UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE LA MATANZA

PRIMER CUATRIMESTRE 2024

PARTE 1: MÓDULOS 1 Y 2

Proyecto original:
Dr. Efraín Davis

Coordinación:
Mgter. Ana Claudia Saraceni

Equipo:
Lic. Ana María Carrizo
Mgter. Gabriela D’Anunzio
Mgter. Bárbara Konicki
Lic. Mariana Sanjurjo
 Content Organization

MODULE 1: SERENDIPITY IN ACTION!

Section 1
Serendipitous discoveries that changed the world
- Reading
- Vocabulary building
- Grammar stop: Connectors Part 1 (as, therefore, however)
- Check your progress 1

Section 2
- Grammar stop: Passive Voice
- Check your progress 2
- Express yourself: Describing and organizing information

Section 3
Bio Pill: Horace Wells
- Reading
- Question block: Active Voice vs. Passive Voice
- Check your progress 3
- Express yourself: Giving your opinion

Time for Fiction I

Short Story “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury - Part I
- Reading
- Vocabulary building
- Express yourself

Academic Literacy I
- Abstracts: Revision of moves

1
MODULE 2: THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE RIGHT JOB

Section 1
The personality traits needed to be hired
- Reading
- Vocabulary building
- Lexis and Grammar stop: Describing qualities, abilities, obligations, expectations
and likes and dislikes
- Check your progress 1
- Express yourself

Section 2
- Grammar stop: Connectors Part 2 (also, what’s more, moreover, besides,
although)
- Check your progress 2

Section 3
Bio Pill: Ray Bradbury
- Reading
- Grammar stop: Past Simple revisited, Past Perfect
- Check your progress 3
- Grammar stop: Connectors Part 3 (after, before)
- Check your progress 4
- Question block: Past perfect
- Check your progress 5

Time for Fiction II

Short Story “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury - Part II
- Reading
- Vocabulary building
- On-the-lines vs Between-the-lines questions
- Express yourself: Illustrating your point

Academic Literacy II
- Abstracts: Background and Purpose

Integrated Practice 1
- Practice for First Mid-term Test

Appendix 1 Table of Connectors

2

SERENDIPITY IN ACTION!
Topics
Serendipitous discoveries
Fiction
Time for Fiction I:
“A Sound of Thunder” by Ray
Bradbury - Part I
Academic literacy
Abstracts: Revision of moves
MODULE 1
Functions Structures
● Presenting a topic ● Connectors: as,
● Defining a concept however, therefore
● Describing and ● Passive Voice
organizing ● Question structures:
information Active Voice vs.
● Expressing reason, Passive Voice
result, contrast
● Asking questions
● Giving opinion
3
SECTION 1

BEFORE READING

a) 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

b) Have a look at the pictures and complete the table with the name of the
discovery and its discoverer. One has been done for you!

a) b) c)

Discovery Penicillin

Discoverer

c) 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.

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!

4
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.

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=AOv
Vaw1psiDHm1YfeZLXxpVtgU8K

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%20C
ompany&text=Experimenting%20with%20chicle%20(a%20gum,American%20Chicle%20Company%20in%201899.

5
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. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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

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

6
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?

● 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.
● ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

7
 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.

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 1

a) Choose the correct connectors.

The naturally occurring penicillins, penicillin G and penicillin V, are still used clinically.
1
And/As it has poor stability in acid, much of penicillin G is broken down as it passes
2
through the stomach; therefore/as, it must be given by intramuscular injection,
which limits its usefulness. 3However,/Therefore, penicillin V is typically given orally
4
but/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 the
United States; 6………………………, it became the most popular 7…………………… 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 with a wide variety of flavours;
9
………………………, mint remained the favourite one.

8
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. 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.

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

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

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

9
SECTION 2

GRAMMAR STOP

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

When Fleming returned from his vacation, 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.

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)

● 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

10
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)

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.

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.

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”?

11
 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 2

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
down as it passes through the stomach, so it 2must 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).

