Before You Read

A. Matching. Read the information below and match each phrase in bold The Australian thorny
with its definition. devil can drink water
through its foot. It
8iomimetic engineers have a concrete purpose in mind: to create designs moves water to its
that have the potential to change our everyday lives. These engineers mouth using channels
draw inspiration from designs found in nature, many of which are between its scales.
unimaginably complex. They then apply the design principles in order
to improve existing technologies or create entirely new ones. Recent
applications of biomimetic research include new technologies used in
engineering, medicine, and many other fields.

1. draw inspiration : to get ideas

2. unimaginably complex : extremely difficult to understand
3. have the potential :.to possess the capability
4. concrete purpose : a definite goal or aim

B. Skim. Skim the first paragraph of the reading passage to answer

these questions.
1. Who is Andrew Parker?
2. What special ability does the thorny devil have?
3. What does Parker want to do with the knowledge he has obtained?

62 Unil4A
 ONE CLOUDLESS MIDSUMMER DAY, Andrew
Parker, an evolutionary biologist, knelt in the
From Natural Wonder to
baking red sand of an Australian desert and Useful Tool
gently placed the right back leg of a thorny
5 devil into a dish of water. The thorny devil, a Parker is a leading scientist in the field of
small lizard that has learned to survive in the biomimetics-applying designs from nature
intense heat of the Australian desert, has a 25 to solve problems in engineering, materials
secret that fascinated Parker. "Look, look!" he science, medicine, and other fields. His studies
exclaimed. "Its back is completely drenched!"! of the body coverings of butterflies and beetles
10 Sure enough, in less than a minute, water have led to brighter screens for cell phones. He
from the dish had traveled up the lizard's leg, sometimes draws inspiration from nature's past:
across its skin, and into its mouth. It was, in 30 While visiting a museum in Warsaw, Poland,
essence, drinking through its foot. The thorny he noticed a 45-million-year-old fly trapped in
devil can also do this when standing on damp amber3 and observed how the shape of its eye's
15 sand-a vital competitive advantage in the surface reduced light reflection. This shape is
desert. Parker had come here to solve the now being used in solar panels.4 As the next
riddle of precisely how it does this, not from 35 phase in his plan to create a water-collection
purely biological2 interest, but with a concrete device inspired by the lizard, Parker sent his
purpose in mind: to make a device to help observations and experimental results
people collect water in the desert. to Michael Rubner and Robert Cohen, two
20

3 Amber is a hard yellowish-brown substance used for

! If something is drenched. it is completely wet.
making jewelry.
2 Biological processes occur in the bodies of living things.
4 A solar panel is a device used to collect
electrical energy from the sun.
Unit 4A 63
 Cockleburs have hooked spines
that stick to fur or clothing.

colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of "Looking at pretty structures in nature is not

40 Technology. On the one hand, Parker is full of sufficient," says Cohen. "What I want to know
inspiration and enthusiasm about the many 60 is can we actually transform these structures into
possibilities of biomimetics. On the other, [something] with true utility6 in the real world?"
Rubner and Cohen are much more practical
and focus on the ideas that actually have
45 a chance of being applied successfully.
Unlocking Nature's Secrets
This combination of biological insight and The work of Parker, Rubner, and Cohen is
engineering pragmatism5 is vital to success in only one part of a growing global biomimetics
biomimetics, and has led to several promising 65 movement. Scientists around the world are
technologies. studying and trying to copy a wide variety of
nature's design secrets, with the goal of using
50 Though Rubner and Cohen are certainly them to create something useful. In the United
impressed by biological structures, they consider States, researchers are looking at the shape
nature merely a starting point for innovation. 70 of humpback whale fins in order to improve
Cohen says, "The natural structure provides windmills that generate electric energy. The
a clue to what is useful ... But maybe you shape of the body of a certain fish has inspired
55 can do it better." Ultimately, they consider designers at Mercedes-Benz to develop a more
a biomimetics project a success only if it has
the potential to make a useful tool for people.
5 Pragmatism means dealing with problems in a practical way.
6 The utility of something is its usefulness.
64 Unil4A
 Swissengineer Georgesde Mestral invented Velcro after being
inspired by cockleburs(left) that stuck to his dog's fur.

