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

4.10 a) Look at the title of Text 2. Do you know these laws? If you don’t, can you formulate them on your own?

b) Scan the text and say whether the laws you formulated coincide with those in Text 2. Insert sentences a – f.

a.the springboard for Asimov to explore all the situations in which the laws contradicted each other or were inoperable

b.and adds an additional law, the Zeroth Law

c.a complete set of conclusions on how to counter the inherent inconsistencies in the laws

d.Speedy sings snatches of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and races around in circles

e.It would be easy to compare the Three Laws of Robotics with the Hippocratic Oath

f.Implementing the Three Laws of Robotics is not simple

TEXT 2

THREE LAWS OF ROBOTICS

In 1942, beloved science fiction writer Isaac Asimov penned a short story, “The Runaround.” In it scientists are puzzled by the bizarre behavior of a robot named Speedy, who cannot complete a task, though he must obey humans, because the task involves danger to the robot. Instead of being able to follow orders, 1) ______________________________. This comic story introduces the Three Laws of Robotics, rules usually memorized by science fiction enthusiasts, and familiar to an increasing number of scientists.

The Three Laws of Robotics became 2) _________________________. His first few “robot” stories became several and were later published in book form in the novel I, Robot. What is clear through Asimov’s work is that though the Three Laws of Robotics were meant to protect robots with relative intelligence and to protect their human users, there were loopholes and problems.

3) __________________________________________, since there are similarities. The laws listed below are quoted from “The Runaround.”

A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

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In Speedy’s case, his order to collect selenium is countermanded by the fact that to do so places him in grave danger. He is trying to protect his own existence, yet also trying to obey orders. This result is strange behavior and a very comic story.

Throughout the short stories in I, Robot , and in Asimov’s follow-up novels The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, The Robots of Dawn, and Robots and Empire, Asimov continues to explore the inherent conflicts in obeying all three laws, 4) _________________________, stating that robots cannot harm humanity or by failing to act, allow humanity to come to harm.

Some people might wonder why short stories written as early as the 1940s would have any relevance in the present day. Like many science fiction writers, Asimov dreamed what people would later discover. As we now have “smart” robots and machines of different types, serious discussion exists in the scientific community regarding laws needed to protect these expensive machines, and more importantly to protect humans from them. 5) ____________________________, and theories on practical applications of laws for robots, based on Asimov’s novel are a matter of great debate.

What must be remembered, of course, is that Asimov presents us with problems that result from the Three Laws of Robotics, and seldom 6)

___________________. They are nevertheless a springboard for all who research or create robots today, and the laws may be worth knowing as we continue to advance into the field of robotics.

4.11. a) Match up the synonyms in the right and the left columns;

b) Complete each sentence with the appropriate word from Ex.4.11 a). The first letter of each word is given.

1.Every soldier must o _______ his officer’s o _______ .

2.The Hippocratic o________ is the promise that doctors make to respect the moral principles of the medical profession.

3.If a robot fails to i___________ the three laws of robotics, it can cause a serious harm to people.

4.For some s________ reason the robot was racing around in circles.

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4.12. a) Read the passage about the history of robots and spot the mistakes if there are any;

Robots are not really a twentieth century inventor. ……………………

In ancient times, the Egyptians and Greeks build mechanical …………

automatons to perform simple actions. The idea of a mechanical humanoid will influence both Art and Science. In 1918, Mary Shelley –

…………….

the author of Frankenstein – explored what will happen when …………

a scientist , Dr.Frankenstein, gave life to a monster…………………… With the development of electronic computer at 1941, …………………

scientists began to work on intelligence machines. b) Answer the following questions.

1.Did you read the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley?

2.What is the plot of the book?

3.What ethical problem did she touch upon?

4.What is your attitude to this problem?

5.Can you list other science fiction writers who raised similar problems?

4.13. Sum up the key ideas of Text 2. 4.14. Work in pairs. Discuss the points.

a. Name devices or machines that are controlled by joysticks. b. What do we call smart machines?

c. Where can you see touch panels?

d. When and where did you last use a touch panel?

4.15. a) Read through the key words and try and predict what Text 3 will be about;

the disabled, to rely on advances, a joystick, artificial intelligence, sensor technology, a speech-recognition system, a touch panel, the handicapped, wheelchair, a prototype, to upgrade

b) Skim Text 3 and say whether your guesses were right.

