Reading for the real world 3

various sites, still convinced he would find an unopened tomb, Howard Carter approached wealthy British businessman Lord Carnarvon, who agreed to finance the search.. By 1929, London new

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The authors of this book would like to acknowledge the following writers for contributing materials to this series: Paula Bramante, Paul Edmunds, Andrea Janzen, Jennifer Janzen, Kandice MacDonald, Casey Malarcher, Michael Pederson, Michael Souza

Unit 1

Strange & Unusual

Reading 1 : The Piltdown Man / 5

Reading 2 : The Curse of the Mummy / 11

Unit 2

Computers & Technology

Reading 1 : Addicted to the Net? / 17

Reading 2 : Rise of the Androids / 23

Unit 3

Health & Medicine

Reading 1 : The Uncommon Cold / 29

Reading 2 : Gene Therapy / 35

Unit 4

Social Issues

Reading 1 : Teenage Runaways / 41

Reading 2 : Tough on Drugs / 47

Law & Crime

Reading 1 : Lie Detectors / 65

Reading 2 : Patents / 71

C o n t e n t s

Reading 1 : Ever-Evolving English / 77

Reading 2 : Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen / 83

Unit 8

Space & Exploration

Reading 1 : Hawking Radiation / 89

Reading 2 : The International Space Station / 95

Unit 9

Sports & Fitness

Reading 1 : Athletes into Creatine / 101

Reading 2 : Scuba Safety / 107

Unit 10

People & Opinions

Reading 1 : Toni Morrison: Her Life and Works / 113

Reading 2 : The Contradictions of Carnegie / 119

Unit 11

Cross-Cultural Viewpoints

Reading 1 : Repatriation of Remains / 125

Reading 2 : Imperialism and the Internet / 131

Unit 12

Business & Economics

Reading 1 : Opening a Small Business / 137

Reading 2 : Brand Power/Brand Image / 143

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1 link a having doubts; disbelieving

2 fraud b a hoax; a trick

3 obstruct c to block or prevent; to interfere with

4 plant d to put something in a place to purposely fool others

5 plausible e reasonable; possible by logic

Pre-Reading Questions

Think about the following questions.

1 How do scientists know how old ancient bones are?

2 What does the theory of evolution say about human evolution?

3 What is the “missing link”?

The

Piltdown Man

Strange & Unusual 1

U N I T 1

O ne of the most famous (or infamous) frauds in the

history of science is known as the Piltdown Man,

remains of a supposed primitive hominid found in

1912 by an amateur paleontologist named Charles Dawson

and a professional paleontologist named Arthur Smith

Woodward In fact, two sets of these remains were discovered

between the years 1912 and 1917 The first of these two was found

in the Piltdown gravel pit in Sussex, England While digging in the pit, the

paleontologists found a humanlike skull with a jawbone similar to that of an ape This finding appeared to be the remains of a missing link, the connecting evolutionary

step between apes and humans The discoverers named the remains Eoanthropus

dawsoni, or “Dawson’s Dawn Man,” but it was later commonly known as the Piltdown

Man due to the location of its finding

The Piltdown Man was an immediate sensation He seemed to fit all of the criteria expected in the missing link -a mixture of human and ape with the noble brow of Homo sapiens and a primitive jaw Best of all, he was British! The reaction

to the findings was mixed On the whole, British paleontologists were enthusiastic However, French and American paleontologists tended to be skeptical of the origins of

the Piltdown Man, some objecting to its credibility quite vociferously The objectors

held that the jawbone and the skull were obviously from two different animals and that their discoveries together was simply an accident of placement At first, fraud

wasn’t suspected The fossils were, after all, cleverly done, and no money was

involved In addition, there were other European finds related to the missing links of modern-day man, such as the Neanderthal, Cro-Magnon Man, and Heidelberg Man

So, having found another “missing link” in the history of modern man’s evolution was not so surprising to some researchers

However, some investigators were doubtful of the origins of the Piltdown Man since some initial evidence led to the idea that the jaw could be from a chimpanzee

The Piltdown Man

Track 1

In addition, the researchers expressed strong doubt that the skull and the jaw were

from the same species The perpetrators of the hoax solved this problem by

planting a second jaw and a second skull at another nearby location Therefore, the report in 1917 of the discovery of “Piltdown Man II” converted many of the skeptics The reasoning was that one accident of placement was plausible, but two were not

So after this second finding, some of the doubters were satisfied Moreover, a few

prominent British scientists failed to perform tests that they should have done and

obstructed other scientists’ access to the fossils

Some historians believe that the discoverers of the Piltdown Man and these

scientists may have been co-conspirators in the hoax The fame of the Piltdown

Man continued for forty years It was featured in professional articles and books, in newspaper reports, and even in high school biology textbooks In the four decades

from 1910 to 1950, there was, of course, some opposition from scientific critics who claimed that the skull was human but the jaw was that of an ape

During the 1950s, the validity of the Piltdown Man discovery was questioned

further Researchers claimed that almost all, if not all, of the fossils had been planted

in the pit in modern times and that several of these items had even been fabricated

by someone These scientific detectives, among them Joseph Weiner and Kenneth

Oakley, disproved the validity of the Piltdown Man with technical evidence showing

that the skull belonged to an English lady and the jaw to an Asian orangutan

Chemical tests in 1953 further proved that in fact, everything was fake! The found

pieces had been stained, filed, smashed, and so on, in a fairly clever way, thus

leading people to initially believe that the Piltdown Man was real

But the question still remains: Who did it? More than a dozen

suspects have been named; the only one famous enough to be

recognized by most readers is Arthur Conan Doyle But as we

approach the 100th anniversary of the Piltdown Man, there is

still no certainty of just who created the greatest hoax in the

history of science

Reading Time _ minutes _ seconds 703 words

R eading Comprehension

A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1 Dawson and Woodward made a lot of money from their discovery.

2 Neanderthal remains were found before the Piltdown Man remains.

3 People believed the Piltdown Man was real for several decades.

4 The Piltdown Man had the skull of an English man.

B Choose the best answer according to the reading.

