A12 – Science and Technology
Vlastnosti
| predmet | Anglický jazyk |
| typ | maturitná téma |
| okruh | anglický jazyk |
| číslo | 12 |
| stav | vypracované |
Talk about the inventions of the past and of today, the technology we use every day, famous inventors and scientists, and the advantages and disadvantages that science and technology brought to mankind.
1. Osnova témy
- Inventions of the past — from the wheel to the Industrial Revolution.
- Inventions of the twentieth century and today's research.
- Technology we use every day at home, at school and at work.
- Which inventions matter most to you personally, and why.
- The advantages science and technology have brought to mankind.
- The disadvantages and dangers — pollution, misuse, loss of privacy.
- Famous inventors and scientists.
- Older people and modern technology.
2. Kľúčová slovná zásoba
- people: scientist, researcher, inventor, explorer (bádateľ), engineer, expert
- verbs: to invent (vynájsť), to discover (objaviť), to conduct research, to experiment, to observe, to explore, to develop, to improve, to apply, to launch (uviesť, vypustiť)
- inventions of the past: the wheel, windmill, watermill, gunpowder (pušný prach), the printing press (kníhtlač), the steam engine (parný stroj), the electric light bulb (žiarovka), the electric motor, the telegraph, the telephone
- modern inventions: computer, laptop, smartphone, the internet, satellite, laser, nuclear power, integrated circuit (integrovaný obvod), robot, artificial intelligence, electric car, 3D printing
- household appliances: washing machine, dishwasher, microwave oven, vacuum cleaner, fridge, air conditioner, gadget (vychytávka), device (zariadenie)
- medicine: vaccine (vakcína), antibiotics, penicillin, X-ray (röntgen), transplant, laser surgery, ultrasound, test-tube baby, gene therapy
- industry: mass production (masová výroba), factory, machinery, assembly line (výrobná linka), automation, raw materials, synthetic materials, rubber (guma), plastics
- advantages: to save time and labour, to make life easier and more comfortable, to save lives, to improve communication, access to information, higher living standards
- disadvantages: abuse and misuse (zneužitie), threat (hrozba), pollution, damage to the environment, consumer society (konzumná spoločnosť), materialism, erosion of privacy (strata súkromia), addiction, unemployment caused by automation, brain drain (odliv mozgov)
- ethical issues: cloning, genetically modified food, nuclear weapons, surveillance (sledovanie), data protection, cybercrime, fake news
3. Užitočné frázy a väzby
- Science and technology have changed human life more in the last two hundred years than in the previous two thousand.
- The first real tool people had was the human hand.
- The invention that changed everything was probably…
- Thanks to these inventions, mass production started and goods became cheaper.
- Nowadays we cannot imagine our lives without…
- The device I personally could not do without is my mobile phone.
- On the one hand technology saves us a lot of time; on the other hand it creates new problems.
- Every invention can be used and misused.
- A good example of this is…
- Older people often find modern technology difficult to use.
- To sum up, technology itself is neither good nor bad — what matters is how we use it.
4. Modelová odpoveď
Science and technology have probably changed human life more in the last two centuries than in the previous two thousand years.
In prehistoric times people's lives were very simple. They hunted for food, made primitive tools from stone and simple clothes to protect themselves from the cold, and the only real tool they had was the human hand. Because people always wanted to make their lives easier, they invented the wheel and later built windmills and watermills to use the power of wind and water. In the fifteenth century Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in Germany, and suddenly books — and with them knowledge — could spread across Europe.
The greatest change came with the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. James Watt developed the steam engine, Michael Faraday built the electric motor, Thomas Edison is credited with the practical electric light bulb, and Daimler and Benz constructed the first petrol-driven cars. Thanks to these inventions large factories were built, goods began to be produced by machines, mass production started and products became cheaper, so ordinary people could afford them.
The twentieth century brought the aeroplane, the computer, television, the mobile phone and the internet. Medicine progressed enormously: X-rays, antibiotics, penicillin, vaccines, transplants and laser surgery save millions of lives every year. Today scientists work on artificial intelligence, renewable energy, electric cars, space exploration and gene therapy.
We use technology every single day, usually without even thinking about it. At home we have a fridge, a washing machine, a dishwasher, a microwave oven and a vacuum cleaner, all of which save an enormous amount of work — especially for women, who used to spend most of the day on housework. At school we use computers, projectors and the internet, and at work almost every job depends on some kind of machine or software. Personally, the invention I could not do without is my smartphone. It is a telephone, a camera, a map, a music player, a bank and a library in one, and I use it to keep in touch with my friends and to look things up for school.
