|m]

ENGLISH
FOR TODAY

ENGLISH FOR TODAY

Book Four

OUR CHANCING WORLD
by The National Council of Teachers of English

Project Director and General Editor:

WILLIAM R. SLAGER, Department of English
University of Utah

Writers and Contributors

Donna H. Carr
Bernice E. Leary

John Maxwell
James Sledd

McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY
New York London Sydney Toronto

ENGLISH FOR TODAY, Book Four
OUR CHANGING WORLD—Student Text
Copyright ©1966 by McGraw-Hill, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in
the United States of America. This book, or parts thereof, may not be
reproduced in any form without permission of the publishers.

Philippines Copyright 1966 by McGraw-Hill, Inc.
234567890 WC 66 9876

Advisory Board
Linguistics:

HAROLD B. ALLEN, University of Minnesota, Chairman
GERALD DYKSTRA, Teachers College, Columbia University
CHARLES A. FERGUSON, Center for Applied Linguistics
ARCHIBALD HILL, University of Texas
ALBERT H. MARCKWARDT, Princeton University (also rep¬
resenting the Modern Language Association of America)
CLIFFORD H. PRATOR, University of California at Los
Angeles
JAMES SLEDD, University of Texas
W. FREEMAN TWADDELL, Brown University

Literature:

DOROTHY BETHURUM, Connecticut College for Women (also
representing the Modern Language Association of America)
J. N. HOOK, University of Illinois
RUSSEL NYE, Michigan State University
Content:
BERNICE E. LEARY, Formerly, Curriculum Consultant for
the Madison, Wisconsin, Public Schools

TO THE STUDENT
Our world is changing rapidly. Every day we are going farther faster.
Sixty years ago we didn't have airplanes, yet today we are sending
men into space. Every day we are sending news faster. Today a family
in San Francisco can sit in its living room and watch a live television
program from Paris. And every day we are conquering more diseases.
Less than ten years ago people feared the dreaded disease called polio,
yet today powerful vaccines have almost wiped it out.
Our changing world is not always comfortable and secure. Many
people don't like to change. They like life the way it is. Yet more
changes are coming: Ten years from now few people will live the way
they are living today. Our Changing World is going to look at many
kinds of changes.
Probably many of these changes have already affected you in some
way. As you go through the readings, you can pick out specific ex¬
amples of changes that have affected your everyday life. You can then
describe these changes in detail and discuss their value. Though they
are neither all good nor all bad, they are inevitable. And we need to
think about them if we are going to prepare ourselves for the complex
world of tomorrow.

iii

The editors wish to thank the following for permission to reprint material
in this text:
American Telephone and Telegraph Company, New York,- for material
adapted from The Space Age (1960), Alexander Graham Bell (1962),
The Magic of Your Telephone (1962), and Satellite Communications
Physics, Copyright © 1963 by Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc.
Field Enterprises Educational Corporation, Chicago, for material adapted
from “Aerodynamics,” “Ships and Shipping,” and “Submarine,” The
World Book Encyclopedia. Copyright © 1965 by Field Enterprises
Educational Corporation. International Copyright © 1965. All rights
reserved.
McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, for adaptation of pp. 74, 129131, “The Sun: A New Source of Energy,” from This Crowded Planet
by Margaret O. Hyde. Copyright © 1961, McGraw-Hill, Inc. Also for
adaptation of pp. 7-9, “Computers: Machines with Electronic Brains,”
from Computers! by Alan Vorwald and Frank Clark, revised edition.
Copyright © 1964, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
McGraw-Hill Publications, New York, for adaptation of “Superhighways,”
Business Week, May 14, 1955. Copyright © 1955, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
The Plymouth Traveler, Chicago, for adaptation of “Those Amazing Shop¬
ping Centers,” III, 3, May, 1962. Copyright 1962.
The Reader's Digest, Pleasantville, N.Y., for adaptation of “The Lure of
Living on Wheels” by Frank L. Taylor, January, 1962. Copyright 1962
by Harvest Years Publishing Company.
Saturday Evening Post, Philadelphia, for adaptation of “Why She Really
Goes to Market” by Harold H. Martin, September 28, 1963. Copyright
1963 by the author.

