The Evolution of Communication
FoundationCommunication has grown from beacon fires and post-horses through telegraph and telephone to the internet, smartphones and 5G. Instant messaging is handy, but use it with care: guard privacy, tell true from false, and limit screen time.
- Communication advanced from beacons and post-horses through telegraph and telephone to the internet, smartphones and 5G.
- The telegraph sent words in an instant — a revolution.
- Smartphones and instant messaging make contact free, instant and everywhere.
文體小知識：科技史說明文這一次細看人類怎樣傳遞訊息，由烽火到5G，一頁一頁的通訊史。
§Text Passage
1Communication means passing messages to people far away. Ancient methods were bound by distance: on the Great Wall beacon fires reported enemy movements; relay post-horses carried letters stage by stage; carrier pigeons flew home with notes; a letter from Guangzhou to Beijing took weeks.
2In the nineteenth century the telegraph turned words into electric signals reaching afar in an instant — a revolution. After Bell invented the telephone, people spoke across distance; radio and television carried voices and pictures into every home. At the century's end the internet connected the world's computers, and an email crossed the globe in seconds.
3In the 2000s the smartphone put phone, camera, computer and internet into a pocket. Instant-messaging apps exchange text, voice and pictures free of charge; video calls bring distant relatives close; mobile networks advanced from 3G and 4G to 5G, downloading faster and smoothing remote learning and smart apps. Today's speed of communication was unthinkable to the ancients.
4Convenient communication has its price: personal details and photos, once sent, cannot be recalled; online messages may be false; long hours on the phone harm eyes and sleep. Be a wise user: confirm important matters face to face or by phone; verify group messages before forwarding; put the phone down from time to time and talk with family — however fast technology runs, it never replaces real care.
1Summary 重點摘要
Communication has grown from beacon fires and post-horses through telegraph and telephone to the internet, smartphones and 5G. Instant messaging is handy, but use it with care: guard privacy, tell true from false, and limit screen time.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
The fires lit on the Great Wall in ancient times to warn of enemies.
The tool turning words into electric signals sent in an instant.
Bell's invention letting people talk across distance.
The network linking the world's computers and devices.
The device combining phone, camera, computer and internet.
The exchanging of text, voice and pictures at once.
A call in which you can see the other person.
The fifth-generation mobile network, faster and steadier.
Time spent on phones and screens; too much harms health.
3Step by step Steps
- Step 1: Line up the timeline of communicationCommunication technology keeps evolving: messages travel ever faster and reach ever farther. For example, ancient times used beacons and post-horses; the telegraph and telephone came in the nineteenth century; radio and television arrived in the twentieth; and today we have the internet, smartphones and 5G. Lining these tools up in order shows how communication has changed the world step by step, making contact with faraway people ever easier.
- Step 2: Time the ancient paceIn ancient times there was no electricity or internet, and messages moved only by people and horses, so speed was very limited. For example, a post-horse covered about a hundred kilometres a day, so a letter from Guangzhou to Beijing, some three thousand kilometres, took a month one way; wind, rain and war made it longer still. Comparing ancient and modern speeds shows how remarkable the telegraph and the internet really are, and how hard communication once was.
- Step 3: See the telegraph's revolutionThe telegraph was the first time humans sent messages by electricity, and its meaning was enormous. For example, the telegraph turned an urgent SOS into a signal crossing a thousand kilometres in minutes — a hundred times faster than horses. From then on, long-distance communication no longer depended on transport, and business, news and disaster relief all sped up greatly; the telephone that followed let people talk across distance, opening a new page in the history of communication.
- Step 4: Compare three generations of mobile networksMobile networks keep upgrading, and each generation leaps ahead in speed and uses. For example, 3G carried pictures, 4G streamed video smoothly, 5G downloads a film in seconds and supports remote medicine and autonomous driving. The faster the network, the more we can do, and the smart life of the future is built on these technologies; at the same time, the easier it is to get online, the more we must use it in moderation.
- Step 5: Practise responsible messagingInstant messaging is convenient, but fast messages mean false messages travel fast too. For example, on receiving a classes-suspended-tomorrow group message, check the school website first and never forward it unverified, nor add colour to it. Form the habit of checking before sharing — never carrying rumours along; when a doubtful message circulates in a group, remind classmates and family too. That is every messaging user's duty.
- Step 6: Guard communication privacyMessaging apps carry lots of personal data, so privacy protection must never slacken. For example, never send passwords, addresses or photos into large groups; before a video call, check the background for objects that reveal personal details. Group members can be a mixed crowd, and a forwarded message is almost impossible to take back, so careful sharing protects ourselves and our family; leaving groups we no longer use guards privacy too.
- Step 7: Balance technology and lifeHowever convenient communication technology is, we must also know when to put it down to truly be with our family. For example, at dinner the whole family drops phones into a small basket and shares the day face to face; stay off screens for an hour before bed, letting eyes and brain rest. Technology is a tool, not the whole of life; control the time we spend on it, and life stays both convenient and warm, with people drawn closer.
4Diagrams Diagrams
5Worked example Example
Example: Ka-yan's cousin has moved to Australia. Compare how they kept in touch thirty years ago with today, and list two cautions for communication now.
- Thirty years ago: letters took a week or two for each exchange; long-distance calls were costly, tens of dollars for a few minutes.
- Today: video calls are free and instant — the cousin sees Ka-yan's smile; messages and photos reach Australia in a second.
- Caution one: photos and personal data are hard to recall once sent, so think before sharing and never reveal your address or school.
- Caution two: limit screen time, put the phone down regularly, and be with family face to face so bonds stay close.
- Answer: From letters and costly calls to free, instant video calls, communication has advanced enormously; mind privacy and screen time, and technology stays healthy and reassuring to use.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1How did ancient China report enemy movements along the Great Wall?
Q2Why was the telegraph a revolution in communication?
Q3What functions does a smartphone combine?
Q4What makes 5G better than earlier mobile networks?
Q5What principles should guide instant messaging?
8Recap Recap
- Communication advanced from beacons and post-horses through telegraph and telephone to the internet, smartphones and 5G.
- The telegraph sent words in an instant — a revolution.
- Smartphones and instant messaging make contact free, instant and everywhere.
- Verify online messages before forwarding; personal data, once sent, cannot be recalled.
- Limit screen time and treasure face-to-face talk — technology serves life.