The Facts: Now and Then reading

Over time, even facts we consider steadfast truths can change. Can you think of any
examples?
B What is the history of Pluto and how have our opinions of it changed over time? Read
the first part of the article and check your ideas.

Business Insider May 2017

Facts you learned
in school that are no
longer true
Over time, even facts we
consider steadfast truths can
change. People used to think
doctors could forgo washing
their hands before surgery.
Knowledge is ever-evolving.
The ideas below probably
changed since your school
days. Re-educate yourself.
THEN: Pluto is a planet.
NOW: Pluto isnt a planet.
Weve known since the late
1800s that a ninth planet,
after Uranus, potentially
existed. In 1906, Percival
Lowell, the founder of
the Lowell Observatory in
Arizona, began a research
project intended to locate the After an 11-year-old English
mysterious Planet X. girl named the new planet
(for the Roman god of the
underworld), we started
including Pluto as a planet in
our solar system.
But in 2003, an astronomer
found a larger object beyond
Pluto which he named Eris,
according to NASA. The new
information caused a bunch
of other astronomers to
Then in 1930, a 23-year- question what really makes
old newbie at the facility a planet a planet, and they
found it. The discoverer, decided, based on size and
Clyde Tombaugh, had been location, that Pluto just didnt
tasked with systematically make the cut. Neither did Eris,
comparing photographs of actually. Pluto was demoted
the sky taken weeks apart to to a dwarf planet.
search for any moving objects. But there may be hope.
He eventually saw one and Researchers have recently
submitted his finding to the been debating whether to
Harvard College Observatory. make Pluto a planet again.

f Summarise the history of Pluto in your own words.

B What were you taught was the hardest substance known to man when you were at
school? How have those facts changed in recent years? Read the next part of the
article and check your ideas.

THEN: Diamond is the hardest boron nitride and lonsdaleite,

substance. according to Scientific
NOW: Ultrahard nanotwinned American. The first resists
cubic boron nitride is the indentation with 18% more
hardest substance. fortitude than a diamond, and
Weve known about two the second a whopping
substances harder than a 58%.
diamond since 2009: wurtzite Unfortunately, both

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The Facts: Now and Then reading

substances are rather unusual
and unstable in nature. In fact,
the studys authors, published
in the journal Physical Review
Letters, only calculated the
new substances hardness,
instead of actually testing it
using a tangible specimen.
That makes the discovery a
bit theoretical.
But another contender
was published in the January team explained to Wired.
2013 issue of the journal
Nature. In the simplest terms,
researchers compressed
boron nitride particles to form
ultrahard nanotwinned cubic
boron nitride. They simply
re-organized the particles like
an onion, or a flaky rose, or
those little Russian dolls that
fit inside one another, as the

B The Great Wall Of China is the only man-made structure visible from space, was a fact
commonly quoted in the early days of space exploration. How true was it then and
how true is it today? Read the next part of the article and check your ideas.

spaceship, but all the way cities and major roadways

from the moon, date back as
far as 1938.
In 2003 though, the first
Chinese astronaut finally
shattered the myth.
The party responsible,
a man named Yang Liwei,
admitted he couldnt see
THEN: The Great Wall Of the Great Wall from space,
China is the only man-made according to NASA.
structure visible from space. Other photos surfaced
NOW: Many man-made here and there. The
places are visible from space. consensus became that you
Technically, this wasnt ever can, indeed, catch glimpses
a solid truth just a fact of the Wall but only under
third-graders ubiquitously the right conditions (snow
included in their class. In fact, on the structure) or with a
rumors that you can see the zoom-capable camera. You
landmark, not only from a can also see the lights of large
and bridges and airports and
dams and reservoirs.
The moon factoid,
however, is totally wrong.
The only thing you can see
from the Moon is a beautiful
sphere, mostly white, some
blue and patches of yellow,
and every once in a while
some green vegetation,
Apollo 12 astronaut Alan
Bean told NASA. No man-
made object is visible at this
scale.
To further clarify, people
probably mean these
structures are visible from
satellites orbiting Earth but
thats not actual space.

f Summarise the facts about what you can see from space?

