(1) JOHN SNOW DEFEATS “KING CHOLERA“ Cholera used to be one of the most feared diseases in the world, _1_________ a British doctor, John Snow, showed how it could be overcome. This illness causes severe diarrhoea, dehydration, and even death. In the early 19th century, when an outbreak of cholera hit Europe, millions of people died from the disease. As a young doctor, John Snow became frustrated because no one knew how to prevent or treat cholera. In time, he _2_____(rise) to become a famous doctor, and even attended_3_______ Queen Victoria when she gave birth. However, he never lost his desire _4_____________ (destroy) cholera once and for all. In general, doctors in those days had two contradictory theories to explain how cholera spread. One theory was that bad air caused the disease. Another was that cholera was caused by an infection _5______ germs in food or water. Snow subscribed _6______ the second theory. It was correct, but he still needed proof. Consequently, when an outbreak of cholera hit London in 1854, Snow began to investigate. He discovered that in two particular streets the cholera outbreak was _7________ severe that more than 500 people died in ten days. He was determined to find out _8_________. Snow began by marking on a map the exact places _9_____________ all those who died had lived. There were multiple deaths near the water pump in Broad Street (especially house numbers 16, 37, 38, and 40). _10_____________, some households (such as 20 and 21 Broad Street, and 8 and 9 Cambridge Street) had had no deaths. These people worked in the pub at 7 Cambridge Street. They had been given free beer, and so had not drunk the water _11_________ the pump. Snow suspected that the water pump was to blame. What is more, in another part of London, a woman and her daughter had died of cholera after moving away from Broad Street. It seemed that the woman liked the water from the pump so much that she had it _12_____________ (deliver) to her house every day. As a result of this evidence, John Snow was able to announce that the pump water carried cholera germs. _13_____________ (according), he had the handle of the pump removed so that it could not be used. Through this intervention, the disease was stopped in its tracks. The truth was that the water from the Broad Street pump _14_____________ (infect) by waste. Moreover, Snow was later able to show a link between other cases of cholera and the different water companies in London. Some companies sold water from the River Thames that was polluted by raw waste. The people who drank this water were much _15_____________ (likely) to get cholera than those who drank pure or boiled water. Through Snow＇s _16_____________ (tire) efforts, water companies began to sell clean water, and the threat of cholera around the world saw a substantial decrease. However, cholera is still a problem. Each year, millions of people around the world get cholera and many die from it. _17_____________ (fortunate), we now know how to prevent cholera, thanks to the work of John Snow. Moreover, in his use of maps and statistics, Snow transformed the way scientists study diseases. For this reason, Snow _18_____________ (consider) the father of modern epidemiology. (2) THE FATHER OF CHINA＇S AEROSPACE Perhaps no other scientist has had a greater impact _1_________ China＇s aerospace science than Qian Xuesen. Described by the authors of the Story of Qian Xuesen as a man with “great scientific thought and scientific spirit “who was patriotic and served his homeland with effort, achievement, and devotion, Qian was an _2_____________ (extreme) well-respected man. Born in Hangzhou in 1911, Qian attended schools in Beijing and then entered Shanghai Jiao Tong University to study Railway Mechanical Engineering. _3_____________, after the Songhu Battle broke out in 1932, Qian made the decision to switch his major to aviation because he realised that China needed its own powerful air force to protect and defend the country. Qian went to the United States in 1935 to pursue his graduate studies. Over the course of the 1930s and 1940s, Qian became a pioneer in American jet and rocket technology. _4______ a graduate assistant at the California Institute of Technology during the 1930s, Qian helped conduct important research into rocket propulsion, and in the 1940s, he and several other people _5_____________ (found) the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, now one of NASA＇s leading space-exploration centres. After overcoming some difficulties during his final few years in the US, Qian returned to China in 1955. He received a hero＇s welcome from his homeland and was put _6_______ charge of not only developing China＇s rocket science but also its space and missile programme. At that time, China was poor and its rocket science was undeveloped. No institute or university in China _7_____________ (offer) rocket science as a major, and there were no talents or experts in this field in China. Nevertheless, Qian did not let that discourage him from taking on the challenge. When _8_____________ (ask) “Can we Chinese possibly make missiles?