Part 8.- You are going to read an article about the Royal Society, a British scientific institution. For questions 47-56, choose from the sections of the article (A-E). The sections may be chose more than once.
In which section of the article are the following mentionad?
47.- a belief that a certain development has been of particular use to
scientists.
48.- the variety of ways in which the Royal Society encourages people
who are not scientists to consider scientific uses
49.- a rapid reaction to research being made public.
50.- a particular development that requires urgent action to improve it
51.- a resource for information on past scientific discoveries
52.- a lack of understanding of scientific matters among people in
general
53.- a system that the Royal Society introduced
54.- the fact that scientists do not always reach firm conclusions
55.- a problem that is not limited to the word of science
56.- the belief that certain things that
are possible are not desirable
The unstoppable spirit of inquiry
The president of the Royal Society, Martin Rees,
celebrate the long history of one of Britain’s greatest institutions.
A
The Royal Society began in 1660. From
the beginning, the wide dissemination of scientific ideas was deemed important.
The Society started to publish Philosophical Transaction, the first
scientific journal, which conitnues to this day. The Society’s journals
pioneered what is still the accpeted procedure whereby scientific ideas are
subject to peer review – criticised, refined and codified into ‘public
knowledge’. Over the centuries, they published Isaac Newton’s researches on
light, Benjamin Franklin’s experiments on lightning, Volta’s first battery and
many of the triumphs of twentieth-century science. Those who want to celebrate
this glorious history should visit the Royal Society’s archives via our Trailblazing
website.
B
The founders of the Society enjoyed speculation, but they were also
intensely engaged with the problems of their era, such as improvements to
timekeeping and navigation. After 350 years, our horizons have expanded, but
the same engagement is imperative in the 21st century Knowledge has
advanced hugely, but it must be deployed for the benefit of the over-growing
population of our planet, all empowered by ever more powerful technology. The
silicon chip was perhaps the most transformative single invention of the past
century; it has allowed miniaturization and spawned the worldwide reach of
mobile phones and the internet. It was physicists who developed the World Wide
Web and, though it impacts us all, scientists have benefited especially.
C
Traditional journals survive as guarantors of quality. The latter cries
out for an informal system of quality control. The internet leves the playing
fields between researchers in major centres and those in relative isolation. It
has transformed the way science is communicated and debated. In 2002, three
young Indian mathematicians invented a faster scheme for factoring large
numbers – something that would be crucial for code-breaking. They posted their
results on the web. Within a day, 20,000 people had downloaded the work, which
was the topic of hastily convened discussions in many centres of mathematical
research around the world. The internet also
allows new styles of research. For example, in the old days, astronomical
research was stored to delicate photographic plates; these were not easily
accessible and tiresome to analyse. Now such data (and large datasets in
genetic and particle physics) can be accessed and downloaded everywhere.
Experiments and natural events can be followed in real time.
D
We recently asked our members what they saw as the most important questions facing us in the years ahead and are holding discussion meetings on the ‘Top Ten’. Whatever breakthroughs are in store, we can be sure of one thing the widening gulf between what science enables us to do and what it’s prudent or ethical actually to do. In respect ofcertain development, regulation will be called for, on ethical as well as prudential grounds. ‘The way science is applied is a matter not just for scientists. All citizens need to address these questios. Public decisions should be made, after the widest possible discussion, in the light of the best scientific evidence available. This is one of the key roles of the Society. Whether it is the work of our Science Policy Centre, our journals, our disussion meetings, our work in education or our public events, we must be at the heart of helping policy makers and citizenes make informed decisions.
E
But science isn’t dogma. Its assertions are sometimes tentative,
sometimes compelling; noisy controversy doesn’t always connote balanced
arguments; risks are never absolutely zero, even if they are hugely outweighed
by potential benefits. In promoting an informed debate, the media are crucial.
When reporting a scientific controversy, the aim should be neither to
exaggerate risks and uncertainties, not to gloss over them. This is indeed a challenge,
particularly when institutional, political or commercial pressures distort the
debate. Scientists often bemoan the public’s weak grasp of science – without some
‘feel’ for the issues, public debate can’t get beyond sloganising. But they protest
too much: there are other issues where public debate is, to an equally
disquieting degree, inhibited by ignorance. The Royal Society aims to sustain
Britain’s traditional strength in science, but also to ensure that wherever science
impacts on people’s lives, it is openly debated.
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