Fun Facts about Lasers

Read the text and fill in gaps (1‑10) with the correct variant (A, B, C or D).

What kids haven’t played with lasers? We have all loved the laser fights in movies like Star Wars. Who wouldn’t want wield a laser around while fighting an enemy. Did you know that the term laser came from an acronym meaning “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.”? It should actually be all capitalized but for _______ (1) it isn’t.

The first working laser was actually _______ (2) by Theodore Maiman at the Hughes Research Laboratories back in 1960.

The strength of early lasers was measured in Gillette’s. This was the number of blue razor blades a beam could puncture.

There are many types of lasers found in everything from electronics to medical items. In the 60’s they were only seen as a solution for a _______ (3)!

Some lasers are gas, chemical, solid state, dye and stimulated electron lasers.

Lasers we come across today _______ (4) at a low level of power. Lasers in CD-ROMs drives will be around 5mW, DVD players around 5‑10mW, recordable CD drives ‑ 100mW.

The most ________ (5) laser recorded was at 1.25 petawatts in a laboratory in California in 1996.

Lasers actually are grouped into classes for levels of _______ (6). Class 1‑5. If you reach 5 it can mean permanent blindness and burning skin!

You may have thought that lasers are _______ (7) but they aren’t. So for a thief to try to get around them would be impossible!

Lasers could not be seen in space either because they have no matter. The matter causes the scattering effect which would give the appearance of a light beam.

Scientists are working on a laser to draw lightning strikes away from airports and power plants.

Cold lasers are used for acupuncture instead of needles.

There is a new laser that can detect cancer and diabetes called the “breathalyzer.”

Lasers are used to destroy and kill tumours.

Lasers are used to remove _______ (8).

They are used in eye surgeries and _______ (9) removals.

There is a laser technology called Clear Scan that can rid you of spider veins, vascular lesions and skin discolorations.

The world’s most powerful laser can have the power of a hydrogen _______ (10)! That is amazing!

1.	a. hardness	b. simplicity	c. easy	d. fun
2.	a. demonstrated	b. fixed	c. demonstrating	d. seen
3.	a. issue	b. problem	c. question	d. task
4.	a. conduct	b. monitor	c. do	d. operate
5.	a. powerful	b. strong	c. heavy	d. easy
6.	a. danger	b. color	c. sound	d. difficulty
7.	a. watched	b. looked	c. visible	d. clear
8.	a. fingers	b. ears	c. hair	d. smell
9.	a. lipstick	b. mascara	c. nail polish	d. tattoo
10.	a. atom	b. bomb	c. isotope	d. atmosphere

Exercise 17. Discuss the following issues.

1. How many facts about lasers are mentioned in the text and how often do we use lasers in our everyday life?

2. Do you know some facts that are not included to the list?

3. Which branch of science got the most benefit of lasers?

4. Can you invent any other usage of laser?

UNIT 6

GRAMMAR: Gerund

TEXTS: “The World Is Made of Subatomic Particles”; “The Big Bang Theory”

GERUND

Forms of the Gerund

	Active	Passive
Non-Perfect	doing being studying	being done being studied
Perfect	having done having been having studied	having been done having been studied

Безособова форма дієслова, що має риси як іменника, так і дієслова. У порівнянні з іменником герундій характеризує:

1. відсутність артикля;

2. наявність присвійного займенника (their studying, her reading);

3. наявність вказівних займенників (this reading, this thinking);

4. наявність присвійного відмінка (my friend’s studying, the students’ writing);

5. відсутність множини;

6. можливість застосування із прийменниками (before reading, after finishing);

у порівнянні із дієсловом:

1. частково наявність видо-часових форм (для одномоментності дії – Non-Perfect, для дії, що була раніше – Perfect);

2. наявність активного і пасивного станів;

3. відсутність особових закінчень.

NB – заперечна частка NOT ставиться безпосередньо перед герундіальною конструкцією.

