which ref lects its true scientific virtue.

2) A hypothesis is a possible solution to a problem, based on knowledge and research, while a theory is a hypothesis confirmed by the research findings. Every theory cannot be applied to every situation; otherwise, it is not a good theory.

3) It is always possible to verify nearly every theory, but that would rescue the theory from refutation at the price of destroying, or at least lowering its scientific status.

4) To falsify a theory is more valuable, because a theory which is not refutable by any conceivable event is non-scientific.

9. 1) Because of this personal experience and an interest in the problem, you decide to learn more about what makes plants grow. (Para. B)

2) The experiment that you will design is done to test the hypothesis. (Para. D)

3) Through informal, exploratory observations of plants in a garden, those with more sunlight appear to grow bigger. (Para. H)

4) The judges at your science fair will not take points off simply because your results don’t match up with your hypothesis. (Para. K)

5) You cannot prove the hypothesis with a single experiment, because there is a chance that you made a miscue somewhere along the way. (Para. Q)

10. Observation, the initial stage of the research, requires a thorough understanding of a research project you have chosen by collecting adequate information from various sources, and is followed by the next stage known as hypothesis, an uncomplicated statement that defines what you think the outcome of your experiment will be.

Exploring the Topic

4. 1) Science does not include explanations based on no empirical evidence.

2) The human nature of science, however, renders it unlikely to be free of personal prejudices,

misapprehensions, and bias.

3) The scope of science encompasses the whole universe and natural world.

4) Science is a process of deciding whether the acquired evidence may prove what is most likely to be correct currently.

5) It is not possible to prove a hypothesis with a single experiment, as chances are that a mistake was made somewhere in the process.

Integrated Exercises

2. (1) additional (2) illustrate (3) interpret (4) conduct (5) previous (6) involve (7) design (8) verify (9) reflect (10) collect (11) research (12) support 3. The members of a word family acquire acquired acquisition project projected projecting projection method methodical methodology methodological identify identifiable identification identity unidentifiable

Chinese equivalent v.获得 adj.获得的 n.获得物 n.计划 adj.规划的 adj.突出的 n.规划 n.方法 adj.有方法的 n.方法论 adj.方法论的 v.识别 adj.可辨认的 n.鉴定、身份 adj.无法识别的 6 / 26

empirical empirically empiricism confirm confirmation confirmed approach approachable approaching unapproachable theory theoretical theoretically theorist emphasis emphasize emphatic emphatically achieve achievable achieved achievement commit commitment constitute constituency constituent constitution constitutional constitutive assume assumed assuming assumption expose exposed exposure logical illogical illogically logician adj.凭经验的 adv.凭经验地 n.经验论 v.确认 n.证实 adj.确认的 v.接近 adj.可接近的 adj.逼近的 adj.不易亲近的 n.理论 adj.理论上的 adv.理论上地 n.理论家 n.强调 v.强调 adj.强调的 adv.强调地 v.取得 adj.可以实现的 adj.高度完美的 n.成就 v.把??托付给 n.承诺 v.组成 n.选区 n.组成部分 n.宪法 adj.宪法的 adj.构成的 v.假定 adj.假装的 conj.如果 n.假定 v.揭露 adj.裸露的 n.暴露 adj.逻辑上的 adj.不合逻辑的 adv.不合逻辑地 n.逻辑学家 (1) methodical (2) commitment (3) achievable (4) assume (5) illogical (6) exposure (7) constitutive (8) emphatic (9) confirmation (10) identity

4. (1) A (2) B (3) A (4) D (5) A (6) B (7) C (8) A (9) D (10) B 5. (1) This observation motivated Newton to develop a theory of gravity.

(2) Other scholars attempt to approach the subject from an economical perspective.

(3) Participating in the activity will provide one with an initial taste of the objectives of sociology.

(4) Scientists insisted there was a rational explanation for the strange phenomenon.

(5) To most young people, higher education is nothing but a process of acquiring knowledge. (6) The study demonstrates the necessity of taking a much broader view in the matter. (7) The new car’s design successfully integrates art and technology.