efficient car design. By analyzing how termites7 replicate, .•10 he says. It will still be years before
75 keep their large nests at the right temperature his robot fly can perform anything like an actual
and humidity, architects in Zimbabwe hope to fly, but Fearing is confident that over time he
build more comfortable buildings. And in Japan, 95 will close the gap between nature and human
medical researchers have developed a painless engineering.
needle that is similar in shape to the proboscis8
80 of a mosquito. At Stanford University in California, Mark
Cutkosky is working on a robot gecko. As
long ago as the fifth century B.C., the Greek
The Bio-Inspired Robot 100 philosopher Aristotle was amazed at how this
Potentially, one of the most useful applications small lizard "can run up and down a tree in
of biomimetics is the robot. Robots can perform
tasks that might be too boring or dangerous 7 Termites are small insects that eat wood.
85 for humans, but such robots are extremely S A proboscis is a long mouth part. usually of an insect.
9 Surveillance is the careful watching of someone, especially
difficult to build. Professor Ronald Fearing of the
by an organization such as the police or the army.
University of California is creating a tiny robot 10 If you replicate something, you make a copy of it.
fly that can be used in surveillance9 or rescue
operations. Fearing's fly is a much simplified
90 copy of the real thing. "Some things are just
too mysterious and complicated to be able to

Unil4A 65
 any way, even with the head downward."
Cutkosky studied the extremely small structures
on the gecko's feet that allow it to run up
105 and down vertical walls as easily as
humans run down the street. He
applied what he learned to create
Stickybot, a robot that can walk
up and down smooth vertical surfaces
110 made, for example, of glass or plastic.
The U.S. military, which funds
the project, hopes that one day
Stickybot will be able to climb
up a building and stay there for
115 days, monitoring the area below.
Geckotoes have
Cutkosky hypothesizes a range of
non-military uses as well. specialadaptations
that enablethem
"I'm trying to get robots to go places where to adhereto most
they've never gone before," he says. For now, surfaces.
120 Stickybot only climbs very clean and smooth
surfaces quite slowly-quite unlike a real gecko,
which can run up just about any surface
very quickly.

However, despite the promise of the field, and the

125 brilliant people who work in it, biomimetics has led
to surprisingly few business successes.Perhaps only
one product has become truly famous-Velcro,
which was invented in 1948 by Swiss engineer
Georges de Mestral, who copied the way seeds
130 called cockleburs stuck to his dog's fur. Some blame
industry, whose short-term expectations about how
soon a project should be completed and become
profitable conflict with the time-consuming nature
of biomimetics research. But the main reason
135 biomimetics hasn't yet been a business success is
that nature is inherently and unimaginably complex.
For the present, engineers cannot hope
to reproduce it.

Nonetheless, the gap with nature is gradually

140 closing. Researchers are using more powerful
microscopes, high-speed computers, and other
new technologies to learn more from nature. A
growing number of biomimetic materials are being
produced. And although the field of biomimetics A prototype of a wall-walking robot, based
145 has yet to become a very successful commercial on the movementsof a gecko, in the hands
industry, it has already developed into a powerful of Nancy Smith at the headquartersof
new tool for understanding nature's secrets. iRobot in Bedford, Massachusetts,U.S.A.