iv

CONTENTS
To the Student

iii

UNIT I: TRANSPORTATION
1. Transportation on Wheels: Trains and Automobiles

3

Yes-No Questions, 6
intensive questioning: Yes-No Questions, 8
Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 9
grammar review:

2. Transportation by Water: Ships

10

Wh Questions: Who, 12; Wh Questions:
Which or What 4- Noun, 14
intensive questioning: Yes-No Questions, 15
Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 16
grammar review:

3. Transportation by Air: Airplanes

17

Wh Questions: What, 20; Wh Questions:
Where and When, 21; Wh Questions: Why, How, and
Whose, 22
intensive questioning: Yes-No Questions, 23; Wh Questions,
24
Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 25
grammar review:

4. Travel in Space: Rockets

26

Conjunction: And, But, Or, and For, 29;
Conjunction and Deletion: So and Too, 30; Conjunction
and Deletion: Either and Neither, 31
intensive questioning: Yes-No Questions, 32; Or Questions,
32; Wh Questions, 33
Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 34

grammar review:

UNIT 2: MACHINES

5. A City Man in the Machine Age
intensive questioning:

Yes-No Questions, 40; Or Questions,

40; Wh Questions, 41
Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 42

v

37

grammar review: Contradiction, 43; Insistence, 45; Clauses
with When, 46; Clauses with While, 47 ; Clauses with Before,

After, Until, and Since, 49; Clauses with Because and Since,

50
6. A Farmer in the Machine Age
intensive questioning:

51

Yes-No Questions, 54; Or Questions,

54; Wh Questions, 55
Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 56
grammar review: Clauses with If, 57; Clauses with If, Unless,
Even If, and Whether ... or Not, 58; Clauses with If and
So That, 59; Clauses with If and Relative Clauses, 60

7. Computers: Machines with Electronic Brains

61

Contradiction with Will and Won't, 64
intensive questioning: Wh Questions, 65
Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 66
grammar review: Clauses with But and Though, 67; Clauses
with But, Though, and However, 68
8. The Sun: A New Source of Energy

69

Contradiction: Negative and Affirmative, 72
intensive questioning: Wh Questions, 73
Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 74
grammar review: Clauses with So and Because, 75; Clauses
with So, Because, and Therefore, 76
UNIT 3: COMMUNICATION
79

9. The Postal Service
intensive questioning:

Yes-No Questions, 81; Or Questions,

81; Wh Questions, 82
Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 83
grammar review: That Clauses as Objects, 84; That Clauses
in Reported Speech, 85
87

10. Telegraph and Telephone
intensive questioning:

Yes-No Questions, 90; Or Questions,

90; Wh Questions, 91

vi

Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 92
grammar review: From Wh Questions to Object Clauses, 93;
So as a Substitute for Object Clauses, 95

96

11. Radio and Television
intensive questioning:

Yes-No Questions, 98; Or Questions,

98; Wh Questions, 99
Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 100
grammar review: Adjective 4- That Clauses, 101; It's +
Adjective + That Clause, 102

12. Communications Satellites

103

Yes-No Questions, 106; Or Ques¬
tions, 106; Wh Questions, 107
Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 108
grammar review: Object Clauses after Whether and If, 109;
From Object Clauses to Infinitive Phrases, 110

intensive questioning:

UNIT 4: OUR CHANGING LANDSCAPE
13. Supermarkets

113

Understanding Ideas, Composition, Applying the Reading, 115
grammar review: Relative Clauses: Who as Subject, 116;
Relative Clauses: , That, and Whom as Direct Objects,
117; Relative Clauses: Whom,' That, and <£ as Objects of
Preposition, 118; Relative Clauses: That as Subject, 119;
Relative Clauses: , That, and Which as Direct Objects,
120; Which, That, and as Objects of Preposition, 121

