english for engineers
DESCRIPTION
English - Romanian technical dictionaryTRANSCRIPT
I Universite du Quebec (UQ)
... . Ecole de technologie superieure Service des enseignements gemeraux Local 8-2500 - (514) 396-8938
'ANGLAIS-010
ANGLAIS POUR INGENIEURS I
WORKBOOK
Document prepare par
Rosalyn Hailpern
et
Jamie Herd
Redige en aout 1996 Revise en janvier 2010
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Vocabulary list I .............•........................................................... ........................... 1 Vocabulary list 11; .. .. ........................................... , .......................... : ..................... 2 Your future career .................................................. ," ................. , .......................... 3 Communication strategies ....................... , .......................................................... 4 Personal.evaluation .............................................................................................. 5 Surviving Year 1 on the job ................... ~ .......... : ... ................... ......................... 11 Chronological Resume ......................................................... ......... ... .. ......... ..... 13 Describing a technical device ..... .... ..................................................... ............. 14 Describing objects: Dimensions and measurements .................. ... ................. 15 Material and properties ........... , ......................................... ; .............................. 18 Engineering materials and properties ...................................... ..... .................... 19 The production of paper ....................................................... , ....... .................... 24
. The production of aluminum .................................................. ....... .................... 27 The Ekati Diamond Mine™ ................ ....................... ........ .. ......... .... ................ 31 The business meeting: the chair ............... .... ... ......... , .................. .. ; ................. 37
. Business meeting 1 : Polluting the river ..................... , ...... .................... 38 . Business meeting 2 : Quality and personnel ..................... .................... 41 Business meeting 3: Sponsorship .~ .......... ... ... ...................... ..... .......... : 45
Engineers Forced to Learn How to Write ....... , .. ... ..... , ...................................... 48 VIDEOS ............... ... ; .......................... : ...... ........................... ............ .. ................ 59 .
Carbon Capture and Sequestration ...................... ......... , ....................... 61 Natural Disasters ................ , .................................................................. 67 Clean Cars ................ ;: .......................................................................... 71 The Power of Water .............................. ................. ................... ........... . 80 Making, Tinkering and Innovating ..................... ; ......... ; .... : .................... 84 Engineering Disasters - Aviation .......... ; ................................................ 89 · Megastructures - Suspension Bridges ............................... ...... .. ......... .. 94 The Arctic, Adapting to Change ................................................... , ........ 98 Below New York: Part I ......... ................................................... ........... 102 Below New York: Part" ................ .. ............................... ......... .... .. ...... 106
List of irregular verbs ................................................................... ....... ........ ... 113 The oral presentation ..................................................................................... 114 . Evaluation sheets ..................................... ............................................... .. .. ... 119
ii
VOCABULARY LIST I
Learn to pronounce and spell each word correctly.
11. There are many engineering fields. Some of them are the following: mechanical, electrical, civil, production, computer, industrial,· chemical and physical.
. 2. I am an engineer.
~~. robotics, phY,sics, mathematics, acoustics, electronics
4. I am studying computer science. I am interested in software design.
5. I will graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering.
€5. I hope to be an intern (a trainee) this summer. I am. looking for an internship (a training program).
7. Both education and experience are important.
B. A computer programmer is a skilled worker. A janitor is an unskilled worker.
9. I am interested in the design and production of electronic devices . .
"10. One day I hope to be a department manager. I am interested in project . management.
11. research and development.
1
VOCABULARY LIST II
Here are some words and expressions related to speaking about yourself at a job interview. .
Make sure you understand each item. Learn to pronounce and spell each word correctly.
1. I worked part-time for two years and then I decided to return to school to become an engineer. I hope to get a full-time job after I graduate.
2~ I have never been fired from a job, but I was laid off when the company lost an important contract.
~I. , I was hired because I am an expert in wiring.
4. My friend works in this department and he told me about the new position that is available.
~). I decided to applywhen I heard about the job.
EL I sent my C.V. and an accompanying letter to the personnel department as soon as I found out about the job.
-l. I believe I have the necessary educational background and experjence to do a good job. ' .
B. I will be glad to supply you with several references.
B. I work best in a team situation. I prefer to work with a group.
10. I am considered a responsible worker by my colleagues, supervisors, and coworkers .
. 111. I am willing to relocate if necessary for the job. I am interested in working in the United States.
2
YOUR FUTURE CAREER
1. Write the name of your future profession. ___________ _
2. When do you expect to graduate from the ETS?
3. What size company wo~ld you like to work in : small, medium, large? _
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the various size
companies? ____________ ----------
5. What are the job opportunities in your field of studies in Montreal?
6. Are you interested in relocating? Explain your answer. _ _____ _
7. What specifically are you doing now to prepare for your future success? _
Useful structures for this discussion:
hOpe to
intend to
plan to
would like to
expect to
might go
may go
will go
In five years ____ --.,.-___ ~ ______________ _
Five years from now ____________________ _
3
· COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
These are some questions that may be asked during an interview. Use them as a guide when conducting a job int~rview or being interviewed.
WORK EXPERIENCE
1. What jobs have you held? How were they obtained? Why did you leave?
2. What did you like most about your jobs? . Least?
~L . What were your primary accomplishments?
.4. Why did you choose your field of work?
5. What has been your greatest frustration or disappointment in your current . job?
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Ei. Why did you choose your particular place of study (university, technical school, college,etc.)? .
7. Do you feel your grades reflect the king of work you are capable of doing?
'. 8. Howwell has your schooling prepared you for your career?
SELF-ASSESSMENT
9. Describe yourself.
10. What makes you a good investment foran employer?
11 . How do you feel about your progress so far?
GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS
12. Where would you like to be in five years? In ten years?
13. Why would you like to work for us?
14. Aside from money, what do you want most from a job?
4
. PERSONAL EVALUATION·
Before going for a job interview, it is important for you.to be aware of your strong points so that you will be able to talk about yourself and to tell why you think you
. would be good in the job that you are applying for. Rate yourself on the five-point scale. .
1 2 3 4 What king of person are you?
Q)
+-' 0')
ctl ctl ~ ..c. ....
~ 3: Q) Q) >
Q) Q) ctl > > E ..... .....
0 0 :::J C (/) 0
..0 ctl
Are you cheerful and friendly? Are you neat and orderly? Are you ambitious? ~re you calm and patient? Are you conscientious?
f--:-Are you punctual? Are you assertive? Are you outspoken?
How do you work? c (/)
Q) Q) c E Q)
~ c ~ 0 Q) :;:::; ~ Q) 0
~ 0 E ..... Q) 0
0 c > (/)
Do you work fast? Do you finish completely what you start? Do you organize your time? Do you prefer to work alone? Do you volunteer to help others?
r--=: . Do you readily ask for help when needed? Do you willingly accept to do extra work? Do you do what should be done before doing what you want to do? Do you get along well with other people?
5
5
m ..... ctl ..... 0 C
.... Q) > Q) c ..... (/) 0 E ctl
KEYWORDS MOST COMMONLY REQUESTED BY EMPLOYERS USING RESUME SCANNING SOFTWARE*
Ability to delegate Ability to implement Ability to plan Ability to train Accurate Adaptable Aggressive work Analytical ability Assertive Communication skills Competitive Creative Customer-oriented Detail-minded Empowering others Ethical Flexible Follow instructions Follow through Follow up High-energy Industrious
Innovative Leadership Multitasking , Open communication , Open-minded Oral communication Organizational skills Persuasive' Problem-solving Public-speaking Results-oriented Safety-conscious Self':'accountable ' Self-managing
, Sensitive Setting priorities Supportive Take initiative Team building Team player Tenacious Willing to travel
* as reported by Resumix, a leading producer of resume-scanning software.
6
Be Prepared to Answer Questions
Just as "effective interviewers need to know 'what type of quc:;tioJls get particular responses, effective interviewees need to be aware of expected responses to questions :md come prepared for those cxpect:ltiol1s. The following are suggestions to intCrViewees in any type of interview:
I. Try to rel"x IIm/ b" yo/{n-d( :\ psyd1OIo!!"i~t'.; ~lIg!!l'~ti<ln To ;1. friend interviewees: Imagine how you feci when you are sitting in your own ' living room in a favorite chair, entertaining a guest (the interviewer),
. You arc comfortable, relaxed, warm, and friendly. 2. If a qucJ1ioll catches you off gU/l.1·d, dOll't rllsb ul1prepared i1lto 1111 D11S"t.Vcr,
Think aoollt your answer first. If you feel you are taking too much time, say something like "I'd like to make sure r completely understand your question. You're asking . . .. " (then paraphrase the question as you understand it). Repeating the question aloud often helps stimulate thinking.
3. If YOll dOli 't know or call't re'll1embe1' ~'eI1(lill info17llatioll, say so. Never lie. Lies arc too diHicult to remember. On the oth'er hand, there are things' you probably should avoid mentioning. There is a fine line between disclosing' too much and saying too little. Without fnIsifying facts, you should present as positive a picture of yourself aspossible.
4. DOIl't be pressured illto saying 7II01'e thll1l YOII W(lIIt to SIlY by such interviewer techniques as silence, leading questions, or nonverbal probes.
5. Opm-ended qut!stions gir.}e YOIl tbe floor. Take this opportunity to present the information you want the interviewee to know. "Tell me about yourself" is one question that :\11 interviewees should be .prepared to answer. In an employment interview, you can tel! your age, marital statUs, spouse's occupation, and number of children (all unlawful for the interviewer to ask about); or you can . speak of your past career adlievements, past employment, whyyou feel you arc especially qualified for this job, nnd so on. Interviewers sometimes ask ambiguous open questions such as "Tell me a story" to see how you think on your feet and handle the unknown. \Vhich story or experience you t'al!-: about is not important (although we suggest you stick to jobrelated stories) as long as y(iu sound confident and are fairly well organized.
6. Listen carefully to hypothetictll open questiolls to make sure you understand the situation. In some cases, the interviewer is using the h}'Pothetical open as a foUow~up question to check the consistency of your answers and even your commitment to all ideal. For example, you have just expressed your opinion that the best supervisor communicates in an open style. Later the interviewer asks how you would handlc a very difficult situation with an employee to see jf you would still select the open communicator style. Other interviewers ask hypothetical open questions to check your knowledge or to determine whether you make decisions in a rush or arc careful to look at all angles of a problem.
7. HI'I'lmf(' dire .. , (or .'-/lCd/it") (Illestiolls rrl/llirc Oll~\' lwicf'tfIlS7i'('J'S or ' :l't'S" OJ'
For these intel'viewers, keep your answer~ short. However, some in- . terviewers arc not very skiUed in asking l]l1csrions and really wm\t you to give detailed answers. If thcy secm frustr;lted by your brief answcrs, try to answer their specific questions in an open manner. For example:
7
QUt!stions: "How long have }'ouueen in this fjeld of work~" Al1r.ver: "Two ye;lr!i." (Answer most interviewers expet:t) Am"il'er: "I've heen a certified financial planner I(,r IWO yC.lrs. After
Illy training and apprenticeship with the Smith Company. Ihegan working for Black's Financia1.Plannersill . .. . " (Answer expected by untrained interviewers)
II. Closed tjuestiolls, lIol7Jllllly lJs~d ill SIIIi.'(jS, gin' fb,' ill1c!.:i,·,:·,'/' ,b,' IIIU.I'/ colltrol of (I11Y O'Pe 0Itjllestiml. Always answer the question .IS !:(i\'en. hut if your preferred answer is not one of tht: choices in the <juestioJl. make sure ro express it also. For example;
Question: "\Vhich of the following college courses best prcpal'ed rou for this position: psychology, technic.ll writing', P'lsral. or manngemellt theory?"
AIlJ7.i'l'r: "Of those four choices I wouldse!cct Illanagenicnt theory. However. if I could pkk :lIly course, I would S:lY Illy husiness l'UI1l
iuunic.ltion course best prepared me to handle people 'IS indi\'idu-0115."
9. LOfided 'IlIestiollS lITI! designed to pm YOlllllldcl'st1'css/OI' SOIll,' I't'Il.fOIl klJlJiJ.'1l
to the intel'viewo: Avoid answering "yes" or "no" to :I loaded question. For example:
Questio11: "Are you still difficult to get along with?" A "yes" answer doesn't sound good. A "no" answer is better but implies that you have had problems in
the past. Best O1~71'er: "I have never been difficult to.get along with. As a matter
offact, three months ago I -i\';\S voted employee of the month by my colleagues. My leaving this conipany has nothing w do with my communication ability;"
10. Be WfI1J of Icnding fjliestiollS. They are normally trick questions designed to detennine how much of a "yes· person" rou ~lre or to get
. you to agree to purchasing a product. Don't let theintef\'iewer put words in your lilourh. Listen ro the qu{'srioll c:lrt,flllk.
Your answers should always he u1lthful, should come froll! you. and should never sound memorized. However, getting an idea of some "good" answers to some "tough" questions Illay help you present the real you to the interviewer, and may help calm rour nerves. If the following "good" responses don't fit you, at least they should stimulate your thinking: '0
c H7I;y do YOII wnllt to leove your clI/nJ/t job?
- They went out of business. - I want to earn more money_ - Because I'm .looking for a job in which I can grow as well as
contribute; I need more challenge .. - JY1ypresent company's growth hasn't been as fast as my personal
growth, so there are fewer chances for promotion.
o What nre yOltr greatest st1'ellgthy{
- Intelligence. - Common sense. -Drive. - Marurity in establishing work priorities or in accessing not only
8
busin~s problems but also people problems. - An ability to deal with people. - Job knowledge.
D Ut'bllt are )'our greatest weaknesses? (Try to give truthful "positive weaknesses") . ----:Impatience. (I get impatient with people when they don't get
their jobs done on time; impatient with myself for not growing fast enough.) . .
- Overdrive. (I drive myself, and often others, too hard.) - Hard to please. - Stubbornness when right. (One or two weaknesses is enough; be prepared to give a positive illustration of each weakness.) .
D Doyoll mind mking a personality test prior: to joil1ing our company? 7'No, not at aU. (Such tests are usually for research purposes and are not used to decide between candidates.)
o What are YOll cmnmtiy 1l1okhlg? - If you are curren tIy underpaid: State your current salary wi thout
hesitation, then add, "That's precisely the reason Tam here today."
- If you currently have benefits beyond the base salary: State your current salary, then add, "The total value of my current financial package is $--. This is made up of --, --, and
" --. ci What dOY(nI want to make 071 your next job?
- If asked on the first or second interview, it's usually better to say something such as: "I'm pretty.flexible on that score. I'd rather
talk about finances after we\~e decided together wheth.er I'm the right person for tllis job."
- If asked on later interviews, give a positive, unapologetic answer. (Do your research and know the salary range. Most employers expect YQU to ask for at least a 20 percent raise.)
o ~Vbat do you thillk of your prese1u boss? -Be positive even ifit hurts. (You may wish to refer to the positive
characteristics of your boss's communication style as discussed . in Chapter 3.)
o T171;ot ncti01lS7JJould yOlt take if YOli come 011 bOllrd? (It's best not to describe the changes you wCJUld 1l111kc.)
- The chances are I would not make many changes at all for ;l
. while, at least until I have a chance to really ev,lluate the situa-. tion from tIle inside. '. '
It is impossible to predict exactly what is goin'g to happen during an interview, but if you take rime to !:hink ilirough your answers to probable questions, you will find your confidence and chances of success greatly improved.
9
Which of the following activities did you do in any job in the past? Choose five and give specific examples cfeach.
Researchs kills Technical skills Teaching skills
clarified .- assembled adapted collected built advised critiqued calculated clarified
diagnosed computed coached evaluated . designed communicated examined devised coordinated extracted engineered -developed identified fabricated enabled inspected m'aintained encouraged interpreted operated evaluated interviewed overhauled explained investigated programmed facilitated organized remodeled guided reviewed repair informed
summarized solved - initiated surveyed trained instructed
systematized upgraded persuaded set goals
- , stimulated
Financial skills Technical skills Teaching skills
administrated acted assessed allocated -conceptualized - assisted analyzed created clairified appraised ·developed coached
audited directed counseled balanced established demonstrated budgeted founded diagnosed calculated illustrated educated, computed instituted expedited developed integrated facilitated forecasted introduced familiarized managed invented guided marketed originated referred planned performed rehabilitated projected revitalized . represented
researched shaped Adapted, enlarged list inspired by Employment Development Department of Palo .Alto, CA.
10
Su
rviv
ing
Yea
r 1
on t
he
job
E
xper
t te
lls h
ow
to h
and
le t
he
tra
nsi
tio
n f
rom
cla
ssro
om
to
wo
rkp
lace
'S
TE
PH
AN
IE W
HIT
TA
KE
R
1.
A c
oupl
e of
mon
ths
ago,
H
enry
And
erso
n be
gan
his
first
rea
l job
sin
ce h
is g
radu
atio
n fro
m
McG
ill U
nive
rsity
.
2.
And
erso
n,
who
ob
tain
ed
a ba
chel
or
of
scie
nce
deg
ree
last
Oct
ober
in
phys
iolo
gy a
nd
inte
rnat
iona
l de
velo
pmen
t, is
w
orki
ng
as
a m
edic
a'i w
riter
at
I.C.
Axo
n, a
Mon
treal
com
pany
th
at p
rodu
ces
mul
timed
ia p
rodu
cts
for
the
heal
th
care
sec
tor.
3.
And
lik
e m
any
of h
is c
onte
mpo
rarie
s,
he
's'
lear
ning
,th
at w
hile
the
stu
dent
life
can
pr
epar
e on
e ac
adem
ical
ly f
or t
he w
orkp
lace
, th
ere
are
a lo
t of t
hing
s ab
out w
ork
you
don'
t lea
rn in
sch
ool.
4.
"At
univ
ersi
ty,
ever
yone
le
arns
at
his
own
pace
," A
nder
son
said
. "In
th
e w
orkp
lace
, th
e le
arni
ng c
urve
can
be
very
diff
eren
t. If
yo,
u ha
ve
a de
adlin
e, y
ou h
ave
to m
eet
it.
We
have
a lo
t of
m
eetin
gs i
n m
y w
orkp
lace
and
we
have
to
wor
k ar
ound
othe
r pe
ople
:s s
ched
ules
."
5.
Col
leen
Bro
nson
, co
-ord
inat
or o
f the
car
eers
an
d,
plac
emen
t se
rvic
es
at
the
McG
ill's
M
acdo
nald
Col
lege
cam
pus,
say
s st
uden
ts o
ften
have
di
fficu
lty
mak
ing
the
trans
ition
fro
m
univ
ersi
ty
to
the
wor
kpla
ce
beca
use
the
two
envi
ronm
ents
are
so
diss
imila
r.
6.
"We
prov
ide
serv
ices
to
stud
ents
for
up
to
, one
yea
r af
ter
grad
uatio
n an
d w
e w
ere
findi
ng
that
som
e o
f th
em,
afte
r la
ndin
g th
eir
first
job
s,
wer
e co
min
g ba
ck t
o us
and
rep
ortin
g th
at t
hey
wer
e di
sillu
sion
ed,"
Bro
nson
sai
d.
,7.
"T
hey
said
th
e jo
b w
asn
't w
hat
they
ha
d ex
pect
ed.
The
y di
dn't
have
a g
ood
gaug
e of
how
th
ey
wer
e do
ing
. M
any
had
land
ed
cove
ted
pOS
ition
s bu
t th
ey
wer
e th
inki
ng
of
chan
ging
jo
bs."
8.
So
Bro
nson
xx
a
wor
ksho
p fo
r M
cGill
st
uden
ts -
~Fir
st Y
ear
on
the
Job:
M
ake
It o
r B
reak
It"
-w
hich
offe
rs s
olid
adv
ice
to h
elp
them
w
ith t
hat t
rans
ition
.
Spe
cial
to T
he G
azet
te
9.
Bro
nson
's
advi
se
is
wel
l-tim
ed.
Thi
s m
onth
, un
iver
sitie
s ar
e un
leas
hing
sc
ores
of
yo
ung
grad
uate
s in
to th
e w
orkp
lace
.
1 O.
"In s
choo
l, st
uden
ts g
et r
egul
ar fe
edba
ck in
th
e fo
rm o
f m
arks
," B
rons
on s
aid.
"T
hey
leam
w
hat's
exp
ecte
d of
them
bec
ause
the
pro
fess
or
give
s th
em a
cou
rse
outli
ne a
nd a
rea
ding
lis
t. W
ork,
on
the
othe
r ha
nd,
is m
ore
fluid
. T
here
ar
e fe
wer
bo
unda
ries
and
not
man
y rig
idly
de
fined
rol
es a
ny m
ore.
11.
"At
scho
ol,
you'
re
alw
ays-
chal
leng
ed
inte
llect
ually
. B
ut t
he c
halle
nges
of
wor
k co
me
in
the
form
of
org
aniz
atio
n an
d pe
ople
. A
t sc
hool
, yo
u ca
n de
cide
how
har
d yo
u w
ant
to
wor
k.
You
may
cho
ose
to e
arn
high
mar
ks o
r be
hap
py w
ith a
C a
vera
ge.
Tha
t do
esn'
t w
ork
at w
ork.
ask
that
per
son
for
basi
c in
fonn
atio
n, s
uch
as
how
to
get
an E
-mai
l ac
coun
t, w
hat t
he p
olic
y is
on
lo
ng-d
ista
nce
phon
e ca
lls,
how
' doe
s th
e ph
otoc
opie
r w
ork,
wha
t ar
e th
e re
stric
tions
on
Inte
rnet
acc
ess,
how
do
you
get
offic
e su
pplie
s an
d ho
w d
oes
the
phon
e sy
stem
wor
k?"
16.
You
r ou
tfit
on t
he f
irst
day
shou
ld b
e in
the
sa
me
vein
as
wha
t yo
ur s
uper
viso
r w
ore
whe
n yo
u w
ere
inte
rvie
wed
for
the
job.
17.
"Err
on
the
side
of
over
dres
sing
," B
onso
n sa
id.
"You
can
get
mor
e ca
sual
lat
er o
n if
that
's
wha
t the
cor
pora
te c
ultu
re p
enni
ts."
18.
Vol
unte
er
for
task
s un
til
your
jo
b de
scrip
tion
beco
mes
cl
ear,
she
said
. "I
f yo
u se
e th
at s
omeo
ne i
s bu
sy s
tuffi
ng e
nvel
opes
, of
fer
to
help
tha
t pe
rson
." In
trodu
ce y
ours
elf
arou
nd
the
wor
kpla
ce
and
"find
so
meo
ne
to
12.
