Методические указания по развитию навыков чтения, говорения и письменной речи на основе профессионально-ориентированных текстов на английском языке для студентов 4-х курсов естественных факультетов (элективный курс изучения английского языка)

ФЕДЕРАЛЬНОЕ АГЕНТСТВО ПО ОБРАЗОВАНИЮ Федеральное государственное образовательное учреждение высшего профессионального образования «ЮЖНЫЙ ФЕДЕРАЛЬНЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ»

М.Ю. Скребова МЕТОДИЧЕСКИЕ УКАЗАНИЯ по развитию навыков чтения, говорения и письменной речи на основе профессионально-ориентированных текстов на английском языке для студентов 4-х курсов естественных факультетов (элективный курс изучения английского языка)

Ростов-на-Дону 2008

Методические указания разработаны преподавателем кафедры английского языка естественных факультетов Скребовой М.Ю. Рецензент – преп. Деревянкина Н. П. Печатается в соответствии с решением кафедры английского языка естественных факультетов, протокол № 2 от 5 сентября 2008г.

2

Методическая записка Настоящие методические указания предназначаются для студентов 3 курса физического факультета, изучающих английский язык в рамках элективного курса. Их целью является развитие навыков различных видов чтения, извлечения информации из текста общенаучной направленности, выполнения смысловой компрессии текста с дальнейшим представлением его содержания в реферативной форме, а также развитие интегрированных речевых навыков студентов, умения высказывать и аргументировать свое мнение, принимать участие в дискуссии, проводить небольшие презентации по пройденной теме. Данные методические указания характеризуются широким

спектром

рассматриваемых проблем – «Наука в современном мире», «Наука и общество», «Наука и технический прогресс», «Экология и роль науки в решении проблем защиты окружающей среды», «Современные коммуникации» и пр. Методические указания состоят из 5 модулей. Каждый модуль включает в себя

текст

на

английском

языке

общенаучной

и

профессионально-

ориентированной тематики, а также систему заданий, направленных на развитие навыков анатирования и реферирования, выстроенных в порядке возрастания трудностей. Тексты носят аутентичный характер и были разработаны на основе материалов современных научно-популярных журналов и ресурсов Интернета. Каждый модуль включает задания под следующими рубриками: 1 Before you read – комплекс упражнений способствует снятию лексических трудностей, развитию ассоциативных связей между словами, логическому анализу, а также повышению интереса студентов к изучаемому материалу; 2 Reading – включает задания на извлечение основной информации, понимание структуры и организации содержания текста; 3 Comprehension check – включает задания на проверку уровня понимания текста; 3

4 Focus on Vocabulary – акцентирует внимание студентов на ключевых словах и словосочетаниях для последующего их использования при написании Summary; 5 Summary –задания данного раздела способствуют развитию навыков осуществления смысловой компрессии текста и передачи его краткого содержания с опорой на план, ключевые слова и речевые модели; 6 Discussion

–

предлагает

студентам

задания,

позволяющие

научиться

использовать текст в качестве языковой содержательной опоры для развития навыков устной речи, а также выявить отношение студентов к прочитанному материалу, соотнести его содержание с собственными знаниями, интересами и имеющимся опытом. 7 Project – подразумевает самостоятельную работу студентов по поиску, осмыслению и оформлению дополнительной информации по тематике прочитанного текста. Данные методические указания могут быть рекомендованы как для аудиторной, так и для самостоятельной работы студентов, исходя из целей и задач, как учебной группы, так и отдельного студента. Преподаватели и студенты могут соблюдать последовательность, в которой представлены тематические разделы пособия или выбирать для изучения те из них, которые представляют наибольший интерес.

4

Context UNIT 6 What can computers do?

6

UNIT 7 Protection of the environment

10

UNIT 8 Famous scientists

17

UNIT 9 Debunking of animal rights myths

22

UNIT 10 New Inventions and technologies

28

5

UNIT 6 What Can Computers Do? Before you read 1 Work in pairs. The title of the text you are going to read is “What can computers do?” How would you answer this question? Share your ideas with the rest of the class. 2 You are going to read the text about attitudes to computer in which a scapegoat is mentioned. Who or what do you think it might be?

