Many people have heard of the Braille system of reading for the blind. But few people know why it is called the "Braille" system or who Louis Braille was. 3!0Eh8ncI  
In the year 1812, Louis Braille was a very small boy. He lived in a small town in France. Louis' father had a shop in which he made things of leather. One day Louis was playing in his father's shop and picked up a small tool with a very sharp point. Louis fell, the point of the tool entered his eye, and later he became blind in both eyes. Although he was the only seven or eight years old, Louis had to walk with a stick so as to feel where he was going. Y,kTk  
A few years later Louis went to a special school for the blind in Paris. There he learnt to read, that is he learnt to recognise the letters by feeling them with his fingers. But the letters were several inches high and several inches wide. This was naturally not a very good system of reading. Later on Louis became a teacher in this same school. He wanted to find a better system of reading for the blind, but It was not easy. One day he was sitting in a restaurant with a friend, who was reading the newspaper to him. The friend read an article about a French captain who had a system of writing which he could use in the dark. He called it "night writing". In this "night writing", the captain used a system of circles and lines. H|H!VPof]  
The circles and lines were raised on the paper so that a person could feel them with his fingers. When Louis heard about it he became very excited. "At last I have found the answer to the problem of the blind. Now blind people can be free. "

Braille characters are made up of six dots. The dots are arranged in two columns and numbered from one to six. The dot on the top left corner is number one, the one below it is number two and the bottom one is number three. The dot on the top right corner is number four and so on. Each letter of the alphabet can be written with a character. The letter "A", for example, is written with the number 1 dot, the one on the top left corner. The letter "D" is made up dots one, four, and five. You can also write numbers and other marks, for example a period, which is written with dots 2, 5, and 6. Sometimes short forms of words or word parts can be used. There are characters for words such as "and" and "the" and word parts such as "ed" and "ing". DKfw8"L]  
Here are some more letters and characters. Take notes as you listen and them use your notes to find out what the words in the workbook are. v/BMzVi  
E Dots 1 and 5 0g@ 8 x_3  
L Dots 1, 2, and 3 6 2r%q^r`i  
N Dots 1, 3, 4, and 5 Q1Sf
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O Dots 1, 3, and 5 ^\uj&K6l  
W Dots 2, 4, 5, and 6

EQUAL ACCESS [.`#N1-@M  
Every member of society has the right to education, employment and a reasonable quality of life. As society develops, we have both the opportunity and responsibility to make sure that people with disabilities can live productive and meaningful lives. That means that we must make sure that our streets and public buildings, such as government offices, schools, hospitals, cinemas and libraries, are safe and accessible to all of us. vZpt}u  
STREETS ~*h` ?A0  
The streets in our cities should be clean, in good repair and safe. To make sure that blind people can find their way around our cities, we must provide street stones and markers that help them get where they are going. Special stones can be used to show paths and crossings. For those who are in wheelchairs, we should provide level streets and easy access to sidewalks and stores. The ground should be even and hard, and there should be no unmarked holes or other dangers. Signs and traffic lights must be well-placed and easy to read and use. Y:XxTa*  
PUBLIC BUILDINGS c
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Public buildings must also be accessible and safe. There must be enough room for wheelchairs, and all parts ofthe building must be accessible. It is important to make sure that doors and entrances are easy to reach from the street. The path should be flat and even, and if there are any steps, they should be covered with a board so that wheelchairs can enter the building. Doors should be at least 80 cm wide and there should be enough space so that the door can be opened by a person sitting in a wheelchair. Public telephones, buttons for elevators and other facilities should be placed so that they can be reached from a wheelchair. Entrances should be easy to find and well-lighted for people who do not see very well. Glass doors should be marked at eye level to prevent accidents. It is also important that the shape of the room is easy to recognise and that there are not any objects that may confuse people. For example, the colour or shade of walls, floors and doors should be different enough so that the shape of the room is clear. There should be no large mirrors or windows letting in sunlight that may make it harder to see. It is also important that any special places, such as bathrooms or entrances for disabled persons, are conveniently located, clearly marked and made to look as pleasant as possible. 9rsty{J8  
HOMES 38T2IN  
When we design buildings, we should keep in mind that there should be apartments that are suitable for disabled persons. All entrances and public areas in apartment buildings must be accessible and there should be parking spaces near the entrances. Apartments for people in wheelchairs should be on the ground floor unless there is an elevator; if there is an elevator, it should be large enough and easy to operate. KCkA4`IeM  
The interior of the apartments should also be designed properly. Light switches, electrical outlets, door handles, sinks and other fixtures should be placed at a convenient height so that someone in a wheelchair can reach them. Bathrooms, kitchens and hallways should be large and wide enough so that a wheelchair can be turned around. Special features, such as doorbells that use light rather than sound, must be used in apartments for people with hearing difficulty, and there should be wiring that makes it possible for people to use text-telephones and other aids. -?WhJ.U  
Perhaps most important, we must provide equal "intellectual access" for disabled people. That means that everyone, disabled or not, should have equal access to schools, universities, jobs and political organisations. Providing equal access requires thought, work and money and may seem expensive. We must remember, however, that the cost of not providing equal access is far greater.

