Section D
         One of the most impeccable vocations one could pursue is engineering. Engineers, though intricate, play a central role in transforming our world into a safer, more enjoyable place to live. Consider just one area, which is very close to each of us: our own health. Biomedical engineers have designed incubators that sustain the lives of premature babies, devices and procedures to diagnose conditions and fight diseases, and equipment to restore bodilyfunction such as being able to walk or to see. Agricultural and biological engineers develop medicines, create better ways of growing and protecting our food supply, and along with environmental engineers, help to create a cleaner, safer environment in which to breathe, grow food, and have safe drinking water. Even if you have not come across such an engineer before, they have set an example of how to be good stewards of our resources, and we are the beneficiaries of what they have done for us.
           What exactly is engineering? It is practical application of science knowledge. There are many different areas of engineering. Dr. Seuss help to open our minds to all the possibilities of what we can do in life in his book Oh, The Places You'll Go! Engineers make this a reality, both literally and figuratively. In the area of transportation, engineers design vehicles to help many people daily get from one place to another, as well as airplanes, space shuttles, and submarines that enable us to explore the far reaches of the planet and beyond. More broadly, there are four major branches of engineering, including chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering, each of which has a number of subdisciplines. Then there are different interdisciplinary areas of engineering. From the smallest scope, where nanoengineers and biomolecular engineers design at the level of atoms and molecules, to the largest scope, where civil engineers design bridges and buildings, the options are many.
           Being an engineer is intellectually stimulation and provides continual challenges. You will learn not only how things work, but also why different materials such as woods, metals, or plastics have the properties that they do, depending on their atomic structure and how they were formed. You become trained to identify what problems may exist and how to use your knowledge, skills, and creativity to figure our innovative solutions to fix them. One interesting challenge outlined by the National Academy of Engineering is to figure out how to control a fusion reaction to provide us with energy in a more efficient, economic, and environmentally friendly way. Or how about discovering how to diagnose and treat conditions people have, based on individual differences? Quickly assessing someone's genetic profile and having a way to deliver patient-specific medications to precise locations using nanoparticles are important engineering challenges that could improve many people's lives.
           It is hard to imagine what life would be like without the contributions engineers have already made. They have not just helped us to survive, be healthy, explore, and move around better, but they have also made life more enjoyable through advances in areas such as communications, computing and sports. Computer engineers, for example, have helped develop devices and software that we can use to make and share documents and home videos, listen to our favorite music, and talk with co-workers, friends, and family members across the globe. In sports, different engineers have made systems and devices that provide us with better, safer equipment, communications that enable teams to interact better and games to be televised, and environments and infrastructure that improve the playing and watching games.
           It is true that everyone has unique desires, so you may prefer a vacation in some other area.But even our desires themselves can be changed and need to be developed, so why not try engineering on a smaller level with a project around the house or follow an engineer around for a while? It might just become the kind of thing you would enjoy doing even if you were not getting paid, and perhaps you could become the next Orville or Wilbur Wright, coming up with a whole new design that takes us to new heights. Consider also the fruits of engineers' labors: if they have benefitted you so much, why not do something that could benefit others in kind? At the very least, we need to be aware that without the contribution of engineers, our lives would be more impoverished”, so we have a lot for which to be thankful.
56. What is the overall theme of the passage?
(A)To convince the reader to pursue engineering and pulverize other career goals.
(B) To demonstrate the value of engineering and highlight the field's contributions.
(C) To give in-depth examples of how biomedical engineering has improved life forthe majority. [!--empirenews.page--]
(D) To provide context for how even small do-it-yourself home projects should beapproached with an engineer's mindset.