Work in pairs or groups and discuss the following questions.
1. If you wanted to do research or start a hi-tech company, what king of support and environment would you need?
2. Why are scientific achievements important? Look at the list of achievements in the Warming up. How do they improve our daily life? How do they improve society?
3. Why do scientists spend so much time trying to achieve something?
Whatever great achievements the future may have in store for China, it is likely that many of them will be born in northwestern Beijing. Zhongguancun, in Beijing’s Haidian District, is the new center for Chinese science and technology. It is home to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and more than ten famous universities, including Peking University and Tsinghua University.
Zhongguancun was set up as a special economic zone in the late 1990s and quickly became the leader of China’s hi-tech industry. The science center got started in the early 1980s, when Chen Chunxian, a researcher at the Chinese Academuy of Sciences opened a private research and development institute. Within the nest ten years, more than a hundred scientific and hi-tech companies moved into the area and new hi-tech centers developed around the original Zhongguancun area. They all have their own characteristics, but they all share the spirit of creativity and scientific skill that have made Zhongguancun a success.
The science park is also home to a growing numver of overseas Chinese who have grasped the opportunity to develop their ideas at home. Xiang Yufang is one of those who have returned to China after studying and working abroad. Zhongguancun made it possible for him to follow his dreams and help the country he loves.
“ I studied abroad because I wanted to see more of the world and work with some of the top scientists in my field. I never felt really comfortable abroad, and I missed everything about China. When I got my master’s degree, I wanted to return home but couldn’t find a company where I could use what I had learnt. I worked abroad for a few years and then I heard about Zhongguancun. I knew it was perfect for me.”
Yufang talked to some friends from his university in Beijing and they helped arrange for his return. He left his job in the foreign company and came back to Beijing.
“ I was so happy. It was wonderful, like a dream come true. I could do the work I wanted to do and do something good for my country at the same time. I will never forget how happy I was when I set foot in China again and was back with my friends and family.”
Yufang has been in China for three years now and is doing well. He lives in Beijing and runs a small company based in Zhongguancun together with two friends.
Zhongguancun has had a positive effect on business as well as science. Today, there are more than 8,000 hi-tech companies. The park is home to Chinese computer giants Lenovo and Founder and more than twenty famous international companies. One of the mottos for the park --- “Relying on science, technology and knowledge to increase economic power”--- makes it clear that science and business and must work together to build the future. Another motto helps explain the success of the park: “ Encouraging pioneering work and accepting failure.” Great scientific achievements are the results of years of failure, years of trying to create something that has never existed before.
The researchers and scientists in Zhongguancun know that they can only reach the top if they are ready to deal with and learn from failure. Not all the new companies can succeed, but the spirit and creativity they represent are more important than money. As Yufang puts it: “We are not making that much money yet, but we are excited about all the new technology and great ideas that are coming to life in Zhongguancun.”
I Choose the correct answers. There may be more than one correct answer.
1. According to the author, Zhongguancun is home to ______.
A. some famous research institutes and universities
B. many IT companies
C. more and more returned overseas Chinese
D. a number of science parks
2. What is NOT true about Zhongguancun?
A. It is located in Haidian Distric, in northwestern Beijing.
B. It was set up as a special economic zone in the 1990s.
C. Most of its companies are doing IT business.
D. It is not a good place for new companies.
3. According to the reading, Xiang Yufang returned to China and opened a company in Zhongguancun because ______.
A. he wanted to see more of the world.
B. he enjoyed working with the best scientists in his field.
C. he could enjoy his work and contribute to his country at the same time.
D. he missed his friends and family.
4. According to the graph in the passage, how many of the people who work in Zhongguancun have a master’s degree or above?
A. 25,000 B. 30,000 C. 35,000 D. 180,000
5. How is “failure” understood in Zhongguancun?
A. There are fewer failure in Zhongguancun.
B. Many of its researchers and scientists will try hard not to fail.
C. Failure is a necessary part of being successful.
D. The best thing about failure is that you learn every time you fail.
II Work in pairs or groups. Zhongguancun is sometimes called “China’s Silicon Valley”. Use a library or the Internet to find out more about Silicon Valley in the US and then compare the two areas. In which ways are they similar or different?
Word study
Choose the answer that is closest in meaning to the underlined part of each sentence.
1. The big cellphone company has achieved its goal of setting up ten production bases in China.
A. succeeded B. failed C. missed
2. The development of nuclear weapons is a big threat to mankind.
A. women B. kind men C. human beings
3. It is likely they will win the game.
A. impossible B. possible C. difficult
4. scientists often have to rely on government support in order to do research.
