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Engineers use theory (ideas about engineering) to produce practical answers. The design solution must be a reasonable price, safe, and reliable. A new idea that is expensive, dangerous, or doesn’t always work is not a good solution.
Engineers use a method.
Generally, engineers solve problems in a methodical way. Engineers:
1 define the problem,
2 design a solution,
3 test the solution,
4 evaluate the solution.
If the solution isn’t right, the process is repeated. When a good solution is found, next step is to:
5 communicate the solution.
Anyone can use engineering ideas.
This method of problem-solving is useful in everyday life. For example, you can use the five steps next time you prepare for a test.
1 Define the problem: I want to pass my test next week.
2 Design a solution: I will study for three hours a day.
3 Test the solution: Study for three hours a day and take the test.
4 Evaluate the solution: Have I passed the test with a good mark?
Yes = a good solution.
No = a bad solution, so think of a better one.
5 Communicate the solution: Tell your friends about your test-passing technique.
3. Read the four paragraphs again and decide if the sentences (1-4) below, are true (T) or false (F).
| 1 Lots of things are made by engineers. | T/ F |
| 2 Engineering isn’t practical. | T/ F |
| 3 Engineers must think carefully. | T/ F |
| 4 Only engineers can solve problems. | T/ F |
Vocabulary
4. Match the lined words from the text with the meanings (1-7) below.
| 1 plan | 5 careful |
| 2 say exactly | 6 assess the success of |
| 3 a business | 7 normal |
| 4 answer |
Writing and Speaking
5. Work with the partner. Choose one of the problems below or your own problem. Solve it using the five steps. Make notes.
· You want to go away for a weekend with your friends but your parents want you to study.
· You want to buy a CD player but you haven’t got any money.
Text 2
1. Look at the title of the text, Smart materials. Do you think the materials are clever, fashionable, or formal? Read the text and check.
Smart Materials
Smart – or shape memory – materials are an invention that has changed the word of engineering. There are two types: metal alloys and plastic polymers. The metal alloys were made first and they are usually an expensive mixture of titanium and nickel.
Shape memory materials are called ‘smart’ because they react to changes in their environment, for example:
· plastics that return to their original shape when the temperature changes. One use is in surgery where plastics threads ‘remember’ the shape of a knot, react to the patient’s body temperature and make themselves into stitches.
· metal alloys that have a ‘memory’ and can return to their original shape. They are used in medical implants that are compressed so they can be put inside the patient’s body through a small cut. The implant then expands back to its original shape. More everyday uses are for flexible spectacle frames and teeth braces.
· solids that darken in sunlight, like the lenses in some sunglasses.
· liquid crystals that change shape and colour. These have been used in climbing ropes that change colour if there is too much strain and weight on them.
The future of these materials and their possible uses is limited only by human imagination. One clever idea is that if cars were made of smart metal, a minor accident could be repaired by leaving the car in the sun!
2. Read the text again and choose the correct answers for questions 1-4 below.
1 Smart materials change when
a the weather changes.
b something affects them.
c the light is switched on.
2 Plastic threads are used for
a sewing.
b stitching.
c knitting.
3 Medical implants made from shape memory alloys are good because
a they save lives.
b they change colour.
c they are easy to put in.
4 Climbing ropes with liquid crystals change colour to
a warn you.
b amuse you.
c make you heavy.
Vocabulary
3. Complete the definitions (1-8) below with the highlighted words from the text.
1 An ____________ is something medical put inside the body, e.g. a heart valve.
2 You need a good _____________ to think of new and interesting ideas.
3 The _____________ is the first or earliest.
4 _______________ are materials made from mixing two metals.
5 To ____________ means to become bigger.
6 To____________ is to change because something else happens.
7 The _____________ is everything around a person or thing.
8 To be _____________ means to be made smaller.
Speaking
4. Work with a partner. Choose one of the smart materials in the text. Think of five interesting ways it could be used. Compare your ideas with other students. How many original ideas are there in your class?
Text 3
1. Read ‘The Mini Story’. Which three paragraphs are from the same newspaper article and which one is from a fashion magazine?
2. Put the three paragraphs from the newspaper article in the correct order.
The mini story
There are 2,500 employees at the plant and the working environment is good. The car assembly line is designed ergonomically to be easy to use and comfortable for the operators. For example, the car is raised, lowered, and turned through 90 degrees so the workers can do their jobs comfortably and easily. Old-fashioned, noisy, compressed-air tools have been replaced with quieter and more accurate electric tools.
The first Mini was first made in 1959 and since then over five million people have owned one. BMW, a German car manufacturer, now owns the Mini and the newest model is being manufactured at an advanced production system in Oxford, England.
During the 1990s approximately £500 million was spent to change an old Oxford car factory into a state-of-art manufacturing plant. The Oxford plant now produces around 100, 000 Minis a year.
In Britain in the 1960s the only really cool car was the Mini. Everybody wanted one. It starred in advertisements and films and was as famous as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. Anyone who was young, rich, famous, and fashionable had to be photographed sitting on, in, or just near one. And anyone who was poor, unknown, and not very fashionable wanted one too. They were small and cheap and suited the mood of the post-war generation who had more money and freedom than their parents had ever had.
