UNIT 4
TASK 1
What do you think about the Tv series such as Star Trek and X-Files? Do you believe in the events happening in them?
A. READING
Read the following text carefully.
SEARCHING FOR LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
PART 2
by Bruce Jakosky
What about the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence? Regular viewers of Star Trek or the X – Files suspect that intelligent beings populate the entire galaxy. Intelligence as we understand it has to be defined by awareness of self and the presence of hopes, dreams, and desires. Physically, though, it is the size of our brain in comparison to our body size that sets humans apart from other terrestrial species, rather than, say, our ability to use tools or to recognize contingencies in our actions. Carl Sagan has argued that increased intelligence would be so advantageous to any species that it is likely to evolve wherever there is life. This is not obvious, however. Considering the multitudes of species that have existed on Earth without developing either large brains or enhanced self-awareness, there certainly does not seem to be an automatic imperative toward intelligence. Rather, there seems to be an imperative toward species developing brains that are no bigger than necessary in order to operate their bodies. Even if large brains were to evolve in a species on another planet, it does not automatically follow that awareness and what we think of as intelligence would result.
What would it mean to us to find extraterrestrial life? Finding even “bacteria“ on another planet would tell us that life has had an origin somewhere that was independent of life on Earth, that life could arise more than once. My own view is similar to that of many other scientists – that the occurence of even a single other example of a life-bearing planet would be as significant philosophically as the discovery of intelligent beings elsewhere in the galaxy. It would mean that life is not unique to the Earth. Whether philosophically as the discovery of intelligent beings elsewhere in the galaxy. It would mean that life is not unique to the Earth. Whether intelligent species could exist then would depend only on the thread of evolution that occured on each planet, driven by the environmental conditions on that planet and by the accidents of history that can affect living organisms.
I suspect, however, that the real significance of searching for life elsewhere is the search itself and what it means for us here on Earth. Along with other scientific, artistic, and philosophic ventures, searching for life says that we as a society want to do more than just get by, more than just survive our day-to-day existence. It means that we want to understand how we fit into the world around us, to understand what it means to be human. As one of my students put it, with several layers of meaning, “We are looking for ourselves“. The fact that these questions resonate so strongly with all people, both scientists and non-scientists, underscores our need to know our place in the Universe, whatever the implications might be. I also suspect that both scientists and non-scientists alike would agree on this view of the search for life.
It is humbling to realize that we are only at the beginning of our exploration of the Universe. The 5000-year written record of human civilization really spans only about 250 generations! It is impossible to predict what will happen on Earth in the next hundread years, let alone thousand, million or billion years. Likewise, it is impossible to predict what else might be out there – we have to search in order to find out. To paraphrase one intellectual discussing extraterrestrial life, “Either there is life elsewhere or there isn´t. Both possibilities are equally frightening.“ And, as T.S.Eliot said, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
adapted from the Internet
Reading comprehension
1. How is intelligence defined in the text?
2. What do scientists and non-scientists underscore when searching for the life in the universe?
TASK 2
Paraphrase the following words and word expressions.
intelligent being life-bearing planet
contingency underscore
multitude implication
TASK 3
Translate.
enhanced self-awareness philosophic ventures
life-bearing planet cease from exploration
thread of evolution
B. VOCABULARY USE
Vocabulary extension 1
to explore
exploration
explorer
exploratory
TASK 4
Use the missing words related to the verb to explore correctly.
1. We must ..... all the possibilities.
2. NASA is preparing the voyage of ..... into outer space.
3. Who is the most famous 19th-century .....?
4. The doctors carried out an ..... operation on the stomach.
Vocabulary extension 2
similar (to)– same - equal (to) - identical (to, with)
TASK 5
Fill in the correct word from the above mentioned ones.
1. Jakosky´s own view is ..... that of many other scientists – that the occurence of even a single other example of a life-bearing planet would be as significant philosophically as the discovery of intelligent beings elsewhere in the galaxy.