Reading 1 Read the text and add more ideas on your list on what computers can do. What Can Computers Do? Marty Leisner answers his own question “Do Computers Make Us Fools”? (Mar. 1997, p.8), with the statement: “It seems that computers make people incapable of independent thought”. On the other hand, he concludes that “reliance on them … might make us fools”, and this, together with many of his other comments, answers quite a different question and answers it well. But it seems to me that neither question is the real question – the basic question. So what is the real question? What is the basic problem? The context is that computers are seen as underpinning social change. Let me illustrate one relevant social change. Computer as Scapegoat In 1970 I returned to Australia after living for a while in the Hudson River Valley, where there was fairly wide-spread use of computers and punched cards. The 6

state of New York had a very simple and effective drivers license system based on stub cards, which required only that you send back the stub with your payment each year; the remainder of the card was your license. When I went to get a license in Canberra, I was given a three-part form. The form not only asked for many more personal details than New York ever required, it required them to be written three times. When I mildly criticized the form design at the country, I was solemnly informed that the design was as it was because of the computer. I left it at that, but my later inquiries revealed that the department had neither a computer nor any plans to get one. This incident alerted me to the most important social role of the computer, then as now: universal scapegoat. I have seen nothing since to change my mind on this, and indeed I have seen much to confirm it. The social change here is that people seem to be eager to use computers to avoid personal responsibility. Computers are being used to replace personal values with impersonal ones, like the ultimate abstraction – money. Computer as Tool Computers are merely tools. They are not members of society; they are not even pseudomembers, like corporations and governments. They are not independent agents. Like cars and telephones, they only do things if and when someone uses them. They can neither be blamed for what they do (are used for), nor given credit for what they do (are used for). If there is blame or credit then it belongs to the users, or to the owners, or to the designers, or to the manufacturers, or to the researchers, or to the financiers, never to the computer itself. Computers cannot make us fools – they can only allow us to be foolish faster. And they can be used by others to make fools of us, for profit or power. This is not understood by everyone because the computer industry and the computing profession seem to be saying otherwise. We seem to be saying that computers are like people; that they have memory, intelligence, understanding, and 7

knowledge; that they are even friendly. How foolish! How ignorant! How impressive! How profitable! Attitudes to Computers Those in the industry who warned against anthropomorphic language have been ignored. The people who put together the first standard vocabularies for the industry urged people to call the devices where data are put “stores’ or “storage”, not “memories”. To suggest there is any likeness between the computer storage and the memories a human might reconstruct is farcical, if not insulting. Those in the industry who urged that people be distinguished from machines have been ignored. The people who put together the first standard vocabulary for the industry installed such a distinction in its very first two definitions. In brief, they defined “data” as representations of facts or ideas, and they defined “information” as the meaning that people give to data. Only people can process only data. Embodying this fundamental distinction in the definition of the two most basic computing terms was a complete waste of ink.

Comprehension check 1 Answer the following questions: 1) What is the main idea of the text? 2) What is the meaning of “scapegoat” in this context? 3) What real – life example does the author give to illustrate that people use computers to ‘avoid personal responsibility’? 4) What does the author mean under the following: “computers are merely tools”? 5) Does the author present optimistic or pessimistic view on the problem of ‘anthropomorphic language’ in industry? 6) What is the author’s attitude to computers?

8

2 Write out the key words and phrases you may find helpful to make an outline of the article.

Focus on vocabulary 1 Give Russian equivalents to the following words and phrases: - punched cards - stub cards - to inform solemnly - to alert - a scapegoat - a pseudomember - to urge - farcical - insulting - to install a distinction - waste of ink

Summary 1 In a paragraph of 70 – 90 words summarize the text you’ve read. Make use of the outline, key vocabulary and linking phrases.

Discussion 1 In the light of what you have read and talked about in the text so far, discuss the two statements below and decide which you agree with: “Computers make people incapable of independent thought”? “Only people can process information; machines can process only data”? 9

Writing 1 Comment on the quotation below: “Computers cannot make us fools – they can only allow us to be foolish faster. And they can be used by others to make fools of us, for profit or power”. 2 Discuss the problem in a group.

UNIT 7 Protection of the environment Before you read 1 A friend of yours is going to do report on the environmental problems the world faces today in class. Help your friend to make a list of as many environmental problems as you can think of. Why each of them is so important? 2 In some countries there is a political party called “The Greens” or the “Green party”. What is its purpose? Share your ideas with your friend. 3 Work in pairs to see how “green” you are. Answer the following questions and score 1 point for every “yes’. If you have more than 10 points, you obviously care about the environment. 1) Do you keep paper or aluminum cans for recycling? 2) Do you buy rechargeable batteries? 3) Do you try to avoid using chemicals to kill garden pests? 4) Do you buy soap and cosmetics not tested on animals? 5) Do you try to use the public transport or ride a bicycle as much as possible? 10

6) Do you try to save energy in the home? 7) If you have a car, do you use unleaded petrol? 8) Do you buy free – range eggs? 9) Do you buy white tissues rather than colored ones? 10) Do you buy vegetables and fruit loose rather than in plastic packets? 11) Do you buy CFC – free sprays? 12) Do you take empty bottles to a “bottle bank”? 13) Do you buy glass (not plastic) bottles? 14) Do you buy organically – grown vegetables? 15) Do you - use plastic carrier bags?

