Министерство Образования и Науки Республики Казахстан

Таразский государственный университет им. М.Х.Дулати

Кафедра «Иностранных языков»

Учебно-методическое пособие к дисциплине

«Английский язык - 2»

для специальностей: Биотехнология

Составитель: Ким И.А.

Contents

Unit I What is biology 3

Unit II Biological organization 12

Unit III Chemistry of life 19

Unit IV Biology of cell 26

Unit V Structural units of eukaryotic cells 34

Unit VI Bioenergetics 36

Unit VII Genetics 48

Unit VIII What is a biological laboratory 54

Focus on new language 61

Glossary 64

UNIT I

I. What is biology

Complete the following sentences

Biology studies _________

Knowledge of biology is important because ___________.

1.1 Read the text to get the main idea, pay attention to the highlighted words

Biology is the science of life, or the study of life. Biology helps us understand ourselves and other organisms in the world. Without a doubt, biology is one of the most interesting branches of science. It is developing rapidly and continues to interest people.

It affects everyone’s life and future. Many biologists are working on problems that critically affect our lives, such as ecological problems like pollution, and diseases like cancer and AIDS. The knowledge that biologists are gaining will be fundamental for preventing ecological problems and curing diseases.

Nowadays, the new biological field of recombinant DNA technology is very important. It will improve the quality of our lives. Because of new biological research our lives will be healthier, safer, more comfortable and more exciting. For these reasons understanding biology is necessary for every educated person.

Today biology is divided into many sub-branches.

The characteristics of living things

Organisms which have the properties of life are called "living organisms". We can easily recognize that an apple tree, a cat and a penguin are living, whereas iron and rocks are not. We consider something to be alive if it has certain basic characteristics shared by all living things. Living organisms share many common characteristics. Living and non-living things also share some common characteristics, such as chemical makeup (The chemical makeup of something describes what chemicals are present in said substance).

Organisms are made up of similar chemicals

Certainly we know that every substance around us, living or non-living, is made up of atoms. In the same way, the structures of all living organisms are made up of similar chemical elements, such as carbon, hydrogen,oxygen,nitrogen etc.

Organisms are composed of cells

All living organisms are made up of cells. Some organisms, called unicellular organisms, have one cell, such as bacteria and amoeba. Multicellular organisms have many cells, such as animals and plants.

Organisms need food

All living organisms need energy to survive. Some organisms, called autotrophs, produce their own food, others cannot. They are called heterotrophs. They get their food from other organisms.

Organisms can move

Both microscopic and macroscopic organisms have the ability to move.

Bacteria (any of a large group of one-celled organisms that lack a cell nucleus) use their flagella for movement, animals use their feet to move. Some animals cannot move. They are called sessile. An example is the sponge (but in their larval stage they are mobile). Plants also move, but very slowly. For example plants orient their leaves to the sun and grow toward light.

Organisms reproduce

Reproduction is the process of making a new individual, as when parents produce an offspring. All living organisms must be able to reproduce. Organisms reproduce sexually or asexually. In sexual reproduction two parents together produce an offspring (such as cats), but in asexual reproduction only one parent is involved (such as amoeba).

Organisms regulate their metabolic processes

The sum of all biochemical activities of the organism is called metabolism. Organisms producing energy by cellular respiration or regulating their internal balance (homeostasis), such as the glucose level in human blood, are good examples of homeostasis.

Organisms respond to stimuli

Responsiveness is an organism's ability to sense changes taking place inside or outside its body and to react to these changes. Examples include plant leaves turning toward light for photosynthesis and animals running away when in danger. The sensitivity of organisms is controlled by regulatory systems such as the nervous and endocrine systems.

Organisms grow

Growth is an increase in body size. Some organisms, such as trees, continue to grow throughout their lives, but animals have limited growth.

Death

All organisms are born, grow and finally die. Death is the end of life. Each organism has a certain life span. Humans can live up to 120 years, but some insects have only a 2-hour life span.