Topic 23
Modern life and the environment
Objectives
Knowledge
1.
2.
To know that advancement of technology improves human lives
To understand technological progress will also bring about new crisis
Skills
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
To match historical facts
To read historical sources
To read maps
To judge, contrast, cite and evaluate sources
To compare, illustrate and explain sources
Attitude
1.
2.
3.
To have spirit of inquiry and willingness to think
To contemplate on effects of technology on human society
To have awareness in everyday life
Teaching Flow
Items
Format
Teaching Objectives
Content
1
Question to
ponder
Questioning
How does technology affect
our daily life?
2
Task 1
Preparatory
activity
To let students think about the
positive and negative effects of
technology on human beings
To let students access information
on modern transport network
To let students examine the
advantages and disadvantages of
advanced means of transport
To let students think about what
life would be like without electric
devices
To enable students to understand
how technology affects life span
Effects of advanced means of
transport on our life
Ageing of Hong Kong’s
population
Before class, make a record of
one’s recent overseas trip
3
Task 2
Data-based
question
4
Task 3
Filling in
table
5
Task 4
Data analysis
6
To know
more (1)
Supplementa
ry material
7
Task 5
Data-based
question
8
Task 6
Data-based
question
9
To know
more (2)
Supplementa
ry material
To enable students to understand
the causes and effects of the
ageing of Hong Kong’s
population
To let students learn about fatal
epidemics and related medical
technology
To let students examine the
importance of non-governmental
organizations (NGOs)
To deepen students’
understanding of the topic
10
Conclusion
Summary
chart
To help students do a summary of
the topic
Summary of the characteristics
of technology and modern life
11
Extended
activity
Concept map
To deepen students’
understanding of modern life
Summary of the definition,
characteristics, merits, and
demerits of technology and
modern life
Effects of electricity on our life
Population census of Hong
Kong in 1947-2000
Diseases and advanced medical
technology
Information on
non-governmental organizations
History of Green Peace and
World Wide Fund for Nature
1
Question to ponder
How does technology affect our daily life?
Technology has entered every area of people’s life, changing various aspect of our
daily life. The examples below illustrate how technology has changed people’s life.
Task 1: A Record of Transport in a Trip (Preparatory Activity)
Teaching Tips:
Nowadays most people travel by plane. Students may still remember how long
their trip took to reach its destination. If they have forgotten that, they may search
for relevant information on the Internet. Through simple calculation and consulting
the map, students will get a clear idea about how long it would have taken them to
reach their destination if they had taken a sailing boat or a liner. To find out the
travel time required, students are suggested to consult the following website:
Google Map: http://maps.google.com.hk/
or websites of various train and airline companies.
Ask students to record, before class, information on an overseas trip recently made.
The information should include the following areas:
2
Example
Name of Destination
My Answer
Beijing, China
Geographical distance between destination and Hong about 2500km
Kong (depending on students’ ability, ask them to use
knowledge from Geography classes to mark the
location of the destination on a map and calculate its
straight-line distance from Hong Kong and, even
better, the flying distance).
Means of Transport Used
Aeroplane
Time required to reach destination from Hong Kong
3 hours
Task 2: How do advanced means of transport affect our life?
Source A
Read the following account of travelling in the 19th century.
 Before the use of steamships, it took 120 days to travel from Britain to China on
high-speed sailing boats.
 With the emergence of steamships, the same journey from Britain to China was
reduced to 77 days.
 When the Suez Canal was opened in 1869, steamships which ran between Britain and
China in the 1870s required 50 days to complete the journey. By 1882, the fastest
steamship could reach China from Britain in 29 days.
 Nowadays, it takes about 11 hours to fly to Britain from Hong Kong.
Topic 23
Modern life and the environment
th
1. Take your trip in Task 1 as example. If someone living in the 19 century wanted to
make the same trip, how much time would he spend before reaching the destination?
How much time would be saved due to advancement in means of transport?
Suggested answer: Free answer from students
2. Why would fast means of transport encourage more people to travel more?
Suggested answer:
Shorter travelling time would encourage more people to travel abroad, because most
people do not have long holidays. Also, it may cost more to make long trips by liner
than making short trips by plane.