Reading 1 Read the text to find out more information on environmental problems. Protection of the environment Planet Earth is 4600 million years old. It is difficult for us to think about such an enormous length of time, but if we simplify it into an understandable idea, we can compare the planet Earth to a person of forty-six years of age. Nothing is known about the first seven years of this person’s life; and very little information exists about the middle period; we know that it was only at the age of forty-two that Earth began to flower. Dinosaurs and great reptiles did not appear until one year ago, when the planet was forty five. In the middle of last week men-like apes became ape-like men. Modern Man has been around for four hours. The Industrial revolution began just a minute ago. During those sixty seconds of biological time, Modern Man has made a rubbish tip of Earth. He has increased his numbers to terrible proportions, has caused the death of hundreds of species of animals, has robbed and destroyed the planet in his search for fuels; now he stands, like a violent, spoilt child, delighted at the speed of his rise to

11

power, on the edge of the final mass destruction and of killing all the life which exists in the solar system. The Earth is our home but much of it is dirty and dying. Rapid industrial development caused a lot of ecological problems. They are: air pollution, water pollution, growth of population and shortage of mineral resources. Air becomes polluted in many ways. Cars, trucks, buses, airplanes, factories and plants send burnt gases into the air. The production of electricity causes not only air pollution but acid rains and global warming. Because of acid rains the Earth looses twenty million acres of tropical rainforests every year. This means the extinction of thousands of species that live there, for example tigers. Only 67 thousand tigers remain. Tigers are hunted and killed for their body parts, which are used in oriental medicines. The ozone layer is destroyed too and dangerous rays get through the atmosphere causing skin cancer and other diseases. Seventy percent of the Earth is covered by oceans. Oceans are vital for the life on Earth. They provide homes for millions of plants and animals provide people with food and help regulate the climate. But now they are a big dumping ground for tons of toxic waste. Most big cities pour their waste into seas and rivers. For a long time people did not realize the danger. The first alarm came from Japan: sixty people died because they have eaten polluted fish. The Baltic sea is a special case. Because it is such a small sea, it becomes dirty very easily. 250 rivers run into the Baltic. There are hundreds of factories on these rivers and millions of people live along them. Seven industrial countries surround the Baltic. Once we have polluted the sea, it is very difficult to clean it. Fortunately all the countries realized the problems and co-operated to solve ecological problems. I would like to dwell on practical measures which must be taken in order to improve the ecological situation: the factories and plants must be removed from cities; green zones must be created; pollution control systems must be introduced; purifying systems for cleaning and trapping harmful substances must be widely used; almost everything is recyclable today – recycling is a great way to reduce waste. 12

We need clean air to breathe and pure water to drink. We need also food that is safe to eat and housing to shelter us. We can’t get all these things by ourselves. We live in community so we can solve our problems only working together. Russia is cooperating in the field of environmental protection with the USA, Canada, Norway, Finland and other countries. A lot of public organizations have been established. One of them is Green Peace which was formed in 1971 with its Head-quarters in Amsterdam. The area of operation is 25 countries world-wide. Its objectives are to protect wild life and atmosphere, to prevent disposal of toxic waste and nuclear tests.

Comprehension check 1 List the things which, according to the text, are bad for the environment. 2 Present the text “Protection of the environment” as a diagrammatic display:

3 Comment on the diagram you have made and speak on the problems of environment today. 4 Comment on the statement: “We can compare the planet Earth to a person of forty – six years of age”. 13

Focus vocabulary 1 Look back at the text and find these words and phrases which are often associated with the environment. Try to work out their meanings from the context. If necessary, check your answers with a dictionary: - rubbish tip (paragraph 1) - death of species (paragraph 1) - search for fuels (paragraph 1) - mass destruction (paragraph 1) - air pollution (paragraph 2) - water pollution (paragraph 2) - shortage of mineral resources (paragraph 2) - burnt gases (paragraph 3) - acid rains (paragraph 3) - global warming (paragraph 3) - extinction of species (paragraph 3) - ozone layer (paragraph 3) - dumping ground (paragraph 4) - toxic waste (paragraph 4) - (v) pour waste (paragraph 4) - green zones (paragraph 4) - pollution control system (paragraph 4) - purifying systems (paragraph 4) - recycling (paragraph 4) - (v) reduce waste (paragraph 4) - disposal of toxic waste (paragraph 5) - nuclear test (paragraph 5)

14

2 Write out the key words and phrases you may find helpful to make an outline of the article.

Summary 1 Write down the summary of the article. Make use of the diagram, the key words, the outline and the linking phrases.

