SECTION 1 Questions 28-40
Read the text below and answer Questions 28-40.
A Visit to CERN
A
Many families wonder, after the age of Disney and rollercoasters, where to take their children that will garner that ‘wow’ look on their faces. Sadly, teenagers and young adults today are fairly difficult to impress. However, there is rarely disappointment when visiting CERN in Geneva. Being ‘impressed’ by this world famous nuclear physics research facility will certainly be an understatement for you and your fellow travellers regardless of their age! And to see science in action at the particle research centre, CERN, is the ultimate of all educational visits for students of physics, computing or engineering. The centre’s use of scientific instruments – including the massive particle accelerators and detectors – literally bring science off the pages of a text book and into the real world. Students on a trip to CERN can watch cutting-edge scientific exploration and experimentation create results in front of their eyes.
B
CERN’s mention in modern literature and recent movies has elevated the facility to almost legendary status. Founded in 1952, CERN was given the task of ‘establishing a world-class fundamental physics research organisation in Europe’. Currently they have 22 member states and it is one of Europe’s first joint ventures. CERN’s focus is on matter - primarily fundamental particles - how they interact, and the forces acting between them. They have based their research on building and studying the behaviour of particles within huge particle accelerators and detectors. These accelerators ‘boost beams of particles to high energies before the beams are made to collide with each other or with stationary targets’. The tour guides at the centre will explain how making particles collide together at high speed is helping us to answer the most fundamental questions of physics: why isn’t there a balance of matter and antimatter in the universe, what holds galaxies together, and what can the Higgs boson tell us about particle mass?
C
There is no denying that a visit to CERN will provide a truly unique experience. Capturing the imagination of anyone with even a slight interest in science (and even those without one!) is quickly done when you hear about CERN’s greatest accomplishments. To name but a few: CERN, and its scientists, have provided the world with insights into antimatter and its role in the Big Bang theory. CERN scientists also brought us the World Wide Web in 1989. It was while he was based at the institute in 1989 that British scientist Tim Berners-Lee created the web in order to facilitate the sharing of information between scientific institutes around the world. Berners-Lee, in fact, created the very first web page, dedicated (appropriately enough) to introducing the world to the World Wide Web, at CERN. In April 1993 CERN put the World Wide Web software in the public domain with an open license, a browser and a library of code, to allow others to expand this fledgling project. This has revolutionised communication around the world and its effects are resounding.
D
One of the most exciting visual attractions at CERN, that draws curiosity from all over the world, is their Large Hadron Collider. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was created in 2008 and remains the world’s largest particle accelerator. Inside the accelerator, which is a 27-kilometre long ring of superconducting magnets, high-energy particle beams travel nearly at the speed of light and then are manipulated into colliding. The particles themselves are tiny so the task is akin to ‘firing two needles 10 kilometres apart with such precision that they meet halfway’.
E
A tour of CERN should begin at their Globe of Science and Innovation. This symbolic structure is 27 meters high and 40 meters arounds. The landmark is CERN’s ‘outreach tool for its work in the fields of science, particle physics, leading-edge technology and their applications in everyday life’. The institute is always keen to share its exciting developments and discoveries with students from around the world, playing host to thousands of educational visits each year. The laboratory offers three-hour tours to students with emphasis on elements pre-arranged with teachers to cover any specific subject areas, and include visits to viewing points of ground-level experiments.
F
G
Flying to Geneva is both easily arranged and relatively affordable. Direct flights leave daily from most major airports in London. Geneva airport transfers are easy to pre-book prior to your arrival in Switzerland, making the whole travel experience smooth and headache-free. Soon you will be settled in your hotel ready to tackle the beautiful scenery. Find city highlights and the issues of matter versus antimatter with an exploration of CERN. As to the educational objectives, a visit to CERN could be just what your offspring or pupils need to encourage them to make the connection between an interest in the classroom and the world of scientific discovery open to them if they continue their studies. You can concentrate on inspiring your class to become the next generation of CERN scientists.
Adapted from: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
Read the text below and answer Questions 28-40.
