- •Contents
- •Part 2. Academic writing practice 113
- •Part 3. Texts on interdisciplinary research for abstracting and annotating 132
- •Part 4. Topics for postgraduate exam 156 Supplementary file 162
- •Bibliography 256 Мои интернет-ресурсы 260
- •Методическая записка
- •Диаграмма междисциплинарного пособия по английскому языку
- •Part 1. Discussing scientific issues Unit 1. Modern system of higher education in Russia
- •1 ) Complete these sentences with the key vocabulary words in the form required
- •2) Choose one of the words to complete the sentences
- •3)* This text is from informational booklet about a college. Choose one of two variants in every case.
- •2) Compare engineering educational systems in different countries. Visit the website http://www.Answers.Com/topic/engineer
- •5) Discuss the following questions in pairs or in small groups
- •1) The following sentences are mixed formal and informal. Write f (formal) or I (informal) after each sentence and prove your answer.
- •2) Fill in the gaps of the tables given below with an appropriate word
- •3) Visit the website given below and do a quiz “Formal letter vocabulary”
- •4) Correct the mistakes in the following business letter
- •Unit 2. Universities as scientific centers. My university.
- •I nsert the missing prepositions if necessary
- •2) Fill in the gaps with the words and phrases from the box
- •3) Look at the idioms below. Each one is in some way connected to university life. Match each idiom with its definition.
- •4) Complete the sentences below by using one of the idioms above. Some of them can be used more than once.
- •1) Discuss education in different countries in pairs or in small groups and read short students’ interviews about studying in the uk
- •2)* Decide if the following statements are true or false
- •4) Listen to the recording once again and match words and phrases with their meaning
- •5) Discuss the following questions in pairs or in small groups
- •1) Study the following information about ways of writing a report
- •Outline
- •The Art of the Soluble
- •The Shock of the Not Quite New
- •The early evolution of the telescope
- •1 ) Complete these sentences with the key vocabulary words in the form required
- •2) Study гост 8.417-2002. Единицы величин: http://nolik.Ru/systems/gost.Htm
- •3) Match the name of the physical unit (column a) with its обозначение (column b) and the scientist whose name was given to the unit (Column c)
- •1) Read a short article about history of telecommunication and discuss it in pairs or in small groups
- •2) Match words and phrases from the text with their meaning
- •3 ) Visit the website given below and listen to a telecommunications expert talking about the most recent developments and current situation in this sector.
- •4)* Listen to the recording once again and decide whether the statements are true or false
- •5) Discuss the following questions in pairs or in small groups
- •Outline
- •Introduction
- •3) Work in pairs and check your groupmate’s letter using the criteria for assessment of appendix 8
- •Unit 4. Science and engineering in the modern world
- •The beginning of space race
- •1) Translate the following words and phrases from English into Russian
- •2) Read the short text below. Use the words given in capitals below the passage to form the new words fitting the corresponding spaces in the text.
- •Европейская наука
- •1) Read a short article about url and discuss it in pairs or in small groups
- •2) Analyze the website addresses given below from the point of view of their structural components (See exercise 1 for reference)
- •3 ) Listen to Jason Hadington, an expert in Internet search and discuss the ways of finding information in pairs or in small groups
- •4) Are the following sentences true or false?
- •5)* Match the websites with the information that can be got from them
- •Letter giving information
- •1) Study the following information about ways of writing a letter giving information
- •Outline
- •Introduction
- •3) Work in pairs and check your groupmate’s letter using the Criteria for assessment of appendix 8
- •Sms language
- •1 ) Study brief information about sms / e-mail language and sms / e-mail symbols and compose your sms or e-mail using sms / e-mail language for your classmates.
- •Ask Dr. H: “Who Do You Credit For Your Scientific Interests?”
- •1) Match words and their meaning
- •2) Explain the following abbreviations and acronyms, translate them in Russian
- •3) Find the words and phrases in the text which are synonymic to the following once:
- •4)* Read a short article about nanotechnology and fill in the gaps with the correct word or phrase from the box
- •Nanotechnology
- •Visual aid
- •1) Read a short article about visual aid
- •2 ) Listen to the conversation about using visuals in a presentation
- •3) Listen to the conversation again and fill in the gaps
- •5) Discuss the following questions in pairs or in small group?
