- •Волгоградский государственный технический университет
- •Unit I education and career
- •A. University’s Attractions
- •1. Study the list of some features that can make a university interesting. Say what attracted you to the University.
- •3. Here are some words from the text below. Match the adjectives (1-5) with the nouns (a-e) and the verbs (6-10) with the nouns (f-j).
- •5. Answer the questions.
- •6A. Use the above questions as the example and write down 3 questions you would like to be asked about your choice of the University.
- •6B. Work in pairs. Exchange question sheets and interview one another using these questions. Tell the class what you have found out about your partner.
- •7. Study this information about Sheffield University. Would you like to study at this University? What would attract you to this University?
- •8. Work in groups of four. One of you plays the role of a student from Sheffield University and the others interview him/her about studies at the University. B. Student Life
- •1. Study the words and phrases from the text below and put them into two groups: studies or sociallife.
- •2. Read the email exchange between two girls. What do they do?
- •3. Complete the following sentences using the information from the emails. Develop the idea.
- •2. Answer the questions.
- •3. Study “How to write a Cover Letter” on your own, then work in pairs and agree on the strong and weak points of the application above.
- •4. Listen to the dialogue between the Chairperson of the “International Society” and a newly-arrived student. Complete the sentences by filling in the gaps.
- •5. Practice the dialogue with another student. Then act out a conversation between you and the Chairperson.
- •Text a. “Massachusetts Institute of Technology”
- •1. Read and translate the text. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- •2. Answer the following questions on the text.
- •3. Match the italicized words from the text with the meanings (1-10).
- •4. Read the text again and decide if the sentences below are true (t) or false (f).
- •Text b. “The First Diploma in Engineering”
- •2. Read the text again and decide if the sentences (1-5) below are true (t) or false (f).
- •3. Read Text c again and match the following people with a suitable course. One person isn’t suitable for any of the courses.
- •4. Work in pairs. Discuss with your partner the following questions. Then present your ideas to the rest of the class.
- •4. Comment on the ‘Job hunting hints’. Which of them do you agree or disagree with? Add at least two hints of your own.
- •3. Work in groups of 3 or 4 and comment on the differences about the work customs in the usa and Russia.
- •5. Listen to the interview again and fill in the gaps.
- •6. Work in pairs. Use the questions from the interview and talk about your country.
- •3. Work in pairs. Ask each other questions about your last vacation. Talk about:
- •5. Read the story, title it and retell in the name of the author’s neighbour (wife or husband).
- •6. Discuss all the advantages and disadvantages of this work. Would you like to have such a job?
- •Text a. “What is a cv?”
- •Personal details: your name, address, date of birth, telephone number and email.
- •3. In the text find the English equivalents to the following Russian words and expressions.
- •4. Complete the following sentences based on the information from the text.
- •Text b. “Your cv”
- •1. Read the following cv. Compare it with the cv layout you have made on the basis of Text a.
- •2. Read the cv again and mark the sentences below true (t) or false (f).
- •2. Answer the following questions on the text.
- •3. Read the following phrases from the job advertisements and choose the correct meaning of the words in italics.
- •4. Read the definitions and find words in the text that mean:
- •5. Read the following e-mail application letter written in response to the first job ad. Is this message formal or informal? Justify your answer.
- •Unit III
- •3A. Complete the following sentences using information from the emails. Develop the idea using the following words and expressions:
- •3B. Write a letter to Margaret (Email 3).
- •4. Work in pairs. Ask and answer these questions about you and your friends.
- •4. Read the advertisement below for the Hope Valley and comment on the following:
- •5A. Write a similar advertisement for some place in your region or country.
- •2. Answer the following questions on the text.
- •3. Match the italicized words in the text with the definitions below.
- •4. Translate the following sentences into English.
- •5. Complete the definitions below with the following standard international (si) units and the people they are named after.
- •6. Work in pairs. Discuss the following questions with your partner.
- •Text b. “The usa Science Centers”
- •1. Read and translate the text.
