UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE LA MATANZA

CUADERNILLO PRIMER CUATRIMESTRE 2023

Proyecto original:
Dr. Efraín Davis

Coordinación:
Mgter. Ana Claudia Saraceni

Equipo:
Lic. Claudia Andrade
Lic. Ana María Carrizo
Mgter. Gabriela D’Anunzio
Lic. María Angélica Dubouloy
Mgter. Bárbara Konicki
Mgter. Iris Morena
Lic. Mirtha Roldán
Lic. María Ofelia Rosas
Lic. Mariana Sanjurjo
Content Organization

Section 1
Discoveries that changed the world
- Before, while and after reading
- Vocabulary building
- Grammar stop: Passive Voice
- Check your progress 1

Section 2
Module 1
- Grammar stop: Connectors Part 1 (because, so,
but, as, therefore, however)
Serendipity in action! - Check your progress 2
- Expressing yourself: Describing and organizing
information

Time for Fiction I

Dr. Son Tech, by M.M. Rold
- Before, while and after reading
- Check your progress 3
- Question block: On-the-lines vs. Between- the-
lines questions
- Expressing yourself: Giving your opinion

Section 1
The personality traits needed to be hired
- Before, while and after reading
- Vocabulary building: Soft skills
- Lexis and Grammar stop: Describing abilities,
qualities, likes and dislikes (adjectives and
nouns, good/bad + at + noun or ing, find it +
Module 2
adjective + to infinitive, adjective + enough +
“to” infinitive, like+ noun or ing)
- Check your progress 1
The Right Person for the - Expressing yourself: Describing yourself
Right Job
Section 2
- Grammar stop: Connectors Part 2 (also, what’s
more, moreover, besides, although)
- Check your progress 2
- Grammar stop: Relative Pronouns who/that/
which
- Check your progress 3

1
 Time for Fiction II
The Selfish Giant, by Oscar Wilde
- Before, while and after reading
- Grammar stop: Past Simple revisited, Past
Perfect
- Check your progress 4
- Grammar stop: Connectors Part 3
(after/before + ing, after/before + noun,
after/before + clause)
- Check your progress 5
- Question block: On-the-lines vs. Between-the-
lines questions
- Expressing yourself: Illustrating your point

Integrated Practice 1

Section 1
How to Find a Career Path Using the Theory
of Multiple Intelligences
- Before, while and after reading
- Lexis and grammar stop: be … smart / have …
intelligence
- Lexis and grammar stop: Infinitive of purpose;
should/need to/must
- Vocabulary building: University professions
Module 3 revisited
- Check your progress 1
- Expressing yourself: Describing professions
Intelligences at Work
Section 2
Crazy Questions
- Before, while and after reading
- Grammar stop: Second Type Conditional
(connector “if”)
- Check your progress 2

Time for fiction III

The Exam
- Before, while and after reading
- Vocabulary building: Multiple intelligences &
Expressions to describe strengths and skills…
revisited! Comparing and contrasting
information
- Grammar stop: Past Continuous

2
 - Check your progress 3
- Check your progress 4: Revision
- Question block: On-the-lines, between-the-
lines and beyond-the-lines questions
- Expressing yourself: Agreeing and disagreeing
politely

Section 1
The 4 Most Successful Work Environments
(and the 4 Worst)
- Before, while and after reading
- Grammar stop: Relative Pronoun “where”
- Expressing yourself: Describing work
environments
Module 4

Time for Fiction IV

Stitches, by G. Alex
Fitting in Work Environments
- Before, while and after reading
- Question block: On-the-lines, Between- the-
lines and beyond-the-lines questions
- Check your progress 2
- Expressing yourself: Expressing reservations
and counter arguments

Integrated Practice 2

Appendix 1 Table of Connectors

Accreditation students:

For more information on evaluation, please, log into MIeL by using the following
information:

User: 111222333444
Password: 111222333444

3
Why Comic Sans Serif?

Despite a certain disdain from people who are really not affected by font choice, the

design features of Comic Sans Serif combine the readability qualities which

facilitate ease of reading.

