 |
The Past and the Future of the Laser 9 глава
|
|
|
|
|
CH4, O3, N2O, CFCs) absorbing infrared (IR) radiation, reflected from the surface of the earth. When not reflected back into space the energy is absorbed and transformed into heat. Without the natural greenhouse effect the average temperature on the earth would be3 -18°C. However, since the industrial revolution,
the concentration of greenhouse gases proves increasing. Thus, today we are facing the prospect of global warming with all its unpleasant consequences.
1 лондонские желтые туманы, 2 будь то, 3 была бы.
V. Say if the following statements are true or false. Correct the false
statements.
1. Everybody is concerned with air pollution today.
2. Large cities seem to be the most highly polluted places.
3. All air pollution is due to man's activities.
4. A 'pea-souper' is the name for a person who is fond of eating pea
soups.
5. Smog means smoke + fog.
6. The process of oxidizing is known as combustion.
7. Combustion causes problems because of the oxygen released into
the atmosphere.
VI. What environmental problems does air pollution cause? Fill in the table.
| Problem | Pollutants | Cause | Consequences |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |
VII. Complete these sentences with suitable words from the box.
| 1) rubbers 4) foam 7) acetylene 10) toxic 2) helium 5) dioxide 8) man-made 11) noble 3) non-flammable 6) air 9) oxygen 12) odourless |
Gases used in industry for making all kinds of products are known as industrial gases. They can be classified as natural and.... The examples of natural gases are nitrogen,..., and hydrogen. The first largest industrial gas is nitrogen. It is colourless, tasteless,... and non-toxic. Breathing and combustion are impossible without oxygen. Hydrogen is the most abundant gas in the universe. Carbon... is used in producing lemonades and conserving food. Balloons are normally filled with.... The gases depleting the ozone layer are known as fluorocarbons. They are necessary in air conditioning, refrigeration and making packaging.... Argon is a... gas applied in welding.
 | |||
 | |||
Chemicals such as solvents,..., plastics, and pesticides are available due to chlorine, which is a very... gas. Water based paints and vinyl records are made with the help of... that is also known for producing an extremely hot flame. Even the... is used as an industrial gas because it will not react chemically with any elements.
VIII. You are taking part in the conference on the environmental problems. Deliver a report on air pollution.
Activity
I. 'Friends of the Earth' have organized a summer camp for everybody
interested in the environmental protection. The hot issue of the day is air
pollution.
Student A: The air in your city is getting more and more polluted.
You want to write an article on air pollution problems.
Interview a member of the "Friends of the Earth"
organization for more information about air pollution
|
|
|
and its effect on the environment.
Student B: You possess up-to-date and interesting information on
environmental problems and their solutions. Share your
knowledge at the interview.
II. Discussion. The consequences of air pollution may be fatal that is why
we must take measures before it is too late. Can anything be done?
What exactly? Read this information and do the task below.
Most of the classic atmospheric pollutants (CO2, CO, O3, lead and other particles), often found in the form of smog, are sadly known for affecting human health, ecosystems and buildings. Clean air laws are aimed at reducing air pollution.
Since the 1950s when the Clean Air Acts were introduced in Britain, we are sure of the atmosphere improving slowly. Local authorities insist on companies receiving integrated pollution licenses reducing the amount of gases they release. These licenses are strictly controlled to avoid limits being exceeded. Special detectors are placed around the factories with the purpose of monitoring the amount of oxides sent to the atmosphere...
In groups,analyze the condition of air in your city/country. Is it satisfactory? Work out several Clean Air Laws for improving the situation. Report on the problem and offer your suggestions.
