Metodichka_writing

7.The road was covered with ice. f) The accident occurred.

8.The treatment was delayed. g) This caused the strike.

h)He successfully passed the examination.

Ex. 2. Write a topic sentence for the following paragraphs about causes. Identify the causes.

1.________________________________________________________. One reason so many American children are overweight is that they eat too much junk food that is high in calories, sugar, and fat. Another reason is that many children do not get enough exercise. Because they spend so much time sitting in front of the television set or playing computer games, they do not move around very much. Genetics is another reason that children become obese. Children whose parents or brothers or sisters are overweight may be at an increased risk of becoming overweight themselves.

2.________________________________________________________. The first and immediate cause of poverty in Mexico is the individual condition. This cause refers to circumstances and characteristics of poor people. The lack of education is one of the most significant factors that contribute to poverty. The second cause of poverty has to do with geography. For example, statistics show that people who live in rural areas far away from cities are poorer. This is caused by the lack of communication and transportation in remote areas. The third and most important cause of poverty in Mexico is the political economy of the country. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank prescribed structural adjustment policies have been applied in Mexico because the government doesn’t carry out enough policies to encourage successful development.

71

Ex. 3. Study the following introductions and conclusions to causeeffect essays. Analyze their strengths and weaknesses.

The effects of entering a university

Entering a university is a very important and interesting experience in a person’s life, but at the same time it is an experience that will change your lifestyle and personality forever. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the three main effects of entering a university which are missing old friends, learning how to survive during university, and developing responsible behaviour which must accompany university studies.

Negative effects of noise pollution

Technological progress has brought humanity numerous benefits. All types of devices and gadgets allow people to save time, work more efficiently and stay in touch with the rest of the world. However, there is also a flip side. Industry growth, an increasing number of vehicles and constant information overload cause a significant and underestimated problem – noise pollution. The term noise pollution is used to define unwanted sounds that are released into the environment. Various research studies have proven that noise pollution imposes a number of negative impacts on mental and physical health. To understand the reasons behind their health conditions, people should consider the effects that are usually caused by noise pollution.

The effects of watching too much TV

Discoveries and invention of devices are always welcome till we, humans, find a way to abuse their benefits and be adversely affected by it. This was the case when Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-ray and within five years, the British Army was using a mobile x-ray unit to locate bullets and shrapnel in wounded soldiers in the Sudan. TV was also invented with positive thoughts in mind – there would be no national borders, education and communication would be worldwide, etc. However, we are now trying to overcome its physiological and psychological adverse effects on human beings.

Negative effects of noise pollution

Therefore, it can be observed that noise pollution is a serious, though underestimated problem for the human population. It causes a number of negative effects both on health and the effectiveness of performing actions. Among the most obvious and significant negative effects are hearing loss, increased irritability, speech and sleep disturbances and decreased work performance. Even if people become accustomed to

72

constant noise and think that it does not affect them, changes still occur. Every individual, as well as scientific and health care organizations, should seek ways to minimize the aforementioned impacts and reduce their exposure to noise pollution.

What makes employers reject a job candidate

Getting a new job is almost always stressful, and rejection of a job candidate is a rather common thing. It is strange, but many employers prefer to explain the reasons for their rejection in vague terms, so a person almost never knows where they have made a mistake and where the main flaw was. So each time one has to guess what to pay attention to, what part the potential employer thinks is crucial, and what to be prepared for.

The effects of global climate change

Scientists have discovered that the Earth warms much faster than it did before, and there is convincing evidence that it is humanity who is responsible for that. At this moment, research, the aim of which is to find solutions for this problem, is being conducted. Every country should take action to prevent causing more damage to our planet, because the consequences will be serious for everyone.

Ex. 4. Each of the following paragraphs contains one irrelevant sentence. Find these sentences and explain why they do not belong to their respective paragraphs.