P: Good morning. R<1[hH9"o  
J: Good morning. My name is Frank Jones, and I have a great idea for a new invention. 82z<Q*YP
 
P: I see. Can you explain what it is? GSg/I.)S  
J: Yes. Oh it's great! It's an invention that will change the world. Listen: cars and buses are good means of transportation, right? But they are expensive and noisy, and they pollute the air. Imagine a new means of transportation that lets people travel without a sound, that doesn't need any fuel, and that doesn't pollute the air. t`A 5wqm  
P: Hmm, sounds interesting. Go on, please. 4_?*@L1  
J: Well, my invention is a vehicle with two wheels instead of four. It doesn't have an engine; instead, you simply push these things here with your feet. H oKN<w  
P: Ah, excuse me, but perhaps. . . m2Q#ATLW  
J: No, no, look! You can use it to go to work, and it is so small that you won't have any problems finding a place to park. And it is cheap - less than three thousand yuan! Isn't it great? You also get exercise by riding it and it's fun. Q,xKi|$r  
P: Excuse me! A*hc w  
J: And best of all, it. . . what? _{'HY+M  
P: I'm sorry, Mr Jones, but I can't give you a patent for this invention.

B: Good morning. My name is Jack butler. I'd like to tell you about my new invention. ">nFzg?Y  
P: OK. Please explain what it is and how it works.
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B: Sure. I've been working on this idea for a long time and it's finally ready. I got the idea when I saw a woman carrying her bags home from the supermarket. I noticed that the bags were so heavy that she had to stop and rest several times on the way. Now, I've had the same problem, too, and I thought I'd do something about it. ],wzZhA  
P: So how did you solve this problem? Q}#H|@  
B: Ah, It's quite simple. really. We all know that things float in water, right? |mz0 ]  
P: Yes, but I don't see how... ^Ux*"\/Es  
B: So I've built these large buckets, see, and all you have to do is put your bags in the buckets and they will float. No more carrying those heavy old bags. They'll just float along. ~s[Yu!(  
P: Yes, but. . . O[^zQA  
B: Oh, I know, I know, you're wondering "well, won't the groceries get wet?" Don't worry, I've thought of that. Just tie the bags up before you put them in the buckets, or use these special bags that come with the buckets. M5S<N_+Pe  
P: Mr Butler! yF^)H{yx  
B: Yes? iEMIzaR  
P: It's not the water I'm worried about. Zr;(a;QKs  
B: No? }iR!uhi#  
P: No, you see, there's another, more serious, problem...