14. Shopping Centers

122

Understanding Ideas, Composition, Applying the Reading, 124
grammar review: Relative Clauses: Whose 4- Noun as Sub¬
ject, 125; Relative Clauses: Whose + Noun as Direct Ob¬
ject, 126; Relative Clauses: Whose 4- Noun as Object of
Preposition, 127

15. Mobile Homes

128

Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 131
grammar review: Relative Clauses: Where, 132; Relative

vii

Clauses, When, 133; Restrictive Determiners: Every, etc.,
134; Review of Restrictive Relatives, 134

16. Superhighways

135

Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 138
grammar review: Nonrestrictive Clauses: Who as Subject,
139; Nonrestrictive Clauses: Whom as Direct Object, 141;
Nonrestrictive Clauses: Whom as Object of Preposition,
142; Nonrestrictive Clauses: Which as Subject, 143; Non¬
restrictive Clauses: Which as Direct Object, 144; Nonre¬
strictive Clauses: Which as Object of Preposition, 145;
Review of Nonrestrictive Clauses, 146
UNIT 5: BREAKTHROUGHS IN MEDICINE
17. The Discovery of Disease-causing Bacteria

149

Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 152
grammar review: Adjective + Infinitive, 153; Adjective
+
Enough + Infinitive, 154; Too + Adjective + Infinitive, 155
18. Surgery without Pain

157

Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 160
grammar review: Infinitives in Sentences with It, 161
19. Man and the Mosquito

163

Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 167
grammar review: From Adjective + Infinitive to Noun +
Infinitive, 168; In Order + Infinitive, 169

170

20. The Search for New Drugs

Understanding Ideas, Applying the Reading, Composition, 173
grammar review: Ing Phrases as Objects, 174; Phrases with
Nominal 4- Ing That Replace Objects, 175

Notes on the Readings

176

Index

181

viii

Unit 1: TRANSPORTATION
Cars

Trains

Ships

Jet planes

Rockets

One: TRANSPORTATION ON WHEELS: TRAINS
AND AUTOMOBILES
From horsecars to modern trains and automobiles

It's hard to imagine a horse pulling a railroad car. But it wasn't
long ago that horses did just that. Many of the early cars were pulled
by horses. And these cars weren't easy to pull, either. They didn't
have steel wheels that moved smoothly over steel rails. Both the
wheels and the rails were made of wood.
i]

Today the horses have been replaced by giant locomotives that
are powered by steam, by diesel engine, or by electricity.

2]

The steam engine, which was perfected by a Scotsman named
James Watt, was the first to provide power for the new trains. At one
time all locomotives had steam engines. But today in many countries
steam engines are being replaced by diesel engines. Diesel engines
were invented by a German named Rudolf Diesel. They are less
expensive to run because the fuel oil that they use does not cost as
much as the coal used in steam engines. Still another source of power
is the electric engine, which is used extensively in many countries like
Japan. In Japan there is little coal, but there are many rivers that
can be used to produce electricity.

3]

3

Like trains, automobiles have improved rapidly. Early automo¬
biles 1 were sometimes only “horseless carriages” powered by gasoline
or steam engines. Some of them were so noisy that cities often made
laws forbidding their use because they frightened horses.
4]

Many countries helped to develop the automobile. The internal
combustion engine was invented in Austria, and France was an early
leader in automobile manufacturing. But it was in the United States
after 1 900 that the automobile was improved most rapidly. As a large
and growing country, the United States needed cars and trucks to pro¬
vide transportation in places not served by trains.
5]

Two brilliant ideas made possible the mass production 2 of auto¬
mobiles. An American inventor named Eli Whitney introduced one

6]

Words and phrases followed by a number are explained in Notes on
the Readings at the end of the book.
1

4

of them, which is known as “standardization of parts.” In an effort to
speed up production in his gun factory, Whitney decided that each part
of a gun could be made by machines so that it would be exactly like
all the others of its kind. For example, each trigger would be exactly
like all other triggers. A broken trigger could then be replaced im¬
mediately by an identical one. After Whitney's idea was applied to
automobile production, each part no longer had to be made by hand.
Machines were developed that could produce hundreds, even thou¬
sands, of identical parts that would fit into place easily and quickly.