“, his reply was a _9_____________ (determine) “Why not? We Chinese are able to make the same things that other people make.“ Under Qian＇s leadership, China developed the Dongfeng missiles, _10_____________ (follow) by the first generation of Long March rockets. In 1970, China successfully launched its first man-made satellite, Dong Fang Hong I, from a Long March rocket. Because much of the technology behind the Shenzhou rockets can also _11_____________ (trace) back to Qian＇s research, Qian earned the name of “the father of China＇s aerospace“. Qian read a lot and was extremely _12_____________ (knowledge), especially in the area of frontier science research. However, what might have made him such an outstanding and creative scientist was probably his strong interest _13_________ other things, such as music and drawing. His deep appreciation _14_________ art often gave him _15_____________ (inspire) in his scientific research. On 31 October 2009, the whole country _16_____________ (sadden) by Qian＇s death, and people honoured and remembered him in different ways. (3) A WORLD OF PURE THOUGHT Stephen Hawking was one of the most famous and _1_____________ (gift) scientists in physics. Most people are familiar with images of him in his wheelchair, unable to move and _2_____________ (use) a computer to talk. Since he came down _3__________ a disease which caused him to lose the use of most of his muscles, his world became one of abstract thought. Hawking first achieved fame when he was still healthy enough to walk, as a graduate student in physics at Cambridge University in 1964. In general, there were two main theories _4________ the origin of the universe. The first was the steady state theory, which holds that the universe has no beginning or end. The other was the big bang theory, _5__________ holds that the universe began at a single point in time and space. The biggest champion of the steady state concept was Fred Hoyle, a professor at Cambridge. During the question and answer period after one of Hoyle＇s _6_____________ (lecture), Hawking stood up and pointed out that Hoyle had made a mistake in his maths. Once the maths was corrected, it showed that the big bang theory --- and not the steady state theory ---was true. Hawking＇s own work on the big bang theory was soon proven by astronomers with telescopes. A star was born. So, what made Stephen Hawking a genius? Besides being brilliant, he was brave, though sometimes careless in what he said or did. He was willing to say what others were afraid to say, and to dream of _7_____________ others were afraid to dream about. Furthermore, he was quite determined. This had helped him as a scientist, and had helped him even more in his fight _8__________ his disease. Above all, Hawking was willing to admit his faults. This odd _9_____________ (combine) of characteristics had made him one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th and 21st centuries. (4) AI AND HUMAN BEINGS Is it possible to make machines think like humans? This is one question in research in the field of Artificial Intelligence, or “Al“. To think like a human, it involves feelings, morality, hopes, and dreams. Humans are capable _1________ making decisions by themselves without input from others, and they can learn from experience. In addition, humans are able to create things from their own inspiration for their own pleasure. The question is _2____________ machines can ever really think in all these aspects. The idea of a computer that is all-powerful and can think and make decisions for _3_______ (it) terrifies many people. In some films, Al even decides that all humans must be killed. Many people are also concerned that Al will be used to replace humans. Yet others are comforted by the thought of Al. Maybe with Al, robots can be made to replace loved ones who _4_____________ (die). Today, the creation of an all-powerful computer capable of human thought is still in progress. We have companion robots, and it is likely that they will grow more important in our lives as time _5_____________ (go) by. However, the need for such robots does not seem to be as critical as our need for intelligent machines that can solve problems by learning from their observations and experience. For example, Al is already being used with great success in Internet search engines and _6_______ a personal assistant in our smartphones. It learns from our habits to help us find what we want and like. Al is also used to diagnose problems and suggest solutions. Researchers are also experimenting with the use of Al in _7_____________ (driver) cars which can sense their surroundings and decide _8_______ the best way to reach a destination. It is also being used in education, particularly in online courses. Furthermore, industries that use robots for repetitive or dangerous work often turn to Al to manage these electronic workers. In addition, virtual assistants are also being used in