Is it that does us good or does it bring disaster?

Science is a source of progress. It develops the world we live in. Our century is an epoch of great discoveries in science and engineering. It is an epoch of scientific and technological revolution discoveries, when new ideas are being born and new discoveries, inventions are being made at an ever increasing rate.

Today science has become the most important factor in the development of national economy in the whole world. Scientific progress serves the interests of society, helps to increase the well-being of people and develops public education.

Computer technology plays the most important role in the progress of science. The ability of computers to solve many mathematical problems more effectively than man does, has given rise to new trends in mathematics. Computer science is a new field of study and research. In recent years scientists of the world have achieved great success in the development of physics, chemistry, biology, and such astonishing, interesting science as psychology. But science may be turned both for peace and military purpose. It can take good forms and evil forms. With the help of scientific inventions politicians make weapons of mass destruction. But on the other hand researches help us in our life: at home, at work, at school and make the level of the country development higher. That’s why there are a lot of facts telling about a great amount of well-known scientists who had burned their works when they’ve understood the consequences of their inventions.

To answer the question whether science does us good or does it bring disaster isn’t a simple task. We should take into consideration many facts. On the one hand a lot of outstanding discoveries made the life of the people more comfortable and pleasant. Without scientific discoveries and inventions no progress would be possible. Thanks to discovery of electricity we can listen to the radio, watch TV, see films, people learned how to produce steel and metal alloys — now we use railways and airplanes. Development of chemistry led to new synthetic fibers and people got more clothing and food. People learned to use scientific achievements in curing incurable earlier diseases. But on the other hand such outstanding discoveries of the 20^th century as atom fission led to creation of the weapons of mass destruction. We should say that science has a potential for both good and evil. Alfred Nobel invented a new explosive (dynamite) to improve the peacetime industries of road building, but saw it used as a weapon of war to kill and injure his fellow men. He was born in Stockholm on October 21^st 1833, but moved to Russia with his parents in 1842. Most of the family returned to Sweden in 1859, where Alfred began his own study of explosives in his father’s laboratory. He had never been to school or university, but had studied privately and by the time he was 20 was a skillful chemist and an excellent linguist, speaking Russian, English, German, French and Swedish. He was very imaginative and inventive. His greatest wish, however, was to see an end to wars, and thus between nations, and he spent much time and money working for this cause, until his death in 1896. His famous will in which he left money to provide prizes for outstanding discoveries in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology, Medicine, Literature and Peace, is a memorial to his interests and ideals. Medical men use laser to cure and investigate diseases and at the same time laser can be used for destruction. Achievements of biology and chemistry are also used to cause damage to people. All this shows that science can take good forms and evil forms. What form does it take depends on the way people work with science. It is impossible to stop progress, to stop people to investigate and explore the world. But people should care it wouldn’t be led in wrong direction. Scientists need you thinking in a new much broader way than before. In this respect the education and cultural level are of great importance. They have to influence politicians, warn them of possible effects of using new discoveries. Scientists and politicians think that it’s their responsibility for not using scientific developments to cause damage and destruction. There is a lot of work to be done in this direction.

III. Give the Russian equivalents.

Source of progress, an epoch of great discoveries, technological revolution discoveries, to cause damage and destruction, in a new much broader way than before, led in wrong direction, the peacetime industries of road building, a skillful chemist and an excellent linguist, to increase the well-being of people and develop public education, increasing rate.

IV. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following Russian words and phrases.

Компьютерные технологии, играть важную роль, оружие массового уничтожения, выдающийся ученый и политик, мирное время, решать многие математические задачи, в течение последних лет, развитие и научные достижения, открытия, изобретения в области химии, невозможно остановить прогресс.

V. Complete the following sentences using the appropriate word from the box.

1. It’s a particular branch of ____ knowledge.

2. He’s an English chemist whose work on radioactive disintegration led to the ____ of isotopes.

3. This is a document granting an inventor sole rights to a ____.

4. There is an annual award for ____ contributions to chemistry or physics or psychology or medicine or literature or peace.

5. ____ of biology and chemistry are also used to cause damage to people.

6. Outstanding discoveries of the 20^th century such as atom fission led to ____ of the weapons of mass destruction.

7. The motion of charged particles in a colloid under the ____ of an electric field; particles with a positive charge go to the cathode and negative ones to the anode.

8. It deals with the rational ____ of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics.

VI. Answer the following questions.

1. Can you describe our century from the standpoint of scientific progress? 2. What is the role of computer technology in the progress of science? 3. Why did a great amount of well-known scientists burn their works? 4. Outstanding discoveries can take good forms and evil forms. Prove it. 5. What was Alfred Nobel’s famous will about? 6. What should scientists care for investigating and exploring the world?

VII. Express your opinion on the problem discussed in the text.