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Lesson 11 Evolution
Task 1
There are many theories of origin of life, how do you think the following ones explain
the existence of life?
1. Evolution
2. Theistic evolution
3. Creationism
4. Progressive creationism
5. Intelligent design
6. Cosmic ancestry
Now match each of the theories with one of the statements below:
a) Everything in Genesis is completely true.
b) God mixing a bunch of atoms in his celestial science lab and exploding them to see what
happened.
c) All the different species have evolved from simple life forms which first developed more than
3 billion years ago.
d) God created plants and animals and so on over vast periods of time to let them get used to
each other.
e) Complex life formed when microbes from space landed on Earth and set about multiplying.
f) Certain biological features are too complex to be the result of natural processes, and therefore
these features are evidence of design.
(adapted from http://listverse.com/2013/03/08/10-alternatives-to-evolution/; wikipedia.org)
Task 2 Darwin’s theory – Fill in the missing words
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) was an English naturalist who studied variation in plants and
animals during a five-year voyage around the world. He explained his ideas on evolution in a
book called On the Origin of Species, published in 1859.
The main features in his theory are that:
 individuals compete for limited _____________
 individuals in a population show natural variation
 individuals with characteristics best suited to their environment are more likely to
_________________
 'successful' characteristics are _____________
Species unable to compete successfully eventually become _______________.
Darwin's ideas caused a lot of controversy, and this continues today. They can be seen as
conflicting with religious views about the creation of the world and the creatures in it.
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/ocr_gateway_pre_2011/environment/4_survival_of_fittest6.shtml)
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Task 3 Speaking: How would you correct these misconceptions about the theory of
evolution?
 Evolution is not science because it is not observable or testable.
 Evolution is ‘just' a theory.
 Gaps in the fossil record disprove evolution.
 Evolution and religion are incompatible.
 Teachers should teach "both sides" of the evolution issue and let students decide — or
give equal time to evolution and creationism.
When talking about evolution, you can use these collocations:
1.
hold test confirm advance develop formulate
propose have prove disprove challenge
complete partial conflicting general
theory
2.
abundant clear insufficient extensive crucial available
first-hand convincing scant objective valuable irrefutable
look for gather obtain provide (sb. with) collect
evidence
suggests supports points to demonstrates is based on
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Task 4 Read the paragraphs below and put them into a logical order.
How life began
a) The gradual migration of life from the ocean to the land was another major step that made
many advances possible. Eventually plants and animals divided into males and females, and
possibilities increased for developing new and varied species or types. To date, more than
400,000 species of plants and 1,200,000 species of animals have developed. Gradually, the
senses of sight and hearing improved in animals and brains grew and developed. Finally,
intelligence progressed, leading to the development of human beings.
b) To discover how life began, archaeologists study fossils. Fossils are the remains or imprints of
plants and animals of long ago that have been preserved in the earth´s crust. The simplest
forms of life appear in the lowest or oldest rocks. Although scientists can calculate that the
earth is 4.6 billion years old, the oldest rocks that show any trace of life are less than 2 billion
years old. Therefore, about 2.5 billion years had passed on the earth when life originated.
Since the oldest forms of life were all sea life, many scientists believe life began in the sea.
c) The early cells reproduced simply by dividing into two. After a long time, single cells became
attached to one another, and each cell became specialised in a different function. Gradually
organisms became more and more complex. Today, many living things are made up of a
combination of cells; our bodies are composed of skin cells, muscle cells, brain cells, and so
on.
d) We do not know exactly how, but in some miraculous way, the right kind of molecules
happened to combine in the ocean or in clay to form a minute organism. All life has probably
evolved from that single original cell, which may have been something like the bacteria of
today. This one-celled organism ate, grew, responded to its surroundings, reproduced itself
and spread throughout the oceans. Probably those first tiny organisms were not all alike. Some
were better able to obtain food or adapt to colder waters. The stronger cells survived and their
characteristics were passed on to the next generation.
(Zimmerman, F. English for Science. Prentice Hall Regents, 1989.)
Find examples of tenses in the above text:
1. Simple past tense – a completed action:
2. Present perfect tense - an uncompleted action:
3. Past perfect tense – an action completed before a given past time:
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Now complete the sentences using the verb in brackets in suitable tense and voice (active
or passive).
1. Charles Darwin ___________ (publish) his theory of evolution in 1859.
2. Darwin ___________ (work) on his theory while in the Galapagos.
3. The first fossils _____________ (find) on rocks that are 2 billion years old.
4. About 165 million years ago, giant dinosaurs __________ (live) on the earth.
5. The fossils of Neanderthal man ______________ (discover) in Iraq between 1953 and 1960.
6. By 1957, Russia ____________ (launch) the first Sputnik.
7. More than a hundred elements ______________ (discover).
8. For many years, scientists ______________ (know) there is no life on the moon.
9. Human beings ______________ (destroy) more living things than any other organism.
10. Another man-made satellite _________________ (just go) into orbit.
Task 5 Video What is natural selection?
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SCjhI86grU)
descent
due to
random
vulnerable
trait
offspring
superior
witness
discard
Watch the video and then describe the main concepts: descent with modification, common descent
and natural selection. Why was the hypothesis of common descent rejected by many in the past?
Task 6 Vocabulary in context
Circle the option that best matches the meaning of the italicized word as used in each of the sentences:
1. Efforts are being made to preserve clean air in the cities.
a) protect b) prevent
2. Although Aristotle´s theories of motion were believed to be true for centuries, they were
discredited by Galileo´s experiments.
a) supported b) disproved
3. Newton performed experiments to confirm what Galileo had proposed about motion.
a) verify b) disprove
4. Einstein´s theories have prevailed throughout the twentieth century.
a) failed b) dominated
5. We found a rare species of battle.
a) class b) habitat
6. The camel is adapted to desert life and can go without water for long periods.
a) unsuited b) adjusted
7. The evolution in computer technology has accelerated since 1980.
a) development b) decline