Понимание основного содержания текста (Поиск соответствий)
Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний.
Пример ответа: 1234567
1. From natural to technological
2. Present everywhere
3. Smart ideas changing the world
4. Making our lives less boring
5. Cheaper and stronger over time
6. Changing habits
7. Necessary at sea
8. Helping to get around
A. Humans are naturally curious and creative. This led our species to many scientific and technological discoveries. Since many years ago our earliest ancestors hit a rock to make the first sharp-edged tool, humans have continued to innovate. From the debut of the wheel to the launch of Mars rovers, several of these key findings stand out as especially revolutionary. Some inventions were made by chance. However, most of them were the work of innovative thinkers who had put many years into their discoveries.
B. Finding your way in the world was much harder in the past. People used tools like compasses, maps and stars to explore and settle in most parts of our planet. However, these old methods didn’t work well for exact navigation, especially for airplanes or when walking in unfamiliar places. The invention of GPS fixed this problem. GPS is a system of satellites that send signals to Earth. Anyone with a GPS device can use these signals to know exactly where they are. GPS is very important for safety.
C. Before the invention of the wheel, humans were limited in how much stuff we could transport over land, and how far. The wheel itself was not the most difficult part of “inventing the wheel.” When time came to connect a platform to the wheel, things got tricky. For instance, the holes at the centre of the wheels had to be nearly perfectly round and smooth. The hard work paid off. Wheeled carts helped agriculture and transportation of goods. Now, wheels are found in everything from clocks to vehicles or turbines.
D. Ancient mariners used the stars for navigation, but this method didn’t work during the day or on cloudy nights, making it dangerous to travel far from land. The first compass was invented in China. It was used for navigation for the first time between the 11th and 12th centuries. Soon after, the technology was brought to the West. The compass helped mariners to navigate safely far from land. It opened up the world for exploration and the development of global trade. This instrument is still widely used today.
E. The invention of the light bulb transformed our world. It made us less dependent on natural light. It allowed us to be productive at any time, day or night. Thomas Edison is credited as the primary inventor of the technology because he made a lighting system in 1879. This invention introduced electricity to homes of the Western world. It also had a rather unexpected result of modifying people’s sleep patterns. Instead of going to bed at nightfall and sleeping in segments throughout the night, we now sleep all in one go.
F. People first made nails over 2,000 years ago in Ancient Rome. This became possible when humans learned how to work with metal. Before this, builders had to fit wooden pieces together in special ways, which was much harder and took more time. Until about 200 years ago, workers made nails by hand. A blacksmith would heat an iron rod and hammer it into shape. Machines started making nails between 1790 and 1820, which made them more available. The way we make nails keeps improving. Now nails are made from steel and last longer.
G. People have been keeping food cold for thousands of years. In ancient times, they used ice or cold water, depending on where they lived. The first artificial cooling system appeared in 1748. In 1834, American engineer Jacob Perkins created a new cooling system using compressed gas. Then in 1876, German engineer Carl von Linde found a way to turn gas into liquid. The first home refrigerator was invented in 1913 by American engineer Fred Wolf. As more people wanted fresh food, refrigerators became common in houses.