"The
foc
us a
t un
iver
sity
is
pe
rson
al
grow
th.
The
focu
s in
th
e w
orkp
lace
is
ge
tting
re
sults
fo
r th
e or
gani
zatio
n.
Sch
ool
is
an
« T
he
focu
s in
th
e w
ork
pla
ce
is g
ett
ing
res
ult
s fo
r th
e o
rgan
izat
ion
. »
have
lu
nch
with
,"
Bro
nson
sai
d.
But
sh
e w
amed
: "A
void
th
e pe
rson
w
ho
acco
sts
you
at t
he
coffe
e po
t or
th
e , i
ndiv
idua
l ef
fort.
W
ork
is a
te
am
effo
rt.
At
scho
ol,
inde
pend
ence
of
th
inki
ng
is
priz
ed.
At
wor
k,
you
do
it th
e co
mpa
ny w
ay.
At
scho
ol,
you
don'
t ha
ve
to
dem
onst
rate
a l
ot o
f in
itiat
ive.
A
t w
ork,
tak
ing
initi
ativ
e w
ill he
lp y
ou s
tand
out
."
13.
Bro
nson
sa
id
ther
e ar
e m
any'
thi
ngs
grad
uatin
g st
Ude
nts
can
do
to
ease
th
eir
trans
ition
int
o a
care
er.
14.
"( al
way
s ad
vise
th
em
that
, w
hen
they
re
port
for
wor
k on
the
firs
t da
y, n
ot t
o ex
pect
a
lot
of a
ttent
ion
. T
he p
eopl
e in
you
r de
partm
ent
may
be
bu
sy
putti
ng
out
a qu
arte
rly
repo
rt.
Don
't ex
pect
pe
ople
to
st
op
wor
k be
caus
e yo
u're
ne
w;
The
y m
ay
have
de
adlin
es
and
heav
y w
orkl
oads
."
15.
The
answ
er?
"Fin
d a
seni
or s
ecre
tary
or
offic
e m
anag
er i
f yo
ur s
uper
viso
r is
bus
y an
d
wat
er fo
unta
in a
nd p
rom
ises
to f
ill y
ou i
n on
the
in
side
sco
op.
He
may
not
be
the
mos
t di
scre
et'
pers
on:'
19.
Bro
nson
sa
ys
she
advi
ses
grad
uatin
g st
uden
ts "
to k
eep
thei
r ey
es a
nd e
ars
open
and
th
eir
mou
ths
shut
unt
il yo
u kn
ow w
ho e
very
one
is.
20.
Cul
tivat
e'
cour
teou
s re
latio
nshi
ps
with
em
ploy
ees
in
the
, sec
urity
, m
aint
enan
ce
and
supp
ly d
epar
tmen
ts,
she
said
. "Y
ou'll
need
the
ir he
lp o
na
Sat
urda
y w
hen
you
have
to
get
into
th
e bu
ildin
g to
mak
e su
re y
ou v
alue
tha
t xx.
"
21.
Ditt
o fo
r th
e ex
perie
nce
and
expe
rtise
of
olde
r em
ploy
ees.
22.
Get
ting
an u
nder
stan
ding
of
the
corp
orat
e ,
cultu
re -
the
unw
ritte
n ru
les
-is
als
o im
porta
nt,
Bro
nson
sa
id.
For
in
stan
ce,
you
may
ha
ve
11
been
tol
d th
e ho
urs
to w
ork
are
9 to
5,
but
notic
e th
at y
our
colle
ague
s ar
e al
read
y fu
lly i
nto
wor
k m
ode
by 9
a.m
. "T
he n
ext
day,
you
go
in a
t 8:
45.
If, a
t tha
t tim
e, y
ou n
otic
e pe
ople
are
in f
ull-s
win
g,
try
goin
g'in
the
nex
t day
at 8
:30
and
so o
n."
23.
Ano
ther
clu
e to
the
cor
pora
te c
ultu
re
is
in
your
col
leag
ues'
wor
kspa
ces,
she
sai
d.
"Bef
ore
settl
ing
into
you
r of
fice,
cub
icle
or
desk
, ch
eck
out
the
wor
k sp
aces
of
your
ne
w c
o-w
orke
rs.
Do
they
ha
ve
phot
ogra
phs
of
thei
r ch
ildre
n an
d'
plan
ts o
n th
eir
desk
s or
is t
heir
wor
kspa
ce s
tric
tly
wor
k-or
ient
ed?"
she
sai
d.
24.
"Who
m
do p
eopl
e ta
lk f
ondl
y ab
out
in t
he
orga
niza
tion?
W
ho i
s m
ost
resp
ecte
d?
Thi
s w
ill gi
ve
you
a cl
ue
as
to
who
yo
u'll
wan
t as
a
men
tor."
25.
She
sa
id
time-
man
agem
ent
can
be
a ch
alle
nge
for
stud
ents
who
are
new
to
the
wor
k fo
rce.
H
er a
dvic
e?
'
• B
e pu
nctu
al.
• O
bser
ve c
offe
e br
eaks
and
lun
ch s
ched
ules
. If
othe
rs t
ake
only
45
min
utes
for
lun
ch,
take
45
min
utes
, ne
ver
an h
our.
• G
e(
to
mee
tings
' on
time.
O
nly
impo
rtan
t pe
ople
in
an
or
gani
zatio
n ar
rive
late
and
le
ave
early
. •
Lim
it pe
rson
al
phon
e ca
lls
and
E-m
ail
exch
ange
s at
wor
k.
• K
eep
an a
gend
a an
d re
cord
· how
muc
h tim
e yo
u sp
end
on t
asks
so
you
can
repo
rt to
, you
r su
perv
isor
on
how
you
're s
pend
ing
your
tim
e.
• A
nd
final
ly,
she
adde
d,
"avo
id
mak
ing
a bi
g sp
lash
."
• 'W
ha
t m
akes
the
mos
t po
sitiv
e im
pres
sion
is
not
in
show
ing
wha
t yo
u kn
ow
but
in
dem
onst
ratin
g th
e m
atur
ity t
o kn
ow
how
m
uch
you
don'
t kno
w."
The
Gaz
ette
,Apr
il 29
, 20
00.
SURVIVING YEAR 1 ON THE JOB
1. FiH in the chart to make contrasts between the classroom and the workplace.
CLASSROOM WORKROOM 1. 1. 2, 2. 3. 3. 4. 4. 5. 5. 6. 6. 7. 7. 8. 8. 9. 9. 10 . 10.
. 2. Write some tips for employees who are starting their first job.
1. ,., t. ••
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
~~. List new vocabulary and expressions here . .
12
Chronological Resume
32 Gurnett Road Montreal, Qc H3X 3G7
Includes detailed objective in response to advertisement:
OBJECTIVE -r--
Uses present-tense r-verbs for current job:
Chronological format arranges _ jobs and education by dates:
Creates open look with white space around headings:
EXPERIENCE
EDUCATION
SPECIAL SKILLS
HONOURS AND ACTIVITIES
SIMONE AYOTTE
Voice (514) 445-2101 E-mail: [email protected]
Position with financial services organization installing accounting software and providing user support, Where computer experience and proven communication and interpersonal skills can be used to improve operations. .
Accounting software consultant, financial SpeCialists, Hamilton, Ontario June 1998 to present . . • Design and install accounting systems for businesses like 21 $I
Century Real Estate, Healthco Insurance, Aurora Lumber Company, and others.
• Provide ongoing techniCal support and consultation for regular clients ..
;, Help write proposals, such as recent one that won $250,000 contract.
Office manager (part-time), Post Premium, Toronto, Ontario June 1997 to May 1998 • Conceived and implemented improved order processing and
filling' system . .. Managed computerized accounting system; trained new
employees to use it. • Worked with team to develop local area network. Was
complimented by Vice President Rogers as a team player and one who takes initiative. .
Bookkeper (part time), Sunset Avionics, Hamilton, Ontario August 1996 to May 1997 • Kept books for small airplane rental and repair service. • Performed all bookkeeping functions including quarterly internal
audit. .
Mohawk College, Hamilton, Ontario Working toward a diploma in accounting; 25 out of 40 . credits completed.
Humber College, Toronto, Ontario. Certificate in bookkeeping, 1996 GPA3.6/4.0
Computer Associates training seminars, summer and fall 1997 ~ertificate of completion Seminars in consulting ethics, marketing, and ACCPAC accounting software
• Proficient in WordPerfect, PageMaker, Lotus 1-2-3, and Excel. . • Skilled in ACCPAC Plus, MAS90, and Solomon IV accounting
software. • Trained in technical writing, including proposals and
documentation. • Experiences in using Internet and Web resources in problem
solving. • Fluent in French.
Dean's list, 3 semesters Member, Beta Alpha Gamma (business student honorary) Member, Academic Affairs Advisory Committee, Mohawk College, 1999-2000
13
DESCRIBING A TECHNICAL DEVICE
Brand name
Category
Weight
Size
Colors
Cost
Materials
Features
Advantages
Disadvantages . .
Other comments
New vocabulary 1
2
3 ,
4
5
6
7 ,
8
14
Describing objects: Dimensions and measurements
1. Review vocabulary used to describe dimensions of objects by filting in the chart below. Be sure to use objects that are common in your own field of ~d~! '
a long highway a short bridge the length of the highway a wide a high atal! a thick a deep a big a heavy
2. Draw a simple sketch of an object related to your field of studies and include the approximate dimensions. Write sentences that describe the dimensions.
3. Briefly describe the object to your partner using the correct structures to describe dimensions.
15
DESCRIBING A TECHNICAL DEVICE
Fill in the following worksheet to help you organize your presentation of an object such as a machine or tool that is used in your profession.
A. DIMENSIONS AND MEASUREMENTS
a) How much does is weigh?
It weighs _____________ _
b) How long is it? What is its length?
It is _____ -'--_______ cm long.
c) How wide is it? What is its width?
It is _____________ cm wide.
d) How high is it? What is its height?
It is _____________ cm high.
e) How thick is it? What is its thickness?
It is ---,-__ --_-------cm thick ..
B. SHAPE AND COLOUR
1. What shape does it have?
It's (rectangular) in shape.
It's a (cylinder) .
. . 2. What color is it?
It's black. It's transparent.
C. MATERIALS
What's it made of?
It's (plastic).
The outer case is made of _______ . The interior is _____ _
D. FUNCTION/PURPOSE
What is the function of the object? What is it used for? What is its use?
It's used for making _. ______________ _
16
It's used for measuring ______________ _
E. COST
. How much does it cost? Is it expensive?
It costs approximately ______ _
F. INSTRUCTIONS
How does it operate?
Do you need any special skill to operate it?
17
MATERIALS AND PROPERTIES ·
Fill in the blanks with the vocabulary that you find in the information.
MATERIAL PROPERTY (ADJECTIVE) PROPERTY (NOUN)
Rubber Elastic Elasticity
. 18
ENGINEERINQ MATERIALS AND PROPERTIES \ .
An eraser is made of rubber. Rubber is an engineering material. If you bend it between your fingers it changes
. shape. When you release it, it regains its original shape. Rubber is very elastic. Elasticity is a property of some engineering materials.
If you hit a piece of glass it breaks. Glass is very brittle. Brittleness is a property of glass.
Nails are made of a tough material. If you hit one with a· hammer it doesn't break.
Electrical wires are covered with plastic. Plastic is a bad . conductor of electricity. If you touch the plastic you don't get
an electric shock. The wire is made of copper. Copper is a good conductor of electricity. Plastic, however, is an
. insulator. Copper is also a good conductor of heat.
You cannot scratch glass easily. However, if you scratch an aluminum saucepan with a nail it leaves a mark. Glass is a hard material but aluminum is quite soft.
Exercise1 Are these statements true or false? Correct the false ones.
1. Rubber is a very brittle material. 2. If you strike a brittle material, it doesn't break. 3. Plastic is a good conductor of electricity. 4. When you hit a tough material with a hammer, it breaks easily. 5. A spring is elastic. 6. Glass is soft and brittle .
. 7. Some pots are made of copper because it is a good conductor of electricity. 8. An elastic material changes its shape easily.
19
-Material Property Examples of uses
Compressive Machine. beds Cast iron strength Machine frames (strong in
iron compression) . component
Wrought iron Tensile Crane hooks . strength Railway couplings (strong in tension)
Mild steel t~ Shear Rivets . .. mild steel strength
Bolts component (strong in
. J shear)
medium carbon steel component /
Medium carbon
~ Impact Axles
steel ..... Strength Hammer heads (tough)
20
FOUR PROPERTIES
It is important to know the properties of engineering materials. For example, steel is used for making girders because it is an elastic metal. Cast iron is never used for making girders because it is brittle. The properties of a material determine its use.
Malleability: It is easy to roll a malleable material into a new shape. A malleable material does' not fracture easily LInder pressure. Gols is extremely malleable. It is possible to roll gold into very thin sheets. Copper is very malleable and so is lead. Glass is not at all malleable and nor is cast iron. It is very easy to fracture glass with a hammer. Cast iron also fractures easily.
Ductility: It is easy to draw a ductile material. It does not fracture and it retains its new shape. Copper is extremely duetile. Tin is very ductile and so is aluminum. Steel is not very ductile and nor is lead. It is very difficult to draw lead into thin wire because it fractures easily.
Elastici'ty: An elastic material · stretches easily . under stress. However, remove the stress · and. it does not retain its new shape. Rubber is extremely elastic. Some steels are quite elastic. Glass is not at all elastic . .
Durability: A durable material does not corrode easily. Under normal conditions, glass is very durable and so are plastics. Among the metals, chromium is extremely durable · and so is platinum. Gold is quite durable and so is aluminum.
21
::1)::' =z
(I) 2 :
PROCESS AND .PROCEDURES
FIRES
There are different types of fires, and there are different instructions for puttiQg them out. .
ry", A
Wood. 1)Q1)4!'. I~athe~ ~tt. ore MOm,"o.blt rna~l'riall
Type a
Oil. I)4!trol etc gIl' rlcrnmcble liQuids
TYPE A - FLAMMABLE MATERIALS
'1. First, remove all dangerous materials near the fire.
2. Next, close all windows and ventilators.
~3. . Then, throw water over the fire.
TYPE B - FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS
'I. First, remove all containers to a safe place.
2. Next, close all windows and ventilators.
Ty" C
Elecrlicol Equipment
3. Then, use the correct fire extinguisher. Do not throw water over this type of .
fire. Extinguish it with CO2 or foam.
TYPE C - ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
1. First, switch off the equipment at the main switch.
~~. Then, use the correct fire extinguisher. Do not use water on an electrical
fire. Do not use foam on it. Extinguish it with CO2 . '
22
WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE A WATER FILTRATION PLANT
~====:::;:::=!.J er.'!~.'i$'::~ Clear well,: /':,
Sourc.: CoorJIa o.p.nn-.c "'N~ I\oooorc ..
PAIGE aMOOOCK' Sujf
~,,,<, . :;:;::::~---'''''' ~
Number the sentences below in the correct order to represent the process of water filtration . .
WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE A WATER FILTRATION PLANT . More chemicals are added during coagulation to help start the process of flocculation. . '
After passing through the sedimentation tank, the water is filtered throughsand, gravel and hard coal before being chlorinated.
Water is then held in the clear well at the plant to give the chlorine time to , kill any remaining bacteria before the water enters the distribution system.
Once withdrawn from the river, the water enters a ~Iash mixer, where chemicals such as activated carbon, fluoride, 'lime chlorine and alum are rapidly mixed into the water.
Particles in the water congeal into a mass heavy enough to settle during the sedimentation process. .
23
THE PRODUCTION OF PAPER
Notice the use of the passive in the following example.
Paper is a common material that is used throughout the world. It has been made from various plants, such as rice and papyrus, and used to be made by hand. Today wood is the chief . source of paper, and most of the work is done by machines. Paper can be made from wood pulp by either a mechanical or a chemical process.
In the mechanical process, the wood is ground into small chips. During the grinding, it is sprayed with water to keep it from burning from the friction of the grinder. Then the chips are soaked in water.
In the chemical process, first the wood is washed, and then it is cut into small pieces by a chipping machine. Thewood is then cooked in certain chemicals. After cooking, the wood is washed to get rid of the chemicals.
the pulp that results from either the mechanical or chemical process is then drained to form a thick mass. Next it is bleached in chlorine and then thoroughly washed again . . Then the pulp is put through a machine that squeezes the water out and forms the pulp into long sheets. Next the pulp sheets pass through a drier and a press. Then they are wound into rolls.
24
'THE PASSIVE VOICE '
Describing a process
Put the verbs in brackets into the qppropriate form, using the passive when necessary.
The Production of Paper
From trees to pulp ,
The trees _____________ (transport) to the paper mill by truck, train or ship.
First the bark (remove). ' This _____ - ___ _
(burn) at a later stage so that energy can (generate) for the paper-making
process. Then the logs (cut) into chips and
----'---'-____ ---- (cook) under high pressure for four hours to make paper pulp. Next
the "pulp (bleach) to
(remove) dirt spots and improv~ its aging properties .
. From pulp to paper
The manufacturing process also _________ ___,_ (require) chemicals to strengthen
the paper. The fibres (mix) with . additives . and
_______ --'-___ (dilute) with water. This mixture __________ _
(spray) onto the paper machine where it (press), then
_______ ~_ (dry) and _____________ (wind) onto one large
reel which weighs up to 20 tons. Each part of the process ____________ _
(control) by computers which automatically correct any errors.
25
CHANGE TO THE PASSIVE VO'ICE
Example: Someone built that house ten years ago. ACTIVE. Response: That house was built ten years ago. PASSIVE.
1. Someone invited you to go to a party. 2. Someone wrote that book in 1980. 3. John Smith wrote that book in ·1980. 4. People grow rice in many countries. 5. Columbus discovered the New World. 6. The secretary is typing a letter. , 7. Teachers teach reading in the first grade. 8. Someone told you to be here at ten o'clock. 9. Someone pliblished that book in 1981 . 10. People produce coffee in Brazil. 11. The mailman delivered the mail at noon. 12. Someone made that hat in Mexico. 13. , Someone will serve dinner at six. 14. Someone is going to serve dinner at six. 15. Someone will announce the news tomorrow. 16. Someone will give the examination next week. 17 . Someone has paid the bill. 18. Someone has made a mistake. 19. Someone has watered the plants. 20. The teacher is giving a test in the next room right now. 21. The teacher is asking you to use the passive.
Write these sentences in the passive voice. Do you need "by" or not?
1. Some men studied the equipment and lay-out of the hot-water system. 2. He used a section diagram to ' show the construction arid operation of the industrial
installations. 3. The doctor will use a thermometer to take your temperature. 4. To perform the experiment, you connect two rods through an external electrical circuit, and
this will induce a chemical reaction. 5. We use this type of cell for generating intermittent currents of low voltage, espeCially in
electric bell circuits. 6. Writers have described the experiment in much simpler language. 7. Students require a fair amount of knowledge and skill before they attempt technical
description (2 passives). . 8. Twelve of the students need more practice. 9; When you connect the two rods, they will transmit power (2 passives). 10. The pressure of the float-borne lever closed the valve.
26
THE PRODUCTION OF ALUMINUM
Here are some words and expressions related to the mining industry ' and aluminum. Make sure that you understand each item. Learn to pronounce and spell each word correctly.
1. Bauxite is mined in tropical countries and shipped by freighters to Quebec for processing.
2~ " Bauxite ore 'is mined and delivered to smelters.
, 3. The crushed bauxite is processed to dissolve alumina from the ore.
4. Aluminum and oxygen are separated by electricity in the smelting process.
5. This reaction takes place in large pots through which a direct current is passed. , ,
6. Then the aluminum settles to the bottom of the pot.
7.. Next, the molten aluminum is treated to ensure purity~
8. The molten metal passes through troughs and filters.
9. At this time alloys are added to increase strength or provide special properties.
10 . . After this, the metal is cast into ingots , of various shapes.
11. Some of the final shapes are sheet, plate or foil products, or extrusions.
12. The world headquarters of Alcan are in Montreal.
13.' Aluminum has many uses: beverage cans, siding, construction frame systems, automotive parts; aircraft parts, electrical cable, and many more.
Aluminum is found in nature in combination with other minerals, so a process is required to retrieve it. First bauxite is mined and the ore is crushed. Then in a chemical process, aluminum and oxygen, or alumina, are separated' form the ore. Following this, there is an electrolytic process in which the alumina is dissolved and the aluminum settles. At this time other ingredients are added to increase strength and provide other needed properties. Then the molten aluminum is cast into Ingots for fabricating. Finally the ingots are processed into various forms including sheets, foil and plate products.
27
. THI; WOR.LD OF ALCAN
1. Read the section of the text according to your number in yO~Jr group. As you read, fill in the worksheet for your section. (15 minutes)
2. Prlesent the information using the ·completed worksheet. (40 minutes)
3. As you listen to the speakers in your group, fill hi the worksheet.
AII.students~--pages 1-5 Student 1---pages 6-9
. Student 2--pages 10-15 Student 3---pages 16-19 Student 4---pages 20-23
Worksheet 1 : Alean : A GlobalNetwork
1. AI in nature
2. . TranspOitation of AI
3. Location of Alcan facilities
4. Process of smelting AI
5. Alcan and hydroelectricity
6. Other Alea", activities
Worksheet 2 : Containers and Packaging, Byilding and Construction
1. Four main uses of AI :
28
2. Use of AI in beverage industry
3. Use of AI for packaging
4, Use of AI in construction
5. Use of AI in France
6. Use of AI in Malaysia
7. Use of AI offshore
Worksheet 3 : Transportation, Electrical, New Directions
1. Use of AI in car parts ·
2. Use of ASvr
3. Use of AI in Jaguars
4. Use of AI in aerospace
5~ Use of AI in rail industry
6. .Use of AI in boats
7. Use of AI in electrical industry
8. Future uses of AI and research
Worksheet 4 : Alcan in the Community
1. Alcan's smelters -------------------------------------------2. Alcan's protection of environment
3. Recycling ·of beverage cans _____________ ---'-________________ _
4. Alcan scholarships ___________________________ ~~ ____ _
5. Alcan support of cultural activities
. 6. Alcan in India ____ -,---_~ ________________________ ___
29
ALCAN VOCABULARY
headquarters freighters
. ~;melters lids
~;iding hulls
skilled supplies
due to
alloys
amounts .
rigs
inroads .
leading
forefront
challenges
raw
foil
1. Alcan aluminum to · many end-use markets including the transportation, packaging and electrical.industries . .
2. Aluminum is used for beverage cans --,--~~ __ .;........; __ the metal's recyclability.
3. Alcan is making __________ in the rail industry.
4. Alcan'sare located in Montreal.
5. The annual production ___________ t6 more than 1.6 million tonnes.
6. Bauxite is the ~ ______ material from which aluminum is made.
7. Alcan is a self-sufficient company with assets in ___ "'--___ , mines and fabricating plants.
8. Alcan is a ________ manufacturer of aluminum-base.d products.
9. Alcan is at the _---,-_--,-_---,-__ of its industry.
10. Aluminum __ ~ ____ are used to make __________ and masts for boats.
11. Some new containers have peelable aluminum _----,-_______ _
12. Aluminum ________ is found in most residential kitchens.
13. Alcan employs many talented and _____ .,---___ people.
14. Bauxite is shipped to Quebec in huge .,--_-'--____ _
15. Many homes in Quebec are covered with aluminum ________ _
16. Alcan faces the markets.
30
of global competition and ' shifting world
~The Ekati Diamond Mine™. Ynu ~He st~l!\ding at the Ekati Dia1110lHI J'vlinc D.1, ~lbout 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and 200 kilometres south of the . Circle. BHP Billiton's mine im
. block covers 344,000 hectares and is Iwme to Canada's first diamond mine.