9
Penicillins use/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
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

12
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

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

and year

In the beginning, people The dentist Nitrous oxide

strictly used nitrous oxide noticed that became an
as a party toy: it made the man didn’t early form of
Anesthesia people howl like hyenas. A feel any pain. anesthesia.
Dentist Horace man who took too much of
Wells, 1844 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
oxide 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.

13
Now, it’s your turn! Remember to match the information before you write the
paragraph!

Discovery, inventor What happened Big discovery Result

and year

After Fahlberg spent the The magnetron The expressionless

day studying coal tar worked even better face became the ‘it’
derivatives, he left his on popcorn. look.
Saccharin
Johns Hopkins laboratory
Constantin Fahlberg and
and went to dinner.
Ira Remsen, 1879

The Carruthers were using Concentrated wine He patented the

small doses of a deadly was better than breakthrough,
toxin to treat eye-muscle watered-down wine. saccharin. He did so
The microwave disorders when they noticed secretly. He cut
Percy Spencer, 1946 an interesting side effect. Remsen and the
university out of
millions of dollars.

He used heat to Something he ate “Burnt wine” or

concentrate wine in order to
make it easier to transport,
with the idea of adding
Botox
water to reconstitute it
Alastair and Jean
when he arrived at his
Carruthers, 1987
destination.
tasted particularly
sweet, which he
traced to a
chemical compound
on his hand. Best of
all, it turned out to
be calorie-free.
“brandewijn” in Dutch
became a big hit. It
is almost impossible
to pronounce. We
just call it “brandy”.

With the end of World War Botox magically Orville Redenbacher

II, this engineer was erased wrinkles. became very rich
working on the magnetron, a thanks to
device that generated the microwavable
microwaves for radar popcorn.
systems. When he was
standing next to the device,
Brandy
a chocolate bar in his
A Dutch shipmaster,
pocket melted.
16th century

Adapted for pedagogical purposes from:

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

14
1. Saccharin

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

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

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

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

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

2. The microwave

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

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

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

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

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

3. Botox

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

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

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

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

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

4. Brandy

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

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

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

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

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

15
 EXPRESS 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.”

16
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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

17
SECTION 3

BIO PILL

BEFORE READING
Read the title of the text and have a look at the picture below, who are we
going to read about?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

WHILE READING
a) The following words and phrases have been extracted from the Bio Pill. What
can we infer about the character’s life ?

ARRESTED - DISCOURAGED - HIS FAILURE - HIS OWN LIFE - ADDICTED

HARDLY ANY CREDIT - UNFORTUNATELY - NEVER FOUND OUT

b) As you read the text, complete the blanks with the words above.

THE MAN BEHIND ANESTHESIA

Nitrous oxide doesn’t work as well on people who are
obese or drink lots of alcohol, and Dr. Wells’
demonstration patient at the Massachusetts General
Hospital in 1845 was both. 1______________ , this
discovery was not made until later and Horace Wells gave
up his dental practice after 2_______________.

Wells continued working with anesthesia with Dr. William

Morton to create ether anesthesia but he received
3 4
_________________ for his work. Becoming increasingly ____________ ,
Horace began experimenting with chloroform in the late 1840s and he eventually
became 5_____________ to it.

He left his family and moved to New York City. On January 21, 1848, his 33rd
birthday, Wells was 6____________ for throwing acid at two women while under the

18
influence of chloroform and was taken to the Manhattan House of Detention. He used
chloroform and a razor to take 7 in his cell.

The Parisian Medical Society named him the first to perform operations without pain
8
twelve days before his death. However, Horace Wells . What’s
more, he was recognized for discovering the principle of anesthesia by the American
Dental Society in 1864 and the American Medical Association in 1870. His impact as a
pioneer on modern dentistry is sometimes overlooked because of his tragic end.

