Science and Survival

-Barry Commoner

Summary:

There is some disagreement about the effects of medical hazards and effects of DDT, smog and fallout. We have already used them without knowing the risk caused by these pollutants. As a result, we have loaded the substance in our blood that resists our blood circulation. People wanted to make bomb to kill mosquitoes. They have loaded their bodies with serontium-90 and DDT which is too much dangerous for us. People are conducting experiment on their own body these days. So these are the main components of public health hazards of present.

Some people may concern about the damage of environment; whereas others would argue that it is the achievement of science whether it is good or bad. They would argue that it would already happen in our life and if we don’t take risk the achievement of science and technology is useless. Possible errors may exist with the use of science and expansion of technology. In the past, the risk of science and technology was confined to a certain place. These days it has influenced the entire world. For example: air pollution is everywhere; fallout is worldwide; synthetic chemicals may remain under soil for many years; a radioactive pollutant is everywhere; and the effect of carbon-14 will affect for thousands of years. The excessive use of carbon dioxide could cause floods which could cover much of the earth’s surface.

Nowadays, the errors have been growing. When there was a boiler explosion, it was taken as an art of science. If a single nuclear power would burst, it will turn the whole area uninhabitable. We can’t imagine the negative effect of it as it is beyond imagination. Hence modern scientific experiments have been conducted in a trial-and-error approach.

Some may argue that the hazards of modern pollutants are small in comparison to other human activities. For example the fallout hazard is much smaller in comparison to the road or plane accidents. We should think about the future generations. The effect of fallout, smog or chemical is so serious that we would realize it only after the consequence is too serious. Science has forgotten the duty of prediction and control on human activities to save people from pollutants. The true ratio of danger isn’t represented by the present condition. We will surely feel its result in the future if we don’t correct this basic fault of the scientific enterprise in time.

1.   Match the segments in Section A with the correct corresponding segments from Section B. Make sure that the resulting sentence corresponds with the author’s point of view on the subject.

a.       A single explosion in a nuclear power plant ….. might kill thousands of people.

b.      Extra carbon dioxide from fuel combustion ….. might eventually cause floods.

c.       DDT and strontium-90 in the air …. may interfere with the functioning of the blood.

d.      Carbon-14 …. will remain on the earth’s surface for thousands of years.

e.       The effect of smog, fallout or chemical pollutants…. may be extremely harmful for future generations.

f.       Synthetic chemicals …..may remain in the soil for years.

2.   Drawing your information from the passage given above, answer the following questions in complete sentences. Your answer to every question should not exceed 25 words.

a.       Name three pollutants with which man has loaded the atmosphere.

Answer: They are smog, fallout and chemical pollutants.

b.      What would happen if there was an explosion in a nuclear power plant?

Answer: It would kill thousands of people and the area will be uninhabitable.

c.       What is one of the major duties of science that the author writes about?

Answer: Science should predict about the dangers and control of human intervention into nature.

d.      What is the true measure of the danger of modern pollutants?

Answer: It will certainly affect our life in the future so we should correct the basic fault on time.

-By Prem Prasad Sigdel

Pollution and Super Pollution

-G. R. Taylor

Summary:

Simple kind of pollution is everywhere in this world. The Apollo 8 did survey of the polluted sites of the world and found that Osaka and Tokyo of Japan along with the Los Angeles of USA were equally polluted. Among them Los Angeles has got the highest or nastiest air pollution in the world. It has got 34 tons of dirt per square kilometer in comparison to the New York which has got 17 tons of dirt per square kilometer. The vehicles collide regularly or go out of road at day time due to invisibility. Traffic police have gone to take fresh air in every four hours. They regenerate fresh blood by taking oxygen from cylinders. The oxygen is put in cafes and shopping centers also and people can use it from coin-in-the-slot machines. Similarly, student should also wear mask in their classroom while taking lessons.

The pollution has been becoming a great or serious problem these days. We also discharge gases, acids, metals and poisons which harm our health. Pollution may be one of the parts of environmental problem; but we have done much harm to the earth. We increased heat and dust particles, cut forests and pave our fields. Similarly, we destroy one species and promote another. We also increase noise and pile the trash. There is limit of all the above activities.