The Ekari Diamond Mine™ was the largest construction project completed North of the
. Canadian treeline. ktook an incredible amount of dedication and hard work [0 get the mine up
. and running in the harsh sl,lb-arctic environment. During the construction phase, more than 40 ' ' million kilograms of building materials, trucks, diesel fuel and food were moved by truck over the 475 kilometn~ ice road from Yellowknife to the mine . .
Tlte pwkcr ,O$t ;\!m<)st $')00 million CDN. It took nearly ;1 decade of planning, approv;ds and work . to build. The Ekari Diamond Mine™ opened for business on October 14, 1998 - ~afely, on time' anJ on budger.
This is a land ofaxtr:emes. The mine operates in ol1eof the harshest climates on earth. A solid layer of snow and ICe cOvers · the land for more than eight months of the year. . Temperatures drop to a frigid -400 Celsius for long periods during winter. Exposed skin freezes in seconds at this temperature. The sun barely rises abOve the horizon from mid-December to the end of January.
What's in a name? ' The area around the Ekati Diamond Mine rM was traditionally known as "s'kati" by tile Dogrib and Dene peoples of the Northwest Territories. Ekati means "fat lake . .. and refers to the white quartz rock which is found in abundance in the area. Tfl~J white qlk"'lrtz veins that run through the rock £lie s.aid to look iike caribou fat. Which is seen as ,~ svmbol of great value 10 Ihe Aboriginal .' peoples in northern Canada.
31
Dis;covery i\iillillg (pre is a c()l1lbin:Hiol1 olgrl'at iinds, hugeho;)xcs
and pr()"pl'~tors who ,lren't afr;lid to <lrl::';1111. F:or ye;us, In()sr mining inliusrryillSidcrs helieved that
f finding '~l :ino, .. v,hafl ill rhe Sclhara : J
Desertwoutd bccasier, and more .likely, than discovering diamonds 'in rhe Canadian Arctic. However, two Illen were determined to turn this mining myth into a reality.
Charles Fipk~, a , getilogist from British Colurnbi;, began his search for
, diamonds in 1981. In 1983 Fipke formed Dia Met Minerals Ltd. to fund exploration for northern diamonds; Charles Apke
Fipke followed the trail of Ice Age glacier!) across the tundra to the Lac de Gras region of the Northwes! Territories. Along the, way he and his crewsco).Jred rocky olltcrops for traces of indicato.r minerals slIch as garnets, olivines and chrome diopsides. These are caiied indicaror minerals becau:>e they signal the presence of potentially diamond-bearing kimberlite nearby.
It would be 10 more years of prospecting, drilling ;'tnd samplir~ before Fipke, and fellow geologist Dr. Stewart Blusson, were to find diamonds in the tundra. The year be·fore diamonds were discovered in the Lac de Gras area, 13HP BiIliton (then BHP) joined the Fipke-Blusson team. In September 1990, m-IP Billiron and Dia Met· Minerals Ltd. signed an
32
0,: Sfp.warl . Blusson
exploration ;lgrcenlelH to fund ;1 larger ,mel mure .tggressive di;'tl11ond exploration program.
The I\llll11ClltOllS day of dis.:ovcricarnc in 1-991, when Fipke, his crew a~d a group of BHP Hilliton geophysicists hi by Ray Ashley. discovered the
first kimbITjit~2iPe under Point Lake, near the present mi.ne site. A core bole was drilled under the lake. After drilling throCgh 400 feet of rock, Ihe hole pcncrr;'ttcd the first kimberlire pipe, Tbe crew extracred <l tot:11 of 81 diamonds from a 59 kilogram core· sample. Fipke and Blusson's dream became a reality thut .started oue of the largest staking r,ushes in Canadian mining hist.ory. Drilling under a lake.
Every diamonQ mined at the Ekati Diamond Mine"" carries a legacy of determination and strength.
BHP Hilliton cStill1iHt'S
th;H [h~ Ekati Diamond Nlinel'\1
wiil operate for the next 16 yea rs or
more. Every year the mille produces four to five millioll carats ot~3!!:!gh.gem-qLlality Ji;11110nds. That amounts to nearly four percent of current world diamond. production by weight and six percent by value.
Blasting the gems out of the gmnite <\Od .P~.!.!.T!.':!f!~t is expensive. There is nbout $140-million worth of equipment on sire. A lor of it doesn't last very lorig in the tough tundra environment; For example, the 10 5/8-inch,drill
bits that are lls~d to blnst holes in the pit are worth several thousand dollars each,
and they're g~d for :j.hout 100 hotes.
You may noticethata lot of the equipment at the mine is
enormous in size. A fleet ·of 13 CAT 79.3C (240 ton) trucks
and I2 CAT 777D (90 ton) trucks haul thousands of tonnes of rock out of the pit every day. The tires
on the CAT 793C trucks stand .3,6 metres high and cost around $30,000.
each.
If YOll get;} look at rhe Fox Pit, YOll
will sec the largest piece of machinery at the Ekati Diam(md MineI'M - the
$12.6 milliilll DEM,\(; II ydraulic Shovel. This (;~l~;;Di" liial:hille weighs 640 [onncs ;ll1d ·rno.ves with 4,onO horsepower. Irs Illas5ive bucker holds 3.1 cuhic metres ()f
. ki Illberlite ore iIi one 'sC(;(;~l~'Tt-'~lkes just two minutesro fill a..!li!!!L trllck with an aver.\ge of four scoops of waste rock or kimberlite ore.
33
Frozen Core Dams and Thermosyphons You may notice a number of frozen core dams and Ihermosyphons around the minesite. They .have been developed for a numb€!r of reasons, but basically to stop water from flowing where
.. we don't want it 10 be.
Each dam contains many thefmosyphons which help to keep the [J[QJ.JDc:J-.fro:Z'en. A thermosyphon is a long pipe that is·cfoslild on both ends. One· end of the pipe IS buried in the ground along the frozen core dam. The top stioks out of the ground. The pipe is filled with liquid carbOn dioxide (CD?) which is very cold and flows up and down /he pipe. During Ihis process heat is transferred ;rom below the ground to the air above.
As the cold C02 liquid flows down the pipe it keeps the ground frozen. Below ground some of the CO, heats lip (the ground is waimer than the aif) and rums into a vapour. The vapour rises to the top of the pipe carrying heat from the grQund wirh it. Once above ground, the CO. turns into a cold liquid and th.e whole process starts again. If there are enough thermosyphons spaced closa together, the ground will be frozen year round and will {arm a frozen core dam.
Logistics Operating the Ekati Di'lmond iYline'\' in a remote ttlndl:a environment takes a lot of plan.ning. Everything YOll see :It the mine - from the food in the cafeteria to the huge.dump truc~s in the pits -has been brought to the li1ine either by plane or via seasonal. ic~ xoad.
Most goods <lre trucked here via a 475 kilometre winter road that winds oyer frozen lakes and streams from YeUo";;knife to the mine. The road is open for eight to twelve weeks each winter before the ~prhlg t~aw begins. Materials that arc moved by truck iIiclude diesel fuel, tires' and ammonium nitrate and f-;:;i·ght. Employees,
:11 -Ekati ~iamond Minew
vi~ir()rs, .111e! ll1aterials ~uch as food ;lnd'(,lI"h III ·lters ;11'(, fl.)"1.'11 ro the mine.·
Here is what it takes to make Ekati run: Accommociation There arc 683 hedrooms in seven thrce.s·torcy dotmitory blocks.
Dining .Room and Kitchen The dining room seats 250 persons at any on; time. Food arrives twice weekly yia chartered 737 and DC4 aircraft.
Here are some of the items on the weekly .Ekati shopping list:
Flour . ...... .. ...... . . 1.400 kilOS Rice . ....... . ....... . . . 240 kilos Coffee . .. ... ...... . .... 211 kilos Chicken ............... .400 kffos Mifk ................... 1,900 kilos Juice .... : . . . . . . . . . . . . '130 cases Oranges ....·.. . ...... . .40 cases Bananas ........ . ... . . . 24 cases Apples ................ 30 cases .
Communications . With 48 tnink lines and 1100 telephone lines reaching the rest of the world via satellite, the mine site has the ninth largest exchange in NorthwesTel's operating area, which includes the Norrhwest Territories, Yukon and nonhern British Columbia. A privati: cellular network allows wireless communication anywhere on the i
. property. A microwayc communications system !! is utilized at Misery. ~
34
Processing Diamonds The Process Plant is the 'heart' of !ll~l)i!1g'()p~r3tioll~,It is one of the largest buildings in the Northwest Territories.· It is here that about 12,000 tannes of kirnberlite ore per da y is processed. ---.. ----
Out of (his large ;:unollnt of ore, Ekati produces, on avt~rage, J 5,000 carats of diamonds ;\ Jay. This would be enough rouglu!iam.J.?!]ds to fill a one litre can of coffee.
Sorting and Valuation Facility The BHP Billiron Sorting and Valuation Facility (SVf) is the first one of its kind in North America, The SVF is located in Yellowknife near the airport. Rough diamonds are flown from the Ekari
BHP Bilfiton Sorling.and' Valuation Facility
' Diamond Mine™ to the SVE every five weeks. Trained. employees sort the diamonds according to their value. The government of Canada values the diamonds for taxation purposes before the diamonds
are sent to Antwerp, Belgium to be sold. A Cariada Customs agent inspects the rough diamonds at the SVF which means that the heatsealed packages of rough diamonds sent to BHP I>illiton's Antwerp sales office, are not re-opened until they arrive in Europe, ensuring their protection and security.
'!lI
Here is how it works:
a High Pressure Grinding ~oll"
Crushing. ·Scrubblng ilod Screening
35
e ,Diamond Se-paratl~n
Ol.mond Recovory .
1 . Crushing and Scrubbing The ora ~ CfIJShed tJNJ mOiled /0 rotamg du1lS caJIOO ~ andrhM SCtlJbbed lMIh wtIter /0 breaIc cbwn the soli kiIrlbetfta. ora and days. The oro is rhM fed onto a vibiallng SCreen, lhis step IW1OVOS walflf and va-)' /fn& rock and separatastfltl 019 into diffoiiinfSiros. '
2. Grinding . JI.\W. hifIJ presstI8 gind'lg rolls MJ USDd to ·ft.rIh6t breakcbNn the wasJ:oad and saubbed om ilIa smaIfer sires. ~ /hi$, I1HJ material is ago;' ~. wilhwater. F'trIfJ s8nd and gP/ fXO(i.x;:ed dtmg!FOOng is removed by vibrotng Screens. '
3~ Diarnond Separation The ora is SM/ to '/li,avy medium ..p,."tkn C)'Cb'Ies' Which ar .. fiI/OO with water and fetrosiIcon, Thehoovy malollals; SUCh as rJiamond!J, gamB~. CJiNtI9 and c./IronHJ dlQp,sida sk* 10 the bottom. . The ~flf matOOals. such as·grnnife and /drnbeitIQ 'l7Oae' on the . soooca as rejects. The diaTnoncI$ and hOOvy lTlirKr.l/$.are collected and transpotted 10 too /iiTalIeCov<l/)l soctlon.
4. Diamond. Recovery Tnls is the last sl"fJ in ~ 100 diBmonds.. Nere. too he<Ny """,,!lis are passed tflrovgh x-my mschines. Diamonds are easily
spotled in tIli$ tHtlC6SS beCause lhey Mit tight ...oon /hey are exposed 10 X-tays, The diamonds am cleaned. wei9hOO. padQ1ged .and sent to 100 Sorting and Valva/jon FaciKty h 'ttiIoWlmif",
Koala In ./ uly 200 I wt: ,[;lrtL'lI2~::m~ l'p,~~11:!. rhe Ktlah Pit, :1I1d tlwn (:.t:': p~·(),.It!~[iOl~ hegan in ".lriy 20tH .
The iVlining Process A small lake nm:e covered the Koal'l Pit .II','; \' Bdore mini1lg, we fished out rhe hke ming tCllliri<mal knowledge ,of the local Aboriginal people ;1I1d then ~c-~~!le:.~<!..it . Once tht~ lake was <it.: watered, we removed thc rcmaining lake botrum sediments, tills, and ovcrburden from within rhc footprint of the pi! design. Some portions, which contained precious nutrients, have becn kept ior reclanl'!!ion purposes. Then we were ready to
begin mining waste rock and kimberlitc,
Waste rock (granitc), which surrounds the kimberlite ore, is drilled and blasted to reduce it to a manageable material. Once blasted the granite is hauled to the waste rock piles or to the Crusher where it is crushed and used for building roads and other construction activities.
The kimberlite ore, oric~ blasted, is haulc:dto the Proc;;~s Plant to begin the process of liberating the diam.onds from the ore.
Waste Rock Pile
C),:~{)r.·'l ··~ • '-' ;,,-.J '-'
Over 250 employees work in Mine
npcr;)rinm. There .11'1:
nver -I') L'quipment operators. including ~hovd. IO;IJel', and haul
"r;:;llJS . .9perat~ on -Z';d," Totatio!l. Each rorarion .llso h3Sabol1t 20 drill and blast team members ;lnt! 20 Mine Services tca m tnem bers.
There are 28 people in the Engineering Department - including surveyors, tcchnicl<ms, geol{)gists and short and long te~m planning engineers_
36
Koala underground development (future)
Key Statistics for Koal~
Cunent diameter
~.?POSed depth
~:?.E.0sed ,:!"d of mine lifa
'900 metres
. 230 m etres
____ ~~~~~005 ______ _
THE BUSINESS MEETING: THE CHAIR
1. The role of the chair is to
• Start and end on time • Introduce objective and agenda • Introduce speakers • Define time limits for contributions • Control discussion, hear all views • Summarize discussion at key points • Ensure that key decisions are written
down by the secretary • Ensure that decisions and conclusions
are clear and understood • Define action to be taken and individual
responsibilities
2. Useful expressions for the chair
a. Opening the meeting Thank you for coming ... Let's start: .. Any comments on our previous meeting?
b. Introducing the agenda
c.
d.
On the agenda, you'll see there are three items. There is one main item to discuss.
Stating objectives .. We're here today to hear about plans for ... Our objective is to discuss different ideas. What we wantto do today is to reach a decision .. .
Introducing discussion The background to the problem is ... The point (the issue) we have to understand is ...
e. Calling on a speaker I'd like to ask Marie to tell us about... Can we hear from Mr. Stuart on this?
. f. Controlling the meeting Sorry, Bob, can we let Marie finish?
g. Summarizing So, what you're saying· is .. .
h. Moving the discussion on Let's move on to the next point.
i. ClOSing the meeting I think we can close the meeting now. That's it The next meeting will be .. .
Opt-n Iht-'~onq
• IFMIt' IFl1TOduCtlOnS 110m p.1IllCJPol'lI\ fl' l'IeCesScllYl • e!IpI;IIn purpcM of mrt"fIlVJ .p'~~ • ~s ground ruJes!whO ~.-s.when IOspe.lll. d«~ flq
I M~ lO.he first porn! I onlhe~
l H.lnd fM'f to;onoll'ln p:rSOl'I J
I IJnn!iPeoPre 11110 I Iht dlscussoon I : SlOp peopII: tallttnq I
1 .~i1C1NeIy Ask lor rcpefIhOn I L OICtonIIc.1hDn
I Priwnl errt/eV0InCt:
. I P..,..ptvMC J I
I=:, St.tmnIiIn!e I , I
I Movt 10 !tIP not po!rII I I
I Control decMII1-maltr1Q J I
I ~roIfow..Up ra511 I I
I ~mmonq I • 1/WIIt p.V1IClp.1I1I\ • .VlIlOtII1Ct: ~ me'fttnq
ilCIAI.I$lNf.i;~~~ c::MAIRING .Slillflflg
• MowIg alOng
• BltAgInIJ n'uClPPl1l9 PflESENTING . . • FIIlUhlng TURN-TAKING AND DEAlING WlTHOUESTIONS • cQITlIIlIj In
• handlngor'l
ASKING OUESTIONS lISTENING
ClJ\RlfYlNG INFORMATION
CONSIOERATION . FOIl OTHeRS
RECOMMENDING
I SlYlE
• \peed • m.'I/lneI' • polde IOImS
37
BUSINESS, MEETING 1: POLLUTING THE RIVER
Introduction
1. You are the managing director of a factory. You discover that your manufacturing process pollutes the environment. Do you:
a. try to hide the facts? b. do everything you can to stop the pollution? c. prepare an emergency plan forwhen the news leaks out? d. invite the press to visit you "environment-friendly" factory?
2. The news of the pollution gets out and is published in the press. Do you:
a. deny the facts? b. admit everything? c. cover up? .
. d. explain that it can't be helped?
3. The local authorities say you will be prosecuted if the pollution is notstopped immediately. Do you:
a. ask for money from them to cover the cost of changing the production process? b. threaten to close the factory? c. pretend to accept their orders and do nothing? d. move to another area?
4. You agree to stop polluting, but this will c,ldd 50% to production costs. Do you:
, . a. ask the unions for permission to cut wages by 50%? b. sack half the workforce? c. increase prices by 50%? d. save money by using cheaper parts?
5. You are fined for pollution. Do you:
a. pay the fine and carry on polluting? .' b. refuse to pay because the firm will go bankrupt if you do? c. appeal? d. make a generous donation to the local ecology party?
6, You are sacked by the parent company because of the pollution scandal. Do you:
a. publish proof that the president knew all about the pollution before you did? b. retire and write you memoirs? c. apply for a job with the firm's main competitor? d. do a university course in environmental studies?
38
POLLUTING THE RIVER
Situation
Your company, Coldpoint, makes refrigerators at a factory in Bismarck, the capital city . of North Dakota, USA. It is the subsidiary of a Canadian firm whose headquarters are in Hamilton, Ontario. The head office of this US subsidiary is at a modem factory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the company's freezers are made. The Canadian parent
. firm is the market leader in North America, and your company is the number one on the US market, selling up-market refrigerators and freezers. All your products sell under the brand name "Coldpoint", which is very well-known and has an excellent image. '
The Bismarck factory was built some 33 years ago, and employs 600 of the 48,000 people living in the town. This makes it the second 'largest employer in the town, and a major contributor to the local economy, not least because North Dakota is sparselY populated and Bismarck is over 150 kilometres away from any other large town. Coldpoint is regarded as a reasonable employer; pay, working conditions and job security there are good. .
It is common knowledge in the factory that chemical waste from the manufacturing . process drains into the stream which . flows through the factory site and on into the Missouri River. This has been happening for as long as the factory has been there. The pollution it causes is low-level, but the damaging effects on the stream and its
. animal and plant life seem to have got worse as production has increased. No complaints have been made about this, but a journalist from a local paper has now asked to visit the factory as part of a report that they are preparing on pollution ' in the area.
The Canadian parent company doesn't know about this problem at all, and the US managers have been very careful to keep the information from it. Fortunately for the subsidiary, Canadian policy is not to interfere with US affairs, provided business is good, but the company is very sensitive about problems of pollution.
You are meeting today to decide if your company should do anything about the pollution.
You must decide with your colleagues:
• how serious the problem is ,
• what, if any, action should be taken
39
LOCATION OF COLDPOINT FACTORY AND SURROUNDING AREA
Location of Coldpoint factory and surrounding area
40
BUSINESS MEETING 2: QUALITY AND PERSONNEL
. Introduction .
The aim of your company is total quality: the best possible quality for every product, service, action, communication, department and level. What do you do in these situations and why?
1. Your latest sales brochure contains a spelling mistake. Do you:
a. hope nobody notices? . b. have it reprinted? . c. correct the mistake by hand? d. sack the person responsible?
2. One of your factories has consistently more faulty products than the others. Do you:
a. . close it down? b. invest heavily in more machinery? c. appoint a new quality manager? d. consult the trade unions about the problem?
3. Customers complain that your switchboard operator is always rude. Do you:
. a. send his on the training course? b. replace him with an automatic switchboard with music? c. . do nothing, because he acts as a filter for unimportant calls? d. hire someone else to do the job? .
4. The budget for washing your fleet of vans has gone up again. Do you:
a. decide it is worth it because of the good image it gives of the company? b. stop washing your vans? c. get the drivers to wash them themselves? d. repaint the vans a colour which does not show the dirt?
5. Your workers are demanding company help for sports activities. Do you. choose:
a. football, to develop team spirit in the firm? b.judo, to develop a competitive spirit in the firm? c. jogging, because it won't cost much? d. cycling, because nearly everyone will be able to join in?
6. To improve worker involvement do you:
a. install "ideas boxes" in which employees can insert their ideas written on pieces of paper?
b. set up "quality circles"? c. change working methods so · employees participate in the complete production
process? d. inform workers otall impo'rtant decisions in a monthly letter?
41
Quality and Personnel
Situation
Your company makes video cassette recorders (VCRs). The name of the company and the products is Nagoya, the same as the city where the head office and Japanese factory are based. You also have a factory in Newport, Wales.