1.There are several reasons why many women are waiting until they are thirty years old or older to have their first baby. Some women have good jobs and want to continue their careers. Many couples have two children. Other women don’t want to have the responsibility of having children until they are older. Still others are waiting until they are financially secure before they start a family. Increased personal and professional opportunities for women often result in delaying motherhood.

2.Listening to music can have many positive effects on children. For one thing, listening to music can increase verbal, emotional, and spatial intelligence. Some children prefer sports to music. It can also improve concentration and stimulate creative thinking. Finally, another positive effect of music is that it can relax children and make them feel more comfortable. Some scientists think music can even improve children’s memory. Overall, it seems music is beneficial to children’s learning and sense of well-being.

3.The introduction of affordable automobiles had several effects on society. First of all, automobiles created a more mobile society. Automobiles made it possible for people to move out of the cities and into the suburbs. Automobiles also affected the growth of new businesses. Gas

73

stations, auto repair shops, and roadside restaurants became necessary. Railroads had a great effect on society too. In addition, new roads were built as a result of the increase in the number of cars. All of these changes meant that the automobile was transforming the lifestyle of millions people.

Ex. 5. Read the article. It contains seven mistakes – capitalization (1), grammar (1), pronouns (4), and plurals (1). Find the mistakes and correct them.

Deadly surprise tornado

August 3. The tornado that hit kansas today surprised even the weather forecasters. The violent winds blowed over 200 miles per hour. Much crops were destroyed by the storm. Hundreds of people lost his homes or offices because of the high winds and heavy rains. The Red Cross estimates that the killer storm caused many injuries. Also, million of dollars worth of farm animals were killed due to the tornado. will take the people of Kansas many time to recover from the effects of this tornado.

Ex. 6. Read the following text carefully. Then fill in the table: copy down the causes and effects (examples) mentioned in the text and write the appropriate connectives.

Climate

For the last hundred years the climate has been growing less cold. This has had various effects. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, glaciers have been melting quite rapidly. For example, the Muir Glacier in Alaska has retreated two miles in ten years. Moreover, rising temperatures have been causing the snowline to retreat on mountains around the world. In Peru, for instance, it has risen as much as 2700 feet in 60 years.

As a consequence, vegetation has also been changing. In Canada, the agricultural crop line has shifted 50 to 100 miles northward. In the same way cool-climate trees like birches and spruce have run the risk of becoming extinct over large areas of Eastern Canada. In Sweden the wood line has moved up the mountains by as much as 65 feet since 1930.

The wildlife has also been affected, many European species have moved northwards into Scandinavia. Since 1918, 25 new species of birds have been observed in Greenland, and in the United States birds have started nesting in the north.

Finally, the sea has been rising at a rapidly increasing rate, mostly due to the melting of glaciers. In the last 18 years it has gone up by about six inches, which is about four times the average rate of rise over the last 9000 years.

74

Ex. 7. Read the essay and answer the questions below.

The percentage of overweight children in western society has increased by almost 20 % in the last ten years. Discuss the causes

and effects of this disturbing trend.

Over the last ten years, western societies have seen close to a 20 % rise in the number of children who are overweight. This essay will discuss some reasons why this has occurred and examine the consequences of this worrying trend.

The main cause of this problem is poor diet. Over the last decade there has been a prolific increase in the number of fast food restaurants. For example, on nearly every high street there is a McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut. The food in these places has been proven to be very unhealthy, and much of the advertising is targeted at children, thus ensuring that they constitute the bulk of the customers of these establishments. However, it is not only due to eating out, but also the type of diet many children have at home. A lot of food consumed is processed food, especially with regards to ready-made meals which are a quick and easy option for parents who are working hard.

The effects of this have been and will continue to be very serious. Firstly, there has been a large increase in health related diseases amongst children, especially diabetes. This debilitating illness means a child has to be injected with insulin for the rest of their life. Not only this, very overweight children often experience bullying from other children, which may affect their mental health. The negative stigma of being overweight may also affect self–esteem.