1. Підмет	Reading books is useful Being told lies is very offensive. Not having told them the news was our mistake. His having been elected the dean was a surprise for everybody.	Читати книжки корисно. Коли тобі говорять неправду, це дуже образливо. Те, що ми не розповіли їм новини, було нашою помилкою. Те, що його було обрано деканом, здивувало всіх.
2. Означення використовується у фразах типу: to have the opportunity (a chance) of…; to have an idea ( an experience) in …; the way of…	She has no chance of passing the exam. They don’t have any experience in carrying out such experiments. Let me do it. I know the way of doing it quickly. They have no idea of the documents having been stolen.	У неї немає шансів скласти цей іспит. У них немає досвіду, як проводити такі експерименти. Давай я все зроблю. Я знаю, як це зробити швидко. Вони не мають уявлення, що документи були викрадені.
3. Додаток * простий (1 особа і дві або більше дій) I like reading. складний (2 або більше особи і дві або більше дії) I like your reading.	Do you remember having been asked to translate that article? I am tired of doing the same job all the time. Would you mind my closing the window? I doubt their listening to the lecture.	Ви пам’ятаєте, що вас просили перекласти ту статтю? Я втомився виконувати одну й ту саму роботу весь час. Ви не будете заперечувати, якщо я зачиню вікно? Я маю сумніви, що вони слухають лекцію.
4. Обставина мети (for) часу (after, before, instead of, in spite of, on, besides)	He went to Kyiv for studying. For understanding this rule, you should listen to your teacher attentively. After teacher’s coming the lesson began. On his finishing the article he sent it to the journal. In spite of getting bad marks, he doesn’t want to learn anything.	Він поїхав до Києва навчатися. Щоб зрозуміти це правило, ви повинні уважно слухати викладача. Після того, як викладач прийшов, почалося заняття. Після того, як він закінчив статтю, він відіслав її до журналу. Незважаючи на те, що він отримує погані оцінки, він не хоче нічого вчити.

* у якості прийменникового (складного) додатка герудній вживається у таких конструкціях: to rely on, to insist on, to object to, to agree to, have / has heard of, have / has read of, have / has thought of, to be fond of, to be sure of, to be sorry about, to be happy about, to be (dis)pleased with / at, to be surprised at, to wonder at.

NB – герундій завжди вживається після таких дієслів: to enjoy, to avoid, to consider, to appreciate, to forgive, to postpone, to put off, to finish, to stop, to quit, to suggest, to admit, to deny, to go on, to keep on.

Note: Remember the words and word combinations after which the direct object can be expressed with the help of the Gerund.

begin – починати

continue – продовжувати

give up – кидати, відмовлятися від

excuse – вибачати

intend – збиратися, мати намір

like – любити, подобатися

prefer – віддавати перевагу

prevent – заважати; берегти від; перешкоджати

regret – шкодувати

resist – пручатися, устояти проти

start – починати

try – намагатися, робити спробу

withstand – протистояти

(I) cannot help – (я) не можу не

it is worth (while) – варто

it is no good не варто, даремно,

it is no use нема сенсу

Exercise 1. Translate the following sentences into Ukrainian.

1. His working at this problem was known to us. 2. Their having obtained new data was very important. 3. Our having been asked to make such an experiment surprised them. 4. I heard of his having carried out that research. 5. Einstein’s being awarded the Nobel Prize in physics soon became widely known. 6. In measuring the current they used this device. 7. They achieved good results by experimenting with temperature change. 8. They left the room without saying a single word. 9. The possibility of water being converted into ice is evident. 10. The teacher objected to our measuring this volume in advance. 11. The article is worth reading due to its importance for our research work. 12. Various methods of cooling transformers are used in practice. 13. There were other ways of applying high voltage. 14. The group couldn’t help asking the teacher to postpone the test. 15. Besides putting forward a new theory he succeeded in proving it experimentally.

Exercise 2. Open the brackets.

1. We insist on … (do) the work right now. 2. … (use) the same glass and paper again is called “recycling”. 3. It has been wonderful … (meet) this professor again. 4. Avoid … (ask) personal questions. It’s not polite. 5. After … (destroy) Pompeii has never been rebuilt. 6. … (enter) the Internet, you enter the world of information. 7. His … (arrest) was a surprise for his collaborators. 8. I am sure of their … (finished) the test work. 9. They don’t have any chance of their not … (see) by the police. 10. In spite of … (study) for the whole week he did not manage to pass the exam.