If we pile less garbage into a stream, it can be purified by the river. If we dump much more, it will lose the purifying capacity and the water will be polluted. It will take another hundreds of years to be purified. To dump a small amount of garbage into the water was accepted in the past; now it happens too much. So it is called as super-pollution.

It is also same about the impact of man in the environment. We have been collapsing the natural processes by increasing heat and dust, cutting forests, paving land etc. It is known as ecological catastrophe which is difficult to recover in the future. It will be difficult to return back to the original condition; or it will take so long to come to normal condition. As a corollary there will be a permanent damage in the environment.

1.   Put the following four sentences in the right order, so that they read like a coherent paragraph.

a.       If sewage is dumped into a stream in small quantities, the stream dissolves it and purifies it.

b.      Ten miles further down, the water is pure again.

c.       But if the large quantities of sewage are dumped continuously, the purifying bacteria are killed and the stream loses its power to purify.

d.      This overwhelming kind of pollution is called super-pollution.

2.   Drawing your information from the passage given above, answer the following questions in complete sentences. Your answer to every question should not exceed 25 words.

a.       Where do most serious smog and polluted air exist?

Answer: It is in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Osaka.

b.      Describe two effects of this pollution.

Answer: They are: increasing heat and water pollution.

c.       How do we alter the environment? Name three ways that the author has mentioned.

Answer: We can alter it by decreasing heat and dust, afforesting and not paving the soil.

d.      Name two factors, that the author mentions, which can lead to an ecological catastrophe.

Answer: They are: destroying forest and increasing heat in the earth.

3.   Read paragraphs 16 and 17:

a.       Point out the topic sentence of each paragraph.

Answer: The topic sentence of 16 is “pollution is only a part of the story”; and in paragraph 17 the topic sentence is “I call it super-pollution”.

b.      Say what order each paragraph follows for its development.

Answer: The 16 paragraph has got topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph; whereas in paragraph 17 the topic sentence is at the last of the paragraph. The first paragraph has got the top down order and the second has got the bottom up order. Paragraph 16 has got topic sentence as its beginning whereas paragraph 17 has got it as conclusion.

-By Prem Prasad Sigdel

God in this Godless Universe

-Bertrand Russell

Summary:

The God was powerful in the pre-scientific world. It was difficult for man to exist in that age because they had been feared of divine displeasure. The evidence was earthquake, pestilences, famines and defeats in war. Humans were forced to believe since the incidents had been repeated. People believed that it happened due to the lack of humility when compared with the earthly monarchs. If they wanted to live happily, they should be meek, aware of defenselessness and confess mistakes. If you accepted the existence of the God, you would feel warm and cozy. Moreover, you would feel like the youngest child of a large family; you might feel pain, but not alien or uncomfortable.

In the scientific world, it was completely different. You believed on scientific rule rather than prayer or humility. This sort of power was much greater and reliable than the power that you got from humility or prayer. It was because your prayer couldn’t be listened from heaven. The power of prayer was not questionable; or it was thought to be impious if you questioned. The power of science had no limit like the prayer; or you could question as much as you liked. It was told that faith or prayer could remove mountains. It was false because, only the atomic bomb could remove mountains, which is now believable.

People might feel uncomfortable when they think about the world; the things like the cold or blown off sun and the stoppage of atmosphere could make us uncomfortable. Our life is small and transitory phenomena at an obscure corner so it is not better to think like that. These are monkish or foolish belief which the scientific man can’t/shouldn’t think at all. Rather we should think about fertilizing the desert, melting the Arctic ice and killing each other using improved technology. These things will do good for us except some failures. Rather we should take lessons from failures which have proved our power. So we are God ourselves in this Godless universe.

1.   Which of the following statements are consistent with what the passage says?

A.    In the pre-scientific world: man believed that only God had power over the forces of nature.

B.     In the scientific world: science has placed unlimited power in the hands of man.

2.   Drawing your information from the passage given above, answer the following questions in complete sentences (each within 25 words)

a.       To what cause did the pre-scientific man attribute natural calamities?

Answer: They attributed it due to divine displeasure.

b.      How do men in the scientific world acquire power over nature’s forces?

Answer: They acquire it by applying scientific laws or rules.

c.       In what ways is the power given by science superior to the power arising from faith and prayer?