- •1) Study the following information about ways of writing a letter of apology
- •Outline
- •Introduction
- •2) Look through the letter of apology given below and define a topic of each paragraph
- •3) Choose one of the following situations a) or b) to write a letter of apology
- •4) Work in pairs and check your groupmate’s letter using the Criteria for assessment of appendix 8
- •How to Find Mechanical Engineering Jobs
- •The future of engineering in Russia
- •1 ) Translate the following words and phrases from Russian into English
- •2)* Insert the missing prepositions if necessary
- •3) Fill the gaps with the words and phrases from the box. The meaning of the missing word or phrase is in the brackets.
- •Study the diagram of ways of finding a job and discuss it in pairs or in small groups
- •Employment agencies
- •Job fair
- •2 ) Listen to the tips of successful job interview
- •3) Listen to the tape once again and fill in the gaps
- •3) Discuss the following questions in pairs or in small groups
- •1) Study the following information about ways of writing
- •Interests and achievements
- •Outline
- •Interests
- •2) Imagine you have seen a job advertisement and really want to apply for this job. Prepare your cv, use appendix 7 for sample of cv.
- •1 ) Visit the website given below and a job advertisement for engineers you are interested in. Prepare your cv for this advertisement.
- •Moscow Region to get its own collider
- •1) Read the article once again, find international words, and fill up the following table
- •2) Using a dictionary translate the following words and explain their meaning
- •3) Highlight the following words in the text:
- •1) Read a short article about electrical engineering and its inventions and answer the questions given below.
- •3)* Are the following sentences true or false?
- •1) Study the following information about ways of writing a letter of application
- •Outline
- •Introduction
- •2) Arrange the following extracts from a letter of application
- •3) Here are job advertisements. Look through these advertisements, choose one of them,
- •2) Imagine that you are a young scientist and have made a very important invention. But how to patent it? Compose a brief presentation «How to patent an invention/idea» using the following website
- •Turning up the heat on quantum mechanics
- •1)* Match words and phrases from the text with their meaning
- •2) Insert the missing prepositions if necessary
- •Плавящийся при охлаждении кремний создан учёными
- •1) Read a short article about computer science
- •2) Listen to an interview of James Heather, a lecturer in computer science at the University of Surry, speaking about his invention and fill in the gaps
- •3) Answer the questions
- •1) Study the following information about ways of writing a cover letter
- •Outline
- •Introduction
- •2) Write a cover letter for cv you have already written in previous units. Use appendix 7 for sample of cover letter.
- •W riting a scholarly article
- •Unit 9. Great scientific events of the modern world
- •The Nobel Prizes
- •1 ) Translate the following words and phrases from Russian into English
- •2)* Insert the missing prepositions if necessary
- •3) Complete these sentences with the key vocabulary words in the form required
- •1) Visit website of Clay Mathematics Institute (cmi) http://www.Claymath.Org/poincare/index.Html
- •2) Watch John Tate's and Michael Atiyah's lectures on the Millennium Problems
- •1) Read a short article about graphene, the invention that got Nobel Prize in 2010
- •2 ) Visit the website given below, watch and listen to Willard s. Boyle’ s Nobel Speech about his invention
- •3) Listen to the tape once again and fill in the gaps
- •4) Prepare a report to compare the importance of invention of graphene and ccd – an extension of man’s vision for science and people
- •1) Study the following information about ways of writing a reference letter
- •Outline
- •Introduction
- •Unit 10. International supporting programs for students and young scientists
- •The Young Scientist Program
- •Support Program for Students, Graduate Students, and Young Scientists
- •Give Young Scientists a Break
- •1 ) Translate the following words and phrases from English into Russian
- •2) Insert the missing prepositions if necessary
- •Программы поддержки и гранты для научной молодежи
- •1) Read a short article about hbs given below
- •2) Visit the website given below to listen to the interview with PreMba Program Administrators and a Participating Student
- •3)* Are the following statements true or false?
