Unit 10

1) Explain the necessity of using italicized articles in the following passage

In some ways Medvedev’s plan to create 1) a legitimate outlet for tech talent is quintessentially Soviet. 2) The idea of a city for scientists harks back to Stalin’s purpose-built tech cities within 3) the Gulag where selected scientists worked in conditions of privilege – and hatched such breakthroughs as 4) the Soviet atom bomb. But in this era “you can’t have 5) a centrally planned innovative economy,” warns Vladislav Inozemtsev, director of 6) the Moscow-based Center for Post-Industrial Studies. “Nowhere in 7) the world has a Silicon Valley blossomed because of decrees issued by bureaucrats, even if 8) the decrees are backed up by government financing.”

9) The failure of central planning does not necessarily spell doom for Skolkovo, because Medvedev is guided by 10) a more modern vision of how to use subsidies to steer business development. Medvedev is pushing innovation as one of his “four I’s,” or pillars of modernization, 11) the others being institutions, infrastructure, and investment. But truth be told, he’s not making much progress. Russia built just 1,000 kilometers of roads last year, compared with 12) the 47,000 kilometers built by China.

2) Fill in the gaps with the correct article where necessary

Global talks on climate change opened in Cancún, Mexico, in 1) …………… late 2010 with 2) …………… toughest issues unresolved, and 3) …………… conference produced modest agreements. But while 4) …………… measures adopted in Cancún are likely to have scant near-term impact on the warming of 5) …………… planet, the international process for dealing with the issue got 6) …………… significant vote of confidence. In the United States, on Jan. 2, 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency imposed its first regulations related to greenhouse gas emissions. 7) ………….. immediate effect on 8) …………… utilities, refiners and major manufacturers will be small, with 9) …………… new rules applying only to those planning to build large new facilities or make major modifications to existing plants. President Obama vowed as 10) …………… candidate that he would put 11) …………… United States on 12) …………… path to addressing climate change by 13) …………… reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas pollutants. He offered Congress wide latitude to pass climate change legislation, but held in reserve 14) …………… threat of E.P.A. regulation if it failed to act. The deeply polarized Senate’s refusal to enact 15) …………… climate change legislation essentially called his bluff.

Unit 11 Revision

1) Explain the necessity of using italicized articles, linking words, and pronouns in the following passage

1) The present definition of 2) the kilogram requires that all SI mass measurements carried out in the world be related to 3) the mass of the IPK. (“Mass” is commonly equated with “weight,” 4) but technically 5) the “mass” of 6) an object refers to 7) the amount of matter in 8) it, 9) whereas 10) its “weight” is caused by 11) the gravitational attraction between 12) the object and 13) the earth.) To forge 14) this link, metrologists remove the IPK from 15) its sanctuary every 40 years or so to calibrate 16) the copies of 17) the IPK 18) that are sent to 19) the International Bureau of Weights and Measures by 20) the 51 national signatories of 21) the “Meter Convention” – 22) the treaty 23) that governs the SI. Once equilibrated, 24) these copies are used to calibrate all other mass standards of 25) the member states in 26) a long, unbroken sequence 27) that propagates down to 28) the weighing scales and other instruments employed in laboratories and factories around 29) the globe. 30) It makes economic sense to have 31) a stable, unchanging standard of mass, 32) but evidence indicates that the mass of the IPK drifts with time. By observing relative changes of 33) the other mass standards fabricated at 34) the same time as 35) the IPK and by analyzing old and new measurements of mass-related fundamental constants (36) which are thought not to change significantly over time), scientists have shown that 37) the mass of the IPK could have grown or shrunk by 50 micrograms or more over the past 100 years.

2) Find and correct the sentence structure errors in the following article

In my child development classes, I’m learning about ways of keep girls interested in technology. Studies shows that girls and boys begin their school years equally interested in technology. After elementary school is the time that com­puters are less of an interest for girls. To sum up, boys keep up with computers and other technology throughout their educations more than girls, they get ahead in these the fields. Experts have come up with some suggestions for teachers and par­ents of girls to help them.

Girls need opportunities to experiment with computers. Despite of the fact that girls spend time on computers, but they usually just do their assignments then they log off. Since computer games and programs are often aimed at boys. Parents and teachers need to buy computer products that will challenge girls not only in literature and art, but also in math, science, and business is important.

Another suggestion is to put computers in places where girls can socialize. One reason many boys stay interested in technology is that it is something he can do on his own. Girls tend to be more interested in working with others and to share activities. Furthermore computer terminals are placed close to one another, girls work at them for much longer periods of time. To begin with, parents and teachers need to be aware that nothing beats positive role models. Teach them about successful women in the fields of business, scien­tific, and technology. Otherwise the earlier we start interesting girls in these fields, the better.