TEXT 3

The Autonomous Wheelchair

University of Ulm, Germany

MAid – for Mobility Aid – is a self-navigating chair that can give the severely disabled more autonomy. It is a part of a class of smart machines that rely on advances in artificial intelligence and sensor technology.

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Many people with severe disabilities cannot use ordinary wheelchairs that require the use of a joystick. For them, the use of this device or other manual devices can be very difficult, if not impossible.

MAid has a computerized navigation system that relies on a speechrecognition system, a touch panel and a radar.

The severely handicapped do not have to make any movement. They only have to speak into the speech recognition device and say, for example, “move fifty metres to the left”, and it will move exactly in that direction.

If the user has a little movement, he/she can indicate a target position on the touch panel that displays a map of the surroundings.

The touch panel is equipped with a radar and other sensors. It can:

identify stationary and moving objects,

tell how fast the object moves and in what direction, and

keep track of the wheelchair’s own position and speed

MAid is just a prototype and it is still some distance away from the market. The robotics experts from the University of Ulm, Germany, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion in the Laboratory tested MAid for the first time in February 2001 in the busy railway station of Ulm, full of passengers and piles of baggage. It was fantastic! Now, they have to continue with their work to upgrade MAid’s intelligence.

4.16. Give English equivalents to the following.

полагаться на достижения, инвалидное кресло, искусственный интеллект, сенсорная технология, сенсорная индикаторная панель, ручка управления, система распознавания речи, координата цели, опознавать неподвижные и движущиеся объекты, пилотная модель, усовершенствовать.

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

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4.18. Read this advert and fill in every gap with one of the modals can/can’t, have/ don’t have to, has to / doesn’t have to, need/ don’t need.

iBOT

The Electric Power Chair

Johnson & Johnson’s iBOT is a four-wheelchair that …… stand up on two wheels. It …… elevate the user, climb stairs and get on trains and into buildings.

The chair is equipped with a unit that is a combination of a computing device and sensors.

You only ….to use a joystick and then you ….. navigate with autonomy!

4.19.Find in Text 3 the sentences containing modals and translate them into Russian.

4.20.Expand on the points by providing information from Text 3.

1.MAid vs. ordinary wheelchairs

2.Navigation system of MAid

3.The team that works on MAid project

4.21. a) Read the 1st passage of Text 4 and answer the questions;

1.What does nanorobotics refer to?

2.List the names of nanodevices.

b)Scan the 2nd passage and complete the gaps with the words that are derived from the words on the right;

c)Decide which answer A, B or C best fits each space in the 3rd passage.

TEXT 4

NANOROBOTICS

1. Nanorobotics is the emerging technology field creating machines or robots whose components are at or close to the scale of a nanometre (10−9 meters). More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the nanotechnology

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engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots, with devices ranging in size from 0.1–10 micrometres and constructed of nanoscale or molecular components. The names nanobots, nanoids, nanites, nanomachines, or nanomites have also been used to describe these devices currently under research and development.

3. Another definition is a robot that 1) …. precision interactions with nanoscale objects, or can manipulate with nanoscale 2) …. . Such devices are more related to microscopy or scanning probe microscopy, 3) … the description of nanorobots as molecular machine. Following the microscopy definition even a large apparatus such as an atomic force microscope can be considered a nanorobotic 4) …. when configured to perform nanomanipulation. For this perspective, macroscale robots or microrobots

4.22. a)Speak about robotics, its history, its advances and its ethical side;

b)What interesting topical information have you learned in this module?

c)What other issues related to robotics would you like to touch upon

in Module 4?

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MODULE 3

FUNDAMENTALS OF ENGINEERING

UNIT 5. ENGINEERING

Warm-up

1.What is engineering?

2.When did it appear? What caused its appearance?

3.What areas of human activities is it applied in?