66 Unit 4A
Reading Comprehension
Multiple Choice. Choose the best answer for each question.

Gist 1. Another title for this reading could be

a. The Life of the Thorny Devil
b. Why Biomimetics Can't Succeed
c. Technology Inspired by Nature
d. Andrew Parker's Scientific Career
Detail 2. Why did Andrew Parker go to the Australian desert?
a. to capture and bring back a thorny devil
b. to understand how the thorny devil collects water
c. to provide water to thirsty thorny devils
d. to discover water in the Australian desert
Detail 3. What has the study of termite nests inspired?
a. more comfortable buildings
b. improved windmills
c. a more efficient car design
d. a painless needle
Reference 4. In line 90, what does things refer to?
a. abilities
b. robot flies
c. copies
d. rescue operations
Detail 5. According to the article, which is a limitation of Stickybot?
a. It can't climb up rough surfaces.
b. It can move forward but not backward.
c. It's too heavy to stay on a wall for long.
Critical Thinking
d. The military won't let others use the technology.
Main Idea 6. What is the main idea of paragraph 8 (starting line 124)? Evaluating:
a. Velcro is the greatest business success biomimetics has The writer says that
the "combination of
ever had.
b. Biomimetics would be more successful if industry biological insight and
were less demanding. engineering pragmatism
is vital to success in
c. Nature's complexity is why biomimetics has had few
biomimetics." Why do
business successes.
Today's engineers are unable to copy nature as well you think the writer
d.
as de Mestral could. makes this claim?

Detail 7. Which of these statements about biomimetics is NOT true? Discussion: Which
a. Parker hopes to create a water-collection device inspired feature of an animal or
by the thorny devil. a plant not mentioned
b. Studying humpback whale fins may be useful for in the reading do you
improving windmills. think would be useful to
c. The body of a fish inspired a car design. replicate? Can you think
d. Stickybot is perhaps the most famous biomimetic of a practical use for it?
creation so far.

Unil4A 67
Recognizing Collocations
A collocation is two or more words that naturally go together. For example,
we say, "make the bed" and "make a mistake" but not "make my homework"
or "make a break." Here are some of the most common types, with examples:
Verb + noun take responsibility
Adjective + noun innovative design
Adjective + preposition concerned about
Noun + noun design concept
Adverb + adjective highly original
Adverb + verb strongly suggest

Try to memorize collocations as chunks of language, rather than as

individual words.

A. Matching. Match the words to make collocations.

1. keep d a. attention
2. save b b. energy
3. pay a c. to an end
4. get f d. a secret
5. come c e. the law
6. break e f. permission

B. Identifying. The collocations in bold are from pages 63-64. Guess which of
the other pairs of words do not collocate (a-c). Cross out the words. Use a
dictionary to check your ideas.
1. concrete purpose
a. light purpose b. sale purpose c. clear purpose
2. competitive advantage
a. unfair advantage b. distinct advantage c. sad advantage
3. solve a problem
a. solve a riddle b. solve the answer c. solve a mystery
4. draw inspiration (from)
a. draw attention (to) b. draw a problem (to) c. draw a distinction (between)
5. have a chance
a. learn a chance b. stand a chance c. get a chance
6. starting point
a. selling point b. turning point c. leaving point

68 Unil4A
Vocabulary Practice
A. Completion. Complete the information with the correct form of
words from the box. Five words are extra.

device gap gradual insight military

nonetheless reproduce riddle vertical vital

The tropical boxfish, roughly the shape of a box, looks like it would
have trouble moving through the water. 1. nonetheless , the
boxfish is, in fact, an excellent swimmer that cuts through the water
extremely smoothly. It is such a good swimmer that engineers at
Mercedes Technology Center in Sindelfingen, Germany, had
a remarkable 2. insight : to use the boxfish to
design the shape of a car that can cut through air as
efficiently as the boxfish moves through water.

A model of the boxfish was created for them by

Ronald Fricke at the Rosenstein Museum in Stuttgart,
Germany. The model was placed inside a wind tunnel,
a(n) 3. device that is used to study how air A boxfish found in
moves around solid objects. The boxfish shape reportedly the Temae Reef,
performed over 65 percent better than today's compact cars. French Polynesia
It should be possible to 4. reproduce that efficient shape
for use in the body of a car to reduce its air resistance. Less air
resistance means less fuel is required to run it.

Engineers set to work to try to solve the 5. riddle of how

this unlikely shape could be so efficient. Their efforts were successful,
and the car they created is the Mercedes Bionic concept car. However,
the car is currently just for testing and not for sale.