1 What is true about the Piltdown Man discovery?

a It is still believed by some scientists today

b It was a clever trick that fooled many people

c It was a key find that proved the theory of evolution

d It was the greatest discovery in paleontology of the century

2 What did French and American paleontologists believe about the find?

a The bones did not come from one being

b The bones represented the “missing link.”

c The bones were obviously fake

d The bones were older than Woodward and Dawson said

3 Which fact made some disbelievers change their minds?

a A second set of remains was found

b Many books were written about the “missing link.”

c Scientists chemically tested the bones

d Scientists in other countries believed the hoax

C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the book and write them on the lines provided.

1 Why was the Piltdown Man an immediate sensation?

2 During the 1950s, why did the researchers question the validity of the discovery

of the Piltdown Man?

2 Diseases of that kind are _ to that environment.

3 _ study the cultures and living environments of humans.

4 Jane Goodall is famous for her studies with _.

5 His _ has not been tested but is widely believed to be true.

6 There is a fear that the species will not be able to survive the effects of global

warming and may become _

The discovery of the Piltdown Man was proven to be a(n) 1 _ rather than an amazing find for paleontologists 2 _, when the discovery was

first announced by Dawson and Woodward, even though some thought they had

found the missing 3 _, many scientists outside of England were

4 _ They couldn’t believe that the 5 _ skull and

jawbone were from one being These scientists believed that it was more plausible

that the bones were simply found in the same place by accident After the discovery

of a second Piltdown Man, many disbelievers changed their minds It wasn’t until the 1950s that researchers finally tested the bones through chemical analysis and proved

they were fakes Apparently, the bones were stained and then 6 _ at

the Piltdown site by a hoaxer However, the person who actually planned and carried out the hoax has never been revealed

Fill in the blanks with the words from the list Use each word only once.

planted primitive skeptical

S cience is not new to the idea of controversy

and fraud such as in the case of the Piltdown Man The history of the exploration of the North Pole is another case of this nature The two

main players in this story are Robert Peary, a famous

explorer in the early 20th century, and Dr Frederick

Cook, another explorer who frequently accompanied Peary on his expeditions.Both men began their own quests to reach the North Pole in the early 1900s However, the question of who reached the North Pole first, if either, remains hotly debated According to Dr Cook, he reached the North Pole on April 21, 1908 His claim is recorded in his diary, in which he wrote, “With a step, it was possible to

go from one part of the globe to the opposite side north, east, and west had vanished It was south in every direction.” Cook then became lost in the Arctic for almost a year

In the meantime, Robert Peary was also trying to reach the North Pole He claimed to have arrived there on April 6, 1909, almost a year after Cook However, Peary believed Cook to be dead, making him the first man to reach the Pole In September 1909, both men managed to make it back to civilization and, within days

of each other, telegraphed their rival claims to the newspapers

Controversy ensued when Peary accused Cook of fraud, claiming that he had no compelling evidence to support his claim as the first man to reach the North Pole In fact, the controversy still lingers to this day Who was the first man to reach the North Pole? For many years, Peary’s supporters, backed by National Geographic magazine, had the upper hand However, new scholarship suggests that both explorers faked their claims In other words, neither of them reached the Pole The definitive answer

to this question has yet to be found

The First to the North Pole

Discussion

Discuss the following questions.

1 What other controversies have there been surrounding “scientific” discoveries?

2 What makes a scientific study valid?

Track 2

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1 infect a to wail; to cry

2 howl b to maintain; to protect

3 leap c to contaminate with disease-producing matter

4 swift d to tamper with; to despoil

5 violate e agile; fast

Pre-Reading Questions

Think about the following questions.

1 What do you know about mummies and mummification?

2 Who do you think should be allowed to excavate ancient sites?

3 What dangers might archaeologists encounter when searching

The Curse of the Mummy

“D eath shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the

king.” Carved in stone, these are the words Howard Carter was reported to have seen as he entered the tomb of King Tutankhamun,

the famous pharaoh who ruled Egypt from 1333 to 1325 BC Egyptian sepulchers,

like that of King Tutankhamun, contain curses to frighten those who would violate the tombs, and in what has come to be known as the curse of the mummy, it is believed that tragedy and death befall those who disturb the graves of Egyptian kings

In the 1930s, the belief in a mummy’s curse was rekindled after the deaths of

Carter’s colleagues In 1891, Howard Carter, a young archaeologist from England, went to Egypt to study ancient Egyptian culture and to try to locate the unopened tomb of an ancient Egyptian king Because Egyptian kings were buried with gold and other valuable items, by the end of the 19th century most tombs in the Valley of the

Kings had been plundered Therefore, many archaeologists believed that there was nothing left to excavate Carter, however, believed there was at least one more

undiscovered tomb, and he wanted to find it

The great burial chambers in the Valley of the Kings contained the wrapped bodies of pharaohs, as well as items Egyptians believed would aid the kings in their

next life Before being interred for the afterlife, the bodies of the kings were

carefully preserved by a process of embalming called mummification When a

body was mummified, the internal organs and brains were removed and stored in large jars; then the skin, muscles, and bones were covered in a special salt for three months At the end of three months, after the salt absorbed the water from

the body, the body was wrapped in pieces of cotton soaked in

resin, the liquid from pine trees Through this process, the

bodies of Egyptian kings have been preserved for thousands

of years, and bodies that undergo this embalming process

are called mummies

After years of working in Egypt and studying

Track 3

various sites, still convinced he would find an unopened tomb,

Howard Carter approached wealthy British businessman Lord

Carnarvon, who agreed to finance the search After five unsuccessful

years, however, Lord Carnarvon threatened to withdraw his patronage

Carnarvon gave Carter just one more year within which to make a

discovery Returning to Egypt, Carter brought with him a canary,

which was later believed to have been the harbinger of both success

as well as disaster It was in that year, 1922, that Carter discovered the

tomb of King Tutankhamun, but days before the discovery, Carter’s canary had been killed by a cobra, a symbol of the pharaohs