III. Solve the crossword.
Down:
1. CFC (man-made chemical, that is used in sprays, fridges, air-cooling systems; it destroys the ozone layer)
14. a chemical element; diamonds and coal are made of it
Across:
2. H2SO4, HNO3,...
3. People burn coal to... their homes.
4. not quick
5. science, studying robots
6. copper has a valuable... of corrosion
resistance
7. to disagree, be against sth
8. uneasy
9. substance that pollutes the environment
10. to bring together
11. up-to-date
12. a noble industrial gas
13. a compound of oxygen and another
chemical element
Writing
I. The Government is going to build a thermal power station in your district. This power station will burn waste to produce electricity. Send them a letter expressing your carefully considered and reasoned objection to the project.
You may begin like this:
Dear Prime Minister,
We are addressing you on the subject of a thermal waste-to-energy
power station being designed in our district.
We believe that this project has certain advantages but they are outnumbered by disadvantages...
…
We will appreciate your prompt response. Sincerely yours,
Friends of the Earth
II. Translate the following passage into Russian. Use the dictionary if necessary.
The Ozone Layer Depletion
Ozone (a molecule having three oxygen atoms) is the main component in the upper atmosphere at the altitude of 19-30 km. We depend on this 'good ozone' absorbing UV radiation from the sun thus protecting us from the risks of skin cancer and genetic mutations.
An abnormal lowering in concentrations of ozone at the South Pole was discovered in 1980. At the end of the southern winter, when the sun returns, the ozone content is found depleting by 40 to 60%. Traffic releasing NO, oceans emitting methylene chloride causing the chlorine build-up, man producing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by his daily activities result in creating 'ozone holes,' that affect the climate and biological systems.
The scientists believe in mending the ozone holes. They object to releasing CFCs and other ozone-depleting gases into the atmosphere, the restrictions of the Montreal Protocol helping to achieve this aim. However, even after introducing a complete ban, it will be 50 years or more before pollutants levels reduce to their pre-ozone hole values.
|
|
|
Unit Eighteen
SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION
Section A. Optical devices
Lead-in
I. Discuss the following questions.
a) How do scientists explore micro- and macroworlds?
b) What means of scientific exploration do you know?
c) Do you believe we can contact alien civilizations? How?
II. Listen to the students' conversation and learn about an unusual
application of the laser telescope.
Peter: Pavel, have you heard about artificial stars?
Pavel: Not yet, but I'd like to know about them more, anyway.
Peter: Well, this article says they are created with the help of a laser telescope. One of these experiments is described here.
Pavel: Really? And what was the result of the experiment?
Peter: The reporter claimed that a bright sodium star, as big as about a natural star, had been generated.
Pavel: That sounds fascinating! How was the experiment carried out?
Peter: Oh, it was said in the article that the Solar Vacuum Tower Telescope had launched a 4-watt laser beam to the atmosphere and recorded the return light from the generated artificial star at the same time.
Pavel: Why do you think this artificial star has been created?
Peter: Well, there may be other reasons but I'm sure the star will serve as a model for further research of the universe.
Pavel: Oh really? May be in this way we'll be able to establish interstellar communication?
Peter: That's a good idea, but the scientists will have to carry out a number of experiments to prove that.
III. Complete the dialogue.
- How are artificial stars...?
- As far as I know, a laser telescope is....
- And... about any successful...?
- Yes, yesterday I found out...
-... interesting.... carried out?
- …
- I wonder why...
-Well...
- Do you suppose...?
- …
IV. Match a line in A with a line in B.
А В
1. Would you like to know more a) An unusual application of
about artificial stars? a laser telescope.
2. What are the means of b) They believed radio waves were
scientific exploration? the most energy-efficient way of
3.What does the article deal sending signals across the space.
with? c) A telescope and a microscope,
4. What did the reporter claim? for example.
5. The scientists hope they'll d) Of course, I would!
contact distant civilizations e) He maintained that an artificial
with the help of a laser. sodium star had been generated.
6. Why did scientists look for f) That sounds fascinating!
radio signals from aliens?