Adapted for pedagogical purposes from:

https://cedarhillfoundation.org/the-tragic-story-of-horace-wells/
https://www.chipchick.com/2023/03/the-sad-story-of-dr-horace-wells-the-man-behind-anesthesia.html

AFTER READING
a) Order out these events from the Bio Pill.
Wells continued working with anesthesia with Dr. William Morton to create
ether anesthesia.
As Dr. Wells’ patient at the Massachusetts General Hospital in 1845 was both
obese and alcoholic, his demonstration failed.
Dr. Wells committed suicide.
The American Dental Society recognized Wells for discovering the principle
of anesthesia.
Horace Wells became addicted to chloroform.
Wells was named the first to perform operations without pain by the Parisian
Medical Society.

b) What is Dr. Wells’ legacy?

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

QUESTION BLOCK

a) First, order out the following questions about the section “Bio pill: The
man behind anesthesia”.Then, answer them.

Example:

very limited knowledge / most patients / why / have / about anesthesia / do / ?

19
Question: Why do most patients have very limited knowledge about anesthesia?
Answer: Because anesthesiology is still misconceived as a behind the screen
specialty.

1. continue / did / after his failed demonstration / his dental practice / Horace
Wells / ?

Q: ___________________________________________________________

A: ___________________________________________________________

2. why / sometimes overlooked / Well’s impact on modern dentistry / is / ?

Q: ___________________________________________________________

A: ___________________________________________________________

3. addicted to / Wells / become / what / did / ?

Q: ___________________________________________________________

A: ___________________________________________________________

4. who / in dentistry / the use of anesthesia / pioneered / ?

Q: ___________________________________________________________

A: ___________________________________________________________

b) Now, ask questions for the given answers.

5. __________________________________________________________?

No, nitrous oxide doesn’t work well on people who are obese or drink lots of
alcohol.

6. __________________________________________________________ ?

Horace Wells began experimenting with chloroform in the late 1840s.

7. __________________________________________________________?

Dr. Wells’ demonstration patient at the Massachusetts General Hospital was

affected by obesity and alcoholism.

20
 8. __________________________________________________________ ?

Yes, Horace Wells was recognized for discovering the principle of anesthesia by
the American Dental Society in 1864.

c) Finally, complete these charts about question making with some examples
from the two previous tasks. Have a look at the example:

SIMPLE PRESENT AND SIMPLE PAST

ACTIVE VOICE
INTERROGATIVE AUXILIARY SUBJECT MAIN VERB …?
WORD (DO-DOES-DID) Infinitive

Wh- most limited knowledge

questions
Why do have
patients about anesthesia?

Yes/No
questions ______

SIMPLE PRESENT AND SIMPLE PAST

PASSIVE VOICE
INTERROGATIVE AUXILIARY SUBJECT MAIN VERB …?
WORD (AM/IS/ARE Past Participle
WAS/WERE)

Wh-
questions

Yes/No ________
questions

SUBJECT QUESTIONS
ACTIVE VOICE

INTERROGATIVE MAIN VERB …?

WORD Conjugated
(Subject)

21
 SUBJECT QUESTIONS
PASSIVE VOICE

INTERROGATIVE AUXILIARY MAIN VERB …?

WORD (Conjugated form of “be”) Past Participle
(Subject)

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 3

a) Make factual questions on these extracts using interrogative words. In the

first two extracts, make questions on the underlined parts. In the remaining
extracts, make the questions and underline the corresponding answers.

a)
1. In his career as a dentist, Dr. Horace Wells proposed that his patients have
regular check ups. Also, he was recognized as one of the first proponents of
paediatric dentistry b)because he believed that good oral hygiene needed to begin
early in a person’s life.

a. What………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?
b. Why………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

2. On January 21, 1848, his 33rd birthday, Wells was arrested c)for throwing acid at
d)
two women while under the influence of chloroform and was taken to the
e)
Manhattan House of Detention. He was deeply worried about the consequences of
his arrest on his wife and son. Before taking his own life in his cell, he wrote f)a
letter begging forgiveness from God and his family.

c. Why………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?
d. Where…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?
e. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?
f. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

3. 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.

22
 g. What ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?
h. Why ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?
i. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

4. 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.

j. Who………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?
k. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?
l. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?

b) Choose the right option. You will integrate tenses and connectors.