In November of 1922, Howard Carter cut a hole in the stone door that stood in front of Tutankhamun’s tomb With him were Lord Carnarvon and twenty others, including archaeologists, workers, and servants Upon opening the tomb, they found

wonderful treasures including a solid gold mask that covered the face and upper torso

of King Tutankhamun’s body Soon, however, their celebrations were dampened by a number of tragedies

Lord Carnarvon died in Egypt a few months after the opening of the tomb At first, doctors were unable to account for his death, but they finally determined it to

be pneumonia and blood poisoning caused by an infected mosquito bite The British press reported that at the exact moment of his death, back in England, Lord

Carnarvon’s dog howled at the moon and then died Rumors of a mummy’s curse

shook the British public when the mummy of Tutankhamun was unwrapped, and a wound was discovered on the left cheek, in the exact spot as the insect bite that

caused Lord Carnarvon’s death

By 1929, London newspapers reported that eleven people connected with the

discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, including relatives of Lord Carnarvon,

Carter’s personal secretary Richard Bethell, and Bethell’s father, had died of unnatural causes Bethell’s father leapt to his death, leaving a suicide note alluding to “horrors”

he had seen Did the mummy’s curse cause these deaths? If so, why didn’t the man

who opened the tomb succumb to the curse of the mummy? Howard Carter, who

never believed in the curse, survived into his mid-sixties, dying of what appears to have been natural causes

R eading Comprehension

A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1 Many ancient Egyptian tombs contain oaths, written to discourage

anyone from stealing from them

2 Howard Carter supported Lord Carnarvon in his search for an

unopened tomb

3 Howard Carter’s canary actually found King Tutankhamun’s tomb.

4 In the late 1920s, many people believed that the deaths of those who

opened the tombs were caused by a curse

B Choose the best answer according to the reading.

1 What is true about King Tutankhanum?

a His tomb had been plundered

b He uttered oaths to keep people from stealing from his tomb

c He was a famous king of ancient Egypt

d He caused the death of Howard Carter

2 Many of the tombs of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs .

a Were preserved until the 20th century

b Were plundered before archaeologists opened them

c Were opened by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon

d Were mummified

3 During the mummification process, how did Egyptians prepare the body?

a They removed the skin and bones

b They placed the eyes in a special jar

c They used a type of salt to absorb the water from the body of the deceased

d They wrapped the body in pine needles

C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the book and write them on the lines provided.

1 What happened to Howard Carter’s canary?

2 During mummification, what was done with the body after it had been covered

in a special salt for three months?

In the late 1800s, Howard Carter, a British archaeologist, went to Egypt in hopes

of discovering a(n) 1 _ tomb of an ancient pharoah Although many of

the ancient tombs had been plundered by the 1800s, Carter believed he would find

one that had not been 2 _ In 1922, under the patronage of Lord

Carnarvon, Carter discovered the tomb where King Tutankhamun had been interred over 3000 years before Excitement over this discovery of scientific and cultural

importance, however, was dampened by tragedy: the death of Lord Carnarvon due to

a(n) 3 _ mosquito bite It was said that his dog 4 _ at the

exact moment of his death Rumors in the British press and other sources attributed Lord Carnarvon’s and subsequent deaths among Carter’s colleagues to a mummy’s

curse, which foretold of 5 _ death to any who disturbed the tomb In

fact, Carter’s secretary 6 _ to his death in desperation over the curse

In spite of the media hype, Howard Carter continued to live for more than ten years

after the discovery of the tomb without succumbing to the curse

Fill in the blanks with words from the list Use each word only once.

Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading Fill in each blank with the best word from the list Use each word only once.

architects assassinated intrudersimmortal successors sarcophagus

1 King Tutankhamun was only nineteen years old when he died, and it is believed

he was by his rivals

2 King Tutankhamun’s tried to have his name erased from all

government records, yet he is now perhaps the best known of Egypt’s ancient kings

3 The of the tombs designed them with many false passageways in order

to prevent thieves from entering

4 The ancient Egyptians believed that their kings were beings, and

therefore, they worshiped them as gods

5 Despite the elaborate designs of the tombs, were able to enter and

steal from many of the tombs

6 Found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb was a stone in which there

were three gold coffins The innermost one contained the pharaoh’s body

infected howled leapt swift violated preserved

Discuss the following questions.

1 What role(s) do you think the British press might have played in creating belief

in the mummy’s curse amongst the British public?

2 Do people still believe in the mummy’s curse today? Why or why not?

W as the curse of the mummy real? Though the death

of Lord Carnarvon seemed mysterious, it was probably more the result of bad hygiene than a curse, says Dr Robert Prichard, a medical examiner for the state

of California “His mosquito bite became infected from a dirty

shaving razor, and he developed sepsis, or blood poisoning,” Dr

Prichard believes As for the deaths of the others involved in the

opening of King Tutankhamen’s tomb, there is nothing mysterious

there either, researchers say British Medical Journal looked at all the evidence

concerning forty-four of the people who were associated with the excavation of King Tutankhamen’s tomb They concluded that statistically, no more of those people died than any other population sample

Still, research in microbiology suggests that although there is no mummy’s curse, there may be real health dangers associated with opening tombs like those in the Valley of the Kings The old tombs were sealed so tightly that the insides may have become anaerobic, meaning that air could not get inside When this happens, certain bacteria grow in the oxygen-free environment that could not ordinarily survive and which can be harmful if inhaled Other types of organisms like molds and fungi could also be present, some of which can cause serious health problems For these reasons, modern archaeologists, unlike those in the 1920s, wear protective filter masks and gloves when entering a tomb for the first time

Finally, it has been suggested that the punitive inscription engraved on the entrance to King Tutankhamun’s tomb was an invention of a young British newspaper reporter by the name of Doyle, later known as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The real inscription, it is reported, is far less concerned with inflicting punishment than with protecting the dead

Track 4

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1 symptom a to take away; withdraw

2 disorder b to depend

3 invest c to put money into; to buy stocks

4 immediate d an illness; a malady

5 remove e a condition accompanying or resulting from a disease

Pre-Reading Questions

Think about the following questions.