3. Gather information on what fuel do aeroplanes use. What problems would occur when
the fuel burns?
Suggested answer:
Aeroplanes consume plenty of fuel. There is also a price to pay for using advanced
technologies. For example, travelling by plane would result in planes emitting carbon
dioxide and damaging the environment as they consume plenty of oil.
Task 3: Electrical appliances we use every day
How does electricity affect our life?
List the electrical appliances you use at home every day. Without them, what would your
life be like? Answer the following questions.
1. Consider just a day without using the electrical appliances listed in the following table,
what changes would occur to our life? Record in the table the changes occur that day
and present them to the class.
Suggested answer:
Work to do each day
Appliances needed
How would our life change without the
appliances
Home lighting
Lights
Our home will become dark and hot. We
cannot work at night, as light is needed.
Regulating room
temperature
Family entertainment
Air-conditioner
Will have to rely on paper fans and quilt
Television
Turn to reading and playing chess for fun.
Clothes washing
Washing machine
Have no choice but wash clothes by hand.
Food storage
Refrigerator
Processing data
Computer
Replace refrigerated food with preserved
or canned food. Families that are better off
might be able to have fresh food every day.
Work slowly with pen and paper.
Contacting people
Telephone
Can only rely on letters, with slow
communication speed.
Food cooking
Rice cooker
Take more time to cook rice with cooking
pots.
Preparing warm water
Electric water-heater
Boil water on stove each time.
3
2. Apart from making personal and home life more convenient, how else does electricity
affect society and its economy? Explain your answer with examples.
Suggested answer:
Without electricity, plenty of the production work carried out in factories will have be
done at home. For example, we will have to make our own clothes, but in that case it
would be more expensive than buying clothes produced in factories using electricity. In
days without electricity, mothers had to make clothes, do cooking, clean their home, wash
clothes all by hand, and that takes up a lot of time, making women unable to go out to
work. (Other reasonable answers are also acceptable.)
3. How can electrical appliances be made to operate normally? What energy sources are
needed to produce electricity? How does the production of such energy sources affect the
environment?
Suggested answer:
To ensure normal operation of electrical appliances, consumption of fossil fuel as energy
source is needed (take Hong Kong for example, about 70% of its energy source is from
burning coal). The consumption of energy sources brings about the energy source crisis,
and burning fossil fuel which emits carbon dioxide causes damage to the environment.
Task 4: How does technology affect our life span?
Source B
4
Population Census of Hong Kong, 1947-2000:
Total
population
(million)
Birth rate
(per thousand)
Death rate
(per thousand)
Infant mortality
(per thousand)
1947
24.0
8.0
102.0
1.80
1950
27.0
8.0
100.0
2.06
1960
36.0
6.0
42.0
3.12
1970
20.0
5.1
19.6
4.00
1980
17.1
5.0
11.2
5.04
1990
12.0
5.2
5.9
5.70
2000
8.1
5.1
2.9
6.66
Year
Source: extracts from “Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region”
(Hong Kong Statistics 1947-1967, Hong Kong: Census & Statistics Department, Hong Kong, 1969,
pp.39-40; Hong Kong Annual Digest of Statistics 1982-2001, Hong Kong: Census and Statistics
Department, 1983-2002; Hong Kong Population Projections 1971-1991, Hong Kong: Census and
Statistics Department, 1974.)
Topic 23
1.
Modern life and the environment
During 1947-2000, which year had the highest birth rate and which year had the lowest
birth rate?
Suggested answer:
Year with highest birth rate: 1960, with birth rate 36 per 1000 persons.
Year with lowest birth rate: 2000, with birth rate 8.1 per 1000 persons
2. During 1947-2000, which year had the highest death rate and which year had the lowest
death rate?
Suggested answer:
Year with the highest death rate: 1947 and 1950, with death rate 8 per 1000 persons.
Year with the lowest death rate: 1980, with death rate 5.0 per 1000 persons
3. In 1947 and 2000, how many new-born babies died out of 1000, respectively?
Suggested answer:
In 1947, 102 out of 1000 new born babies died;
By 2000, only 2.9 out of 1000 new-born babies died.
