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English Conversation – Science
Tuesday, September 18, 2012 @ 11:09 AM
This is the preparation material for an English conversation lesson about Science. Scientific research is used to increase knowledge by creating theories based on knowledge earlier known, and then testing those theories using experiments. The word science can also refer to the large amount of knowledge that has been found using this process, so far. People who study and research science and try to find out everything about it are called scientists. Scientists study things by observing them, by measuring them, and by doing experiments and tests. Scientists try to explain why things act the way they do, and predict what will happen.
Science Verbs
| Verb | Meaning |
| Study | To learn about something |
| Discover | To find something for the first time |
| Hypothesize | To make an educated guess |
| Observe | To look at something carefully |
| Invent | To make something for the first time |
| Research | To investigate something |
| Collect data | To gather facts |
| Predict | To make a guess about the future |
| Solve problems | To find solutions or answers |
| Prove | To show that something is correct or true |
Fields of Science
| Field | Name of Scientist | Studies |
| Anthropology | Anthropologist | People and their societies |
| Archaeology | Archaeologist | Ancient societies |
| Biology | Biologist | Living things |
| Chemistry | Chemist | Substances and chemicals |
| Geography | Geographer | Land and water |
| Psychology | Psychologist | The mind |
| Physics | Physicist | Physical objects and natural forces |
Phrasal Verbs in Science
- Carry out – “He carried out an experiment in order to test his theory”
- Find out – “The Biologist wanted to find out how many species lived on the island”
- Figure out – “She mixed different chemicals in order to figure out which was the right combination”
Conversation Questions
- Are you interested in the field of science?
- What science subjects did you study at school?
- Do you remember any interesting experiments from your classes?
- Which one did you enjoy the most?
- Do you like to read about scientific discoveries in the news?
- How important do you think science is?
- Do you always trust science?
- What do you think are some of the best scientific achievements?
- Who is your favourite scientist?
- What do you think science will uncover in the near future?
- What questions will science never answer?
- Do you think science and religion are in conflict with each other?
- What have been the best scientific achievements in relation to: medicine, environment, crime investigation, technology, business?
- Has science had any negative impacts on society?
- Do you think some areas of science should be banned? For example, developing chemical or biological weapons?
- Some areas of science are controversial. What is your opinion about the following scientific developments?
- Cloning animals or people
- Genetically modified food
- Using stem cells to cure disease
- Being able to choose the sex or other characteristics of a baby?