Nitrous oxide doesn’t work as well on people who are obese or drink lots of alcohol,
and Dr. Wells’ demonstration patient at the Massachusetts General Hospital in 1845
was both. 1However,/Therefore, this discovery was not made until later and Horace
Wells gave up his dental practice after he 2ridiculed/was ridiculed for his failure.

Wells continued working with anesthesia with Dr. William Morton to create ether
3
anesthesia. However,/Therefore, he received hardly any credit for his work.
4
As/But Horace became increasingly discouraged, he began experimenting with
chloroform in the late 1840s and he eventually became addicted to it.

He left his family and moved to New York City. On January 21, 1848, his 33rd
birthday, Wells was arrested for throwing acid at two women while under the
influence of chloroform and was taken to the Manhattan House of Detention, which
5
knew/was known as “the Tombs.” He used chloroform and a razor to take his own
life in his cell where he 6found/was found the next morning.

Horace Wells 7named/was named the first to perform operations without pain
twelve days before his death by the Parisian Medical Society 8but/however he never
found out. What’s more, he was recognized for discovering the principle of
anesthesia by the American Dental Society in 1864 and the American Medical
Association in 1870. 9Therefore/As his life ended tragically, his impact as a pioneer
on modern dentistry 10sometimes overlooks/is sometimes overlooked.

To this day most patients have limited knowledge about anesthesia

11 12
because/therefore anesthesiology still misconceives/is still misconceived as a
behind the screen specialty.

23
 EXPRESS 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)

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 your work with your classmates!

1. What is the best invention ever?

2. Great geniuses are always ahead of their times.
3. Wells was not the only discoverer to be despised by his contemporaries.
4. Some inventions were mocked initially, but remain useful today.
5. Do all inventions bring benefits to our world?
6. What is the role of serendipity in scientific discoveries?
7. Science is all about serendipity, discovering things by accident.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

24
TIME FOR FICTION I:
“A SOUND OF THUNDER” BY RAY BRADBURY - PART I

BEFORE READING
Read the title of the story and have a look at the picture. How do you feel
when you hear the sound of thunder? What can you predict about the
atmosphere of the story?

WHILE READING
Read Part I of “A Sound of Thunder” and find out if your feelings and
predictions are represented in the text.

A SOUND OF THUNDER
BY RAY BRADBURY

PART I

The sign on the wall seemed to be moving under a thin film of warm water.
Eckels closed his eyes for a moment and the sign burned in his memory:
TIME SAFARI, INC.
SAFARIS TO ANY YEAR IN THE PAST.
YOU NAME THE ANIMAL.
WE TAKE YOU THERE.
YOU SHOOT IT.
Warm liquid gathered in Eckels' throat. He swallowed and pushed it down. The
muscles around his mouth formed a smile when he put his hand slowly out upon the
air. In that hand he waved a check for ten thousand dollars to the man behind the
desk.
Eckels wasn’t promised to come back alive. In fact, he was guaranteed nothing
but dinosaurs. Immediately, he was introduced to Mr. Travis, his safari leader in
the past.

25
 “If he tells you not to shoot, you won’t. If you don’t do as he says, you will have
to pay another ten thousand dollars and face possible government action.”

Eckels looked quickly across the large office. There were hundreds of wires
flashing together, looking like a single mass and making a low continuous sound.
There were metal boxes that produced changing bands of light... now orange, now
silver, now blue. There was a sound like a huge fire burning all of Time, all the years
and all the calendars, all the hours piled high and set on fire. Therefore, he was
breathless and couldn’t believe his eyes.
"A real Time Machine." He shook his head. “Thank God Deutscher doesn’t have
one to go back in time and change the results. Thank God Keith will make a fine
President of the United States."
"Yes," said the man behind the desk. "We're lucky. Deutscher makes a man who
is for war but against everything else; against religion, against helping people, and
against people knowing too much. However, Keith is the president now, so there’s
nothing to worry about except…”
"Shooting my dinosaur!" Eckels finished it for him.
"A Tyrannosaurus Rex. The King of Dinosaurs, the most amazing Monster in
history. Sign this form saying that if anything happens to you, we will not be
responsible. Those dinosaurs are hungry."
Eckels’ face turned red. "Are you trying to scare me?" he said angrily.
"To be honest, yes. We don't want anyone going who'll get scared and do
something silly at the first sign of danger because six safari guides and twelve
hunters were killed last year. We're here to give you the most exciting experience
a real hunter ever asked for: taking you back sixty million years to shoot the
biggest game in all of Time. Your personal check's still there. Tear it up."
Mr. Eckels looked at the check. There was a small movement of his fingers.
"Good luck," the man behind the desk said. "Mr Travis, he's all yours."

