How Communication Tools Have Changed
FoundationFrom beacon towers to video calls, communication keeps getting faster and people keep drawing closer.
- Communication tools keep evolving with the times.
- Beacons carried military news; courier horses carried letters.
- Telegraph and telephone cross the seas in moments.
文體小知識：說明文按時間次序介紹通訊工具的演進，比較每一步傳遞消息的速度。
§Text Passage
1How did people long ago send urgent news? They lit great fires on beacon towers, one after another, spreading word of an enemy invasion — several hundred li in a single night. But beacons could carry only simple signals.
2Later people wrote letters: relayed from courier station to courier station and carried on horseback, a letter from Guangzhou to Beijing took over ten days. Postal service continues today, with postmen still delivering letters and parcels.
3Over a hundred years ago the telegraph and then the telephone were invented. The telegraph used long and short signals for letters, sending news overseas in minutes; the telephone carried voices directly — lift the receiver and you hear the other person. Later came the mobile phone, and people could call anywhere, anytime.
4Today's smartphones even make video calls: a grandson in Hong Kong can see his grandmother in a faraway country and chat face to face. From beacons to video, communication grows ever faster and clearer, and the world seems smaller.
1Summary 重點摘要
From beacon towers to video calls, communication keeps getting faster and people keep drawing closer.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
The ancient tower where fires were lit to send military news fast.
The ancient stop where messengers changed horses and rested.
Words written on paper and sent for another to read.
Communication using long and short signals for words.
The tool that carries voices directly.
A phone carried about, for calls anytime, anywhere.
A call in which you hear and see the other person.
A mark or wave that carries a message, such as beacon fires or radio waves.
Changing and developing step by step.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: Line up the order in timeCommunication tools advanced step by step through time. Long ago people lit fires on beacon towers to send military news; later letters travelled from one relay station to the next; about a hundred years ago the telegraph arrived, then the telephone entered homes; now smartphones even make video calls. Some people think communication tools have always existed, but each invention marks an advance. Lining the tools up in order reveals the clear track of communication growing ever faster.
- Step 2: Compare the speedsDifferent tools carry messages at vastly different speeds. Beacon fires could send news hundreds of li in a single night; letters, relayed by men and horses, took more than ten days; a telephone connects in seconds, and a video call shows each other at once. Some people think speed hardly matters, but when news arrives earlier, decisions can be made earlier. Comparing speeds explains why people kept inventing new tools.
- Step 3: Learn how signals speakEven without sound, signals can carry meaning. The telegraph used combinations of long and short signals to stand for different letters and numbers, like a secret code; beacon fires used the number of flames to show the size of an enemy force; ships' semaphore spells messages with different flags. Some people think meaning can be conveyed only by speech and writing, but these methods reveal human creativity and deepen our appreciation of today's communication technology.
- Step 4: Observe old things at homeOld communication tools may still be kept at home — living teaching materials. Borrow Grandpa's rotary telephone from his younger days: dialling one number means turning the wheel all the way and letting go, and ten digits take quite a while; compare it with the smartphone at home, and the speed and functions differ hugely. Some people see old objects as mere clutter, but the elders' stories of the past become wonderfully vivid.
- Step 5: Think about call mannersThe more convenient the tool, the more politely we should use it. After ten at night, make no calls unless the matter is urgent, so as not to wake anyone; before a video chat, ask first whether the other person is free; teach elders patiently when they are unfamiliar with a new phone. Some people think convenient tools allow contacting anyone anytime, yet communication exists to keep feelings close and pass on news. Keep the manners, and every contact is a pleasure.
- Step 6: Try different ways of communicatingTrying things yourself shows the change best. Write a letter to a faraway cousin, stick on a stamp and drop it in a postbox — he receives it only days later; a few days after that, make a video call: voice and picture arrive instantly, and you can see each other's smiles. Some people think such trying is mere play, but comparing the two feelings in words makes clear how better tools have changed people's lives.
4Diagrams Diagrams
5Worked example Example
Example: a hundred and fifty years ago a Hong Kong merchant had to tell his Shanghai partner about a meeting. What do people use today? Compare the two.
- Back then only letters worked, taking days on the road; urgent news went by telegraph, charged by the word.
- After the telephone was invented, a call could be made directly within minutes.
- Today a smartphone video call shows the other person instantly and can even send documents.
- The comparison: delivery time shrank from many days to a few seconds.
- Answer: The past relied on letters and telegraphs, taking days or more; today's video calls connect instantly and can send documents too. Communication time shrank from days to seconds — millions of times faster.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1How did ancient people send military news quickly?
Q2How does a telegraph carry words?
Q3Which tool allows calls anytime, anywhere?
Q4How is a video call different from a normal call?
Q5What is the trend of communication tools?
8Recap Recap
- Communication tools keep evolving with the times.
- Beacons carried military news; courier horses carried letters.
- Telegraph and telephone cross the seas in moments.
- Today video calls bring us face to face.
- Communicate politely and respect others' privacy.