it is extremely efficient when it comes to storing information in a limited space. Just one milligram of DNA is capable of holding all the printed material in the world. DNA computing is currently in its infancy, with prototypes such as MAYA-II only capable of showing the concept. If DNA computing is perfected, computers will become capable of holding amounts of information that arc hard to imagine by today's standard.
Permanent Moon Base
Ever since setting up human habitation in space was first imagined, it was thought that the Moon would be the first object to be colonised since it was closest to earth. In 1969, when man first walked on the moon, a permanent colony suddenly appeared to be very achievable. However, for a variety of reasons, both economical and technical, the project was never truly attempted. However, NASA currently has plans to have one constructed by 2024. The
European Space Agency (ESA) also has plans to construct a moon base by 2025. Japan and India also each have plans to have a base by 2030. The biggest barrier to a base is money. Many people within NASA, including Buzz Aldrin, have criticised the building of a moon base, saying that NASA should put more focus on different issues like clean energy.
Clean Energy
While many alternatives to fossil fuels have been investigated, there is still quite a way to go before mankind's energy supply is completely renewable. As of today, about 85% of all energy comes from fossil fuels. The reason clean energy is considered to be important is because fossil fuels aren't expected to last much longer, they pollute the environment, and they have led to tensions between nations. The reason clean energy is hard to come by is that we've spent the past 150 years dependent on oil, and it's quite difficult to make the switch. Some have even suggested that the technology for producing vast amounts of clean energy already exists but is being suppressed by big oil companies. However, several European countries have produced considerable amounts of clean energy. Current methods of clean energy include wind, solar, geothermal, tidal, hydropower, nuclear andbiofuel.
Cure for Cancer
Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases of the modern era. Ever since the days of Hippocrates people have been searching for a cure. Cancer is similar to the common cold in that although there are many ways to treat it, modern medicine is still yet to come up with a cure. This is partially because like the common cold, there are many different types of cancer, and they are all slightly different. Unfortunately, with over seven million deaths per year, cancer is much more serious than the common cold. A wide assortment of drugs, chemicals, stem cells, genetically modified viruses, and even arsenic have all been proposed as cancer cures.
By: Jamie Frater
[Source: http//listverse.com/2009/12/29/top-10- scienti fic-achievcmcnts-we-arc-waiting-for/]
3. Answer the following questions:
a. Why are DNA computers much more powerful than today's standard computers?
b. What different methods of producing clean energy are being used now?
c. How is cancer similar to the common cold?
d. Which of the four scientific breakthroughs listed in the text do you think will be most useful for mankind? Why do you think so?
4. What medical or clinical breakthrough do you think will help the people of our country most? Write your answer in 300 words.
5. In the next 5 years, what scientific achievements do you think will the world see?
6. Compare the smart mobile phones today with the mobile phones of 10 years ago. What advantages have the changes brought?
7. What has been the most outstanding scientific work done in Bangladesh in the last 10 years?
8. From your reading of the text, match the parts of sentences in Column A and Column B to make complete sentences:
Column A
|
Column B
|
1. Science will never be perfect
because
2. DNA is considered very special
because of
3. There
was no attempt to make
human colony in the moon due to
4. Importance
is given on clean
energy because
5. In one sense, cancer is similar to
the common cold because |
a. it is
always getting better.
b. its ability
to store huge amount of
data.
c. both financial and technical
reasons.
d. there are many demerits of fossil
fuel.
e. medical science has not come up
with drugs to cure them. |
9. What do the following words and terms mean?
a. device
b. organism
c. genetic
d. prototype
e. colony
f. fossil
g. geothermal
h. stem cells
i. virus
If you want to read the next lesson of this unit please click the link below:
Lesson 4: Scientific Breakthroughs We Are Waiting For-II
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