WHAT WILL YOU THINK OF NEXT `:2n
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Throughout history, great thinkers have used their creativity and imagination to change the world. How do they come up with ideas for new inventions? Thinkers who have changed the world do not seem to have much in common. They come from different cultures and have different backgrounds, and only some of them did well at school. Creativity is not about getting high test scores, having a high IQ or being smart. Instead, it seems that creative thinking, which is one of the most highly valued skills in society, is a matter of habits. By thinking about the way we think and practising good thinking strategies, we can become more creative. 1uzK(j8w  
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX -:wV3D  
Knowledge and learning are important if we want to be successful, but we must also realise that what we know and what we have learnt may also limit our thinking. To "think outside the box" is to try new ways to solve a problem. Inventors often rephrase a problem to allow for creative solutions and also try "impossible" or "crazy" solutions. If we look only for the correct answer and reject ideas that do not provide a complete answer, we may get stuck. Partial solutions, and even failures, give us more information and clues that help us move towards a better solution. Creative thinking is a conscious effort to break away from old thought patterns in order to explore new possibilities. 5 U*${  
TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT IT ,S?:lQuK5  
Good solutions and new ideas are often the result of a change in perception. By looking at a problem in as many ways as possible, creative thinkers can find solutions that would otherwise remain invisible. As with thinking outside the box, the process includes a series of different attempts and several false starts. Each new way of looking at a situation improves our understanding and makes it easier to discover new possibilities. Great thinkers also like to make their ideas visible. A drawing or a model will help you see things that may otherwise remain hidden. i6i;{\tc  
MAKE CONNECTIONS Z7Nhb{  
Every new thought or idea has to be connected to what we already know. Unfortunately, it is easy to limit the possibilities of a new idea by connecting it to only one area of our previous knowledge. Great thinkers are aware of this and try to combine new and old ideas in as many different ways as possible. They also try to make connections that may seem strange at first. By comparing and connecting ideas and objects in new ways, creative thinkers are able to think of new applications and solutions. Many of the things that we use every day were invented by someone who saw similarities between his or her ideas and objects or systems in the world. 1M[|9nWUC  
KEEP TRYING 5^Lb
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Good ideas are no accident. They are the result of a long process of trial and error. Most famous scientists and thinkers are very productive and studies have shown that our most respected scientists produce not only some of the best ideas, but also a great many bad ones. Some of the greatest inventors forced themselves to develop new ideas even when they were tired or did not feel inspired. They all knew that for each new invention that works, there are at least ten that do not. f%REN3=5K  
If we want to develop our creativity, we can try using some of the thinking strategies of the great and famous. We may not be interested in becoming inventors, but we probably all want to find new ways to improve our life. Who knows, perhaps your next thought will be a new idea that changes the world.

ALL IN THE MIND: SCIENTIFIC METAPHORS &SPIu,  
It is certainly true that computers, cellphones and digital cameras have become part of our everyday life. Anywhere we go, we can hear the ringing of a cellphone, the tapping of a keyboard or the clicking of a mouse. We are said to be living in the "Information Age", a time of new discoveries and great changes. But is it really true that we are living in the "Information Age"? Has our life changed that much? Many of the things we do with computers, such as typing and sending mail, are things that we also did before. Has anything really changed except the tools we use? F*Ul#yX  
When we describe or talk about new inventions, we use words and ideas that we already know. For example, when we want to explain how a computer works, we use words like "memory", "store" and "cut and paste". The words are useful, but they are not quite true. A computer's "memory" is similar to human memory in some ways, but it is also very different. A computer does keep information in its memory, but that is clearly different from other kinds of storage. We do cut and paste, but we don't use scissors or glue. Using familiar words makes it easier for us to understand and use a new tool, but it may also make it more difficult for us to use the new invention in the best way. After all, what makes a new invention such a wonderful thing is that it allows us to do something we could not do before. a(uQGyr[k1  
Science is not just about electronics and plastic; it is also about how we think about the world. Now that we are developing new technology at such a high pace, the true challenge is to find new ways of using it. How will we use computers in the future? How will we use the Internet? The real function will only be known once we discover new ways of thinking about the technology.

Most great inventors often meet with a lot of trouble in their work. Before they can succeed, they have to overcome thousands of difficulties which have been put in their way. The following is one example of this. AdbTI#eY  
George Stephenson, a famous British inventor, made the first train, using a steam engine in 1825. When he was experimenting with the engine on the train, he came across problems caused by the government, newspapers and many people in the country. They said that the noise and the smoke would kill cows, horses and sheep. Others thought that the engine would burst and that the hot coals from it would set fire to their houses. People believed what they said. _qH]OSo   
George Stephenson told the people that the train would go on small rails, could pull carriages full of goods and passengers and that there would be no great danger to them. Although it was very difficult to get people to believe him, Stephenson finally proved what he said driven by Stephenson himself and powered by a new steam engine which he invented, that first train proved to be a complete success. ZgmK~iJ  
The first day that the train ran on the rails, people along the way heard the noise of the train in the distance, and saw it coming quickly towards them. They thought it was a ghost. They ran quickly back home for fear and closed their doors tightly. They did not dare to come out until it had passed. A week later an old woman still said that her hen had been so frightened that it hadn't laid any eggs for three days.