Answer: It is superior because you can have various choices in science which you can’t get in prayer.

d.      Scientific knowledge has disclosed some uncomfortable facts about human life and the universe. What are these?

Answer: They are: the cold or blown off sun; uninhabitable earth and the limitation of our life.

-By Prem Prasad Sigdel

The Effect of the Scientific Temper on Man

-Bertrand Russell

Summary:

Seventeenth century men had got victory over their predecessors due to scientific inventions. They achieved more advantages with technical advances. Observations were haphazard before that time. The old traditions were accepted as facts by the people without any evidence. There were no proved scientific facts; rather people believed that they have been bounded by natural rules. As a result, they believed that the heavenly bodies were supposed to go in round complications as they had been guided by aesthetic taste. They believed that earthquakes and disasters happened due to sin. In contrast refreshing rain was considered as reward of virtue. Comets foretold the death of princes. In this way, they believed on aesthetic belief rather than proven facts.

Later on, the scientific mind had changed the point of view of humans. They believed on careful investigations of facts forgetting aesthetic beliefs. The ideas seem simple today but it would be a great revolution at that time. As a corollary, Kepler was killed as he claimed that the planets moved in ellipses, not in circles. Thus people believed on the super power of nature. They believed that the action of nature was superior that the wish or fear of humans.

The modern world has realized the fact of the past and developed highly. However, the so-called scholars of the Western culture are totally ignorant of the fact. The people who believed on new scientific knowledge were known as narrow and uncouth specialists.

The scientific technique had influenced the people rather than pure science. As a result the industrial revolution had been developed in Lancashire, Yorkshire and Clyde. At first people didn’t believe on it until it helped to defeat Napoleon. The explosive power was so powerful which spread to Russia first, then to Asia. Whether it is boon or disaster, it is scientific fact afterall which is undergoing these days.

1.   Which of the following statements are consistent with what the passage says?

A.    Men of the sixteenth century: believed that earthquakes occurred whenever man sinned.

B.     Men of the seventeenth century: believed in the careful investigation of facts to find out how nature works.

2.   Drawing your information from the passage given above, answer the following questions in complete sentences (each within 15 words)

a.       Why did, according to men of the pre-scientific era, earth quakes occur?

Answer: It occurred due to the sin caused by men.

b.      What was the essence of the scientific attitude with reference to natural phenomenon?

Answer: It was not legitimate scientific facts rather haphazard beliefs only.

c.       Who are the men who are thought to be embodiments of Western culture?

Answer: They were some so-called literary persons.

d.      To whom does ‘a tiny minority’ refer to?

Answer: It refers to some so-called scholars.

e.       In which country did the Industrial Revolution begin? Where did it spread?

Answer: It was began in UK and spread to Russia, then to Asia.

f.       What is the main cause of the changes taking place in the world today?

Answer: It is the boon of scientific temper on mankind.

-By Prem Prasad Sigdel

The concept of learning

By Prem Psd. Sigdel

I have read an article about the benefits of online learning in which the conclusion is that the students learn “modestly better” than those who have learnt through “face-to-face instruction”. It makes me more inquisitive and various arguments arise in my mind. I have thought whether the finding is effective or not. This is a research article which was published from USA; so I must think twice before commenting. Finally I have got insight that the argument is weak, unreliable, and partial. It seems that the finding is drawn forcefully; or it can be one of the sub-findings rather the article proves it as key finding of the article.

Online learning is known as virtual learning in which the use of internet technology plays a great role on it. In other words, it is a kind of informal rather than formal learning. Students have learnt with the help of internet or they have learnt from the materials which are posted in the Internet. They have got visual, audio as well as reading materials so it could be helpful for them to have knowledge about various aspects. They can even take help of different materials to be clear with the issue if they have expertise on Internet technology. It would be a great benefit for them if they can use it properly. If the knowledge about Internet is null or less, the reader can’t get the things what s/he has expected. It has positive and negative effects as well; however it depends on the purpose of they have used.

The informal process of learning has been guided with the interest of the reader; in contrast formal reading is imposed to the students. I have used as the ‘reader’ not ‘student’ to those who have used Internet to get knowledge. As it is informal process of learning it should have been guided with the interest of the reader and they must have been benefitted highly. The “modest” achievement is unlike the result of the research. It should have been “much more” rather than the modest.