2. In a neutral atom, the number of protons and electrons is ......
3. There is no nebula in the universe consisting of the ..... number of stars.
4. Either of a pair of children or animals born from one egg of the mother and usually looking extremely alike is ..... twin.
5. The atomic number of every element is ..... to the total number of positive nuclear charges.
Vocabulary extension 3
Note!
Regular viewers of Star Trek or the X – Files suspect that intelligent beings populate the entire galaxy.
There are other words and word phrases in English indicating human beingsor people in various historical periods such as:ancestors, ancient people, (past) civilization,communities, explorers, humans, human communities, humankind, individual, inhabitants, modernpeople, population, predecessors, (sophisticated) society, urban communities.
TASK 6
Study the following examples and then think of your own sentences using the above mentioned words and word phrases.
e.g. The earliest human communities burned large areas of woodland.
European explorers in America spent several centuries trying to eradicate the native American Indian population.
During the past 2000 years, humankind has invented powerful technology that multiplies each individuals destructive impact on the environment.
C. GRAMMAR AWARENESS
1. SOME WAYS of COMPARISON in ENGLISH
a) as + adjective + as
not so + adjective + as
e. g. The substance seems to be as good for performing the experiment as that used before.
They are not so profitable as those undergoing the tests.
b) comparative + than
e. g. Organic chemistry is older branch of chemistry than environmental chemistry.
c) “more than“, “less than“, “worse than“
e. g. In many many molecules, more than one atom of the same element is found.
Helium, being less dense than air, is used to inflate baloons and airships as an alternative to highly inflammable hydrogen.
d) “many/much more + than
e. g. There are many moreelementsthan letters of alphabet.
There is much more fuel in the filament than in the ordinary experimental tube.
e) rather than
e. g. We should test the probe at least twice rather than launch it.
f) “more“ and “most“ in comparisons of relative quantity
e. g. More substances are wasted than used.
Most elements have to have two-letter symbols.
g) the + comparative + the
e. g. The more ingredients are to be used the less concentrated the substance is.
h) Expressing degrees of similarity and difference
1) almost, exactly, just, nearly + as + adjective
2) just like + noun
3) the same as
* almost, exactly, just, nearlyand (not) quite combine with the same
4) different from
* completely, entirely and ( not) quite combine with different
5) Verbs of similarity
conform to match resemble look like correspond to
TASK 7
Study the following sentences and fill them in correctly using the appropriate verb expressing similarity.
1. I am afraid your terms just don´t ..... our needs.
2. This piece of equipment does not ..... to the official safety standards.
3. Organic derivatives of selenium ..... those of sulphur.
4. The results ..... to the hypothesis.
5. The reaction ..... it´s going to stop.
6) Verbs of difference
differ (in, from) vary diverge deviate
Study the following examples.
Quality must not deviate from the standards we have set.
The energy and velocity of particles vary widely.
Atoms of silver differ from atoms of lead, atoms of lead differ from those of gold, and so on.
This is where our approaches diverge from each other.
i) Use of enough, sufficiently and too
a) adjective + enough
b) sufficiently + adjective
c) too + adjective
Study the following.
We are not in a strong enough financial position to cut taxes.
Things would be easier if we only had a sufficiently simple system.
They were too ashamed to admit the mistake.
TASK 8
Write two sentences from each situation, one with enough and the other sufficiently.
1. The problem isn´t important. It won´t cause us concern.
The problem isn´t important enough to cause us concern.
The problem isn´t sufficiently important to cause us concern.
2. Young adults aren´t informed about politics. They shouldn´t vote.
3. The company felt confident about its new product. It took on over 100 new employees.
4. The gas leak was serious. The police evacuated the building.
j) Some other expressions of comparison:
in comparison with compared with/to
The number of their tests is lower in comparison with the number of the tests we have done.
Compared to the early days, our present resources for radiochemical work are big.