some homes today. In the near future, _9________ is likely that Al will be used to manage smart homes and handle an even greater _10_________ (various) of tasks such as setting out favourite clothes and helping us with our personal grooming. The Al of today has already proven its superiority to humans in many areas. Do you think that we can create a robot that thinks like a human or one that is even _11_____________ (intelligent)? If so, is there _12_____________ (true) a difference between Al and a human? (5) DA VINCI＇S WORLD Everyone is quiet as they enter the narrow room. The crowd ignores the many beautiful paintings on the walls and pushes to the room＇s far end. There, they gaze _1_______ a single small painting of a smiling woman. So many people have crowded in to have a look at the painting that most can only get a quick look at it. Then they _2_____________ (force) to move on. This painting is the Mona Lisa created in the early 16th century by the Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci. It was kept away from the public until 1797, 3_______ it was put on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Art critics only first began to notice the painting in the 1850s. Then, in 1911, the painting was stolen. By the time the painting was finally recovered in 1914, it _4___________ (become) an international sensation. Many agreed that it was one of the greatest paintings ever made, by one of the world＇s greatest painters. Even as a young boy, da Vinci showed promise as an artist. When he was fourteen years old, he was sent to learn art in Florence, Italy. He trained for seven years, and then _5_________ (strike) out on his own, working for wealthy men throughout Italy, and later for the king of France. Even though Leonardo began his career as a painter, he most often worked as an engineer. One reason was that he painted very slowly, and sometimes did not even finish his work. Another reason was that Italy was at war, and people needed engineers to help build city defences more than they needed artists. _6__________, even though da Vinci worked as an engineer, he still found time to paint, creating some of his greatest artworks during this period. After da Vinci＇s death, _7_____ was discovered that he had kept many notebooks describing and illustrating his work, his inventions, and his scientific research. While his notebooks were collected and prized by the kings of Europe, none of _8___________ were published until the late 19th century. Until then, few people had had any idea _9___________ they contained. _10_____ it turned out, his notebooks are an amazing treasure box of drawings of people, animals, plants, and fantastic inventions, such as airplanes, tanks, robots, and diving equipment. Then, there are accurate studies of the human body, _11_____________ (show) bones and muscles with such detail that would not be seen elsewhere for four hundred years. Along with these drawings are notes describing his work. _12_____________ (odd), many of these notes are written backwards: You have to hold them up to the mirror in order to read them. Many of these notes are scientific in nature, _13_____________ (involve) his research in many different fields. His notebooks show that he was not only the greatest artist of his time, but the greatest scientist as well. This raises the question: What was more important to da Vinci, science or art? Da Vinci once said, “Practice must always _14_____________(found) on sound theory ... The painter who draws merely by practice and by eye, without any reason, is like a mirror which copies everything placed in front of it but does not know those things exist.“ Here, “reason“ means an understanding of what is being painted. In da Vinci＇s mind, before he could paint something, he had to examine it, take it apart, and even see _15_______ it worked. Thus, his scientific research served his art. Yet, this is too simple of a picture of the man. Da Vinci was always full of _16_____________ (excite) to explore, to discover, and to create. He saw no division between art, invention, and science - they were all a part of his wonderful new world of discovery. Thus, some of da Vinci＇s paintings were really science experiments, in that they used new chemicals and processes from his research. At the same time, his scientific drawings are considered beautiful pieces of art in their own right, _17_________ many of them were created to help him understand what he was painting. Da Vinci＇s desire to create and his interest in the world around him drove both his art and his science. So what can we learn from this? Few of us will ever be _18________ gifted and intelligent as da Vinci. Yet, all of us can learn from his spirit. We can produce things of beauty, create new inventions, and increase our scientific knowledge. Furthermore, we can be creative in solving difficult problems. _19___________ none of us may ever be able to paint something as beautiful as the Mona Lisa, we can all do our small part to make the world a better place.