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Advanced Instant LessonT
Life Saving Computing
Pre-Reading Activities
A:
Class Discussion
Discuss
the following questions in small groups.
1.
What is anthrax?
2. In which country was anthrax discovered in 2001?
3. What form was it found in? (e.g. liquid, powder, etc.)
4. Did anybody die?
5. Is there a cure for anthrax?
B: Listening
In the
box are some words from today's article. Below is a list
of definitions for these words. Use your dictionary to look
up any words you are not familiar with. Then listen as your
teacher reads out the definitions and fill in the gaps.
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anthrax,
antibiotics, symptoms, toxin, immune system, molecule,
bacteria, antitoxin
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1.
________ is a ________ which is ________ if not ________
immediately.
2. ________ are ________ _______ organisms that can ______ disease.
3. If you have a ________, your _____ may include a _____
and a ________ ______.
4. A ________ is a ________ produced ___ microorganisms.
5. The simplest ________ compound is a ________ - consisting
of ____ or ____ ____.
6. ________ are used to destroy ________ - penicillin
is an _______.
7. Your ___________ is your body's _______ _________ against
disease and _______.
8. An ________ contains antibodies which can ____ or neutralize
______ produced by organisms.
Reading Activities
A: Scanning
Read
the following questions and then find the answers in the
first section of today's article.
1.
Where did scientists get their computing power from?
2. What are they hoping to find a cure for?
3. Who were the possible cures given to?
4. How many molecules were tested?
5. For how many days were the tests run?
6. What computing platform was used?
Section 1
Project Seeks Anthrax Cure
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WASHINGTON
Friday March 8 (Reuters) - Scientists using
the power of more than a million home computers,
all linked together and cranking along
as one, have come up with thousands
of possible compounds that could be
developed as a cure for anthrax, officials
said on Friday.
The
British researchers who helped organize the
project, which they said they completed with
unprecedented speed, handed over two compact
disks containing 300,000 potential drugs to
US and British government officials.
Of
these, they said 12,000 looked like good candidates
for a cure for anthrax infection - not an
antibiotic, but an antitoxin to counter the
lethal effects of the bacteria.
"This
has enabled us to have an enormous amount
of power," Graham Richards, a chemistry professor
at Britain's Oxford University who helped
organize the project, told a news conference.
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"In only 24 days we could test 3.5 billion molecules," said
Richards, adding that he believed this would
be more than any pharmaceutical company could
do on its own. Using traditional methods, he
said, the project would have taken years.
"This
is an historic first use of the Internet as
a computing platform to solve a critical,
real-world problem with a scope and a speed
that simply could not be achieved using traditional
computing methods," Ed Hubbard, Chief Executive
Officer of United Devices, a Texas-based company
that helped in the effort, told the news conference.
(Continued/...)
Words:
linked- joined
come up with - worked out, discovered
compounds - chemical mixtures
unprecedented - never done before
lethal - fatal; deadly
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Article © 2002 Reuters Limited. Lesson © 2002 www.english-to-go.com
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B: What Do You Think?
Part
One: Discuss the following question with your classmates.
What
do you think was the biggest advantage of linking one million
computers together to test billions and billions of molecules?
Part
Two: This is the headline from today's article but it is
missing one word: Worldwide _________ Project Seeks Anthrax
Cure
See if
this computer riddle can help you complete the headline.
Fill in the gap in the headline with the word you think
is missing.
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I
am fun to make and entertaining to watch.
I am a toy you can play with.
Because I change and dim, I can protect from burning.
I can stop prying eyes from looking while you are
away.
What
am I???
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C:
Fast Reading
Read
through the second section of the article quickly to check
if your guess for the headline was correct. You have two
minutes.
Section
2
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(.../Continued.)
DRUG
WOULD BLOCK ANTHRAX TOXIN
Knowing
the shape of this target, scientists can look
for molecules that will fit into it, like a
lock and key, and block it. But screening
the billions of known compounds takes a huge
amount of computing power.
The
National Foundation for Cancer Research, a US
group that funds cancer research, has had a
project going since April in collaboration
with Oxford, United Devices and Intel Corp.
to screen potential treatments for leukemia.