Another American, Henry Ford, developed the idea of the assem¬
bly line. Before Ford introduced the assembly line, each car was built
by hand. Such a process was of course very slow. As a result, auto¬
mobiles were so expensive that only rich people could afford 3 them.
Ford suggested a system in which each worker would have a special
job to do. One man, for example, would make only a portion of the
wheels. Another would place the wheels on the car. And still another
would insert the bolts that held the wheels to the car. Each needed to
learn only one or two simple acts.

7]

But the really important part of Ford's
idea was to bring the work to the worker.
An automobile frame, which looks like a
steel skeleton, was put on a moving plat¬
form. As the frame moved past the
workers, each man could attach a single
part wheel, engine, steering wheel, body,
horn, and other parts. When the car
reached the end of the line, it was com¬
pletely assembled. Oil, gasoline, and Bringing the work to the
water were added, and the car was ready
worker
to be driven away. With the increased
production made possible by the assembly line, automobiles have
become much cheaper.

8]

—

Now thousands of cars come from the assembly line in a single
day. More and more people travel by car or bus, and more and more
products are carried by trucks. It looks as if.the whole world will soon
be on wheels.

9]

5

grammar review:

Yes-No Questions

Model: Rivers can be used to produce electricity.
Can rivers be used to produce electricity? Yes, they can.
Horses have been replaced by locomotives.
Have horses been replaced by locomotives? Yes, they have.
The early railroad cars were easy to pull.
Were the early railroad cars easy to pull? No, they weren't.

1.1 Turn the following statements into questions that can be an¬
swered with yes or no. Refer to the reading as you choose between
yes and no answers.
1. Machines could produce hundreds of identical parts.
? Yes, they could.
2. The parts would fit into place easily and quickly.
?
3. One man would make only a portion of the wheels.
?
4. Each man could attach a single part.
9

5. Horses have been replaced by donkeys.
?
6. Automobiles have improved rapidly.

?
7. Automobiles have become much cheaper.

?
8. Automobiles have become more expensive.

?

9. The early railroad cars were pulled by horses.
?
10. The early railroad cars were pulled by donkeys.
?
11. The early railroad cars were hard to pull.
?
12. The rails of the early railroad cars were made of steel
?
13. The rails of the early railroad cars were made of wood

6

Model: The early railroad cars had wooden wheels.
Did the early railroad cars have wooden wheels? Yes, ^ey did.
Fuel oil costs as much as coal.
Does fuel oil cost as much as coal? No, it doesn't.
More and more people travel by automobile.
Do more and more people travel by automobile? Yes, they do.

1.2 Follow the model as you turn the following statements into ques¬
tions that can be answered with yes or no. Refer to the reading as you
choose between yes and no answers.
1. The early railroad cars had steel wheels.

?

No, they didn't.

2. Fuel oil costs more than coal.

?

3. Fuel oil costs less than coal.
?
4. Coal costs more than fuel oil.
?

5. Cities made laws forbidding automobiles.
?

6. Cities made laws forbidding horses.
?

7. Automobiles frightened horses.
?
8. The United States needed cars and trucks.

?
9. Whitney introduced the assembly line.
10.
11.
12.

13.
14.

?
Whitney introduced standardization of parts.
?
Identical parts fit into place easily.
.
?
An automobile frame looks like a steel skeleton.
?
Thousands of cars come from the assembly line in a single day.
?
More and more people travel by car.
. ?

