I.

READING COMPREHENSION
Read the passage below carefully and answer the questions based on it!

The Science of Physics

Physics (Greek: (phsis), "nature" and (phusik), "knowledge of nature")
is the science concerned with the discovery and understanding of the fundamental laws which
govern matter, energy, space, and time and explaining them using mathematics. Physics deals
with the elementary constituents of the universe and their interactions, as well as the analysis of
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systems best understood in terms of these fundamental principles. Because physics treats the
core workings of the universe, including the quantum mechanical details which underpin all
atomic interactions, it may be thought of as the foundational science, upon which stands the
"central science" of chemistry, and the earth sciences, biological sciences, and social sciences.
Discoveries in basic physics have important ramifications for all of science.

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Physics attempts to describe the natural world by the application of logic the scientific
method, including modeling by theoreticians. Because of its simplicity and reliance upon pure
theories, physics formerly included the study of natural philosophy, its counterpart which had
been called "physics" (earlier physike) from classical times up to the separation of physics from
philosophy as a positive science in the nineteenth century, as the study of the changing world

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by philosophy.
Many other sciences and fields of thought are related to physics. Discoveries in physics
find connections throughout the other natural sciences as they regard the basic constituents of
the universe. Some of the phenomena studied in physics, such as the conservation of energy,
are common to all material systems. These often are referred to as laws of physics. Other

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phenomena, such as superconductivity, stem from these laws, but are not laws themselves
because they only appear in some systems. Physics is often said to be the "fundamental
science" because each of the other sciences (biology, chemistry, geology, physiology,
archaeology, anthropology, etc.) deals with particular types of material systems that obey the
laws of physics. For example, chemistry is the science of matter (such as atoms and molecules)

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and the chemical substances that they form in the bulk. The structure, reactivity, and properties
of a chemical compound are determined by the properties of the underlying molecules, which
can be described by areas of physics such as quantum mechanics (called in this case quantum
chemistry), thermodynamics, and electromagnetism.
Physics is firmly rooted and heavily relies on mathematics, which provides the logical

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framework in which physical laws can be precisely formulated and their predictions can be
quantified. Physical definitions, models and theories are invariably expressed using
mathematical relations. There is a large area of research intermediate between physics and
mathematics, known as mathematical physics.

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As analytic solutions are not always possible, numerical analysis and simulations based
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on conservation laws and other laws of physics are frequently utilized, especially for odd or
complex systems. Thus, scientific computation is an integral part of physics, and the field of
computational physics is an active area of research.
Physics is also closely related to engineering and technology. For instance, electrical
engineering is the study of the practical application of electromagnetism. Statics, a subfield of

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mechanics, is responsible for the building of bridges. Further, physicists, or practitioners of

physics, invent and design processes and devices, such as the transistor, whether in basic or
applied research. Experimental physicists design and perform experiments with particle
accelerators,

nuclear

reactors,

telescopes,

barometers,

synchrotrons,

cyclotrons,

spectrometers, lasers, and other equipment.

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A. COMPREHENSION CHECK
Answer the following questions based on the text!
1. What does the text mainly discuss?
a. The nature of universe
c. The relation between physics and other sciences
b. General overview of physics d. Physics and engineering
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2. According to the passage, physics studies the followings matters about universe, EXCEPT
.
a. Its elements and their contacts
c. its principal works
b. Its basic laws
d. Its roles to social sciences
3. What subject probably takes an important role in the understanding of physics?
a. Biology
b. Chemistry
c. Mathematics
d. Social science

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4. How does physics explain the nature of world?

a. Using scientific reasoning
c. Applying chemistry
b. By using biological sciences
d. Involving social sciences
5. Why did physics involve the study of natural philosophy in its early development?
a. It is considered classical
c. It is easy to understand and reliable
b. It is natural to all sciences
d. It is logical and heavy
6. Why is physics often considered fundamental science?
a. Other sciences may relate to the principles of physics
b. Physics provides basic rules for governing all sciences
c. Other sciences may have various basic concepts
d. Physics has accurately controlled universe

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7. What does mathematics contribute to physics?

a. It sets accurate calculation on the age of universe
b. It provides rational analysis to exact formulation of physical laws
c. It helps physics obtain various kinds of calculation
d. It gives precise calculation on the area of physics and mathematics
8. What is the impact of combining physics and mathematics?
a. Mathematics may work without physics
c. A new subject comes up
b. Mathematics is useless without physics
d. Physical definitions may vary
9. What is the use of numerical analysis and simulations in physics?

a. To make mathematical relations work

b. To provide clearance of the number of physical laws
c. To set an exact calculation on the quantity of matter
d. To clarify unusual and complicated systems
10. What is true about engineering?
a. It deals much with technology of physics
b. It has a strong relation to physics

c. Physics is easy without engineering

d. Engineering has won its technology

Words in Context
11. The word constituents in line 4 means
a. voters
b. components

c. persons

d. laws

12. The word reliance in line 11 is closest in meaning to

a. trust
b. opponent
c. alliance

d. convenience

13. The word conservation in line 18 can be best replaced by

a. utilization
b. maintenance
c. consideration
d. stability
14. The word relies in line 29 means
a. runs
b. considers

c. depends

d. thinks

15. The word invariably in line 31 is closest in meaning to

a. variably
b. consistently
c. unstably

d. variously

Technical Understanding
16. What does it in line 7 refer to?
a. Physics
b. Universe c. Fundamental science

d. quantum mechanics

17. The word its in line 11 refers to

a. Natural philosophy
b. scientific method

c. physics

d. modeling

18. The word these in line 19 refers to

a. Physics
b. Phenomena
c. constituents d. natural sciences
19. The word they in line 25 refers to
a. Chemistry b. chemical substances

c. laws of physics

20. What does their in line 30 refer to?

a. Physical laws
b. Physical definitions c. models

d. atoms and molecules

d. theories

II. ENRICHING VOCABULARY

Identify the meaning of the underlined words below!
1. Physics tries to understand the nature of basic things such as motion, forces, energy,
matter, heat, sound, and light.
a. origin
b. life
c. character
d. kind
2. Black holes, atoms, engines, elevators, and baseballs all obey the laws of physics.
a. follow
b. come
c. work
d. offer
3. You might find a physicist smashing atomic particles together to find out how the universe
began, or you might find a physicist orbiting the earth as an astronaut.
a. hitting
b. locking
c. throwing
d. breaking
4. Physicists also work in hospitals designing new instruments or scanning techniques.

a. treatments

b. experiments

c. devices

d. developments

5. Some physicists create smaller, faster electronics for the next generation of computers.
a. innovation
b. cloning
c. generator
d. production
Fill in the blanks with suitable words in the box below!
Physics is relevant to many other sciences, such as astronomy, biology, and geology. The
.1. of these fields are called astrophysics, biophysics, and geophysics. Engineers apply
physics to .2. things; in fact, some students study a subject called Engineering Physics.
Mathematics is often used to describe the laws of nature. One of the most famous .3.
of this type was Einstein's formula E=mc2, where E is energy, m is mass, and c is the speed of
light. This .4., put simply, says that matter can be transformed into energy, and energy
can be transformed into matter. Physics doesn't have to use mathematics to express the
.5. of the physical world. Some .6. are better expressed in words, like the
important Law of Conservation of Energy, which states that energy cannot be created or
destroyed.
a. equation

b. laws

c. design

d. principles

e. combinations

f. formula