Аврамова Интродуцтион то Нуцлеар Енглиш 2011

МИНИСТЕРСТВО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ И НАУКИ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ

НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫЙ ИССЛЕДОВАТЕЛЬСКИЙ ЯДЕРНЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ «МИФИ»

ОБНИНСКИЙ ИНСТИТУТ АТОМНОЙ ЭНЕРГЕТИКИ

Е.А. АВРАМОВА

INTRODUCTION

TO

NUCLEAR ENGLISH

Учебное пособие по английскому языку

Рекомендовано УМО «Ядерные физика и технологии» в качестве учебного пособия

для студентов высших учебных заведений

Москва 2011

PART ONE

LEARN TO READ SCIENCE

INTRODUCTION

«The English language is your most versatile scientific instrument. Learn to use it with precision.»

(Poster in a lecture room at a US university)

English is regarded as the richest of the world’s languages. Its vocabulary includes at least one million words (David Crystal, Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language). If you include all scientific terms, this number could reach two million! English owes its exceptionally large vocabulary to its ability to borrow and absorb words from outside. «Atomic», «jeans», «khaki», «sputnik», «perestroika», «glasnost» are just a few examples of the many words that came into use during the last century. They have been adopted from Italian, Hindi, Greek and Russian. The process of borrowing words from other languages has been going on for more than 1 000 years.

Latin and Greek have been a fruitful source of vocabulary since the 16th century. The Latin words «mini», its opposite «maxi» and the Greek word «micro» have become popular to describe everything from bikes to fashion.

There are a few words taken from Latin and Greek that still retain their original plurals in English. In some cases we can use either. «Formulas» is seen more often than «formulae», «antennas» instead of «antennae». Many think that «media», «strata» and «phenomena» are all singular. They aren’t. «Data», a plural, is used both ways.

Here are some foreign singular and plural forms of words often used in English.

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Words of Latin and Greek origin are often used in science. Scientific English is not a separate language, but it differs in structure and vocabulary from the language used in daily life. The most important difference is the vocabulary. Scientific language includes non-technical words used in all sciences, as well as technical words (terms) usually used with a special meaning in a par-

ticular field of science. Here you will learn how some terms are used:

Some of the most important words used in science are those that we use in a more general sense in everyday life. Such words are called terms. When we use these words in everyday life they are common, simple words. But when we use them in science they have a very definite meaning and a precise definition.

We often use such words as energy, work, speed, force, power and matter. In everyday life we may use them in different meanings. But in science, for example in physics, these words mean definite things. We can measure them with great accuracy.

Thus, energy in common life means simply force necessary to do something, but in physics we define energy as «capacity to do work».

The same is with the word «work». When we write, read, listen or study for a long time, we may say that we worked a great deal and that we are tired of the work. Here the word work has a general meaning, it is not a scientific term. In mechanics «work» is used as a term, then we define it as «the product of a force multiplied by the distance through which that force moves any object».

Quite a few scientific terms are international words which are used in many different languages, often with some differences in spelling, writing and pronunciation, but with the same meaning. You can easily guess what the following words mean: physics, mechanics, machine, design, energy, matter, alternative, radiation, neutron, proton, electron, molecule, atom, structure, technology, phenomenon, experiment, chemistry, medicine,

biology, mathematics, laboratory, university, student.

It is important that you learn these words, and, by doing so, build up your scientific vocabulary. You will need it, because the purpose of the English language course at university is to teach you to read science and to discuss your professional problems in English. These skills are necessary if you want to make a successful career in science, and to share your work with an international audience. Scientific research is based on international collaboration, and progress in science is impossible without the joint efforts of the international

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scientific community. You can become part of it. English is a powerful tool to help you make it happen!

And – in conclusion -- some advice. If you really want to master English, you‟ve got to

«Try, try and try again, Never say die,

Don’t forget that things take time».

May I ask you the secret of success? There is no easy street! You just jump at your opportunity. But how can I tell when my opportunity comes? You can‟t! You‟ve got to keep on jumping.

YOU’VE GOT TO KEEP ON STUDYING! Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor – to console him for what he is. SO KEEP ON SMILING!

UNIT I

Reading 1-A

What do you know about the university where you are going to study? Read the text and be prepared to discuss it.

Obninsk University

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.

(Albert Einstein)

I’m a first-year student at university. My major is physics/operation of nuclear power plants/technical diagnostics/ health physics/materials science/NPP control and instrumentation/NPP equipment installation and commissioning/physical and chemical processes at NPPs.

I study at the Obninsk Institute for Nuclear Power Engineering. It is now part of the MEPhI National Nuclear Research University. The university trains specialists for nuclear power engineering in such areas as reactor design and operation, nuclear physics, computer science and more.

There are five faculties at the Obninsk Institute for Nuclear Power Engineering. They are the Faculty of Physics and Power Engineering, the Cybernetics Faculty, the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine.

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The program at our university lasts five or six years. The academic year is divided into two terms. At the end of term students take exams. When they graduate, they take their finals and receive their degrees.

The university buildings are quite modern. There are a lot of study

rooms, research laboratories, libraries and other necessary facilities at our university. There are also dormitories on the Campus (Residence Halls).

The university has excellent sports facilities available to all students. At present the university is well known both in this country and abroad.

Exercise 1. Match the following Russian and English equivalents.

