Human body is an amazing thing, isn’t it?
Can it be compared with anything?
Prove your point of view.
IS HUMAN BODY A MACHINE?
People sometimes call the human body a machine – the most wonderful ever built. Of course, a human body is not a machine, but it can be compared with one in many ways. Each part of the body, like each part of a machine, does special jobs, but all the parts work together and so make the body or the machine run smoothly. Also like a machine, the body needs energy to work. In such a machine as an automobile the energy comes from gasoline. In the body it comes from food and oxygen.
Although the human body can be compared with a machine, it is far more amazing than any machine. It can do things that no machine can do. For example, the body can grow. The body starts out as one cell. In time this tiny cell develops into a body consisting of trillions of cells. The human body can also replace certain worn-out parts. Each day about 2 billion of the body’s cells wear out and are reproduced. Thus, the body is always rebuilding itself. Every 15 to 30 days, for instance, the human body replaces the outermost layer of skin.
The human body can defend itself against hundreds of diseases. The body can also repair itself after most small injuries. Many body parts, such as the heart of a 70-year-old person, for example, has pumped at least 46 million gallons (174 million liters) of blood during that person’s life. In addition, the person’s kidneys have removed wastes from more than 1 million gallon (3.8 million liters) of blood.
By using its senses, the body can detect changes in its surroundings, such as changes in temperature, light, or sounds. It can adjust to these changes immediately. The body’s senses are truly incredible. For instance, people can learn to identify thousands of odors, yet smell is one of the least developed senses in human beings. The human body can also detect changes that occur within itself, such as changes in body temperature. The various parts of the body continuously adjust their activities to keep the “inside“ environment normal. Such adjustments rely on a system of nerves that carries messages from one part of the body to another. The messages travel at speed of up to 100 yards (90 meters) per second.
The most remarkable part of the human body is the brain. The human brain is so highly developed that makes people different from all other living things. Their magnificent brain makes people able to think. They can compose silly rhymes or beautiful poetry. They can imagine a dream world or study the mysteries of the atom. No animal (no matter how smart) and no computer (no matter how powerful) can think like a human being.
VOCABULARY
I. Guess the meaning of the following words:
special, energy, machine, automobile, gasoline, oxygen, gallon, senses, temperature, identify, odors, detect, normal, compose, rhymes, poetry, dream, world, mysteries.
II. Match the opposites:
1. many |
1. to destroy |
COMPREHENSION
SKIMMING
I. There is a question in the title of the text. Answer this question.
II. Say what things the human body is compared in the text with.
SCANNING
I. Which sentence is correct? Circle a or b:
1.
a. People sometimes call the human body an apparatus.
b. People sometimes call the human body a machine.
2.
a. The human body is really a machine.
b. The human body is not a machine.
3.
a. All the parts of the human body and a machine work together.
b. All the parts of the human body and a machine work separately.
4.
a. The body and the machine need place to work.
b. The body and the machine need energy to work.
5.
a. The human body is more amazing than a machine.
b. The human body is not as amazing as a machine.
6.
a. The body can grow.
b. The machine can grow.
7.
a. The body replaces all worn-out parts.
b. The body replaces certain worn-out parts.
8.
a. The human body can defend itself from diseases.
b. The human body must be vaccinated in all the cases.
9.
a. The body can’t withstand small injuries.
b. The body can repair itself after most small injuries.
10.
a. The most remarkable part of the body is its nervous system.
b. The most remarkable part of the body is the brain.
ACTIVITY
I. Fill in the table. Draw your own conclusions.
| Object of the observation | Common characteristics |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
Human body |
|
|
|
Machine |
|
|
|
II. Compare the results of your investigation with those of your classmates.
III. Interview your classmates on the problem. Ask them to prove their points of view. Work in pairs or groups.
WRITING
I. Write the composition: A HUMAN BEING OF THE 21-ST CENTURY
RESEARCH*
Find out as many facts as possible about «ELECTRONIC BRAIN». Compare the operations it can perform with the operations of the human brain.