05 Track 5

Unit 2

Inventions

Chapter 2

The Most Useful Inventions

Page 27

Talk About It

The most useful inventions

The other day, my friends and I had a discussion about the most useful invention of all time. There were many good ideas - the train, the car and the airplane. They’re all useful, but they were not my choices.

For an everyday, useful invention, I vote for the air conditioner. I live in Taipei, and during the summer the temperature can be 35 degree Celsius or higher. It’s so hot! I’m not joking when I say that, without an air conditioner, people here couldn’t work or study.

The weather is so hot that it can make you feel unwell if you don’t drink enough water and get enough rest.

What do you guys think is the most useful invention of all time?

Posted by Cindy Wu on Saturday, April 13

I don’t know if I agree with you, Cindy. For me, the most useful invention of all time is surely the Internet. We can now reach people and do business faster. I own a clothing store in Mexico City, and there’s a lot of competition.

I also have a website. Now, people from all over the world can buy my clothing. With emails, I can keep in touch with friends and family in Mexico and around the world. It’s faster than usual mail, and it’s cheaper than using the phone!

posted by Jorge on Sunday, April 14

Jorge, I also think that the Internet is useful. But, in my opinion there is an invention that is even more important in Matt’s electricity. Of course this isn’t a man-made invention but without people like Benjamin Franklin and Alessandro Volta, we wouldn’t have learned how to use it and without electricity. Many of the world’s most important modern inventions would not work. Posted by Kazuo on Monday, April 15