4. Based on your answers to the three questions above, what conclusion on the causes of
population rise in Hong Kong did you get? Explain your answer using your own
knowledge.
Suggested answer:
The birth and death rates shown in the table above were the main causes of Hong Kong’s
population change. According to Source B, Hong Kong’s population increased from 1.8
million in 1947 to 6.66 million in 2000. Based on such information, we can identify that
the rise of Hong Kong population was mainly due to the rise of birth rate and the fall of
death rate. However, as far as I know, in addition to birth and death rates, the change of
Hong Kong population is also due to other factors such as movement of people in and
out of the territories.
5. Why were birth rates in the 1970s lower than those in the 1950s? Why were death rates
in the 1970s lower than those in the 1950s? Why were infant mortality rates in the 1970s
lower than those in the 1950s?
Suggested answer:
As a whole, Source B shows that before the 1970s, yearly birth rates in Hong Kong were
increasing and death rates were falling. However, birth rates dropped during the 1970s
due to family planning launched by the government. At the same time, death rates and
especially infant mortality rates dropped mainly due to popularization and improvement
in medical service and hygiene education. As death rate of new-born babies kept falling,
there was the need to carry out birth control, or else rate of population increase will
exceed productivity increase and will result in fall of people’s living standard.
5
To know more (1)
Ageing of Hong Kong Population
A declining death rate means that people are living longer. A falling birth rate means
that fewer babies are born. Together, they imply that the population is ageing. When
a population ages, the demand on social welfare services increases while the
tax-paying portion of the population declines. Taxes charged on tax-payers must,
therefore, increase in order to pay for the social services.
Task 5: When diseases encounter advanced medical technology
Source C Table showing epidemics once spread across the world and brought about heavy
casualty.
Year
Main area of
infection
Disease
No. of deaths
1347-1352
Europe
The plague
25 million
1556-1560
Europe
Influenza
25 million
1855-1896
Asia
The plague
10 million
1918-1919
Global
Influenza
25 million
2002-2003
China
SARS
775
6
Source：http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%98%9F%E7%96%AB
1. According to Source C, how was SARS different from other global epidemics?
Suggested answer:
Disease
Main affected
Areas
No. of deaths
SARS
China
Fewer: 775
Other global
epidemics
Asia, Europe, etc.
More: 10 million to 25 million each
time
Topic 23
Modern life and the environment
2. Try to understand the situation of Hong Kong from March to June 2003 by reading
relevant reports on newspapers or the Internet, and explain why the epidemic was put
under control quickly.
Suggested answer:
Free answers. (Students should come to the conclusion that advanced medical
technology could quickly identify various diseases.)
3. Can advanced medical technology effectively cure all epidemics? Explain your
answer with examples.
Suggested answer:
Advanced medical technology can quickly identify various diseases, and work out the
effective cures. However, no matter how advanced medical knowledge is, some
diseases are still incurable, such as AIDS, which has claimed the life of 23 million
people by 2004 since its identification in 1981. To date, there is still no ways to cure
this disease. It is now confirmed that the disease spreads mainly through direct sexual
contact, and therefore the medical organizations could not prevent its spread by
educating the public.
(Other reasonable answers are also acceptable.)
Task 6: How do non-governmental organizations (NGOs) change our
life?
Advancing rapidly, new technologies bring plenty of benefits to human beings. However,
they have also created a lot of problems for them. Such problems may not be adequately
handled by various governments. Nowadays, many NGOs in the world have actively
participated in solving problems commonly faced by human beings.
Study Source D, and then answer the questions that follow.
Source D
Below is a brief description of an NGO.
Since its inception in 1971, its objectives are to provide emergency medical assistance to
victims affected by wars, natural disasters and diseases. It also provides basic services to
regions without sufficient medical facilities and helps these regions to rebuild their
medical system in order to achieve self-sufficiency. It is an international humanitarian
medical rescue organization. Currently, it works in more than 70 countries in the
world. Every year more than 3,000 volunteers, including doctors, nurses, rear
professionals, drinking water and health engineers and management personnel, from
more than 60 countries, go to different places to participate in humanitarian work. In
1999, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Source:
http://www.msf.org.hk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28&Itemid=32&lang=en)
7
1.
