Page 112 - Grasp English C1 (Student Book)

Science | An ancient invention

A. Discuss the questions in pairs or groups.

1. Name some famous ancient Greek people.
What did they do or discover?
2. What other inventions and disciplines originate
from ancient Greece?

B. Read about the inventions and developments
from ancient Greece. Complete the text with
the words in the boxes.

philosophy democracy geometry navigation

botany medicine zoology astronomy

The ancient Greeks were responsible for a great
many inventions and discoveries. Although these
have been adapted and developed by subsequent
generations, the ancient Greeks’ findings in the
fields of mathematics, astronomy, geography and
politics still impact life today. One such discipline
was 1 . Until that time, people’s
understanding of the world was based on superstition,
mythology and religion. Greek thinkers were the first
to attempt to understand the world around them
by observing the earth, sea, moon and stars. Their
contributions to mathematics include the work of
Pythagoras, whose theorems in 2
are still taught in schools today, and led to greater
accuracy in construction. Because of ancient Greek
studies of 3 and measurements,
great strides were made in 4 and
cartography, allowing for more travel and trade.
Aristotle, known mostly for his philosophy, is known
as the father of 5 due to his work
in classifying animals. Meanwhile, Theophrastus is
considered the father of 6 , due to his
studies of plants. Great developments were made
in the field of 7 too, most notably
Hippocrates, and the oath attributed to him, in which
doctors promise to be guided by ethical values, is
still taken by medical practitioners today. Another
ancient Greek contribution which still impacts the
world is the concept of 8 , in which
every citizen has a say in how governments are run.
This system, which can be traced to ancient Athens,
is the most widely used system of governance today.

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