Despite what people thought, Stephenson's engine wasn't dangerous. But there are other inventions that really were dangerous to both the inventors and the people around them. g+Y &rz  
Alfred Nobel, the man who created the Nobel Prize, is famous for inventing a safe way to use a chemical to blow things up. However, his discovery came at a high price: Alfred's experiments killed several people, including his younger brother. PGuPw'2;[  
One of the most famous Nobel Prize winners, Marie Curie, also gave her life for science. The radium she discovered had made her almost blind and caused a disease of the blood. She died as a result of her long study of dangerous materials. o\fPZ`p-m~  
Sometimes an inventor has to risk his or her life to find out if an invention works. Early airplane experiments were very dangerous and often resulted in accidents. In the 18th century, a French inventor named Sieur Freminet died when his new breathing machine for divers didn't work. Of course, sometimes success can be dangerous, too. Rudolf Diesel, the scientist who invented the kind of engine used in some modern cars and ships, was almost killed when he discovered a new way to light fuel.

INVENTIONS wM}AWmH  
Computers that use light instead of electricity, "smart" clothes that can make phone calls and play music, house paints that change colour with the seasons, e-paper and ads that speak to you - the list of amazing new inventions that seem to be just around the corner is long and inspiring. How many of these new technologies will actually become reality remains to be seen, but it is clear that the next fifty years will be exciting. Here is a look at some of the new ideas that may shape our future. H;#C NB<e  
NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON'T \5j#ad  
Researchers in Japan have invented a kind of paint that makes things invisible. It may sound incredible, but the new paint reflects light in such a way that the human eye is fooled. The technology behind the paint is fairly simple: instead of letting the light rays bounce back in the normal way, the paint sends the light back to the source. It is as if a basketball backboard was made so that a ball thrown at an angle would bounce right back at the person throwing it. The paint does not really make things disappear, but by changing the way the light bounces it does make it possible to "see through" objects. The technology has many potential uses. The paint could be used to make interesting clothes and to help doctors see through the skin of a patient and thus be able to work better. It may also be used to hide things that we do not want others to see. g*!1S  
DON'T TOUCH THAT KNIFE AuY*x;~  
Most of us probably hope that we will never have to face major surgery. Even though doctors are well trained and modern technology makes it possible to save lives, many operations are still dangerous and painful. Now, however, scientists believe that they might be able to help doctors to cure patients with less risk. A new and very small robot has been invented. This robot can enter the human body through a small hole so that it is no longer necessary to cut the patient. Instead of using knives and other large tools, doctors can use a computer to move the tiny robot around. If the technology can be used on human beings, operations will be safer and less painful. fr}.#~{5Y  
THAT WILL NEVER WORK, OR WILL IT <` NtTG  
The most exciting inventions are always the ones that have not yet been made. The true challenge for any inventor is to dare to dream and believe that what seems impossible today may one day become possible. Among the many inventions that are being discussed by some scientists are several that may seem ridiculous to us. For example, one scientist is trying to build a device that will allow information to enter the human body. In early experiments, the scientist was able to send sound into humans and dolphins, with some success. He is now working on sending visual information to the brain, so that blind people could be able to "see". The scientist believes that it may be possible to "learn" by sending information to the brain. 3E}j*lo  
Other inventors are trying to make something out of nothing. One group of scientists think that it maybe possible to make energy from space itself. According to their theories, what we think of as empty space does in fact contain energy in the form of movement. They describe space as true "perpetual motion", that is, movement that never stops. They claim that there are energy fields everywhere - because of the laws of physics, there are always small movements everywhere. For hundreds of years, people have tried to build machines that never stop, but the laws of physics show that it cannot be done. The "space motion", however could turn out to be endless. The scientists working on the programme believe that these fields of energy can be put to work. If they are successful, a new and cheap energy source will become available to us. g!Ui|]BI9  
It should be said that most scientists think that these inventions will never work. Perhaps they are right, but we would do well to keep in mind that many inventions that we now take for granted were greeted with doubt. People laughed at Benjamin Franklin's early discoveries and many other great scientists had to wait many years before their ideas were accepted. It is also important to remember that new inventions do not always work well in the beginning - a good example is the first airplane, which only flew a very short distance.