Lesson 3 Learning from Nature’s Genius
Nature’s Inspiration
From ____ birds to self-cleaning plants, the way nature works fascinates us.
Some people not only use nature but also imitate it ____ find solutions to their problems.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was one ____ person.
He wondered ____ birds could fly.
He closely watched birds, ____ notes, and drew pictures of them.
Even though his invention was not successful, he imitated a bird’s wings to try to make a ____ machine.
Since then, more and more people have successfully ____ the surprising abilities of nature’s genius.
Let’s explore some ____ them.
Learning from a Bird: Moving Fast and Quietly
The ____ train was first made in Japan.
But ____ had one problem.
When the train entered a tunnel, the sudden increase ____ air pressure created a very loud sound.
It often woke people up and caused ____
A team of engineers tried to solve the problem, but they didn’t know how they could reduce the ____
One day, one of the engineers was watching a bird in search of ____ meal.
He saw the bird quickly and ____ diving into the water.
He wondered how ____ bird entered the water so gracefully.
So, he studied more about ____ bird and discovered its long, narrow beak.
He redesigned the front ____ the train by imitating the bird’s beak.
____ was successful.
Now the new train travels not only more quietly but ____ 10% faster with 15% less electricity.
Learning from Burrs: Inventing an All-Purpose Fastener
One ____ a Swiss engineer, George de Mestral, was hiking in the woods with his dog.
On his way home, he saw ____ burrs were stuck to his clothes and his dog’s hair.
He wanted to know how that ____
He ____ a closer look at the burrs and noticed that the ends of the burr needles were not straight.
He wondered ____ he could apply that to make something useful.
After ____ lot of testing, he finally invented two new materials.
One had many tiny needles like those of burrs and the other had ____ hairy surface.
When they were pressed together, ____ became a very good fastener.
It ____ not only strong but also easy to use.
Since then, many people have used his invention in ____ different ways.
It is often ____ for clothing, shoes, and bags.
Some people use it to play a number of ____ games.
In space, it keeps things ____ floating away.
____ is nothing useless in nature.
We just have to become curious and ask ____