Unit 2 cloning Lets bring the dodo back to life The dodo is the most suitable animal to bring back to life. Here are the reasons. The aurochs is too large and grasslands are few The great auk does not economically repay all the efforts needed to restore it The quagga does not have enough appeal. It is too similar to the zebra to be worth the trouble of restoring it The dodo became extinct fairly recently so its DNA is still in good condition Here are the benefits of restoring the dodo o It was a friendly animal and is about the size of a turkey. You could easily farm dodos and sell their feathers as decoration for hats. These can be dyed different colours and would look very pleasing It has long but not sharp claws which cannot hurt children. It would make an ideal pet for a family and children will adore it It produces large nutritious eggs which easily hatch into young dodos So i think the dodo would be the best choice to bring back to life both for pleasure and for Listening and speaking Is cloning cruel? Listen and see whether you agree with Xiao Qing or Rachel. 1 Read these statements before listening. Tick those that you hear. I Cloning will bring dead pets to life. 2 There were 627 experiments before Dolly was successfully cloned 3 Cloning may help cure serious illnesses Its a dead end 5 Dolly the sheep was"middle-aged"when she was born 6 So your grandmother would be able to start her life all over again and live much longer 2 Listen to the tape again and then work with a partner to fill in the chart. Rachels ideas about cloning Xiao Qings ideas about cloning
3 Whose ideas do you agree with? Get ready to have a class discussion. Think about the reasons for your point of view. Use your own ideas as well as those in the text. The expressions below may be helpful to you That's a good idea That's a great idea I support… because Your argument has convinced me because . I agree with… because… Your ideas sound very encouraging to me. I cannot accept your argument because I would like to agree with you but No, I can't agree with.because I don' t care for your ideas because. How can you believe that? No, that is not reasonable because SLLMMING LIP I enjoyed learning about Content I'd like to know more about n I found these words useful expressIons I found these expressions useful I have learned about Structures Some examples. LEARNING TIP If you want to speak fluent English, you need to listen carefully to native speakers so that you can understand them. You might find this hard at first but it pays off when you come to speak. It will improve your accent and correct mistakes in your grammar Meanwhile you will obtain a lot of information. So improve your confidence and your speaking ability by listening to native speakers recordings over and over again Repeat what they say out loud. The more you do this, the more you will find yourself becoming comfortable with the sound of the language 18
Unit 3 Inventors and inventions Warming Up 1 Look at the pictures below and discuss in pairs which pictures show inventions and which show discoveries An amphibious car Stephensons"Rocket DNA Work out the rules that will help you decide what a discovery is and what an invention is A discovery is An invention is 2 In pairs discuss any modern inventions that you know. Describe them to your partner and explain how they changed people's lives Pre-reading Do you know the stages every inventor must go through before they can have their invention approved Inventing is a scientific activity and so follows similar stages to those used in scientific research. Look at the list and work out a suitable order Applying for a patent Finding a problem Doing research Testing soluti Thinking of a creative solution Deciding on the invention As you read the following passage, check the order you wrote above to see whether it follows the correct stages in producing an invention 19
Reading THE PROBLEM OF THE SNAKES When I called up my mother in the countryside on the telephone she was very upset. There are some snakes in our courtyard. she told me. "Snakes come near the house now and then and they seem to have made 5 their home here, not far from the walnut tree Can you get rid of them please? "I felt very proud. Here was a chance for me to distinguish myself by inventing something merciful that would catch snakes but not harm them. I knew my parents would 10 not like me to hurt these living creatures! The first thing I did was to see if there were any products that might help me, but there only seemed to be powders designed to kill snakes. A new approach was clearly needed. I set about researching the habits of snakes to find the easiest way to trap them. Luckily these reptiles are small and that made the solution easier. Prepared with some research findings, I decided on three possible approaches: firstly, removing their habitat; secondly, attracting them into a trap using male or female perfume or food: and thirdly cooling them so that they would become sleepy and could be easily caught. I decided to use the last one. i bought an ice-cream maker which was made of stainless steel. Between the outside and the inside walls of the bowl there is some jelly which freezes when cooled. I put the 20 bowl into the fridge and waited for 24 hours. At the same time I prepared some ice-cubes The next morning I got up early before the sun was hot. I placed the frozen bowl over the snakes habitat and the ice-cubes on top of the bowl to keep it cool. Finally I covered the whole thing with a large bucket 25 Then I waited. Alter two hours I removed the bucket and the bowl. The snakes were less active but they were still too fast for me. They abruptly disappeared into a convenient hole in the wall. So I had to adjust my plan For the second attempt I froze the bowl and the ice-cubes again but placed them over the snakes habitat in the evening. as the temperature was starting to cool. Then as before, I covered the bowl with the bucket and left everything overnight. Early the next morning I returned to see the result. This time with great caution I bent down to examine the snakes and I found them very sleepy. But once picked up. they tried to bite 35 me. As they were poisonous snakes, I clearly needed to improve my design again 20
Unit. Inventors and inventions My third attempt repeated the second procedure. The next morning I carried in my hand a small net used for catching fish. This was in the expectation that the snakes would bite again. But monitored carefully, the snakes proved to be no trouble and all went according to plan. I collected the passive snakes and the next day we merrily released them all back into the wild Pressed by my friends and relations, I decided to seize the opportunity to get recognition for my successful idea by sending my invention to the patent office. Only after you have had that recognition can you say that you are truly an inventor The criteria are so strict that it is difficult to get new deas accepted unless they are truly novel. In addition no invention will get a patent if it is 45 o a discovery a scientific idea or mathematical model e literature or art ● a game or a business ● a computer programme o a new animal or plant variety Nor will you receive a patent until a search has been made to find out that your product really is different from everyone else's. There are a large number of patent examiners, too, whose only job is to examine whether your claim is valid or not. If it passes all the tests, your application for a patent will be published 18 months from the date you apply. So I have filled in the form and 55 filed my patent application with the Patent Office. Now it's a matter of waiting and hoping You'll know if I succeed by the size of my bank balance! Wish me luck! Comprehending 1 Read the passage and answer the questions What was the mother upset about? 2 Why was the writer happy to help her mother? 3 What are the three creative steps that the writer takes to catch the snakes without hurting them? 4 Why did cooling make the snakes less active 2 Discuss with your partner what the advantages might be of getting a patent