1 How much time do you spend online each day?

2 What takes up most of your time online: e-mailing, surfing, chatting,

or gaming?

3 Have you bought anything online either through a commercial site

or an auction? If yes, describe your experience

Addicted to the

Net?

Computers and Technology 1

U N I T 2

Addicted to the Net?

I nternet users who spend as much as thirty hours a week or more surfing the

Web may endanger personal relationships, jobs, and their finances These individuals appear to be addicted to the Internet, but what is Internet

addiction and why is it so prevalent?

Symptoms of Internet addiction include a constant desire to get online, a need

to use the Internet for longer periods of time in order to find satisfaction, and feelings of restlessness or irritability when not online Other symptoms include using the Internet to escape problems and lying to family or friends about time spent on the Internet Another serious symptom is continuing to use the Internet even after problems develop in relationships, work, or school as a result of such use A person who suffers three or more of these symptoms over a 12-month period or more would

be considered addicted

A recent study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders examined the Internet habits of twenty people These people spent more than thirty non-working hours a week online over a three-year period The participants reported staying up all night, ignoring family responsibilities, and being late for work as a result of their online activities As a consequence, many suffered from relationship problems, failed

classes or lost jobs, as well as accumulation of large debts These participants’ habits met the criteria for a psychological disorder Specifically, they had impulse control

disorder The findings of this study have given rise to the term “Net compulsion” to describe Internet addiction Since these findings, Net compulsions have been further

defined to include compulsive online gambling, cybersex compulsion, online auction

addiction, and obsessive online trading

But what is it that makes online auction houses, gambling, pornography, or trading

so addictive? The first factor which may contribute to compulsive use of a product is accessibility Before the existence of the Internet, a person

needed to travel to a casino in order to gamble To invest, a

person needed to call or visit a broker Shopping involved

spending hours visiting various stores, waiting in long lines,

something

Track 5

or fighting crowds Now, those with access to the Internet have immediate,

24-hour access to everything This includes virtual gaming sites, online

trading sites that provide up-to-the-minute stock reports, pornographic

materials and sex chat rooms, and online auction houses where they can

find any item imaginable As the problems and limitations of real life

are removed, some people begin to indulge more heavily in these

activities for immediate gratification and to satisfy whims.

Control is a second factor influencing compulsive behavior Online stock trading serves as a good example of the effect control has on compulsive behavior In the past, people had to rely on brokers Today, individuals have the ability to take control

over their own investing Such full personal control leads some people to develop an

obsession with monitoring and adjusting their investments.

A third important factor is excitement Excitement represents the emotional

“rush” or “high” associated with winning In gambling, the rush of winning becomes

a great reinforcement to continue playing In auction sites, obtaining an item by

beating other bidders seconds before the bid closes can be intoxicating With any

compulsive activity, the excitement surrounding the activity becomes a powerful

hook encouraging future behavior

No one knows exactly how many people develop personal problems through

such use of the Internet However, in the largest study of Internet users, involving 17,000 participants, psychologist David Greenfield speculated that approximately six million Americans could be addicted

However, help is available for those with Net compulsion Psychologists have been studying obsessive and compulsive behaviors and their treatments for years Mental health professionals have established therapies to help people curb the

length of time spent online Currently, Internet-addiction centers are opening across the United States These aim to help self-confessed addicts, focusing on addressing the underlying problems which may have contributed to Internet overuse in the first

place But as with other addictions, recovery can only occur with an honest admission

R eading Comprehension

A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1 One possible consequence of Internet addiction is divorce.

2 Online auction addiction is one kind of Net compulsion.

3 Most online addicts feel bored when online.

4 Wireless technology will likely decrease addiction rates among Internet

users

B Choose the best answer according to the reading.

1 What is implied by the author?

a Government control of Internet content could solve this problem

b Internet addiction may require psychological counseling

c People can only be addicted to drugs, not technology

d The Internet is more dangerous than some drugs

2 Which is NOT really a symptom of Internet addiction?

a Always looking for the next opportunity to check e-mail

b Not feeling satisfied after surfing for five hours

c Spending time setting up a personal homepage

d Telling your roommate you just got online after chatting online for two hours

3 Which online activities might lead to compulsive behavior?

a Playing virtual slot machines

b Ordering discount jewelry online

c Keeping track of stock market gains and losses

d All of the above

C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the book and write

it on the lines provided.

1 What do Internet-addiction centers focus on when trying to help self-confessed

addicts?

2 What are three factors that influence compulsive behavior?

V ocabulary Extension

People who spend too much time online may be 1 _

These people usually rely on the Internet far too much They simply can’t remove

themselves or their thoughts from the Net Because of this, they may develop problems

in their personal lives or 2 _debt due to gambling or

shopping The criteria used to determine if a person has this disorder include a list of

six kinds of compulsive behaviors If a person shows 3 _ of these

symptoms throughout the year, the person is probably addicted to the Net There are three factors that make the Internet addictive: accessibility, control, and excitement People can go online any time to indulge in gambling, pornography,

4 , or investing in stocks In terms of control, people have

a lot more control over their personal finances and stocks now that trading can be

done online rather than 5 And with activities like

winning at a game of online poker or making the 6 in

an auction, people feel an immediate rush of excitement that encourages them to

play more or bid again

Fill in the blanks with phrases from the list Use each phrase only once.

three or more highest bid addicted to the Internetbidding in auctions through a broker accumulate a lot of

Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading Fill in each blank with the best word from the list Use each word only once.

enabler trauma dependencyrelapse behavior-modification prognosis

1 He was doing well in his treatment, but he suffered a(n) _.

2 She has a chemical _.

3 Some psychiatrists treat their patients through _ therapy which

encourages them to acknowledge and change their negative behaviors

4 Because of the _ she faced when her mother was killed, she has not

been able to build close relationships with others

5 Within a psychological framework, the _ is the person who helps the

addicted person to continue with unhealthy behaviors

6 Although we worried about Sam’s chances for a full recovery, the psychiatrist’s

_ was positive

Discuss the following questions.

1 Do you think the Internet makes things like gambling or pornography too

accessible? Why or why not?

