,Can bad luck be explained?,Warming up, Read the reflections made by great scientists through the ages. Then work in pairs and explain what the quotations mean.,1 This only is certain, that there is nothing certain. Pliny the Elder, 1st-century Roman naturalist The only thing we know is definitely true is that we are not sure about anything. Pliny is taking a position of scepticism.,Warming up,2 Experimental science is the queen of sciences and the goal of all speculation. Roger Bacon, 13th-century English philosopher and scientist Bacon lived at a time when people thought it more important to reason and approach problems through theory and logic than through experiment. Bacon is daringly turning this around and announcing that finding out the facts is far more important than theorizing.,Warming up,3 I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me. Sir Isaac Newton, 17th-century English physicist and mathematician, who discovered the laws of gravity,Newton is acclaimed as a great genius who has opened up understanding of nature, but he humbly points out how very little he does actually know especially when compared with all that there is to know. Newton was very religious as well as a great mathematician so he would have been referring to great mysteries as well as understanding of the cosmos.,Warming up,4 The most incomprehensible thing about our universe is that it can be comprehended. Albert Einstein, perhaps the greatest scientist the world has ever known,Einstein thinks that the greatest wonder is that the universe does operate on mathematical laws which one of its by-products us can understand a little.,Warming up, Work in pairs and discuss the questions.,1 How would you define science? Science is the study and knowledge of the physical world and its behaviour that is based on experiments and facts that can be proved, and is organized into a system.,Warming up,2 Should science be a compulsory subject until the last year at school? Yes, it is so important to our modern world. It is also a way of thinking that we need to develop in people. I am not sure everyone needs to know so much science. Different people have different skills; perhaps some could spend more time on arts subjects.,Warming up,3 In what areas of contemporary life is scientific research most important? Frankly, it is important for almost everything: medicine, developing new energy sources, dealing with pollution, new materials, agriculture, information technology, transport, defence, and even more.,Warming up,4 Is some scientific research useless? Yes and no it may not have any use at the time it is carried out, but it is surprising how things can later turn out to be useful. The research joins the great database of human knowledge and may one day prove valuable.,Warming up, Look at the title of the passage and answer the questions.,1 Is it possible to define bad luck? Bad luck refers to things happening in ways you do not want. An event in itself is not bad luck, but bad luck to someone. My losing money may be someone elses good luck.,2 Does bad luck lead to more bad luck? I guess it can. Once you have lost your job, your family may break up and you might fall ill from stress and so on downwards.,Warming up,3 Is bad luck more common than good luck? It certainly feels like it at times, but I guess if missing the bus is bad luck, catching it is good luck. But I think we regard things going smoothly as normal so we dont call it good luck. We have a higher standard for good than bad luck.,4 Can bad luck be explained by science? I dont really see how. Theres no reason why one person takes a plane that crashes, and someone else takes another and is safe.,Skimming,Browse the passage within 8 minutes to get a rough idea about it. Answer the questions of Activity 2 and 3 on page 147.,Task,Skimming, Choose the best way to complete the sentences.,1 Murphys Law is _. (a) a popular belief (b) a scientific law (c) a classical theory (d) a statistical calculation 2 Bad luck _. (a) can be explained by science (b) can be partly blamed on strange coincidences (c) only really exists in peoples minds (d) is impossible to explain,a,b,Skimming,3 “Bad luck” is a problematic concept because _. (a) it is relative; some things are more “bad” than others (b) it suggests a connection between science and morality (c) luck cant by definition be “good” or “bad” (d) it encourages people not to take responsibility for their own actions,a,Skimming,4 Unlucky events seem to come in threes because _. (a) three is an unlucky number in most cultures (b) the mind wants to make a connection between events (c) we dont notice single unlucky events (d) we cant remember more than three connec