Is science a boon to human life?

….I believe that life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, or other dangers. I think the human race has no future if it doesn't go into space. I therefore want to encourage public interest in space. (Steven Hawking)

Science is referred to as a system of objective knowledge obtained through deep researches done by the human being. There are a number of branches of science, out of which earth science, physical science and life science are the major branches. These three are considered as pure sciences. The earth science involves the study of structure and composition of the earth. The physical science is associated with the nature and behavior of energy and matter. Astronomy involves the study of the universe beyond the earth. Life science is also known as biology, which deals with the study of evolution, development, distribution, structure, origin and function of the living things. Other branches of science are associated with the practical application of result of scientific activity.

2. There are no qualms in accepting the fact that science is the biggest revolution ever to planet Earth. Science is applied in every field and every aspect of life. With the help of scientific inventions and techniques, we have got all the latest facilities and high living standards. It's the science, with the help of which human being has reached beyond the space and stepped on the Moon and sent a spacecraft to Mars. However, a normal human being has no idea to what extent has this field advanced today. As the saying goes, every rose has its thorns, and here we have a comprehensive review of the adversities this revolution has brought about.

3. Environmental Impacts. Environmental issues are the biggest concern that planet Earth is facing. Depleting ozone layer, increased global warming, reduced vegetation, climate change, animal extinction... and the list goes on and on! It is the development of industries and establishment of plants that has harmed everyone on the planet. Industrial areas, urbanization, etc. are some areas of scientific advancements, but the price is too high to be ignored.

4. Health Impacts. Medical science is no less than a blessing to mankind. Medicines produced all over the world are perceived to be a foolproof cure to a person's illness. However, there are some negatives associated with medical science too. Today, excessive consumption of drugs can lead to death. Moreover, incorrect consumption of any dosage may lead to fatal maladies, cure of which is next to impossible. Where medical science has advanced to an unbelievable extent, it entangles with itself perils of all kinds, and just a slight ignorance may prove to be a matter of life and death.

5. Technological Impacts. Technology might have made our daily life easier, but it has rendered health issues as well. Tremendous reliance and dependence on electronic gadgets, appliances, and most importantly, computer technology has made human life so lethargic that people are witnessing old age much before they are actually supposed to. With zero physical activity, science might have proven its mettle as an amazingly efficient service to its users, but has got the world adversely hooked to it!
(By Veethi Telang)

Section 3. Memory Exercise

Ex.1. Work in pairs. Listen to the sentence and translate.

1.

• Babies are born with more bones than adults have: around 300. Adults have 206.
• В России, человек которому есть 20 лет, но нет 21 скажет, что ему 20 лет, а в Америке и Европе - что ему 21 год.
• The 7 billionth human was born on October 31, 2011.
• На голове блондинов (и блондинок) в среднем по 150.000 волос, на голове брюнетов (и брюнеток) - по 100.000.
• Just one person in a room adds 37 million bacteria to the air every hour.
• Землетрясение в китайской провинции Шэньси в 1556 году забрало 830 000 человеческих жизней менее чем за три часа.
• It took radio broadcasters 38 years to reach an audience of 50 million, television 13 years, and the Internet just four years.

• У сороконожки вовсе не обязательно 40 ножек. У разных видов сороконожек(точнее, многоножек) от 30 до 400 и выше ног, причём это число может быть разным даже у особей одного вида.
• It has been found that the Hawaii islands are moving at a speed of 10 cm/year towards Japan. This is due to the fact that Japan and Hawaii lie on separate tectonic plates.
• Одна из причин гибели языков — неравномерное распределение их по числу носителей. Так, 80 % населения планеты знает лишь 80 языков. При этом 3,5 тыс. языков приходится на 0,2 % жителей Земли.
• The loudest sound produced by any living creature on earth is 188 decibels. The sound produced by The Blue Whale has been detected 560 miles away from source.
• Если число 111 111 111 умножить на самого себя, то получится интересное число 12 345 678 987 654 321
• Insects called fleas are capable of jumping up to 130 times the height of their own body.
• Длительность полного солнечного затмения не превышает 7,5 минут; полного лунного затмения - 104 минут.

• The total length of blood vessels present in human body is approximately 62,000 miles.
• В Долине смерти, самом сухом и горячем месте на земном шаре, живет свыше 15 видов птиц, 40 видов млекопитающих, 44 вида пресмыкающихся, 12 видов амфибий, 13 видов рыб и 545 видов растений.
• Mariana Trench of the Pacific Ocean has the deepest part on the earth. Depth of this part is 10,916 m.
• За последние 500 лет масса Земли увеличилась на миллиард тонн за счет космического вещества.
• Length of the Hubble Telescope is 13.1 m. This telescope weighs 12 tons and its total cost is 2.1 billion.
• Несмотря на то, что некоторые люди имеют в социальных сетях сотни и тысячи друзей, эффективно взаимодействовать средний человек способен не более чем со 150 контактами.
• If underwater turbines could harness just 1/1000 of the energy of the Gulf Stream's current, they could power 7 million homes.