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The Mother of Invention: Listening

The passage discusses the origins of inventions and innovations. It provides an interview with an expert who gives their view that (1) most inventions are things we didn't realize we needed until we started using them and (2) innovations often make our lives more convenient rather than fulfilling urgent needs. The expert uses examples like the telephone and computer to illustrate innovations that were initially expensive but became widely adopted.

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223 views

The Mother of Invention: Listening

The passage discusses the origins of inventions and innovations. It provides an interview with an expert who gives their view that (1) most inventions are things we didn't realize we needed until we started using them and (2) innovations often make our lives more convenient rather than fulfilling urgent needs. The expert uses examples like the telephone and computer to illustrate innovations that were initially expensive but became widely adopted.

Uploaded by

John_J_Green
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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4a The mother of invention

Listening
1 Work in pairs. Look at the saying below.
Discuss what it means and if it is always

2 Look at the photo and the caption. What


adjectives would you use to describe
this invention? What other inventions
have you seen that fi t that description?

1.20 Listen to an interview about


what inspires inventions. Choose the
statement that best summarises the
speakers view.
a Most inventions are an answer to an
urgent need.
b Most inventions are things that we
didnt imagine we needed until we
became used to them.
c Most inventions come from
companies who want to make a
commercial profit.

1.20 Listen to the interview again


and choose the correct option to
complete the sentences.
1 People in their teens or twenties
probably cant imagine doing
research / following the news without
the Internet.
2 Martha Kay is a business woman / an
academic.
3 A British parliamentary committee
said the telephone was too
expensive /
of little use.
4 The presenter uses the telephone as
an example of a case where a need
was filled / didnt exist before.
5 Most innovations make our lives
richer / easier.
6 The presenter suggests that women
in the 1960s liked going out to shop /
staying in the house.
7 The mobile phone and the computer
are examples of innovations that
were very expensive at first / seen as
unnecessary.
8 Literary Digest predicted that the
motor car would remain a luxury / go
out of fashion.

5 What fact or point of view did you find


most interesting? Why? Discuss with
your partner.

Vocabulary phrasal verb come


6 Look at the sentences from the interview (13) which use
phrasal verbs with come. Choose the correct meaning (ac).
Then do the same for the other phrasal verbs (46).
1 But how do such inventions come about?
a succeed b happen c work
2 Entrepreneurs often come up with ideas that will make
our lives a little more convenient
a think of b ignore c search for
3 What it comes down to in the end is wants rather than
needs.
a relies on b emphasises c is a question of
4 A researcher came across the material for sticking post-it
notes when looking for a new kind of glue.
a thought of b found by chance c stole
5 Peoples early experiments with flying didnt really come
off.
a succeed b get noticed
c get taken seriously
6 Perrelet was so respected that when other watchmakers
came up against a problem, they would consult him.
a solved b encountered c analysed

7 Work in pairs. Write three sentences using the phrasal verbs


in Exercise 6. Then read your sentences to your partner
omitting the verb and see if they can guess the missing verb.

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