This material is written in Comic Sans Serif to consider the difficulties experienced

by some dyslexic people. Adopting these principles for dyslexic readers has the

advantage of making all written communication easier on the eye for everyone.

For more information:

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSqkZ6mv990

* https://www.lawrentian.com/archives/1018385

* https://www.nothingcomicaboutdyslexia.com/

* https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/advice/employers/creating-a-dyslexia-

friendly-workplace/dyslexia-friendly-style-guide

* https://www.disfam.org/argentina/

4
 MODULE 1

SERENDIPITY IN ACTION!

Topics Functions Structures

Serendipitous discoveries - Presenting a topic - Passive Voice

- Defining a concept - Connectors: and, so,
- Describing and but, because, however,
organizing information therefore, as
- Expressing reason, - Question structures
result, contrast
Fiction - Asking questions on
the lines and between
Dr. Son Tech by M.M.
the lines
Rold
- Giving opinion

5
SECTION 1

BEFORE READING

Look at the title and picture of Module 1 again. Can you guess the meaning of
“Serendipity”?

Serendipity /ˌsɛr(ə)nˈdɪpɪti/
a. the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled

b. the feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering and misfortunes

of others

c. the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or beneficial things by chance

Have a look at the pictures and match them with the discoveries they are
illustrating and their discoverers.

● Discoveries: Chewing gum, anesthesia, penicillin

● Discoverers: Horace Wells, Alexander Fleming, Thomas Adams

a)

Discovery: ______________

Discoverer: _____________

6
b)

Discovery: ______________

Discoverer: _____________

c)

Discovery: ______________

Discoverer: _____________

What do you think the three discoveries above may have in common? Read on to
find out.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

WHILE READING

Check if your answers to the previous activity were right or wrong.

7
 Serendipitous discoveries that changed the world

“Necessity is the mother of invention,” the English proverb goes. However, from
penicillin and anesthesia to chewing gum, chance played a major role in some of the
world's great inventions.

Some things were not searched for, but in the end, they turned out to be something
great. Read on to learn about how these happy accidents were first discovered!

Penicillin

Back in 1928, halfway through an experiment

with bacteria, medical doctor Alexander Fleming
got up and went on vacation. As he was a little
lazy, he left a dirty Petri dish in the lab sink.
When he returned, he found the dish was
covered with bacteria except in the area where
there was mold. Was the mold preventing
bacteria from proliferating? Yes, it was! And this
is how penicillin was discovered and many infectious diseases could be controlled.
Therefore, medicine was immediately revolutionized. Penicillin is probably the
greatest medical breakthrough of all times.

Anesthesia

When dentist Horace Wells was practicing in

Hartford, Connecticut, in 1844, he noted the
pain-killing properties of nitrous oxide
(“laughing gas”) during a laughing-gas roadshow
as a man gashed his leg but did not feel any
pain. Therefore, Wells started using it in
painless dental operations. He was allowed to
demonstrate the method at the Massachusetts
General Hospital in January 1845, but when
the patient groaned, Wells was exposed to ridicule as onlookers concluded that the
patient felt pain. However, he did not give up on his hypothesis and nitrous oxide became
an early form of anesthesia.

8
Chewing Gum

Back in 1870, Thomas Adams was

experimenting with chicle, the sap
from the Mexican Sapodilla tree as
he wanted to find a substitute for
rubber. His experiments failed.
However, he discovered a commercial
use for the substance: It was used
to manufacture chewing gum. Adams
developed public acceptance of this
unique product and started the
American Chicle Company in 1899. Adams New York No. 1 became the first mass-
produced chewing gum in the world.

Adapted for pedagogical purposes from:

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.rd.com/list/10-accidental-discoveries-put-to-good-
use/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1670362023423703&usg=AOvVaw1psiDHm1YfeZLXxpVtgU8K

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Horace-Wells

https://www.hbs.edu/leadership/20th-century-leaders/details?profile=thomas_adams_jr#:~:text=Thomas%20Adams%2C%20Jr.,-
American%20Chicle%20Company&text=Experimenting%20with%20chicle%20(a%20gum,American%20Chicle%20Company%20in%201899.

