He 20th Century technology time line

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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.

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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 

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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

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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.

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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.