Practise the pronunciation of the following words.

evidence [ʹevıdəns], improve [ımʹpru:v], range [reındȝ], emphasis

Read and guess the meaning of the following international words.

social [ ʹsouʃəl], empirical [ ımʹpırıkl], component [kəmʹpəʊnənt], material [ məʹtıərıəl], encompass [ ınʹkʌmpəs], utilize [ʹju:tılaız], apparatus [æpəʹreıtəs], design [dıʹzaın], behavior [bıʹheıvjə], specific [spə ʹsıfık]

Words and word combinations to be memorized

empirical adj – основанный на опыте; in order to conj – чтобы;

to maintain v – поддерживать;

to encompass v – охватывать, содержать, заключать; a range of – диапазон;

emphasis on smth – акцент, упор (на ч-л); applied science – прикладная наука;

to contrive v – изобретать, придумывать; to devise v – придумывать, изобретать; council n – совет;

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predecessor n – предшественник; property n – собственность

Read Text 1 and translate it into Russian.

TEXT 1

Engineering

Engineering is the application of mathematics, empirical evidence and scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge in order to invent, innovate, design, build, maintain, research, and improve structures, machines, tools, systems, components, materials, processes and organizations.

The discipline of engineering is extremely broad, and encompasses a range of more specialized fields of engineering, each with a more specific emphasis on particular areas of applied science, technology and types of application.

The term Engineering is derived from the Latin ingenium, meaning "cleverness" and ingeniare, meaning "to contrive, devise".

The American Engineers' Council for Professional Development (ECPD, the predecessor of ABET) has defined "engineering" as:

The creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation or safety to life and property.

Exercises

5.1. Answer the questions to the text.

1.What does engineering mean in Latin?

2.What sciences does engineering include?

3.What are engineering goals?

4.Give the definition of applied sciences.

5.Compare the traditional definition of engineering and the one provided by the American Engineers' Council for Professional Development. Which definition do you consider the most appropriate one? Why?

6.Is there any Russian organization similar to the American Engineers' Council for Professional Development?

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

5.3. Complete the following sentences according to Text 1.

1.Engineering applies ……………………….…. .

2.The goal of engineering is to …………….. .

3.Engineering encompasses ……………….. .

4.The term engineering denotes …………. .

5.4 Сomplete the gaps with the words from the box.

Technology Engineering knowledge Science Innovation Applied Science Engineering Pure Science Engineering process

"……………….. is the body of, and quest for, fundamental knowledge and understanding of all things natural and man-made; their structure, properties, and how they behave."

"………………… is concerned with extending this knowledge for its own sake."

"………………… extends this knowledge for a specific purpose." "…………………… is an enabling package of knowledge, devices,

systems, processes, and other technologies, created for a specific purpose." The Report also adds "The word technology is used colloquially to

describe a complete a system, a capability, or a specific device." "……………………… is the knowledge required, and the process

applied to conceive, design, make, build, operate, sustain, recycle, or retire, something of significant technical content for a specific purpose; - a concept, a model, a product, a device, a process, a system, a technology."

"……………………… is the growing body of facts, experience and skills in science, engineering and technology disciplines; coupled to an understanding of the fields of application." "It is the know what "It is mainly experience-based knowledge, which is more difficult to describe and communicate than "codified knowledge" because it must first be put into the context of an application.

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"…………………………. is the creative process which applies knowledge and experience to seek one or more technical solutions to meet a requirement, solve a problem, then exercise informed judgement to implement the one that best meets constraints." "It is the know how" "It requires knowledge and understanding of the underlying science, engineering, and constraints, of the context in which it is being practised, and special skills, both taught and gained by experience, to make it happen. It requires the exercise of judgement."

"It is the bridge between science and technology"

"It is the bridge between technology and innovation." "………………. is the successful introduction of something new. In the

context of the economy, it relates to something of practical use that has significant technical content and achieves commercial success. In the context of society, it relates to improvements in the quality of life. Innovation may be wholly new, such as the first cellular telephone, or significantly better version of something that already exists.

5.5.a) Look at the title of Text 2 and list as many branches as you

can;

b) Which four of them do you consider main? What engineering branch do you major in?

5.6.Skim Text 2 and match the points a-d with 1-4.

a)Mechanical engineering

b)Civil engineering

c)Chemical engineering

d)Electrical engineering

TEXT 2

Main Branches of Engineering

Engineering is a broad discipline which is often broken down into several sub-disciplines. These disciplines concern themselves with differing areas of engineering work. Although initially an engineer will usually be trained in a specific discipline, throughout an engineer's career the engineer may become multi-disciplined, having worked in several of the outlined areas. Engineering is often characterized as having four main branches:

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