Learning to learn in English

used computer equipment, particularly for its scrap metal value, which recently has been quite high.

(Adapted from the Internet sites)

How E-Waste Recycling Works

repairable products

demanufacturers

lead

Get real

Search home pages of the leading computer companies and environment websites to get more information on possible solutions to e-waste problem. Report back to the class and discuss what you have found.

Writing

You are planning to buy a new computer but don’t know what to do with the old one. Write an e-mail message to one of the electronic equipment manufacturersaskingfor the informationonthe company’stakeback policies.

From:

To:

Subject: Old computer treatment

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am mailing this via the “Contact Us” link on your website to (1) ………………

….………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………... . Ibought myold PC (2) …………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………... . Could you give me more information about (3)…………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………... . Ihope you will (4)…………………………………………………………………

Ilook forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

(5)……………………

(1)explain the purpose of your e-mail

(2)provide basic information on your PC and its components, when and where you bought it, decide whether they are still working or not

(3)ask for information on the items the company takes back, delivery, package and prices

(4)express your gratitude for the help

(5)sign the letter

In the Realm of Science

1.Check the meaning of the words below. Which of them are chemical elements? Which are compounds? Write down the symbols for the elements and formulae for the compounds.

2.Work in pairs. Take turns to read and note down these elements and compounds:

3.Read the song “The Elements” by Tom Lehrer. Do you know equivalents in your native language to the elements named in the song?

There’s antimony, arsenic, aluminum, selenium, And hydrogen and oxygen and nitrogen and rhenium And nickel, neodymium, neptunium, germanium, And iron, americium, ruthenium, uranium, Europium, zirconium, lutetium, vanadium

And lanthanum and osmium and astatine and radium And gold, protactinium and indium and gallium And iodine and thorium and thulium and thallium.

There’s yttrium, ytterbium, actinium, rubidium And boron, gadolinium, niobium, iridium

And strontium and silicon and silver and samarium, And bismuth, bromine, lithium, beryllium and barium. There’s holmium and helium and hafnium and erbium And phosphorous and francium and fluorine and terbium And manganese and mercury, molybdinum, magnesium,

Dysprosium and scandium and cerium and cesium And lead, praseodymium, platinum, plutonium, Palladium, promethium, potassium, polonium, Tantalum, technetium, titanium, tellurium,

And cadmium and calcium and chromium and curium. There’s sulfur, californium and fermium, berkelium And also mendelevium, einsteinium and nobelium And argon, krypton, neon, radon, xenon, zinc and rhodium

And chlorine, cobalt, carbon, copper, Tungsten, tin and sodium.

These are the only ones of which the news has come to Harvard, And there may be many others but they haven’t been discovered.

(Listen to it at http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/activities/sciencehits/)

Unit 2 Progress Monitoring

In this unit you have worked on the following vocabulary related to the topic “Negative influence of electronic equipment on the environment”

Tick(V) thepoints youareconfidentaboutandcross (X) the onesyouneed torevise.

2.Write downa short vocabularylist (10 items) onthe topic “Environment”. Compare your lists. Crossout the items youhave onboth listsand explain the meaning of the rest of the words and phrases.

3.Do the crossword to write the word in bold.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

1)the reduction of the layer of natural gases around the earth that protects people, animals, etc. from dangerous ultraviolet radiation;

2)the reductionof the territory that a plant or animal lives and grows best in;

3)a process when different species which make a balanced environment disappear;

4)floods, volcanic eruptionsand hurricanes, etc. that cause a lot ofdamage;

5)a result ofatmospheric contaminationwhen industrial gasesand chemicals mix with water in the air;

6)harmful chemicals and gases from factories, traffic fumes that enter the air to make it dirty;

7)a general increase in the temperature of the world caused by harmful chemicals and gases;

8)harmful chemicals, waste materialsfrom factories, houses etc. that enter the land and kill or damage the things that live or grow there;

9)gasesfromfactories, machines, traffic fumesetc. that forma layer around the earth;

10)devices and/or their components that are no longer useful;

11)a process when too many trees are cut down in an area, so that the environment is badly damaged.

