What if the answers to global crises - from devastating hurricanes to the malaria epidemic to global warming - were simple and relatively inexpensive?
Journalist Stephen Dubner and economist Steven Levitt, the authors of "SuperFreakonomics," say that throughout history, ’cheap and simple fixes’ often solved the world’s biggest problems.
Take the medical crisis that more than 50 years ago frightened every American child and nearly broke the American health care system. The problem was polio, and the solution was not more hospitals or more efficient iron lungs that would make breathing easier. The answer was a vaccine.
“Polio’s just one of thousands of examples like that, where a simple solution will prevent so much heartache going down the road,” Dubner said.
The "SuperFreakonomics" duo argue that it's no different in modern times. “We love to think the world is terrible and difficult, and that it’s much worse now than it’s ever been. But the fact of the matter is that’s almost always wrong” Dubner said. “The world is actually better now than it ever was and all the unsolvable problems that appear keep getting solved.”
Intellectual Ventures, a company in Bellevue, Wash., has been in the business of solving global problems since 2000. The self-proclaimed invention company uses inventions from some of the smartest scientists, mathematicians, software engineers and patent experts in the world, including Nathan Myhrvold, the former chief technology officer at Microsoft.
“Our only job is to invent. And so we try to swing for the fences and try to solve really big problems. And sometimes we do!” Myhrvold said.
Although their ideas are sometimes strange and outrageous, Intellectual Ventures currently ranks in the top 50 among companies that file patents worldwide. Myhrvold said the key components are “simple, and cheap and effective. And when you’re lucky and when things are going all right, you can come up with an idea that’s all of them.”
A 7 The solutions of all global problems are not expensive.
1) True 2) False 3) Not stated
A 8 The American medical system was ruined about fifty years ago.
1) True 2) False 3) Not stated
A 9 The way out of the polio crisis was vaccine.
1) True 2) False 3) Not stated
A 10 The solution to the polio crisis was quickly found.
1) True 2) False 3) Not stated
A 11 Simple solutions may also be used nowadays.
1) True 2) False 3) Not stated
A 12 The world has changed for the better as Dubner thinks.
1) True 2) False 3) Not stated
A 13 Intellectual Ventures is a big company which always solves global problems.
1) True 2) False 3) Not stated
A 14 Intellectual Ventures’ ideas are very often odd for common people.
1) True 2) False 3) Not stated
Раздел 3. (задания по грамматике и лексике)
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| В4 В5 B6 В7 В8 B9 В10 B11 B12 | The 2012 doomsday or "the end of the world" phenomenon, as it has come _________, is a cultural idea that has been spread through the Internet, books and television and suggests that disastrous events ________ in the year 2012. The types of predictions for the year 2012 ______ but normally include various catastrophic events such as meteor impacts and ecological collapse, and events like sudden changes in human evolution, a spiritual transformation of the Earth, a reversal of _______ magnetic field which could disrupt current __________ and the beginning of a new era in history also _________. The forecast date of 2012 for these events mainly _______ on the end of the Mayan or Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar. The calendar, which is said to last around 5,125 years, _______ on August 11, 3114 B.C.E. and ends on December 21, 2012. Today, the idea of any global event occurring in 2012 ________ largely by the scientific community and many Mayanist scholars claim that any predictions based on the Long Count Calendar are misrepresentative of Mayan history. | CALL HAPPEN VARY EARTH TECHNOLOGY MENTION BASE BEGIN REJECT |
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| В13 В14 В15 В16 В17 В18 | The term __________ is widely used in scientific literature, social journalism and politics. It is described as strengthened economic interdependence and ________ between all countries of the world. The notion of global economy appeared in the 40th of the XIX century. At that time transportation expenses have died with the _______ of railway and steam engine modes of transport. Thus, new possibilities were created for long-distance goods ________ and the enlargement of effective co-operation between nations has gone ahead. In the 80th (20th century), however, globalization posed considerable complications. The international organizations claimed the _______ of global problems, which are universal in nature. Globalization is an economic phenomenon but its problems are ___________ to a certain degree. It is obvious that the world economic growth together with scientific and technological progress is impossible without environmental pollution, excessive use of resources, smoky atmosphere. | GLOBAL RELATIONSHIP APPEAR DELIVER EXIST ECOLOGY |
Раздел 4 (задания по письму)
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You have 30 minutes to do this task.
You have received a letter from your English-speaking pen friend Kat.
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White a letter to him and answer his 3 questions.
Write 100-120 words. Remember the rules of letter writing.
Ключи
Раздел 2
Задание В3
| Тексты | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
| Заголовки |
Задание А7-А14
A7 -2, A8 – 2, A9 – 1, A10 – 3, A11 – 1, A12 – 1, A13 – 2, A14 – 1.
Раздел 3
Задание В4-В12
B4 - to be called, B5 - will happen, B6 – vary, B7 - Earth’s, B8 – technologies, B9 - are also mentioned, B10 – is mainly based, B11 – began, B12 - is largely rejected.
Задания В13-В18
B13 – globalization, B14 – interrelationship, B15 – appearance, B16 – delivery, B17 – existence, B18 – ecological.
Раздел 4
Задание С1
Hello Kat,
It’s nice to get another letter from you. I hope everything is OK. I wonder why you are worried about such global problems as pollution. I guess you are right to think that it is the major problem of today. If we cope at least with this one our world will be much better and cleaner.
As for the laptop you are going to buy I don’t really know which one is better for you as everyone has his own preferences. I find macbook as one of the best makes of all the laptops possible. But it’s up to you to decide which one to choose. Of course, a lot depends on the sum you are going to spend.
Best wishes,
Max.