AFTER READING

Quiz your classmates! Prepare one true or false sentence about each of the texts
above. Then, read them to the rest of the class to check if they understood the
texts. If the sentence is wrong, they must correct it!

1. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

9
 VOCABULARY BUILDING

Match the words with their definitions.

a) serendipity (n) 1) public

b) proliferate (v) 2) mass-produce

c) onlookers (n) 3) grow

d) manufacture (v) 4) have a deep cut

e) gash (v) 5) chance discovery

f) breakthrough (n) 6) to try to find the answer to a problem

g) search (for) (v) 7) important discovery

h) turn out (v) 8) to have a particular result, especially an unexpected

one

GRAMMAR STOP

Have you heard about the terms Active Voice and Passive Voice? Do you know
about their differences? When do you use them? How do you use them?

PASSIVE VOICE

● Most sentences in the language are in the Active Voice, when the subject is
the focus of the action. Example:

Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin accidentally.

We pay attention to the “doer” of the action, and we can answer this question:
“Who does the action?” In the example above, who did the action of discovering?

The answer is Alexander Fleming.

(= the doer of the action; an active subject)

10
● However, sometimes we need to change the focus and pay attention to the
“receiver” of the action and the action itself. The object of the sentence
becomes the new subject. This is the Passive Voice.

Penicillin was discovered accidentally.

In this case, we do not pay attention to who does the action. Instead, we focus
our attention on the person or object that is affected so we can answer the
following question: Who or what is affected by the action? In the example above,
what is affected by the action of “discovering”?

The answer is Penicillin.

(= the receiver of the action; a passive subject)

Let’s analyse more examples. What do these ideas have in common in their
verb structures?

1. Penicillin derivatives are used to treat a variety of conditions including

skin infections, urinary tract infections, upper and lower respiratory

infections, and endocarditis.

2. The dish was covered with bacteria except in the area where there was
mold.
3. Many infectious diseases could be controlled.

Passive Voice structure

Subject (affected by the action) + different forms of “be” + Past

Participle + by + doer of the action

If it is necessary to include the doer of the action, it is preceded by the

preposition BY. However, the doer of the action is omitted when it is unknown or
it is obvious from the context.

Important!
The verb “to be” indicates the tense in the Passive Voice. To determine the verb
tense in a Passive Voice sentence we must observe how the verb “to be” is
conjugated. We can also use Passive Voice sentences with Modal Verbs.

Notice!
If you need to include an adverb, it is usually placed between the verb “to be” and
the past participle verb.

11
Example:
Penicillin was accidentally discovered after a holiday.

When do we use the Passive Voice, then? Let’s sum up!

We use the Passive Voice in the following cases:

1. When we want to emphasize the object or action (and not the “doer” of

the action). Example:

The modern chewing gum was discovered by Thomas Adams in 1870.

We emphasize the receiver of the action and the action itself by putting

them first in the sentence. In the example above what we mean is that

modern chewing gum (and not anesthesia) is what Thomas Adams discovered.

2. Sometimes the doer of an action is irrelevant, unknown or obvious.

Therefore, we use Passive Voice, like in the following example:

Anesthesia is used to perform painless surgeries.

(by doctors, of course)

Can you identify other examples of Passive Voice in the text “Serendipitous

discoveries that changed the world”?

12
 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 1

a) Choose the correct option: Active or Passive Voice?

The naturally occurring penicillins, penicillin G and penicillin V, 1use still/are still

used clinically. Because it has poor stability in acid, much of penicillin G is broken
2
down as it passes through the stomach, so it must give/must be given by
3
intramuscular injection, which limits its usefulness but penicillin V typically

gives/is typically given orally as it is more resistant to digestive acids than

penicillin G. Some of the semisynthetic penicillins are also more acid-stable so

they 4may give/may be given as oral medication.

5
All penicillins work/are worked in the same way: the bacterial enzymes
6
responsible for cell wall synthesis in replicating microorganisms inhibit/are

inhibited. Also, other enzymes are activated to break down the protective wall of

the microorganism. What’s more, they are effective only against microorganisms

that are actively replicating and producing cell walls so they 7do not harm/are not

harmed human cells (which fundamentally 8lack/are lacked cell walls).