26
 VOCABULARY BUILDING

Read the extract again and match these words and expressions to their
corresponding definitions:

ALIVE - BREATHLESS - CHECK - COULDN’T BELIEVE HIS EYES

TEAR UP - FACE - FINE - HUNTER - SCARE - SHOOT - GAME - SILLY

1. ……………………(n.): a written order directing a bank to pay money.

2. ……………………(adj.): not dead or lifeless.
3. ……………………(v.): kill or wound a person or animal with a bullet or arrow.
4. ……………………(v.): confront or meet directly.
5. ……………………(adj.): not able to inhale and exhale air into and out of the lungs.
6. ……………………(idiom): was very surprised.
7. ……………………(adj.): excellent or much better than average.
8. ……………………(v.): make a person or animal feel frightened, worried or
intimidated.
9. ……………………(adj.): stupid.
10. ……………………(n.): a person or animal that searches and tries to catch or kill
another animal for food or sport.
11. ……………………(v.): destroy paper into a lot of small pieces.
12. ……………………(n.): wild animals and birds that are hunted for food or sport.

AFTER READING
a) Re-read the text and order out these ideas on the protagonist as they take
place in the story.

He looked enthusiastic about his journey.

He met his guide.
He paid for the service.
He talked about the Machine and the presidential election.

b) Answer the following questions.

1. What service did the company offer?

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

27
 2. What was Eckels promised?

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

3. What could happen to Eckels if he broke the rules?

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

4. How did he feel when he saw the Time Machine?

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

5. How did Eckels feel about Keith winning the election?

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

6. Why didn’t the company want anyone to get scared and do something silly ?

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

EXPRESS YOURSELF

Choose one of the following topics, write down your opinion on it and be ready
to share your viewpoint with the rest of the class.

1. Travelling back to the time of dinosaurs could be useful for present

science.

2. The Time Machine could be a profitable invention.

3. Time travelling may be the best/worst invention ever.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

28
ACADEMIC LITERACY I

Abstracts: Revision of moves

According to Busch-Lauer (2014), abstracts have turned into one of the most

prominent scientific genres used in academia. They are written to accompany a

scientific research article or paper proposal for an upcoming conference. Besides,

abstracts are required for graduation works such as B.A., M.A. and PhD theses,

grant proposals, short communications and for specific disciplinary purposes. Their

main function is to give the reader orientation on whether to read the complete

text or to evaluate whether a piece of research is worth presenting or publishing.

Moreover, abstracts are used to easily store and retrieve information in online

library catalogues and abstracting journals.

Because an abstract is often reproduced separately from the full paper, it has to

be self-explanatory. Therefore, a research abstract is usually organized in a

pattern of five moves identified by Swales (1993). These moves constitute the

transitions between the different stages of the abstract and each one has a

communicative function. However, it is important to remember that a move’s

length can vary from a phrase to sentences and some moves may be omitted

depending on the abstract’s audience and purpose.

Source:

Gábor L. Lövei. Writing and Publishing Scientific Papers: A primer for the non-English speaker

https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0235.08.pdf

29
a) Complete the table below with the names of the abstract moves taking
into account the functions described and the prompt questions.

method / aim / results / background / conclusions

Moves Functions Prompt questions

Setting the scene, What has been known about

topic generalization. the field/topic of research?
Introducing the topic. What is currently known?
What is the gap in
knowledge?

