CHAPTER 2 - The Most Useful Inventions

Reading Comprehension - Check Your Understanding

A. Choose the correct answers for the following questions.

1. For Cindy, the air conditioner is the most useful because _____
A) her apartment doesn't smell very good
B) she lives in a very hot place
C) she often gets sick

2. Jorge says that the Internet helps him to _____
A) sell air conditioners to people around the world
B) keep in touch with family and friends
C) use the telephone more cheaply

3. Kazuo thinks electricity is the most useful invention because _____
A) many machines cannot work without it
B) Benjamin Franklin invented it
C) it isn't really man-made

4. Who is most likely to agree that communication is the most important?
A) Cindy
B) Jorge
C) Kazuo

B. Answer the following questions by choosing Cindy (C), Jorge (J), or Kazuo (K).

Who...?	C/J/K
1. chose an invention that people didn't make	C J K
2. mentioned trains, cars, and planes	C J K
3. sells clothing	C J K
4. talked to friends about the topic	C J K
5. has a website	C J K

C. Discuss the following questions with a partner.

Which of the three writers in the reading passage do you most agree with?

Answer

Answers will vary.
Do you over post messages on websites? If so, which ones? If not, why not?

Answer

Encourage students to share their reasoning. For question 2, some students may be comfortable with posting and sharing their opinions online. Others might not want to post because they are worried about online privacy issues.

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TALK ABOUT IT

Forum | Science Stuff | The Most Useful Inventions

TOPIC: THE MOST USEFUL INVENTIONS

The other day, my friends and I had a discussion about the most useful invention of all time. There were many good ideas-the train, the car, and the airplane. They're all useful, but they were not my choices. For an everyday, useful invention, I vote for the air conditioner. I live in Taipei, and during the summer the temperature can be 35 degrees Celsius or higher. It's so hot! I'm not joking when I say _ that, without ah air conditioner, people here couldn't work or study. The weather is so hot that it can make you feel unwell if you don't drink enough water and get enough rest. What do you guys think is the most useful invention of all time?

Posted by Cindy Wu on Saturday, April 13

I don't know if I agree with you, Cindy. For me, the most useful invention of all time is surely the Internet. we can now reach people and do business faster. I own a clothing store in Mexico City, and there's a lot . of competition. I also have a website. Now,:people from all over the world can buy my clothing. With emails, ;! can keep in touch with friends and family in Mexico and around the world. It's faster than usual mail, and it's cheaper than using the phone!

Posted by Jorge on Sunday, April 14

Jorge, I also think that the Internet is useful. But, in my opinion, there is an "invention" that is even more important, and that's electricity. Of course, this isn't a man-made invention, but without people like Benjamin Franklin and Alessandro Volta, we wouldn't have learned how to use it. And without electricity, many of the world's most important modern inventions would not work.