- •2. Answer the following questions on the text.
- •3. Using a dictionary, find the English definitions and the translations of the following words from the text. Make up 3-4 sentences of your own with any of these words.
- •4. Complete each sentence with the correct ending a-f from the box below.
- •5. Use the Internet to find information about world-famous science centers.
- •2. Answer the following questions on the text.
- •3. Work in pairs and talk about your answers to the questions in the text.
- •3. Answer the questions.
- •2. Read the conversation, fill in the gaps with the appropriate word from 1, then act out the dialogue.
- •3. Study useful words and expressions.
- •4. Listen and complete this shopping dialogue using the words from 3.
- •5. Work in pairs. One of you plays an assistant. The other one is a customer. Change some of the details in 4 and act out the conversation.
- •2. Based on the information from the text, decide if the sentences below are true (t) or false (f).
- •3. Complete the definitions (1-6) below with the italicized words in the text.
- •4. Read the warnings below (1-8) and match the sentences with the signs (a-j).
- •2. Match the italicized words from the text with their translations.
- •3. Answer the following questions on the text.
- •D. Nobili Spa Sun Lamp Faucet
- •2. Read the texts again and match the characteristics below with the gadgets.
- •3. Decide if the sentences below are true (t) or false (f).
- •4. Match the italicized words from the text with the meanings (1-10) below.
- •5. Think of a gadget you use in your home. Describe it (without naming it) to the class using the following plan:
- •3. Think of the leisure activities which are popular in your country and complete the column about Russia in the chart.
- •4. Listen to the interview with Jessica from Canada, and decide where these questions go.
- •5. Practice the dialogue with another student, then take turns to talk about your time off using questions a-f in 4. B. A day out
- •Factfile
- •2. Fill in the chart about the events you read.
- •2. Answer the following questions on the text.
- •3. Using a dictionary find the English definitions and the translations of the following words from the text. Make up 3-4- sentences of your own with any of these words.
- •4. Complete each sentence with the correct ending a-e from the box below.
- •5. What other tv programs do you know which popularize scientific or engineering achievements? Choose one and tell about it to the class according to the following plan:
- •Text b. “a Price to Pay”
- •1. Read the text. Choose the most suitable heading from the list (a-h) for each part (1-7) of the text.
- •Danger when a computer becomes your best friend
- •2. Read the text again and decide if the sentences below are true (t) or false (f).
- •3. Match the italicized words from the text with the definitions below (1-14).
- •4. Translate from Russian into English using the vocabulary from the text.
- •1. Read and complete the text by putting a word or number from the box in each space.
- •2. Answer the following questions on the text.
- •3. Match the numbers in the box with their verbal nominations below (1-10).
- •4. Work in pairs. Dictate your numbers to your partner so that he/she could write them down correctly.
- •Unit VI modern science and technology
- •3A. Translate the adjectives. Say what they describe in the reviews.
- •1) How is Sam going to test the greatest crowd density at a music gig?
- •4. Match the sentences 1), 2), 3) with the advances a, b, c in 3.
- •6. Listen to the interview with a scientist from the Space Flight Center. She appears in a new National Geographic Channel series "Known Universe." While listening tick the correct sentences.
- •7. Listen again and fill in the gaps:
- •8. Discuss the questions in class.
- •4. Discuss the following questions.
- •1) Look at these words: “My father always told me, ‘Find a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life’. Do you agree with Jim Fox? What words in Jobs speech have a similar idea?
- •5. Discuss and defend your aims in life.
- •Text a. “Nanotechnology”
- •1. Read and translate the text. Nanotechnology
- •2. Based on the information from the text, decide if the sentences below are true (t) or false (f).
- •3. Answer the following questions on the text.
- •4. Complete the definitions below (1-8) with the italicized words from the text.
- •5. Below, some of the most frequently asked questions (faQs) on nanotechnology are listed. Choose one of them and prepare a short report on it. Discuss your findings and ideas with the class.
- •How can I participate in or influence the nanotech revolution?
