Exercise 2. Multiple choice. For each item below circle the best answer.
1. History shows that, in the past, life was…
a) not so bad;
b) comfortable for most people;
c) hard for most people;
d) easier for women.
2. Advances in science and technology…
a) can be forgotten very quickly;
b) can't be stopped by cutting government support;
c) can be stopped by cutting government support;
d) should be controlled by scientists and engineers.
3. The public feels…
a) ambivalent toward science;
b) completely positive about science;
c) completely negative about science;
d) negative about science fiction.
4. If you understand the general principles of science, even though you are not good at mathematics, you have a … grasp of scientific concepts.
a) quantitative;
b) qualitative;
c) precise;
d) rote.
5. Science programmes on TV should…
a) present a lot of equations;
b) focus on science fiction;
c) show science as a kind of magic;
d) educate the public, as well as entertain.
6. The most urgent science-related issue today is…
a) the greenhouse effect;
b) acid rain;
c) genetic engineering;
d) nuclear weapons.
Exercise 3. Consider the issues answering the questions below.
l. According to the author, what are the basic reasons people don't like science? Do you agree with the reasons he gives? Why or why not?
2. What are some of the ways the author feels people can educate themselves on scientific issues?
3. The author writes, "The world has changed a great deal in the last hundred years, and it is likely to change even more in the next hundred". What are one or two scientific discoveries that you think will be made during your lifetime?
Exercise 4. What does the author think? Put a check (√) next to the sentences that Stephen Hawking would agree with.
1. Life was better in the old days.
2. There are various ways the public can be educated about science so they can make informed decisions about important issues.
3. The media can educate people about the most recent developments in technology.
4. The only way to understand scientific concepts is by mastering mathematical equations.
5. Only scientists and engineers can protect the world from environmental disasters.
6. The science people learn in school can provide a basic framework for scientific understanding.
Exercise 5. Find the main idea. Now look at the ideas you checked above.
Which is the most important idea in the reading? In other words, which idea expresses the author's main idea?
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Text 3
Exercise 1. Read the text. Then choose the best suitable title to each passage.
A. Being a good researcher involves more than "merely" coming up with brilliant ideas and implementing them. Most researchers spend the majority of their time reading papers, discussing ideas with colleagues, writing and revising papers, staring blankly into space – and, of course, having brilliant ideas and implementing them. Keeping a journal of your research activities and ideas is very useful. Write down speculations, interesting problems, possible solutions, random ideas, references to look up, notes on papers you've read, outlines of papers to write, and interesting quotes. Read back through it periodically. You'll notice that the bits of random thoughts start to come together and form a pattern, often turning into a research project or even a thesis topic. I was surprised, looking back through my journal as I was finishing up my project work, how early and often similar ideas had cropped up in my thinking, and how they gradually evolved into my research.
B. At times, particularly in the "middle years", it can be very hard to maintain a positive attitude and stay interested. Many students suffer from insecurity, anxiety, and even boredom. First of all, realize that these are normal feelings. Try to find a sympathetic ear – another student, your advisor, or a friend outside of university. Next, try to identify why you're having trouble and identify concrete steps that you can take to improve the situation. To stay focused and motivated, it often helps to have organized activities to force you to manage your time and to do something every day. Setting up regular meetings with your advisor, attending seminars, or even extracurricular activities such as sports or music can help you to maintain a regular schedule.
C. Finding the right scientific supervisor can help you immeasurably in successfully completing your work. You should ideally have selected the schools you applied to by identifying faculty members you'd like to work with. If not, start looking around as early as possible. Of course, the ideal scientific supervisor will be in the area you're interested in working in, and will actively be doing high-quality research and be involved in and respected by the research community.
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D. Doing a bachelor's project is often a good idea and if you want to protect your diploma successfully you must be interested in the topic. A good source of ideas for bachelor's projects (and sometimes for further master's project) is the future work with papers about the topic you're interested in. Generally speaking, a good diploma topic must be interesting to you, to your advisor, and to the research community. If you pick a topic that you're not truly interested in simply because it's your advisor's pet area, it will be difficult to stay focused and motivated – and you may be left hanging if your advisor moves on to a different research area before you finish.
E. Bachelor students often think that the project happens in two distinct phases: doing the research, and writing the project itself. This may be the case for some students, but more often, these phases overlap and interact with one another. Sometimes it's difficult to formalize an idea well enough to test and prove it until you've written it up; the results of your tests often require you to make changes that mean that you have to go back and rewrite parts of the diploma work; and the process of developing and testing your ideas is almost never complete (there's always more that you could do) so that many students end up "doing research" right up until the day or two before the project is turned in.
F. To be successful at research, it is essential that you learn to cope with criticism, and even that you actively seek it out. Learn to listen to valid, constructive criticism and to ignore destructive, pointless criticism (after finding any pearls of wisdom that may be buried in it). In order to get feedback, you have to present your ideas. Write up what you're working on, even if you're not ready to write a full conference or journal paper, and show it to people. Give presentations at seminar series at your university, at conferences, and at other universities and research labs when you get the chance. Your advisor should help you find appropriate forums to present your work and ideas. Many fields have informal workshops that are ideal for presenting work in progress.
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