Of course, technology has its dark side too. Factories and cars pollute the air and water, and electronic waste is a growing problem. Every invention can be misused: nuclear energy can supply a city or destroy one, the internet spreads knowledge but also fake news and cybercrime, and modern surveillance means we have almost no privacy left. Technology also encourages a consumer society in which people constantly buy new things they do not really need, and automation takes away some jobs. Many people, especially the young, are addicted to their phones and social networks.
Older people often struggle with all this. They did not grow up with computers, so simple things like online banking or booking a ticket on the internet can be genuinely difficult for them. I think it is our job to be patient and help them, because being unable to use technology today means being cut off from a lot of ordinary life.
To sum up, technology itself is neither good nor bad. What matters is how we decide to use it.
5. Otázky na diskusiu
- Which inventions from the past do you consider essential for mankind?
- What would our life be like without modern technology?
- Which invention is the most important one for you personally, and why?
- Can you think of ways in which science can be misused?
- How can the internet be misused?
- What are the biggest problems connected with communicating by phone and online?
- Why is human cloning still such a controversial issue?
- Name some examples of pollution caused by technology.
- How is your life affected by living in a consumer society?
- Can you name some famous scientists and say what they are famous for?
6. Zhrnutie na ústnu odpoveď
- Minulosť: the hand → the wheel → windmills → the printing press (Gutenberg, 15th c.).
- Priemyselná revolúcia: steam engine (Watt) · electric motor (Faraday) · light bulb (Edison) · car (Daimler, Benz) → factories, mass production, cheaper goods.
- 20. storočie: plane, computer, TV, mobile phone, internet; medicine — X-ray, antibiotics, vaccines, transplants.
- Dnes: artificial intelligence, renewable energy, electric cars, gene therapy.
- Každý deň: household appliances at home, computers at school, software at work; your own most important device.
- Výhody: saves time and labour, saves lives, information, communication, higher living standards.
- Nevýhody: pollution, e-waste, misuse, fake news, loss of privacy, consumerism, addiction, job losses.
- Starší ľudia: did not grow up with it; patience and help.
Žiarovku si zdroj pripisuje Edisonovi. Presnejšie: Edison ju nevymyslel ako prvý, ale roku 1879 vyvinul prvú prakticky použiteľnú a komerčne vyrobiteľnú žiarovku — pred ním na nej pracoval napríklad Joseph Swan. Na skúške povedz „Edison developed the first practical light bulb", to je bezpečné aj presné.
Rozlišuj invent a discover: invent je vytvoriť niečo, čo predtým neexistovalo (the telephone), discover je nájsť niečo, čo tam už bolo (America, penicillin). Penicilín teda Fleming discovered, nie invented — je to obľúbená doplňujúca otázka.
Súvisiace poznámky
- A13 – Communication — moderné prostriedky komunikácie
- A11 – Man and Nature — technológie a znečistenie
- A16 – Mass Media — internet a médiá
- A07 – Health Care — pokrok v medicíne
- Anglické ekvivalenty — slovná zásoba a termíny po anglicky
Kontrolné otázky
Which inventions from the past do you consider essential for mankind?
The wheel, printing, electricity, the telephone, antibiotics, the computer and the internet.
What would our life be like without modern technology?
Slower and harder – no quick communication, less medicine, but maybe also less stress and more contact with people and nature.
Which invention is the most important one for you personally, and why?
The internet, because I use it to study, communicate, work on projects and relax.
Can you think of ways in which science can be misused?
Nuclear and chemical weapons, genetic manipulation and surveillance technology used against people.
How can the internet be misused?
Cybercrime, hacking, stealing personal data, spreading fake news, cyberbullying and online fraud.
What are the biggest problems connected with communicating by phone and online?
Misunderstandings without body language, addiction, less face-to-face contact and privacy risks.
Why is human cloning still such a controversial issue?
It raises ethical questions about identity and human dignity, and it could be misused.
Name some examples of pollution caused by technology.
Exhaust fumes from cars, emissions from power plants, electronic waste and light and noise pollution.
How is your life affected by living in a consumer society?
I am surrounded by adverts and new products. It is tempting to buy the latest phone even if the old one works.
Can you name some famous scientists and say what they are famous for?
Isaac Newton – gravity; Marie Curie – radioactivity; Albert Einstein – theory of relativity; Nikola Tesla – alternating current.