Transcript Means of communication

Means of communication
The 21st of November
Nowadays we take our modern means of communication „ for granted,
but we shouldn't forget older methods. Who knows? One day we
may need them again!
The history of communication started long before people invented the
alphabet. When people couldn't read or write, they drew pictures
on the walls. These pictures told the stories of their everyday life,
battles and culture.
Can you imagine your life without post offices? Difficult, isn't it. But
before they were invented, people still wrote letters.
In the ancient world there were thousands of foot messengers who
formed an ancient communication network. One of the most
famous messengers in history was a Greek soldier. He ran to
Athens to bring the news, of the Greek victory over the Persians at
the battle of Marathon in 490 ВС.
When he got to Athens and gave the news, he fell dead of exhaustion.
He had covered a distance of 26 miles. In honour of this soldier,
sportsmen nowadays run the same distance — a marathon.
In the Middle Ages life was hard and dangerous. It was very important
to have good neighbours and to get news quickly. So people used
the high towers of their castles to send and receive messages
about the enemies. American Indians didn't build high towers but
used smoke signals to send important information.
When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876,
everybody thought that it was a real miracle. The telephone and
the telegraph were the fastest means of communication that
people could imagine. In the 19th century people used to say, "We
have invented everything we could." But as we know today it was
just the beginning.
Questions for the text:
 What did people do when they didn't
have the alphabet?
 What did people do when they didn't
have post offices?
 What did people do when they didn't
have the telephone and the
telegraph?
Answer: true, false or no
information.
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People couldn't communicate before they invented
the alphabet.
In the ancient world people also had big, fast
communication networks.
Marathon is the name of a place in ancient Greece.
In medieval times people used the telegraph.
The American Indians used smoke signals because
they couldn't read or write.
People invented the post in the 19th century.
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
In the 19th century people used Morse code for the
telegraph.
Quiz:
1. Who invented paper?
a) the Chinese
b) the Japanese
c) the English
Paper came from China, in the 2d
century BC. The oldest piece of paper
in the world is made from hemp.
2. Who invented the alphabet?
a) the Jews
b) the Greeks
c) the Egyptians
The first alphabet appeared in 1900 BC. It
came from Egypt and other cultures
copied it.
3. Who invented ink?
a) the Egyptians and the Chinese
b) the Chinese
c) the Arabs
People invented ink before 2500 BC. Some
books say it was the Chinese, but probably
the Egyptians invented it at the same time.
It was a mixture of soot from pine smoke
and lamp oil mixed with gelatine from
donkey skin.
4. Who first sent private letters
from one person to another?
a) the Greeks
b) the Egyptians
c) the Romans
Messages on wax-coated tablets were the 1st
private letters. Their inventor, a Greek
scholar, wrote letters like this and sent
them to his friends by foot messengers.
5. Who invented the stamp?
a) the English
b) the Russians
c) the Americans
In 1837 Sir Rowland Hill invented the 1st
official stamp in the world and became
“the father of modern post office”.
6. Who invented the telephone?
a) Telephone
b) Popov
c) Alexander Graham Bell
The first real telephone call was on March 6, 1876,
when Bell, in one room, called to his assistant
in another room. Nowadays the Bell Telephone
Company is the largest telephone company in
the world.
7. Who invented the telegraph?
a) Alexander Graham Bell
b) Samuel Morse
c) Mary Telegraph
The word “telegraph” comes from Greek and
means “to write far”. In 1835 a professor
of arts and design at New York University,
Samuel Morse, developed telegraph wires
and also invented Morse code.
8. Who invented the e-mail?
a) the Americans
b) the Russians
c) the Germans
Nobody tried to invent the e-mail. It simply
happened in 1969 with help of Ray
Tomlinson, an American programmer.
Task for groups:
Draw and tell about a means of
communication which is new
and interesting for you. Why?