2 Do you think that IAD is a genuine problem? Why or why not?

D r Ivan K Goldberg, a psychiatrist and clinical psychopharmacologist

came up with the term “Internet addiction” in 1995 But he never thought anyone would take him seriously In fact, he said the disorder didn’t really exist In 1986, Goldberg created an online club for psychiatrists called PsyCom.Net and often browsed the site for news and messages While reading the messages posted

on the site’s bulletin boards, he came up with the idea of posting a message to poke fun at the American Psychiatric Association’s Manual of Mental Disorders

He made up a disease called “Internet addiction disorder” (IAD) In the message,

he described symptoms of the disease One symptom Goldberg listed was that

“important social and occupational activities are given up or reduced because of Internet use.” Other symptoms included dreaming about the Internet and having uncontrolled movements of the fingers as if typing

To Goldberg’s surprise, several colleagues admitted to suffering IAD and asked him for help In response, Goldberg set up the Internet Addiction Support Group online for his colleagues Soon, hundreds of self-described addicts began to post messages on the site, and some people admitted surfing up to twelve hours per day Several universities and hospitals in the United States began

to set up counseling services for those with IAD

Despite his uneasiness over the part he played in this

“discovery,” Goldberg says he posts a message to members of

the Internet addicts forum every six months or so, trying to

get them to consider why they are online and to consider

psychotherapy

Track 6

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1 pioneer a restricted; narrow; having boundaries

2 mobility b a person who rivals another or competes for a prize

3 limited c the power or freedom of movement

4 mimic d having practical ability; able to manage something

5 competitor e to imitate; to copy the actions of

Pre-Reading Questions

Think about the following questions.

1 What is an android?

2 What benefits can robotics have on our society?

3 How are robots/androids different than human beings?

Rise of the

Androids

Computers & Technology 2

U N I T 2

Rise of the Androids

S ince the beginning of the 21st century there have been thrilling advances in

the field of robotics Science fact, it appears, has recently started catching

up with science fiction This is particularly true of the development of

anthropomorphic robots, or androids, which authors such as Isaac Asimov and

Philip K Dick wrote about in their futuristic novels published in the 1950s and 60s

In Asia, the development of robots that look and act human is creating serious competition among scientists, especially in Japan and Korea Many in the field seem

to have focused their efforts on developing attractive female androids Scientists at Osaka University in Japan, led by Hiroshi Ishiguro, pioneered the development of the world’s first female android Named the Actroid and manufactured by the

Kokoro Company, this robot was first unveiled at an international robotics fair in Tokyo in November 2003 Since then, many improvements have been made to the design, and the most advanced model, called the Actroid-DER2, was released in October 2006 The letters “DER” are said to stand for “dramatic entertainment model” because the Actroid was specifically designed to function as a hostess and entertainer at public events

Actroids are life-size and look like young Japanese women Their skin is

composed of silicone and looks very realistic In early models, some upper body

movement was possible while mobility of their bottom halves was more limited This improved in later models, which have more realistic features and movements than

the earlier prototypes The robots have built-in

sensors which allow them to react to humans They can

fend off aggressive or intrusive actions, like pokes or slaps,

or react in a friendly manner by smiling Actroids can

mimic blinking, breathing and speaking; maintain eye

contact with a speaker; and also change their facial

expressions They can be programmed to speak in any

language and have conversed in a rudimentary fashion

Track 7

in English and Japanese at various science fairs The Kokoro Company currently

rents Actroids out to upmarket coffee shops and restaurants, or office complexes and museums, to greet customers and visitors

Meanwhile, the jewel of Korean robotics, and a direct competitor for the

Actroid series, is another female android named EveR-2 Also released in 2006,

EveR-2 is the successor of EveR-1, first unveiled in 2003 at the same time as the

first Actroid The EveR series was designed by a team from Kitech, the Korean

Institute of Industrial Technology EveR’s creators claim she is more life-like than her Japanese rival and can mimic emotions such as happiness, sorrow, anger, and surprise more naturally The latest EveR-2 can express boredom, and she has the

ability to sing She can communicate using fifteen facial expressions, recognizes 400

Korean and English words, and even moves her lips in synchronization with her

speech At the opening ceremony of the Robot World Conference held in Seoul in

2006, an EveR-2 model called “Muse” sang a popular Korean song, to the delight of spectators Like the Actroids, the skin of EveR robots is made of silicone Whereas the

EveR-1 only had her face and hands covered with the synthetic jelly, EveR-2’s whole

body is covered with artificial skin EveR-3 and EveR-4 are scheduled to be unveiled in

2010, and it is anticipated that they will have the ability to walk in a capable manner and even dance The Korean Institute of Industrial Technology would like to see their robots working in every human household in Korea by at least 2020

Men shouldn’t feel threatened by the focus on female robots as Kitech plans to develop a male android in the near future In July 2006, Hiroshi Ishiguro, co-creator

of the Actroid, also designed a robot model in his own likeness Dubbed the Geminoid HI-1, the robot imitates Ishiguro’s gestures, facial expressions and speech, making it

much like a kind of robotic clone It can be remotely controlled with a

motion capture system that tracks the movements of his lips and mouth,

meaning he could use the robot as a stand-in to teach classes While

he controls it from home, the robot could be up in front of a class,

simultaneously scaring and inspiring students

It seems that a time when we won’t be able to tell humans

from androids may be closer than we realize Where this

technology may eventually lead is anyone’s guess

R eading Comprehension

A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1 Asimov wrote about anthropomorphic robots in the 1930s and 40s.

2 Robotics researchers usually develop female-looking androids.

3 Androids look life-like because researchers use real human skin to

cover them

4 The Japanese-made android is more life-like than that made by Korean

researchers

B Choose the best answer according to the reading.