Language Practice
Vocabulary
I. Find in В the English equivalents to the Russian words in A.
А В
1. рассматривать a) to scan b) to look for c) to detect
2. длиться a) to search b) continuous c) to last
3. весь, целый a) to limit b) entire c) efficiently
4. удаленный a) distant b) currently c) present
5. глазок a) lens b) detector c) eyepiece
6. увеличивать a) to modify b) to magnify c) multiply
7. множество a) variety b) practible с) modification
8. постоянный a) single b) similar c) permanent
120
II. Make up all possible word combinations.
laser signals
radio telescope
alien intelligence
artificial star
interstellar communication
ultraviolet microscope
III. Find in each line the derivative from the first word.
1. record - accordingly, dimension, recorder, reward
2. modify - model, method, melting, modification
3. suggest - suggestion, supposition, substance, researcher
4. achieve - intelligent, achievement, reflection, reach
5. part - multitude, precise, partial, compound
6. change - charge, chain, suggestion, exchange
7. apply - amplify, allowance, empty, application
8. signify - sign, single, insignificant, similarity
|
|
|
Grammar: Reported Statements
IV. What opinion did these people express?
EXAMPLE: Laser operation is based on a simple behaviour of atoms. I knew it.
I knew that laser operation was based on a simple behaviour of atoms.
1. Optical devices are hardly used in the scientific research. They
announced it.
2. The Sun moves around the Earth. People believed it.
3. The microscope is used for observing stars. He said so.
4. Robots do not possess intelligence. I was sure.
5. Materials engineers do not synthesize new materials. She supposed it.
6. Any scientific research takes a lot of time and patience. The
engineer thought so.
V. The researchers reported about an important experiment. What did
they say? Use the verbs to say, to report, to announce, to state, to point
out, to claim.
EXAMPLE: The research was carried out successfully. (to announce) They announced that the research had been carried out successfully.
1. We studied the possibilities of laser communication.
2. Miniature multifunction telescopes were developed for scientific
observations.
3. The instruments were adapted to imaging and communication
applications on Earth.
4. The multi-function telescope served three purposes: space
navigation, communication and infrared spectrometry.
5. A prototype device was built and tested to demonstrate two of
these functions.
6. The prototype instrument was assembled mostly from
commercially available parts.
VI. Explain the difference between these sentences.
1. a) He said that the object was badly illuminated.
b) He said that the object had been badly illuminated during the experiment.
2. a) They noticed that the microscope was significantly modified.
b) They noticed that the microscope had been modified to increase
magnification.
3. a) The observers reported that they recorded laser signals by
means of a telescope.
b) The observers reported that they had recorded laser signals from the universe.
VII. Say what the scientists predicted long ago.
EXAMPLE: Man will invent artificial intelligence. (to be certain) The scientists were certain that man would invent. artificial intelligence.
1. A super powerful microscope will produce images. (to be sure)
2. We will contact an alien civilization by means of a laser telescope. (to suggest)
3. Air pollution will cause the global warming of the climate. (to predict)
4. Energy will be obtained from alternative sources. (to assume)
5. Fascinating achievements will be made in the area of biotech-
nology. (to suppose)
6. Mars will be explored by completely autonomous robots. (to believe)
VIII. Open the brackets and use the verb in the right form.
1. We learnt that laser communication (to be) practicable in the near future.
2. The engineers were surprised to see that modified robot (to move) like a human.
3. She was sure that she (to find) the most energy-efficient way of
sending signals soon.
4. He found out that properties of a substance (to depend) on its
structure.
5. I was afraid that she (to damage) the microscope objective lens.
6. Peter told me that he (to see) the William Hershel Telescope in
operation.
IX. Correct mistakes.
1. We thought that those parts are combined to form a microscope.
2. He realized that he spotted a distant planet.
3. I was told that he takes part in the research.
4. It was announced that engineers object to applying this technology.
5. He said that an artificial star was created with a laser telescope.
6. We supposed that the new approach will be more fruitful.
7. The investigators announced that they obtained a powerful
microscope soon.
X. Translate the sentences into Russian using your active vocabulary.
|
|
|
1. Сообщалось, что ученые разработали телескоп, который будет внимательно следить за небом.