You are in a highly competitive market. You compete with the Japanese giants, with competitively-priced South Korean products and with European VCRs. Your market share in Europe is small, but growing slowly.
There is one problem: quality at the Newportfactory. It's a very modern factory, opened only five years ago. It's actually more modern than the Japanese factory, and productivity is just as good as in Japan. However, quality is not as good; although the factory in Newport makes your up-market multi-standard VCRs, there are far fewer problems withthelower.,.priced, simpler products importedfrom Japan.
Latest figures for the total number of recorders sent back by users, or rejected after . random checks at the end of the production line are:
Newport 1.02% Nagoya 0.~6%
Today you are meeting .at the factory in Newport to find out why there are nearly three times as many defective products in Wales as in Japan ..
You must deciae:
• why there is such difference in quality between the two factories' products: just what is the problem?
• what can be done to bring the Newport factory up to Japanese standards
42
Fact sheet
Total number of defective products in last 12 months
1,148
1: o 0..
~ ;z:
Reasons work hours lost last year in Newport .
Total work hours. lost
at Newport last year: 12,100
Total number of employees: 120
43
Returned for repair/replacement under guarantee. .
Defects detected before dispatch
Travel problems 250 .'
Unjustified absence 260
'AMH+Hbl§a Business Roles Qualityan.d personnel
I:> Cambridge
Univenity Press ;997 .
~ ~
Changing ~th the times '- i.W-t. 1 \ 1.C~?> ' ,
;~tl {r , BASI( ;;. :"('KAIZEN TIPS "' I ," \~::l Discard conventional fixed ,), ideas.
DON MACOOl<AlO
TH( CAI ( TIE
II's hot surprising ttmt Gorrlon Silverman believes s l.eellllRker haeo Inc. .weds to change to survive in an in· creasingly 'tough North American
economy
f U's n Japanese management technique caUed Kalzen that first came tp tbe atten· tion of Noi'lh American companies in the 1980s, .
to ' Th~ technique involves bringin(: smaU
teams of employees together to examine work process'es in an effort to find wasle and improve operations, II The idea is not to hit home runs, but to achieveincrementa1 inlprovements in em, ciency that iogether. add up to big gains In quality. productivity and safety withoul spending iarge amounts of money.
2. Think of how to do it, not ~y it cannot be done: :So 00 not make excuses, Start by questioning current prac-
~ Tough times make the time right for deep chaJ1~e, said Silverman, Gl, vice·pres· ident and genentl ,manager oJ lvaco Rolling Milis. which produces about !l(X),OOO tons or steel a year.
, tices. 4. Do not seek perfection , Do j
right away even if fOf only 500' oftarget.-
Ivaco is being hammered by the impacl Vof the strong Canadian dollar on its'ex.
ports. higher scrap·metal prices and an ti· dumping dulies,
t The com, pany posted a loss in the first 7 quartet'. suspended dividends on preferred
shares and has watched its share p'rice plununet more than BO pl',!" cent since last surruner.
1- "1 said: 'We can' t go on like this . Wc've got to do something that enables us to make a very significant change here'.' " he said in an interview. ~ "People are receptive to it because of
the need. They see it There's no surviving these economic I iriles un'less ,you change:"
tlA-ll"st. senior management determines an overall target for improvement - for exam· pie, a,specific reduction in the amount of waste produced by a factory, a percentage reduction in the cost of producing a tonne of steel or a decrease in the time it takes to
5. Corred it right away. ,if you make mistake. 6. -00 not spend money, use
,. " . your wisdom. 7, Wisdom is brought out ~ed with hardship. 8, Ask WHY? fj~mes and seek root causes;.
produce a Wlit on an assembly line. '
, i Whal is surprising is the 1001 tllat Silver· '\ man, a l:T1!y·haired. 32,year Ivacoveteran,
has chosen to create change at the compa' ny 's giant steel mill in L'Orignal, Ont., near Hawkesbw-y.
~ Kaizen is a Japanese word usually trails· lated as Continuous improvement. It Is a key component or the much,vilunted Toy· ota Production,System, developed by the Car company in the 1950s.
rz; Then. middle managers take responsi· bility for delivering a piece of the target and a series of specific projects are iden t i· fled to examine production bottlenecks.
,9, Seek the wisdom 01 10 peo, pie rather than the knowledge of one.
rJ 10. Kaizen ideas are infinite.
Kaizen teams, typically COll·
;isting of eight to 12 employees, tackle fhe mandates during five·' :0 IO ,day workshops during I>h ich they are freed from their , :-egular duties. '
The teams are designed to rep· -esen! a cross·section or the :ompany with both shop·floor .vorkers and managers. Typical· ',y, half will come from Ule area where the production process is llnder the microscope with the rest coming from other parts of
, , the company. Everyone's voice :m the team has the same weight and each pers1)n's ideas are equally valued. All decisions are made by consensus. f For the first part of the Kaizen workshop; the team looks deeply into the problem. going to the shop floor where production con· lin1JE's apace, The team. in ~{~i7pn fl;1r1:lnr"p :t~ldnp OI whv"
five times to find the true root calise of the problem.
11-"If we want a quality solution, we need a quality investigation," said Pierre Leblanc, president of Scnto Consultants. a Valleyfieid flrm that provides Kaizen train· ing to 1 vaco and other companies,
'fi. Then, the team brainstorms SQ
, 1utiOllS. going back to the floor to try different possibilities, 1m· provements are implemented im· mediately during the workshop,
ID! Leblanc said the use of Kaize~ In Quebec is growing steadily. Some of the largest and most respected names in Quebec busi · ness - including Domtar Inc_. Alcan Inc. and Prevost Car Inc. - are using Kaizen or Kaizen·like techniques. often withstartJing results.
"j..::> Domtar. for example. credits Kaizen for delivering the lion's
, share of $?.30 million in perma· nent cost ,savings the company nr hirVP(1 hplwppn 1'¥.l7 ~nd 2001 ,
The forest ·products giant now has Rauen co·ordinators in each of Its mills and an executive at head office,responsible for Kail.en
,.\ Domtar conducts about 100 Kaizen workshops a year throughout itS operations, which employ 12,ooJ,
"One of the reasons that we've been so successful is that we are giving our employees a vehicle 10 communicate their ideas." said Domter representative William George,
'1)Prevost Car, a large manufac, turer of intcrcity buses in SI. Claire near Quebec City. has also achieved outstan(j.ing results us· ing a Kaizen·based quality sys· tern tha,1 the company calls the Prevost Production System, Prevost is introducing a sinlilar program at its NovaBus division.
'2:2. Executive vice· president Gat', tfln Bolduc ,said his company was sllrprisedby Ihe sizl! of tlle imnmVemp.llt~ the 5vst~m Cl'ner,
ated in such areas as production capacity, inventory management and floor·space utilization.
Z1 "With this tYPe of approach, if you're below 30 to 40 per cent im· provement '" you haven't done the right job, because this is tile size of results that you can have," he said.
For example, Prevost used Kaizen methods to increase its coach production to five units a day from 2,1 umts a day between 1995 and 2000. That's a 138·percent hike with minimal capital spending and no increase in flpor sPace, ri ImprOVing processes in one area of the factory creates a domino effect thai is extremely pow.erful. especially because it draws,on workers' knowledge and creativity, Bolducsaid.
2(. Business professor Sandra Dow said Kaizcn has to be adapt. ed to North American socio«onomic r~:ullie$ and tnni ll ta inrlj
~?; ~ ,
SOURCE: THE KAIHN INSTllUH
it will nofprovidea miracle cure lRC
for an industry that is beset by deteriorating conditions.
l').Dow. a finance professor visiting at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia, gave, the example of the travel·agency business, which might tie able to
,inlprove quaJityand efficiency. but can't change the fact that more people are using the Inter· net to book travel.
2i'She also cautioned that compa· nles shouldn't be turning to ~ell for a quick cost -cutting fix. The Japanese have a longer· term outlook on pr06tability that grows from improving quality, said Dow, who is co-<:hair of the annual convention of the A'>SOCi· alion of Japanese Business Stud, ies in Montreal this weekend.
Raizen also must not be used to eliminate jobs, becaUse workers will not participate in brain·
, storming themselves out 01 wnrk CRVPt-'l I I"'YTV'riC;; ~itt
BUSINESS MEETING'3: SPONSORSHIP
Introduction
sponsorship awareness
a household name image-building
1. Match the terms above with the correct definition below:
a. the degree of public knowledge or recognition of a name, a product, or a company . .'
b. a firm paying or giving financial help to an individual or organization to promote its products or services .
c . . taking action to improve customers' knowledge or appreciation of goods, services or a firm .
d. a brand that is very widely known, bought or used
2. Here are examples of use of the words above in context. Which word goes with which sentence?
a. "I was very lucky to get ! from Nike when I ran in the New York Marathon last year. I wore a Nike t-shirt and they gave money to a charity of my choice."
b. ' "Wherever y~u go in the world you can drink Coca-Cola:
it's a ---'-______________ "
C. "You will never see one of our company's vans dirty or damaged; they are always clean
and smart. This is part of our policy of _______ -'--_
d. Since Widget Motors started their television advertising campaign, the public's
_____________ of their product has increased by 30%.
3. Can you think of examples of companies or products that are household names? Are they household names everywhere, or just in your country?
4. Which activities depend heavily on sponsorship?
5. Do you know of sports or cultural activities for which players or artists earn more from sponsorship than from'their fees?
45
SPONSORSHIP
Situation
Your company produces water pumps for cars at a factory in Blackburn, England. You manufacture pumps for all the makes of cars on sale in Europe. You are major supplier of Rover and Nissan in England, and of Volkswagen in Spain, who fit your pumps to the engines of their new cars - this is known as the "original equipment" market. You are also strong in the j'renewal" market in Europe, which is sales of pumps in garClgesand car shops for cars which need a replacement. Original equipment sales and renewal sales each account for about half of your turnover. The company and the product are both called "Freeman's".
Freeman's is a profitable firm making a good quality product. You are, however Qverdependant on Rover, Nissan and Volkswagen, and it would be wise for you to find more customers amongst other car manufacturers. Furthermore, your product is not a household name: few car owners demand a Freeman's when they need a new water pump, and few garages specifically recommend a Freeman's, although many stock them.
At the moment, your image-building and sales effort .are based on the quality of your products, on the efforts of your sales force,' on displays in shops and at trade exhibitions,and on advertising in car magazines.
The subject of today's meeting is this problem of public awareness of your company, its name, and most important of all, your products. You need to find a strategy for getting big orders from other car manufacturers,and for encouraging car shops, garages and car owners specifically to recommend or demand a Freeman's water pump when their pump needs changing. . .
You must decide:
• what the best 'ways of achieving these aims would be (television advertiSing,
sponsorship, or no change in present policy?)
• if sponsorship in particular is effective, and good value for money
• and, if it is, exactly who you should sponsor and how much you should invest in
sponsorship
46
Fact sheet
Major car manufacturers in Europe
Britain: Germany: France: Italy:
Ford Audy Citroen Alfa Romeo
. Honda BMW Peugeot Fiat
Jaguar Ford Renault Lancia
Nissan Mercedes·
Rover Opel
Toyota . Volkswagen
. Vauxhall
100% - --
50%
0%
0 :iii Q. ,5
III 0 :iii III .c "E w VI .c g u ':E
Awareness of Freeman's pumps compared to other firms' products for the car.
47
5l E '3 u.
Spain: Sweden:
Ford Saab
Opel Volvo
. Seat
Volkswagen
c C 0 Qj
'Eo ~ E III .c u
· Erlgineers Forced to Learn How to Write POOR COMMUNICATORS
"We get complaints from industry all the time" _
By HEATHER SOKOLOFF
1. Undergraduate engineering faculties, home to SOmE! of Canada's cleverest technical minds, are finalllf forcing students to learn how to write. 2. Canadian engineering schools, which remain almost 70% male, are among the toughest faculties on campus to gain admission to, yet engineering graduates are notoriously poor communicators. 3. "We get complaints from industry all the time," said Bruce Dunwoody, associate dean of engineering at the University of British Columbia. "Engineers don't know how to write." 4. As a result, last year UBC unveiled the Technical Communications Centre to drill students on the . commWlication skills' engineers _ use on the job, such as how to write a project proposal or an environmental impact statement. S. Dr. Dunwoody said he tells his students that professional - engineers spend more tim~ writing compared to any other skill they learn in school. "You are always _ writing," he said. "An engineer has to convince people what they've done is the correct thing, or why they want to do something new." 6. When T.as Venetsanopoulos became dean of Univl3rsity of- Toronto's faculty of engineering and applied science two 'years ago, he announced that improving students' writing ability was his top priority, along with bolstering the faculty's research capabilities. 7. U of T is designing a new course on the implications of technology on society, in an effort to hone engineering students' communication skills.
-- 8. Dr. Venetsanopoulos said he would eventually like prospective engineering students to write an essay as part of their application to the faculty, something prospective medical - -students are required to do. 9. · The accreditation arm of the Canadian Council _ of Professional Engineers has always required that -students pass a handful of English and humanities courses during their four-year university career, but, acknowledges Dr. Dunwoody, students typically see
48
the courses as a break from their gruelling technical courses and do not take them seriously. 10. By keeping the new technical writing courses within the faculty of engineering, Dr. Dunwoody hopes students will be more inclined to appreciate their value. 11. Dr. Dunwoody said not only must engineering schools produce better writers, the must also teach students leadership skills. Junior engineers are no longer required to do lengthy calculations that can _ be done by computers or collegeeducated technical specialists, and instead are being called on early in their careers to manage projects. 12. Amit Chakma, vice-president academic at thE!University of Waterloo, . said 10% t6 20% of incoming engineering students at the elite southern Ontario school fail a basic writing exam and are forced to take a remedial English class, even though students accepted into the -engineering program have high school averages of more than 90%; 13. "We don't expect engineering students to write novels or poems, but we do expect them to communicate," he said. 14. Gabriel Desjardins, a computer engineer who graduated at the top of his class at Que(:m's University in 1999, said he honed.his writing skills on his own time, writing articles for Internet news groups on technical subjects. 1S: "Every time I come up with agood idea, I have to write it down and explain it. If I couldn't write, it would be very difficult to convince people to implement my ideas," said Mr. Desjardins, 26, who works at RadiaCommunications in California's Silicon Valley. . 16. "Engineers with excellent writing skills are ofter promoted over people with superior technical skills."
National Post, May 28, 2003. [email protected]
Working for an Engineering or Technical Firm
1. If you are employed by a technical firm, you may still provide services to clients and customers. You may be a technical service representative who installs, repairs, modifies, and maintains electronic, computer, or mechanical equipment leased or sold by your company. As such you will be expected to be an expert not only on the technical aspects but also in interpersonal relations. A service representative is both a technical specialist and a s'alesperson.
2. As a technical service representative you will write reports describing both routine maintenance and special conditions. After .e~ch service visit you will have to describe what you observed about the equipment, what repairs or adjustments you made, and what components you installed or replaces. Generally, much of this ' information will be written onto a preprinted,form that has appropriate spaces for filling in details. But' when special visits are made or problems occur, you will more likely have to write a short investigation report in which you describe a problem and how you resolved it, or an inspection report 'in which you , describe the condition of equipment or a system.
3. Alternatively, you may be employed by a contractor to direct, coordinate, and supervise the work of installation teams; . and to provide engineering assistance when problems occur. Much of the time you will work at the job site, and will keep management at head office informed 'Of progress by submitting reports describing the teams' progress and problems you encountered. (In this capacity, you may be on the payroll of one of the contractors providing services to the consultants described earlier.) ,
4. Or you may even be employed by a design company or a manufacturer,for whom you will provide engineering or technical services that may include
• designing new products or processes, new computer software, or modifications to existing systems,
• investigating manufacturing problems or assembly line "glitches," • proposing improved manufacturing methods, • installing and testing prototype equipment and components, • instructing operators and users of new or modified equipment, and • inspecting work performed by assemblers and junior technicians.
In such a capacity your reporting will have to be comprehensive, for you will be expected to describe what you have seen, present management with an analysis or justification, and sometimes recommend corrective action.
49
A L'ERE DE LA MONDIALISATION ET DE L'ELECTRONIQUE
Savoir rediger en anglais
Gomme bil'.m des professionnels, les ing(mieurs ont troque Ie telephone pour Ie courriel. lis ecrivent donc plus souvent qu'avant puisqu'i/s ,continuent de produire des rapports, des soumissions et des notes de service. Mondialisation oblige, i/s doivent de plus en plus souvent communiquer en anglais. La qualite des documents qu'i/s signent fait souvent la difference entm un dossier qui progresse et un dossier qui stagne. par JEANNE MORAZAIN '
Conscients de ces realites, la section montrealaise de I'lnstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) et Ie Centre ' de recherche 'informatique de, Montreal (CRIM) ont invite 8 Montreal Lisa Moretto et Ron Blicq" deux experts en redaction ' technique, de I'IEEE Professional Communication SoCiety (PCS). ,L'initiative de 'cette collaboration revient a' Eric Holdrinet, un informaticien membre depuis longtemps de I'IEEE, section de Montreal.
«J'avais entendu plusieurs personnes' au' sein de I'IEEE vanter Ie cours Writing
, Effective Letters" , Reports, ,Proposals and Email, explique-:t-il. Le contenu m'a semble different par I'accent mis sur la structuration de lapensee et parce que Ie cours s'adresse specifiquement aux personnes qui font de la redaction techniqu~. J'ai tout naturellement pense au CRIM etant donne , que c'est 18 ,que se trouve mon bureau, dans Ie cadre , du programme PARI du Conseil national de recherche du Canada. »
Lucie Roireau, conseillere en technologiE~ de I'information au' CRIM, n'a pas hesite longtemps. Le cours , avait fait
, ses preuves un peu partout dans Ie monde., De plus, iI jouit d'une excellente reputation: I'IEEE, fonde en 1884, est, avec ses
,320 000 membres repartis dans 152 pays, la plus importante association au monde de professionnels oeuvrant dans, les domaines technique et scientifique.
« De plus, precise-t-elle, nous avions deja identifie au sein de notre clientele des besoins clu cote de I'amelioration des
50
competences 'en anglais. La ' formation offerte par la PCS no us permettait d'y repondre, du moins en partie. Elle nous fournissait egalement une occasion d'elargir notre gamme de produits et de montrer que Ie CRIM ne se limite pas aux cours de programmatibn, mais peut aussi offrir des outils de gestion aux professionnels en technologie. »
La communication efficace . «Ce qui se conyoit bien s'enonce
clairement et les mots pour Ie dire arrivent aisement», disait deja Boileau. Cette celebre maxime, les deux concepteurs du cours ,Writing Effective Letters, 'Reports, Proposals and Email I'appliquent. Lisa Moretto et Ron Blicqont elabore une methode originale, qu'ils quali'fient de « pyramidale », dans laquelle ils insistent avant tout sur la structuration de la pensee et I'organisation de I'informati"on." lis s'assurent , ensuite que Ie contenu redactionnel soit adapte aux personnes auxquelles Ie document est destine ainsi qu'au media utilise.
« La communication electronique impose une fayon directe, rapide et efficace , de communiquer, constate Lorraine Marsolais, ingenieure en automatisation au Centre de conduite du reseau d'HydroQuebec. L'approche classique - une introduction, un developpement, ' une conclusion - est en quelque sorte inversee : Ie but recherche est precise des Ie debut, les justfications suivent, breves et claires. Bien ecrir'e un courriel est aussi important
que de bien ecrire une note de service ou un rapport. Le courriel est devenu une signature electronique qui revele en quelques lignes lei personnalite de I'expediteur.
«Les imperatifs de la communication' . electronique influencent de plus en plus les, autres formes de redaction. Fini les ' longues explications techniques. L'heure est a la precision et a la concision. II est aussi important d'lHre efficace en allant droit
. au but, en utilisant une langue correcte, exacte et un style dynamique.
En une journee bien remplie de 9 h a 17 h, Ie cours Writing Effective Letters,
s'adresser a des personnes pour . qui I'anglais est la seconde langue. »
Les personnes pourvues d'une connaissance superieure de I'anglais peuvent tout autant en profiter, croit pour sa part Lorraine Marsolais :. «Plusieurs profession nels francophones sont comme moi, ils lisent sans probleme I'anglais et maltrisent bien la langue parlee, mais ne sont pas tout a fait a I'aise' avec I'ecrit. Le cours m'a appris a abreger Ie texte sans nuire a la clarte ou a la precision, a etre directe sans etre irrespeCtueuse, a utiliser correctement les formules de politesse. »
Cette formation, qui a' I'avantage de
Mes notes de service et courriels se sont ameliores au point que mon patron, qui est anglophone, Jla remarque. Le texte est-mieux organise et plus concis.
Reports,Proposa/s and Email enseigne aux professionnelsdes domaines techniques, a rediger en anglais des textes qui les aideront a faire progresser leurs dossiers. Les participants travaillent a partir d'exemples concrets portant sur des sujets .
. techniques. lis com parent des formulations, identifient les plus efficaces, celles qui inciteront Ie destinataire a repondre ou a agirrapidement. lis peaufinent leur style de fayon a eliminer les detours inutiles etle verbiage, a privilegier la forme active et ainsi eviter la forme passive.
Eric Marchand, ing.,superviseur de systemes d'information chez Stelvio, une entreprise de developpement de logiciels a apprecie que les deux formateurs' optent pour cette formule tres pratique. « Je n'aurais peut-etre pas fait une semaine sur ce mode, mais c'est une approche ires efficace en format d'une journee. »
Le cours se donne en anglais. «Je me suis assure qu'un francophone ayant une . connaissance moyenne de I'anglais pouvait Ie suivre », indique Eric Holdrinet. De son cote, Lucie Roireau rappelle que « les deux formateurs donnent ces cours partout a travers Ie monde et sont habitues a
51
jumeler redaction technique et anglais, a ete tres appreciee des 17 participants qui ont tous conclu que c'etait un 300 $ bien place. «Leur evaluation a ete tres positive, les deux formateurs ayant repondu a leurs attentes et meme au-dela», no us dit Eric Holdrinet.
