Английский язык для студентов-бакалавров технических факультетов. English for the Undergraduates of Engineering. Учебное пособие

MODULE 2

MODERN TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATIONS

UNIT 3. TECHNOLOGY

Warm-up

1.What is technology?

2.When did it first appear? Why?

3.What experiences does the average person have of technology in their daily life?

4.Do you think technology helps us, or does it cause problems?

5.What kinds of technology exist nowadays?

6.How do you predict technology will affect our lives in the future?

Practise the pronunciation of the following words.

accomplish [ əʹkʌmplıʃ], objective [əbʹdȝektıv ], embed [ ımʹbed], weapon [ʹwepən ], species[ ʹspi:ʃi:z], allow [ əʹlaʊ], steady [ ʹstedı], leisure [ ʹleȝə], pervasiveness [pəʹveısıvnıs], alienate [ʹeılıəneıt], proponent [ prəʹpoʊnənt], primate [ ʹpraımeıt]

Read and guess the meaning of the following international words.

goods n – товары;

to accomplish objectives – достигать цели;

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to embed v – внедрять; species n – вид, род;

tool n – инструмент, орудие;

available sources – доступные источники; to lessen barriers – сократить препятствия; on a global scale – в глобальном масштабе; steady progress – устойчивое развитие;

to produce by-products – порождать побочные продукты; to deplete natural resources – истощать, исчерпывать ресурсы; detriment of the environment – ущерб окружающей среде;

to raise ethical questions – поднимать этические вопросы; to worsen v – ухудшать;

pervasiveness of technology – распространённость технологий; to alienate people – отчуждать людей;

beneficial to society – полезный для общества; to restrict v – ограничивать, сужать до;

to pass knowledge to other generations – передавать знания другим поколениям

Read Text 1 and translate it into Russian.

TEXT 1

Technology

Technology ("science of craft", from Greek techne, "art, skill, cunning of hand"; and -logia ) is the collection of techniques, skills, methods and processes used in the production of goods or services or in the accomplishment of objectives, such as scientific investigation. Technology can be the knowledge of techniques, processes, etc. or it can be embedded in machines, computers, devices and factories, which can be operated by individuals without detailed knowledge of the workings of such things.

The human species' use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistoric discovery of how to control fire and the later Neolithic Revolution increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans to travel in and control their environment. Developments in historic times, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale. The steady progress of military technology has brought weapons of ever-increasing destructive power, from clubs to nuclear weapons.

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Technology has many effects. It has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-products, known as pollution, and deplete natural resources, to the detriment of Earth's environment. Various implementations of technology influence the values of a society and new technology often raises new ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity, a term originally applied only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms.

Philosophical debates have arisen over the use of technology, with disagreements over whether technology improves the human condition or worsens it. Neo-Luddism, anarcho-primitivism, and similar reactionary movements criticize the pervasiveness of technology in the modern world, arguing that it harms the environment and alienates people; proponents of ideologies such as transhumanism and techno-progressivism view continued technological progress as beneficial to society and the human condition.

Until recently, it was believed that the development of technology was restricted only to human beings, but 21st century scientific studies indicate that other primates and certain dolphin communities have developed simple tools and passed their knowledge to other generations.

Exercises

3.1. Agree or disagree with the following statements. If you disagree, give your reasons.

1.Technology is a method of doing something using a special skill that you have developed.

2.People in a primitive society used advanced tools.

3.During the Neolithic period humans began to make stone tools, grow their food, and live in permanent communities.

4.Constant development of military technologies has made the world more secure to live in.

5.Modern technology causes great harm to the environment.

6.Techniques are advanced scientific knowledge used for practical purposes, especially in industry.

7.Technology is the prerogative of mankind.

8.Technology brings about controversial argues about its usefulness.

3.2. Answer the questions to the text.

1. What does the term technology stand for?

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2.When was the first technology developed? In what field?

3.What technologies do you think drastically have changed mankind’s

life?

4.In what way have cutting edge technologies affected the values of the world community?

5.Which animals have learned to develop technology?

3.3 Match up the words in the right and the left columns to make expressions. Make up your own sentences using them.

3.4. Complete each sentence with the appropriate word from Text 1. The first letter of each word is given.

1. One or two glasses of wine a day can be b_________ to the health.

2.An increase in crime rate is the b__ - p_______ of poverty and unemployment.

3.Wars in the region have d_________ the country’s food supplies.

4.Is it really e_________ to keep animals in zoos?