Project work 1 Imagine that you can use media to get your message about the environment to people. Create your own magazine feature about the environment. 1) Do research – get statistics and write a report on the pollution problems of the place where you are staying. - pollution - waste disposal - exhausted fumes - rubbish tips - waste products - fossil fuel - pesticides 2) Write a questionnaire – find out what everyone thinks of these problems. What measures do they think should be done? What do they do? Write up the results in your magazine. - leave cars behind - pesticide – free zones - environment – friendly phosphate – free washing powder - rechargeable batteries 15

- unleaded petrol - CFC – free sprays 3) Dwell on practical measures which must be taken in order to improve the ecological situation. - recycle - re-use - renewable energy sources - wind energy - solar energy 4) Find a photograph or do an illustration to accompany the articles you write. 5) Read an article in a magazine / newspaper in English, or in your first language (for example about “alternative energy” or the problems of “rain forests”, “the greenhouse effect”, “the ozone layer”) and write a new short article based on the same information, but in your own words.

UNIT 8 Famous Scientists Before you read 1 You are going to read the biographical information about Jaures Alferov. What do you know about him? What is he famous for? 2 You are a journalist! You want to write a short article about Jaures Alferov. The information in your notebook about this foremost scientist is still missing. Write down the questions to ask in class to fill in the infomation you need. 16

Example: When did Jaures Alferov win the Nobel Prize in Physics?

Reading 1 Read the article. Get the information you need. Jaures Alferov Jaures Alferov, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000, is one of today’s foremost scientists in the area of semiconductor engineering. His work is recognized all over the world and is presented in various textbooks and monographs. Almost every person profits from his scientific achievements every day. All mobile phones are equipped with semiconductors of heterogeneous structure launched by Alferov. Without the Alferov laser we could not have CD players and CD-ROMs. As well as lights in cars, traffic lights and anti-theft equipment in department stores. Although he is known to the world as a Russian scientist, Alferov is actually Belarusian by birth. The Nobel Prize winner was born on March 15, 1930, in a Belarusian town of Vitebsk. His politically minded parents named him “Jaures” - an unusual name among locals - to honor the founder of the French Socialist Party, Jean Jaures. This decision was actually no surprise, since Jaures’s father, Bolshevik party member Ivan Alferov, had named his elder son “Marx”. His mother, however, disapproved of the French name and nicknamed her son “Jorenka”. Once there happened an amazing thing at a scientific conference in France; the organizers thought that Alferov was a Slavic name, and thus registered the scholar as Jaures, believing that this was his last name. Alferov’s parents were born and brought up in Belarus. Just before WWI, his father went to find a job in St. Petersburg, where he was hired as a dockworker. He later joined the army, and then left it as a non-commissioned officer of lifeguards. For his courage, Ivan Alferov, received the highest military award in the Russian Empire, the St. George Cross. In 1917, Ivan became a member of the Bolshevik Party, heading a cavalry regiment during the Civil War. Later, he was appointed director of a number of 17

factories. Jaures's mother was a librarian. As Jaures Alferov says, his was “a typical Soviet family”, in which social interests were always more important than personal ones. Alferov’s fellow students say that the only thing he was interested in at the institute was science. The students of physics were fully absorbed by vacuum devices and semi-conductor materials. Alferov was one of them. After one of his speeches at a scientific conference in his institute, he received his first award - a trip to the construction site of a new hydroelectric power plant. After the graduation, Alferov entered the Physico-Technical Institute, headed at that time by the famous academician, Abraham Ioffe, a friend of Albert Einstein. Among the graduates of this institute were such prominent scholars as Kurchatov, and Nobel laureates Nikolai Semenov, Lev Landau, and Pyotr Kapitsa. Thirty-five years later, Alferov himself would preside over the Institute, but before this became reality, he had to work day and night in the laboratory, where he also lived, sleeping on a folding bed. Alferov often tells the story of how he and his colleagues at the laboratory won a competition in discipline. There was a certain rule in the institute: when coming to work, the research workers were to hang their nametags up on a special board. One day Alferov forgot to follow the procedure, and the whole laboratory was held accountable. To remedy the situation, it was decided that Alferov, who slept at the institute, was to hang the tags of all of his colleagues either late at night or early in the morning. Eventually, their laboratory became known as the most disciplined in the institute. Alferov explains that he moved into the institute in order to waste no time getting to work. (It took him two hours to commute) However, there is another explanation, which people in his circle avoid talking about. Alferov married when he was quite young, but the marriage failed. By that time he already had a daughter, and he decided to leave the apartment to his wife, while the laboratory became his makeshift home. When he was 37, he remarried. His second wife already had a daughter, who now lives in the USA, and the couple had a son, Ivan. At first, Alferov was interested in 18