B. Completion. Match words from the box in A with their definitions.

vital
1. _______ : necessary or very important
2.
gradual
_______ : occurring in small stages over a long period of r
time, rather than suddenly
Word Partnership
military
3. _______ : relating to soldiers or a country's armed forces Use vital with: (adv.)
vertical
4. _______ : standing or pointing straight up absolutely vital; (n.)
5. gap
_______ : a space between two things or a hole in the vital importance,
middle of something solid vital information,
vital link, vital
organs, vital part,
vital role.

Unit 4A 69
Before You Read
A. Completion. Read the information below and complete the sentences Biochemist Thomas
(1-4) using the words in bold. Scheibel from
the University of
Goats bred by Nexia Biotechnologies contain a spider gene that causes
Bayreuth, holds a
them to make a spider-silk protein in their milk. This protein is being used
frame with artificial
in a new fiber that's five times stronger than steel.
spider's thread. This
Spider silk joins a long list of fibers, both natural and synthetic, that have synthetic substance is
been used to create textiles that are then used to make, for example, very strong-stronger
clothing. Some recently created textiles are high-tech industrial secrets. even than real silk.

1. textiles are types of woven cloth.

2. high-tech activities or equipment involve an advanced
level of technology.
fiber
3. _______ is a thin thread of a natural or artificial substance.
synthetic
4. _______ products are made from chemicals or
artificial substances.

B. Predict. Look quickly at the photos, captions, and headings in the reading
on pages 71-73. Check (.f) the topics you think you'll read about. Then read
the passage and check your answers.

o high-tech protective clothing o intelligent clothes

o extremely strong fabrics o famous fashion models

70 Unit 4B
 ALEX SOZA IS A YOUNG AND EXTREMELY CREATIVE Synthetic textiles have come a long way since
Danish fashion designer. He says his ideas come nylon. Kevlar, a textile that is stronger than
to him in dreams. "I daydream. That's how I steel, is used in bulletproof vests and ropes used
get ideas." One of his inventions, a jacket that 25 by astronauts in space. Other high-tech fibers
5 stays suspended in the air like a balloon after can resist very high temperatures-perfect for
it is taken off, arose from such a daydream. He firefighters and race-car drivers. While not all
explained, "I was on the subway, and this picture companies are forthcoming about their products
of a floating jacket popped into my mind." Alex for fear of having their ideas stolen, Huges
Soza is one of many dreamers and pioneers who 30 Vinchon, an executive at Dubar-Warneton, a
10 are turning textile fantasies into realities. manufacturer of high-tech textiles in France, is
happy to display some of the amazing synthetic

High-Tech Textiles fibers his company creates. There is an oil-eating

textile that absorbs five times its weight in oil,
35 and is perfect for cleaning up oil spills. Another
Not so long ago, all fibers used to make textiles
absorbs vibrations.! ("Can you imagine a
came from natural sources: wool from the hair
motorboat you can't hear?" he says.) There is also
of sheep, cotton from the cotton plant, silk from
an ordinary-looking cloth bag that is "completely
15 silk worms. The first truly synthetic fiber didn't
water soluble,"2 according to Vinchon. "It's
appear until 1935, when scientists at the DuPont
40 strong enough to carry heavy objects. But if I dip
Company invented nylon. Nylon is just one of
it in boiling water, it disappears."
various industrially produced substances called
polymers. Polymers can be pulled into a thread,
20 which makes them well suited for use in textile ! If something vibrates, it shakes with repeated small,
quick movements.
manufacturing.
2 If something is water soluble, it will dissolve in water.