4.Read these sayings. Comment on the one you like most.

“The nation that destroys itssoil destroysitself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Modern technology owes ecology an apology.” Alan M. Eddison

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” Native American Proverb

“If civilization has risen from the Stone Age, it can rise again from

the Wastepaper Age.” Jacques Barzun, The House of Intellect

Case study

All of you are at the meeting which is held to discuss the most urgent environmental problems in your city. Each student plays one of the roles described below. Read the situation and the role descriptions and decide who will play each role. Divide into 5 groups (group A – environmentalists, B – bank representatives, C – city residents, D – city council members, E – project managers). Make use of the language for debating in the Tool box.

The situation

The World Bank has decided to fund the “Eco-friendly city” programme. As the representatives of different local organizations and the community you

have to discuss the most urgent environmental problems in your city, the ways to solve them and to work out projects that will allow to cope with the most urgent problems in your neighborhood.Asa result theWorld Bank will choose the most attractive project.

Roles: project manager

Youliveinthiscityandworkinthelocalbranch of the World Bank. The Board of Trustees appointed you to be the person in charge for thesuccessful realizationofthe eco-programme in your city. You introduce the programme of the World Bank, briefly describe the situation and conduct the meeting.

Roles: environmentalists

You are a member of the local Green Peace organization. You are concerned with the high

level of industrial waste, soil and water contamination in your city. Present your project and suggest the ways for its realization.

Roles: city residents

You are worried about the shrinking of green spaces and increasing of air pollution in your city. Present your project and suggest ways and terms of its realization.

Roles: the City council member

The City council is concerned with the poor quality treatment of sewage waters. Present your project and suggest ways and terms of its realization.

Roles: The World Bank representative

You are a member of the World Bank Board of Trustees who is responsible for choosing the most attractive project and an appropriate use of the money donated. Choose the best project and explain your reasons.

Progress Test

1. Join the sentences in two ways, with or without which/that.

a)A lot of rubbish is floating in the sea. It is a real danger to health. b)The problem of soil erosion is discussed in this chapter. It has

occurred ever since the man began destroy forests.

c)Nuclear energy comes from the energy stored within the nuclei of atoms. They are the basic building blocks of all matter.

d)The best things in life such as water and air are free. We often take it for granted.

e)The manufacture of one PC requires 28kg of liquid chemicals. All liquid chemicals have to be neutralized by a further 11 kg of sodium hydroxide.

f)An average PC consumes 100 watts of electricity when switched on but not in use. 100 watts of electricity is equivalent to a bright light bulb. g)New machines use no more than 30 watts. They are given the Energy

Star Logo.

h)In1993theUSAintroducedtheEnergyStarLogo.TheESLeliminated the need to build 10 extra power stations.

i)In the USA computers use 5 % of commercial power. By 2010 the use of commercial power by computers could rise to 15 %, or 100 billion kilowatt-hours per year.

j)Some factories had developed manufacturing processes. This processes considerably cut the amount of wastes produced.

2.Join the sentences with to, in order (not) to, so that or for.

a)European countries formed a work group. The purpose of the work group is to work out the measures that will limit computer dumping.

b)Old computers can be used in schools and colleges. They must be dismantled and adapted.

c) Manufacturers are encouraged to make a lot of changes to their products. New products need to be more easily recycled.

d)Hewlett-Packard takes back old computers, faxes, printers, etc. It disassembles the office equipment, reconditions its components.

e)Hewlett-Packard disassembles old computing equipment, reconditions its subassemblies. They are used as spare parts for customer’s existing equipment.

f)Manufacturers spend a lot of time and money for various retraining programmes. They need to retrain designers, engineers and assembly workers to perform environmentally friendly computer design and manufacturing.

3. Complete the sentences using the most suitable adverb from the box.

a) I can’t think ……… when I’m in a hurry or upset about something. b)This year spring is going to be……… hot in this region.

c) These are ………reliable statistics on industrial waste for the last five years.

d)I wanted to increase the pressure in the apparatus but I wasn’t sure if I could do it ……….

e)Though I was very nervous I tried to speak ……….

f)This ……… operating machine for producing hamburgers is a real

wander!

g)What we need is a ……… equipped laboratory and ………

enthusiastic specialists.

h)Nick feels so homesick, he ……… misses his parent and friends.