(8) China actually encountered the identical stages of its development in the early 1990s to the West.

(9) The virus can spread to a document or application between computers and render the computer useless.

(10) If the sustainable development of small economies is facilitated, their effectiveness will be ultimately integrated into the global economy.

7. 1) We could not attend a conference without hearing some talks about change and challenge. 2) Things seem highly optimistic in the light of numerous reports, especially from country districts.

3) I am in favor of the argument that urbanization should be controlled properly. 4) Something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did.

5) My computer does not work because it was rendered paralyzed by some viruses. 6) Experts are working on the plan in question. And they’ll come to an answer.

7) A national curriculum framework is logically incompatible with pupil-centered learning. 8) For many women success is often achieved at the price of their married life. 9) Many attempts had been made before I successfully entered a key university. 10) There is a good chance that it will turn fine tomorrow.

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8. A. (1) B (2) A (3) C (4) A (5) B

B. Understanding scientific method is critical to your scientific endeavor. The scientific

method is a series of steps that serve as guidelines for scientific efforts, and a tool that helps scientists solve problems and determine answers to questions in a logical format. There are two forms of scientific method: the experimental method and the descriptive method. The former employs numerical data and graphs, used in physical sciences, while the latter gathers Information through visual observation and interviewing, employed in zoology and anthropology. The scientific method involves five steps, namely, identifying a problem, researching the problem, formulating a hypothesis, conducting an experiment and reaching a conclusion.

C. (1) The process of science, in contrast to the linear steps of the simplified scientific method, is iterative.

(2) Science circles back on itself so that useful ideas are built upon and used to learn even more about the natural world.

(3) Gregor Mendel showed that inheritance is particulate that information is passed along in discrete packets that cannot be diluted.

(4) Any point in the process leads to many possible next steps, and where that next step leads could be a surprise.

(5) Science may involve many different people engaged in all sorts of different activities in different orders and at different points in time. D. (1) natural world (2) investigations (3) basic question

(4) information (5) Experiments (6) detailed understanding (7) built upon (8) deepen and extend (9) in the process (10) testing (11) observation (12) new direction

(13) in different orders (14) represent (15) less important

Unit 3 Ancient China’s Contribution to Science

Keys to the Exercises

Approaching the Topic

1. 1) Needham is the world’s famous Sinologist and author of Science and Civilization in China.

2) The European people just take these inventions for granted. All originated in China but have long since been adopted by the West.

3) They helped to inspire the European agricultural and industrial revolutions.

4) It has won five literary awards in America and been translated into 43 languages. 5) His book, The Spirit of Chinese Invention, was approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education for use in connection with the national secondary curriculum in China. 2. 1) f 2) k 3) c 4) a 5) o 6) n 7) g 8) e 9) d 10) m 11) i 12) h 13) j 14) l 15) b

4. (1) credit (2) considerable (3) befriended (4) breakthroughs (5) thoroughly (6) flown (7) academic (8) embark (9) suggested (10) staff

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6. 1) The overlooked great breakthroughs in ancient China.

2) Dr. Needham argued that a proper book on the history of Chinese science and technology would have a wide bearing on the general history of thought and ideas.

3) He helped to bring due credit to China’s overlooked contribution to scientific innovation. 4) Yes, he does. Because he believed that a proper popular book would have a wide bearing on the general history of thoughts and ideas, which could not be possible if the book was too academic.

Reading about the Topic

3. 1) Both Westerners and Chinese people are ignorant of the fact that the West imported a lot of inventions from ancient China.

2) Because more than half of the basic inventions and discoveries upon which the“modern world”rests come from China.

3) Because they take many great achievements for granted, and even the Chinese themselves lost sight of the truth, so their western inheritors wouldn’t trouble themselves to know the truth.

4) Because it is always more satisfying to the ego to think that they have reached their

present position alone and unaided, and that they are the proud masters of all abilities and all crafts.