Penicillins 9use/are used in the treatment of throat infections, meningitis,

syphilis, and various other infections.
Adapted for pedagogical purposes from:
https://www.britannica.com/science/penicillin

b) Put the verbs in the correct tense in the Passive Voice.

Chicle …………………………1(make) from the coagulated milky latex of the sapodilla

tree, a tropical fruit tree of Central America.

In the 19th century chicle ……………………………2(foresee) by industrial developers as

an equivalent to rubber. In 1869 the idea of using chicle in place of rubber in the

13
manufacture of tires ………………………3(seize upon) by Antonio López de Santa Anna,

a former president of Mexico, as a potential means of funding his return to power.

Inventor Thomas Adams, who ………………………………4(contract) by Santa Anna to

develop a vulcanization process for the substance, ……………………5(leave) with a ton

of chicle because his experiments failed. Adams’ discovery ……………………6(patent)

in 1871.

c) Put the verbs in the correct tense and voice.

When Adams was conducting tests of various formulas, he ………………… 1(discover)

that the desiccated resin was insoluble in water and extremely plastic. In an

attempt to salvage his investment, he ………………………2(begin) selling small portions

of flavourless chicle to drugstores. Adams’ formula was not the first chewing gum

patented in the United States but, with the addition of various flavours, it

…………………………3(become) the most popular.

How ………………… chewing gum ……………………4(make)? To begin the gum-manufacturing

process, blocks of hardened chicle ……………………5(break up). Then, they

…………………………6(mix) with other gum bases, sweeteners, and flavourings during

cooking. The blended mass ……………………………7(pass) between rollers onto a belt for

cooling. Finally, it ……………………8(sugar), cut, and packaged.

After World War II, chicle ………………………………9(virtually/replace) by various

waxes, plastics, and synthetic rubber in chewing gum manufacture. Artificially

sweetened chewing gum ………………………10(find) a wide market in the United States

beginning in the late 20th century, but mint remained the favourite among a wide

variety of flavours.

Adapted for pedagogical purposes from:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/chewing-gum

14
SECTION 2

GRAMMAR STOP

Let’s reread the text on the discovery of anesthesia. This time, pay attention to
the words in bold letters. What are they used for?

When dentist Horace Wells was

practicing in Hartford, Connecticut, in
1844, he noted the pain-killing
properties of nitrous oxide (“laughing
gas”) during a laughing-gas roadshow
as a man gashed his leg but did not
feel any pain. Therefore, Wells
started using it in painless dental
operations. He was allowed to
demonstrate the method at the
Massachusetts General Hospital in January 1845, but when the patient groaned, Wells
was exposed to ridicule as onlookers concluded that the patient felt pain. However, he
did not give up on his hypothesis and nitrous oxide became an early form of
anesthesia.

CONNECTORS (PART I)

Connectors are used to establish connections between two words, clauses,

sentences, and even paragraphs. They allow you to establish a logical

relationship between ideas -which, in turn, makes your speech more

structured and harmonious.

AS - THEREFORE - HOWEVER

Which connector could be used to replace “as” in the sentence below: so,

because or but? What is the function of the connector “as”? What is the

other possible position of the connector in the sentence?

15
- In 1844, Horace Wells noted the pain-killing properties of nitrous oxide

(“laughing gas”) during a laughing-gas roadshow as a man gashed his leg but did

not feel any pain.

- ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Which connector could be used to replace “therefore” in the sentence below:

so, because or but? What is the function of the connector “therefore”? What

changes do you need to make as regards punctuation?

- A man gashed his leg but did not feel any pain. Therefore, Wells started using

nitrous oxide in painless dental operations.

- ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Which connector could be used to replace “however” in the sentence below:

so, because or but? What is the function of the connector “however”? What

changes do you need to make as regards punctuation?

- Wells was exposed to ridicule as onlookers concluded that the patient felt

pain. However, he did not give up on his hypothesis and nitrous oxide became

an early form of anesthesia.

- ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Now, look for examples of connectors in the texts about penicillin and chewing

gum. Then, include all the connectors presented in this section in the table of

connectors at the end of the booklet.

16
 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 2

a) Choose the correct connectors.

The naturally occurring penicillins, penicillin G and penicillin V, are still used

clinically. 1And/As it has poor stability in acid, much of penicillin G is broken down
2
as it passes through the stomach; therefore/as, it must be given by
3
intramuscular injection, which limits its usefulness. However,/Therefore,

penicillin V is typically given orally 4but/as it is more resistant to digestive acids

than penicillin G.

b) Complete the text below with the following connectors: however, as,
therefore.

1
………………… chicle was foreseen by industrial developers as an equivalent to

rubber, in 1869 Antonio López de Santa Anna, a former president of Mexico,

considered it as a potential means of funding his return to power. 2………………………,

he was seized upon the idea of using chicle in place of rubber in the manufacture

of tires.

Inventor Thomas Adams was contracted by Santa Anna to develop a vulcanization

process for the substance; 3……………………, he was left with a ton of chicle 4………………

his experiments failed.

When Adams was conducting tests of various formulas, he discovered that the

desiccated resin was insoluble in water and extremely plastic. 5……………………… , in an

attempt to salvage his investment, he began selling small portions of flavourless

chicle to drugstores. Adams’ formula was not the first chewing gum patented in
6 7
the United States; ………………………, it became the most popular ……………………

17
Adams added various flavours to his product. Adams’ discovery was patented in

1871.

Natural chicle is made from the coagulated milky latex of the sapodilla tree, a

tropical fruit tree of Central America; 8……………………… , after World War II, chicle

was virtually replaced by various waxes, plastics, and synthetic rubber in chewing

gum manufacture. Artificially sweetened chewing gum found a wide market in the

United States beginning in the late 20th century; 9………………………, mint remained

the favourite among a wide variety of flavours.

c) Paraphrase these sentences by using the appropriate connector: AS,

THEREFORE, HOWEVER. Make any necessary changes.

1. All penicillins work in the same way because the bacterial enzymes

responsible for cell wall synthesis in replicating microorganisms are

inhibited.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. It has poor stability in acid, much of penicillin G is broken down as it passes

through the stomach, so it must be given by intramuscular injection.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Penicillin G is still widely used but it isn’t resistant to digestive acids, which

limits its usefulness.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. Penicillins are effective only against microorganisms that are actively

replicating and producing cell walls so they do not harm human cells.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5. Penicillins do not harm human cells because they fundamentally lack cell

walls.

18
 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6. Penicillins are used in the treatment of throat infections, meningitis,

syphilis, and various other infections but they are not effective on viral

infections.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Adapted for pedagogical purposes from:
https://www.britannica.com/science/penicillin

d) Choose the correct information from each column to piece together the
story of each discovery. Then, write a short paragraph about them using
verbs in the active or passive voice and connectors.

Look at the example about anesthesia:

Discovery Inventor/ What happened Big discovery Result

Year

Dentist In the beginning, people The dentist Nitrous oxide

Horace strictly used nitrous noticed that the became an early
Wells dioxide as a party toy: man didn’t feel form of anesthesia.
Anesthesia
it made people howl like any pain.
1844
hyenas.
A man who took too
much of the stuff at a
laughing-gas roadshow
gashed his leg.

Adapted for pedagogical purposes from:

https://www.rd.com/list/10-accidental-discoveries-put-to-good-use/

Example:
Anesthesia was discovered by dentist Horace Wells in 1844. In its beginnings, nitrous
dioxide was strictly used as a party toy as it made people howl like hyenas. However, a
man who took too much of the stuff at a laughing-gas roadshow gashed his leg. The
dentist noticed that the man didn’t feel any pain. Therefore, nitrous oxide became an
early form of anesthesia.

19
Now, it’s your turn! Remember to match the information before you write the
paragraph!

Discovery Inventor/ What happened Big discovery Result

Year

A Dutch After Fahlberg spent the day The magnetron The

shipmaster studying coal tar derivatives, worked even expressionless
Saccharin he left his Johns Hopkins better on face became the
16th century laboratory and went to dinner. popcorn. ‘it’ look, thanks
to Botox.