4.Look at the pictures and with a partner discuss the environmental problems theyillustrate.Write aparagraphofabout 150wordstodescribe thepicture

you have chosen.

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Self study

Does one soldier make a battle?

The state of the environment today has reached a crisis point. This crisis stems largely from humankind’s attempts at “development” – that is, our efforts to make our lives more sophisticated, more comfortable and more satisfying. . We have misused and polluted the planet out of self interest.

Therangeof theworld’s environmental problemsis so wide and theconsequences are so devastatingthat it is hard to believethat any action by one person or small community will make any difference. Buе the ancient Chinese proverb says that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It is time to take this step, explore the facts, discuss theissues and share your thoughts.Search thesite Planet Under Pressure http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2004/planet/default.stm

THE QUESTIONS AND TASKS TO GUIDE YOU:

Intoduction

Read the introductory article to the series of the six environmental issues facing the human race today: food, energy, water, climate change, biodiversity and pollution.

Why these areas have been chosen for the series?

Choose one part, study the article, graphs, photos; do the quiz; read people

comments and summarize the main points in a diagrammic way.

Animated guide

How much will the Earth warm by 2100?

Study the diagrams describing the sources of greenhouse effect and its influence on glaciers and Gulf Streem.

Kyoto era dawns

What measures does the international community take to ease greenhouse gas emissions pressure?

What is the Kyoto protocol aimed at?

How many greenhouse gases are covered by the Kyoto protocol?

Which European countries signed the agreement?

How has the world changed under the effect of human activity?

Look at the photos by Gary Braasch. Which pair of pictures impressed you most? Why?

Changing world

Look at the photos of environmental change around the world. Take photos in your city/town illustrating this change and supplement the photos with captions explaining the change.

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Talking Point

Listen to or watch a phone-in programme on climate change.

What are the priorities for world’s leaders to combat climate change?

Read a selection of comments and write an e-mail sharing your thoughts on the point.

Green gardening

Where according to the Planet Under Pressure series can the first steps toward solving environmental issues begin?

What kind of competition was held at the project?

Saving the planet

Read teenager’s ideas on how they would tackle environmental damage. Choose two of them and comment on them.

Managing your learning

Diagrams have the potential to capture a lot of information on a single page. They help to show the conceptual links between ideas and allow to add additional material without the need to crowd the page.

While drawing diagrams

-use lines, colours, branches, arrows or some other ways of showing connections between ideas;

-leave lots of space to highlight things, add information or add questions and words;

-write down key ideas in capitals as they are easier to read in a diagram and explanatory notes in lower case.

NB! All the task must be completed in a written form and test results printed out, photos enclosed.

SCIENCE FRONTIERS

“The future is always beginning now”

Mark Strand

Learning Goals

to organize information in a timeline

to use timelines and time/sequence expressions for narrating and reporting

to write a summary of articles and reports

to learn how to show relationships between ideas

to talk about the latest and perspective achievements in science

to revisit Future Tenses

*stochasticanalysis–вероятностный анализ.

*diffusion-reaction equations– уравнениереакции диффузии.

*biological pattern formation – образование биологического рисунка.

progress was also made in the synthesis of tailor-made polymers*, composite materials, and ceramics which is capable of superconduction.

Organic chemistry was instrumental to the great advances in understanding the structure and function of biomolecules. This has had an enormous impact on the biomedical sciences. For instance, in 1954, the first naturally occurring protein hormone was analysed and then synthesised. For the first time, it was shown that an artificially produced protein has exactly the same properties as those naturally produced. The synthesis of insulin, a life-saving protein for diabetics, followed shortly thereafter. In 1959, the three-dimensional structure of haemoglobin (the oxygen-transporting molecule that makes blood red) was determined at atomic resolution*. Since then, the structures of thousands of biologically important molecules have been described. This knowledge plays a vital role in the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics. Aided by fast computers, medicinal chemists increasingly use the knowledge of biomolecular structures to design small compounds with very specific pharmacological properties and make significant contributions both to our understanding of life processes and to medicine.

