Q: Science has a lot of uses. It can reveal laws of nature, cure diseases, make bombs, and help bridges to stand up. Indeed science is so good at what it does that there's always a temptation to drag it into problems where it may not be helpful. David Brooks, author ofThe Social Animal, The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, appears to be the latest in a long line of writers who have failed to resist the temptation.

Brooks gained fame for several books. His latest bookThe Social Animal, however, is more ambitious and serious than his earlier books. It is an attempt to deal with a set of weighty topics. The book focuses on big questions: What has science revealed about human nature? What are the sources of character? And why are some people happy and successful while others aren't?

To answer these questions, Brooks surveys a wide range of subjects. Because of this, you might expect the book to cover a variety of facts. But Brooks has structured his book in an unusual, and perhaps unfortunate way. Instead of introducing scientific theories, he tells a story, within which he tries to make his points, perhaps in order to keep the reader's attention. So as Harold and Erica, the hero and heroine in his story, live through childhood, we hear about the science of child development and as they begin to date we hear about the theory of sexual attraction. Brooks carries this through to the death of one of his characters.

On the whole, Brooks's story is acceptable if uninspired. As one would expect, his writing is mostly clear and, to be fair, some chapters stand out above the rest. I enjoyed, for instance, the chapter in which Harold discovers how to think on his own. While Harold and Erica are certainly not strong characters, the more serious problems withThe Social Animallie elsewhere. These problems partly involve Brooks's attempt to translate his tale into science.

Answer the following questions:
1. Who wrote "The Social Animal"?
2. Was that his only published work?
3. What's another one of his literary works?
4. In "The Social Animal", who are the main characters?
5. What's one way science is useful?
6. Does it have anything to do with bridges?
7. What does "The Social Animal" seem to question?
8. Are survey results in that story?
9. So, the book is fact filled?
10. Does he make fact based points?
11. Was that to keep people interested?
12. Does he insert his data to explain the book happenings?
13. Was this a great way to assemble the book?
14. What unromantic thing does he interject when the characters start dating?
15. Does he stop there?
16. How far does he take it?
17. Is the book okay?
18. Are some chapters better than others?
19. Does a chapter help a character become independent in some way?
20. Are Harold and Erica great characters?
21. Does he try to mix science with fiction in a bad way?
A: 1. David Brooks.
2. No.
3. he Hidden Sources of Love.
4. Harold and Erica.
5. Cure diseases.
6. Help bridges to stand up.
7. What has science revealed about human nature?
8. Yes.
9. No.
10. Yes.
11. Perhaps.
12. Yes.
13. No.
14. Theory of sexual attraction.
15. No.
16. To the death of one character.
17. Yes.
18. Yes.
19. Yes.
20. No.
21. Yes.
Q: Steve had a very long finger. It was the longest finger anyone in his town had. One day Steve shut the toilet seat, and his finger got caught in it. He couldn't get it out. It was very cold in the bathroom. This is why his sister brought him a coat. He was in the bathroom a long time. So, Steve started pasting a stone on the wall with glue on the end of his brush. Then he wrote the truth on this stone. He used a black pencil to write the truth on this stone, but the writing turned out blue. He did not know that his sister was watching him write the truth from the ceiling. He was upset because he always had a fear that he would have to share his secret power with his sister. It was too late, she saw that he wrote the truth on the stone. So he let her see his power. With a twirl of his long finger he magically made the toilet seat lift up. He could make things move with his mind.

Answer the following questions:
1. what did steve have that was unusual?
2. Did anyone else have one too?
3. how did he trap it?
4. was it warm there?
5. what did steve stick tot he wall?
6. with what?
7. what did he do next?
8. What did it say?
9. did he write with a red pencil?
10. was the text pink?
11. what color was it?
12. did anyone see him?
13. did he know that?
14. was he happy?
15. how did he feel?
16. why?
17. what was his power
18. what gesture did he use?
19. what did he move?
A: 1. a long finger
2. no
3. caught it in the toilet seat
4. no
5. Steve started pasting a stone on the wal
6. glue
7. wrote on the stone
8. the truth
9. no
10. no
11. blue
12. his sister was watching him write the truth
13. no
14. no
15. upset
16. he didn't want his sister to know his secret power
17. he moved things with his mind
18. a twirl of his finger
19. the toilet seat
Q: Unlike chemists and physicists, who usually do their experiments using machines, biologists and medical researchers have to use living things like rats. But there are three Nobel prize-winning scientists who actually chose to experiment on themselves - all in the name of science, reported The Telegraph. 1. Werner Forssmann (Nobel prize winner in 1956) Forssmann was a German scientist. He studied how to put a pipe inside the heart to measure the pressure inside and decide whether a patient needs surgery. Experiments had been done on horses before, so he wanted to try with human patients. But it was not permitted because the experiment was considered too dangerous. Not giving up, Forssmann decided to experiment on himself. He anaesthetized his own arm and made a cut, putting the pipe 30 centimeters into his vein. He then climbed two floors to the X-ray room before pushing the pipe all the way into his heart. 2. Barry Marshall (Nobel prize winner in 2005) Most doctors in the mid-20th century believed that _ was down to stress, spicy food or an unusually large amount of stomach acid. But in 1979 an Australian scientist named Robin Warren found that the disease might be related to a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori. So he teamed up with his colleague, Barry Marshall, to continue the study. When their request to experiment on patients was denied, Marshall bravely drank some of the bacteria. Five days later, he lost his appetite and soon was vomiting each morning - he indeed had gastritis. 3. Ralph Steinman (Nobel prize winner in 2011) This Canadian scientist discovered a new type of immune system cell called the dendritic cell. He believed that it had the ability to fight against cancer. Steinman knew he couldn't yet use his method to treat patients. So in 2007, when doctors told him that he had cancer and that it was unlikely for him to live longer than a year, he saw an opportunity. With the help of his colleagues, he gave himself three different vaccines based on his research and a total of eight experimental therapies. Even though Steinman eventually died from his cancer, he lived four and a half years, much longer than doctors had said he would.

Answer the following questions:
1. Do chemists usually use rats for their testing?
2. Who uses rats?
3. Who was Werner Forssmann?
4. when did he when the Nobel prize?
5. what did he study?
6. Which human did he want to perform an experiment on?
7. was he supposed to?
8. did he do it anyway?
9. what did he do to his arm?
10. then where did he go?
11. to do what?
12. Who was Ralph Steinman?
13. did he discover something?
14. what was it?
15. what disease did he think it could fight?
16. did he ever when the Nobel Prize?
17. when?
18. how did he die?
19. did he live longer than expected?
20. how much longer?
A:
1. yes
2. biologists and medical researchers
3. German scientist
4. 1956
5. He studied how to put a pipe inside the heart to measure the pressure inside and decide whether a patient needs surgery.
6. himself
7. No
8. Yes
9. made a cut, putting the pipe 30 centimeters into his vein
10. X-ray room
11. pushing the pipe all the way into his heart
12. Canadian scientist
13. a new type of immune system cell
14. the dendritic cell
15. cancer
16. yes
17. 2011
18. cancer
19. yes
20. four and a half years