Constantin The Carruthers were using Concentrated He cut Remsen

Fahlberg and small doses of a deadly toxin wine is better and the
Ira Remsen to treat ‘crossed eyes’, eyelid than watered- university out of
The microwave spasms and other eye-muscle down wine. millions of
1879 disorders when they noticed dollars when he
an interesting side effect. secretly
patented the
breakthrough
discovery,
saccharin.

Percy He used heat to concentrate Something he ate ‘Burnt wine,’ or

Spencer wine in order to make it easier tasted ‘brandewijn’ in
to transport, with the idea of particularly Dutch, became a
Botox 1946 adding water to reconstitute it sweet, which he big hit. Call it
when he arrived at his traced to a brandy. After a
destination. chemical few drinks of
compound on his the stuff,
hand. Best of all, there’s no way
it turned out to you can
be calorie-free. pronounce
brandewijn so a
bartender can
understand what
you’re ordering.

Alastair and With the end of World War Wrinkles were Orville
Jean II, this Raytheon engineer was magically erased. Redenbacher
Carruthers looking for other uses for the became very
magnetron, which generated rich.
1987 the microwaves for radar
systems. When Spencer was
Brandy standing next to the device
one day, a chocolate bar in his
pocket melted.

Adapted for pedagogical purposes from:

https://www.rd.com/list/10-accidental-discoveries-put-to-good-use/

20
1. Saccharin

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. The microwave

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Botox

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. Brandy

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

21
 EXPRESSING YOURSELF

Useful expressions: Describing and organizing information

Presenting a topic
● We are / I am going to talk about …
● We'd / I’d like to tell you about …
● We/I want to talk about …

Defining a concept
● … can be described as …
● … can be defined as …
● … is used to …
● … deals with …

Describing a process
● … was / were invented / discovered / coined / developed / influenced by
… in …
● First, … For example, … Therefore, … However, …
● Also, … / Then, … For instance, … Finally, …
● In conclusion, … / To sum up, ... as / because …

a) In small groups, prepare a mini presentation about ONE of the accidental

discoveries from the previous activity. Have a look at the example:

“We are going to talk about anesthesia. It can be defined as a medical treatment
that prevents patients from feeling pain during surgery.

Anesthesia was discovered by chance back in 1844. When dentist Horace Wells was
participating in a laughing-gas roadshow, he noticed that a man gashed his leg.
However, he didn’t feel any pain. Therefore, Wells concluded that nitrous oxide (or
“laughing gas”) had pain-killing properties and started using it in painless dental
operations. He was allowed to demonstrate the method at the Massachusetts General
Hospital in January 1845, but when the patient groaned, Wells was exposed to
ridicule as onlookers concluded that the patient felt pain. However, he did not give
up on his hypothesis and nitrous oxide became an early form of anesthesia.

To sum up, anesthesia allows people to have procedures that will lead to healthier
and longer lives.”

22
b) Research work!

In small groups, look for information about a discovery

or breakthrough that changed your discipline, either
planned or accidental, and present it orally.

c) Listen to your classmates’ presentations and take notes.

Note-taking grid

Group Discovery/ Inventor/ What Big Result/

n° Breakthrough Year happened discovery Relevance for
the discipline

d) Which discovery or breakthrough did you find the most interesting? Use
your notes to justify your choice.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

23
TIME FOR FICTION I

BEFORE READING

Have a look at the picture. What can you relate it to? Why is it relevant?

WHILE READING

Is there any connection between your answers to the previous question and
the text?

Dr. Son Tech

by M.M. Rold

Have you ever thought about why you are the way you are? I, Dr. James Son Tech

Jr, have. All my life has been marked by this internal uneasiness of not knowing

why I could not control all my acts. As time went by, I reached some definite

conclusions: We, humans, are a mix of genetic inheritance and social environment.

When I was a child, I discovered that I shared my father’s interest in science –he

was awarded a Nobel Prize for inventing a cloned embryos incubator– and my

mother’s religious beliefs –she took me to church every Sunday. However, I never

found out why evil forces compelled me to do atrocious things such as kicking a

little kitten hard into the air right after helping it come down from the top of a

tree just to see the effect of gravity.

