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The Past and the Future of the Laser 13 глава
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a) dead insects; b) silk; c) amino acids.
6. The web is a complex structure of nanocrystals combined with_
a) amino acids; b) coils; c) flying objects.
7. The function of a disorderly mass of coils is to make the web....
a) strong and shiny; b) absorb the energy of the impact;
c) tangled.
8. The spider's ability to produce silk at the temperature of its
surroundings and to recycle the web later proves its spinning
techniques to be....
a) very mysterious; b) artificial; c) environmentally friendly.
IV. Translation Check. Use the dictionary if necessary.
Biosilk
The demand for super-strong materials forces scientists to imitate Nature. They found out that biotechnology made synthetic silk protein possible. Research proved that a synthetic gene with the blueprint for a silk protein could be inserted into the genome of a bacterium. The gene of the spider Nephila clavipes was used because this silk is unusually strong. It was expected that the bacteria with that gene would make silk protein. The bacteria were reported to be cultured in a fermenter where they grew and multiplied, producing large amounts of silk protein. However, to form a fibre the silk protein had to be dissolved and spun.
As the production of milk and silk are basically similar, there is also the possibility of obtaining silk from transgenic goats. Researchers are known to have recently transferred the synthetic silk-producing gene to the milk-producing cells of a goat. The silk protein dissolved in goat milk is likely to be easier to spin into fibre than that produced by bacteria.
The question is how soon the scientists will invent an efficient method of spinning silk. It was predicted long ago that if biosilk became a reality it would find many uses including bullet-proof vests, commercial fishing nets, tethering satellites. Have you any other ideas?
TEXT 8
I. Scan the text to find answers to these questions.
1. When and where was paper invented?
2. How did the invention of paper influence the development of the mankind?
3. Does paper have any advantages over computers?
4. Are there any disadvantages of using paper?
5. What is the objective of creating E-Ink?
6. How does E-Ink beat current display technology?
7. Will environmentalists mind applying E-Ink on a large scale?
II. Read the text attentively and say what new things you have learnt about E-Ink.
E-Ink — A Revolution in Information Technology
With a world full of electronic displays made with liquid crystals, light-emitting diodes and gas plasma, you probably don't think of paper as being a revolutionary display technology, but the Chinese invention of paper in 105 A.D. forever changed the way the world communicates. Without it, books might still be printed on silk rolls, making literacy an expensive skill. It would be nearly impossible to live one day without coming into contact with paper in some form. This year, for example, the world will consume an estimated 280 million tons of paper.
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For nearly 2,000 years, ink on paper was the only way to display words and images, and it still beats computer displays when it comes to portability and price. Paper also doesn't require an external power supply. Yet it does have some limitations: once printed on paper, words cannot be changed without at least leaving some marks, and it is also difficult to carry around a large number of books.
Scientists are developing a revolutionary technology that could replace paper, called electronic ink. It will allow you to carry a whole library in one book. E-Ink technology aims at creating a digital book that can type-set itself and that readers could leaf through just as if it were made of regular paper. Such a book could be programmed to alternate between up to 10 books stored on the device. Just as electronic ink could radically change the way we read books, it could change the way you receive your daily newspaper. Simply pressing a button on the delivery computer will simultaneously update thousands of electronic newspapers each morning.
E-Ink has several advantages over current display technology, including: low power usage, flexibility and readability. Electronic
ink uses 50 to 100 times less power than liquid crystal displays because it only needs power when changing the display. E-Ink can be printed on any surface, including walls, product labels and T-shirts. You will soon be able to change your digital wallpaper by sending a signal to the electronic ink painted on the walls. Another advantage electronic ink has over traditional computer displays is its readability. It looks more like printed text, so it's a lot easier on the eyes. And it saves trees by cutting the demand on paper!
III. Choose the correct option to complete the sentences.
1. The invention of paper changed the world communication by
making books....
a) expensive; b) available; c) impossible.
2. For nearly 2,000 years words and images were displayed by means
of....
a) ink and paper; b) portable computers; c) books.
3. E-Ink technology will eventually create....
a) paper; b) newspapers; c) a digital book.
4. The digital book will look like....
a) a computer display; b) a common book; c) a silk roll.
5. Liquid crystal displays consume... E-Ink.
a) more energy than; b) less energy than;
c) as much energy as.
6. Electronic ink needs power in order to....
a) change the display; b) alternate between the books stored;
c) show pictures.
7. Digital wallpaper, T-shirts and glass prove E-Ink to be....
a) energy-efficient; b) readable; c) flexible.
8. Good readability of E-Ink means that the text is....
a) harmless for the eyes; b) easy to understand;
c) weighs very little.
IV. Translation Check. Use the dictionary if necessary.
How Electronic Ink Will Work
Electronic ink is a new material that will have far-reaching impact on how society receives its information. This patented material is processed into a film for integration into electronic displays. The principal components of electronic ink are millions of tiny microcapsules, about the diameter of a human hair. Each micro-capsule contains positively charged white particles and negatively charged black particles suspended in a clear liquid.