1 Which of the following describe Actroids?

a They have built-in sensors

b They look like Korean women

c They can change their facial expressions

d Both a & c

2 Why is it said that EveR-2 is the jewel in the crown of Korean robotics?

a Because they aren’t very impressed by its quality

b Because it has won many awards

c Because it is the highest quality android created to date

d Because it is far better than the Japanese-made android

3 What is the overall theme of the reading passage?

a Robotic technology is advancing quickly and may soon result in something that is indistinguishable from humans

b Robotics is interesting but not practical

c Robotics research simply focuses on creating female robots and has no real use in our daily lives

d Someday, robotics will have advanced to a point where androids take over the world

C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the book and write them on the lines provided.

1 How does the motion capture system in the Geminoid HI-1 work, and how can

it be used?

2 How can EveR-2 communicate?

S ummary

Fill in the blanks with phrases from the list Use each phrase only once.

upgrades were made becoming a reality as a stand-in

mimic emotions the world’s first capable of

Here are six words that are related to the topic but are not in the reading Fill in each blank with the best word from the list Use each word only once.

nanorobots prosthetic mechanical

effectors actuator locomotion

1 Mr Johnson was fitted for a(n) _ leg after losing his in an accident.

2 The most common type of _ in robotics is the electric motor.

3 To accomplish _, most of the students used wheels on their robots.

4 Matt’s android had two kinds of _, one for picking things up and the

other for cutting and tearing

5 The _ engineering students had a robot design competition.

6 In the future, _ may be injected into a patient to cure a condition at

The fictitious androids written about in the mid-1900s are 1 _

with advances in the field of robotics Japan and Korea have been pioneers in this field They regularly compete for supremacy in this field The focus of most researchers is in creating life-like, attractive female androids A Japanese research group led by Hiroshi

Ishiguro created 2 _ female android, called Actroid It was

made by the Kokoro company and introduced in 2003 The early model was limited so

3 _ and the dramatic entertainment model was released in 2006

Actroids are covered with a silicone skin and have built-in sensors making them

4 _ reacting to humans, and they can also mimic many

human behaviors Additionally, they can be programmed to speak in any language

The Korean android, EveR-2, released in 2006, was designed by a team from Kitech They claim that she is more life-like than Actroids, and she can

5 She can also speak and move her lips to match her

speech Future models are expected to have higher mobility and even be proficient in dancing Research teams have also created male androids One in particular is the

Geminoid HI-1, made in the likeness of Ishiguro This android uses a motion capture

system so that it can be used 6 , useful for teaching when

he can’t be on site Regardless of the competition, it’s clear that this technology will one day present us with the dilemma of determining human from machine

Should Robots Have Rights?

T oday’s robots and androids are still fairly simple creations

However, scientists may eventually develop robots that could think and act completely autonomously At the moment, human beings strictly control the machines, computers,

and robots they design, but many worry that as technology

becomes more sophisticated, artificial intelligences might grow

independent of their human creators

This has raised some interesting ethical questions about what would happen if robots eventually developed consciences Philosophers have started to address issues that science fiction writers have debated for years What needs to be considered, say thinkers, is the following: If robots were to look, think, and, most importantly, feel just as humans do, should they not be granted the same basic rights and freedoms

we value so highly? Put in another way, philosophers are questioning what exactly the qualities are which make something or someone human and asking, “Should robots have rights?”

Scientists claim that they will be able to program robots and androids to actually enjoy occupations and tasks that humans don’t This means robots could perform many dangerous and unpleasant jobs, such as clearing mine fields or fighting fires, without feeling fear or resentment Already, mechanical arms are used in factories to perform precise but repetitive jobs These machines do not get bored, are less likely

to make mistakes than humans, and can perform tasks more quickly and efficiently

If this is what they are being designed for, say some, why tempt fate by giving them the capacity to feel?

Discussion

Discuss the following questions.

1 Do you know of any other disputes about rights that have occurred throughout

history?

2 What do you think might happen if robots are granted the same rights as human

beings?

Track 8

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1 accompany a making something known for profit

2 linger b according to custom and common rules of society

3 recur c to remain for a long time

4 obsolete d to associate with; to join with

5 commercialization e having no use or purpose

Pre-Reading Questions

Think about the following questions.

1 What causes a cold?

The Uncommon Cold

C atching colds is a common complaint for people all over the world While a

cold won’t kill you, no one enjoys the accompanying symptoms: a sore,

scratchy throat, runny nose, constant sneezing, and headaches Colds are uncomfortable and often inconvenient, usually lasting about seven days but often

lingering for up to fourteen days On average, human adults contract between two

and five colds annually, while children often catch as many as six to ten

It’s no surprise that developing and selling cold medication has become big

business for pharmaceutical companies Each year, people spend billions of dollars

on medicines to alleviate this recurring problem From over-the-counter remedies

to expensive prescription products, consumers are more than happy to hand over

money if they think something could help them get better faster The irony is that

most available medicines are only palliatives, meaning they may help relieve cold

symptoms but cannot cure the illness itself

The fact is that currently there is no cure available for the common cold Not

even a suitable vaccine has been developed In the case of influenza, commonly

known as the “flu,” a vaccine does exist, and getting it is recommended By contrast, the reason that a cold is so hard to vaccinate or cure is because it isn’t caused by any one, single disease There are actually about two hundred viruses responsible for our cold symptoms In other words, a cold may not necessarily be as “common” as you might imagine

Each cold virus carries specific antigens, substances that trigger

immune responses in our bodies Immune responses cause

our bodies to create protective proteins, called antibodies to

fight off harmful diseases So far it has proved impossible to

create one vaccine that can produce the disparate antibodies

required to fight so many different antigens Another problem

is that cold viruses have the ability to change their molecular

Track 9

structure and to adapt and change That means that even if a

suitable vaccine were developed, cold viruses could alter in a

relatively short space of time, making the vaccine obsolete

In the last two decades, medical research has

concentrated on developing medicines to fight a family of

viruses called the rhinoviruses, which are responsible for

causing about 35 percent of all colds In the late 1990s,

researchers seemed to have some initial success with an anti-viral molecule called BIRR4 This substance appeared to prevent rhinoviruses from binding with cells in our noses, thus blocking infection if taken just before getting sick Unfortunately,

people don’t know when they are about to catch a cold, so they wouldn’t have known when to take the BIRR4 As a result, research and commercialization of the product was dropped in 2000