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When I was a teenager, things got worse and the forces grew stronger. I was the

best in my class but I was not popular. Therefore, I spent most of my time

working with my father or praying with my mother, asking God for forgiveness for

my bad deeds; some of them are too embarrassing to be told here.

After I graduated from university, I was determined to find the answer to my

long-lasting question in the root of life: human cells, so I specialized in

biogenetics. In one of my projects, I worked on my own cells. First, I isolated the

genes of good and evil and then I divided one of my own cells into two and placed

both parts next to the genes fusing them with a jolt of electricity. As a result, I

got two embryos containing a group of DNA molecules genetically manipulated.

Finally, thanks to my father’s incubator, I gave birth to my twin clones: Billy Earl

and Willy Oswald Ray Son Tech –I named them like that just to play with the

initials, if you know what I mean.

Through my studies, I realized that Billy and Willy grew up ten times faster than

humans so two years after they were born they were already adults. I

discovered, too, a surprising ability to improve themselves day by day. Also, Billy

amazed me with his never-ending good actions and Willy with his incredibly

perverse doings.

One day, when they were three or should I say thirty better? Willy did something

terrible to his brother. However, Billy forgave him and filled him with brotherly

love. Surprisingly, from that day on Willy changed and became tenderer, more

compassionate. What’s more, the good in him came to the surface. My experiment

had failed but…

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AFTER READING

a) Reading on the lines: Answer these factual questions.

1. Which of these ideas best describe the topic of this story?

a. The nature of human beings never changes.
b. Love can turn evil into good.
c. Science and religion are opposites.

2. What is the correct sequence of events?

a. ___ His twin clones were born.

b. ___ Dr. Son Tech Jr. specialized in biogenetics.
c. ___ The twins grew ten times faster than humans.
d. ___ He manipulated his own DNA.
e. ___ His experiment didn’t work out as expected.

b) Reading between the lines: Complete the following ideas.

1. The name of the narrator (Dr. James Son Tech Jr.)

suggests…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. His experiment had failed. However,

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

c) Reading beyond the lines: Complete the following ideas.

1. The story can be related to the title of Module I “Serendipity in action!”

because…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. Dr. Son Tech’s experiment may have a …………………………………………… impact on

humanity as …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 3

a) Part 1 of the story: Choose the right option. You will integrate tenses,
voice and connectors.

Dr. James Son Tech, who is the narrator of his autobiography,

1 2
starts/started by explaining that, after/before years of discomfort, he
3
concludes/concluded that human beings are the product of nature and nurture.

As a child, he 4notices/noticed that he loved science as much as his father,

winner of a Nobel Prize for cloning. 5Therefore/However, he 6was/had the same

religious beliefs as his mother, with whom he went to mass every Sunday
7
but/however,he 8realized/did not realize what made him do horrible things to
9
innocent beings to see how physics principles worked/did not work. He
10 11
shared/did not share some of the evil things that he does/did because they
12
was/were too embarrassing.

b) Part 2 of the story: Fill in the dotted lines (...) with the verbs between
parentheses in the correct tense and voice and the solid lines (___) with
connectors from the list below. There is an extra connector.

therefore

if

however

after

as

When he 1………………………(be) an adolescent, things got worse. He was the

best student in his class. 2______________ he 3………………………(not have) friends,

in his free time he worked with his father or 4………………………(pray) with his mother.

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 5
_____________ he got his college degree, he decided to focus on human

cells. “6_______________ I study human cells, the nature versus nurture debate
7
………………………(probably/close) and I 8………………………(solve) many social problems,”

Dr. Son Tech said to himself. 9_____________, he specialized in biogenetics.

10
When he graduated, he ………………………(conduct) research on his own cells. The

experiment that he 11………………………(do) was quite complex.

c) Part 3 of the story: Ask questions for the given answers.

1. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

Yes, he isolated the genes of good and evil.

2. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

He obtained two identical cells from one of his own cells.

3. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

After he fused the genes to the cells, two embryos were developed.

4. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

Yes, they were. They were genetically manipulated embryos.

5. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

The twins were named Billy Earl and Willy Oswald Ray Son Tech because Dr.

Son Tech wanted to play with the initials.

6. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

Willy did something terrible to Billy.

7. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

The story ends very well. Willy did something horribly evil to Billy but Billy

forgave him and Dr. Son Tech made a great discovery.

8. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

Yes, it does. Its ending is really unexpected.

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 QUESTION BLOCK

Let’s complete the charts with the questions about the story from the
previous exercise. Have a look at the example!

PRESENT INTERROGATIVE AUXILIARY SUBJECT MAIN VERB …?

SIMPLE WORD Infinitive

Wh-
questions How does the story end ?

Yes/No ______
questions

PAST INTERROGATIVE AUXILIARY SUBJECT MAIN VERB …?

SIMPLE WORD Infinitive

Wh-
questions

Yes/No ______
questions

PASSIVE INTERROGATIVE AUXILIARY SUBJECT MAIN VERB …?

VOICE WORD BE Past
Participle

Wh-
questions

Yes/No ________
questions

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Subject questions

INTERROGATIVE MAIN VERB …?

WORD Conjugated
(Subject)

a) On-the-lines questions

a.1) Guess Who? In this game, you ask factual questions to isolate a hidden
character. The first player who successfully guesses their opponent's
hidden character, wins the game.

Player 1 chooses a card. In turns, the rest of the players have to guess who is on

the card with a series of yes/no questions about them. Players use their board to

cross off people who do not fit the answers given. For example, they could ask:

"Did the character leave a dirty Petri dish in the lab?"

If player 1 answers “No,” then player 2 will cross off Alexander Fleming. This then

continues until one of the players gets the correct character.

Challenge: you cannot ask the name of the character or what his/her discovery

was.

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 Dr Son Tech Jr. Alexander Fleming

Billy Earl Son Tech Willy Oswald Ray Son Tech

Dr. Son Tech’s father Horace Wells

Dr Son Tech’s mother Thomas Adams

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a.2) Make factual questions on these extracts using interrogative words.
Underline the answers in each text.

1. Halfway through an important experiment, Fleming got up and went on

vacation. As he was a little lazy, he left a dirty Petri dish in the lab sink.

When he returned, he found the dish was covered with bacteria except in

the area where there was mold.

a. What ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

b. Why …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

c. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

2. Billy forgave his brother and filled him with brotherly love. Surprisingly,

from that day on Willy changed and became tenderer, more compassionate.

What’s more, the good in him came to the surface.

a. Who…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

b. Why…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

c. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

3. Something Constantin Fahlberg ate tasted particularly sweet, which he

traced to a chemical compound on his hand. He cut Remsen and the

university out of millions of dollars when he secretly patented the

breakthrough discovery, saccharin.

a. Who…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

b. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

c. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

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b) Between-the-lines questions

Order out the following questions and answer them.

1. did / how / behave / Dr. Son Tech Jr. / towards his classmates / ?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. his mother/ by / was / influenced / in what ways / Dr. Son Tech’s judgment/ ?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Dr. Son Tech Jr. / mean / what / by “a surprising ability to improve themselves

day by day” / does / ?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

EXPRESSING YOURSELF

Useful expressions: Giving your opinion

● I think …

● I suppose ... (tentative)

● I suspect that …

● I’m pretty sure that ... (only with friends)

● I’m fairly certain that …

● It’s my opinion that …

● I’m convinced that … (strong opinion)

● I wonder if … (an open opinion)

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Choose ONE topic and write down your opinion in a five-sentence paragraph.
Use expressions of opinion and connectors introduced in this module. Be ready
to share it with the rest of the class.

1. Cloning will make humankind reach eternal life.

2. Some day there will be another you.

3. Dr. Son Tech Jr. was a perverse person.

4. Dr. Son Tech’s father’s cloned embryos incubator was a great

breakthrough.

5. Not all human inventions have a positive impact in our lives.

6. What is the best invention ever?

7. Dr Son Tech Jr. was a clone of his father.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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