7

intensive questioning:

Yes-No Questions

Refer to the reading as you choose between yes and no answers.
1. Were the early railroad cars pulled by horses? Yes, they were.
2. Were the early railroad cars pulled by donNo, they weren't.
keys?
No, they weren't.
3. Were the cars easy to pull?
Yes, they were.
4. Were they hard to pull?
5. Did the early railroad cars have steel wheels? No, they didn't.
Yes, they did.
6. Did they have wooden wheels?
7. We're the rails made of wood?
.
8. Were the rails made of steel?
9. Have horses been replaced by locomotives?
10. Have horses been replaced by donkeys?
.
11. Are locomotives powered by steam?
12. Are locomotives powered by electricity?
.
13. Were diesel engines the first to provide power? .
1 4. Were steam engines the first to provide power? .
15. Was the steam engine perfected by a Scots¬
man?
16. Was the steam engine perfected by a German?
17. At one time, were all trains run by steam en¬
gines?
18. Are steam engines being replaced by horses?
19. Are steam engines being replaced by diesel
engines?
20. Were diesel engines invented by a German?
21. Were diesel engines invented by a Scotsman?
22. Are diesel engines less expensive to run?
.
23. Are diesel engines more expensive to run?
24. Does fuel oil cost as much as coal?
25. Does fuel oil cost more than coal?
26. Does fuel oil cost less than coal?
27. Does coal cost more than fuel oil?
28. Is coal used in steam engines?
29. Is fuel oil used in diesel engines?
30. Is fuel oil used in steam engines?
31. Is coal used in diesel engines?
32. Are electric engines used in Japan?
33. Is there a lot of coal in Japan?

_

8

Understanding Ideas
1. What are the three main sources of power for railroad engines?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

2. How does standardization of parts help to make mass production

possible?
3. How does the assembly line help to make mass production pos¬
sible? How does an assembly line work?

Applying the Reading
1. Have you ever taken a trip on a passenger train? In an automobile?
On an airplane? If you had your choice, how would you prefer to
travel by automobile, by train, or by plane?

—

2. What are the principal railroad routes in your country? What are
some of the important cities connected by these routes?

3. Which is more important in your country right now
ways, new railroad routes, or new air terminals?

—new high¬

Composition
1. Notice that the subject of the third paragraph is given in the sen¬
tence that precedes it: Today the horses have been replaced by
giant locomotives that are powered by steam, by diesel engine, or
by electricity. This kind of sentence is called a topic sentence.
Pick out the first reference to each of the three sources of power.
Copy the paragraph carefully, paying attention to spelling and
punctuation.
2. Notice that the fijst sentence of paragraph 4 relates the subject
of the preceding page (trains) with the subject that is to follow
(automobiles). This kind of sentence is called a transitional sen¬
tence. What idea is used to connect trains with automobiles?

3. The topic sentence of paragraph 5 is Matty countries helped to de¬
velop the automobile. How many countries are mentioned in this
paragraph?
9

Two: TRANSPORTATION BY WATER: SHIPS
From sails to atomic power

For thousands of years men had to depend on sails to catch the
wind 1 and move their ships. But these early sailing ships had certain
disadvantages. They were slow and clumsy, and they could not carry
much cargo. If the trip was long, the cargo spoiled. And worst of all,
there was real danger in depending on the wind alone. A calm sea
could trap sailors for many days without water to drink, while a heavy
storm might tear the sails so badly that they were useless.
i]

The great need was for ships that could sail anywhere in any
weather. More sails were added, and the front ends of the ships were
shaped more and more like knives to cut the waves. The result was
a speedier ship as well as a more dependable one. But still these ships
could not go fast enough. By 1900 very few sailing ships were being
used for carrying passengers and cargo.
2]

The change from sailing ships to steamships was gradual. At first
steam power was added to wind power, and for a hundred years they
were used together. In fact, the inventor of the steam engine, James
Watt, doubted that steam should be used without sails, especially in
rough water.2 But little by little,3 as the steam engine improved,
steamships completely replaced sailing vessels.
3]

10

One major drawback of steamships remained. Their boilers took
up too much space, and so did the coal that was used for fuel. But
with the introduction of the diesel engine, which uses fuel oil, space
for boilers and coal storage was no longer needed. The diesel engine
made motor ships possible. Motor ships can carry more cargo because
the fuel oil they use is less bulky to store than coal and the engines do
not need boiler space. They are also safer and less expensive to run.
4]

Now a new source of power is being developed. It is atomic
energy. With atomic power, submarines can operate much more ef¬
ficiently under water. Because they do not need oxygen to work, nu¬
clear submarines can stay under water for an almost unlimited time.
And nuclear power can produce far greater speeds than conventional
power.