In fact the use of internet should have given much knowledge not “modestly better” than “face-to-face instruction”. Internet reading is a kind of informal process of reading in which students can read about the subject matter which is interesting to them only. If it’s not interesting to them they would let it and try to find other interesting one. So the finding of the article should have much more effective rather than the modest in comparison to face-to-face instruction. The reader would read only interesting things rather than the course materials which we have prescribed in the formal course. In common the process of learning should be much more effective if we have taken it logically. Everyone can read or they have the interest to read the text which interests them very much. When the finding proves that the subject of interest is only ‘modestly better’, it can’t be the better finding in the backward society where there is no such access of Internet; neither can it be the key finding of the article.

There is a passage in class ten SLC question paper that the children who have born and grown up in the Hollywood would have negative impact on them instead of the adults. They would pursue the beauties, money, and luxuries so that would damage their childish quality. The article suggests not to raise children in the Hollywood. Whether others believe or not, I believe in it that Hollywood isn’t the place for children. It arises various meanings: Hollywood doesn’t need children; it’s a place of money and so-called beauty, it’s a place of adults only, and so on. The question comes along with the meaning that they have pursued the lifestyle and the conclusion of the passage is that Hollywood doesn’t suit for children or we have to take our children away from the shadow of Hollywood.

I would like to contrast these two types of learning. The former one is the non-formal way of learning and the latter one is the informal way of learning. The first one is non-formal because it has given some reading text that we have to read. And the latter one has been learnt with the experience what we have so it is informal learning. We have learnt it through our social practices. The first example has less effect and the latter example has greater effect on the children. So I have questioned that the informal learning process has greater meaning to the children or the citizen of any country. They must have been conscious regarding these issues.

The inquisition has come to me that the “slightly better” improvement in the progression is not so good finding or it has no effect at all. It also indicates that the children have no interest in reading rather they want to do something other. Or the children grow distaste against reading. So we must be conscious about it or we shouldn’t undermine the role of school or we call it as ‘forceful reading’. The children wouldn’t read unless we have forced them. The ideas of traditional education have been proved well. The concept of free reading has come on the favour of some marginal type of education system.

The finding of the article should be ‘excellent’ rather than the ‘modest’ one. So we must be conscious that the finding of all the research articles which should have been accepted with much interest. It indicated that it has damaged the quality of the students or it has instigated students to be diverted from formal process of reading to the informal and then none. Rather than reading they have been doing something other which interests them. Hence guardians should have been conscious regarding it. In other words, it has prone students towards negative aspects rather than positive.

Finally, I would like to conclude that the way of reading may be different but we should have taken the responsibility of the children to teach. If we don’t have guidance the children will do anything what they like. It also concludes that face-to-face learning is much more effective which has no negative aspects in human life. 

Improve Your English

Sentence: A sentence is a combination of words in a sensible structure. The common structure of a sentence is noun+verb+noun (object).

1.      Simple sentence

a.    A simple sentence contains subject, verb and object (SVO). It is simple in reading. We can find the structure of SVO only in it. It has got simple structure and easy to understand. Or it has got single independent structure. We can express our ideas in a simple and effective way without any confusion. These sorts of sentences are easy to write due to its simple structure. Eg. I read book. I can take meal.

b.   Instead, imperative sentences start from verb only. The structure of this sentence is V only or VN or VNN. Eg. Eat. or Walk slowly.

c.    Similarly, interrogative (question) sentences start from wh-words or auxiliaries. These sentences have also got simple structure other than the statement sentences. Eg. Can you go home alone? What do you want?

d.   Moreover, question tags also takes one idea in different structure as they take simple structure. Eg. He goes to zoo, doesn’t he?

2.      Compound sentence

Compound sentence is the combination of two or more simple sentences. They have been connected with coordinate conjunctions like and, but, or. These sentences have combined two independent ideas which are closely related or equally important.

Eg. I finish a story book and go to uncle’s house. I can take meal but I don’t feel appetite at all.

3.      Complex sentence

Complex sentence has an independent clause followed by dependent clauses. It has used subordinate clauses like as, because, since etc. These sentences have complex structure with the combination subordinate ideas of a main idea. Or it has presented the detail form of the main clause. These sentences are difficult to write which takes time to understand as it has got various ideas of a topic in a sentence.