Like
the SETI@home project, which uses home computer
downtime to process radio emissions in a search
for extraterrestrial life, it uses computer
time donated by personal computer users.
When
a person downloads the screensaver, found at
http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/anthrax/, the first
thing it does is dial the Austin server and
ask what this particular personal computer can
do. It gets its assignment and crunches numbers
when the computer is not in use.
The
NFCR has 1.5 million computer users in 215 countries,
including two in the Vatican. They will eventually
screen 26 compounds for possible leukemia
cures.
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The
companies, along with Microsoft, adapted the
cancer software to work for anthrax. The anthrax
project, started on Jan. 22, was finished by
Feb. 14.
It
usually takes, on average, 10 years to bring
an experimental new drug to market, but Richards
said he believed any product to emerge from
this search could be used more quickly -- perhaps
within two to four years.
"This
would be somewhat different," Richards said.
"This is more likely to initiate something you
would provide to protect troops, or postal workers
even, who are suspected of being attacked."
Words:
collaboration
- working together
leukemia - a cancer of the blood
extraterrestrial - a being from outer space; not from
earth
crunch numbers
- to handle large amounts of data very quickly
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Article © 2002 Reuters Limited. Lesson © 2002 www.english-to-go.com
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D: Reading Carefully
Read
through the second section of the article more slowly and
complete the following sentences using words from the article.
1. Since
___________, four companies have been working together to
find a cure for ____________.
2. People ___________ time on their personal ___________
when they are not being used.
3. A person's computer is given a job once a ___________
has been downloaded.
4. A server in Austin then gives the computer ____________
to crunch and examine.
5. ___________ computer users have given time to the project.
6. Software used for __________ research was altered so
they could find a cure for ___________.
7. Drug companies normally expect the development and testing
of new drug to take ____________.
8. Scientists hope to have a cure for anthrax in _________
to _________ years.
9. It is anticipated that the antitoxin will be used to
protect people like __________ or __________ who are more
likely to be attacked by anthrax.
Post-Reading
Activities
You may do one or more
of these.
Look
at this sentence from today's article.
Knowing
the shape of this target, scientists can look for molecules
that will fit into it, like a lock and key, and block it.
Why do
scientists know which molecules to look for? Answer:
Because they know the shape of the target.
We can
use the present participle or -ing form of
a verb in a clause to give information about reason,
result or time.
Below are a number of sentences that relate to today's article.
Rewrite each sentence or combine pairs of sentences using
the word(s) in brackets. You may need to change the order
of the clauses. The first two have been done for you as
examples.
1. Knowing
the shape of this target, scientists can look for molecules
that will fit into it. (because, know)
Because scientists know the shape
of the target, they can look for molecules to fit into it.
2. They
used more than 1 million computers. Therefore, they were
able to come up with results far more quickly. (using)
Using more than 1 million
computers, they were able to come up with results far more
quickly.
3. Having so many computers working together, they have
enormous power. (because, have)
________________________________________________
4. They
tested 3.5 million molecules in 24 days because they had
so much computing power. (having)
________________________________________________
5. The
development of a new drug will take less than 10 years because
they were able to use so many computers. (being able
to)
________________________________________________
6. Dialing
a number, my computer was given a job. (when, dialed)
________________________________________________
7. Needing
more computer power, the scientists asked for help. (needed,
so)
_________________________________________________
B: Writing
Questions
If you were going to consider helping cancer
or anthrax research by donating your computer time, what
questions would you need answered? Work with a partner to
write a list of at least 6 questions you would like to have
answered. Think about computer time, computer power, cost,
how the screensaver idea works and other topics you would
like to know the answers to.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
When you have finished, share your questions
with another pair of learners, so you can get more ideas
and also help with the accuracy of each other's questions.
Are they grammatically correct? Can you answer any of the
questions you have just been given?
C: Internet Research
Below
are a number of Internet sites that could answer your questions
from Post-Reading Activity B. Write down as many of the
answers as you can find.
http://www.researchforacure.com
http://www.intel.com/Cure/help.htm
http://www.intel.com/Cure/how.htm
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/faq.html
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
TEACHERS' NOTES AND ANSWER KEY
Pre-Reading Activities
B: Listening
- Notes
Read the text below
to the students as many times as is needed. Read at a
normal pace.
