As old as writing

Study help: Time lines The time line provides a study tool that allows you to organize information that is presented chronologically. Time lines would be effective to use in classes in which you present historical, biological and other developments. To make the order clear and to show the sequence of events, we mention dates and time, and we also use various links and connectives.

Written communication has been the centre of civilization for centuries. However, putting thoughts down in a written form wasn’t always easy or practical. Paper has a long history, beginning with the ancient Egyptians and continuing to the present day. It has largely survived the test of time but now it is facing a new challenge from its electronic equivalent. A particularly fruitful way to look at the evolution of paper is to study how it has changed over time.

3500 BC	Sumerians use cuneiform alphabet, pressed in clay with a triangular stylus. Clay tablets were dried and/or fired for longevity. Some even had clay envelopes,' which were also inscribed.
3000 BC	Egyptians created Papyrus, a material made from thinly cut strips from the stem of Cyprus Papyrus plant.
2400 BC	Date of the earliest surviving papyrus scroll with writing.
200 BC	Both Greeks and Romans used wax tablets, framed and backed with wood, for note taking, orders, correspondence, and other temporary communication.
197-159 BC	In the Middle East, near Pergamum, large herds of cattle are raised for skins to be made into what we now call 'parchment.' It was the most popular material for manuscripts until the 12^th century.
105 AD	Papermaking was invented in China by Ts'ai Louen. Material used: plant bark, discarded cotton and old fishnets.
300-700	Secret of papermaking crept out from China to Vietnam, Nepal, Korea and Japan.
	First papermaking mill was established in Spain
1300C.	Papermaking reached Southern Italy, where, until quite recently, some of the oldest handmade paper mills in Italy were operating in the Naples area.
	Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press.
1700 C.	Tremendous increase in papermaking led to a serious shortage of raw materials.
	Saxon Keller invented a groundwood pulp.
	Mellier Watt patented a chemical pulp.
Late 18-th	Nicholas Luis Robert created a machine that could produce a seamless length of paper. Paper production became industrialized with the advent of steam-driven paper making machines.
1950s	New material and fillers were used, new processed chemicals and dyers were developed.

(Adapted and abridged from the Internet sites www.papiermuseum.ch

http://www.wipapercouncil.org/invention.htm http://www.hqpapermaker.com/paper-history/)

cuneiform - an ancient system of writing used in Persia and Assyria

bark – a hard covering of a plant

paper mill - a small machine for crushing or grinding a solid substance into powder

pulp - a soft substance that is made by crushing wood, cloth or other material

dyers - substances that are used to change the colour of things

Functional language: Time and sequence Time In 1942,... In the year … During the 20th century,... A decade ago... Sequence

Before …/Before this, … For the previous … years, … Prior to this, … Previously, … … years previously, … Later on …	For the following … years, … … years later, … Soon/Shortly/Immediately afterwards, … … after which …
When/As soon as/After … During this period, … Throughout this period, …

Discuss

Ø What other devices/tools have changed/transformations over the centuries?

Ø What do you think such changes were caused by?

Ø What improvements did they lead to?

Get real

Search the Internet and/or any popular science magazines to find information on the transformations of any device or tool in your field of science. Create a timeline to demonstrate its evolution.

Writing

Study help: Narrating and reporting Past tense is common. Chronological order is also common, but when we are writing about past events, it is necessary to be explicit about the order in which things happened.  

Write a paragraph of about 100-150 words describing its evolution. Give reasons for your choice of the device/tool.

Make use of the timeline help box and Functional language box.

In the Realm of Science

1. Read the abbreviations and think of their equivalents in your native language. Use a dictionary if necessary.

AI

VR

IT

GM

GPS

HDTV

HTML

DNA

R&D

2. Here are some of the widely-used terms in science you should know.

Bot	a computer program that performs a particular task again and again many times; shortened from robot
Breed	to make animals or plants produce young ones in a controlled way, in order to develop new and better types.
Cellular	connected with or consisting of the cells (often used in reference to a telephone system that works by radio instead of wires)
Cyber	a prefix for things related to computers, especially the internet (e.g. cybercafe - a place where you can buy drinks and use computers at the same time)
Gene therapy	a type of medical treatment that changes someone’s genes to help them get rid of a disease or cure a medical condition.
Genetic engineering	when scientists change the genes of a person, plant or animal in order to make it stronger, healthier, bigger, more attractive, etc.
Genome -	the complete set of genes in a cell or living thing
Gizmo	a general word for a small piece of equipment, often one that does sth in a new and clever way
Hi-definition	a system which provides very high quality images in more detail than ordinary images
Nanotech	short for nanotechnology - an area of science that deals with creating extremely small tools and machines
Side effect	an extra, usually bad, occurrence caused by taking a drug. It is also used in non-medical English in a more neutral way.
Sci-fi	science-fiction
Teleconferencing	a way of having meeting between people who are in different places, using video cameras and computer systems that are connected to each other.
Wi-Fi	short for wireless fidelity - a system for sending data over computer networks using radio waves instead of wires
Wireless	a system of sending and receiving signals (not using wires)

Unit 1. Progress Monitoring In this unit you have worked on the following vocabulary related to the topic “Latest Achievements and Future Developments in Science and Technology”.

challenging situation		to be instrumental
technological innovations		to supply smb with sth
to witness sth		a key/vital factor/role
origins of smth		to search for ways
evolution of smth		crucial/critical
to make progress		to be indispensible for
momentous change		main/major reasons
to provide the basis for		to survive the test of time
to become visible		to face sth (chalenges)

Tick (V) the points you are confident about and cross (X) the ones you need to revise.

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