To sum up, it is evident that there are several causes of obesity amongst children, and a variety of negative effects. Society must ensure steps are taken to prevent this problem from deteriorating further.

Questions:

1.What is the essay topic?

2.What is the thesis statement? What key words present the writer’s thesis?

3.What is the topic sentence of the “causes” paragraph? What causes does the author give?

75

4.How are the causes organized?

5.What is the topic sentence of the “effects” paragraph? What effects does the author give?

6.What kind of order does the writer use to explain effects?

7.Is the conclusion strong?

Ex. 8. Choose one of the topics and write an essay.

1.The causes and effects of immigrating to a new country.

2.The causes and effects of a bad health habit (smoking, overeating).

3.The causes and effects of a recent economic or political situation in your country or in a country you know well.

Description: Process

The description of a process is defined as a general description of how a process happens/how something works or is made and it is usually done step by step. Examples of process descriptions are any kind of manual or leaflet describing how a type of machine works, how a human process works, or how a type of event works.

Writing steps

1.Introduction: a concise overview of the process stating the purpose of description. It should not refer to details, facts, or terms that aren’t explained.

2.Step-by-step description (body):

–define the step;

–state its purpose (or function within the process) providing the necessary context;

–include brief mechanism descriptions for any components that may be involved.

3. Conclusion: review the major steps in the process as one complete cycle, emphasizing how the completion of each stage contributes to the final overall effect.

(!) When we describe a process, we often use passive verb forms to give a general description and the sequence words first, second, then, after this, next, finally to organize the order of description.

76

Practice time

Ex. 1. Put the verbs in the correct passive form.

1. Sugar-cane (cut) by machine or by hand. 2. Most electrical goods (make) in Asia. 3. First, the drains have to (dig). 4. When the ground is flat, the foundations (lay). 5. Skyscrapers usually (build) in the centre of cities, where land is expensive. 6. Signals (send) by mobile phones to special aerials. 7. Photographs must (take) of the site of the new town. 8. Plans usually (draw) by architects, engineers and planners. 9. Some planets can (see) in the night sky without a telescope. 10. Natural rubber trees (find) in many parts of the world.

Ex. 2. Read the passage below about building roads, paying attention to the sequence words and passive verbs. Answer the questions using passive constructions.

The Irohazaka Driveway in Japan is famous for its wonderful views. The road, which was named after a poem by a 9th century Buddhist monk, takes visitors to the Kegon Waterfalls near Tokyo. It cuts through high mountains and has a total of 48 very sharp ‘hairpin’ bends. It is a marvelous engineering project. But how can such a road be built? Where do the road engineers begin?

First of all, a lot of planning is needed. Surveys and aerial photos are used in order to choose the best route. Then the route is marked out on the ground by the surveyors. Earth–moving machines are then used to make the route as flat as possible. Cuttings are made through hills and valleys are filled in with rock and earth. Bridges and tunnels may also be needed. When the route is ready, the foundations of the road can be laid using crushed rock. After that a layer of concrete is put on top of the foundations. A machine called a spreader then adds the top surface layer, which consists either of concrete or asphalt. The latter is a dark, sticky substance produced from petroleum. Lastly, road markings must be painted on the road surface and road signs added.

Questions:

1.What are surveys and aerial photos used for?

2.Who marks out the route?

3.When can the foundations of the road be laid?

4.What are added to the road at the end?

77

Ex. 3. Put the sentences into the correct order.

How does a camera work?

a)____ Press the button on the top of the camera.

b)____ The film winder and the flash are powered by the batteries.

c)____ If there is not enough light, the flash will operate automatically while taking the picture.

d)____ It consists of a lens, a button, a viewfinder, a flash and an automatic focus.

e)____ Inside the camera there is a roll of film and two batteries.

f)____ Make sure that the film is wound on.

g)____ In order to take a picture, look through the viewfinder.