5]

Nuclear-powered submarines have broken all earlier records for
speed and time submerged.4 In 1958
the USS Nautilus, a nuclear submarine,
made history by sailing under the North
Pole. In 1960 the Triton, powered by
two nuclear plants, traveled around the
world under water, covering over 40,000
miles in eighty-four days. In the same
year the nuclear submarine Seadragon
made the first underwater trip from the
Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in the sea
north of Canada.
6]

At the moment, atomic power is ex¬
pensive for merchant ships. But the first
atomic-powered merchant ship, the Savan¬
nah, has already been launched. And pas¬
senger lines are now being planned that
will take passengers and cargo all around
the world, using only tiny amounts of
atomic fuel.

7]

11

A nuclear submarine

grammar review:

Wh Questions: Who and Whom

Model: Mr. and Mrs. Mallory took a vacation last year.
Who took a vacation last year? Mr. and Mrs. Mallory.

2.1 Follow the model as you make questions with who.

1. Dick Mallory and his wife went to South America.
2. The Mallory s traveled by ship.

3. Dick's wife likes to travel by ship.
4. Dick's

wife 'had worried about leaving the children.

5. Dick's mother could take care of the children.
Model: Dick met the captain of the ship.
Did Dick meet the captain of the ship? Yes, he did.
Who did Dick meet? The captain of the ship.

2.2 Follow the model as you ask two questions.
1. Dick knows the captain's brother.

?
?
2. Dick introduced his wife to the captain.
?
?
3. The captain had invited Dick and his wife
?

Yes, he does.
The captain's brother.

Yes, he did.
His wife.
to sit at his table.
Yes, he had.
9 Dick and his wife.
4. The passengers were asking the porters about the baggage.
? Yes, they were.
? The porters.
5. The sailors must obey the captain.
? Yes, they must.
? The captain.

12

Model: Dick is talking to the captain.
Is Dick talking to the captain? Yes, he is.
Who is Dick talking to? The captain.

2.3

Follow the model as you ask two questions.

1. Dick's wife has been writing to the children.
? Yes, she has.
? The children.
2. The captain has introduced them to a couple from Brazil.
? Yes, he has.
? A couple from Brazil.
3. Mrs. Mallory often takes walks with Mrs. Silva.
? Yes, she does.

? Mrs. Silva.
4. The Mallorys are reading about Brazilian writers.
? Yes, they are.
? Brazilian writers.
5. Mr. Silva often gives advice to Dick.
? Yes, he does.
? Dick.
Model: Who is Dick talking to? The captain.
To whom is Dick talking?

2.4

The captain.

(For writing only) Follow the model as you make questions

with a preposition and whom.
1. Who has Dick's wife been writing to?
2. Who has the captain introduced them to?
3. Who does Mrs. Mallory often take walks with?

4. Who are the Mallorys reading about?

5. Who does Mr. Silva give advice to?

13

Wh Questions: Which or What

+ Noun

Model: The hotel they stayed in was on the beach.
(the hotel -> which hotel)
Which hotel was on the beach? The hotel they stayed in.
They liked the hotel on the beach,
(the hotel -► which hotel)
Which hotel did they like? The hotel on the beach.
They stayed in the hotel on the beach.
(the hotel which hotel)
Which hotel did they stay in? The hotel on the beach.

2.5 Follow the model as you construct questions with which + noun.
1. The Atlantic Ocean is off the east coast of the United States.
(the Atlantic Ocean -» which ocean)
? The Atlantic Ocean.
2. A ship going from New York to London must cross the Atlantic
Ocean.
(the Atlantic Ocean-* which ocean)
? The Atlantic Ocean.
3. The Mallory s are sailing on the Atlantic Ocean.
(the Atlantic Ocean -> which ocean)
? The Atlantic Ocean.
4. The ship they are on often sails to South America.
(the ship -» which ship)
? The ship they are on.
5. They had seen the ship they were to travel on.
(the ship -* which ship)
? The ship they were to travel on.
6. They had often heard about the ship they were to travel on.
(the ship-*' which ship)
? The ship they were to travel on.
Model: Which hotel was on the beach?
What hotel was on the beach?

