Inventions 11

Vocabulary everyday objects

1 N 11.2 BEFORE YOU READ Look at the objects on page 78. Write what they
are and what they are made of. Then listen and check.
1 scissors – metal 2 rubber glove – rubber

Comprehension
2 N 11.3 Read and listen to the dialogues on page 78. Write the missing words.
1 battery

3 Work in pairs. Read the dialogues again. Answer the questions.

1 Which two everyday objects do the boys use for the experiment?
2 When does the light bulb light up?
3 When doesn’t the light bulb light up?
4 Why do you think the light bulb doesn’t always light up?

Grammar in context I’ll …, Shall I … ?

4 Making and accepting offers Work in pairs. Make and accept offers.
help you carry them lend you mine look it up in the dictionary
answer it (x2) turn up the air conditioning
1 The phone’s ringing. 4 I can’t find my pen.
2 There’s someone at the door. 5 My bags are very heavy.
3 It’s hot in here. 6 What’s a ‘battery’?
A: The phone’ s ringing. B: I’ll answer it. A: Thanks.
5 OVER TO YOU Read the explanation below. What do you think will happen to the
light bulb with the different objects from exercise 1?

Electricity flows easily through some materials. These are called

conductors. Living things such as animals, plants and trees are
good conductors. So are metal and water.

Electricity doesn’t flow easily through other materials, such as

plastic, glass, wood and rubber. These are called insulators.

With the scissors I think the light bulb will light up. Metal is a good conductor.
With the glass I think it won’t light up. Glass is a bad conductor.

Did you know?

Electricity is measured in units called ‘watts’. Watts are
named after James Watt who invented the steam engine.

79
 Skills: Focus on inventors
THOMAS EDISON is most famous for his work
with electricity. He invented the light bulb and
the first machine for playing music. He also
improved the telephone. The world’s first power
station was built using Edison’s plans.
He was born in 1847 in the USA and as a
child never stopped asking questions! He loved
Shakespeare, poetry, science and maths. With
his parents’ permission he made a science
laboratory at home. At fourteen he was also
allowed to start a newspaper. He got some
money from this little business and he used the
money to buy scientific equipment.
At 16 Edison got a job as a telegraph
assistant. He then went to New York with very
little money. One day in the Financial District
he helped repair a counting machine. And then
he got his first job in New York, looking after it!
The first payment he received for an
invention was $40,000. In 1876 he used that
money to create an ‘invention factory’. In 1887
he opened a research and development centre
where he improved the movie camera.
Edison died in 1931. On the day of his
funeral, people all over the world turned off
their lights.
80
NIKOLA TESLA invented a new kind of electrical
power, the fluorescent light and the radio. He
was born in Croatia in 1856 and invented his
first machine at the age of four! He loved
literature and reading books. But after university
he became an electrical engineer.
When he was 28 Tesla emigrated to America.
He arrived in New York with very little money
and some drawings of inventions. Fortunately,
he got a job in Edison’s laboratory. Edison’s
electric lights were popular and his power
station supplied the electricity. But it was
dangerous and Tesla wanted to improve it.
Tesla believed that his AC (Alternating
Current) was better than Edison’s DC (Direct
Current). With AC you could send electricity
much further and more easily. The two men
argued.
Tesla left and joined Edison’s rival George
Westinghouse. In 1893 they illuminated the
Chicago World’s Fair, using Tesla’s invention.
Soon the world changed to AC.
Tesla gave exhibitions in his laboratory to
teach people about electricity. He made money
in his lifetime, but he always invested it in new
projects. So he died in 1943 a poor man.
Scientists are still studying his ideas today.
 Inventions 11
Reading
1 BEFORE YOU READ Work in groups. Think about life 150 years ago. There was
no electricity in people’s homes. How was life different then?
There weren’t any computers. You couldn’t phone your friends.
2 Read the article on page 80. For each person (Edison and Tesla) write:

•• the year he was born

the year he went to New York •• the year he died
two things he invented

3
• the first job he got in New York

Read the article again. Write a name or both names.

Who:
1 had a laboratory when he was a child? 4 invented something as a child?
2 arrived in New York with very little money? 5 started an invention factory?
3 gave a job to the other person? 6 loved literature?

Listening
4 N 11.4 What were the five most important inventions in history? Listen to Hiba
and Lama. Write the inventions they chose.
the electric light the computer the bicycle the telephone
the camera the Internet the train nuclear power
the TV the aeroplane the radio the car the fridge

Speaking
5 OVER TO YOU Work in pairs. Choose the five most important inventions in the
last 200 years. Use these expressions:
I agree. I see what you mean. Me too! That’s true. I’m not sure. I don’t agree.