- •4) Discuss the following questions in pairs or in small groups
- •1) Study the following information about ways of writing a letter of complaint
- •Outline
- •Introduction
- •3) Work in pairs and check your groupmate’s letter using the Criteria for assessment of appendix 8
- •1 ) Visit the website of the Polytechnical University and compose a brief presentation about international activity of our university. Use appendix 4 to evaluate your groupmate’s presentation.
- •Unit 11. Science and global problems
- •Global Warming
- •1 ) * Translate the following English words and phrases
- •2) Insert the missing prepositions if necessary
- •3) Complete the following table. Use the dictionary if necessary
- •4) Complete the text by choosing a word from the table
- •Глобальные проблемы современности
- •1) Read a short article about greenhouse effect
- •2) Visit the website given below to listen to the radio talk about causes and effects of climate change
- •3) Are the following statements true or false? If the sentence is false give the correct answer.
- •4) Discuss the following questions in pairs or in small groups
- •Outline
- •Writing the draft
- •1 ) Prepare a presentation about the things we can do to reduce global warming. You can use the website address given below to get more information.
- •2) Visit the website address
- •Scientific misconduct
- •Forms of scientific misconduct
- •1) Mach the words from the text with their definitions
- •2) Insert the missing prepositions if necessary
- •3)* Fill in the gaps with the words and phrases from the table
- •Ethics and science
- •4) Complete the following table. Use a dictionary if necessary
- •1) Study and discuss the following definition of science and the schematic diagram below
- •2) Listen to Laura Grant speaking about education of science
- •3) Are the following sentences true or false?
- •4) Listen to the tape once again and fill in the gaps
- •5) Discuss the following questions in pairs or in small groups
- •1) Study the following information about ways of writing an agenda
- •Outline
- •Part 2. Academic writing practice Preparing grant proposal
- •1. Cover sheet
- •2. Table of contents
- •3. Project summary
- •4. Project description
- •5. Reference cited
- •6. Biographical sketches
- •7. Budget
- •Writing a scholarly article
- •I. Prewriting
- •II. Literature review
- •III. Citations. Quotations, paraphrases and summaries
- •IV. Writing the draft
- •V. Revision of the final draft
- •Part 3. Texts on interdisciplinary research for abstracting and annotating
- •Carbon nanotubes: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
- •Prizewinning nanoparticle based ‘sharkskin’ for aeroplanes, ships and wind energy plants
- •Pyrolysis and gasification of food waste: syngas characteristics and char gasification kinetics
- •1. Introduction
- •2. Background
- •3. Experimental
- •4. Results and discussion
- •5. Conclusions
- •Validation of a model-based virtual trials method for tight glycemic control in intensive care
- •Introduction
- •Validation Analysis
- •Insertable surgical imaging device with pan, tilt, zoom, and lighting
- •I. Introduction
- •II. Prototype Device
- •III. Experiments and Results
- •IV. Conclusions and future work
- •Instability of pump-turbines during start-up in turbine mode
- •Introduction
- •1. Numerical flow simulation
- •2. Validation
- •3. Procedures to analyze fluxes
- •4. Results
- •5. Conclusions
- •Сделай сам: четырехколесный WiFi Robot на базе Mini-itx «материнки»
- •Ученые создали имплантируемую биологическую антенну для мониторинга организма
- •Проблема создания нанороботов
- •Вибрационные ветровые панели как альтернатива ветровым турбинам
- •Графен: материал будущего, или головная боль для ученых?
- •О возможности оптимизации инвестиционной политики при замене электрооборудования
- •Part 4. Topics for postgraduate exam List of topics for post-graduate exam
- •My scientific interests. My research diploma project.
- •Global problems and ways of their solution
- •3. Modern system of higher education in Russia
- •4. St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University as a scientific center. My department.
- •Contemporary scientific events
- •Researches, discoveries and innovations in English-speaking countries
- •Researches, discoveries and innovations in Russia
- •Prospects of work in my professional field
- •Supplementary file
- •Appendix 1. Additional articles
- •Text 1. Undergraduate Education: Types of Schools
- •Text 2 Educating the nation
- •Text 3
- •Unit 2 Science matters! The importance of scientific literacy.