5.Traces of earlier ways of life are e________ in modern society.

6.Over 120 s_________ of birds have been recorded in this National

Park.

7.Words are essential t________ for formulating and communicating thoughts.

8.I__________ of these proposals can have disastrous political and financial consequences.

3.5. Match the Russian word with its English equivalent.

доступный – avail, availability, available

мировой – globalize, globalized, global, globalization истощать – deplete, depletion, depleted

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распространённый - pervade, pervasively, pervasiveness, pervasive ограничительный – restrict, restricted, restriction, restrictive исследование – investigate, investigative, investigation, investigator

3.6. Read through the following points and decide what effects technology has on these things. Reason your answer.

1.fast travel

2.river pollution

3.ozone layer depletion

4.nuclear missiles

5.space exploration

6.mass entertainment

7.less housework

8.global warming

3.7.Sum up the key ideas of Text 1.

3.8.Match up the terms on the left with the definitions on the right.

3.9. a) Look at the title of Text 2 and say in what way these aspects of human activities are linked;

b) Read the text and insert sentences a – e.

a.the goal-oriented process of designing and making tools and systems to exploit natural phenomena for practical human means, often (but not always) using results and techniques from science

b.technology simply is a result of scientific research

c.scientists and engineers may both be considered technologists

d.that incorporate advanced computer electronics

e.The distinction between science, engineering and technology is not always clear.

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TEXT 2

Science, engineering and technology

1) ________________________________________________________

Science is the reasoned investigation or study of natural phenomena, aimed at discovering enduring principles among elements of the phenomenal world by employing formal techniques such as the scientific method. Technologies are not usually exclusively products of science, because they have to satisfy requirements such as utility, usability and safety.

Engineering is 2) ________________________________________. The development of technology may draw upon many fields of knowledge, including scientific, engineering, mathematical, linguistic, and historical knowledge, to achieve some practical result.

Technology is often a consequence of science and engineering — although technology as a human activity precedes the two fields. For example, science might study the flow of electrons in electrical conductors, by using already-existing tools and knowledge. This new-found knowledge may then be used by engineers to create new tools and machines, such as semiconductors, computers, and other forms of advanced technology. In this sense, 3)_________________; the three fields are often considered as one for the purposes of research and reference.

The exact relations between science and technology in particular have been debated by scientists, historians, and policymakers in the late 20th century, in part because the debate can inform the funding of basic and applied science. In the immediate wake of World War II, for example, in the United States it was widely considered that technology was simply "applied science" and that to fund basic science was to reap technological results in due time. An articulation of this philosophy could be found explicitly in Vannevar Bush's treatise on postwar science policy, Science—The Endless Frontier: "New products, new industries, and more jobs require continuous additions to knowledge of the laws of nature ... This essential new knowledge can be obtained only through basic scientific research." In the late 1960s, however, this view came under direct attack, leading towards initiatives to fund science for specific tasks (initiatives resisted by the scientific community). The issue remains contentious—though most analysts resist the model that 4) ___________________________________.

High technology, often abbreviated to high tech (adjective forms hightechnology, high-tech or hi-tech) is technology that is at the cutting edge: the most advanced technology available.

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Products currently considered high tech are often those 5) __________. However, there is no specific class of technology that is high tech—the definition shifts and evolves over time—so products hyped as high-tech in the past may now be considered to have everyday or dated technology.

The opposite of high tech is low technology, referring to simple, often traditional or mechanical, technology; for example, a calculator is a lowtech calculating device.

3.10. Replace the words in italics by their synonyms from Text 2.

1.The National Asthma Campaign is providing the money for research into allergy and air pollution.

2.The car is provided with the cutting edge steering system.

3.Our electrical equipment includes all the latest safety features.

4.This hypothesis was hotly discussed by the scientists at the international symposium.

5.The aim of the project is to provide an outlet for children’s creativity.

6.The information about food science technologies is not always freely obtainable on the Internet.

3.11. Give English equivalents to the following.

удовлетворять требования, вычислительный прибор, доступные высокие технологии, финансировать фундаментальную и прикладную науку, достичь результата, производить проводники и полупроводники, фундаментальные научные исследования, оспаривать связь между наукой и технологией

3.12.Work in pairs. Try and list as many branches of technology as you can. Which of them are highly developed in Russia? Which of them are not? Why?

