Text 12 Science

The last two centuries were the epoch of scientific and technological revolution when new ideas were being born and new discoveries and inventions were being made. Man has entered space and reached out to the Moon, Venus and Mars, he has created complex cybernetic machines and made nuclear energy work for him, develop modern tools of war, predict earthquakes. Knowledge is essential for people to find their way in the changing world. Science develops more and more solutions to the energy problem. It helped people to learn to use the energy from the sun and from the atom and to share the resources. The world knows the names of many great scientists, mathematicians, physicists, chemists, biologists, linguists, historians, etc. A lot of discoveries have been made by them in different fields of science and engineering, improved life for people.

A lot of new inventions appear every day to make our lives easier, longer, warmer, speedier. But only a few inventors design a new machine or product that becomes so well-known that it is named after its creator. I want to tell you about the inventors who gave their names to the thing they created.

Charles Rolls was born in 1881 in Great Britain. He died in 1910. He was an aristocrat and businessman. He was especially interested in cars. Once he met another enthusiast of cars Henry Royce. Henry Royce was a famous car engineer. They decided to design the most comfortable and reliable car. At the beginning of the 20th century it seemed to be a fantasy. But they worked hard and at last in1907 they created the world-famous Rolls-Royce car. It was so comfortable and reliable that one of the models of Rolls-Royce cars "Silver Ghost" hadn't changed greatly for 20 years since 1907.

Gottlieb Daimler and Charles Bens were two inventors. They lived in Germany. They were both interested in car production. At the end of the 19th century each of them designed a car. At the same time they organized two independent firms to produce them. All the cars produced by the firm of Daimler were called "Mercedes". Mercedes was a daughter's name of one of the stockholders of the firm. This man saved the firm of Daimler from the financial crisis at the beginning of the 20th century. But after the World War 1 the firm of Daimler met with financial difficulties again. This time it had to join the firm of Benz. Since that time all the cars produced by the firm "Daimler-Benz" have been called "Mercedes-Benz".

Questions:

1. Why is science so important in the modern world?

2. What proves that the study of science is important for understanding of the natural world?

3. Which great Russian scientist worked out the theory of space flights and designed the first rocket?

4. What achievements have been made in space exploration?

5. What outstanding scientists do you know?

6. What famous inventors do you know?

7. Can you predict the future?

8. What will life be like in 2100?

9. What role has scientific and technological development played in man’s life?

10. How can the history of humankind be described?