B How many kingdoms of life were classified when you were at school and what were
they? How many exist now and what are they? Read the final part of the article and
check your ideas.

THEN: Five (or three) NOW: There might be as Depending on when you
kingdoms of life exist. many as eight kingdoms. grew up, your middle school

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The Facts: Now and Then reading

science teacher probably
lectured about three main
kingdoms of life animals,
plants, and bacteria (monera)
or five, including fungi and
protists, too.
Either way, weve
expanded our classification of
life since then.
The more species we
find and analyze, the
more complex labeling life
becomes. In addition to the
five kingdoms above, we now In the US, however, we stick
know of archaea, previously with six: plants, animals,
thrown under monera. protists, fungi, archaebacteria,
Archaea superficially look like and eubacteria.
other one-celled organisms
called eubacteria, but theyre
completely different.
Even larger systems
exist which further divide
eubacteria into two more
kingdoms or separate
chromista from all the other
protists.

f Describe the various kingdoms of life.

b Which facts that are commonly accepted as true, now, do you suspect will turn out to
be wrong in the future?

V Explain the meaning of the highlighted words and expressions in these extracts from
the article and then write your own sentences with the words and expressions.
1 Then in 1930, a 23-year-old newbie at the facility found it.
2 The new information caused a bunch of other astronomers to question what really
makes a planet a planet, and they decided, based on size and location, that Pluto just
didnt make the cut.
3 The first resists indentation with 18% more fortitude than a diamond, and the second
a whopping 58%.
4 The consensus became that you can, indeed, catch glimpses of the Wall but only
under the right conditions
5 Depending on when you grew up, your middle school science teacher probably
lectured about three main kingdoms of life...
e.g. The newbies in the company get the worst jobs.

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The Facts: Now and Then reading

E What does the highlighted expression in this extract from the article mean?

Business Insider May 2017

No man-made object is visible at this scale.

There are other expressions with man in English. What do you think these mean?

1 be someones (or the) man 2 be man enough 3 hit man

4 man to man 5 be ones own man 6 a yes man
7 the man on the street 8 man of the cloth 9 to a man

V Now match the expressions above to these definitions:

a man of the cloth
__ be independent
__ a person who always agrees with their superiors
__ be the person perfectly suited to a requirement or task
__ be sufficiently brave
__ without exception
__ in a direct and frank way between two people
__ the typical or ordinary person
__ someone who is hired to kill someone
__ a clergyman

V Rewrite these statements using the expressions above:

1 Nigels father is a vicar.
2 I prefer clothes made from natural materials.
3 You cant tell Colin what to do, he makes his own decisions.
4 If you need your PC repaired, I can do it. Ive just finished an IT course.
5 He never disagrees with his boss, even when he knows the boss is wrong.
6 Hes such a coward. He wasnt brave enough to admit his mistake.
7 Can I speak to you directly?
8 It seems that politicians make decisions without thinking about the average person.
9 The police said the president was shot by a professional killer.

V Write sentences of your own with the idioms.

e.g. We decided to a man to stay late and finish the project.

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The Facts: Now and Then reading
week of 22.05.17
Teachers notes 1 student pages 4 intermediate+ (B1+)

E What does the highlighted expression in this extract from the article mean?

man-made = created or caused by human beings

V Now match them to these definitions:

5 be independent
6 a person who always agrees with their superiors
1 be the person perfectly suited to a requirement or task
2 be sufficiently brave
9 without exception
4 in a direct and frank way between two people
7 the typical or ordinary person
3 someone who is hired to kill someone
8 a clergyman

V Rewrite these statements using the expressions above:

Suggested answers:
1 Nigels father is a man of the cloth.
2 I dont like wearing clothes made out of man-made fibres.
3 You cant tell Colin what to do, hes his own man.
4 If you need your PC repaired, Im your man. Ive just finished an IT course.
5 He never disagrees with his boss. Hes a yes man.
6 Hes such a coward. He wasnt man enough to admit his mistake.
7 Can I speak with you man to man?
8 It seems that politicians make decisions without thinking about the man on the street.
9 The police said the president was shot by a hit man.