Ce que d'ailleurs confirment Eric Marchand et Lorraine Marsolais: «Les retomMes ont ete immediates, constate Ie premier; Mes notes de service et courriels se sont amelior,es au point que mon patron, qui est anglophone, I'a remarque. Le texte est mieux organise; plus ' concis; les elements importants sont mentionnes en premier. J'apprecie particulierement I'abondante documentation que I'on m'a' remise. 'Je m'en sers regulierement. »
Lorraine Marsolais Ie conseille sans reserve: «Le cours conyu par I'IEEE est particulierement bien ada pte a I'ere electronique. De plus, iI est utile, quelle que soit la langue dans laquelle on redige. Les . principes de la communication efficace sont les memes, aussi bien en franyalS qu'en anglais. » .
Developpement professionnel, Octobre2001.
Summary of Article-.-MemoFormat
Introduces report.
Summarizes primary . . ideas and conclwiions:-+-+
Omits examples, illustrations, and references.
Provides evaluation --I-..... . of article.
Asummalry condenses the primary ideas, conclusions, and recommendations of a longer publication.
MEMO TO : Professor Valery Evans DATE: November 18, 200x
FROM: Edwin Huong .
SUBJECT: ANALYSIS OF COMPUTER MAINTENANCE ARTICLE
In response to your request, here is an analysis of "Taking the Sting Out of Computer Repair: which appeared in the July 1999 issue of Office Administration and Automation.
Major Points
The author, Michael B. Chamberlain, discusses three alternatives available to computer users seeking service. Each has advantages and disadvantages.
• Factorv service. The user sends the equipment back to the factory for repairs. Expert service is provided, but generally the time required is impossibly long.
• Customer self-service. Large companies may maintain in-house repair departments, but their technicians find it difficult to keep abreast of changing hardware and software.
• Third-party service. Independent computer maintenance organizations offer convenience, but they can't always handle multivendor systems.
The author favours the third. option and provides many tips on how to work ~ith third-party maintenance companies.' Before choosing such an organization, he warns, make sure that it has experts who can work with your particular configuration.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The strength of this article lies in the discussion of how to choose a service organization. The author also provides helpful preventive maintenance tips . .
This article has two weaknesses.' First, the author failed to support his choice of third-party maintenance companies effectively. Second, the article was poorly organized. It was difficult to read because it was not developed around major ideas. Better headings would have helped readers recognize significant data.
A summary compresses essential information from a longer publication. Employees are sometimes asked to write summaries that condense technical reports, periodical articles, or books so that their staffs or superiors may grasp the main ideas quickly. Studentl,) are often asked to write summaries of articles, chapters, or books to sharpen their writing skills and to. confirm their knowledge of reading aSSignments. A summary includes primary ideas, conclusions, and recommendations. It usually omits examples, illustrations, and references. Organized for readability, a summary often includel,) headings and bulleted or enumerated lists. It may include the reactions of the reader.
52
Fill in the blanks below with the correct form of the verb.
Architects, builders and sculptors in Europe 1 (be) once content to protect their
buildings and monuments from wind and rain by rubbing them with oil and waxes. That
2 (be) 300 years ago, long before the atmosphere over European capitals 3:(become)
polluted. Nowadays there 4 (be) few public works of art and architecture that 5 (can)
6 (save) by such simple methods.
In London, most major historic buildings 7 (suffer) the ill effects of acid rain. At St.
Paul's Cathedral, 8 (starl) by Christopher Wren in 1675, up to an inch of limestone
9 (wear away) in some places. One section of the tower 10 (clean) recently at a cost of .
$590,000. In. Holland, acid rain-related destruction to historic Dutch monuments
11 (total) an estimated $10 million each year. In Rome, pollution from automobiles
12 (blame) for d~facing the marble relief of Trajan's column. Stockholm's 13th century
Riddarholm Church's spire 13 (suffer) so much corrosion from acid rain that it 14 (have)
to 15 (replace) in the 1960's.
A team of experts in London 16 (monitor) car~fully the amount of pollutants in local
raihfall. The preservation specialists also 17 (experiment) with several preventive
treatments. The simplest 18 (involve) 19 (wash) the stone with clean water. However,
the specialists 20 (agree) that the content of air pollution must change.
1 6 11 16
2 7 12 17
3 8 13 18
4 · 9 14 19
5 10 - 15 20
53
OBITUARY Sony founder Akio Morita personified Japan's rise
AkioMorita, the co-founder of the Sony Corp. who 1 (personify) Japan's rise from the postwar rubble to industrial riches and 2 (become) the unofficial ambassador of its business community to the world, 3 (die) in Tokyo on October 6, 1999. He4 (be) 78. He had been in poor health since a stroke in 1993 .
. More than anyone else, .it was Morita and his Sony colleagues who 5 (change) the world's image of the term "Made in Japan" from one of paper parasols and shoddy imitations to one of high technology and high reliability in miniature packages.
Founded in a bombed-out Tokyo department store after World War II, Sony became one ofthe world's most innovative companies, famous . for products like pocket-sized transistor radios, videocassette recorders, the Walkman and compact disks. And Morita, whose contribution was greater in marketing than in technology,· 6 (make) the Sony brand into one of the best known and respected in the world. A Harris poll last year 7 (show) Sony as the No. 1 brand name among U.S. companies, ahead of U.S. companies like General Electric and Coca-Cola.
A tireless traveler who moved his family to New York in 1963 for a year to learn U.S. ways, Morita alsol 8 (spearhead) the internationalization of Japanese business. Sony was the first Japanese company to sell its stock on the New York Stock Exchange, in 1970, and one of the first to build a factory in the United States, in 1972.
Tothe day of his death, nearly six years after the stroke that 9 (remove) him from an active role in business, he was still no doubt Japan's most . famous business executive, and the only one many Americans 10 (can) name or recognize in a photograph. Time ma~azine 11 (choose) him in December as one of 20 "most influential business geniuses" of the 201 century; the only non-U.S. chosen. · .
In his own country, where executives 12 (tend) to be self-effacing, Morita was viewed as a bit . -arrogant. He was the first who 13 (f/y) around in a corporate business jet and helicopter.
He 14 (appear) in a television commercial for the American Express card. He 15 (sit) on the boards of three foreign companies. He16 (take) up sports like skiing, scuba diving, and wind surfing in his 60s.
Shortly before his stroke, Morita 17 (make) waves in Japan by saying that Japan was like a "fortress" and that its unique business practices 18 (alienate) its trading partners. "Although there 19 (be) much to commend in Japan's economic system, it is simply too far out of sync with the West on certain essential points," he 20 (write) in June 1993. He 21 (advocate) shorter working hours, more dividends for stockholders of Japanese companies and a sharp cutback in government regulations. .
1 7 13 19 2 · 8 14 20 3 9 15 21 4 10 16 5 11 17 6 12 18
54
REVIEW OF TENSES
Directions: Complete the sentences with the verbs in parentheses. Use any appropriate tense.
I. A: Alex, (1. you, know) ____ ---'-_____ where Ms. Rodriguez is?
I (2. look) for her for the past hour.
B: She (3. see) __ ~_...,.--__ ---'- Mr. Frost at the moment about the
shipment of parts which we (4. receive) _~ _________ earlier
today. Some of the parts are missing.
A: Oh, oh. That (5. sound) _____ ---'-___ like trouble. Please tell Ms.
Rodriguez to phone me when she (6. have) _________ some
free time. I (7. work) in my office all afternoon.
II. A: What (1. seem) _____ to be the trouble, Ms. Jones?
B: I (2. send) in my money for a subscription to your
magazine, Computer Data, two months ago, but to date I (3. receive, not)
______ -'-________ any issues.
A: I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, one of our main computers
(4.func!ion, not) at the
moment. However, our engineers (5~ work) ___ --:-_____ very
hard to fix it at the present time. We (6. start) __________ _
your new subscription as soon as possible.
B: Thank you.
III. A: Where's Sonia? I (1. see,not), __ --~------- her lately. '
B: She (2.recuperate, at home) __ ---'-__________ _
A: Oh? What's she recuperating from?
55
B: She (3. hurt) __________ her back while she (4. play} __ _
__ ---______ volleyball last week in the game against South
City College.
A: . What happened? How (5. she, hurt) _____________ -
her back?
B: She (6. try) _____________ to spike a ball when she
(7. collide) with another player and (8. fall)
________ to the floor. She (9. land) _______ ......,......-'---~ __ _
hard and (10. twist) _____ ...,--____ her back .
. A: ,Gosh, that's too bad. I'm sorry to hear that. How's she doing?
B: Well, she's pretty uncomfortable. She (11. wear) ___ -----a
special brace on h~r back for the last five days. Needless to say, she
. (12. be, not) able to play volleyball since her
injury. She probably (13. be, not) able to play
again for at least amonth.
A: (14. allow, her doctor) __ -------------·her national
tournament at the end of the summer?
B: She (15. have) _---'-_____ the brace on herback for more than five
weeks by then, so I think he will.
A: I hope so. I know how much she likes to compete in volleyball games. And
the team needs her.
56
SENTENCE STRUCTURE AND JOINING WORDS ' ..
There are three sentence types that are the basis of English writing. . .
. .
I Simple sentences: one subject and one verb: two subjects and one verb; one subject and two verbs.
1. All computers are connected on the network. ·2. Our largest department store will be having ~ sale. 3. Lawyers and their assistants will attend the meeting tomorrow. 4. The judge listened to the testimony and gave the judgment from the bench
II Compound sentences: two subjects and two verbs
and, but, so, or, nor
1. Our Travel Services Department planned 1he sales trip, but some salespeople also . made private arrangements. .
2. The bank will notify you, or you will see the amount on your bank statement. 3. You should analyze all your possible propertY risks, and you should corisult an
.insurance agent.
moreover in addition furthermore . also
how.ever nevertheless nonetheless still in contrast on the other band
. therefore conseq nently as a reslllt accordingly thus hence
meanwhile afterwards
4. The. client disagreed with the judgment; therefore, he went to appeal. 5, We wanted to meet at noon; however, some people were notfree at that time. 6. Competition among computer manufacturers is intensive; hence, prices may
decrease sharply, ' . 7. The secretary is very efficient; moreover, he has excellent communication skills.
57
lIlA Complex sentences: two subjects and two verbs
so that ,After When Uefore Until
because since
although though in order that
as even though whereas
1. When you finish tomorrow, please back up your files. 2. Please backup your files when youfirush tomorrow. 3. Although it was late, we continued to work. 4. ' We continued to work although it was late. ' 5. We held the meeting at noon so that everyone would be able to attend. 6. He cancelled the meeting since no one was available.
JIIB Complex verbs: two subjects and two verbs
'Wbo whom which that 'where when
L I answered the letter tbat arrived yesterday. 2. The reporter who interviewed the director works at the Gazette. 3. Mr. B1ac~ who will introduce the speaker, called to confirm his arrival date. 4. Montreal, which is a bilingual city, will host our next annual conference. 5. Please describe the building where the accident occurred. 6. Hegt:ewup at a time when no one used computers. 7. I client whom I met is extremely upset.
Punctuation ReviEw~
Let's bri~fly review three' common sentence paite.ms and t~eir prop~ p,unctuation.
, . Indepmdent daltSe 0 +
Independent c/aus~ 0 +
{and,} or '
. ' nor
b1.lt
{ - } thereiore,
consequently. however,
nevenheless, )
, ~ Depmdmt clause 0 {Since}
When
58
.. Indtptrt.dmc ,(allle.:
+ Indtpmdmt (Jaust.
+ frtdr;mldmt clause.
(Col)lma wed when
a co:ordinating .. conjunction
, loins independent
clauses,)
(Semicolon used when'a conjunctive adverb joins
inde?endent
Clauses ,)
(Comma used when a dependent clause precedes an independent
clause~)
VIDEOS
Page
1. Carbon Capture and Sequestration ... ... ..... .. ......... ... ..... ...... ... .............. ... .. 61
2. Natural Disasters ... ...... .... ... .. ........ ... .. .. ... ......... ... ... ... ........ ... ........ .. ....... .... 67
3. Clean Cars ........... .... ... .... ........................ .......... .... : .................. .. ...... .. ... .... . 71
4. The Power of Water ...... ...•.. ......... .............. ............. , ..... .. .. .. : ... ...... ...... .. .... 80
5. Making, Tinkering and Innovating .. .... ..... : .... .. .......... . ; ........ . , .. . ~ ... ............ .. 84
6. . Engineering Disasters - Aviation ... .. .... .... .......... ....... ..... ... .... ... ..... .. ... ... ..... 89
7. Megastructures - Suspension Bridges ...... .. .... ...... ........... ............ .. ...... ; .. . 94
8. The Arctic, Adapting to Change .... ........................... .... ... ......... ..... ~ ........... 98
9. Below New York: Part J .. .... .... ............. .. ..... .... ... ....... ..... .. .... .. ..... ........ ...... 102
10. .Below New York: Part II ..... ........ ... ... ............ ..... ; .... ..... .. ..... ......... ......... .. .. 106·
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VIDEO 1: CARBON CAPTURE AND SEQUESTRATION
. I. DISCUSSION
1. List five ways to reduce carbon emissions. Which method do you think is the most effective?
2. In your opinion, can new technologies solve the carbon emissions problem?How?
. II. VOCABULARY
Capture plant
C02 lignite fossil fuels impervious sequestration
1. An abbreviation for carbon dioxide 2. To seize; to absorb particles 3. · A soft, brown coal 4. Natural fuels formed from the remains of living organisms 5. A factory 6. Does not let liquid pass through 7. A layer of hard, impervious rock 8. Isolation 9. . A system that distributes electrical power through a region
III. COMPREHENSION
VIDEO 1
grid . cap rock
1. Climate change is a reality, and as caretakers of the planet, it is our duty to do something
aboutit. Carbon and will playa major role.
2. It is now accepted that greenhouse gas emissions from __________ are the
major to climate change.
3. We're _____ carbon out of the ground as coal, oil and gas; and it's going into the
_~ ___ after weburn it. It turns out that the carbon dioxide that is being adding to
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the atmosphere is changing the climate. We are actually _____ our own lives by our
own actions.
4. What is the biggest producer of manmade carbon dioxide emissions?
5. What are some things we can do to reduce C02 emissions according to Dr. Julio
Friedmann?
6. Solar energy is very, very expensive. Wind energy, though , and not so
expensive, we are just learning today how to integrate these intermittent energy supplies
into our -----7. At a , you have millions oftons of carbon dioxide being emitted
in a single year in large pipes at high , and you can capture that carbon
dioxide at much lower cost than in the 60% of carbon dioxide emissions that are
_____ uses.
8. Estimates of global C02 ___ ~ capacity are up to 10,000 billion tons.
9. We have hundreds to many hundreds of _____ worth of C02 storage capacity if we
took all the emissions from fossil fuel fired power plants and injected them underground
into these storage ____ _
10. Let's look at the technology in a bit more detail. The captured carbon dioxide will be
_----'-__ ',_ and transported via pipeline to a suitable ___________ ,. For
sequestration, the C02 is injected more than a half a mile down where the subsurface
pressure maintains it as liquid. When injected into reservoir rock formation, the C02
tends to rise within the rock as it is lighter than the surrounding fluids., Over time, several
trapping mechanisms maintain the C02 within the rock. During its migration through the
reservoir, some residual C02 is between the grains in the rock. Eventually,
the C02 will rise to the top of the formation where it is physiCally prevented from rising
any further by the , a naturally occurring impervious barrier.
Gradually, much of the C02 will dissolve into the host fluids, whether they be
_____ or __________ . This dissolution causes the fluid with the C02
62
to sink lower in the rock formation where over millions of years it will react with
naturally occurring minerals to form stable minerals such a~ calcium carbonate. Once in
-this form, C02 can never reenter the carbon cycle, making sure that C02 sequestration is
___ ,-----_ and ecologically ____ ~
11. All pipelines transporting the C02 are also stringently monitored. Safety measures
include automatic,emergency shut down at regular intervals so that in the
unlikely event of a sections of the pipeline can be rapidly isolated.
12. CCS should not bea to water. C02 is normally emitted from the
roots and leaves oftrees and plants so it's present in the soil zone in quite high
concentrations.
,13. By the time my daughter graduates from high school in just 15 years, she will be 'living in
a world where climate change is real. [ ... ] It may mean write offlarge __ -----'-_
like New Orleans and Miami. -----
14. While there is no single answer to solving the problem of climate change, carbon capture
and sequestration is a part of the solution. [ ... ] CCS could provide us with a
_____ of the solution in combating climate change, and the technology is available
now.
VIDEO 2
1. What does the plant in this video produce?
2. What is the price to pay for carbon capture according to scientists?
VIDEO LINKS:
Video 1: http://www.ccs-education.netlmedialccs _video _ 01.html
Video 2: http://www;ccs-education.netlmedialsalah.wmv
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IV. READING
1. Below is a list of words that occur in the article. Read the article and match the vocabulary with the correct definition.
1. dump a. to protect oneself against an 2. bury attack 3. boom b. a place to put garbage 4. tout c. not to be relied upon 5. open-pit mine d. to cause 6. decarbonise e. to promote
. 7. leach f . a place where minerals are 8. contaminant . taken directly from the earth's 9. induce surface 10. fend off g. to put underground ' 11. dubious h. a rise
i. polluting substance j. .to leak k. to remove carbon from
3. According to Lawrence Solomon, what are some of the potential dangers of carbon capture technology? .
4. Do you think Lawrence Solomon supports carbon capture technology?
Coal is still king By Lawrence Solomon
,Financial Post Saturday, August 29, 2009
We can't continue to use the atmosphere as a dump for carbon dioxide emissions, say governments concerned about global warming. Rather than storing this colourless, odourless, tasteless gas way up there, they reason, let's store the carbon dioxide way down here, buried under ground or in the oceans.
And since burial solves the carbon dioxide problem, they then conclude, we can with a clear conscience · crank up our use of coal.
64
This is the case in Canada, where the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy proposes a continuation of the boom that we've seen in coal mining this decade. This is the case in the U.S., where coal production has been steadily growing and where President Barack Obama touts coal above other
, energy options. And this is especially the case in the United Kingdom, perhaps the world's most earnest warner of global warming catastrophe. The U.K. is today so bullish on burial that it has resuscitated the coal mining industry that Maggie Thatcher tried to kill off in the 1980s. ' '
In the last four years, the U.K. has approved 54 coal mines, most of them open-pit, while simultaneously pointirigto the aggressive reductions in C02 emissions to which it's committed -- 34% by 2020. Scotland, which boasts the world's very toughest C02 reduction targets (42% by 2020), has approved 25 new openpit mines, helping them along by relaxing planning regulations that aRply to open-pit mines. Because all this isn't enough, the U.K is considering the approval of another 19 open-pit mines as well as upping its coal imports too.
"We don't see this as counter to our ,climate change message," cheerily states the government's Department for Energy and Climate Change. "The U.K. is at the forefront of global efforts to decarbonise fossil fuels."
The decarbonisation that the U.K government refers to involves burial on land and -especially attractive ' for an island nation -at sea.' A recently released Scottish government report determined thai the Scottish area of the North Sea alone could store all the carbon dioxide that all the coal-fired plants in the U.K. would produce over the next two centuries, leading the Scottish First Minister to speculate that a high-tech carbon capture and storage industry could create 10,000 Scottish jobs. " '
But ocean storage raises a tide of objections from environmentalists, Greenpeace among them. Carbon dioxide in water,could seriously acidify the oceans -- already a concern -- removing nutrients for plankton in areas like the U.K's North Sea as well as in shallow ocean waters, and affecting the food source for marine life. Some ocean storage technologies kill marine life directly. Plus, many scientists believe the oceans will fail to effectively contain carbon dioxide, which will be pumped into waters in either liquid or gaseous foml. No one, not even the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, considers ocean storage to be much more than a concept, let alone a proven technology.
The potential for havoc to humans is much greater with carbon storage facilities under land. Carbon dioxide could adversely acidify groundwater, leadingto leaching of contaminants into the water supply and rendering aquifers unusable. For this reason and others -- an unplanned release of the gas could suffocate humans or animals, and carbon storage can induce earthquakes -- governments on both sides of the, Atlantic have proposed carbon storage facilities and communities have opposed them.
How will this all end? We can be confident that coal use will keep on growing for decades to come, in line with official projections that show worldwide demand soon doubling --without coal for electricity production, most jurisdictions will be unable to keep the lights on. We can also be confident that communities will successfully fend off many if not most of the carbon storage schemes that threaten them and their environments. Finally, we can be confident that govenunents, after spending tens of billions on carbon storage schemes of dubious benefit, will conclude that the safest place to store today's relatively high levels of carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere, where it now resides.
65
I. VOCABULARY ON THE ENVIRONMENT
Match column A to column B.
1. to warn a) no longer in existence
2. to bury b) throwaway
3. a drought c) occurring in many places
4. extinct d) to put into the ground
5. widespread e) dump site
6. global warming f) a type of plastic
7. styrofoam g) a long period of dry weather
8. . disposable h) increase in the planet's
9: trash, waste temperature
10. hazardous i) dangerous
11. landfill j) garbage
k) to give notice
II. COMPL.ETE THE CHART.
NOUN VERB ADJECTIVE
erosion to erode erosive
to consume
emission
extinct
I to produce
to generate
subsidy
depletion
toxic
to incinerate
to dispose
efficient
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VIDEO 2: NATURAL DISASTERS
t · DISCUSSION ,
1. Does the weather affect the economy of a country? If so, in what way?
2. If you were the mayor of a city, and yOLJ knew that a hurricane was about to hit the city, how would you prepare the town and the people for this disaster? Make a list of things you would need.
II. COMPREHENSJON
1. For the commodity traders at Chicago's Board of Trade, fortunes materialize and
vanish with the of a hand.
2. prices will ride on the changes of global weather: at the
moment, EI Nino weather.
3. The markets move to the mantra of ________ ~ _ ____,_:. wheat,
_-'--______ , meal.
4. In the coastal ________ of Peru, life seems to follow its normal course,
but everyone lives in the of this year's EI Nino.
5. A once rich ______ is dying, a way of life is _______ in EI Nino's
pool of abnormally warm water.
6. Thunderstorms drowned the desert in a hundred inches of ----------rain. Every ravine became for a lethal torrent of -'--___ _
rocks and water flowing like cold lava through the towns.
7. The floods washed away the region's infrastructure and destroyed __ ----' __
8. depended on queuing up days at a time hoping for a slim
_______ from an international relief organization.
9. This time the coastal people of Peru are hoping to the flood waters
by building small . The storms may sweep aside these barriers.
10. Off shore scientific work stations provide ________ with some real global
data.