Eg. We went home, as the meal wasn’t ready, we started to do other activities that made us tired and we forgot to take meal even.

The movie was interesting but we can’t get the exact theme of it and, then we thought to take help of Mohan so we went to his house but we can’t meet him there.

In the above sentences we can see the main clause comes first; then other clauses try to illustrate the main clause.

4.      Active and Passive voice

Active and passive voices have different structures. Active voice has emphasized on the doer whereas passive voice emphasize on the object or receiver. Or “who” is important in active voice whereas “what” is done is important in passive voice. We use passive voice to promote the actor or doer of the action. Eg. He has written a letter. On the other hand, if we want to promote action only we use passive voice. Eg. A letter has been written. As a corollary, the “actor” is active in the first example whereas “actor” is passive or “action” is important in the second sentence. We use passive voice when the “doer” is unimportant or, when we want to focus on action rather than the actor.

Requisites of a good sentence

A good sentence has the capacity to make the reader understand what it has aimed. To make the reader more convincing, it needs three things: Clarity, Consistency and Economy.

Clarity: A sentence should be clear to deliver its purpose to the reader. It determines the quality of the write or his skill to make the reader understand his ideas. The main aim of it is to make the ideas cleared to the reader. It needs adequate punctuation, clear reference and correct word order.

Consistency: Consistency is mostly related to the theme and structure of the sentence. The theme should follow the same structure of the subject matter. Similarly, structure of the sentence is related to the grammatical structure. There can be different subject matter of the writers according to their choices, but it should have taken the main theme so that the subject matter is clear to the reader.

Economy: Economy is defined as the skill of the writer to express his/her ideas clearly to the reader in a short and sweet way. The writer should avoid the repetition of the sentences or word in his/her writing. The sentences should be short and clear which can express the ideas clearly. As a whole it has aimed to express the ideas of the writer in a targeted way without any confusion or boredom. 

Envious Parents

By: Prem Prasad Sigdel

Adult learning is full of experiences or it has been mostly known as non-formal and informal learning. No person should take any formal class like children rather they have learnt it with experiences, practices, daily chores, trainings, conversation, observation and so on. It has taken different structures rather than formal learning processes of children. In other words, we can know it as a store house of our life experiences which we can use at the time of need without doing mistakes or getting lesson out of it from past experiences. Thus adult learning has been equal with daily life situations rather than the lessons from formal class.

In formal processes of learning we have focused on 3R (reading, writing and arithmetic) whereas in informal and non-formal processes of learning have focused on skills which helps in the living of human beings. Or it has got connection with the economic well being of human kind. In other words, we call it as a kind of knowledge or education that we have been getting in our life. Learning is a process, either it may be formal, non-formal or informal, which has been continuing from beginning to the end of our life. The formal process of learning has ultimate connection with the informal and non-formal processes to make it fruitful. Hence education is a process that we have been learning from formal, informal and non-formal processes.

Formal learning has taken the education processes in grade system in which students have achieved higher grades of their respective grades which has limitation with the learning within the framework of the designed course. In other words it’s a holistic process of reading in which no particular areas has been included. The course has been set by the government or any department and it has included various aspects which consist all sorts of literacy processes to make students acquaint to all the personal, social, national, international issues.

In informal and non-formal processes people have learnt from their experiences and certain type of orientation like training which has been organized occasionally. Informal process has mostly focused on our observations and practices of our daily life experiences. On the other hand, non-formal process has targeted to some particular areas to enhance some skills to people which are necessary in their life. Similarly, informal process of learning has broad aspect in comparison to the non-formal and formal processes. Informal process of learning has taught us many lessons in comparison to other processes. As a corollary, non-formal and formal processes of learning can have also included in informal processes of learning. However, we have found significant differences in these processes in the field of education.

Mostly non-formal process of learning has some economic benefits to the people; or they have taken it with some particular purpose but it doesn’t mean that other educational processes are without purpose. Non-formal has focused on some particular area for example a person can learn tailoring which has connection to economic or life sustaining purpose. On the other hand, we have taken such education system to sustain our life in comparison to formal and informal processes. Formal education is broad in comparison to non-formal, especially for children, after which they should have oriented towards some particular area. On the other hand, informal process has no beginning and end rather it is learning by doing in the experimental process of our life. For example one can learn managerial skill from formal educational process which is also possible with non-formal and informal processes. In means formal learning illuminated the background and non-formal and informal have made it more reliable.

