4 Read about the history of communication and answer the questions.
1. What did people do to tell other generations about their culture when they didn't have the alphabet?
2. What did people do to send their letters when they didn't have post offices?
3. What did people do to send quick messages when they didn't have the telephone and the telegraph?
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 (истощение). 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 (чудо). 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.
1. What did people do to tell other generations about their culture when they didn't have the alphabet?
2. What did people do to send their letters when they didn't have post offices?
3. What did people do to send quick messages when they didn't have the telephone and the telegraph?
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 (истощение). 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 (чудо). 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.