67
11. By simultaneously measuring the basic of ocean data, scientists are hopeful that they
will provide a dependable _________ system for the next EI Nino.
12. In Canada, Ei Nino has pushed ________ weather north.
13. As the mid Atlantic states enjoy a ______ winter, the northland is encased in
ice.
14. Along with ice, there is fire. Severed _.....,-____ _ ______ dance
dangerously in the night setting blazes.
15. As the power grid ________ , the people are~lockedin isolation.
16. At emergency control centers, experts do what they can to keep the disaster
17. Eastern Canada's electrical power grid took half a _----- to develop, the
EI Nino ice storm destroyed it in a few hours.
18. Some miles of power lines and telephone cables are down along·
with 1 ~IO transmission and 30,000 wooden utility ____ _
19. Legions of _________ do their dangerous work.
20. In the Canadian ______ --' ___ ~_-- of 1998, many were without
power for over a month.
21. The storms plunge into Florida. The search for _______ continues into the .
morning light.
22. These stroms came thousands of miles to wreak their horrible _____ _
23. In Australia, EI Nino brings _______ , wind and fire.
24. Australia's bush lands explosively desiccated ,a _______ is a" it takes and
there is fire . .
25. In Australia, residents try to ________ their homes against the rising
threat.
68
Is Canada Prepared? Montreal:
City vulnerable to a seismic catastrophe ST. LAWRENCE FAULT
SYSTEM By Graeme Hamilton
Charlevoix region to Comwall, holdi'ng more than 20,000 Ont., Montreal last experienced a people, which Mr. Guindon said major earthquake - estimated to should be more than adequate. have been 5.8 on the Richter scale ' He .said housing refugees in the
1. MONTREAL • Civic - in 1732. east-end Olympid Stadium, as officials knew it would come one "Montreal is particularly vulnerable New Orleans did with its day. They just wish it had not to seismic events . since a Superdome. is unimaginable. been so soon~ A devastating significant portion of its 8. "If We are left 'putting earthquake, 6,5 on the Richter infrastructure is old and disaster victims in huge spaces, scale, has left Montreal a deteriora,ted or has been designed it means we are in very bad crumbled, chaotic mess, according to standards that predate shape and no other resources Centuries-old landmarks in Old the' development of modem are available," he said. "The Montreal are in ruins, and a seismic design standards," a bigger the shelter, the more section of the Jacques-Cartier research team led by McGill difficult it is to manage and bridge across the SI. Lawrence University's Luc Chouinard wrote in control, and the more sanitary River has collapsed, leading t d Itt bl 'II h It authorities to close all other a paper presen e as year a a pro ems you WI ave.
conference on earthquake becomes a big mess, and it bridges until their safety can be engineering, requires unbelievable co-assured. Cut off from the rest of . . the province, thousands of 5. Mr. Guindon said that in the ordination and logi~tics , I prefer homeless are being herded to event of a major earthquake, smaller shelters, because people emergency shelters on the Montreal, like New Orleans after being sheltered are already
Katrl'na, c'ould descend, at least suffering a psychological shock." island, and the injured are being taken to . hospital that have briefly, into disorder. "In the case of 9. . One reason Mr. Guindon withstood the quake. an earthquake, like in New hopes an earthquake does not
OrleanS, it would take several days strike soon is that officials are 2. It sounds like the script of a to be able to get our act ,together," missing key data that would bad disaster movie, but it is a he said, . allow them to better prepare a scenario that Montreal
"I often say an em. ergency- response, Researchers are emergency officials take very . th '1 b th measures plan is never a magic . mapping e SOl enea seriously, 'We know that one M tit h' h rt f solution to the chaos tliat a disaster on rea 0 see w IC pa s 0 day it will happen," Jean-Bernard th 'ty I'd ck d . creates, It's J'ust a way of trying to e CI are on so I ro an Guindon, the city's director of h' h ' I bl . get organl'zed as ' .qul·ckly. a's w IC are on more vu nera e civil security, said of .a major . d fi
Possible to reduce the duration of clay, san and land II, Already it earthquake. "The only thing we . I th t I th the chaos. If the chaos lasts six IS c ear a areas c oser to e . don't know is when, so we work t . I d' Old M t I days instead of 12, we've ga,ined wa er, inC u Ing . on rea as if it could happen any time." d th d t ' I' ·th' six days." .an e own own, Ie WI In 3. Hurricane Katrina's what engineers call soft soil decimation of New Orleans, and 6. One of the biggest challenges' zones, the criticism of the ensuing in the immediate aftermath of a
disaster would be rounding up 10. "Some people think it is just rescue efforts, has provided a ., t· f h I'd b 'Id' . emergency workers. 'We can a ques Ion 0 ow so I UI Ings spur to officials in Montreal . to "M G ' d "B imagine the. first-responders would are, r, Ulndon sai. ut if assess their own preparedness, . h b 'Id' th t . be victims as well if they live in the you ave a UI Ing a IS very Mr. Guindon said detailed plans . t t t rt'h k area, and most of them live in the resls an 0 ea qua es on are in place for heavy flooding - s· a d 'I I dfill th area," Mr. Guindon said. "Others n y SOl or an I, ere can right down to a catalogue of be I' < ct' f th 'I wh"h might not be able to get around I'f Ique,a Ion 0 e SOl, IC addresses deemed most at risk f . I roads are not clear. The roads . means instead 0 ·crumb ing the - ·for a crippling heat wave and, could be fu. II of debris." building might lean and fall." soon~ for a major epidemic. But it was after seeing what was going He wants the city's earthquake Once the soil-mapping is on .in New Orleans that he told contingency plan, which he hopes complete, officials will conduct someone in his office this week to have in hand before the end of potential damage assessments to get to work on a detailed the year, to .include procedures in of . crucial buildings and Contingency plan for Montreal's the event the communication infrastructures, including worst-case scenario: an network collapses. He suggested hospitals, emergency shelters, earthquake. creating pre-arranged schedules so bridges and overpasses, water
emergency workers know exactly supply and electriCity and natural 4. After Vancouver, Montreal where to go without being called. gas networks. is considered the Canadian city most at risk of suffering an 7. The city has identified a 11. "If the majority of our earthquake. Sitting in . the heart network of possible shelters across shelters are not resistant, we of the. SI. Lawrence fault system the island _ schools, town halls, need to be able to find alternate that stretches from Quebec's recreation centres '- capable of shelters without evacuating
beyond the island, because after
69
an earthquake, we will not be sure of the solidity of the bridges," Mr. Guindon said. People could be housed in large tents pitched in parks if there were a lack of secure shelter space.
In the event of amajor 'catastrophe, the Mayor would likely requast an intervention by the Armed Forces to maintain order and help with the recovery. But mobilization, especially following an earthquake that,unlike a hurricane, strikes without warning would take at least .24 hours. .
12 .. Mr. Guindon shudders at the thought of such a disaster occurring in the dead of winter: . "If we lose electriCity and heating for a long time, we have a very seriou's problem on our hand during the winter. Evacuations off the island would be necessary," he said.
It was the 1998 ice storm when Montrealers were left without power for days, that first got city officials thinking about how to cope with an earthquake. Subsequent disasters, s.uchas last year's Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, helped sharpen the fOCUS', Mr. Guindon said.
13. "Alii hope is that we can have the time before [an earthquake) occurs to complete our detailed planning .. I can assure you it is an immense. challenge . . It stops the entire economy, it stops 'daily life as we know it."
Montrealers, who are accustomed to hearing dishes rattle every few years following a distant small quake, tend not to take the threat of a major · earthquake very seriously. But there is no reason to be complacent. Jane Drysdale, a seismologist with Earthquakes Canada, a federal govemment agency, said a magnitude 7 earthquake is . not out of the question for Montreal. "It is about every 300 years that we would expect a large, magnitude 6 or 7 event," she said. "That could cause a lot of damage if it was centred close to a populated centre."
National Post
READING: IS CANADA PREPARED?
A. RE~ad the article and answer the questions below.
1. Is Montreal at risk for an earthquake? How do you know?
2. According to the article, what would be the greatest challenge Montreal would face after a d.isaster?
3. The city has several large buildings it can use as shelters, What does Mr. Guindon think about using these buildings?
4. Why aren't earthquake-proof buildings always a good choice?
B. · Find words in the text that have a similar meaning to the words below.
1. destructive (1)
2. an important monument (1) _. _~ ______ ~_
3. · to tumble down or fall (1)
4. separated (1) ____ ---""----...,....----.-,--
5. an incentive, an encouragement (3) ________ _
6. . a plan designed to take account of a possible" future event (3)
7. a place of refuge (7) ~ ___ ~ _______ _
8. a road that crosses over another road (10) _____ --,-____ _
9. to alert (11) _____ -------'-----
10. to shiver (12) ________ --'-__ _
11. to manage successfully (12) --'-_________ _
12. content; self-satisfied (13) ____ ---~--~
70
VIDEO 3: CLEAN CARS
I. DISCUSSION
1. Car manufacturers should be forced to develop cars that are almost pollution free. All other models should be discontinued by 2020. a) Do you agree with this statement? Explain. . b) Who would be the key players if a law like this were passed? (Who
would be involved and who would be affected?)
2. . What are the advantages and the drawbacks of the electric car, the hybrid car, and the fuel cell engine?
3. How have cars changed since they were first invented?
II. COMPREHENSION . .
1. Forty years ago there were ______ ----'- cars in the World.
Twenty years later, there were . Now we're up to 600 million.
2. What is coming out of all these ________ is affecting our health
and it's changing the _________ '
3. Three quarters otall our air pollution comes from -'--______ and
one half of that comes from cars and ----------
4. Even a new car produces its own _______ in carbon every year.
5. We're on the of a major ____ ,--__ ill the
technology that makes the wheels go around.
6. It was the ~ _____ ~ of California that first started turning the
_"---_~_ of change.
7. By 2003, to% of cars sold in California have to meet zero level
71
8. . Auto makers are taking several approaches to the clean car:
from -------~----~-----~--~-------
to ______ ~--_________ ____ ~~-------------
9. Everyone thought the electric cars was the obvious choice because it has no
10. General Motors: first auto maker in North America to come out with the EVI.
What are the limitations of the EVI?
a)
b)
c)
11. Toyota: the Hybrid Car
What are the features of the Prius? .
12,. Fuel cells are _______ and six times _____ than gasoline.
13. The fuel cell is made up of two __________ : one to feed in
____________ , the other to feed in the __________ _
Between them there is a _----' _______ _
Whenthe hydrogen from one side meets the oxygen from the other side,
they combine and form . At the same time they produce
__________ which can just be tapped off. ·
14. What is the advantage of the fuel cell over the battery?
15. Fuel cells can be _____ in different ways and ____ _
together to meet the power needs.
72
16. It takes ~-,-_______ . of fuel cells to run an average city bus.
'17. One of the problems in building these buses !s the high cost. How can the
costs be lowered?
a) ' ~ ______ - ____ ~ ________________________________ _
b)
c}
'18. VVhat is the major concern of fuel cell technology? Why?
19. Buses running with fuel cell engines don't send any pollution into the air,
only ________ _
20. Major breakthrough: We can also get hydrogen from .gasoline; We can do
this by u~ing existing fuel: this creates powerful ______ ~- for
the oil companies, and reduces the _________ of the auto
makers.
73
A QUESTION OF ENERGY (Rene Bruemmer: The Gazette/August 13, 2005)
There's nothing like a 60-per-cent hike in gas prices to encourage interest in alternative fuels. In May 2003, prices at the pump in Montreal
averaged 69.8 cents a litre. Two years later, they've shot to$1.12, and the combination of . dwindling global supplies and growing demand from developing nations
. indicates the days of relatively cheap fuel are coming to an end. A household that spent $50 a week on gas in 2003 has seen its tab jump from $2,500 a year then to $4000 now. Does that mean it's time to rus.h out and pick out a hybrid car, or invest in ethanol stock? Here's a look at the main alternatives.
1. HYBRID VEHICLES
What are they? By far the most popular altemative-fuel option because they're as convenient as normal cars, hybrids have a standard gasoline engine supplemented by a battery-powered electrical motor. The car saves energy by turning .itself off when it comes to a stop, and by having the electric motor kick in when extra power is needed.
The Toyota Prius was the first commercially mass-produced hybrid car in 1997. Sales of the approximately 12 models of hybrids on the market have
. increased steadily, and are predicted to more than double this year to 200,000 in the United States, compared with 88,000 last year.
Analysts, however, predict the higher cost of hybrid vehicles will cause sales to plateau at 500,OOOvehicies by 2011 which represents just three per cent of the 15 million cars sold annually in the U.S.
Pros: The look and drive like their nonhybrid counterparts, and with reduced fueJ intake, are less harmful to the environment and pocketbook.
Cons: They cost thousands more than their non-hybrid twins, and while . carmakers advertise vastly improved mileage, some drivers have noted actual fuel consumption is not always that much better. The Honda Accord Hybrid, for example, boasts milleage of 7.9litres per 100 km in the city (29 mpg) and 6 litres per 100 km highway (37 mpg) compared with 21 mpg city and 30 mpg highway for a standard Accord. Independent drivers, however, recorded average mileage of closer to 21 mpg, which the carmaker blamed on winter conditions and .improper driving techniques. At $39,000 for the hybrid against $35;000 for the non-hybrid, it's doubtful. fuel savings will make up the $4,000 price differential.
74
2. ETHANOL
What is it? An alcohol-based alternative fuel made frorn starch crops such as com, barley and wheat, as well as grasses and trees. It's ofienmixed with gasolinel0 increase octane, which improves emissions quality.
It's available in Canada at many gas stations, and most cars can use it (owners should check with their dealers to make sure it won't void warranties), but because it has a tendency to freeze, it is generally only available in a blend of 10 per cent ethanol, 90 per cent gasoline, called E10. In the U.S., where ethanol production is heavily subsidized, more than 4 million cars can run on blends as high as 85 per cent ethanol, although most owners aren't aware of that: Canada's federal government has more thant 1 ,400 ethanol-powered flexible-fuel vehicles that run on the 85-per-cent blend. Prices are currently about the same as regular gasoline.
In Brazil, which has used its sugar cane resources to become the world leader in ethanol production, more than 20 per cent of new cars run on ethanol-, which is almost halfthe price of gasoline there.
Pros: A renewable resource, ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline, reducing . the amount of carbon monoxide and ozone-depleting substances. Despite considerable grain resources, Canada ranks 14th in ethanol production, but has pledged to triple its output by 2010, to conform with the Kyoto protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, creating a new marketfor grain growers.
Cons: Slightly more expensive than regular gasoline, it is not widely available in Canada. One study out of California has contended it takes 30 per cent more energy to turn corn into ethanol than the amount of fuel the process produces, but proponents dispute those findings.
3. BIODIESEL
What is it? A diE~sel fuel made from vegetable oils like, canola or soybean oil, or animal fats, which are combined with an alcohol such as methanol or ethanol, and can be used in diesel vehicles.
It's not as strange, as it sounds: diesel engine inventor Rudolf Diesel used peanut oil in 1890 to power his engines, but switched to diesel because it was cheaper and mom abundant.
Blends of up to 20-per-cent biodiesel (mixed with standard petroleum diesel fuels) can be used in most vehicles (check the warranty) without any engine modifications. It's used mostly by . government agencies, but pressure from
'. Kyoto Accord restrictions. have increased the popularity of this fuel source that emits fewer greenhouse gasses, but slightly more smog . producing byproducts, than straight diesel. .
Some drivers also use straight, used filtered cooking oil in their cars, picking up the vegetable oil for free from restaurants. It's thicker than regular fuel, so the engine must be heated first.
Pros: Cleaner burning, fewer ozonedepleting emissions than regular diesel, about the same price per litre; or free, if it's used cooking oil. And another potential cash crop for farmers -Canada is the world's largest producer of canola. A one-year "Biobus" project using a blodiesel blend on 155 buses in Montrea.1 in 2002 reduced-greenhouse gas emissions by about 1,500 tonnes.
Cons: It is land intensive. In, a interview with the Victoria Times Colonist, Murray Love, a research associate at UviC's Institute for Integrated Energy Systems, said: "You would have to convert virtually all the agricultural land of America, plus some, to feed the demand." Canadl:1 is the only G8 country not to offer biodiesel at gas stations.
4. HYDROGEN-POWERED FUEL CELLS
. What is it? Thegread clean hope of the alternative fuel world, it uses a hydrog.en fuel cell that reacts with oxygen to provide power to a battery whi~hin turn provides current to the car's electric motor - and produces zero toxic emissions. The hydrogen tank sits in the trunk and functions much like a regular fuel tank.
Pros: Absolutely clean, a cheap and endless supply, and Vancouver's Ballard Power System is a world leader in the technology. .
Cons: Still very much in the production stages, a saleable version isn't expected before 2015 or later. British Columbia is currently trying out five Ford Focus vehicles in a three-year test run. Because its waste products is water, freezing temperatures are a major hindrance. A distribution network of hydrogen fuelling stations would have to be put in place. Gas stations would be the likely locations, but oil companies have proven reluctant in the past to welcome alternative-fuel competition on their premises. Visions of the Hindenburg have many concerned about hydrogen's explosive properties, but proponents claim it's safer than gasoline.
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OTHER ALTERNATIVES
Electric vehicles: Run on batteries Evs have no emissions, but are inconvenient because charging times can be as long as eight hours, and range is short between recharges -typically about 100 kilometres. The price of charging the battery generally works out to less than the price of gas.
Natural gas: A mixture of hydrocarbons - mainly methane -and is produced either from gas wells or in conjunction with crude oil production. It creates far fewer harmful emissions than gasoline or diesel, is about half the price, and can be stored onboard as compressed gas or in liquid form. Outlets are not widely available, but has future potential because it could be used in fuel-cell ·vehicles to make
. hydrogen. Like electric cars, production of natural gas ears is petering out as inconvenience hampers sales.
Propane: Popular because of the wide distribution network already iii place, it is a cleaner-burning fuel produced as a by-product of natural gas processing and crude oil refining.
Online Extra: Many fear the financial hit of gas prices. Read the results of a new poll, at our Web site: www.montrealgazette.com.
Photos from Gazette Files
SOURCES: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ALTERNATIVE FUELS DATA . CENTRE, CANADIAN RENEWABLE
FUELS ASSOCIATION; WINNIPED FREE PRESS, TIMES COLONIST,
CANWEST NEWS SERVICE, GAZETTE, CBC NEWS, WASHINGTON POST, THE
ECONOMIST, ASSOCIATED PRESS
A. Vancouver took delivery of the first factory-produced fuel cell cars as part of a three-year test to determine feasibility of the technology
Hydrogen power debuts
1. Vancouver - To a world still getting used to the concept of buying hybrid-powered vehicles, the understanding of the whole hydrogen fuel cell thing lies somewhere between quasars and quantum physics for most of us. There simply isn't a lot of that familiar internal . combustion process going on under the hood - 'none at all, in fact.
2. ThiS ' consumer learning curve took a $ignificant step forward this month, when the first factory-produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for public use were . delivered to
. Vancouver. The . five Ford Focus FCVs took their place · on . a stage at Vancouver's Plaza of Nations and were feted by federal, provincial and municipal representatives.
. They were then delivered to various corporate,' institutionl:ll and public service customers, each of whom will log hundreds of driving hours in the unique cars over the next •. three years.
3. All the while, they will be adding precisely zero to the atmospheric emissions count. The only emissions to be . discharged from the Focus FCV exhaust system will be a drop of water every few seconds, according to Ford.
To perform this apparent miracle requires the mysterious functions of a .hydrogen fuei cell, which provides power to the battery, which in turn supplies current to the car's electric motor. The Focus FCY thus runs, sounds and behaves like
TED DAVIS CANWEST NEWS SERVICE
the electric car that it is, but it does so without any cumbersome battery packs or the necessity to recharge the vehicle overnight.
4. Instead, it has a fuel cell stack under the h.ood, in which the energy exchange is processed. And it has a bulky hydrogen fuel cell tank in the trunk that eats up about 75 per cent of the space there.
''The next generation of FCVs will address ttiat," said Greg Frenette, manager of the fuel cell vehicle fleet and engineering at Ford.
5. For now, the focus is on testing the FCVs for driveability and reliability. To that end, these cars strive to mimic the performance of combustion-driven vehicles in eve(ything but their emiSSions characteristics and fuel usage.
"Ultimately, these cars have to be designed 'to have no compromises," Frentte said.
6. So far, so good with the FCV Focus. It starts instantly and happily hums along with almost no sound. A light on the . dashboard confirms the motor is running, and the automatic transmission engages with nodrama. That also is the best way to describe the car's performance, which is acceptable for achieving highway on-ramp and cruising speeds. The brakes work well enough, too, and perform the dual duty of both stopping the car' and regenerating el~ctrical energy for storage in the advanced nickel metalhydride battery.
7. A couple of brief laps on the roads around B.C. Place .Stadium is all I get to .glean
76
these simple impressions, but it is enough for me to claim I am one of the first Canadian journalists to dFive a hydrogen fuel cell car.
Customers, such as B.C. Hydro, B.C. Transit, the City of Vancouver and the National Resear.ch Council, . have started using the cars for day-to-day driving tasks.
"To date, the durability and robustness of the vehicle has been extraordinary." said Frenette, referring to Ford's inhouse testing of the cars ..
"The durability
and robustness of
the vehicle has
been.
extraordinary. "
Greg Frenette
8. But issues remain, including that pesky trunk intrusion by the hydrogen fuel tank and a weight problem. Both will be closely considered and, hopefully, solved in the neXt 12 to 24 months, the fleet manager said.
A greater puzzle will be how Ford and Vancouver's Ballard Power Systems deal with the dilemma of cold weather operation for the FCVs. Below-freezing temperatures pose a major snag when the by-product of the motor is water.
In any case, it will be some time before the Focus FCV will achieve a level of general marketability.
9. There's no cost attached to the car at present, and if it
were for sale, it would list somewhere in the sixfigure range, Frenette said.
Even after the FCV is thoroughly prepared for consumers, it will remain an · abstract scientific in<;lulgence without one essential element .- a fuelling infrastructure. The big job of setting design parameters for hydrogen fuelling stations and then building a network that will serve FCVs in North America is very much in its early stages.
10. Three stations have been built to <;late - in Vancouver and Victoria .;... and these are the beginnings of the so-called "hydrogen highway" in Canada. A few stations also exist in Los Angeles and Sacramento, Calif., Orlando, Fla., southeast Michigan and Berlin.