applied astronomy, but he then started a business of his own, trading machines for the timber industry. The first Soviet transistors and Germanium power sets were created with Alferov’s assistance. In 1959, he received his first state award and his first Ph.D. The experience that he had gained led him to his own research, on the so-called semi-conductor heterostructures, though it had been stressed at many conferences that no success could be achieved in this area. In March 1963, Alferov received his first patent for heterotransfers, for which he would later receive the Nobel Prize. Together with research partner Rudolf Kazarinov, Alferov worked on a semi-conductor laser, which is now used in fiber optics and CDplayers. At that time, the importance of this invention could hardly be recognized. It is said that in order to demonstrate the working principle of the laser to the USSR Patent Commission, the scientists had to "paint" the laser red. After this, the “proletarian” laser was approved. Alferov’s 1979 doctoral dissertation outlined new developments in his research on heterotransfers in semi-conductors. In 1981, the Franklin Institute in the United States awarded him the highly prestigious Ballantein medal, often called “the minor Nobel Prize” for physics. Later on, he received the highest award in the Soviet Union the Lenin Prize. The technology developed by Alferov was also used for starting a large-scale production of solar elements for long-duration space batteries. At the same time, Alferov is known for his eventful life. His colleagues recall the grand ceremony that accompanied his admittance to the Academy of Sciences. The day of the Academy's governing body session coincided with Alferov’s 49th birthday, and a huge banquet was held in his honor at a hotel. When he turned 60, an actual parade was organized at the institute: all of the research workers lined up in the courtyard as Alferov rode in astride a white stallion. He prefers cars, however. His first prize money was spent on a Moskvitch. He later bought a Volga, and now owns a Volvo, which, as he admits, he enjoys driving.

19

Comprehension check 1 Work in pairs. Compare your questions with the questions your partner has made. 2 Ask questions about a famous scientist to a partner. 3 Work in small groups and discuss the answers. 4 Now answer the questions of your teacher: What significance do the following names have in relation to Jaures Alferov? - Vitebsk - the St. George Cross - the Physico – Technical Institute - the USA - the Nobel Prize - Rudolf Kazarinov - the USSR Patent Commission - Ballantein medal - the Lenin Prize - the Academy of Sciences - a Volvo What do these numbers in the text refer to? - 2000 - March 15, 1930 - 1917 - 37 - 1959 20

- 1963 - 1979 - 1981 - 49th - 60 5 Look through the article again, look for the most important events, note down them briefly, use your notes and write a press release about Jaures Alferov to be given to the newspaper. Include: - Childhood / parents - Education - Scientific achievements - Awards - Eventful life

UNIT 9 Debunking of animal rights myths Before you read 1 Read the introduction of the text and try to guess what sort of animal rights myths could be debunked by the expert. Make a list of at least three in your notebook.

Reading 2 Work in group of four. Choose one of the extracts to read. information back to a group. Have a discussion on its main ideas.

21

Report the

Introduction This FAQ has been compiled to help aid informed debate on the use of animals in biomedical research. Debate on the subject on newsgroups like talk. politics. animals (t.p.a.) and uk. politics. animals (uk.p.a.) is hampered by the fact that the same familiar myths about the use of animals in research continually resurface. Many of these have an urban myth – like quality and/or are lifted straight from the publications of animal rights (AR) organizations by newcomers unaware of the real facts. This FAQ gives the true stories behind a series of AR myths, where appropriate citing references to primary sources which allow readers to check the facts for themselves. The information collected here shows that AR myths have no more basis in fact than other urban legends like the ‘vanishing hitchhiker’ and ‘dead grandmother on the roof – rack’ stories. My hope is that the debunking of these myths will encourage a higher standard of debate on the newsgroups concerned. MYTH 1 “Animals are so different from people that research using animals is not worthwhile”. In fact, all mammals have the same basic organs – heart, lungs, kidney, liver etc., performing the same functions and coordinated in the same way. These major similarities outweigh minor differences, although these minor differences can themselves provide useful information. For example, if we knew why muscular dystrophy in mice caused less muscle wasting than in humans, this might lead to a treatment for the disease. A gauge of the biological similarity between animals and humans is the fact that insulin from pigs was used successfully to treat human diabetics for several decades. Around a third of medicines used by vets are also used in the treatment of humans. A list of 350 animal diseases with a human counterpart has been compiled (1) by the veterinarian Charles Cornelius, who states that the study of animal diseases with a view to providing treatment for the human counterpart is a “neglected resource”. 22