A Visit to CERN
A
Many families wonder, after the age of Disney and rollercoasters, where to take their children that will garner that ‘wow’ look on their faces. Sadly, teenagers and young adults today are fairly difficult to impress. However, there is rarely disappointment when visiting CERN in Geneva. Being ‘impressed’ by this world famous nuclear physics research facility will certainly be an understatement for you and your fellow travellers regardless of their age! And to see science in action at the particle research centre, CERN, is the ultimate of all educational visits for students of physics, computing or engineering. The centre’s use of scientific instruments – including the massive particle accelerators and detectors – literally bring science off the pages of a text book and into the real world. Students on a trip to CERN can watch cutting-edge scientific exploration and experimentation create results in front of their eyes.
B
CERN’s mention in modern literature and recent movies has elevated the facility to almost legendary status. Founded in 1952, CERN was given the task of ‘establishing a world-class fundamental physics research organisation in Europe’. Currently they have 22 member states and it is one of Europe’s first joint ventures. CERN’s focus is on matter - primarily fundamental particles - how they interact, and the forces acting between them. They have based their research on building and studying the behaviour of particles within huge particle accelerators and detectors. These accelerators ‘boost beams of particles to high energies before the beams are made to collide with each other or with stationary targets’. The tour guides at the centre will explain how making particles collide together at high speed is helping us to answer the most fundamental questions of physics: why isn’t there a balance of matter and antimatter in the universe, what holds galaxies together, and what can the Higgs boson tell us about particle mass?
C
There is no denying that a visit to CERN will provide a truly unique experience. Capturing the imagination of anyone with even a slight interest in science (and even those without one!) is quickly done when you hear about CERN’s greatest accomplishments. To name but a few: CERN, and its scientists, have provided the world with insights into antimatter and its role in the Big Bang theory. CERN scientists also brought us the World Wide Web in 1989. It was while he was based at the institute in 1989 that British scientist Tim Berners-Lee created the web in order to facilitate the sharing of information between scientific institutes around the world. Berners-Lee, in fact, created the very first web page, dedicated (appropriately enough) to introducing the world to the World Wide Web, at CERN. In April 1993 CERN put the World Wide Web software in the public domain with an open license, a browser and a library of code, to allow others to expand this fledgling project. This has revolutionised communication around the world and its effects are resounding.
D
One of the most exciting visual attractions at CERN, that draws curiosity from all over the world, is their Large Hadron Collider. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was created in 2008 and remains the world’s largest particle accelerator. Inside the accelerator, which is a 27-kilometre long ring of superconducting magnets, high-energy particle beams travel nearly at the speed of light and then are manipulated into colliding. The particles themselves are tiny so the task is akin to ‘firing two needles 10 kilometres apart with such precision that they meet halfway’.
E
A tour of CERN should begin at their Globe of Science and Innovation. This symbolic structure is 27 meters high and 40 meters arounds. The landmark is CERN’s ‘outreach tool for its work in the fields of science, particle physics, leading-edge technology and their applications in everyday life’. The institute is always keen to share its exciting developments and discoveries with students from around the world, playing host to thousands of educational visits each year. The laboratory offers three-hour tours to students with emphasis on elements pre-arranged with teachers to cover any specific subject areas, and include visits to viewing points of ground-level experiments.
F
The “Universe of Particles” exhibition is held on the ground floor and is an excellent starting point for your visit. CERN’s campus and story are introduced to the public via tours conducted on foot or bike. As well as the tour, students can visit the new S’Cool LAB, a Physics Education Research facility where visitors will have the opportunity to take part in particle physics experiments for actual research projects. The institute will encourage students to make their own discoveries, as well as giving them the confidence to work scientifically and to interact with members of the scientific community. Discovering the world’s biggest physics lab and their journey into the mysteries of the Universe is offered free of charge!
G
Flying to Geneva is both easily arranged and relatively affordable. Direct flights leave daily from most major airports in London. Geneva airport transfers are easy to pre-book prior to your arrival in Switzerland, making the whole travel experience smooth and headache-free. Soon you will be settled in your hotel ready to tackle the beautiful scenery. Find city highlights and the issues of matter versus antimatter with an exploration of CERN. As to the educational objectives, a visit to CERN could be just what your offspring or pupils need to encourage them to make the connection between an interest in the classroom and the world of scientific discovery open to them if they continue their studies. You can concentrate on inspiring your class to become the next generation of CERN scientists.
Adapted from: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com