- •Unit 3 Text 1. How the Hubble Telescope Will Die
- •Text 2. A Brief History of Engineering
- •Unit 4 Text 1. Computer and computer science
- •Text 2. The century-old artifact that defines the kilogram, the fundamental unit of mass, is to be replaced by a more accurate standards based on an invariant property of nature
- •Unit 5 The importance of physics: breakthroughs drive economy, quality of life
- •Unit 6 Career of engineer
- •Unit 7 Text 1. Science in Russia
- •Text 2. Smart Russia
- •Unit 8 High-energy Large Hadron Collider results published
- •Unit 9 The Millennium Prize for resolution of the Poincaré conjecture History and Background
- •Unit 10 Meeting with scientists
- •Unit 11 Climate changes
- •Unit 12 Speculations on the future of science
- •Appendix 2. Power Point presentation
- •Appendix 3. Strategies for oral presentations
- •8. Write your own humorous material.
- •Appendix 4. Oral presentation evaluation form
- •Introduction
- •Visual aids
- •Appendix 5. Body language
- •Appendix 6. Samples of grant proposal documents
- •Irex Special Projects in Library and Information Science with Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia
- •Initial Goals
- •Appendix 7. Samples of business letters Structure of formal letter
- •Structure of informal letter
- •Sample of report
- •Site accident report
- •Introduction
- •Sample of letter of request
- •Sample of letter giving information
- •Sample of letter of apology
- •Sample of cv (Curriculum Vitae)
- •5) Affiliations:
- •Sample of letter of application
- •Sample of cover letter
- •Sample of letter of recommendation
- •Sample of letter of complaint
- •1) What is the topic of each paragraph?
- •2) Is it formal or informal letter? Is it mild or strong? Prove it.
- •Sample of memo
- •A) Company health club b) New general manager c) New sales manager d) Closure of cafeteria e) Meeting postponed f) Conference rooms
- •Sample of agenda
- •Appendix 8. Criteria for letter assessment
- •Appendix 9. Computer-assisted language learning environment
- •Example of the task fulfilled with the use of British National Corpus
- •Appendix 10. Guidelines for synopses and annotations
- •Appendix 11. Written practice exercises
- •Unit 10
- •Unit 11 Revision
- •Unit 12 Revision
- •Appendix 12. Intercultural communication
- •Appendix 13. Tests
- •I. Match words and phrases with their definitions
- •II. Translate the following words and phrases from Russian into English
- •III. Translate the following words and phrases from English into Russian
- •IV. Fill in the gaps with the words and phrases from the box
- •V. Answer the questions
- •I. Match words and phrases with their definitions
- •II. Translate the following words and phrases from Russian into English
- •III. Translate the following words and phrases from English into Russian
- •IV. Fill in the gaps with the words and phrases from the box
- •V. Answer the questions
- •Appendix 14. Key to tasks for self-checking
- •Bibliography
Unit 10 Meeting with scientists
Dmitry Medvedev discussed developing Russian science’s technological base, grants, and social support measures with young scientists.
The meeting’s participants included the 2010 laureates of prizes for science and innovation, President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yury Osipov, and Education Minister Andrei Fursenko.
The meeting took place at the Polytechnic Museum, where the First Russian National Science Festival began today. Dmitry Medvedev addressed brief welcoming remarks to the event’s participants.
PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Friends, I congratulate the laureates once again, and everyone here, on Russian Science Day. It is a pleasure to talk with you in an informal setting this time, not in the Kremlin, but at the Polytechnic Museum, which as we have seen, is about to be reborn. We all wish this work success, because this museum is a great support for everyone interested in science and technology. We need to ensure that it retains all of its former qualities, while at the same time moving forward and becoming a technologically advanced centre of interest to today’s youth.
Now to the issues before us, namely, the question of attracting talented young people into science and innovation. In December 2009, we discussed this subject in depth with the heads of the Russian Academy of Sciences. I hope that we will come back to it during our discussions today. Here, I am addressing Mr Osipov [Yury Osipov, President of the Russian Academy of Sciences]. Why, because I think that our decisions must be implemented. As far as I know, there is progress, including on the biggest problems, and the biggest problems, even in science, are the issues of everyday life. We said that we must start by resolving young scientists’ housing problems. I took the Government to task over this later. I think that did have some effect, and it seems that some apartments are ready now. How many, Mr Osipov?
PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES YURY OSIPOV: We have received 150 apartments so far. This was done over January alone. Now it is still February, and the Government is holding constant meetings on the issue.
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: So I don’t need to scold anyone anymore? I can take a softer line now?
YURY OSIPOV: Sometimes it can be useful to get a scolding from you, Mr President.
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Well, I will do so then, what choice do I have?
YURY OSIPOV: But things are moving now.
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: It’s good that things are moving, because I remember the bored looks on the faces of some of my colleagues when this was all being discussed, and I had to really make use of my power then. Let’s keep up the pace then and get this work finished.
YURY OSIPOV: Thank you.
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Another matter is that the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Youth Commission made available an additional 1,000 salaried positions at the end of last year. I was briefed on this today by the minister. I think this is very good. We are talking about almost half of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ existing 400 research centres, am I right?
YURY OSIPOV: Yes, the money has been distributed, and we have kept 70 positions in reserve with the idea that particularly interesting people could emerge, while the rest have been distributed between the different institutes on a tender basis. It is interesting to note that there is competition for these positions, more than two institutes for each position. This is good to see. The money has now been distributed, and the institutes are now organising tenders to select the people to whom it will go to.
Thank you very much for this, Mr President.
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Good, so things are moving in this area too?
YURY OSIPOV: Yes, things are moving full steam ahead.
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Good, I remind you that the size of the presidential grants for young Ph.D. and D.Sc. holders was increased substantially and now comes to 600,000 rubles for Ph.D. degree holders, and 1 million rubles for D.Sc. degree holders.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE MINISTER ANDREI FURSENKO: For a year.
DMITRY MEDVEDEV: For a year, of course.
But this is not all, of course, and we can keep discussing this. I think that the state authorities need to do more to put in place all of the best possible conditions. Of course, this will never be anything completely exceptional, but the authorities in the broad sense – the federal, regional, and even municipal authorities - do need to ensure the minimum essential conditions.
The global world and the world of science know no borders, and we understand this. We therefore invite not only our own scientists to take part in these projects, but foreigners too. I think this is the right approach, because this is what scientific competition is all about, all the more so as our scientists go abroad and also participate – on a competitive basis – in projects abroad. This is just the kind of full-blooded environment that will help us to resolve the more difficult tasks ahead.
We have young people here today, and I want them to take part too in discussing the various issues involved in developing science, and developing education in general in our country and improving the way science is managed. The Youth Coordination Council has already made a shortlist of projects competing for the presidential grants and prizes for young scientists. In the views of senior colleagues, these projects are of high quality, and we shall see what comes of them. It is important to develop the network of regional councils of young scientists and specialists that have been established now in 81 different regions, practically throughout the entire country.
I want you to tell me, of course, about how you see the future of Russian science, what, in your view, are our strong points and weak points. Of course, we all have a fair idea of where our weak points lie at the moment, and in which areas we need to give new impetus.
But in any case, I can say that the situation has started to change of late. It has not changed radically, but things are improving. This is true of education and of science too. As someone who worked for quite a long time in the university system, I will not hide that I am very pleased to see these changes, because everyone who remembers the 1990s, remembers that they were very difficult years and the mood was very pessimistic back then. It was difficult to be optimistic. But this is all changing now.
There are problems. I have been discussing these problems not just here, not just with our young people working in science, but abroad too, with people working there. The last time was in Silicon Valley. That was an interesting discussion. There are very successful people working there, some of them left quite a long time ago, and some only recently. Some of them see their future in America, and others do not. But the conversation was very illustrative.
We should probably look at some additional incentives too. I think these could include the introduction of presidential scholarships for young people, who show promise in terms of developing priority modernisation areas. We will discuss the size of these scholarships, but they should provide decent sums of money for the chosen young people.
So, if you have similar ideas, I am willing to support them, though within reasonable limits. Let’s discuss all of this now.
Check your comprehension
~ Where did this meeting take place?
~ What is the size of presidential grants for young Ph.D. and D.Sc. holders?
http://eng.special.kremlin.ru/news/1742