Another reference is the Encyclopedia Britannica which in the section on “Animal Disease” lists diseases common to animals and humans and states that “it is likely that for every known human disease, an identical or similar human disease exists in at least one other species”. MYTH 2 “Animals testing is unreliable, because side – effects are not detected in animals”. AR propaganda often gives the impression that many medicines have been withdrawn because side effects occur in humans but not in animals. In fact, the final stage of any clinical trial is a test involving human 3-5,000 human volunteers. If a sideeffect is so rare that it occurs in, say, only 1 in 10, 000 people then this stage of the clinical trial will miss it – but that can hardly be blamed on animal testing. The true scale of the problem can be judged from the fact that of the 2,000 drugs on the market since 1961, less than 40 have been withdrawn in the UK, US, France or Germany due to serious side – effects. This indicates a success rate of 98 percent for drug testing procedures. Only 10 drugs have been withdrawn from all 4 countries (2). As so few drugs have actually been withdrawn, AR propaganda sometimes tries to give the impression that a great many medicines which have not been withdrawn from sale also cause harmful side – effects and quote figures for the number of people affected. In fact, on examination, these figures are found to consist largely or accidental and deliberate overdoses (1). MYTH 3 “Penicillin is toxic to guinea pigs but not humans”. One of my favourite AR myths this one, because it is a good illustration of a favourite AR tactic, the half truth. The reaction of the guinea – pig to penicillin was first described in a scientific paper in 1943 (1). High daily doses of very impure penicillin killed 95 percent of guinea – pigs within 3-4 days. So far, so true. However, when the purity was increased tenfold, 23

60 percent died. We now know that even these preparations were only 60 percent pure. It is quite likely, and is actually suggested in the 1943 paper, that the impurities in the early samples of penicillin were responsible for some of the toxicity. The paper also went to great pains to emphasizes that when given the same dose of penicillin as used in humans, no toxic effects were observed. What is really interesting is why high doses of penicillin kills guinea pigs – it is nothing to do with the toxicity of penicillin itself. The high doses kill the natural bacterial fauna of the guinea pig intestine, leading to colonization by other types of bacteria and subsequent blood poisoning (2). The same phenomenon is observed in humans who take large doses of antibiotic over a long period. Thus it appears that the guinea pig, far from being strikingly different from humans, is in fact similar to the many patients who develop inflammation of the colon (colitis) when they take penicillin. “Morphine sedates humans but excites cats” In fact, morphine has the same effect on cats as on humans! This seems to stem from a paper reporting the effect of morphine on cats. 3 mg/kg caused no excitement, whereas 20 mg/kg produced marked excitement (1). This dose is 50-200 times that administered to humans for pain – killing purposes (0.1 – 0.2 mg/kg). A similar dose in cats produces the same effects as in humans (2). Dosage levels that produce excitation in cats also produce excitation in humans (3). MYTH 4 “Many pointless, unnecessary experiments are carried out using animals”. This assertion defies logic. Why on earth would companies, charities and funding – cut stricken public sector scientists want to waste money in this way? Animal experiments are much more expensive than non – animal ones – that’s one reason why animal are only used when no other method would do.

24

However, we need not rely only on common – sense to tell us that this myth is wrong: Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, 1986, project licensees are only granted if the potential results are important enough to justify the use of animals and if non – animal methods cannot be used (1).

Comprehension check 1 Use the text and complete the sentences below. 1) All mammals have the same …………………., performing the same …………….. . a gauge of the biological similarity between animals and humans is the fact that …………………… . it is likely that for every known human disease ………………………. . 2) Many medicines have been withdrawn because ……………………… . if a side – effect is so rare that ……………………. then ………………………. . The true scale of the problem can be judged from the fact that ……………………… . 3) High daily doses of very pure penicillin killed ……………………… , however ………………………. . the high doses kill the natural …………………., leading to …………………. , the same phenomenon is observed in …………............. . dosage levels that produce excitation in cats ………………………… . 4) Animal experiments are much more ………………………. – that’s one reason why ………………………….. .