Unil4B 71
 Some high-tech textiles draw their inspiration their milk. Nexia's head, Jeff Turner, is already
from nature. Spider silk is a natural fiber that dreaming of applications for the new fiber,
is five times as strong as steel. Unfortunately, named BioSteel. "Why use rockets to lift objects
45 spiders cannot be farmed, as they will eat each into orbit?3 ... Why not have a [big] satellite
other. A Canadian biotechnology firm, Nexia, 55 and dangle a rope down to Earth and pull them
has come up with a possible alternative to up? ... [There's] not a rope that will hold its
spider farming: They have inserted the weight at that length-but spider silk with its
spider-silk protein gene into goats, thereby high strength-to-weight ratio could."
50 causing them to produce spider-silk protein in
3 An orbit is the curved path in space that an object
follows as it moves around a planet. moon, or star.

72 Unil4B
 Wearable Electronics 105 Future Warriors
60 Textiles have always been used in clothing, and One of the most important areas of clothing
modern, high-tech textiles may redefine what innovation is for military purposes. High-
clothes are all about. "In the past, clothing tech textiles are everywhere at the U.S. Army
protected us from the elements," says Ian research center in Natick, Massachusetts.
Scott, head of technology for women's wear 110 As part of their Future Warrior program,
65 at British department store Marks & Spencer. researchers are developing uniforms that will
"Then clothing became about fashion. The make a soldier difficult or impossible to see.
future is about clothing that can do something Fibers in the uniform would take on the same
for you. It's no longer passive. It's active." One color, brightness, and patterns of the wearer's
example of this active clothing that he hopes to 115 surroundings. A soldier dressed in such a uniform
70 sell in the next few years is an "intelligent bra," would become nearly invisible to the enemy.
a sports bra that can sense stress and adjust its
dimensions to give perfect support. The researchers at Natick are also working on
portable buildings that are made of what are
Other wearable electronics are being pioneered essentially large, high-strength textile balloons.
at a design laboratory in London run by the 120 Called air beams, these building materials would
75 European manufacturer Philips Electronics. allow a team to build a structure large enough
They are in the planning stages for various to hold airplanes in a fraction of the time a
high-tech products, including an intelligent conventional metal structure would take. The
apron. This electronic apron acts as a kind largest air beams, about 0.75 meters (2.5 feet)
of remote-control device. It has a built-in 125 in diameter and 24 meters (78 feet) long, are so
80 microphone that allows the wearer to operate rigid that you can hang a heavy truck from one.
kitchen appliances using voice commands. Yet they can be packed into a truck. Whereas a
Another planned product is the Queen of Clubs conventional metal hangar5 takes ten people five
outfit. According to a Philips spokesperson, days to set up, one made of air beams can be set
"Here's an outfit for the girl who's really into 130 up by six people in just two days.
85 clubbing. Sensors4 hidden in her clothes allow
her to affect the lights and beat of the Today's textile innovators are creating
music. ... So that she can make contact with astonishing things. From Alex Soza's artistic
other people across the dance floor, she jacket that defies gravity to smart aprons to
has ... pants with lights that flash when invisible military uniforms, high-tech textiles
90 someone is trying to get in touch." 135 will soon be appearing in more and more parts
of our lives. Who can foresee what these
While there are many interesting clothing textile pioneers will dream up next? "'t's about
innovations to look forward to, the only item imagination!" says Alex Soza, with a bright look
so far sold in stores was marketed a few years in his eye. "It's a beautiful dream! It's turning
ago as the first wearable electronics jacket. 140 science fiction into scientific fact!"
95 The jacket, called the ICD+, sold for about a
thousand dollars. It had an MP3 player and cell 4 A sensor is an instrument that reacts to certain physical
phone. Headphones were built into the hood, conditions, such as heat or light.
and it had a microphone in the collar. Clive 5 A hangar is a large building in which aircraft are kept.

van Heerden, director of Intelligent Fibres,

100 pointed out that it was an early first step and a
conservative one. "We want to make the jacket
that makes the coffee and picks up the kids
and keeps track of the shopping list, but it's
not going to happen overnight."
Unil48 73
Reading Comprehension
1. What is the main purpose of the passage?
a. to provide a historical overview of innovative fashion styles
b. to introduce the reader to developments in high-tech textiles
c. to convince the reader to buy the latest synthetic fashions
d. to explain how modern fashions are often inspired by nature
Inference 2. Why does Huges Vinchon mention a motorboat you can't hear?
a. to evoke admiration for a fabric that can absorb vibrations
b. to explain one of the properties of an oil-absorbing fabric
c. to give an example of how quietly his textile factory runs
d. to show that he is not afraid of having his ideas stolen