Between 1997 and 2001, a company called ViroPharma, tried to get approval to market an antiviral drug called pleconaril which worked in a similar way to BIRR4 Studies indicated that pleconaril prevented rhinoviruses from attaching themselves

to human cells by binding with the outer shell of the viral molecules An application

to commercialize an oral form of pleconaril was turned down by the Federal Drug

Administration in the USA in 2002 The reason given was that the safety and efficacy

of the drug had not been proven in a convincing manner

ViroPharma decided to carry on with research and developed a pleconaril nasal spray They believed this to be an improved version which could be used to combat colds and asthma In 2003, pharmaceutical giant Schering Plough entered into an agreement with ViroPharma giving Schering Plough an option to license and market the spray In August 2004, the company announced that it had decided to exercise

this option By 2007, pleconaril spray had undergone its second phase of clinical

trials It is currently still in development, and only time will tell if it really is the

miracle cure everyone has been waiting for

For now, perhaps the safest way to fight a cold is simply to follow conventional wisdom: get plenty of bed rest, take over-the-counter remedies to combat symptoms, and drink plenty of fluids If you do these things, your cold should be gone in seven days Or, do absolutely nothing, and it will last about a week

medicines

R eading Comprehension

A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1 One of the symptoms of a cold is a fever.

2 On average, children contract two to five colds each year.

3 Currently there is no cure available for the common cold.

4 Pleconaril spray cold medicine is now available in pharmacies.

B Choose the best answer according to the reading.

1 What was the problem with BIRR4?

a It was an effective anti-viral medication

b It prevented rhinoviruses from binding to cells in our noses

c It only worked if people took it before getting sick

d All of the above

2 Why is it so difficult for researchers to create a cold vaccine?

a Because there are too many viruses responsible for causing a cold

b Because they are only effective if taken before getting a cold

c Because the cold viruses are able to quickly adapt and change

d Both a & c

3 What is the overall message the author is trying to give?

a Even though there is a lot of research, there is still no cure for the so-called common cold

b Soon, there will be a cure for all types of colds

c BIRR4 was a poorly designed medication

d Children are more affected by colds than adults

C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the book and write them on the lines provided.

1 How does the drug pleconaril work?

2 What is suggested as the most effective way to fight the common cold?

1 _ is the study of viruses.

2 HIV/AIDS is a(n) _ disease affecting millions of people

worldwide

3 Mrs Adams had _ lung disease, suffering for almost ten years.

4 Catching a cold after an infected person coughs near you is an example of

_ transmission

5 Viruses and bacteria are _ organisms that are too small to see

with the human eye

6 Viruses cannot live by themselves; they require a(n) _.

First Sentence: While the common cold won’t kill you, the symptoms can make

everyday life very difficult

A Pleconaril, a nasal spray being developed by ViroPharm and Schering Plough, has

the potential to be one of the first commercialized preventative medications for

colds and asthma

B Commercialization of BIRR4 was dropped in 2000 because it was obsolete.

C Colds can linger anywhere from 1-2 weeks, and the symptoms accompanying them

can include fevers and sneezing

D The cold medicine industry is big business; however, these medications cure only

our recurring symptoms and don’t prevent the virus

E It is nearly impossible to create a cold vaccine due to the number of viruses that

can cause the cold and their ability to quickly adapt and change their structure

Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below Select THREE answer choices to complete the summary

Discuss the following questions.

1 How do you treat a cold? Do you have any special method?

2 What other methods of treating the common cold have you heard about in the

media or from friends and family?

E veryone has suffered from a cold at one time or

another While we wait for a cold cure to be developed, most people simply end up taking some form of over-the-counter medication The scary thing

is that some of the medicines taken to treat cold symptoms

may actually be counter-productive For example, aspirin

appears to be the perfect drug to take to fight headaches

and throat inflammation, but the truth is that it can actually

have adverse effects on us

Some researchers believe that using aspirin to treat colds can increase the amount of virus you shed through nasal secretions That means you could potentially infect a lot more people with the virus who are exposed to you blowing your nose Another problem is that aspirin may suppress some of our immune responses and cause our noses to become even stuffier

Several studies have also linked aspirin to the development of a condition called Reye’s syndrome when used to treat children suffering from colds or flu This condition

is rare but serious, occurring in children between the ages of three and twelve It often affects the brain or liver, causing major organ damage and in very severe cases, death Doctors, therefore, recommend that aspirin not be given to children younger than nineteen suffering from viral illnesses, including the common cold

Colds themselves may not harm us permanently, but the way we treat cold symptoms could That means if you’re unsure about taking or administering certain medication, you should consult a doctor It could save a life

Track 10

Vocabulary Preview

Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.

1 experimental a a substance used to carry or transport

2 investigate b new; in the testing stage

3 prevent c an area of study

Think about the following questions.

1 What is a genetic trait that is common for people in your family?

2 Are you worried about researchers doing genetic research?

3 Should governments control genetic research?

T he field of molecular genetics is progressing at a rapid pace, with our ability

to manipulate genes and understand the complex processes involved in

genetics developing on almost a daily basis Understandably, people have fears about this powerful technology and are worried that we may use it in ways to

change our humanity In particular, gene therapy is one aspect of molecular genetics

that is causing a lot of concern

Gene therapy is defined as a way of curing or preventing disease by changing the behavior of a person’s genes Currently, gene therapy is still in its early stages,

with most of it still experimental There are actually two types of gene therapy:

somatic and germline Somatic gene therapy targets genes in the soma, or body cells

In this way, the genome of the recipient is changed, but this change is not passed onto the next generation For example, experimental trials in treating cystic fibrosis

treat the genes only in the cells of the lungs, and, consequently, the patient’s children would still be at risk for the disease

In germline gene therapy, genetic changes are made to reproductive cells The egg or sperm cells of the patient are genetically changed with the goal of passing on these changes to their children In practice, this would mean changing the fertilized

egg, the embryo-to-be, so that the genetic changes would be copied into every cell of

the future adult, including the reproductive cells In fact, germline genetic engineering

is not being actively investigated in humans or even large animals at this point Thus far, the procedures are still too risky and undeveloped Experimentation has occurred with mice where genes are added or deleted and the effects have been observed to

help better understand gene functions

Many people falsely assume that germline genetic engineering is already performed with regularity, due to news reports of genetic manipulation

