UNIT 4

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

A. Discussion

1. What is the difference between science and technology?

2. Who's the most famous inventor that you know? What are his inventions?

B. Reading

Muslim Inventor Abbas Ibn Firnas: The First Human to Fly

The Wright brothers may have invented the first motorized aircraft, but the 9th century
engineer Abbas Ibn Firnas is considered to be the first human to fly with the help of a pair of
wings built by silk, wood and real feathers.

According to historians, when Ibn Firnas was between the age of 65 and 70, he jumped
off a cliff from Yemen's Jabal Al-Arus mountain and glided in the air, staying in flight for at
least '10 minutes’. The short flight left him both injured and disappointed. He realized that
because he had neglected the mechanics of landing, he couldn't balance his flight in the air and
ended up crash landing. Ibn Firnas lived for another 12 years. He realized that slow landing is
achieved via the collaborative work between tail and wings, a conclusion he reached after
decades of studies of bird flight and their landings. It is Firnas who could successfully claim to
be behind the theory that went on to create the ornithopter, an aircraft that mimics birds and flies
by flapping its wings. His flying machine diagrams went on to become the cornerstones of
aviation engineering in the late 20th century. That said, Ibn Firnas is still considered to be at the
forefront of his field given that he was the first aviator to fly with a heavier-than-air machine.

Ibn Firnas was born in the 9th century in Izn-Rand-Onda Al Andalus, which is present-
day Ronda, Spain, he spent most of his adult life in the Emirate of Cordoba, one of the major
learning hubs during the Umayyad Caliphate. Some historical accounts suggest al Firnas
was influenced by Armen Firman, who was neither a scientist nor polymath but an astute
observer of nature. It was Firman who first built wings made of wooden planks wrapped in silk
and bird feathers. In the early 850s, Firman climbed to the top of the tallest mosque minaret in
Qurtuba and jumped off wearing the wings. Although his attempt quickly failed and he
plummeted to earth, the flying machine inflated just in time and slowed his descent. He was

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lucky enough not to break any bones in the fall; the delay of his landing proved somewhat life-
saving.

Ibn Firnas watched Firman's adventure as he stood among the gathered, fascinated
crowds who were all watching the skies above in amazement. Impressed with Firman's result,
Ibn Firnas began to realise that the act of flying in the air needed further investigation. He
studied flight patterns of different birds and objects for twenty-three years. He then constructed
his flying machine and jumped off Jabal al Arus in Yemen despite his advanced years. Several
centuries later, an Ottoman Turk Ahmed Celebi successfully flew and landed across the
Bosphorus in 1630. He died sometime between 890 and 895 AD and many historians say his
death may have been hastened by his injury. (https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/abbas-ibn-
firnas-the-first-human-to-fly-36655)

Decide whether the statements below are T (True) of F (False) about the reading text.

1. Abbas Ibn Firnas lived in 19th century (T/F)

2. Ibn Firnas was between the age of 50, he jumped off a cliff from Yemen's Jabal Al-Arus
mountain (T/F)
3. Ibn Firnas was influenced by Armen Firman (T/F)

4. Firman climbed to the top of the tallest mosque minaret in Cordoba and jumped off wearing
the wings. (T/F)

5. He died sometime between 890 and 895 AD (T/F)

D. Speaking

Discussion: 1. In your opinion, what is the greatest technological invention? Why?

2. What would you like to invent?

E. Listening

Listen to the radio program about tech addiction and check whether the sentences are true
or false?

1. Millennials spend more time on smartphones than any other generation. (T/F)

2. Some people who work in the tech industry are fighting against smartphone addiction. (T/F)

3. The presenter thinks most adults' behavior towards their phones and apps is under control.
(T/F)

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4. Babies' brain development is delayed because they’re looking at screens. (T/F)

5. We're likely to see a rise in teenage mental health problems because of social media addiction.
(T/F)

6. Changing the color settings on your phone may make you spend less time on it. (T/F)

E. Grammar

Look at the phrases in bold in the survey, complete the rules with can and could.

● We use subject + + base form (Verb 1) to say that something is possible in the
present.
● We use subject + + base form (Verb 1) to say that something is possible in the
past.

1. Read about mobile phones. Fill in the gaps with can, can’t, could or couldn’t.
Motorola launched the first mobile phone in 1983, but you could (+) only use it in a
car because it needed a big battery. A few years later you (+) buy a mobile that
you (+) take to work – but it was in a suitcase!

In the early nineties you (+) buy a small mobile for $200, but you
(-) send texts until 1995. The BlackBerry, launched in 1999, was one of the first phones
you (+) use to go online. And you buy a mobile with a camera in Europe until
2002.

These days most people (-) leave home without their mobile. You
(+) use your phone to go online, make video calls and find your way with GPS. You
(+) also download apps, watch TV programmes or play games. But a lot of people
still (-) remember to charge their phone or turn it off in cinema!

F. Writing

Write an essay about the topic below.

A lot of people have become dependent on technology as it plays a big role in our daily lives. Do
you agree that living in computer age has more advantages than disadvantages?

Describe the positive and negative impacts of technology on our lives and give your opinion.

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