4. Set 1: 1) d 2) e 3) a 4) b 5) c 6) g 7) f 8) h Set 2: 1) d 2) g 3) e 4) h 5) b 6) a 7) c 8) f

5. Para. A (e) Para. B (b) Para. C (f) Para. D (a) Para. E (a)

Para. F (a) Para. G (c) Para. H (g) Para. I (h) Para. J (d)

6. 1) The three inventions transform-ed completely the modern world and mark-ed it off from the ancient and the Middle Ages.

2) The European agricultural revolution, which laid the basis for the Industrial Revolution, came about only because of the importation of Chinese ideas and inventions.

3) The truth that half of the basic inventions and discoveries originated from China needs to be imparted to schoolchildren. The purpose is to let them know the truth and then to bridge the chasm between the East and the West.

4) The bureaucratic organization of China in its earlier stages strongly helped science to

grow; only in its later ones did it inhibit further growth, and in particular prevented a breakthrough which has occurred in Europe.

5) The author points out the reasons why China was developed in the past but backward at present and why the West was underdeveloped in the past but advanced at present. 7. Set 1: 1) c 2) g 3) h 4) b 5) f 6) d 7) a 8) e Set 2: 1) c 2) d 3) g 4) e 5) a 6) b 7) f 8) h

8. 1) The two readings both list a series of great inventions and discoveries that originated in

ancient China. Reading 1 tends to be factual, while Reading 2 is more critical of the fact that the Chinese are ignorant of their ancient achievements and the Westerners simply take them for granted.

2) The argument in Reading 2 is more reasonable and acceptable since the author uses a lot of

examples and examines the question from both the Chinese and Western perspectives to

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illustrate his point.

3) Reading 2 holds more obvious negative attitudes towards Westerners.

4) It would be better if the nations and the peoples of the world had a clearer understanding of each other, allowing the mental gap between East and West to be bridged. (Reading 2) The discoveries and inventions made in Europe in the seventeenth century and thereafter depended so much in so many cases on centuries of previous Chinese progress in science, technology and medicine. (Reading 3)

9. 1) He regarded the origins of these inventions as “obscure”and he died without ever knowing that all of them were Chinese. (Para. B)

2) Chauvinistic Westerners, of course, always try to minimize the indebtedness of Europe to China in the ancient and the Middle Ages, but often the circumstantial evidence is compelling. (Para. C)

3) In many cases we simply cannot identify the channels through which knowledge was conveyed from East to West. (Para. C)

4) Modern science which developed in the seventeenth century was a mathematization of hypotheses about nature, combined with experimentation. (Para. D)

5) One factor which must have great relevance here is the circumstance that the feudalism of Europe and China were fundamentally different. (Para. E)

10. The feudalism of China differed greatly from that of Europe in that its bureaucratic

organization promoted the growth of science in ancient China but inhibited its further development later on. Exploring the Topic

4. 1) Increasingly being bewitched by the advanced European technology, the Chinese have forgotten their own achievements.

2) A book like that would be absolutely non-academic; it would nevertheless have a far-reaching influence on the general history of thought and ideas.

3) The lesson to be drawn from the history of agriculture can best illustrate the ignorance of the egoistic westerners.

4) The Chinese and Westerners are equally surprised when they realize that modern agriculture, modern shipping and even the essential design of the steam engine all originated from China.

5) A clear understanding among the nations and the peoples of the world would be welcomed to bridge the gap between East and West.

5. 2) The deafening noise, and the glare of the engine fire, would have a bad effect on nerves.

Further, being moved through the air at a high speed would do great injury to delicate lungs. The sudden plunging of a train into the darkness of a tunnel, and the equally sudden rush into full daylight, would cause great damage to the eyesight.

3) What was it that enabled them to become great or successful? Were they born with something special? Or did their greatness have more to do with timing, devotion and,

perhaps, an uncompromising personality? The answer is a never surrender attitude. If great achievers share anything, it is an unrelenting drive to succeed. There is a tendency to think that they are endowed with something super-normal.

Integrated Exercises

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