3.13.a) Read headlines 1–8 and match them to the correspondent branch of technology a - h;

1.Mice given human brain cells

2.15 billion text messages sent every month

3.The USA developing a weapon to fire microwaves

4.New ways to produce shoes

5.World’s tallest bridge opens

6.Sunlight will power spacecraft

7.Major hack attack

8.Apple introduce world’s largest screen

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a.Information technology

b.Biotechnology

c.Transport

d.Defence

e.Telecommunications

f.Crime

g.Civil engineering

h.Manufacturing

b)Try and predict what issues will be highlighted in these articles;

c)Which of the branches of technology do you consider necessary to develop in our country in the first place? Provide your reasons.

3.14.Summarize the key information of Text 2.

3.15.Read through the following words and try and predict what Text 3 will be about.

part of the society, impact of science and technology, positive aspects, younger generations, virtual depression, to construct a communication system, to be exposed to explicit materials, premature interests

3.16. a) Scan the passages and put them in the correct order; b) Were your guesses right? How will you entitle Text 3?

TEXT 3

A.Another instance of the negative effects of technology in society is how quickly it is pushing younger generations into maturity. With the world at their fingertips, children can learn anything they wish to. But with the uncensored sources from the Internet, without proper supervision, children can be exposed to explicit material at inappropriate ages. This comes in the forms of premature interests in experimenting with makeup or opening an email account or social media page—all of which can become a window for predators and other dangerous entities that threaten a child's innocence.

B.Since the creation of computers achieved an entire better approach to transmit and store data. Digital technology became commonly used for

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traditional recording media. Obviously, because digital ones are reproducible, portable and free.

C.Technology and society or technology and culture refer to cyclical co-dependence, co-influence, and co-production of technology and society upon the other (technology upon culture, and vice versa). This synergistic relationship occurred from the dawn of humankind, with the invention of simple tools and continues into modern technologies such as the printing press and computers. The academic discipline studying the impacts of science, technology, and society, and vice versa is called science and technology studies.

D.However, although these previous examples only show a few of the positive aspects of technology in society, there are negative side effects as well. Within this virtual realm, social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat have altered the way Generation Y culture is understanding the world and thus how they view themselves. In recent years, there has been more research on the development of social media depression in users of sites like these. "Facebook Depression," as some have deemed, is when users are so affected by their friends' posts and lives that their own jealousy depletes their sense of self-worth. They compare themselves to the posts made by their peers and feel unworthy or monotonous because they know that their life is not nearly as exciting as others'.

E.Technology has become a huge part in society and day-to-day life. When societies know more about the development in a technology, they become able to take advantage of it. When an innovation achieves a certain point after it has been presented and promoted, this technology becomes part of the society. Digital technology has entered each process and activity made by the social system. In fact, it constructed another worldwide communication system in addition to its origin.

3.17. Give Russian equivalents to the following.

cyclical co-dependence, co-influence, and co-production of technology and society, synergistic relationship, to take advantage of smth, to achieve a certain point, to transmit and store data, reproducible digital music records, virtual realm, to deplete one’s sense of self-worth, to feel unworthy, negative side effects, to push younger generations into maturity, to have something at one’s fingertip, uncensored sources, to be exposed to explicit materials, premature interests, predators, dangerous entity

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3.18. Make a sentence out of the two parts.

1.Nowadays computers have a powerful capacity

2.Social media platforms make young users mature more quickly,

3.As a rule most societies take advantage of disruptive technologies

4.The Internet is a quite dangerous realm for kids and teenagers

a.because of the uncontrolled access to websites containing obscene information.

b.as they can come across a lot of offensive information.

c.of transmitting and storing data.

d.because they greatly benefit from them.

3.19. Expand on the following statements in detail and express your attitude towards these issues.

1.Technology has been an essential part of human activities for many centuries.

2.Digital technologies make a significant contribution to mass entertainment.

3.The relationship between society and technology is of synergistic nature.

4.Technologies possess positive sides but at the same time can cause serious negative side effects.

5.The state and parents must control children’s access to uncensored websites.

3.20. Work in pairs. Discuss the questions.

1.What houses will be built in the future?

2.What building materials will architects use?

3.Will houses be cheaper or more expensive? lighter or heavier? smarter? more eco-friendly?

4.What predictions can you make about vehicles, communications, photos, books of the future?

3.21.Have a look at the title of Text 4 and answer the question.

3.22.a) Check you understand these words;

bubble, pipe, to carry information, fibre optic cable, combined technologies, to deliver information, interactive device, circuit, paper-thin, database, conventional

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