2. CONDITIONAL CLAUSES in ENGLISH
a) 1st type - Real conditionals
In realconditionals we use present tenses to talk about the present or unchanging relationships, and past tenses to talk about the past:
If I made the wrong decision then I apologise.
However, when we talk about the future, we use a present tense, not will:
If + S + Ppres + ... S + pres(fut)
If we use a catalyst, the reaction proceeds (will proceed) at a rapid rate.
TASK 9
Answer the following questions using the appropriate grammatical structure to express conditional.
1. What happens if water is cooled below zero?
2. What happens if ice is heated?
3. What happens if a gas is condensed?
4. What happens if a catalyst is used?
b) 2nd type - Unreal conditionals (hypothetical conditionals)
In unreal conditionals, to talk about present or future situations, we use a past tense (either simple or continuous) in the if-clause and would + bare infinitive in tha main clause.
If + S + Ppret + ... S + Pcond pres + ...
If we us
ed a catalyst, the reaction would proceed much more rapidly.
c) 3rd type – Unreal conditionals
When we talk about something that might have happened in the past, but didn´t, we use if +past perfect and would have + past participle in the main clause:
If + S + Pplusquamperf + ... S + Pcond perf + ...
If he had been present, we would have conducted the experiment.
* In unreal conditionals, we can also use could/might/should (have) instead of would (have):
If the chemist had been successful in synthesizing the substance, the material could have been made available in large quantities.
* In unreal conditions we use if ...were + to-infinitive to talk about imaginary future situations:
If the technology were to become available, we would be able to expand the exploration.
d) * If the first verb in a conditional if-clause is should, were, or had we can leave out if and put the verb at the beginning of the clause. It can be done particularly in formal or literary English:
Should any of this cost you anything, send me the bill. (=If any of this should cost ...)
It would be embarrassing, were she to find out the truth. (= ...if she were to find out)
Had they not accelerated the reaction, they would not have managed to obtain the appropriate results. (= If they hadn´t accelerated the reaction)
e) * We use if it was/were not for + noun to say that one situation is dependent on another situation or on a person. When we talk about the past we use If it had not been for + noun:
If it wasn´t /weren´t for them, the conference woudn´t be going ahead.
If it hadn´t been for my parents, I would never have gone to university.
f) Mixed conditonals
It is also possible to mix conditionals so that, for example, the if clause uses a verb form used in the first conditional and the main clause uses a verb form used in the third conditional. The context defines the meaning.
The most common mixed conditional is:
3rd 2nd
if + past perfect, would/could/might + infinitive
Examples of mixed conditionals3rd 2nd
If I had worked harder at the university, I would have a degree now.
1st 2nd
If you come to the party tomorrow, I wouldn´t bring Mike with you.
2nd 3rd
If she loved him, she would have stayed with him.
TASK 10
Match the clauses together to make mixed conditional sentences.
1. If you had told me he probably won´t be at the meting.
about this problem earlier,
2. If you were a more you could always ring them up.
sensitive person,
3. If they don´t contact his wife would never have left him.
you soon,
4. If he hadn´t died you wouldn´t have said that to her.
so young,
5. If he didn´t work so I would have had them by now.
hard all the time,
6. If the train hadn´t been everything would be all right now.
delayed,
7. If she was feeling ill would you hurry up and get ready?
this morning,
8. If you are coming with us, you wouldn´t be so busy this month.
9. If I really wanted to have we would be there by now.
children,
10. If you had worked I am sure he´d be a famous
harder last month, musician by now.
TASK 11
If necessary correct the following sentences.
1. If there is life elsewhere, it is most likely to be bacteria-like.
2. If we found life on Mars, we would have distinguished between life that had originated on Mars and life that had been transplanted to Mars.
3. If reaction 1 is faster than reaction 2, the loss of hydrogen will slow it down.
4. If he would have been a specialist in the field, he could speak.
5. If the temperature falls, the rate of reaction will decrease.
6. An immediate response is obtained if the pressure will be too high.
7. If you had gone deeper, the pressure would have become heavier.
TASK 12
Put the verbs in brackets into the appropriate form.
