2.1. Technical advances in homes
o Electricity. We use electricity for
artificial lighting. All the appliances in our houses, like refrigerators and
televisions, work with electricity.
Electricity travels a long way to reach our houses:
o Electrical power
stations generate electricity with large machines called generators.
o Then it travels
through power lines to people's houses.
o Wiresthat are hidden in the walls and ceilings
distribute the electricity throughout the house.
o Drinking water. To make water drinkable, it goes through a
process called water treatment. This process has different steps:
o Water is taken from
rivers, reservoirs, lakes, streams, etc., and put through filters.
o The water is treated with
chemicalsto remove any contaminants.
o The water is disinfected with
more chemicals to eliminate any microorganisms.
o Then the water goes from pumping stationsto the
water pipes that take the water to our houses.
2.2. Technical advances in medicine
Technical advances in medicine, like x-rays, ultrasounds and endoscopes,
help diagnose illnesses better and faster.
o X-raysuse rays to show us
images of our bones.
o Ultrasoundsuse sound to show
us the inside of our bodies.
o Endoscopesuse small video cameras inside
our bodies.
2.3. Technical advances in transport
Technical advances in transport have changed how we travel by land, air
and water.
o Land. There are now vehicles that
use less fuel and give off fewer pollutants. Some use alternative energy
sources like solar energy. There are new inventions, like airbags, that make
vehicles safer. There are also high speed trains that cango faster than 500 kilometers per
hour.
o Air. There are new planes that
can fly faster than the speed of sound.
o Water. There are new ships with ecological
engines for sea and river transport.
VOCABULARY
power lines: cables de alta
tensión
wires: cables
through: a través de
throughout: por todo
appliances: electrodomésticos
x-rays: rayos x
ultrasound: ecografía
endoscope: endoscopía
to diagnose: diasnoticar
illness: enfermedad
inside: dentro de
faster: más rápido
better: mejor
to show: mostrar/enseñar
means of transport: medios de transporte
to give off: expulsar
safer: más seguro
the speed of sound: la velocidad
del sonido
ship: barco
engine: motor
ACTIVITIES
1.What
are the technical advances in medicine?
2. Match the columns
X-rays Uses sound Ultrasound Uses a video camera Endoscope Uses rays
3. Number the steps of the path electricity follows from its origin to our houses.
Power lines
Wire in the wall and ceiling
Generators at a power station
4.Why do we
treat water with chemicals?
5.Write True or False. If the sentence is false, write the corrected sentence below.
a) Ultrasounds use small video cameras.
b) New land transport can go faster than the speed of sound.
c) Vehicles now use less fuel and give off
fewer pollutants.
d) Water is disinfected after going through pumping stations.
