polunina_ln_bobrovskaia_im_priroda_nauka_tekhnologii

Министерство образования и науки РФ ФГБОУ ВПО «Тульский государственный педагогический

университет им. Л. Н. Толстого»

Л. Н. Полунина, И. М. Бобровская

ПРИРОДА, НАУКА, ТЕХНОЛОГИИ

Учебное пособие по английскому языку для студентов высших учебных заведений

Тула Издательство ТГПУ им. Л. Н. Толстого

2011

ББК 81.2Англ-923 П53

Рецензент –

доктор педагогических наук, профессор П. Б. Гурвич (Владимирский государственный гуманитарный университет им. П. И. Лебедева-Полянского)

Полунина, Л. Н.

П53 Природа, наука, технологии = Nature, Science, Technologies:

Учеб. пособие по англ. языку для студентов высш. учеб. заведений / Л. Н. Полунина, И. М. Бобровская. – Тула: Изд-во Тул. гос. пед. ун-та им. Л. Н. Толстого, 2011. – 168 с.

ISBN 978-5-87954-563-0

Учебное пособие разработано с учетом рекомендаций Совета Европы «Общеевропейские компетенции владения иностранным языком: изучение, обучение, оценка» и направлено на развитие коммуникативной компетенции студентов в сфере профессионального общения. Издание включает в себя аутентичные тексты, связанные с основными сферами естественнонаучного знания, и разнообразные упражнения для совершенствования навыков в основных видах речевой деятельности.

Пособие предназначено для бакалавров и магистров, обучающихся по направлениям подготовки «Образование и педагогика», «Естественные науки и математика», «Техника и технологии», «Сельское и рыбное хозяйство», «Сфера обслуживания», а также для всех, кто самостоятельно изучает английский язык.

ББК 81.2Англ-923

ПРЕДИСЛОВИЕ

Пособие «Nature, Science, Technologies» продолжает серию учебных материалов по английскому языку для студентов неязыковых факультетов высших учебных заведений (направления подготовки «Образование и педагогика», «Естественные науки и математика», «Техника и технологии», «Сельское и рыбное хозяйство», «Сфера обслуживания»).

Пособие разработано с учетом рекомендаций Совета Европы «Общеевропейские компетенции владения иностранным языком: Изучение, обучение, оценка» и направлено на формирование коммуникативной компетенции в сфере профессионального общения (уровень В1+). Издание включает в себя актуальные аутентичные тексты, отражающие современное состояние науки и достижения в сфере инновационных технологий, а также разнообразные задания для развития навыков в основных видах речевой деятельности.

Пособие состоит из двенадцати разделов. Каждый раздел содержит пять блоков: «Reading», «Language in use», «Speaking», «Writing», «Supplementary Reading». Блок «Reading» открывает опорный текст справочно-энциклопедического характера, который сопровождается комплексом упражнений для совершенствования произношения, усвоения лексического минимума и отработки грамматического материала. Блок «Language in use» посвящен расширению активного словарного запаса и развитию умения распознавать основные лингвистические явления при чтении профессионально ориентированных текстов. Блок «Speaking» ориентирован на активизацию устной речи, выработку способности строить связное высказывание, поддерживать речевое взаимодействие и достигать желаемой коммуникативной цели. Блок «Writing» включает в себя задания для совершенствования письменной речи, связанные как непосредственно с письменной коммуникацией, так и с конспектированием информации. Завершает каждый раздел блок «Supplementary Reading», тексты которого рекомендуется использовать для подготовки к итоговому тестированию.

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UNIT 1

GEOGRAPHY

WARMING UP

1.What does Geography study?

2.Can you name any famous geographer/traveler/explorer?

3.How do geographers collect geographical data?

4.Has the climate of your region changed recently?

READING

Geography deals with the distribution and arrangement of all elements of the earth's surface. The word geography was adopted in the 200s BC by the Greek scholar Eratosthenes and means “earth description.” Geographic study encompasses the environment of the earth's surface and the relationship of humans to this environment, which includes both physical and cultural geographic features. Physical geographic features include the climate, land and water, and plant and animal life. Cultural geographic features include artificial entities, such as nations, settlements, lines of communication, transportation, buildings, and other modifications of the physical geographic environment. Geographers use economics, history, biology, geology, and mathematics in their studies.

Geography may be divided into two fundamental branches: systematic and regional geography. Systematic geography is concerned with individual physical and cultural elements of the earth. Regional geography is concerned with various areas of the earth, particularly the unique combinations of physical and cultural features that characterize each region and distinguish one region from another. Each branch is divided into several fields that specialize in particular aspects of geography.

Systematic geography includes physical geography and cultural geography. These classifications are made up of specialized fields that deal with specific aspects of geography.

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Physical geography includes the following fields: geomorphology, which uses geology to study the form and structure of the surface of the earth; climatology, which involves meteorology and is concerned with climatic conditions; biogeography, which uses biology and deals with the distribution of plant and animal life; soils geography, which is concerned with the distribution of soil; hydrography, which concerns the distribution of seas, lakes, rivers, and streams in relation to their uses; oceanography, which deals with the waves, tides, and currents of oceans and the ocean floor; and cartography, or mapmaking through graphic representation and measurement of the surface of the earth.

This classification, sometimes called human geography, involves all phases of human social life in relation to the physical earth. Economic geography, a field of cultural geography, deals with the industrial use of the geographic environment. Natural resources, such as mineral and oil deposits, forests, grazing lands, and farmlands, are studied with reference to their position, productivity, and potential uses. Manufacturing industries rely on geographic studies for information concerning raw materials, sources of labor, and distribution of goods. Marketing studies concerned with plant locations and sales potentials are based on geographic studies. The establishment of transportation facilities, trade routes, and resort areas also frequently depends on the results of geographic studies.

