Федеральное агентство по образованию

Архангельский государственный технический университет

Кафедра иностранных языков

Древесина,

ее свойства

и применение

Учебно-методическое пособие

и задания по английскому языку

Часть I

Архангельск

2009

Рассмотрено и рекомендовано к изданию методической комиссией

Факультета механической технологии древесины

Архангельского государственного

технического университета

Составители:

Т.Н.Истомина, ст. преподаватель;

И.В. Мананкова, ст. преподаватель

Рецензенты:

М.А. Калинина, зав. кафедрой иностранных языков АГТУ, канд. пед. наук, доцент

Е.В. Гурьева, ст. преп., зав. секцией англ.яз. кафедры иностранных языков АГТУ

Д.Ю. Коновалов, ст. преп. каф. безоп. технол. процессов и производств АГТУ, кандидат с.-х. наук

УДК: 811.111 (075)

+ 630 * 81 (075)

ББК 81.2 АНГЛ – 92

+ 37.11 я 75

Истомина Т.Н., Мананкова И.В. Древесина, ее свойства и применение: учебно-методическое пособие и задания по английскому языку. Часть I, 2-е изд., переработанное и дополненное – Архангельск:

АГТУ, 2009. – с.59

Учебно-методическое пособие разработано на кафедре иностранных языков АГТУ. Составлено в соответствии с программой курса «Английский язык для технических специальностей высших учебных заведений» по материалам из английских и американских монографий, журналов, газет, изданных в России и за рубежом.

Предназначено для аудиторной и самостоятельной работы студентов I курса факультета механической технологии древесины всех специальностей.

© Архангельский государственный

технический университет, 2009

© Т.Н. Истомина,

И.В. Мананкова

Unit 1

Word building. There + be.

Degrees of Comparison.

Functions of it, one, that.

Noun as an attribute.

Grammar:

The Material for the Future

Wood is an extremely valuable resource. This unique material plays an important role in the life of people. It is so important that life of mankind is hardly possible without it. People began to use it many, many years ago as fuel, shelter, weapons for protection from wild animals and to get food.

Wood is widely available and is relatively easy to handle and convert into products. Wood provides us with a large variety of products and demand for wood continues to increase.

Timber is a more "environmentally friendly" building material than all the other materials presently available. There are a number of reasons for this:

• It is a natural building material which our forests give to us. Trees absorb solar energy from the sun and with the use of water, carbon dioxide and chlorophyll as a catalyst, convert it to cellulose (wood). This conversion process results in the release of oxygen and purification of the atmosphere.

• Timber is a renewable resource. It exists in nature in unlimited quantities. It is capable to meet our needs now and in the future.

• Timber is reusable. It is easy to work with and does not involve the use of a lot of energy in comparison to other materials. This means that over its "lifetime" a piece of timber can have many uses.

• Timber is biodegradable. It does not damage the environment. When it returns to the environment it enriches it with nutrients.

• It is energy-efficient. When we convert wood from raw material to a usable product we see that timber is very energy-efficient. It is the most efficient in its conversion process among any other comparable building material. One study revealed that the production of a ton of timber requires only 435 KW hours of electrical energy whereas that of steel needs 3780 KW hours and that of aluminum requires 20,169 KW hours.

• Timber is the best natural insulator for our buildings. It helps to keep them warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Its superb insulating properties mean that less non – renewable fuel is needed for heating and cooling.

3

• Timber reduces the Greenhouse effect. Forests help to reduce the level of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere because they use and store carbon to make woody tissue and leaves. This helps to purify our air.

The community in general is conscious of our natural environment and the need to use it wisely for the benefit of all. Timber provides society with a variety of uses and environmental advantages. It is indeed the material for the future.

General understanding

Read the text attentively and answer the following questions:

1. How did people use wood in prehistoric times?

2. Why does the demand for wood continue to increase?

3. Is timber a more environmentally friendly material than all the other materials available?

4. Why?

5. Can timber meet our needs now and in future?

6. Does timber damage the environment?

7. How much energy does the production of a ton of timber require? Is it more or less than the production of steel and aluminum?

8. What do the superb insulating properties of wood mean?

9. How does timber influence the greenhouse effect? Does it reduce or increase it?

10. Do forests reduce the level of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere?

11. What is the community conscious of?