Unit 1 Great scientistsUnit 1 Great scientists

Who are they?Who are they?

Marie Curie Einstein Zu Chongzhi

Charles Darwin

Newton Archimedes

Stephen Hawking Zhang Heng

• Task 1.

Discuss the following question with your partner:

Do you know the names of some famous scientists? What are they famous for? Then try the quiz on page 1.

John Snow (1813-1858) was born

and worked as a doctor in Great

Britain. He was originally an

anesthetist, which means that he put people to sleep during operations.

He also began to experiment using the same drugs to help women when they had babies. That is why he became the doctor for Queen Victoria at the births of her many children.

At that time he lived, cholera was the most frightening disease. There were four outbreaks of cholera in the 1830s and 1840s, which killed many thousands of people in the industrial cities of England. In 1853 there were outbreaks in Newcastle and Gates head. In London more than ten thousand people died. Then in 1854 on August 31st “the most terrible outbreak of cholera which ever occurred in the kingdom” began. It was so violent and sudden that 127 people around Broad Street died in the first three days.

John Snow found the cause of the disease and he was the first epidemiologist (流行病学家 ) or community health doctor.

Task 2. Ss discuss and answer the following questions.

1. What do you know about infectious diseases? What do you know about cholera?

2. Do you know how to prove a new idea in scientific research?

Discuss in small groups the stages in examining a new scientific idea. What order would you put them in?

Draw a conclusion Find a problem

Think of a method Analyse the results

Collect results Repeat if necessary

Make up a question

1

2

34

5

6

7

Task 3: First reading: Ss read the text and tell whether the statements are true or false. (T/F)

1.As a doctor, being able to attend Queen Victoria was an honourable thing at that time.

2.Although cholera couldn’t be cured, its cause was known to people in the days of John Snow.

3.John Snow doubted the two theories explaining how cholera killed people, so he did investigation to test them.

4.The results wouldn’t have been so clear without the map John Snow had drawn.

5.The polluted dirty water from the river was to blame for the disease.

•

T

F

F

T

T

Task 4. Ss read each paragraph and finish the following chart.Para. Stages in an experi

ment Example in this investigation

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Find a problem

Make up a question

Think of a method

Collect results

Analyse results

Repeat if necessary

Make a conclusion

What causes cholera?

Which theory is correct? Collect data on those who were ill

or died and where they got their water. Plot information on a map to find out where people died or did not die.

Analyse the water to see if that is the cause of the illness. Find other evidence to confirm your conclusion.

The water is to blame. The source

of all drinking water should be examined so that it is safe.

Task 5. Third reading: Ss read again and fill in the chart.

Scientific Report by John Snow

The problem

The cause Idea 1:

Idea 2 :

The method

The results

Idea 1 or 2? Why?

The conclusion

Nobody knew the caused of the serious disease of cholera.

strange cloud in the air that attacked victims

people absorbed the disease with their meals

Collect data from the next cholera attack to test theories. Try to prove which method was correct. He found the cause of cholera was the polluted water.

Idea 2 because the data showed a connection with the water.

John Snow was able to defeat cholera once its cause was known.

Task 5: Ss in groups and discuss:

1. Cholera was a 19th century disease. What disease do you think is similar to cholera today? Why?

2. John Snow believed Idea 2 was right. How did he finally prove it?

3. What can you learn from this text?