He 20th Century technology time line
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24 2 he 20th Century TECHNOLOGY TIME LINE I. PRE-READING A. Background information Technology has changed so much over the last 100 years that it can be surprising to look at a time line showing what happened when. This time line from the PBS show The American Experience reminds us of some of the important events that took place in the 1960s–1980s, at the beginning of the computer age. B. Words to know before you read Match the words to their definitions. ____1. iber a. a small device that is the “brain” of a computer ____2. scanner b. legal ownership of an idea or design ____3. microprocessor c. not real; fabricated ____4. launch d. a long, thin strand ____5. artiicial e. a machine for reading bar codes ____6. patent f. send into orbit C. Reading strategy Read the sentences. Place a check mark by the events that you think happened in the 1980s. Then quickly read the heading for each topic in the time line and check your answers. _____ People started playing video games. _____ Stores began using bar codes on items for sale. _____ The irst space shuttle went up. _____ PCs became popular. The 20th Century | 25 II. READ Read the text. Mark the words you don’t know, but don’t stop reading to look them up. 1969 Moon Landing Millions watch worldwide as the landing module of NASA’s Apollo 11 spacecraft touches down on the moon’s surface and Neil Armstrong becomes the irst human to set foot on the moon. President John F. Kennedy, who vowed to the world that the United States would put a human on the moon before 1970, has not lived to witness the moment. 1970 Optical Fiber Corning Glass announces it has created a glass iber so clear that it can communicate pulses of light. GTE and AT&T will soon begin experiments to transmit sound and image data using iber optics, which will transform the communications industry. 1972 Video Game Pong, one of the irst mass-produced video games, has become the rage. 1974 Bar code The irst shipments of bar-coded products arrive in American stores. Scanners at checkout stations read the codes using laser technology. 1975 Microsoft Old high school friends Bill Gates and Paul Allen form a partnership known as Microsoft to write computer software. They sell their irst software to Ed Roberts at MIT, which has produced the Altair 8800, the irst microprocessor-based computer. Gates soon drops out of Harvard. 1981 Space Shuttle For the irst time, NASA successfully launches and lands its reusable spacecraft, the space shuttle. The shuttle can be used to launch, retrieve, and repair satellites and can serve as a laboratory for physical experiments. While extremely successful, the shuttle program will suffer a disaster in 1986 when the shuttle Challenger explodes after takeoff, killing all on board. 1982 Artificial Heart Dr. Robert Jarvik implants a permanent artiicial heart, the Jarvik 7, into Dr. Barney Clark. The heart, powered by an external compressor, keeps Clark alive for 112 days. 1983 PC In January Time names its 1982 “man” of the year—the personal computer. PCs have taken the world by storm, dramatically changing the way people 26 | Better Reading English III. COMPREHENSION CHECK Mark the sentences T (True) or F (False). _____ 1. President Kennedy saw Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. _____ 2. Optical iber was used to send pictures. _____ 3. Pong was a popular video game. _____ 4. Bill Gates created the irst microprocessor-based computer. _____ 5. The space shuttle was used to repair satellites. _____ 6. In 1983, the most popular PCs were made by IBM. IV. VOCABULARY BUILDING A. Understanding from context Read the sentences. Use the context of the sentence to help you match the boldface expressions and idioms with the definitions below. _____ 1. Many people watched when the space shuttle touched down in Florida for the last time in 2011. _____ 2. No human has ever set foot on Mars. _____ 3. For most people, dropping out of school is not a good idea. _____ 4. Sometimes a musical group takes the world by storm and then disappears a few years later. _____ 5. The military couldn’t act until the President gave the go-ahead. a. to quit b. to walk somewhere or go somewhere c. to give permission d. to land e. to become very popular very quickly communicate. IBM dominates the personal computer market, beneiting both from the production of its own machines as well as “clones” produced by other companies. 1985 Genetic Engineering The USDA [United States Department of Agriculture] gives the go-ahead for the sale of the irst genetically altered organism. The rapidly growing biotech industry will seek numerous patents, including one for a tomato that can be shipped when ripe. Source: “The American Experience Technology Timeline,” pbs.org The 20th Century | 27 B. Identify meaning Find the words from Exercise A in the time line. Then answer the questions. 1. What landed on the moon in 1969? 2. Who was the irst person to walk on the moon? 3. Who quit college to start a business? 4. What had become very popular by 1983? 5. What did the USDA give permission for? C. Identify meaning Find and underline these verbs in the time line. Then rewrite the following sentences using the verbs in place of the underlined words. Use the correct verb form. vow witness seek launch retrieve implant dominate alter 1. The old man had seen many historic events. 2. NASA sends spaceships into orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida. 3. The shuttle was able to bring back satellites that no longer worked. 4. They use genetic engineering to change plants and animals. 28 | Better Reading English 5. The president promised to do many things. 6. It’s dangerous for one company to control the market. 7. Scientists are always looking for ways to increase the food supply. 8. They say that someday we will put communication devices under our skin. V. UNDERSTANDING GRAMMAR: NARRATIVE PRESENT A. Read about the narrative present Although all of the events in this time line occurred in the past, you will notice that the verbs are in the present tense. When writers tell a story in the present tense, it’s called the narrative present. It’s used to make events sound more immediate—as if they are happening now—and can make a story sound more interesting. People often use the narrative present in speaking, and it’s often used in journalistic writing. Look at the charts to review the form of present tense statements. Download 481.16 Kb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
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