B:
Listening - Text to be Read Aloud to Students
1. Anthrax is a disease which is
lethal if not treated immediately.
2. Bacteria are very small organisms that
can cause disease.
3. If you have a cold, your symptoms may include a headache
and a runny nose.
4. A toxin is a poison produced by microorganisms.
5. The simplest chemical compound is a molecule - consisting
of two or more atoms.
6. Antibiotics are used to destroy infection - penicillin
is an example.
7. Your immune system is your body's natural defense against
disease and infection.
8. An antitoxin contains antibodies which can kill or
neutralize poison produced by organisms.
B:
Listening - Answers
1. Anthrax is a disease which is lethal if not
treated immediately.
2. Bacteria are very small organisms
that
can cause disease.
3. If you have a cold, your symptoms may
include a headache and a runny nose.
4. A toxin is a poison produced by
microorganisms
5. The simplest chemical compound is a molecule
- consisting of two or more atoms.
6. Antibiotics are used to destroy infection
- penicillin is an example.
7. Your immune system is your body's natural
defense against disease and infection.
8. An antitoxin contains antibodies which can
kill or neutralize poison produced by organisms.
Reading Activities
A: Scanning - Answers
1. more
than a million home computers, 2. a cure for anthrax, 3.
US and British government officials, 4. 3.5 billion, 5.
24 days, 6. the Internet
B: What Do You Think? - Notes
Part
One: You may wish to have a classroom discussion about this
question to make sure everyone understands that the real
advantage of this project was the speed at which it was
completed.
Part
Two: Students may need to use their dictionaries to understand
some of the words in the riddle. Try not to let students
look at the article while trying to guess the answer. Do
not give the students the answer at this point as they will
try to find the answer in the article in the next activity.
B:
What Do You Think? - Answers
Part One:
It usually takes, on average, 10 years to develop and test
new drugs before they can be marketed. Scientists need to
screen billions of known compounds to find the right molecules.
This process takes a huge amount of computing power. The
recent anthrax project took much less time because of the
sheer number of computers (more than a million home computers)
that were working together.
Part
Two: Headline: Worldwide Screensaver Project
Seeks Anthrax Cure
C:
Fast Reading - Notes
Only allow students 2 minutes to
read the article. They need to find a single piece of information
for which they have already been given clues, so they do
not need to understand all the text.
D:
Reading Carefully -
Answers
1.
Since April, four companies have been working together
to find a cure for
leukemia.
2. People donate time on their personal computers
when they are not being used.
3. A person's computer is given a job once a screensaver
has been downloaded.
4. A server in Austin then gives the computer numbers
to crunch and examine.
5. 1.5 million computer users have given time to
the project.
6. Software used for cancer research was altered
so they could find a cure for anthrax.
7. Drug companies normally expect the development and testing
of new drug to take 10 years.
8. Scientists hope to have a cure for anthrax in 2 to
4 years.
9. It is anticipated that the antitoxin will be used to
protect people like troops or postal workers who
are more likely to be attacked by anthrax.
Post-Reading Activities
A:
Language - Notes
Focus students
on the fact that they may need to to change the order
of the clauses in the new sentences and that the subject
is the same in both clauses. Therefore, when using a participle
in a clause with an adverbial meaning, the subject does
not need to be repeated in the other clause in the sentence.
You may like to photocopy the answers below onto an OHT
to make marking and correction easier.
A:
Language - Answers
1. Because scientists know the shape of the target,
they can look for molecules to fit into it.
2. Using more than 1 million computers, they were
able to come up with results far more quickly.
3. Because they have so many computers working together,
they have enormous power.
4. Having so much computing power, they tested 3.5 million
molecules in 24 days.
5. Being able to use so many computers, the development
of a new drug will take less than 10 years.
6. When I dialed a number, my computer was given a
job.
7. The scientists needed more computer power, so they
asked for help.
C:
Internet Research - Notes
If you can't take your class to a computer
lab, you could print out many of the answers yourself
and pin the sheets around the classroom. The first students
to answer all their questions correctly could be given
a prize.
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