SCIENTIFIC PRIZES

Google was created by two young men, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who had an idea and then
worked hard to make it a reality. However, they were also lucky because their project
attracted attention from the right people.

That is partly why Goole set up the Goole Science Fair, an online competition for young people
aged 13 to 18. On one level, the competition gives young scientists the opportunity to publicise
their work and get their projects noticed, offering wider recognition than a local or school
science fair can. However, on another level, the company hopes that the competition may help
find solutions to problems facing people worldwide. Google feels that this is especially
important right now because financial cuts may be adversely affecting science education in the
United States.

The competition, which first started in 2011 and is also supported by Lego, National
Geographic, Scientific American and CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research), is
open to individuals or small groups. Participants must come up with an original hypothesis,
perform an experiment to test it and present the results. Work is submitted over the Internet
and can be written in English or in other languages, which are translated for the judges.
Twenty finalists are brought to Google headquarters in California, and eventually three prizes
a trip to the Galapagos Islands and cash scholarships are awarded. Past winners have
included a team from Spain who devised a method of examining tiny aquatic creatures, a girl
from Canada who invented a torch that works without batteries and a young man from the
United States who created a device to help people with hearing problems by converting sound
into touch.

True scientists will always continue to work without reward to help increase knowledge.
However, offering prizes like these means that there is more chance that they will submit their
work to the public, so that we can all benefit.

1. Choose the correct answer.

1 The purpose of the Google Science Fair is to
a. help young people get publicity for their ideas
b. give young people new ideas for solving problems
c. improve science education in the US
2 To submit their work, participants must
a. show they can work well in groups
b. test a hypothesis assigned to them by Google
c. carry out an experiment and record the results

2. Decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F). Find evidence in the text to
justify your answers.
1 Participants must translate their work into English for the judges.
2 Winners are eventually chosen from among the twenty best participants.
3. Complete the sentences.
1 A team from Spain devised a way to _________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2 A torch that works without batteries ________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

4. Answer the questions.

1 Page and Brin owe their success to two factors. What where they?

2 Why is Lego mentioned in the text?

5. Find words or expressions in the text that mean:

1 established (paragraph 2)
2 negatively (paragraph 2)
3 money (paragraph 3)
4 present (v) (paragraph 4)

6. Write a composition of about 100-150 words. Choose one option.

1 A descriptive essay: What invention would you like to see created? Describe the idea
and give reasons for your choice.
2 An opinion essay: Do you agree that true scientists will always continue to work
without reward to help increase knowledge? Explain why or why not.