These are the places that will also take deliveries of small batches of FCVs over this coming spring, summer and fall .
VANCOUVER SUN April 18; 2005.
REA[)ING A: HYDROGEN POWER DEBUTS
Match column A to column" B
1. hood (1)
2. emissions (2)
3. to behave (3)
4. a stack(4)
5. to strive (5)
6. bulky (4)
7. a fleet (4)
8. a dashboard (6)
9. reliability (5)
10. " a ramp (6)
11. the brakes (6)
77
a pile
what comes out of the tailpipe of " a car
to act
a group of similar vehicles
a device · used to stop the movement of a vehicle
large
a cover for the engine ofa vehicle
to make ali · effort
area in a vehicle that contains instruments and controls
consistent quality or character
sloping road leading on or off a highway
B.
What about etha·nol?
Ottawa - How is it possible that Kyoto planners could be
. so impossibly blind to . the huge potential of ethanol?
Last month, when the time came to unveil a national greenhouse gas opus, Canada's Kyoto planners 'saw the potential of this ground-breaking technology as' deserving of nothing more than an offhand, two-word mention buried in the description of
. Botential partnership projects.
2. Does this disregard possibly .find its roots in the same view that allowed Climate Change 2005 authors to refer to the federal government's fleet of vehicles as "among the greenest in the country" and give extensive credit to hybrid cars, but just one honourable mention to a mysterious fuel called E-85? .
3. Left to find out on their own, Canadians will be pleased to note that E-85 is an 85-per-cent blend of ethanol and gasoline, and that the federal government now has more than 1,400 ethanol-powered flexible-fuel vehicles, the largest by far of any vehicle type in its fleet. All those in the capital region . operate on the "super green" cellulose ethanol. .
4. In a flex-fuel vehicle, this wheat straw-based fuel produces 45 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than even the best gas-electric hybrid. That's part of the reason why there are barely more than 200 of the expensive little hybrids in the federal fleet.
. .
Meanwhile, a flex-fuel package is a free or low-cost option on several North American and European cars, pickup trucks, sport-utilities and vans. This could explain why there are more than ' four million flex-fuel vehicles on North American and European roads, and why the Canadian government buys . more than 400 of them a year.
DOUG NIXON CANWEST NEW SERVICE The Gazette, May 2, 2005
5. The climate plan offers no acknowledgment of this technology, and . certainly no . analysis of the opportunity it provides Canada - even though some of these vehicles are manufactured here,including the E-85 Chrysler minivans built in Windsor.
How is it possible for the federal Liberal government to announce, in late 2003, more than $80 million in ethanol plant cqnstruction incentives and hand out the money all over the country,· yet come the 2004 election, take little or no credit for it?
A study found that . Saskatchewan alone
could produce 50 billion litres of ethanol
a year.
6. This federal ethanol incentive program is helping with the construction of some seven ethanol distilleries across Canada and is one of the single biggest federal greenhouse amelioration programs underway - yet it receives not one specific mention in Climate Change 2005.
Three provinces - Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan - have mandated ethanol in gasoline, a market-
. transforming action that receives no direct acknowledgment in the report.
7. The federal government has never done a comprehensive study on Canada's ethanol production potential. But a 2000 Saskatchewan Research Council study by chemist Dr. Keith Hutchence concluded that a mature industry in that province alone could reach 50 billion litres a year -which is pretty good, considering that Canada's entire annual gasoline
78
consumption stands at about 38 billion litres.
8. Canada has the largest bio-fuel advantage of any country, yet gives this technology not even lukewarm support at a pivotal time when it deserves, -the same chest-thumping approach that accompanied the launch of the CANDU nuclear reactor: .
Meanwhile, in the Kyoto badlands to the south in 2004, nearly 15 billion litres of ethanol flowed from some 81 distilleries in the United States, with another 15 plants under construction. The U.S. also has legislation before its Congress to more than double its ethanol production capacity, and bipartisan support to pass it.
9. How is it possible that the U.S., which has not passed Kyoto, is so many light-years ahead on ethanol than a country that has ratified the accord and economically has even · more to gain in the long run from the fuel's commercialization?
Moderate. success has come in the United States because of a modicum of common sense, and a farm vote that is bigger than the oil vote. In Canada, unreasoned fear still roams the political landscape. Not accepting any limit on how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas we stuff into the atmosphere, while simultaneously polluting the air of all life here on Earth, is not an easy business to get into, it seems, and an even more difficult one to exit.
Doug Nixon is the founder of the Ottawa-based Canadian Renewable
Fuels Association and editor of Canadian Renewable Energy News.
OTTAWA CITIZEN
READING B: WHAT ABOUT ETHANOL? Match column A to column B
1. blind (1)
2. to unveil (1)
3. ground-breaking (1)
4. ethanol (3)
5. fli~lht years (9)
6. wheat (4)
7. incentive (5)
8. . to be underway (8
9. lukewarm (8)
10. pivotal ( 8)
a) innovating
b) unenthusiastic, indifferent
c) payments or concessions to stimulate work
d) vital, very important
e) great amount oftime (figurative)
f) cannot see
g) alcohol
h) to reveal, to make publicly known
i) a grain used to make flour
j) in progress
Ex~rcise: Write 5 sentences using words or expressions from articles A and B.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
79
VIDEO 4: THE POWER OF WATER Land of Little Rain
I. . DISCUSSION
1. List' five w~ys to conserve water ona personal level. Which, if any, of these practices do you use now or intend to use?
2. Has there been any flooding in your country in recent years? Discuss.
II. VOCABULARY
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words from the box.
tap runs
floods water
pipe smoke
sprinkler wells
1. In summer I _______ ~----'_ my lawn every day.
2. A leaky _____ can lose hundreds of gallons of water every day.
3. All commerCial buildings must have a _______ detector and a
__ ---:-_----'-______ system in case of a fire.
4. When people wash their cars in the driveway, the water _____ _
down the street.
5. Do you drink ___ ..,--___ water or bottled water?
6. A long period without rain is called a _________ _
7. In some countries people are still getting their drinking water from __ '
8: can occur if it rains too much.
9. Can you ___ ____ me a glass of water?
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/
III. COMPREHENSION
1. At the end of the 13th century there was a _____ '-----'-_
drought.
2. In the ____ -----West, water has always controlled the
population: the people lived, _______ _
could live there, and it was time to move on. But
now that has changed. are grown in the _------
3. California alone produces more __ ---than anywhere else in
the country.
4. The parched West is a _____ and _____ ~_ garden.
5,,' Since the turn of the century, moving water from where it was to where
it wasn't has been a obsession. Where it ------------was, was the Colorado River - the only water in the South
. West.
6. It was unusable by man until they built the Hoover _______ . It
divides the water evenly.
7 .. ' California gets __ -'--__ water and Nevada ____ ,__---
8. Upstream there's a battle going on - more people want what there is
of. ----'----
· 9 .. ______________ '---___ ' are raging in the West.
10. _________ people a month are moving to Las Vegas that
gets only ___________ of rain a year.
11. By ________ the water will be used up. They'll have to take
their water from two other areas: or . --------------
81
12. Las Vegas has filed claims on pockets of __________ _
to the north. The proposed plan would _________ ' ground
water and send it south through hundreds of miles of
______ --:. But rural residents are not pleased.
13. Who will fight Las Vegas in getting water from other areas?
14. In the state of Nevada, water is ____ - ___ --. The population
keeps growing.
15. Name different ways water is wasted in Las Vegas:
16. The fountains at the Mirage use _______ water and not fresh
water.
17. Name the different ways that the Mirage saves water:
18. What percentage of water is us~d for agriculture? __ --'-____ _
19. Tucson is one of the most progressive cities in the West.
Tucson has a who patrols the streets
looking for water waste.
20. Much damage has been done to our ___ ---,-___ ---,. ___ _
and . ~ We have seriously ________ our
non-renewable water supplies
82
Severe shortages might spark "water wars," report says
1. Severe water shortages loom in many regions of the world, including the Canadian Prairies, say scientists who warn one-sixth of Earth's population relies on water 'from glaciers and! snowpacks that are disappearing. 2. The Prairies are in line for more frequent and prolonged droughts iri coming decades that could put agriculture at risk, a report by leading climate and water researchers 'says. They also say · Canadians will face "heightened competition" for the dwindling water supply, Wetlands and lakes need water, and commitments to thirsty, energy-hungry Americans will have to be met. 3. Under a 1969 agreement, Alberta must allow 50 per cent of, stream flow to cross the border, the report says, .one of three. climaterelated papers published . in the journal Nature today, two of them dealing with water and one with human health.
4. The deaths of an estimated 150,000 people a year can already be attributed to the extreme weather and medical problems associated with climate change, the health report says. Heat waves and the ' spread of disease-causing microbes and insects are forecast to take a much bigger toll in coming decades.
5. The reports are depressing but important, said climate scientist John Smol of Queen's University. "People don't want to hear bad news. Well, get used to it." There will be no replacing the water that is pouring off the world's mountains as glaciers melt and snowpacks shrink, . he said in discussing "the coming water wars." I
MARGARET MUNRO CANWEST NEWS SERVICE
6. "These are nature's water towers we are losing," Smol said.
"People are fighting over things like oil now. Just imagine when they start fighting over something that there is no substitute for."
7. The new reports say glaciers are in retreat over most of the world, and once the ice is gone, "there will be no replacemenf for the meltwater now used by hundreds of millions of people.
Loss of glaciers is
irreversible The, most critical vanishing glaciers are in the Himalaya-Hindu Kush region, home of the third-largest ice mass on Earth, exceeded only by the glaciers in Antarctic and Greenland/Arctic,
S. "There is little doubt that the glaCiers of the (Himalaya-Hindu Kush) region are melting," the report notes, pointing to a reCent inventory of the glaciers that supply much of Asia, India and China with water, in the summer moriths.
It warns parts of these most populated regions on Earth are likely to run out of water during the dry season if current warming trends continue. Those changes could occur very abruptly, the reports warn - in just a few decades or less. 9. The thre'ats in Europe and North America relate more to snow. In the warming world, the scientists say, snowpacks and spring runoff could become a thing of the past in
83
much of the region feeding Europe's Rhine River, dramatically altering the seasonal flow of water for agriculture; industry and domestic use.
10. The forecast for western North American calls for a decrease in snowpack and earlier snowmelt that could increase the frequency and severity of droughts on the Canadian Prairies. In the western United States, the report predicts spring runoff could be about a month earlier by 2050, which could pose huge problems for power producers and fisheries managers. 11. The vast Columbia River, which has it headwaters in the Canadian Rockies and flows into Washington state, is the largest hydroelectric power-producting river in NbrthAmerica. It also supports celebrated and protected salmon runs. 12. "Less winter snowfall and earlier melting will force residents and industries to, face, by 2050 or before, a choice of water releases for summer ,and autumn hydroelectric power or spring or summer releases for salmon runs."
"I'm basically an optimist, because human inventiveness is very powerful," said Smol, who was named Canada's top scientist Il:ist year. "I don't think it's too late to make decisions and take action, but it is getting very, very late." ' ,
13. He is frustrated with politicians' and society's fixation on short-term interests and problems and their reluctance to take meaningful steps to deal with climate change. "It's like people worrying about the colour of the carpet in their living room when the house is burning down," Smol said.
VIDEO 5: MAKING, TINKERING AND INNOVATING
I. DISCUSSION
1. Do you like to invent things? Do you like to make things with your hands? If so, what
kind of things?
2. What is the importance of inventing and making things to you? Why?
3. Once an object or device has been made, it often needs to be perfected. What are some of
the steps and ways to improve upon an invention?
II. COMPREHENSION
VIDEO 1 - A High Tech DIY Renaissance
1. A new kind of assembly line of printers that are just starting to
-'-____________ . They're letting everyday people make everyday things.
2. It's momentum that lets people _________ how to make drawing musical.
3. Bre Pettis co-founded a New York City called NYCResistor, a
cauldron for innovation.
4. One guy hacks this miniature audio amplifier designed to let grandparents amp up volume
on their phones. He uses it so he can' _____ problems in his electronic _----
5. His bears a floral symbol, the mark of a company
founded by an MIT gr~duate and engineer whose products encourage
84
6. She gives away her _________ instructions, codes and _.,.--__ -'- on how
to build products she comes up with, like say, this clock.
7. MakerBot makes _____ .3D printers. Abo~t _____ of them have sold so far.
8. MakerBot's founder wants people to look back on his invention and see that it
them to be creative and _____ them do things that they wouldn't have
been able to do otherwise.
VIDEO 2 -- Hacker spaces
1. NYC Resistor's goal is to ___ ----, _____ and _____ things to see how.
they work.
2. You're not limited to doing with them what Apple tells you you can do with them. This is
a ______ computer just like anything else. This thing is probably
_______ the computers that Were used for the Apollo Moon mission.
3. What can you do with the MakerBot?
4. What did the MakerBot make? -------------~-------
5. How many members are there in NYCResistor? ______________ _
6. How can members share their knowledge? ------~.,.------------
VIDEO 3 -- NYC Resistor Hacker Space
1. How long have hacker spaces existed? ---, ___________________ -
2. Where were the first hacker spaces? _________________ ----' __
3. What is hacking, according to Pettis? .---'-_____ ~ _______ ___.: ___ _
85
4. What is the coolest tool at NYC Resister? ________ --'-_______ _
5. What can you learn at the classes offered at NYC Resistor? __________ _
VIDEO LINKS:
Video 1: http://online.wsj.comlvideo/a-high-tech-diy-renaissanceID9B78132-9FOA-4206-
8582-C3 nCA9A5EE7 .html
Video 2: http://www.youtube.comlwatch?V=3UlFi021mM
Video 3: http://www.youtube.comlwatch?v=58rbVFAroW4
III. READING
Tinkering Makes Comeback Amid Crisis WALL STREET JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 13,2009 By JUSTIN LAHART .
The American tradition oftirikering -- the spark for inventions from the telephone to the Apple computer -- is making a comeback, boosted by renewed interest in hands-on work amid the economic crisis and falling prices of high-tech tools and materials. . . . .
The modem milling machine, able to shape metal with hairbreadth precision, revolutionized industry. Blake Sessions has one in his dorm room, tucked under the shelf with the peanut butter on it.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology junior has been using the mill to make prototypes for a bicycle-sprocket business' he's planning. He bolts down a piece of aluminum plate, steps to his desk and, from his computer, sets the machine in motion. [ ... ]
Engineering schools llCross the country report students are showing an enthusiasm for hands-on work that hasri't been seen in years. Workshops for people to share tools and ideas -- called "hackerspaces" -- are popping up all over the country; there are 124 hackerspaces in the U.S., according to a member~run group that keeps track, up from a handful at the start of last year. SparkFun Electronics Inc., 'which sells electronic parts to tinkerers, expects sales of about $10 million this year, up from $6 million in 2008. "Make" magazine, with articles on building items such as solar hot tubs and autopilots for robots, has grown from 22,000 subscribers in 2005 to more than 100,000 now. Its annual "Maker Faire" in San Mateo, Calif., attracted 75,000 people this year. [ ... J
The financial crisis played a role in taking a nascent trend and giving it increased urgency, says Michael Cima, an MIT engineering professor. "I've been here 23 years and I definitely see this trend back to hands-on," he says. "A lot of people are pretty disappointed with an image of a career in fmance and they're looking for a career that's real. '!
Access to the tools to tinker is getting easier. "Computer numerical controlled," or CNC; tools -- which cut metal and other materials into whatever design is plugged into the computer attached to them -- now cost as little ll$ a tenth of what they did a decade ago. Mr. Sessions, the MIT student, says he fIrst looked at such mills on a lark, assuming the priCe would be well out of his reach. But his mill cost about $7,000 to buy and set up.
. . 86
He sees the bike-sprocket business as a springboard for developing more complex products, such as a device to increase mobility for arthritis sufferers or an energy-efficient car transmission. He thinks his interest in tinkering will give him an advantage in a global marketplace. [~ .. ]
Through much ofthe past century, [ ... ] developing new products required increasingly complex and expensive tools that were out of reach of most individuals -- the Wright brothers built an airplane in their bicycle shop, but the fIrst jet-powered aircraft,were built at well-funded corporate and government labs. Asa result, large fIrms came to dominate innovation.
That trend was disrupted in the 1990s when low-cost computers allowed Internet and software start-ups to compete with giants. But when it came to developing innovative physical products, high prices kept high-tech machine tools and materials out of most tinkerers' reach. [ .. . ]
At engineering schools, the drop in costs is putting tools once accessible only to senior researchers into the hands of undergraduates. The Hobby Shop at MIT, once mainly a wood shop, has been accumulating advanced equipment, some castoffs from MIT laboratories, some bought.f ... ]
Hands-on is catching on at other schools. There were 27% more undergraduates who earned mechanical-engineering . degrees in 2008 than in 2003, according to the American Association of Engineering Societies. Over the same period, the number of computer-engineering graduates slipped by 31 %.
Students at Carnegie Mellon University asked to stay at school for a week after exams last spring so they could hang . out and build things. Ed Schlesinger, a professor there, says that after a long period where theoretical work dominated at engineering schools, "when students talk to each other now, it's 'So, what cool project are you working on?' It's not elilough to say I took these classes and got an A." Stanford University's Product Realization Laboratory, where students learn machining, welding and other hands-on skills, has seen membership jump to 750 from 450 over the past fIve years. [ ... J
Until the 1950s, economists thought how fast the economy grew was mostly a matter of how much money was spent and how much work was getting done. But in a 1957 paper that helped him later earn a Nobel ~rize, MIT economist Robert Solow showed capital and labor only accounted for about half of growth. The remaining half he attributed to innovation -- an area where the U.S. has long had an advantage.
In recent years, however, U.S. spending on research and development has led some economists to worry that innovation will no longer provide the boost it once did. Corporate R&D spending grew an average of2.6% annually from 2000 to 2007, down from an average of 6% in the 1980s and 1990s, according to the most recent fIgures from the National Science Foundation. Chief fInancial offIcers surveyed in September by Duke University's Fuqua School
.. of Business and CFO Magazine said they expected their companies' R&D spending to grow by just 0.4% over the next year.
Tinkering represents innovation outside such fIgures. TechShop in Menlo Park, Calif., for example, is a for-profIt workshop and operates like a gym, except that 'the members who pay $100 a month are milling iron rather than pumping it.
Full article available at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB 125798004542744219 .htrlill
87
Questions on the reading Answer the questions.
1. What are some of the factors causing tinkering to make a comeback?
2. Describe changes taking place at engineering schools.
Vocabulary Match definitions a- h with words in 1 - 8.
5. springboard __ 1. milling machine _ . _. _
6. castoff 2. hairbreadth precision __
7. hands-on 3. set in motion
8. welding __ . 4. tinkerers .
a. machine tool on which work usually of metal secured to a carriage is shaped by rotating
. milling cutters
b. something that has been: discarded or thrown away
c. to unite two materials (metal or plastic) by heating them and letting them flow together
d. high accuracy
e. someone who works with or repairs things in an experimental manner
. f. to start
g. direct, practical experience
h. a point of departure
88
VIDEO 6: ENGINEERING DISASTERS - AVIATION
I. DISCUSSION
1. Name 3 recent engineering disasters. Could they have been prevented?
2. When there is an engineering disaster, who should be held responsible for the damage?
II. COMPREHENSION
1. The aviation industry as we know it today has been shaped by ____ -' ____ _
and -----
2. One of the most influential disasters occurred the morning of----:-__ -,--__ _
3. In . and very low cloud cover, Flight 599 suddenly took a
_____ and crashed near Bazaar, Kansas~
4. Why was Knute Rockne famous and well loved in the U.S.A.?
5. It wasn't investigated in the most _--- manner because, let's face it, there wasn't a
lot of experience investigating commercial aircrafts. So, . there has been a huge amount of
_____ about what happened in that crash.
6. When commercial aviation was becoming more and passengers were flying
and particularly because of the celebrity status of Knute Rockne, they started to look into
why it so that we can prevent this from happening again.
89
7. The predominant use of aircraft was for U.S. , and these planes
frequently crashed. By the late 1920s, new airplanes had been developed that had more
powerful __ ~ __ and could _____ ---,_ passengers.
8. What was Charles Lindberg's flight path? In what year?
9. One of the most widely used planes in the commercial airline industry was the Fokker F
lOA trimotor. It had:
- A ----' ___ body
- An 80-foot -----
- Three 420 _~ _____ engmes
10. Anthony Fokker designed a wooden wing knowing it would be and
_____ to _____ . A metal wing needed special _____ and _____ '
not so with wood.
11. Sifting through the , in the empty Kansas field, experts in the investigation
proposed a number of different theories for what happened:
12. The government passengers from flying in Fokker F-10s, all the while
claiming that there was nothing ________ wrong with the Fokker aircraft. Finally, the
investigators identified the probable cause of the crash. Part of the wooden ' wing had
broken off in mid-flight.
13. The Fokker wing was comprised of wooden joints that were ___ together.
14. It doesn't have to to come apart, it just has to in a way that the
glue cannot tolerate and you break up the wing and you still lose the structural integrity.
90
15. The decision to make a wooden wing was a practical one, but iIi reality, such thorough
maintenance for the growing fleet of planes and routes was ____ _
16. Disaster tends to technological innoyation.
17. In the of the Rockne crash, Jack Fry, the owner bfTWA, contracted Donald
Douglas to build a new, bigger and better plane.
III. READING
Investigators Find Design Flaw in Collapsed Bridge
August 9, 2007
Investigators have raised roncerns about the safety of bridges all over the country after fmding a design flaw while probing the deadly collapse of a Minneapolis bridge.
Federal transportation officials are calling on states to be aware of the stress placed on bridges after National Transportation Safety Board mvestigators discovered problems with the steel plates that connected the steel beams of the Interstate 35 West bridge.
An I8-person crew was working on the I-35W bridge when it collapsed last week during evening rush hour, killing at least five people and injuring about toO.
Helicopter observations found .several "tensile fractures" in the superstructure on the north side of the bridge, but nothing that appeared to show where the collapse began. Irivestigators were verifying loads and stresses on the beams, as well as materials in the plates; the NTSBsaid.
NTSB investigators are also looking into reports ofthat the bridge was wobbling before the Aug. I collapse.