Pronunciation repair, engineer

6 a N 11.5 Listen and repeat. Did you know?
A repair share there B engineer near idea Neither Edison nor
Tesla needed much
b N 11.6 Listen and write A or B. Then listen and repeat.
sleep. Edison worked
1 B for days without
sleep and Tesla only
slept two or three
Writing hours a night.
7 Write a short summary of the life of Tesla or Edison.
Include:

•• where they were from and what they invented

when they were born and died ••
how they got their early jobs
one important event in their lives

81
12 Creativity
Grammar
If he creates …, he builds …;
If you wear …, you will be …
Creativity is the ability to invent or imagine
something new. Everyone is creative, but some
people act on their ideas and others don’t.
There are many ways of being creative and
creativity can help us solve problems.
Evolution of ideas
Creativity is not only about new ideas, it
is also about making improvements
to existing ideas. If a car designer
creates a more comfortable car,
he builds on all the changes
made by designers in the
past.
Putting ideas
together
Two or more ideas can be
combined to create a new
idea. If you join the ideas of a
computer and a network, you
get the Internet.
82
Changing how we do things
Sometimes new ideas change the way we do
things. In the past all medical operations
involved cutting the patient.
But if you send a small tube with a
camera into a person’s body, you can
treat him from the inside.
Finding a new use
for things
Creativity doesn’t always mean
inventing something new. If you
look at something, you can
sometimes think of another use
for it. For example, the first plastic
was developed in the 19th century
for making balls. But in 1889 it was
discovered that you could use it for
photographic film.
Changing approach
When we try to solve a problem, we often
think of only one way to approach it. But if
you change the approach, you sometimes find
a different solution. For example, most city
planners slow traffic down with speed
restrictions and road signs. But one planner
proved that if you take all the signs away, cars
go slower! This is because drivers have to be
more careful.
 Creativity 12
Comprehension
1 BEFORE YOU READ How creative are you? Work in groups. Think of as many
things as possible to do with these objects:
paper clip metal ruler wooden spoon pencil

You could use a paper clip to draw on wood.

2 Read the article on page 82. Match the examples with the headings.
1 using a small camera in medicine 4 linking computers and networks
2 the development of plastic 5 building a better car
3 taking street signs away in the city
1 Changing how we do things.

Vocabulary nouns and verbs

3 Look at the article again and find:
a the noun form of improve, develop and solve.
b the verb form of combination and discovery.

Grammar in context If he creates …, he builds …

4 Read the article again. Match the beginnings with the endings of the sentences.
1 If a car designer creates a more comfortable car,
2 If you combine the ideas of a computer and a network,
3 If you send a small tube with a camera into a person’s body,
4 If you look at something,
5 If you change the approach,
6 If you take all the signs away,

a you get the Internet.

b he builds on all the changes made by designers in the past.
c cars go slower.
d you can treat him from the inside.
e you can think of another use for it.
f you can sometimes find a different solution.

5 Talking about conditions Work in pairs. Say what is true for you.
•• If I sleep badly, I …
If I don’t eat enough lunch, I …

•• If my best friend is sad, I …

If I lose something important, I …

• If I get a good mark at school, I …

If I sleep badly, I can’t concentrate the next day.

83
Science quiz

www.sciencequiz.links.com.

1 If you don’t breathe while you are chewing,

a the food will taste better.
b the food will taste worse.
c you won’t be able to taste anything.

2 If you wear white clothes in the sun,

a you will be hotter than someone in dark
clothes.
b you will be cooler than someone in dark
clothes.
c you will be the same temperature as
someone in dark clothes.

3 Harry and William are walking in the rain.

If Harry starts running,
a he will get wetter than William.
b he will get as wet as William.
c he will be drier than William.

4 If you look directly at the sun,

a you will damage your eyes.
b you will see the colour blue.
c you will see better.

5 If you heat water at the top of a mountain,

a it will boil at less than 100˚C.
b it will boil at 100˚C.
c it won’t boil.

6 If you travel faster than the speed of light,

a you will get older.
b you will stay the same age.
c you will get younger.

7 If you travel from Earth to the next planet

from the Sun,
a you will go to Venus.
b you will go to Jupiter.
c you will go to Mars.

8 If you remove the air from inside a can, the

can
a will explode.
b will become smaller.
c will turn round.

84