3. Which person do you think would be most likely to design

a coat made of paper with six sleeves that three people can
wear together?
a. Alex Soza
b. Huges Vinchon
c. Jeff Turner
d. Ian Scott

Detail 4. Which of these items has actually been sold in stores?

a. the Queen of Clubs outfit
b. the intelligent bra
c. the intelligent apron
d. the ICD+ jacket

Paraphrase 5. What does Clive van Heerden mean, when talking about
the jacket, that "it's not going to happen overnight"? Critical Thinkirtg
(lines 104-105)
a. It's not going to happen until tomorrow. Discussion: Which
b. It's going to take a short time to happen. of the products
c. It's going to take a long time to happen. mentioned in the
d. It's probably never going to happen. reading do you think
would sell well if they
Reference 6. The word they in line 127 refers to _ become available in
a. heavy trucks stores? Why?
b. air beams
c. metal hangars
Evaluating:
d. airplanes
Jeff Turner of Nexia
Cohesion 7. The following sentence would best be placed at the end thinks his company's
of which paragraph? Thanks to them, the world of high-tech BioSteel could make
textiles is an exciting place to be these days. it possible to lift
a. paragraph 1 (starting line 1) things into orbit using
b. paragraph 2 (starting line 12) spider silk. What
c. paragraph 8 (starting line 106) challenges do you
d. paragraph 9 (starting line 117) think he would face?

74 Unil4B
Reading Skill
Understanding Synonyms and Antonyms
A synonym is a word that has the same meaning as, or is very similar
to, another word. For example, a synonym of the word synthetic is
artificial. Writers often use synonyms to avoid overusing the same words.
Knowledge of a word's synonym(s) greatly increases your vocabulary.
It can also help you put ideas into your own words when paraphrasing.
An antonym has the opposite meaning to another word, for example,
synthetic and natural. When you learn a new word, list any synonyms and
antonyms, for example, synthetic = artificial, synthetic *- natural.

A. Matching. Circle the word that is closest in meaning to the word

in bold. Look back at the reading to check your ideas.

1. various (line 18)

a. numerous b. future c. hilarious
2. commands (line 81)
a. answers b. questions c. instructions
3. invisible (line 116)
a. unclear b. unseen c. unprepared
4. astonishing (line 132)
a. amazing b. puzzling c. frightening

B. Substitution. Read the excerpt from the reading below. Replace the
words in bold with antonyms from the box. Then look at paragraph 5
to check your answers.

active always future give high-tech

modern past protected sell women's

Textiles have never (1. ) been used in clothing, and

traditional (2. ), low-tech (3. )
textiles may redefine what clothes are all about. "In the future
(4. ), clothing exposed (5. ) us
from the elements," says Ian Scott, head of technology for men's
(6. ) wear at British department store Marks & Spencer.
"Then clothing became about fashion. The past (7. )
is about clothing that can do something for you. It's no longer passive.
It's active." One example of this passive (8. ) clothing
that he hopes to buy (9. ) in the next few years is an
"intelligent bra," a sports bra that can sense stress and adjust its
dimensions to take (10. .) perfect support.
Unit 48 75
 A. Completion. Complete the information by circling the
correct word in each pair.
Born in 1935, Christo is one of the best-known living
artists. However, the art he is famous for could never fit
inside a museum. He is an "environmental artist" who
changes the look of a place on a very large scale, often
with colorful fabric, 1. (rigidly / thereby) allowing
people to look at that place in a new way.
Christo worked closely alongside his wife, Jeanne-Claude,
from their marriage in 1958 until her death in 2009.
Once the couple had settled on an artistic idea, it took an
incredible amount of planning, work, and money in order
to turn their 2. (fantasies / realities) into
3. (fantasies / realities). Some examples of their
large-scale works are:
Surrounded Islands (1983). Eleven islands in Miami
were surrounded by 600,000 square meters (6.5 million
square feet) of floating pink fabric.
The Gates (2005). In New York City's Central Park, 7,503
metal gates with orange fabric 4. (gravity / suspended)
from them were set up along the park's pathways.
Christo's 5. (portable / forthcoming) project is called
The Mastaba, a structure made of over 400,000 oil barrels Christo and Jeanne-Claude's
built at Al Gharbia, 160 kilometers (100 miles) from "The Gates" in Central Park,
Abu Dhabi. New York City, U.S.A.