2.6

Using the questions you made in 2.5, replace which with what.

14

intensive questioning:

Yes-No Questions

I. Did men have to depend on sails for thou¬
sands of years?
2. Did sailing ships have certain disadvantages?
3. Were they fast?
4. Were they slow and clumsy?
5. Could they carry much cargo?
6. Did the cargo ever spoil?
7. Was there danger in depending on the wind?
8. Was a calm sea dangerous?
9. Was a calm sea safe?
10. Might a heavy storm tear the sails?
1 1 . Were the torn sails useless?
12. Were many sailing ships safe in bad weather?
13. Were many sailing ships used for passengers
after 1900?
14. Were sailing ships used for cargo before
1900?
15. Was steam power added to wind power at
first?
16. Did Watt think that steam should be used
without sails?
17. Did Watt doubt that steam should be used
without sails?
18. Did coal take up much space on steamships?
19. Does the diesel engine use coal as a source of
power?
20. Does the diesel engine use fuel oil as a source
of power?
21. Is a new source of power for ships being
developed?
22. Is the new source atomic energy?
23. Do nuclear submarines need oxygen to work?
24. Can nuclear submarines stay under water a
long time?
25. Are nuclear submarines slower than other

submarines?

15

Yes, they did.
Yes, they did.

No, they weren't.
Yes, they were.
No, they couldn't.

Understanding Ideas
1 . What are the disadvantages of sailing vessels? (paragraph 1 )
2. In what ways are motor ships better than steamships?
graph 4)

(para¬

3. What special advantages do atomically powered submarines have?
(paragraph 5)

Applying the Reading
1. Have you ever been in a boat or on a ship? If so, what kind of
boat or ship'was it? Try to describe it briefly.
2. Does any part of your country touch a sea or an ocean? If so,
name it. Are there any large rivers in your country that can be
used for navigation? Any large lakes? If so, name them. Are any
of your cities important centers of shipping? If so, name them.
3. Does your country export or import products by ship? If so,
name some of the products that are imported or exported. If your
country does not have shipping, what means of transportation does
it use for exporting and importing?

Composition
1. Notice that the first paragraph is developed by giving examples of
the disadvantages of sailing vessels. Find the topic sentence.
2. Notice that paragraph 6 is developed by using three examples.
What are they?

3. Notice that the reading deals with four ways in which ships can
be moved. Write a short paragraph in which you describe the de¬
velopment of the ship from sails to atomic power. Begin with one
of the following topic sentences: Since the days of the early sailing
ships, three important sources of power have been developed for
use in ships. Or: In the history of shipping, ships have been pro¬
pelled in four ways.

16

Three: TRANSPORTATION BY AIR: AIRPLANES
From balloons to jet planes

The Wright brothers' flying machine

It was December, 1903, in the southeastern United States. Strong
winds bent the grass near the beach, and the smell of salt air 1 came in
from the Atlantic Ocean. A small group of men were standing near a
strange flying machine. One of them, whose name was Wilbur Wright,
began to push the machine along a rail, while another his brother
Orville lay on the lower wing and grasped the simple controls.
i]

—

—

Only five persons were there to see the clumsy craft rise from
the ground as Wilbur ran faster and faster. After flying only 120 feet,
it touched the ground again and slid to a stop. Man had flown his first
successful airplane with a gasoline engine.

2]

The Wright brothers had made use of the knowledge of many
people before them. As early as the fifteenth century an Italian named
Leonardo da Vinci had designed machines that he thought would fly.
Later, men had experimented with balloons that rose high above the
ground. One of them, a Brazilian named Santos-Dumont, had flown
a dirigible with a gasoline motor and a propeller near Paris in 1899.
That was four years before the Wright brothers' success. Others who
...