2. Раньше предполагали, что радиоволны являются самым эффективным способом передачи сигналов в межпланетном пространстве.
3. Некоторые ученые считали, что технически развитые цивилизации попробуют установить контакт с помощью лазера.
4. Руководитель проекта заявил, что его лаборатория уже
провела около 20 000 наблюдений.
5. Исследователи были уверены, что сверхчувствительный микроскоп позволит им сделать важное открытие.
6. Он узнал, что существует огромное множество разнообразных оптических устройств.
7. Изобретатель доказал, что его модифицированный микро
скоп значительно расширяет возможности исследований.
Reading and Speaking
I. Translate these compound nouns.
alien intelligence alien laser beam
energy-efficient laser light
radio telescope the Nobel prize winning scientist
pulsed laser beam light year
laser pulse signal interstellar laser communication
123|
II. Is there life on Mars? Look at the pictures and the headline. What can
the article be about? Skim it quickly to check your guess. What does the
first picture mean?
III. Read the article attentively and learn how scientists try to establish
interstellar communication.
BBC News Online
|
A telescope designed to search for laser signals from alien intelligences is to start scanning the skies next year. The 1.8-metre (6 ft) Optical SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Telescope is currently being built in Harvard.
For more than 40 years, scientists have looked for radio signals from aliens on the understanding that radio waves provide the most energy-efficient way to send a signal across interstellar distances. But despite using the world's largest radio telescopes with highly sensitive detectors, no sign of a signal has been found in space as yet.
Several years ago some astronomers said it was hardly surprising that no radio signal had been
detected yet. They maintained that researchers might be looking for the wrong kind of message. It was assumed that a technologically advanced race might be more likely to communicate using pulsed laser beams rather than radio. The new approach was hoped to be more fruitful.
Searching for laser pulse signals was first suggested by the Nobel
prize winning scientist Charles
Townes in 1961 and was, according to
its supporters, met with 'more
interest than enthusiasm'. It was
thought that a high-powered laser
coupled with a large telescope could
send a signal across many light
years of space. Scientists believed
that an alien laser beam would be
pulsed to encode a signal.
During the pulse, lasting perhaps
less than a millionth of a second, the
laser light could be much brighter
than the light from the star in the
system from which the signal is being
sent. The new SETI Telescope will look for these brief pulses of laser light, scanning the entire northern sky once every 200 clear nights. It will have a special camera fitted with an array of 1,024ultra-fast detectors that can spot flashes as short as a billionth of a second.
According to the researchers, using only the Earth 2001 technology we can now generate a beamed laser pulse that appears 5,000 times brighter than our Sun, as seen by a distant civilization. In other words, interstellar laser communication is altogether practicable with the new Optical SETI Telescope searching the sky for such signs of intelligent life elsewhere in the galaxy.
IV. Say if the following statements are true or false. Correct the false
statements.
1. Scientists believe in the possibility of discovering alien
intelligence with the help of a microscope.
2. The Harvard telescope has been designed specially for interstellar
communication.
3. Radio waves are said to be efficient for sending signals across space.
4. Radio telescopes are reported to be out of date.
5. No alien life has been found as yet because the search is being done
in the wrong direction.
|
|
|
6. The idea of looking for laser signals from space has proved
inapplicable.
7. Aliens are supposed to decode their signals with a laser.
8. Laser light is much brighter than the light of a star.
9. The laser is equipped with sensitive ultraviolet detectors.
V. Find in the article the information related to the following.
a) SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) project
b) radio telescopes
c) alien civilizations
d) Charles Townes
e) laser light
f) northern sky
g) detectors
h) the Earth 2001 technology
i) interstellar laser communication
VI. Produce a radio programme on the problems of interstellar
communication. Then make a report on this programme using Reported
Speech.
The host of the programme: introduce shortly the topic and the guest - an outstanding scientist taking part in the Seti Project.
