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