Exercise 2. Discuss your university life using the questions below.

1.Where do you study?

2.What faculty do you belong to?

3.What is your major?

4.What year are you in?

5.Why did you decide to get to Obninsk University?

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6.How and why did you pick your major/area of study? (I am in-

terested in physics/I believe in nuclear power/It is a tradition with my family/It is in my family line/ It was a matter of chance.)

7.Are you good at English? What was your mark in English?

8.Do you have a particular reason for learning English or is it just out of general interest? (International language; make new friends; have more work opportunities; get a well-paid job; make a successful career)

9.What are your first impressions of the university (buildings/laboratories/equipment/library/canteen/teaching staff/ methods of teaching)? (Modern, up-to-date, out-of-date; friendly, helpful, communicative, hospitable, polite, effective).

Exercise 3. Imagine that you are talking to a friend who is going to leave school next year and has not decided what university to go to. Tell him/her about your university, and try to convince him/her that Obninsk University is a nice place to study at. Act out this situation with your partner.

Reading 1-B

Do you know what Obninsk is famous for? Read the text and find out!

The Cradle of Nuclear Power

Obninsk is a modern town. It was founded in the 1950s, and it is unique, because nuclear power as an energy source made its first appearance here. The world’s first nuclear power plant went on line in

Obninsk in 1954. It is now part of the Institute of Physics and Power

Engineering (IPPE), a leading research center of Obninsk.

In fact, it was the nuclear power plant that gave Obninsk its status of Russia’s first Science City. Obninsk, population 108,000, currently houses a lot of research centers and institutes, among them the Medical Radiology Research Center, Agricultural Radiology Research Institute, Karpov Institute of Physical Chemistry and many more. All of them are in some way related to nuclear technology. Research is focused on nuclear power engineering, nuclear physics, radiation technology, the technology of non-metallic materials, medical radiology, meteorology and environmental protection.

Another organization which is related to nuclear power is the Obninsk Branch of the National Nuclear Research University. It has a long

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history. It started in 1953 as a branch of the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI), received university status in 2002, but became part of the National Nuclear Research University in 2009. The Universi-

ty trains specialists for the nuclear industry.

Obninsk is a young growing city full of new plans and ideas, but also careful to preserve its traditions. There is no doubt that it has a bright future ahead!

Exercise 1. Match the two parts of the sentences. Look at Reading 1-B to help you.

1.Obninsk was founded in the 1950s and it is unique, because...

2.The world’s first nuclear power plant...

3.Currently, Russia’s first Science City houses...

4.Research is focused on...

5.The Obninsk Branch of the National Nuclear Research University started in 1953...

A. ... as a branch of the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI). B. ... nuclear power engineering, nuclear physics, radiation technolo-

gy, environmental protection, etc.

C. ... nuclear power as an energy source made its first appearance here. D. ... a lot of research centers and institutes related to nuclear technology. E. ... went on line in Obninsk in 1954.

Exercise 2. You are going to write a profile of the place where you live. Work in groups and follow these steps.

a) Discuss the following questions and make notes of your discussion.

1.What is your home town?

2.Where is it situated? In what region?

3.What is your town famous for? Is it an interesting place?

4.What is the population?

5.What do people do in your town? What factories and enterprises are there in your town?

6.What facilities are there for higher education (colleges, universities, evening classes)?

7.What are the people like in your town?

8.What do people do in their spare time?

9.What are the main sights? Do you like it there? Why?

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10.Are you proud of your town? Why?

11.Do you live in a house or in a flat? Where is it? Is it in the centre or on the outskirts?

12.What do you like about the place? What do you dislike?

b)Organize your notes and develop them into two or three paragraphs.

c)Check your writing and correct any mistakes.

d)Make a presentation of your town/city in class.

Reading 1-C

World’s First Nuclear Power Plant

The world’s first nuclear power plant was commissioned/became operational on June 27, 1954 in Obninsk, outside Moscow. The Obninsk nuclear power plant used a 5 MW AM-1 (Atom Mirny or Peaceful Atom) reactor to generate electricity and conduct experimental nuclear research.

In fact, the first man-made nuclear reactor, known as Chicago Pile-1, was built in the United States by Enrico Fermi and his colleagues. It achieved criticality on December 2, 1942. This work became part of the Manhattan Project. The purpose of this project was purely military. It was to build large reactors to generate plutonium for the first nuclear bombs, which were used on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

After World War II, most reactor research centered on purely military purposes. However, scientists started work to use nuclear energy for peace. The Obninsk reactor was the first nuclear reactor in the world used to generate electricity for a power grid. Since the plant opened in 1954, most of the industrialized countries, along with countries like India and China, have ac-

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cepted nuclear power. There are about 440 nuclear power reactors in the world today. They generate about 16 percent of the world's electricity.

The Obninsk nuclear power plant is no longer in operation and does not produce commercial power any more. After operating without a hitch for 48 years, the reactor was shut down on April 29, 2002. It operated 18 years longer than its planned life time. It was the first NPP to be decommissioned in Russia.

The nuclear plant is still part of the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering (IPPE). There are plans, however, to turn it into a museum and open it to the general public.

Exercise 1. Match the following Russian and English equivalents.

Exercise 2. Read the text and answer the questions below.

1. When was the world’s first nuclear power plant commissioned?

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