The guest: describe the latest developments in the area of interstellar communication using year project.
Listeners: telephone to the studio and ask the guest questions.
VII. Give the article another headline.
Further Reading
I. Microscopy is a relatively young science but it uses a lot of words from
'old' languages - Latin and Greek. Find these words in the text.
II. Man is expanding the sphere of exploration not only outwards but
inwards as well. Why are we so interested in the micro world? Look at
the picture and the title of the text and say what the text is about.
III. Scan the text to find answers to these questions.
1. What is microscopy?
2. When was the microscope invented?
3. How do microscopes differ?
4. What types of microscopes are mentioned in the text?
IV. Read the text attentively for more information about microscopy.
Imaging Atoms
Observing and studying objects that range in size from millimeters to nanometers intrigues everyone. This fascinating science is called microscopy, currently applied to every field of science and technology from biology and chemistry to physics and engineering.
Many scientists today are working with single atoms or molecules. To do their work they have to be able to 'see' molecules and atoms in some way. Optical instruments used for producing a magnified image of a small object are known as microscopes. The first compound microscope containing an objective lens system and an eyepiece system was created by a Dutch spectacle-maker Zacharias Janssen in 1595. It
was simply a tube with lenses at each end. Having been modified and improved this microscope is most commonly used today giving us the possibility of viewing individual cells, even living ones, in two dimensions. Compound microscopes are
light illuminated. Their high magnification is achieved by passing light reflected from the object through a combination of magnifying lenses. Unfortunately the possibilities of light microscopes are limited by the resolution of the lenses being about 0.2 micrometer.
The resolving power can be significantly increased by using other types of microscopes. They come in a wide range of forms and use a multitude of illumination sources (light, electrons, ions, X-rays and mechanical probes) and signals to produce an image. An electron microscope, for instance, produces images by using electrons and electron lenses. A microscope similar to it in principle but using a beam of protons instead of electrons is known as a proton microscope. A device for viewing very small particles by observing the light from an intense beam scattered by them is called an ultraviolet microscope. The results of the observation are recorded with the help of a photo-micrograph - a photograph of the image obtained with the help of a microscope. This enables a permanent record to be kept and also enables ultraviolet radiation to be used for the illumination of the specimen. All modern powerful microscopes are combined with computers.
A microscope can be as simple as a handheld magnifying lens and as complex as a multimillion-dollar research instrument. Using these tools, a microscopist explores the relationship of structure and properties of a wide variety of materials in order to more fully understand the reasons why a particular item behaves the way it does.
V. Say if the following statements are true or false. Correct the false statements.
1. Microscopy studies measure units ranging from millimeters to
nanometers.
2. Microscopy is not applied to mechanical engineering.
3. It is impossible to see an atom with a naked eye.
4. Modern microscopes do not have an objective lens system and an
eyepiece system.
5. The first compound microscope was created in Holland in the 16th
century.
6. Janssen's original microscope is widely applied today.
7. The light microscope has a high magnification but a low
resolution.
8. The sample can be illuminated by light, electrons, ions, X-rays
and mechanical probes.
9. The results of the observation are recorded with the help of
a microphotograph.
10. A simple microscope is a multimillion-dollar research instrument.
 |
VI. Expand these sentences with the information from the text.
1. Microscopy is fascinating.
2. Microscopy is useful.
3. The microscope is an instrument.
4. Zacharias Janssen was an inventor.
5. Microscopes vary.
6. A microacopist studies materials.
VII. Several types of microscopes are mentioned in the text. What are
they? Fill in the table with their description.
| Microscope | Principle of Work |
| ... | ... |
VIII. Is the title 'Imaging Atoms' appropriate for this text? Why? Give the text another title. Transform the text into an encyclopedic entry by shortening it to the maximum.
Activity
I. Your friend is crazy about microscopes and wants to become
a materials engineer. You do not see what is so special about this
profession. Ask your friend for information. Report to the class what you
have found out. Start like this:
|
|
|