Vocabulary
3. Find words in the text that mean:
| 1 employees who work machines (paragraph 1) |
| 2 factory (paragraph 3) |
| 3 very modern (a phrase, paragraph 3) |
| 4 working conditions (paragraph 1) |
| 5 where the cars are put together (two words, paragraph 1) |
4. Read the text again and answer the questions (1-5) below.
| 1 When was the first Mini made? |
| 2 Why is the Mini factory in Oxford special? |
| 3 How many new Minis are made each year? |
| 4 How many people work at the mini factory? |
| 5 Why is the new factory better for the workers? |
Writing
5. In your own language, add to this list of the things people consider when they choose a car. Then find the English words.
| comfort ♦ image ♦ fuel consumption ♦ … |
Text 4
1. First, look at the words in the box. Check the meaning of any new words in the glossary or your dictionary. Then complete the text ‘A handmade car’ by putting one word in each space. Use the words in the box.
| craftsmen ♦ highly-skilled ♦ skills ♦ traditional ♦ unique |
A handmade car
The Morgan is a (1)___________ car: it is made in Britain by a family-owned company and it is handmade.
Each Morgan is made individually. Modern materials and up-to-date manufacturing technology are combined with 100-year-old (2)____________. There are no assembly lines because each stage of the manufacturing is done by (3)___________ craftsmen. For example, the wooden frame is made in the same way as the first Morgan in 1909, upholsterers make the leather seats, and sheet metalworkers make the panels by hand.
In contrast to all these (4)____________ skills, Morgan engineers make precision mechanical components using modern Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machinery so a Morgan driver has a state-of-the-art engine in a traditionally-made car.
It takes a long time to make a car by hand. The Morgan factory produces about 500 cars a year. Buyers put their name on a waiting list and then wait for the factory to tell them that their car is finished. The shortest wait is about two years – and sometimes the wait is five years. Like proud parents-to-be, people on the waiting list can visit the factory to see their car being made and to talk to the (5)____________ doing the work.
2. Read the text again and decide if the sentences (1-5) below, are true (T) or false (F).
| 1 The Morgan is made by machines. | T/ F |
| 2 Old and new ideas are used to make Morgans. | T/ F |
| 3 Morgan cars aren’t made on an assembly line. | T/ F |
| 4 Morgan engines are old-fashioned. | T/ F |
| 5 You can walk into the Morgan factory, buy a car and drive it home. | T/ F |
Vocabulary
3. Read the texts about the Morgan and the Mini again. Put the words in the box into the table below. Some words may fit in more than one column.
| boring ♦ classic ♦ difficult ♦ easy ♦ fashionable ♦ interesting ♦ modern ♦ organized ♦ peaceful ♦ requires expertise ♦ requires patience ♦ requires skills ♦ requires you to work quickly ♦ traditional |
|
| |||
|
Speaking
4. Explain why it takes longer to make a Morgan than a Mini.
5. Discuss these questions:
· Which car would you rather own and why?
· Which factory would you rather work in and why?
Text 5
Small is beautiful
1. Read the text quickly and choose the best title, A, B, or C.
A The history of cabling and telecommunications
B A short introduction to optical fibres
C Uses of glasses in industry and technology
_____________________________________
Optical fibres started to replace some uses of copper cables in the 1970s. They are made from glass and are usually about 120 micrometres in diameter. Some of the most common everyday uses are in telecommunications, close-circuit television (CCTV), and cable television.
1_____________________________________________________
Optical fibres carry signals more efficiently than copper cable and with a much higher bandwidth. This means that fibres can carry more channels of information over longer distances.
2_____________________________________________________
Optical fibre cables are much lighter and thinner than copper cables with the same bandwidth. This means less space is needed in underground cabling ducts.
3______________________________________________________
It is difficult to steal information from optical fibres. They are not harmed by electromagnetic interference, for example from radio signals or lighting. They don’t ignite so they can be used safely in flammable atmospheres, for example in petrochemical plants.
4_______________________________________________________
Optical fibres are more expensive per metre than copper. However, one optical fibre can carry many more signals than a single copper cable and the longer transmission distances mean that fewer expensive repeaters are required. Also, copper cable uses more electrical power to deliver the signals.
5______________________________________________________
Optical fibres can’t be spliced as easily as copper cable. Employees need special training to handle the expensive splicing and measurement equipment.
2. Read the text again and match the headings (a-e) with the paragraphs (1-5).
| a Training and skills | d Price |
| b Size and weight | e Capacity |
| c Security | |
Vocabulary
3. Complete the definitions (1-9) below with the highlighted words from the text.
1 A ____________ is one millionth of a metre.
2 The _____________ is the distance across a circle.
3 A _____________ substance is one that burns easily.
4 _______________ means joining the ends of two cables together. .
5 To ____________ means to start to burn.
6 ____________ are tubes for carrying cables.
7 _____________ is a common short way of saying ‘for each’.
8 _____________ means to touch with your hands.
9 _____________ means in a way that produces a good result and doesn’t waste time, energy, or resources.
Writing and Speaking
4. Write 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of using optical fibres instead of copper cable. Compare your ideas with the rest of the class.
Text 6
1. Read the descriptions (A-D)
Gadgets
A LETTER OPENER CLOCK
Дата: 2019-02-25, просмотров: 499.