1. Apparently, the ferry company are planning to close the port in this town. If that ..... (happen), the town .....(lose) a great deal of money.
2. The government is expecting to win the next election, but if it .....(lose), the Prime Minister .....(resign) from politics.
3. Fortunately the explosion took place at night when the streets were empty. It .....(be) a disaster if it .....(happen) in the middle of the day.
4. He wouldn´t be coming here if he .....(not want) to.
5. If I could have phoned you, I .....(tell) you what was happening.
6. If you .....(have) any problems, give me a ring.
7. If I .....(keep) working on this essay, I´ll have finished it by tonight.
8. If I could live wherever I wanted to, I think I ..... (choose) to live on a Scottish island.
9. If they had been listening more carefully, they ..... (might understand).
10. The talks between the two leaders keep breaking down. If they ..... (break down) again, it is possible that there ..... (be) a war between the two countries.
3. MAKING DEFINITIONS in ENGLISH.
There are several ways of expressing what words or ideas mean, e.g.
General chemistry is a survey of all the branches of chemistry.
Intelligence as we understand it is defined/has to be defined as awareness of self and the presence of hopes, dreams, and desires.
The changes in environment are included in the branch of science which is called environmental science or ecology.
Molecules containing antibodiesare known asimmunoglobulines.
Paediatrics is termed the branch of medicine concerning with illnesses of children.
TASK 13
Make definitions using words in each line correctly.
1. monomer/ call/ the individual/ substance/ unit/ a/ of/ polymer
2. applied/ define as/ can/ science/ science/ that/ deal with/ practical/ or/ applications/ commercial
3. mathematics/ term/ the/ study/ numbers/ of/ and/ quantities/ shapes/be
4. studies/ of/ human/ behaviour/ be/ sciences/ social/ such/ as/ economics/ or/ sociology
5. natural/ sciences/ know as/ those/ that/ deal with/ naturally/ world/ occur/ the/ in/ general/ be
D. PREPOSITIONS IN SOME POSITIONS
on the Earth
in the Universe
send spacecraft to Mars
spacecraft is en route to Mars
at the beginning/end of the exploration
record of human civilization
E. COMMUNICATION ACTIVITY
TASK 14
Work with you partner. Make a short dialogue to find out what he/she would do if ... .
A. Hello Mike. Could you tell me what you would do if you won a million dollars in the nearest future?
B. If I won a million, I´d buy a new red Ferrari, the latest model, and I´d spend a luxurious holiday somewhere in the Pacific. And what would you do if you could have a chance to spend such a huge mass of money?
A. If a had the possibility to do it, I´d ... .
F. VOCABULARY
awareness uvedomenie
be en route byť na ceste
cease from prestať s
contingency možnosť
enhance zvýšiť
explore preskúmať
humble ponížiť, pokoriť
implication záver, dôsledok
life-bearing planet planéta, na ktorej sa rodí život
multitude množstvo
nature podstata
populate osídliť, zaľudniť
self-awareness uvedomenie si seba
set apart odlišovať
span zahŕňať
suspect podozrievať, tušiť
thread niť, vlákno
venture náhodná okolnosť
underscore zdôrazniť
Bibliography
1. Alexander, L.G.: Longman English Grammar. Longman.1991
2. Brieger,N., Sweeney, S.: The Language of Business English. Prentice International Hall. 1994
3. Hewings, M.: Advanced Grammar in Use. Cambridge University Press. 1999
4. Mascull, B.: Key Words in Science and Technology. Collins Cobuild. 1997
5. Walker, E., Elsworth, S.: Grammar Practice for Upper Intermediate Students. Longman. 1995
6. Weise, G. a kol.: Angličtina pro chemiky. STNL. Praha. 1988
7. Dictionary of English Language and Culture. Longman. 1992