A. depend on B. hold on C. keep on
5. shenzhen, which is one of the earliest special economic zones in China, has become a modern city.
A. cities B. counties C. areas
6. The opening of Chen Chunxian’s private research and development institute in the early 1980s marked the start of Zhongguancun as a hi-tech center.
A. company B. research center C. park
7. Successful people learn to grasp the opportunities that come along.
A. miss B. catch C. win
8. If you want to work in a big city and live by the seaside, Qingdao is the perfect place for you.
A. easiest B. true C. best
Grammar
Word formation ( I )
International = inter- + national telephone = tele- + phone
Mankind = man + kind broadband = broad + band
Extremely = extreme + -ly manned = man + -ed
Hi-tech = high + technology e-mail = electronic mail
IT = information technology CSA = Chinese Space Agency
1 Study the ways of forming words and explain their differences.
2 Change the following verbs into nouns by adding –ion or –ation.
construct
connect
attract
act
collect
direct express
invent
product
protect
suggest
impress celebrate
communicate
educate
graduate
pollute
contribute combine
admire
examine
transport
explore
imagine
3 A word can be made up of a prefix, a base word and a suffix. Underline the prefix and suffix in each word.
invisible
disagreement dishonesty impossibility non-conductor international
illogical
replacement disappearance misunderstanding enlargement reconsideration interaction
unexpected unforgettable unsuccessful
4 Read the news article. How are the words in bold formed?
EXAMPLE : hi-tech = high + technology
Beijing : A national hi-tech exhibition is being held from February 26 to March 6. It showcases China’s hi-tech successes achieved under the 863 Programme. The programme was started in March 1986 and has led to several breakthroughs in science and technology.
At the exhibition, visitors can learn more about important achievements in fields such as biology, bioengineering and medicine, communication and computer engineering.Many of the most outstanding new breakthroughs have come in the field of genetics.One of the stars at the exhibition is a small mouse with a human ear grown on its back.This technology may enable doctors to restore human organs in the near future.
The 863 programme and the new technologies have directly and indirectly helped China’s economic construction and strengthened its social development.
Reading
RED HOT ACHIEVEMINTS
Chinese history is filled with great achievements in science and technology. Since the early 1990s, China has been enjoying a boom in scientific and technological development put forward a plan for “rejuvenating the notion by relying on science and education” and it has helped Chinese scientists make many breakthroughs. The results are impressive.
EXPLORING SPACE
CSA, the Chinese Space Agency, has developed the highly successful Long March rocket series. The rockets are safe and have been used to send used to send satellites into space and to prepare for the nation’s first manned space flight.
SOLVING THE MYSTERIES OF LIFE
China has long been a leader in the field of genetic research aimed at improving agriculture. One of the most important achievements is a new kind of rice which allows farmers to increase production. Over the past twenty years, China also became part of an international research programme which examined the human body. In 2000, Chinese scientists announced that they had completed their part of the international human genome project, proving that Chinese scientists are among the world’s best.
E-VOLUTION
It seems to be love at first byte for China and computers. The Internet is becoming increasingly popular and a new high-speed broadband network was recently started. Chinese computer engineers have also developed the supercomputer shenwei, one of the world’s fastest computers, and built the nation’s first humanoid robot.
FIGHTING CANCER
For the first time ever, scientists have been able to create a chemical element that can fight cancer cells. The breakthrough, made by scientists in Shanghai, gives hope to cancer patients all over the world and makes China one of the world leaders in the battle against the deadly disease.
Work in groups. Use what you have learnt from the text to complete the chart below.
Field Achievements Importance
Exploring space
Genetic research
Computer engineering
Medical science
Writing
The magazine Modern Science has asked you to help them choose the greatest scientific achievements ever. Write a short essay and tell them which achievement you have chosen. Give at least two reasons for your choice and explain why you think that it is the most important. You can choose one of the achievements from this unit or use other sources.
TIPS
When you are writing to persuade the reader, state your opinion
clearly and support it with strong arguments. Make a list of
arguments and choose the best ones --- two or three are usually
enough. Explain why you believe your opinion is correct and use
facts or examples to help the reader understand your arguments.
Checkpoint 11
Grammar Word Formation ( 1 )
International = inter- + national telephone = tele- + phone
Mankind = man + kind broadband = broad + band
Extremely = extreme + -ly manned = man + -ed
Hi-tech = high + technology e-mail = electronic mail
IT = information technology CSA Chinese Space Agency
Which words and expressions from this unit can you use to describe scientific
Achievements?