Focus vocabulary 1 Give Russian equivalents to the following words and phrases: - FAQ - a gauge 25

- insulin - a diabetic - a human counterpart - side – effects - human volunteers - to withdraw from sale - accidental and deliberate overdoses - a guinea – pig - the impurities in samples of penicillin - intestine - to sedate - dosage - assertion defies logic

Summary 1 Write down the summary of the text. Make use of the outline and key words.

Discussion 1 In the light of what you have read in the text so far, discuss the two statements below and decide which you agree with: - “Without animal experiments much medical and biological research would grind to a halt. So they can not be forbidden” - “Animal experiments cause suffering. So they should be banned” 2 In groups of four, list and discuss the ways man uses animals, such as: 1) for national industry: whaling - industry, deer – breeding, … 2) for sport: dog – racing, … 3) for food: poultry, … 26

4) for medical research: organ transplantation, new drugs, … 5) for experiments: cosmetics, … 6) as pets: cats, … 7) for clothes: leather, wool, … 8) for assorted products: ivory, … 9) for work: bullocks, … 3 Think of the consequences of being forbidden to use animals. Is it possible for mankind to do without it? Give reasons.

Writing 1 Make comments on the following quotations. Write down some of your ideas. 1) “Huge areas of medical research would be impossible if all animal experiments were banned. Work or organ transplantation would cease. There would be no new drugs, such as drugs for high blood pressure, anti-depressants, and so on”; 2) “We would not experiment on 10 children to find a cure for a disease that would save the lives of a thousand. If we abandoned experiments on other animals we might have to bear more losses of that kind”; 3) “People will always defend animal experimentation on the grounds that animals are not rational, thinking creatures. Neither is a severely retorted person. So why shouldn’t we use, for instance, a severely retorted child who is also an orphan? If you don’t accept this, then logically you should not accept experiments on non – human animals”. 2 Think on the question: “Could you become a campaigner for total abolition of animal experiments?” Write a paragraph of 200-250 words.

27

UNIT 10 New Inventions and Technologies Before you read 1 Make a list of the most important devices or gadgets that were invented last century. 2 Choose one to speak about. Explain how it works. Does it make our life more comfortable? 3 Think of some reasons and social problems that make researchers develop new technologies. Make a list of at least three in your notebook. Comment on them.

Reading 1 Work with your partner. Choose to read one of the two passages below. Report the information back to your partner. Discuss the main ideas.

Student A The clock that wakes you when you are ready 14 April 2005 Exclusive from New Scientist Print Edition Emily Singer Are you a real grump in the mornings? Do you wake up every day feeling tired, embittered, aggrieved, and all too ready to hit the snooze button? If so, then a new alarm clock could be just for you. The clock, called SleepSmart, measures your sleep cycle, and waits for you to be in your lightest phase of sleep before rousing you. Its makers say that should ensure you wake up feeling refreshed every morning. 28

As you sleep you pass through a sequence of sleep states – light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep – that repeats approximately every 90 minutes. The point in that cycle at which you wake can affect how you feel later, and may even have a greater impact than how long or little you have slept. Being roused during a light phase means you are more likely to wake up perky. SleepSmart records the distinct pattern of brain waves produced during each phase of sleep, via a headband equipped with electrodes and a microprocessor. This measures electrical activity of the wearer’s brain, in much the same way as EEG machines used for medical and research purposes, and communicates wirelessly with a clock unit near the bed. You program the clock with the latest time at which you want to be wakened, and it then duly wakes you during the last light sleep phase before that. The concept was invented by a group of students at Brown University in Rhode Island after a friend complained of waking up groggy and performing poorly on a test. “As sleep – deprived people ourselves, we started thinking of what to do about it”, says Eric Shashoua, a recent college graduate and new students to develop their idea. With help from entrepreneurial grants and alumni investors, they have almost finished a prototype and plan to market the product by next year.

Related Articles Snooze button addicts defeated by runaway clock http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18524926.500 26 March 2005 Body rhythms set a dangerous beat http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18624935.100 02 April 2005 Robotic baby rocker to relieve tired parents 29

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18524813.000 08 January 2005

Weblinks SleepSmart, Axon Sleep Research Laboratories http://www.axonlabs.com/pr_sleepsmart.html Computer Science, Brown University http://www.cs.brown.edu/