But, in fact, these reports are either of somatic gene therapy trials or of

cloning, which in itself does not alter any genes, but merely copies them

Track 11

Furthermore, even in the field of somatic gene therapy, many factors

have prevented researchers from developing successful gene

therapy techniques

The first problem is in the gene delivery tool -that is, how

a new gene is inserted into the body Scientists have tried to

remove the disease-causing genes and insert healthy genes for

therapy instead Most vehicles used these days are viruses

Although the viruses are effective, other problems may arise

Often, the body reacts against the virus in an immune and inflammatory response Additionally, the viruses don’t always target the right area Gene control and toxici-

ty are also associated with virus vehicles.

Another obstacle to successful gene therapy is understanding gene function

Scientists don’t know all the functions of our genes and only know some of the genes involved in genetic diseases Also, many of the genes involved in genetic diseases

may have more than one function For example, sickle cell anemia is a genetic

disease that is caused by an error in the gene for hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in our blood A child with two copies of this faulty gene will have this

disease, but a child with only one copy of the faulty gene will not inherit the disease This disease is quite prevalent in Africa, where there is also a deadly form of malaria Studies have reported that children with a single copy of the sickle cell gene had a survival advantage over children who inherited two healthy genes Unlike the children with the healthy genes, the children with a single sickle cell gene survived malarial

epidemics They went on to grow up and pass on their genes to their own children,

thus conferring on them their resistance to malaria Having one sickle cell gene

was advantageous where there was a danger of malaria Additionally, many genetic disorders involve more than one gene These multi-gene disorders cannot be treated with a single gene therapy technique

Finally, environmental factors play a pivotal role in the expression of many

diseases This is illustrated in studies with identical twins -individuals with identical genes -who have not developed the same diseases

Reading Time _ minutes _ seconds 697 words

R eading Comprehension

A Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the reading.

1 Germline gene therapy is more developed than somatic gene therapy.

2 Cloning involves changing the genetic makeup of non-reproductive

cells

3 Viruses are used in the process of somatic gene therapy.

4 The gene for sickle cell anemia has been well-characterized by

geneticists

B Choose the best answer according to the reading.

1 Which is true about somatic gene therapy?

a Laws prevent this kind of research at the moment

b Benefits of the therapy will not be inherited by children

c It does not directly affect the patient’s genes

d This form of gene therapy works best in young children

2 What does germline gene therapy attempt to do?

a It alters the genes in reproductive cells

b It changes mice to make them easier to control

c It creates cells that can fight germs in the body

d It provides safer ways to experiment with eggs and sperm

3 What is the main difference between cloning and somatic gene therapy?

a There is none They are the same thing

b Cloning is only done in Africa

c Cloning copies genes while somatic gene therapy changes genes

d Somatic gene therapy involves only the hemoglobin in blood

C For the next two questions, look for the answers in the book and write them on the lines provided.

1 Explain the example of somatic gene therapy given in the passage.

2 Why is germline genetic engineering not currently being actively investigated?

S ummary

Here are six words or phrases that are related to the topic but are not in

the reading Fill in each blank with the best word or phrase from the list Use each word or phrase only once.

1 Edward Jenner, the developer of the smallpox vaccine, was a(n) _

in modern medicine

2 A(n) _ is usually a change in the genetic structure of an organism.

3 We keep doing research _ we will eventually find a cure.

4 Researchers are _ about finding a cure.

5 There is ongoing research in designing _ organs.

6 Not all genetic researchers work with _ Some work with frogs or

fish

First Sentence: Molecular genetics is a rapidly evolving experimental field, causing

excitement about the potential of genetic engineering but also fear of the potential

risks

A Somatic gene therapy is used to treat tuberculosis, whereby scientists can change

the genetic makeup of the cells in the patient’s lungs

B Gene therapy cures or prevents diseases by changing a person’s genetic makeup;

however, there are many obstacles to overcome before this can be accomplished

safely and effectively

C In germline therapy, changes are made to reproductive cells arising in the

engineering of the person’s offspring, a technique which has caused a lot of fear

and concern among the public

D Somatic gene therapy targets the soma, so the changes affect only the recipient,

not their children, a procedure which is considered much safer than other types of gene therapy

E Viruses represent a valuable investigative resource as they are the most common

vehicle used to deliver altered genes

Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below Select THREE answer choices to complete the summary

artificial in the hope that mammalsmutation optimistic pioneer

Discuss the following questions.

1 In general, do you think gene therapy will be more helpful or harmful in the

future? Why?

2 What kind of gene therapy would you agree to get? Why?

I n an attempt to develop new gene delivery tools, researchers have been

experimenting with introducing a 47th extra artificial human chromosome to the body This chromosome would exist alongside and be independent of our other 46 chromosomes It would be a large vehicle capable of carrying large amounts

of genetic information Scientists also think that these artificial chromosomes would not be attacked by the body and, hence, would not cause some of the negative reactions that virus vehicles do

In fact, Chromos Molecular Systems, a biotech company in Canada, is already producing artificial chromosomes in the hope that this will lead to further advances

in genetic engineering Dr Gyula Hadlaczky, the pioneer of this research at

Chromos, makes these artificial chromosomes by modifying a normal human

chromosome The result is called an artificial chromosome -although it was originally created through natural processes -because it is unlike the other chromosomes in a cell

Although gene therapy is limited at present, Hadlaczky expects these modified chromosomes to have applications to other forms of biotechnology and genetic engineering A short term application of this tool may be to alter mammal cells grown in the lab so that they become natural producers of necessary vaccines or other drugs

Critics of genetic engineering fear this technology and think

it will lead to mutations and the weakening of living systems

However, at Chromos, they are optimistic They say that their

artificial chromosomes do not damage cells and that this is an

important step on the road of genetic engineering

Track 12