Cultural geography also includes political geography, which is an application of political science. Political geography deals with human social activities that are related to the locations and boundaries of cities, nations, and groups of nations.

Regional geography concerns the differences and similarities among the various regions of the earth. This branch of geography seeks explanations for the variety among places by studying the special combination of features that distinguishes these places. Regional geographers may study the development of a small area such as a city. This study is called microgeography. Or they may focus on large areas, called macrodivisions, such as the Mediterranean region or an entire continent.

The chief goal of the geographer is to describe the human environment on earth. To do this, it is necessary to collect geographical data; record the results of geographic studies in the form of charts,

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graphs, textbooks, and especially maps; and analyze the information. Geographers make use of a variety of techniques and tools for achieving these goals.

The map is the most important tool of geography and may be used to record either simple data or the results of a complicated geographic study. Geographers have developed a standard pattern of map symbols for identifying such cultural features as homes, factories, and churches; dams, bridges, and tunnels; railways, highways, and travel routes; and mines, farms, and grazing lands.

Frequently, geographers collect data and form a theory to explain their observation. They then test this theory using quantitative methods (techniques that use mathematics or statistics to analyze data). Nevertheless, in geography theories are not expected to be universally precise, but rather to explain an observed tendency.

(Adapted from Martin, G. J., Thompson, J. H. Geography, Microsoft Encarta, 2008)

Expand your vocabulary

to encompass – включать, охватывать feature – особенность, характерная черта to divide (into) – делить(ся), разделяться to concern – заниматься (чем-л.) particularly – особенно

to distinguish – различить, отличать approach – подход

to apply – применять

to involve – включать в себя survey – обзор

POST-READING ACTIVITY

1. Answer the following questions.

1.What does geography deal with? What does the word geography mean?

2.What are the two fundamental branches of geography?

3.What does systematic geography include?

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4.What does regional geography concern?

5.What is the chief goal of the geographer?

2. The letter ‘a’ can be pronounced differently. Put the words given below in the appropriate column according to the pronunciation of the letter ‘a’. Mind the combinations “all”, “ar”, “are”, “air” and

3. Match the words to complete word combinations. Use them to form the sentences.

4. Physical geography includes (1) geomorphology, (2) climatology,

(3) biogeography, (4) soils geography, (5) hydrography, (6) oceanography and (7) cartography. What does each field deal with?

1.________________________________________________________

2.________________________________________________________

3.________________________________________________________

4.________________________________________________________

5.________________________________________________________

6.________________________________________________________

7.________________________________________________________

5. Combine the words with the appropriate quantifiers and use the word combinations to make the sentences of your own.

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6. Put questions to the words or word expressions in the bold type.

1.The word geography was adopted in the 200s BC by the Greek scholar Eratosthenes and means “earth description.”

2.Physical geographic features include the climate, land and water, and plant and animal life.

3.Systematic geography is concerned with individual physical and cultural elements of the earth.

4.Regional geography concerns the differences and similarities among the various regions of the earth.

5.The map is the most important tool of geography.

LANGUAGE IN USE

7. Read the text and choose the words which best fit each gap.

A continent is distinguished from an island or a peninsula not merely by greater size but also by geological (1) … and development. The continents, in order of size, are Eurasia (conventionally regarded as the two continents of Europe, individually (2) … smallest, and Asia), Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, and Australia.

The continental area - all land rising above sea level - amounts to about 29% of the earth’s (3) … . More than two-thirds of the continental land area lies north of (4) …. In addition, the continental masses include the submerged continental shelves, which slope gently from the ocean shores of the continents to (5) … about 183 m (600 ft); at approximately this point begins the more abrupt plunge to the oceanic depression known as the (6) … . If the continental shelves are

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taken into account, the total continental area increases to 35% of the earth’s surface. Islands standing on (7) … of a given continent are considered part of that continent. Prominent examples are Great Britain and Ireland in Europe; the Malay Archipelago and Japan in Asia; New Guinea, Tasmania, and New Zealand in Australasia; and Greenland in North America.

In geology, continents are defined in terms of the earth’s (8) … structure and constituency, rather than land-surface areas. Geophysicists have studied these features by using (9) … of shock waves produced by earthquakes. Their data suggest that the center of the earth is a hot, dense, partly molten nickel-iron (10) … more than 6000 km (more than 4000 mi) in diameter. Surrounding this core is a mantle of hot, (11) … , 3000 km (1800 mi) thick, a portion of which is semiplastic. This is enclosed, in turn, by the earth's outermost shell, the crust, a layer of relatively cool rock ranging in thickness from an average of 5-10 km (3-6 mi) (12) … the oceans to 40 km (25 mi), on the average, beneath the continents.

(Abridged from Microsoft Encarta, 2008)

8. Read the text and write out all the numerals written in numbers according to the example. Example: 0 - zero.

Latitude and Longitude

Latitude and longitude is a system of geometrical coordinates used in designating the location of places on the surface of the earth. Latitude, which gives the location of a place north or south of the equator, is expressed by angular measurements ranging from 0° at the equator to 90° at the poles. Longitude, the location of a place east or west of a north-south line called the prime meridian, is measured in angles ranging from 0° at the prime meridian to 180° at the International Date Line.

Midway between the poles, the equator, a great circle, divides the earth into northern and southern hemispheres. Parallel to the equator and north and south of it is a succession of imaginary circles that become smaller and smaller the closer they are to the poles. This series of east-west-running circles, known as the parallels of latitude, is

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