B. Words in Context. Complete each sentence with the

correct answer.
1. An example of a rigid material is _
a. cotton b. wood
2. If you bought some clothes at a fraction of their original
price, you _
a. saved money b. spent too much
3. Gravity is particularly important when you are designing _ Word Link
a. a rocket b. clothing The prefix fore- has
the meaning of
4. If you foresee an event, you it.
e are, e.g., fioresee,
"bfi"
a. remember b. predict forecast, forestal/,
5. A portable device is easily_ foreground.
a. carried b. used

76 Unit 4B
VIEWING
Before You Watch
A. Definitions. Read the information below and match each word in bold
with its definition.

A kinetic sculpture is literally a piece of art on wheels. Contestants in the Kinetic

Sculpture Race can focus on making their vehicles more kinetic (which means they are able
to move on their own) or making them more eye-catching. Of course, they have to remember
this is no simple race down the street, but a full obstacle course over a great distance!

1. : actually; without any exaggeration

2. : a path along which objects are placed making it difficult to travel
3. : people who take part in a competition

B. Discussion. Look at these entries in the race. Do you think they would move easily?
Do you think their creators want to win the race, show their creativity, or both?

While You Watch

A. True or False. Mark the statements T (True) or F (False).
1. Entries in the race can be driven by one person or by a team of drivers. T F
2. The race goes through water, sand, mud, and ice. T F
3. The race began in the 1960s, when Hobart Brown decorated his own bike. T F
4. The race is more about having fun than actually winning. T F
Viewing 77
B. Completion. Complete these quotes with the missing words.

Jen Ernst, Student:

"Some people really work on the 1. , the scorpion
sculpture, and some people have been really working on the
2. aspect."

Hobart Brown, Race Founder:

"The true artwork or the true art form is the 3.
of everybody from the kid up to the adult, and the kid looks up to
the adult and says I want to get 4. _ .. .... , too."

Jeff Bartolomeo, Teacher:

"My main idea is to build a machine that can overcome all the
5. that the race organizers set out. Now, other folks
could really care less, I think, about that part of the race. They just want
to build something that can 6. their artwork.
It's just a fun day of 7. _

After You Watch

A. Discussion. Discuss these questions with a partner.
1. Imagine that you are going to enter the race. What shape will your kinetic sculpture be?
2. Look back at what student Jen Ernst says. Which would you most likely work on,
the sculpture aspect or the engineering aspect?
3. Look back at what founder Hobart Brown says. What do you think he means?
4. Read about four more unusual races below. Which would you like to participate
in the most? The least?

Joggling World Championships

Joggling is a combination of jogging and juggling. The rules are simple-joggers must
juggle while they run. If a jogger drops something, he or she must go back and pick it up.

Knaresborough Bed Race

Contestants in the u.K. race in teams of six, with one extra person on the bed. Each team
decorates their own bed. The bed runs on four wheels, but also needs to be able to float.

The Great Singapore Duck Race

In this charity event, people buy rubber ducks and put their name on them. Then all the
ducks are thrown into the Singapore River. The first duck across the finish line is the winner.

The Empire State Building Run-Up

In this New York City race, contestants run up the 1,576 steps of the Empire State Building.
Runners usually get to the top in about 10 minutes, slightly slower than the elevator.

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