How is glass made?

a)____ The molten glass is then rolled into thin sheets.

b)____ Objects are then either cast or blown to their desired shape and allowed to cool slowly.

c)____ These sheets are then cooled, trimmed to different sizes and packaged.

d)____ Glass materials, such as sand and lime are mixed together.

e)____ The furnace must be heated to about 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit to create molten glass.

f)____ Glass is formed by heating sand and other substances to its melting point.

How is paper made?

a)____ The trees are cut down, the branches and leaves are removed.

b)____ They are placed in the shredder and cut into small chips.

c)____ The trunks are transported to the sawmill where the bark is stripped.

d)____ The trunks are sawn into logs and conveyed to the paper mill.

e)____ Sheets of wet paper are produced.

f)____ Paper is made from wood.

g)____ The wood pulp is cleaned, bleached and passed through rollers.

h)____ The chips are mixed with water and acid. Then, they are heated and crushed to a heavy pulp.

i)____ They are pressed, dried and refined.

How is natural rubber produced?

a)____ The latex is poured into large tanks where it is solidified by adding acid.

b)____ They are packed and exported all over the world.

c)____ Thick strips are formed and flattened by passing through rollers and turned into thin sheets.

78

d)____ This liquid is collected by cutting a small piece of bark into a cup attached to the tree.

e)____ Natural rubber is made from a white liquid called latex.

f)____ When all the cups are emptied the latex is taken to the rubber factory.

Ex. 4. The sentences below describe how a portable CD player works. Put the words in the correct order, changing the verbs into the necessary passive form, and then fill in the table.

a)____ compartment/to insert/R6 batteries/into/two/the

b)____ to place/the/CD tray/a/on/CD

c)____ must/to close/lid/firmly/the

d)____ the front of/the CD player/headphones/to fit/the/into

e)____ over/the/to place/ears/the/headphones

f)____ button/to press/the/’play’

g)____ can/as/the/volume/required/to adjust

Ex. 5. Complete the passage below about a solar cooker. Use the words and phrases in the box.

A solar cooker ... cooking in dry, sunny countries. It is particularly useful in countries where fuel is expensive. It .... a curved mirror with a stand fixed to the middle of the mirror. The cooker is set up in an open space facing the sun. The

Ex. 6. Read the following essay about the aluminum mining process. Put the verbs in the brackets into the correct forms using either the Active or Passive Voice.

79

Aluminum (to derive) from the naturally occurring ore called Bauxite. Bauxite (refine) into alumina which (to reduce) electrochemically into aluminum in reduction cells or pots (Hall-Herault process). The molten aluminum then either (to cast) into ingots or bars, (to roll) into sheets, plates or foil, or (to draw) into rods. These intermediate shapes then (to ship) to processing plants which (to shape) the aluminum into consumer products.

Bauxite (to consist) of 45–60 % aluminum oxide, 12–30 % water, and various other impurities. Bauxite typically (to mine) in open-pits and either (to process) into alumina near the mining operation, or (to ship) to smelting markets around the world for processing.

Bauxite (to convert) to alumina using the Bayer process. Bauxite (to combine) with caustic soda, lime, and steam to produce a sodium aluminate liquor. Impurities (to filter) or (settle out) of the liquor and alumina hydrate (to precipitate) out of the mixture. The aluminum hydrate (to calcine) to remove moisture and drive off the bonded water. The resulting alumina is ready for smelting into aluminum. Calcining (to carry) out in large gas fired rotary kilns, representing a significant process gas load.

The molten aluminum (to siphon) from the smelting pot and either (to form) into ingots or (to transfer) to an on-site processing plant where rolling ingots, extrusion billets, sheets, or rods (to form). In some cases, the molten aluminum (to truck) to nearby foundries for casting.

Alumina (to reduce) electrolytically into molten aluminum. This reaction (to occur) in Hall-Heroult reduction cells (called cells or pots) where the bound oxygen in the alumina (to react) with carbon electrodes to form carbon dioxide gas and aluminum. Each ton of aluminum (to require) 0.4–0.5 tons of carbon anodes.

80