The chemical sciences are also contributing to the environmental sciences. For example, they providenew materials and contributeto thedevelopmentof new means to cropprotection, as well as animal and human health.

*tailor-madepolymers–полимерысзаданными свойствами.

*at atomic resolution – на уровне атомов.

While these storms are still potentially dangerous, timely warning of their approach has saved many lives and helped to avoid vast property damage. Another example is the Earth resource satellites, which have become an integral part of geological data collection and provide us with a better means of assessing the Earth's resources. In addition, these satellites supply information about forest growth and crop diseases*.

*cropdiseases– заболеваниясельскохозяйственных культур

(Adapted from “Science for the Twenty-First Century:A New Commitment”)

3.Now exchange the information with the other students in your group to list all the achievements mentioned in texts A, B and C.

4.Look back inthe textsand find 9 adjectivesthat are similar inmeaning to the word important. Check in the dictionary the difference in their meanings.

Focus on language

1.Read the sentences and determine the relationships between the parts in each sentence.

Innumerable benefits include not only new materials and food additives,butalsonewanalyticaltoolsforthestudyoflivingmatter.

The scientists have made the progress that has provided unforeseen power, which enables us to change our lives, our world as well as our future.

Because of its precision, mathematics is an essential tool for all of

the sciences.

Showing relationships between ideas

To connect words and phrases that have the same grammatical function in a sentence we use conjunctions, prepositions and adverbs.

 conjunctions*

e.g.: The twentieth century saw much momentous change that either brought enormous benefits to human beings, or threatens the very existence of the human species.

*The same grammatical form should follow each word of the pair.

Neither… nor…is already negativein meaning sodoesn’t requirenegativeform ofa verb

 prepositions

e.g.: Apart from large-scale research programmes, scientific research with little

short term economic profit may be called into question.

*Due to… in formal writingisfollowedbya nounclause introducedbythefact that

 adverbs

e.g.: The chemical sciences developed new analytical tools for the study of living matter as well as the environment.

Practice

1.Change the sentences using appropriate conjunctions, prepositions or adverbs. Translate the sentences into your native language.

a)Big cities suffer from air pollution. They also suffer from the shortage of fresh drinking water.

b)Nowadays biochemistry doesn’t provide an answer to the fundamental question of the generation of life on earth. Modern biology doesn’t answer this question either.

c)The research project will be funded from one of the sources: local or national.

d)The research project took a lot of time and much money.

e)The cost and size of computing power has been reduced. The design and implementation of the Internet allowsaccess to information from all over the globe at an unprecedented level and speed.

f)Discovery and study of quasars, black holes and pulsars were made possible by new observation instruments.

g)The concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is increasing

because the vast amount of fossil fuels is burnt every day.

Writing

Summarize into a paragraph the information that you have learnt about the greatest scientific advances in the 20th century. Follow the guidelines.

Identify the key points of the report and the supporting details the authors use to illustrate them.

Summarize the keypointsand the supportingdetailsinyour ownwords.

Arrangeyourinformationinalogicalorder.Make use oftheappropriate linking words you have learnt in the unit.

Make sure you stated the authors’ names, the title of the report and the source it comes from in your first sentences.

 Express your opinion on the information presented in the report.

Listening

1.Make a list of fast developing areas in science and technology.

2.Read the terms below. Which areas of science and technology are they used in?

3.Listen to the introductory part of the radio programme to answer the questions below.

a)When and where did the ceremony of awarding the national medals of Science and Technology take place?

b)What organization administers the science awards?

c)What are the requirements to the nominees?

d)What period of time were the National Medals awarded for?

e)What does the process of selection include?

4.Listen to the rest of the programme. Take notes on the fields of science

and technology the medals were awarded in.

Get real

Search the Internet sites and popular science magazines to find information on the latest advances made in your field of science in the first decade of the 21st century and their impacts on our lives. Report your findings to the class.

Reading

1. Look at the pictures. What kind of invention do they describe?

2.Match the words in Awith the definitionsin B and then with the pictures. Translate the words into your native language.