When a negative electric field is applied, the white particles move to the top of the microcapsule where they become visible to the user. This makes the surface appear white at that spot. At the same time, an opposite electric field pulls the black particles to the bottom of the microcapsules where they are hidden. By reversing this process, the black particles appear at the top of the capsule, which now makes the surface appear dark at that spot. To form an E-Ink electronic display, the ink is printed onto a sheet of plastic film that is laminated to a layer of circuitry. The circuitry forms a pattern of pixels controlled by a display driver. These microcapsules are suspended in a liquid 'carrier medium' allowing them to be printed onto any surface, including glass, plastic, fabric and even paper. In the long run, electronic ink may have a multibillion-dollar impact on the publishing industry.
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TEXT 9
I. Scan the text to find answers to these questions.
1. How many planets of the solar system are invisible to the naked
eye?
2. What planets were discovered last?
3. What are the two methods of spotting distant planets today?
4. Are the stars fixed?
5. Why do stars wobble?
6. What is the Doppler effect?
7. What is the problem with the newly-discovered planets?
II. Read the text attentively to learn more about space exploration.
Discovering New Worlds
Nine planets of our solar system orbit round the Sun, six of them being visible to the naked eye. To see the other three (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) you need a telescope, and you need to know where to point it. The two outermost planets were discovered because of the effect of their gravitational pull on the orbit of Uranus. From the speeding up and slowing down of Uranus, astronomers could work out where the unseen planets were.
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Now the gravitational pull of planets on stars has allowed us to find giant planets in orbit around stars far from this solar system. Think about a large planet orbiting close to the star. Both move around, the planet following a large circle, with the star moving in a smaller circle. Both turn around their common centre of gravity. This causes the star to wobble slightly in space. How can this help in spotting a new planet? A distant star is moving towards us for half the time and moving away for the other half. This has an effect on the light we receive from the star. As the star moves towards us, its light waves are compressed, shortening their wavelength so that they look bluer ('blue shift'). As it moves away, its waves are stretched out and look redder ('red shift'). This is the Doppler effect observed for any form of wave. Identifying a star, the frequency of whose light shifts back and forth along the spectrum, first towards blue and then towards red, the scientists interpret this as showing that the star is wobbling in its orbit, as a result of the gravitational pull of a large planet.
Distant planets are almost impossible to see, as they do not shine by their own light. However, they reflect the light of their star. Moreover, moving around its orbit such a planet will periodically block the star's light giving the scientists more proofs of its own existence.
There is a problem with the newly-discovered planets. They seem to be massive. Their orbiting around the stars at high speed means that they are very close to the stars, and therefore very hot. Our ideas of how planets form do not fit very well with this. Jupiter-sized planets are expected to be gassy giants, far from their stars, where it is cold enough for gases such as carbon dioxide and ammonia to freeze solid. The theorists have some explaining to do.
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III. Choose the correct variant to complete the sentences.
1. Six planets of the solar system are visible....
a) through a telescope; b) without a telescope; c) with a laser.
2. Neptune and Pluto were discovered due to....
a) the invention of a telescope: b) their influence on Uranus;
c) the skill of astronomers.
3. Scientists do not look for... in order to spot a distant planet.
a) laser flashes; b) wobbling stars; c) blocked star light.
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4. The star being orbited by a large planet is....
a) fixed; b) shining brightly; c) wobbling.
5. The 'blue shift' means that the star moves....
a) around its gravity center; b) away from us; c) towards us.
6. The pitch of the police siren becoming lower (the sound waves are
stretched out) means the police car moving....
a) around you; b) away from you; c) towards you.
7. Distant planets are difficult to spot as they do not....
a) shine; b) reflect the light of the star;
c) block the star's light.
8. According to our theories of planet formation giant planets must
be....
a) fast and hot; b) massive and gassy;
c) cold and far from their star.
IV. Translation Check. Use the dictionary if necessary.
Life Beyond?
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Planets beyond the solar system are known as exo-planets. In 1999 British astronomers reported they had detected a reflected light of a giant exo-planet orbiting the star Tau Bootis, 50 light years away, using the William Hershel Telescope in the Canary Islands.
When astronomers look at the light coming from distant exo-planets, they hope to find signs of life. They use a diffraction grating to split the light up into its different wavelengths — in other words they make a spectrum. From this, they can identify the elements present. In the 19th century it was argued that we would never be able to discover what stars are made of. However, examination of the spectra of light from stars soon showed that they were made of the same elements as those on the Earth, mostly hydrogen and helium.
The Earth is different from the other planets in the solar system. Its atmosphere contains oxygen, and that shows up in its spectrum. Oxygen is a sign of life as most plants and animals need it for breathing. But the Earth's atmosphere has not always contained oxygen. It is estimated to have been around only since the first algae produced it by photosynthesis, 2.5 billion years ago. So oxygen isn't simply a sign that life could exist on a distant planet - it is a sign that it almost certainly does exist. Astronomers are still looking.
TEXT 10
I. Scan the text to find answers to these questions.
1. How did the universe appear?
2. Why do galaxies move away at practically 90% of the speed of
light?
3. What force slows down the acceleration of the galaxies?
4. What is the possible future of the universe?
5. How does the average density of the universe affect its expansion?
6. Has the density of the universe been estimated?
7. Do neutrinos have mass?
II. Read the text attentively to learn more about the future of the universe.
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