- •2. Answer the following questions on the text.
- •3. Using a dictionary find the English definitions and the translations of the following words from the text. Make up 5 sentences of your own with any of these words.
- •4. Complete each sentence with the correct ending a-e from the box below.
- •5. Complete the text by putting one word from the box in each space. Check the meaning of any new words in your dictionary.
- •Text c. “Futurology”
- •1. Read and translate the text. Futurology
- •2. Answer the questions on the text.
- •3. Match the italicized words from the text (see the box) with the meanings
- •4. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English using the vocabulary from the text.
- •5. Read the following predictions made by futurists. Which of the predictions would you like or not like to come true? Why?
- •6. Work in pairs. Make predictions about each other in twenty years’ time. Say what you think about your partner’s predictions.
- •Supplement
- •Tapescripts Unit 1 Section I c
- •Unit II Section I b
- •Unit 1ii Section I c
- •Unit 1v Section I c
- •Unit V Section I a
- •Unit VI Section I c
- •Библиография
- •Master english
4. Discuss the following questions.
1) Look at these words: “My father always told me, ‘Find a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life’. Do you agree with Jim Fox? What words in Jobs speech have a similar idea?
2) What will be the most important things to you about your career?
3) What is more important in your opinion: to have a career which gives job satisfaction or the chance to earn a good salary?
4) Is it possible to have both a family life and a successful career?
5) Do you think you would enjoy running your own business? What do you think are the advantage and disadvantages of doing that?
5. Discuss and defend your aims in life.
Choose:4 areas of your aims for the next year;
3 areas – for the next 5 years;
3 areas – for the next 10 years.
Areas: travel, job, friends, learning, family, hobby, partner, possessions, appearance, life style
Say what you want to achieve within these areas in the time specified. Discuss your points of view in pairs or small groups. Use the following phrases:
To express intentions:
I want to … In five years’ time I’ll …
I’d like to … When I’m twenty I’ll…
I’m going to … When I’m thirty I’ll …
(See List of Speech Acts p. 104)
Section II. Reading Comprehension
Text a. “Nanotechnology”
1. Read and translate the text. Nanotechnology
A basic definition: Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale.
Generally nanotechnology deals with structures sized between 1 to 100 nanometers in at least one dimension, and involves developing materials or devices within that size.
In its original sense, 'nanotechnology' refers to the projected ability to construct items from the bottom up, using techniques and tools being developed today to make complete, high performance products. This theoretical capability was envisioned as early as 1959 by the renowned physicist Richard Feynman.
I want to build a billion tiny factories, models of each other, which are manufacturing simultaneously. . . The principles of physics, as far as I can see, do not speak against the possibility of maneuvering things atom by atom. It is not an attempt to violate any laws; it is something, in principle, that can be done; but in practice, it has not been done because we are too big. — Richard Feynman, Nobel Prize winner in physics
Nanotechnology is very diverse, ranging from extensions of conventional device physics to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly, from developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale to investigating whether we can directly control matter on the atomic scale.
When K. Eric Drexler popularized the word 'nanotechnology' in the 1980's, he was talking about building machines on the scale of molecules, a few nanometers wide — motors, robot arms, and even whole computers, far smaller than a cell. Drexler spent the next ten years describing and analyzing these incredible devices, and responding to accusations of science fiction. Meanwhile, mundane technology was developing the ability to build simple structures on a molecular scale. As nanotechnology became an accepted concept, the meaning of the word shifted to encompass the simpler kinds of nanometer-scale technology. The U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative was created to fund this kind of nanotech: their definition includes anything smaller than 100 nanometers with novel properties.
There has been much debate on the future implications of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology may be able to create many new materials and devices with a vast range of applications, such as in medicine, electronics, biomaterials and energy production. On the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as with any introduction of new technology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials, and their potential effects on global economics, as well as speculation about various doomsday scenarios. Some people are afraid that it will result in a manufacturing revolution and have other serious economic, social, environmental, and military implications.