Student B 3-D Holographic Body Scanner for Better Airport Security by Staci Maloof Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed a new technology that provides 3-D holographic imaging that can rapidly identify hidden weapons - even non-metallic weapons-through the clothing of airline passengers. The September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., using hi-jacked commercial airliners has sparked stringent security measures at airports across the nation. Passengers and their luggage are being physically searched before boarding every flight. The new wideband millimeter-wave holographic imaging system developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the Federal Aviation Administration to screen airline passengers for weapons has the potential to augment security processes and also preserve efficiency as well as a measure of personal privacy. Concealed weapons made of plastic, ceramics, and metal can be detected with the holographic imaging system called the Personal Security Scanner. The holographic imaging system offers distinct advantages over surveillance systems that rely on metal 30

detectors or X-ray imaging. Metal detectors cannot screen for plastic or ceramic weapons. The holographic imaging system can identify metallic and a nonmetallic gun concealed under clothing, and also has the potential for detecting plastic explosives. The goal at PNNL was to develop a harmless, visual scanning device that could identify weapons within about 10 seconds. Although X-ray imaging systems could possibly do the job, airline passengers would need to be subjected over and over to potentially harmful ionizing radiation. The holographic imaging system's millimeterwave scanning technique is harmless. The Personal Security Scanner uses nonharmful, ultrahigh-frequency radio waves with relatively large wavelengths in the same range as radar and satellite signals - about one centimeter. These low-power waves can penetrate clothing and other nonmetallic objects. “To put it simply, the system rapidly scans objects and sends reflected signals into a high-speed image processing computer,” said Douglas McMakin, a PNNL engineer who helped develop the technology. “The computer produces a high-resolution 3-D image from the data.” With the system’s success came questions about its potential to display the unclothed physical features of a person being scanned to the operator running the machine. Since 1997, PNNL scientists have been addressing this potential privacy issue by reprogramming the system to give the operator a view of only concealed items, and not the person’s image.

Comprehension check 1 Now look back at the text and complete the sentences below. Student A 1) The

clock

measures

your

……………

and

waits

…………………… . 2) As you sleep you pass through ………………………… . 31

for

you

to

be

3) Being roused during a …………….. means ……………………. . 4) You

program

the

clock

with

………………………,

and

it

then

………………….. . 5) The concept was invented by ……………………… after a friend …………… .

Student B 1) The September 11 terrorist attack on the ………………… has sparked ……………. . 2) The new wideband millimeter – wave holographic imaging system has the potential to …………………. . 3) The holographic imaging system can identify ……………………… . 4) He goal at PNNL was to develop …………………….. . 5) Since 1997, PNNL scientists have been addressing the potential privacy by ……………………… . 2 Read the article again. Give a title to each paragraph and make an outline of the article.

Writing 1 Make use of the outline and your notes from Exercise 1 and write a summary essay. Here are some hints for a successful summary essay writing: Summary essay means to convey to others an understanding of a text you have read without their having to read it themselves. Summary essay functions as a substitute for the source that you are summarizing. How to write a summary essay?

32

A) Introduction 1) Contains a one – sentence thesis statement that sums up the main point of the source. 2) Also introduces the text to be summarized: - gives the title of the source - provides the name of the author of the source. B) The body of a summary essay. This paraphrases and condenses the original piece. 1) Include important data but omit minor points. 2) Include one or more of the author’s examples or illustrations. 3) Do not include your own ideas, illustrations, metaphors or interpretations. Look upon yourself as a summarizing machine, you are simply repeating what the source text says in fewer words and in your own words. С) There is customarily no conclusion to a summary essay. When you have summarized the source text, your summary essay is finished. Do not add your own concluding paragraphs unless your teacher specifically tells you. 3 Check your summary essay for spelling, punctuation or grammatical mistakes. Use the checklist below, answers to the following questions will help you to make sure that all the points are relevant to the source text. How to check a summary essay? - What do you like best about your summary essay? 33

- Is it clear what is being summarized? - Is the thesis of the original text clear in the summary? - Were there any points in the summary where you were lost because a transition was missing? - Were there any points where you were lost because some information seems to have been omitted? Now scan the original source and answer the following questions: - If you have read the original source, did you identify the same thesis? - Did you miss any key points from his or her summary? - Did you include any of his own opinions in a summary? - Did you include any unimportant details in his or her summary? 4 Discuss your summary essay with your friend.

Discussion Think of the gadgets that would be very essential to your quality of life but have not been invented yet. Make a list of at least three in your notebook. Comment on your notes.

Project work Use the text A or B as the centerpiece of an advertising campaign. First, choose a product (3-D Holographic Body Scanner or the clock that wakes you when you are ready). Then create campaign posters, write advertising jingles, etc. Finally, present the product as a TV commercial (which must incorporate the text). If possible, videotape it.

34