_________________

Setting the purpose What is the study about?

of the study, What is this study’s aim?
research questions or How does it fill the gap in
hypotheses. knowledge?

_________________

Describing the How was research done?

materials, subjects, How was the study
variables, procedures. conducted? Was the data
quantitative, qualitative, or
both?

_________________

Reporting the main What did the research find?

findings of the What were the outcomes?
research. What was discovered?

_________________

Interpreting the What do the results mean?

results, giving How are the results
recommendations, interpreted? How has this
implications, study contributed to the
applications. field? What do the
Giving suggestions for researchers recommend?
_________________ future research.

Adapted from:
(PDF) Chapter: Abstracts: Cross-linguistic, Disciplinary and Intercultural Perspectices.
Writing Abstracts

30
b) In this abstract, label the different moves.

Probability of discoveries between research fields to explain scientific and

technological change
Mario Coccia

CNR, National Research Council of Italy, Collegio Carlo Alberto, Via Real Collegio,
30-10024, Moncalieri, Torino, Italy

Abstract

One of the fundamental problems in science is the understanding of discovery and

innovation process to explain scientific and technological change in society
[1____________________] [2____________________]
. The study confronts this problem here by
analyzing the different probability of unique (singleton) and multiple discoveries
between research fields to clarify the inventive behavior in science and
technology. The method here supposes that the occurrence of discoveries
between research fields follows the Poisson distribution. This probabilistic model
is applied to determine the probability of singletons and multiple discoveries, and
inventions in medicine and physics that are critical research fields to science and
[3 ____________________]
society . We find that, over a period of ten years, the
probability that at least one discovery occurs in physics and medicine is a rather
similar event (11.1%), whereas the probability that at least two discoveries occur
in these research fields is less than 1%, i.e., a very rare event. Results also
suggest that the probability of patented inventions in medicine is higher than
physics. The different probability of patented inventions in medicine can be mainly
due to more opportunistic scholars, scientific institutions and stakeholders,
associated with university-industry collaborations to develop inventions and
commercialize innovations to solve health problems in society. These findings show
the property of heterogeneity in inventive process between research fields and
specificity of scientific and technological paths based on nature and scientific
[4____________________]
ecosystem of each discipline . These characteristics contribute
theoretically to extend the theories of scientific change and practically to
improve the decision making of policymakers for better allocating resources and
supporting scientific planning having a positive societal impact of science
[5____________________]
.

Source:
Coccia, Mario, 2022. "Probability of discoveries between research fields to explain scientific and technological change," Technology in
Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2022.101874.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160791X2200015X

31
c) In the following abstract, which moves can you identify?

Organoids: a systematic review of ethical issues

Published: 23 July 2022

Dide de Jongh, Emma K. Massey, the VANGUARD consortium & Eline M. Bunnik
Stem Cell Research & Therapy, volume 13, Article number: 337 (2022)

Abstract

Organoids are 3D structures grown from pluripotent stem cells derived from
human tissue and serve as in vitro miniature models of human organs. Organoids
are expected to revolutionize biomedical research and clinical care. However,
organoids are not seen as morally neutral. For instance, tissue donors may perceive
enduring personal connections with their organoids, setting higher bars for
informed consent and patient participation. Also, several organoid sub-types, e.g.,
brain organoids and human–animal chimeric organoids, have raised controversy.
This systematic review provides an overview of ethical discussions as conducted in
the scientific literature on organoids. The review covers both research and clinical
applications of organoid technology and discusses the topics informed consent,
commercialization, personalized medicine, transplantation, brain organoids,
chimeras, and gastruloids. It shows that further ethical research is needed
especially on organoid transplantation, to help ensure the responsible development
and clinical implementation of this technology in this field.

Keywords: organoids, ethics, research oversight, informed consent, personalized

medicine, transplantation, brain organoids, chimeras, gastruloids, stem cell
research
Source:
https://stemcellres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13287-022-02950-9

d) Comprehension check.

1. What is the topic of the abstract?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. What field of knowledge or discipline does the topic relate to?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

32