Exercise 3. Complete sentences with the verbs in the box putting them in the correct form.

apply ask be listen make make see try use wash work write

1. The professor tried to avoid … tricky questions.

2. Could you stop … so much noise. I’ve got a headache.

3. I enjoy … to his every lecture.

4. I considered … for this position, but I was unlucky.

5. Have you finished … the dishes? It’s time to go out.

6. If you don’t follow safety rules, you risk … injured.

7. The professor is an elderly man but he wants to keep on … .

8. I don’t mind you … the phone unless you phone abroad.

9. Hallo! I’m surprised at … you here. I thought you had left long ago.

10. I’ve put off … the article so many times. I really must do it this week.

11. What a nonsense! Can you imagine anybody … the same mistake all the time.

12. Mary gave up … to enter this university and decided to move to another city.

Exercise 4. Translate the following sentences into Ukrainian.

1. It is worth while discussing this phenomenon. 2. There is one more point worth mentioning. 3. It is no use searching for another approach. 4. It is no good arguing about this issue. 5. The motor went on running. 6. We cannot help acknowledging the importance of this statement. 7. Would you mind answering one more question? 8. In spite of his words I could not help feeling excited. 9. It seems to me the case is not worth mentioning. 10. Go on demonstrating your slides. 11. Avoid mixing these two substances. 12. This paper is worth reading. 13. I can’t help regretting it. 14. He had to give up experimenting. 15. The ammeter stopped working because the coil was short-circuited. 16. One cannot keep dividing matter without reaching the stage when further subdivision is impossible. 17. A phosphorescent material is able to continue glowing in the dark. 18. Hardness is the ability to withstand being dented or stretched. 19. The ability of a solid to resist being altered in shape is termed rigidity.

Exercise 5. Rephrase the situation using gerund after prepositions: by, without, since, before, after.

(1) Jane usually has a glass of hot milk before she goes to bed. –

Jane usually has a glass of hot milk before going to bed.

(2) When I left the house this morning I didn’t lock the door. –

I left the house this morning without locking the door.

1. Alex got a wonderful job. He was in the right place at the right time. 2. I always wash my hair after I train in the gym. 3. George stayed awake. He drank lots of coffee. 4. Since she passed her exam, Mary has seemed much happier. 5. Anne drank three glasses of water. She didn’t stop. 6. We always phone our friends before we visit them. 7. Jerry woke us up. He turned the TV on. 8. Mr. Johnson was never really well after he broke his leg. 9. You can find out the meaning of the word. Use a dictionary. 10. Before he crashed his car, he always drove too fast. 11. We paid for our new house. We didn’t borrow any money. 12. I have bought a lot of new clothes since I got back to work. 13. You can lose your driving licence. You drive too fast. 14. Tom did all his homework. He didn’t ask for any help. 15. Eric cooks all his food. He doesn’t use any salt.

Exercise 6. Translate the following sentences into English.

А: 1. Він уникає обговорення складних проблем. 2. Він не заперечує проти того, щоб ми прийшли до них у гості. 3. Він покинув заняття біологією. 4. Вони відкладають свою поїздку до Нью-Йорка. 5. Ми продовжуємо проводити експерименти. 6. Він кинув курити. 7. Вона заперечує, що писала вам. 8. Нам дуже подобається слухати його лекції. 9. Ви продовжуєте писати свою наукову роботу? 10. Ви маєте намір замінити матеріал катоду? 11. Він не може не розмовляти по телефону так довго. 12. Вони закінчили переміщувати пристрої. 13. Ми б дуже хотіли побачити цей проект. 14. Він ризикнув провести дослід у своїй лабораторії. 15. Вона дійсно уявляє, що довела цю теорему.

В: 1. Я проти того, щоб вона поверталася з відпустки раніше. 2. Він наполягав на тому, щоб ваш товариш брав участь у роботі. 3. Я думала про заняття разом із вами. 4. Нам дуже шкода, що ви їдете так швидко. 5. Ми чули, як ви обговорювали це питання. 6. Вони дуже раді, що Джон посів перше місце на змаганнях. 7. Він не задоволений тим, що вона залишила роботу недоконаною. 8. Ми дуже раді, що ви прийшли вчасно. 9. Він дуже здивувався, що ми не змогли знайти рішення цієї задачі. 10. Мені дуже подобається спостерігати, як ви акуратно працюєте. 11. Йому дуже шкода, що його товариш мало працює над поставленою задачею. 12. Я дуже здивована тим, що вони не змогли закінчити роботу вчасно.