Unit 2 ELECTRIC CARS DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

There are various types of Academic genres you can come across when looking for some specific information for your Course papers or Thesis writing: a technical/scientific/laboratory report, a review, a literature overview, a critique and a research paper/article. Each type of writing has its own features, including organization, lexis and grammar patterns.

Let us turn to Reports.

The information in reports should be easy to find and understand. Reports utilize (=use) headings to divide information into sections. The headings help the reader to locate (=find) relevant (=necessary) information quickly.

Below is a typical structure of a scientific report paper:

TITLE PAGE	report title your name submission date
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY	overview of subject matter methods of analysis findings recommendations
TABLE OF CONTENTS	list of numbered sections in report and their page numbers
INTRODUCTION	terms of reference outline of report structure
BODY	headings and sub-headings which reflect the contents of each section
CONCLUSION	states the major inferences that can be drawn from the discussion
RECOMMENDATIONS	indicates any further work that needs to be done or identifies the alternative you think best solves or improves the problem
REFERENCE LIST	list of reference material consulted during research for report
APPENDIX	information that supports your analysis but is not essential to its explanation

(source: http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/report/3b.html)

I. Skim the report. Name the parts it consists of.

1. What is the function of each part (Give reasons/Prove your ideas)

(см. Выше)

2. Look through the paper and find how the pictures (illustrations) are called in the report?

3. What is the difference between the location of “Table” and “Figure” inscriptions?

II. Look at the Table of Contents.

a) How many parts does the Body of the report consist of?

b) What are their distinctive features?

c) What types of vehicles are examined in the report?

d) Name the parameters for comparison .

III. Skim Electric Vehicle (EV) History and Future of the EV parts.

1. How many paragraphs does each part have?

2. How many ideas does each paragraph normally have?

3. Prove your answers by highlighting Topic Sentences.

IV. Tick the features listed below that refer to the given report:

Formal/informal style____________________________________________

Passive/active constructions_______________________________________

Simple/complex sentences ________________________________________

Words with general/specific meanings________________________________

V. As you have guessed, a distinctive feature of academic writing style is choosing the more formal alternative for verbs, nouns and other parts of speech.

1. Scan Description Paragraphs for an Electric Vehicle and a Hybrid Vehicle.

What Tense is used there? Why?)

___________________________________________________________________

2. As we have already mentioned, Passive Voice is one of the features of an academic writing. Scan Description Paragraphs for an Electric Vehicle and a Hybrid Vehicle. Find Passive Voice examples. Make the sentences Active.

______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

c) Make your own sentences with the Passive Voice. Use the following verbs:

Power use provide control receive

VI. Academic style presupposes the use of complex noun phrases instead of word combinations with ‘of’: dashboard displays <- displays of dashboard

1. Paraphrase the following into complex nouns:

function of electric vehicle _________________________________

technology of a battery____________________________________

emission of tailpipe ______________________________________

time of recharging________________________________________

2. Find your own examples of complex nouns under Global Warming and Affected people subheadings.

___________________________________________________________

3. How can the following sentences be improved?

• The 1960s and 1970s saw a need for alternative fueled vehicles to reduce the problems of exhaust emissions.

________________________________________________________

• It also includes the future of the electric vehicle.

__________________________________________________________

• The paper begins with a history of the electric vehicle, specifically the lows and highs of production and the reasons for change.

__________________________________________________________

• The next session provides a technical description of an electric vehicle and the theory of operation.

______________________________________________________________

• Causes of the decline in production include: a better road system, reduced price of gasoline by the discovery of the Texas crude oil, invention of the electric starter, and the mass production of the internal combustion engine vehicles.

____________________________________________________________________

4. On a scrap of paper write down one sentence of your own using complex noun structures.

VII. Academic style.

1. Academic texts use elevated vocabulary words (more formal and scientific) instead of generally spoken ones.

Thus, in biomaterials became in the scope of biomaterials.

Scan Introduction for more academic synonyms to the following:

Another _________________ take place___________________

Till now _________________ idea of the report ___________

Tries___________ be helpful _________________

2. Sometimes you may not know the meaning of a word. But that does not mean that you can’t read the report. Very often we can guess the meaning from the context, i.e. we infer it.

Infer (guess) the meaning of the following underlined words and collocations. Use the text to help you.

- The electric vehicle (EV) is ¹propelled by an electric motor, powered by rechargeable ²battery packs, rather than a gasoline engine.

__________1_________ __________2____________

- If the driver ³floors the accelerator pedal, the controller ⁴delivers the full battery voltage to the motor.

__________3________ ______________4__________

- If the driver ⁵takes his/her foot off the accelerator, the controller delivers zero volts to the motor.

___________5________

- Using energy from the wheels to turn the motor ⁶slows the vehicle down.

___________6_________

- Affected People: Sickness

Particulate matter, carcinogens released into the atmosphere by gas-powered vehicles, “can increase asthma conditions, as well as irritate respiratory systems”. The carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by internal combustion vehicles reduces the ozone layer, which absorbs ninety-seven to ninety-nine percent of the sun’s high frequency ultraviolet light . According to Ozone Layer, “Every one percent decrease in the earths ozone shield is projected to increase the amount of UV light exposure to the lower atmosphere by two percent” . Ultraviolet light, produced by the sun, is extremely harmful to life on Earth. UV light damages the skin, causing skin cancer. It also hurts the eyes and the marine life.

Future electric cars will most likely carry lithium-ion phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries that are now becoming popular in other countries. The LiFePO4 batteries are rechargeable and powerful and are being used in electric bikes and scooters. Electric cars will most likely adopt this technology in the future.

VIII. Some words occur in the text together. They are called collocations.

1. Match the verbs, listed below, to the nouns to make typical verb-noun collocations.

Verb List: exhaust release better create have adopt determine pay operate step increase see

__________________ emission __________________ technology

__________________ sth into the atmosphere _______________ the future (choice)

__________________the world __________________ attention to sth

___create_________ electricity _____________on (electric) principle

__________________ advantages __________________ on a pedal

__________________ efficiency __________________ a need for

2. Match the nouns and adjectives, listed below, to the nouns to make typical noun-noun or adjective-noun collocations

Noun List: accelerator, storage,

Adjective List: technical, mass, direct, average, advanced, global, driving, recharging, technological

_________________ description _________________ technologies

_________________ production _________________ warming

_________________ pedal _________________ range

_________________ current _________________ time

_________________ voltage _________________ improvements

_________________ device