Which NGO is being described in Source D? Why do you think was it awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize?
Suggested answer:
The NGO described in Source D is Médecins Sans Frontières. It was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize mainly because it has focused on providing emergency medical
assistance to victims affected by wars, natural disasters and diseases since its
inception in 1971. It has also provided basic medical services to regions without
sufficient medical facilities and helped these regions to rebuild their medical system in
order to achieve self-sufficiency. Furthermore, each year over 3,000 volunteers from
more than 60 countries go to different places to participate in humanitarian work.
2.
Why is international efforts needed to cope with global medical disasters and to carry
out worldwide environmental protection measures?
Suggested answer:
Many governments are too poor to carry out work for social welfare and
environmental protection. Governments of wealthy nations are concerned about the
interests of their country and neglect other needy countries. NGOs are able to
transcend constrains of national boundaries and interests to form a new international
order by means of cooperation among the people, and to cope with global
environmental disasters.
To know more (２)
8
History of Green Peace and World Wide Fund for Nature
Green Peace
Green Peace is a global environmental organization endeavouring to protect the
earth’s environment and world peace. It was set up in 1971 and currently has
branches in more than 40 countries, and works with 2.8 million supporters. In
order to maintain justice and independence, Green Peace does not receive any
sponsorship from governments, enterprises or political organizations. It only
receives direct donations from individuals and independent funds. See its
website at http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/.
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
WWF is one of the most prestigious and largest independent non-governmental
environmental protection organizations in the world. It has active networks in
more than 90 countries and almost 5 million supporters throughout the world.
Its mission is environmental protection. It wants to contain the deterioration of
the earth’s natural environment and to create a bright future for humans to live
harmoniously with nature. To achieve these aims, the organization endeavours
to protect the diversity of organisms in the world, ensure the sustainability of
renewable resources, promote pollution reduction and reduce consumer
behaviour which causes waste. See its website at
http://en.wwfchina.org/en/who_we_are/.
Topic 23
Modern life and the environment
Conclusion
Technological progress has brought many conveniences. In the second half of the 20th
century, we have lived longer lives. Some technological advances have been devastating
to the global environment, and the danger of epidemics has not disappeared and their
solution requires much international effort.
Summary Chart
Chart below shows the content structure of this topic on modern life and environment.
Makes life
more
convenient
encourages
travelling
Price:
Consuming
fossil fuel
Home
entertainment
Price: e.g.
emits carbon
dioxide
Shortens
travelling
time
Industrialisation
Less
housework;
women go out
to work
Bring
convenience
to life
Electricity
Transport
Modern life and
environment
Non-governmental
organizations, e.g
Médecins
Sans
Frontières
Green Peace
Medical
World Wide
Fund for
Nature
Influence on
population
Prevention of
epidemics
Oxfam
Death rate
drops
Effective
control of
epidemics
Constraints
of medical
technology
Population
expansion
9
Extended Activity:
What is modern life?
10
Technology has entered every area of our life and changed various aspects of our daily life. Please
use the following table to sum up what you have learnt in this chapter.
Topic 23
Modern life and the environment
Suggested answer:
Characteristics
Definition
Technology has entered every area of
people’s life and has changed various
aspects of their daily life.
Merits
Life of human beings has improved
along with advancement in
technology; modern life has also
caused new crisis to human beings.
Technology
and
Modern Life
Improvement in means of transport
shortens travelling time, making life
convenient and facilitates economic
activities.
Plenty of production works in factories
have liberated women’s social position.
Advancement in technology has improved
medical technology and lengthened human
life.
Demerits
We have a pay for using advanced
technology. For example, travelling by
plane consumes plenty of petrol and
emits carbon dioxide, which damages
the environment.
科
技
科
技
隨
着
科
技
的
進
步
，
人
類
的
生
活
獲
得
到
改
善
；
現
代
生
活
同
時
亦
會
為
人
類
帶
來
新
的
危
機
。
着
科
技
11