The informal process of learning has started from childhood age which I have already explained as storehouse of experiences. In other words, it’s a kind of adult learning process; sometimes we have been habituated, sometimes we have learnt through experiences, sometimes we have learnt through observation, sometimes we have created ourselves. Or we have got some skills from such experiences or practices and make it a means of living. Though it is so much valuable, we don’t value children and their learning styles and attitudes. After all, they have tried to be the lifelong learner with the game they have played in their life. In the sense that we don’t value the education what we have got or we have been negligent to value our education in life. People seem forgetful of their experiences and they often blame their children of being violent or out of track. The education what they have got is considered as spontaneous so they rebuke children of not following formal process only. Actually, they seem unaware regarding the benefit they have got in their life so they don’t encourage their children for that. The paradox is that the source from what they have learnt has been ignored deliberately. Nobody has tried to teach children their skills rather they have thought it as the spontaneous knowledge which comes all of a sudden to them.

It’s a crucial issue in these days as we haven’t tried to teach our children of our traditions, practices, skills, and so on. We don’t encourage them for observation even of neglecting that our skill is always useless though that becomes the means of living for us. We have encouraged our children to do other things ignoring the benefit what we have got in our life. It is evident that we have inferiority complex of our skills, or knowledge, or experiences, or traditions etc. We encourage or children to learn other than what we have. It has four meanings; firstly, we mayn’t are ignorant about the skills what we have. Secondly, we are envious towards our children that they would acquire our skills. Thirdly, we have been prone to steal others’ knowledge. Fourthly, we have the habit of valuing others’ knowledge. It’s evident that we don’t try to explore our prospects rather we have been running after mirage. The foreign products have been creating a mirage to us so we have been pursuing others ignoring our possibilities. In other words, we have been murdering our skills, knowledge, experiences, traditions and so on. As a corollary, we have been wandering like a musk deer to get the scent unknowingly. Thus we should be able to have proper knowledge of informal learning so that we can cash it.

Adult learning has such benefits if we have been able to recognize the musky of ours. In other words, we have been respecting our indigenous knowledge. We have recognized the taste of adult learning, but are reluctant to share it with others. We would call our flashbacks and nostalgias time and again but unable to encourage to our children to transfer it. It means we have some sense of superiority in front of children as we thought that we have got it without any effort so we have been unable to teach to our children. In other words, we have the sense of ego which has been lying in the core of our heart so we are reluctant to teach it to juniors. Unknowingly, we have been rejecting juniors intending to lose our possession from that skill. We encourage our children to learn other skills in reality which means they can’t be the competitor of us. It’s evident that we have been much envious to our own children so that we have encouraged them to go to learn other sorts of skills. Thinking them to make more talent we have been rejecting their rights to learn our indignity. Most of the parents have sense of pride that their children should leave their home so that they have done progression in their life. We have been ignoring the fact that we don’t want to accept them in our own home. In this sense adult knowledge transference has also got the same trend and youths have been banned from learning such skills.

Of being parents we have encouraged our children to go out of home to make them competitive and independent. We even show our love to them by lip-pretention irrespective of our ego. Psychologically, we have been chasing them out of home as s/he would be our opponent. When we have sent them out of home there wouldn’t be any question of leadership in our home. It means an ego resides in our mind of not producing any competitor against us transferring the experiences and practices of ours to our youngsters. Either knowingly or unknowingly, we have been being envious to our youths however we have been preaching that we love them by heart. According to Freudian psychology we have been guided with ID which presents us to be loving father and mother. The son is the competitor of father and daughter is of mother. It has been dwelling in the core of our heart so that we have been revealing it time and again either one way or another. In this way, seniors are unable to transfer their knowledge to the juniors though it has multiple benefits.

Finally, adult learning has various positive results which have been yet to be revealed. The thing what we don’t value has two perspectives either we don’t have power to recognize it or we have been guides with the psychological theory of Freud. Hence we don’t encourage our children to learn our indignity; nor do we encourage them to learn from their own experience. We have been forcing them to learn the things what we have thought as good irrespective of their capacity or interest.