The cOinpany that was doing the construction work, Progressive Contractors Inc., rejected a report that a worker· noticed unusual swaying of the bridge in the days before its collapse. The company said it did not believe any of its work contributed to the bridge failure but hadn't responded directly to claims of wobbling.
Officials of the Minnesota Department of Transportation wouldn't comment on the significance of the gussets in the bridge's collapse.
Even as the federal warning was issued, Navy divers continued probing the wreckage of the collapsed bridge for bodies, and officials said they expected removal of heavy debris to begin later than expected to give the divers more time.
At least eight people are missing and presumed dead. At least eight more were still hospitalized, one in critical condition.
91
At the dive site, twO. large cranes were ready to' go.. But they sat idle as divers returned to. the water do.ing "a very meticulo.us, hand-o.ver~hand search o.fthe scene," said their spo.kesman, Senio.r Chief Dave Nagle.
Navy and FBI dive teams are trying to' go. deeper into' the debris o.f the bridge than the lo.cal dive teams that have been wo.rking since the Aug. 1 co.lIapse, po.lice Capt. Mike Martin said. He expects it to' be at least a week befo.re cranes start regularly hauling o.ut large pieces o.f debris.
The FBI team had to' abandon using the larger o.f its two. unmanned submarines. The remo.te co.ntro.lled vehicle -equipped with a camera, so.nar, lights and a grabbing arm -- was to.o. big to' maneuver amid the unstable, twisted bridge wreckage and vehicles in the clo.udy water, agent Paul McCabe said Wednesday.
Instead, FBI divers will try their smaller sub, asho.e-bo.x-size vehicle equipped o.nly with lights and a camera. It is mo.re difficultfo.r the sub to' navigate the Mississippi River's stiff river currents because o.fthe sub's smaller thrusters. The water where the divers are wo.rking ranges fro.m 2 to' 14 feet deep.
Debris remo.val had been expected to. · begin this week. The State Patro.l said 88' vehicles have been lo.cated at the co.llapse site, including tho.se in the Mississippi River
NPR reports and the Associated Press
VOCABULARY EXERCISE I
Match the word on the right (in bold in the text above) with the definition on the left.
1. pro.be
2. flaw
3. beam
4. crew
5. rush ho.ur
, 6. Io.ad
7. ' wo.bble
8. sway
9. ' gusset
10. presume
11. crane
12. debris
13 . haul
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a. to. drag
b. to. explo.re tho.ro.ughly
c. to. o.scillate
d. to. expect
e. the remains o.f so.mething that has been bro.ken o.r destro.yed
f. a defect
g. the mass o.r weight supPo.rted by so.mething
h. a perio.d o.f peak demand
1. a team o.f wo.rkers
j. a Io.ng piece o.f Wo.o.d o.r metal used in
co.nstructio.n
k. a large machine used fo.r raising and' Io.wering heavy o.bjects
1. a bracket
m. to. mo.ve in ' an irregular o.r unsteady way
· VOCBULARY EXERCISE II
The expressions listed below can be found in the text in italics. Explain each one. Use each one in
a sentence.
1. to raise concern
Explanation:
Sentence:
2. to sit idle
Explanation:
Sentence:
93 .
VIDEO 7: MEGASTRUCTURES
Suspension Bridges
I. DISCUSSION
Every year the city spends millions of dollars repairing roads, overpasses and bridges. How can we increase the lifespan of these infrastructures so that they become more cost efficient?
II. VOCABULARY
Match the definitions tothe words in the box.
stay buckle
caisson bolt
1. a part of a bridge between supports or piers
2. a slanted wire or cable, a support
3. a nail or bolt for holding together metal plates
mud s an
4. a metal pin with a head used With a nut to hold things together
5. a large iron or steel beam for holding loads
6. watertight chamber in which underwater construction can be done
7. . a small powerful boat for towing larger boats and ships
8. fine sand, clay or other soil carried by moving water
·9. to bend under pressure, to lose shape
10. soft, wet soil
III. COMPREHENSION
History
silt rivet
1. Before the turn of the century, New York was already big and ______ _
2. Its islands begged for bridges to help ---' ______ with the traffic and keep
the big city economy growing.
3. Brooklyn Bridge: Its span is _________ feet.
4. Before computers and sophisticated machinery, it was sheer ingenuity,
_____ and that got the job done.
94
5. Engineer John Roebling relied on new techniques that made it possible to bridge
greater distances. As ________ to support the massive granite towers,
he used caissons - two airtight timber boxes were sunk to the
river bed and filled with _______ '
6,. Traveling wheels were used to _________ wires from one end to the
other and connect them to the anchorage.
7. Slanted _______ . called "stays" were needed for:
8. Why was there a problem with long, narrow two-lane suspension bridges?
9. How did engineers-resolve the problem of swaying?
10. Describe the Akahashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan.
Building at Akahashi Kaikyo Bridge
11. A grab bucket on floating barges prepared the seabed by removing hundreds of
thousands of yards o~ and Hollow steel
shells were assembled in a nearby shipyard and dragged into place by tugboats.
These caissons served as foundation for the bridge towers.
12. Tons of rock and _____ ~--were added aroun,d each base to prevent
·13. These cables were pulled into place strand by ________ _
14. Each strand was _____ ---' __ to ground inside massive concrete anchorages.
95
Maintaining the bridge
15. How many feet above the deck do the maintenance workers climb? --'-__ --'-__
16. What do they look for? '
17. How often are bridges inspected? ""'"---_______________ _
18. What are most modern bridges made of? __ ~ ___________ _
19. What do divers look for under water? ___ --'-___________ _
20. Why are wooden decks built under older bridges?
21. About 1/3 of bridges in the U.S. need ______ and ______ . The
total cost for repair is over _______ dollars.
22. By not maintaining bridges, we reduce their life by about _____ years.
IV. READING
New South Shore Bridge
A. Read the article B.Find words in the text that have the same meaning as the words· of expressions
below.
1. . to join
2. a highway that goes around a city
3. a short sloping road that leads on or off a highway
4. acompahy whose controlling interest is owned by a parent company
5. a pOint at which an expressway connects with another main traffic route
6. a highway for fast-moving traffic
7. an opinion poll
Expressions
8. a profit made on an investment
9. the spread of a city
10. to take the profits yourself
11. to approve
96
New South' Shore bridge requires enough land for approach ramps
1. The prospect of the 'Quebec cabinet allowing private companies to build and operate new private toll bridges and roads has produced talk of three specific potential projects for Montreal in the short term, 2. If the cabinet gives the green light, four or five consortiums would be expected to compete for the right to complete two road projects,
DAVID JOHNSTON
The Gazette
electronic tolls on the highway and pocket the revenue from it. 9. At present, Highway 25 runs north on Montreal Island from the Lafontaine Tunnel to the Anjou interchange with Highway 40. 10. SNC-Lavalin and CHIC want to extend Highway 40 north to Riviere des Prairies, build a bridge across the river, and construct a new section of
transportation experts say: Highway 25 in east-end Montreal and Laval, and Highway 30 on the South Shore. 3. Private completion of Highway 25 would result in a new private
"For Highway 25, there's no doubt that there'd be sufficient traffic over a private bridge to cover capital and operating costs."
Highway 25 linking up to Highway 440 . in Laval. . 11. Finishing Highway 30, meanwhile, would give Montreal a southern ring road that
bridge linking Montreal and Laval, say the experts, while finishing Highway 30 would finally give the metropolitan area a southern ring road. 4. ' A third potential project is another' bridge linking Montreal to the South Shore. ,
would allow transprovincial traffic to bypass Montreal Island altogether, said Pierre Asselin, president of Autoroutes ,Quebec. 12. The longest of two completed sections of Hghway 30 runs southwest from Sorel to Candiac. The shorter section runs from Sainte-Catherine to Chateauguay. 13. But there's no finished link yet between Sainte-
capital cost of building private Highway A-104, which opened in November 1997. 16. The 45-kilometre highway has both electronic and manual tolls. Prices range from $1 .50 to $4, depending on the type of vehicle.
"Other projects are possible in the Montreal area, but you have to keep in mind the ongoing debate over urban sprawl,"said Philippe Lamarre, a senior vice-president of SNC-Lavalin. "But for sure there's room for something to be done 'vis-a-vis another South Shore bridge: 17. Dessau-Soprinlnc., a Montreal engineering firm, recently produced a proposal to build a private bridge that would run from an area just west of the Jacques Cartier Bridge over Tie NotreDame to TIe Ste. Helene. 18. On Tie Ste. Helene, it would hook !ill to the eXisting Concorde Bridge that
. links to Montreallslant near Habitat 67, just east of the Bonaventure Expressway. . 19.0ttavio Galella, president of Traffix Inc" a Montreal traffic-survey firm, said
5. A new bridge is urgently needed in view of the federal government's plans to begin a complete renovation' of the Jacques-Cartier bridge platform, now 7.0 years old, some time in the next three years, said Michel Fournier, president of the federal corporation responsible for the Champlain and Jacques-Cartier bridges.
Catherine and « Other projects are the relative ' shortage of available land for a new South Shore bridge means it is possible a new link could take the form of a tunnel under
6. Last month, Fournier urged the provincial government to allow a private consortium to build and operate a new South Shore bridge on a toll basis. The toll would cover construction costs and give the consortium a return on its investment. 7. The provincial government needs to act quickly,. Fournier said, because there might not be enough available land 10 years from now to accommodate new bridge ramps on-the south tip of Montreal Island near downtown and the north tip of the South Shore oppOSite. 8. SNC-Lavalin Group, a Montreal engineering firm, and Autoroutes Quebec, a subsidiary of Canadian Highways' International Corp. (CHIC), The Toronto consortium that built plivate Highway 407 in Toronto, have already told the government they'd be interested in financing the completion of Highway 401 in return for the right to install
Candiac, and the proposed section from Chateauguay to the Valleyfield area hasn't been built, either.
possible , in the Montreal ' area, but 'you have to keep in mind the ongoing debate over urban sprawl. »
Asselin said the creation of a southern ring road would be achieved by building a new bridge from the South Shore near Beauharnois, just east of Valleyfield, over the St·. Lawrence River and seaway . to the intersection of Highways 20 and 40 in Dorion. 14. "In the case of Highway 25, there's no doubt that there'd be sufficient traffic over a private bridge to cover capital and operating ' costs," Asselin said.
"But in the case of Highway 30, there probably wouldn't be enough traffic to finance construction through tolls alone.
"You'd need part of the capital cost to be financed by government." 15.ln Nova Scotia, the Toronto CHIC consortium and the Nova Scotia government split the $113-million
97
the St. Lawrence, connecting with the Ville
Marie Expressway tunnel. 20. There is also a possible market for a private tunnel under Metropolitan Blvd., he said.
"One-third of our labour force is situated within two kilometres both sides of the Met." Galella said. "If congestion continues, we could see many enterprises just leave the i,sland, and that will mean more urban sprawl ' and more congestion on bridges.~ 21. "Galella said a French multinational firm approached the city of Montreal in ' the early 1990s about building a publicly financed tunnel under the Met. Then-mayor Jean Dore said he liked the idea, but the transport minister of the time, Marc-Yvan Cote, said Quebec taxpayers couldn't afford it. 22. Estimates of the cost of a tunnel under the Met range ' between $500 million and $800 million.
VI])EO 8: THE ARCTIC, ADAPTING TQ CHANGE
I. DISCUSSION
1. As the global climate changes, what changes have occurred in the Arctic?
2. Can natural resources be exploited while protecting the environment? If you think so, explain
how. If you think not, explain why.
II. VOCABULARY
Match the vocabulary in the box with terms a.throughj.
underlying
peat
consortium
sealant
dam
moratorium
a. an association or group _______ ----'~
b. manmade -----------
withstand
forestry
c .. to be left in a natural or peaceful state __ ----,-__ -'--__ _
d. resist ------~---
e. to block the flow of water ----------
manmade
undisturbed
f. a (chemical) product that makes an object impermeable ________ ~
g. below, beneath'----____ ------~___,_
h. developing, caring for or cultivating forests __ --------
1. partially carbonized plants formed by decomposition in
water~ _______ __
j. the suspension of an, activity~.---,. _______ __
III. COMPRENSION
98
1.. The Mackenzie River is the site of a battle. between the First Nati~ns, environmentalists·
and the . At , the construction ofthe Mackenzie gas
pipeline
2 . . What three elements make the Northwest Territories a high interest area?
3. The seismic lines that _____ the north signal the arrival of oil industry engineers.
Using ___ ~ __ -'--_--:-_ the engineers probe the area for new oil and gas
,. and there is a lot of it. -----,
4. Th~re are many _-'-_______________ of natural gas as well as many
_____ barrels of oil, some of which has been discovered, but the fields have not yet
been developed.
(
5. The potential for gas production is huge, __________ the amount produced
by Canada today .
. 6. How long would Imperial Oil's pipeline be? _____ _
7. To bury the pipelines, crews have to dig into the frozen ____ layer, whiCh is then
removed so the exposed melts. To keep the permafrost frozen,
the oil has to be cooled as it's pumped out of the ground.
8. Flexible 'pipelines are used to ____ - pressure and avoid cracks from changing
temperatures.
9. The pipes are covered in a _____ to minimize the risk of leaks.
99
10. Frank T'Seleie is asking for an __ ~ ________ on all the consequences of the
project.
11. Norman Wells is a site that hnperial Oil as a model of environmentally
responsible development. In the middle of the Mackenzie, artificial islands ____ _
the pumping units. Underwater pipelines pump oil to reservoirs along the __ --..,._'
, 12. Accordipg to Frank T'Seleie, the islands slow the flow of the river. Blocks of ---- i
ice now form in the river and make it impossible for snowmobile travel.
. 13. They want to Inake sure the environment will be protected before ____ ~the
construction ofa new pipeline.
14. It won't be one little pipeline like some people think. Soon there will be a little
--, ___ over here and another one over there. Then they'll say, "Oh, but we need
_________ ~_ to power the pumpS on it" So, they'll some
rivers, and then there will be a road to service thing. There'll be things that happen off the
road, some ____ and some mineral mining. Pretty soon, it's a huge network.
15. I think the combination of climate warming and the increasing industrialization is what
we call in science a where you can apply things
one at a time and you see no effect. You apply two or three or ten of them at the same
time and the system _ ___ _
16. In the 1970s, !udge Berger recommended a _____ on pipeline developments to
allow First Nations time to negotiate their land claim . Today, a new project
and another round of pubiic hearings. This time, a of First Nations is present
at the table. They're demanding that selected territories be protected and that they receive
_____ on the gas flowing through the pipeline.
100
17. How much is the Mackenzie pipeline proj~ct wort4? _------'-__ _
18. In Siberia; the Russians have an alternative to building pipelines. What we are seeing on
the Russian side is a greater attention to the construction of oil
and liquid natural gas . The South Koreans have invested heavily in the
building of an ice-strengthened oil that is just as efficient in ____ _
waters as it is in __ ~ ___ ~ waters. These new shifts are means of going around
building _____ and _____ pipelines. ..
19. If the Mackenzie project is abandoned, First Nations wouid see their territories remain·
undisturbed, but they would have to the revenues that the pipeline would
generate. It's only by -,-____ environmental and economic issues that Canada will
be able to provide a viable future to the people of the north.
101
VIDEO 9: BELOW NEW YORK: Part 1
I. DISCUSSION
1. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living in a big city. 2. Imagine there is one large piece of undeveloped property close to
downtown Montreal. How would you develop it? .
II. VOCABULARY ·
Match each word with its definition
1. bedrock 2. skyscraper 3. concrete . 4. water mains
5. gravel 6. sewers
. 7. utilities 8. day
. 9. pavement
10. to dismantle
III. COMPREHENSION
__ ----,-_ large pipes thatcarry water small rocks ----
-----'-the solid rock beneath the soil underground pipes that carry off waste water and refuse ----
---- a very tall building road surface ----
---- to take apart
---- a fine-grained soil used for making bricks a building material made from a mixture of
____ crushed stone, sand, cement and water electricity, natural gas, etc. ----
1. A vast life-sustaining network lies beAeaththe streets of New York City.
Here a thriving _____ ~ ___ supports the metropolis above.
2. It's a maze of tunnels and tubes carved through solid _____ _
3. The roots that hold up New York lie deep _______ -'--_the
surface. There is a city belowthe city reaching as far down as a
______ ..:.....-__ reaches up.
4. Towering 102 ________ high, the Empire State Building is a
New York icon .
. 5. Its --.:' ___ _______ is anchored in the ancient bedrock that
supports midtown Manhattan.
102 .
6. . What lies under Manhattan (geological landscape)?
A mixture of and ___ ----,--____ '
Most of New York's underground infrastructure lies within the varying
levels of this soft ________ _
7. No NewYorker ______ a light, a meal,
______ a phone call without tapping into these life lines.
8. What lies under the streets of New Yor City?
9. Below these layers is the _________ _
10. Six hundred feet below the city, Dr. C. Mergueri~m searches for
evidence of aCtive ____ -'--___ Iines.
11. In Los Angeles, buildings are designed to tolerate ______ _
12. While skyscrapers may not _______ , glass from shattered
windows would rain down on ---~----
. 13. The aging pipes have grown vulnerable; cracking and ______ _
as the elements the outer casings.
14.
_____ and ______ all run dry when a water main bursts.
15. Water -.--_~ ___ from a 48 inch main. The _____ collapses.
16. Emergency ____ ---- face a new danger.
17. To avoid a complete ____ ___,.----, NY needs an alternative.
103
· 18. Project to build a third tunnel:
a) When did the project begin? _____________ _
b) What are the workers called? __ ---,. __ ---------
c) How much water will the tunnel be able to supply? _____ _
d) Why are they building a third tunnel? __________ _
e) Howdeep below th~ ground is the job site? ________ _
19. How was tunneling done in the past?
20. Helping the sandhogs _____ faster is a _____ machine
called a TBM-a tunnel boring machine. It's a breakthrough ___ _
that reduces the dangers of tunneling while increaSing _____ _
21. The TBM works like a giant electric ________ _
22. Fifty cutters are strategically arranged on a ___ head 23 feet wide.
23. Once the boring is done, the TBM will be dismantled, the ____ _
lining will be installed and by the year 2020, water will _____ _
24. Each work gang is made up of 30 men under the supervision of a
25. Valve chambers 40 feet below the street will control the water __ _
104
. Ironworker shows nerves of steel'
.1. Spiderman. has nothing on Alex Mayo.
Mayo was a 37 -year-old ironworker in New York when a picture of him shirtless and without a hard hat, balancing atop a girder 28 storeys above the Manhattan skyline, was taken 31 years ago . . 2. The dramatic photograph is making a big splash in the Big Apple.
It was
. ALAN HUSTAK The Gazette, July 14, 2002
photograph taken by Martin Cohen. 6. He never forgot how the picture was snapped.
. "It was a dare," he chuckled. "I was dating the photographer's sister. He was an amateur photographer, so up we went. , "I wasn't nervous. I had a
lot of practice. There's no place I can't climb. The girder was
such photos from being published. "They were concerned because it looked as if we were ignoring safety regulations. The pictures didn't · do anything for the company image." 9. Mayo said the suggestion that Mohawk ironworkers are
, fearless, intrepid and not afraid of scaling heights is a myth.
Mohawks started doing
included . in an exhibition that opened last week at the
Mohawks build construction work in the 1880s because the pay was good. The trade, he added, has . been passed on from father to
. George Gustav Heye Centre at image of courage
. the Museum of the American Indian in New York, Booming Out: Mohawk Ironworkers Build New York. 3. The exhibition is a tribute to Mohawk steelworkers and ' their ancestors who traveled from Canada and upstate New Yo~k to work on Manhattan skyscrapers and bridges. 4. Because of the show, the Ne York Times printed Mayo's picture last Sunday. The retired Kahnawake ironworker has become a local celebrity. 5 .. Ten members of his family, includingl his daughter who lives in New York, have driven in from different areas of · the United States for the 1 ih annual Echoes of a Pr()ud Nation Pow-Wow on the South Shore Kahnawake reserve.
The annual powwow was started ' after the Oka crisis to bring communities together through traditional song and dance. Yesterday, with friends
. and family looking on, Mayo, 67, was given , a copy of the
shaky. I had just raised it and . there were only four bolts holding it. I just grabbed it and climbed up."
Mayo denies · he was showing off.
"There was no one there to see me," he said. 7. . "No one but the photographer was watching. I knew what it is to be up there. You gotta be fast. If you and your mind can get ·· together, you can do almost anything. Climbing is easy. Getting down, though, that took some doing."
. Mayo wasn't' paid for the picture, and not very many people saw it. It was disc()vered about a year ago by a researcher from the Heye Centre who came to Kahnawake to interview ironworkers. 8. The photo wasn't the first of Mayo taken on sky-high beams. But as he explained, the construction companies he worked ' for often prevented
105
son. 10. He learned from his father, who was also an ironworker, and from his four older brothers. He's had his share . of bronken limbs and injuries on the job. He
. lost a finger in 1962 working ont the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in New York. Because of the accident, members of his family refer to the bridge as "The Finger Bridge."
. "Mohawks aren't better up there on' girders. We're just better trained," Mayo said. 11. "There's always someone in the family to give you a . boost. My family taught me and gave me confidence.
"When . you're trained by your dad, you want to do the best. You ' don't want to disa'ppoint your peers . . Not all Mohawks can do this. Those of us who can, we're motivated." .A..Alan Hustak's E-mail address is [email protected],ca.
VIDEO 10: BELOW. NEW YORK (Part II) The New York City Subway System
I. VOCABULARY
Write a paragraph on how to use the metro in Montreal. Use the vocabulary below.
Bus/metro schedule a bus pass
bus fare to get on/get off peak hours ticket booth ,
to have exact change a platform
to use the escalator/stairs turnstile
to transfer commuters
tracks to swipe the metro card
II. COMPREHENSION
'\ Today'sfastest moving trains use computers to control ______ , " . and
-~--~-----
2. Number of passengers that take the NY subway everyday: ____ _
3. When riders _-'--_____ a train, they expect to go from point A
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
to point B without ____ -'---__ _
Learning how to use this system is an essential __ for New Yorkers.
The trip starts at the ____ --,. ___ _
The admission _____ is about the price ofa good cup of coffee.
AUhe trains come by every 10..,15 minutes during ___ _
Station attendants help direct the of traffic on and off the trains.
The motorman guides the train through the dark tunnels using simple
106
10. The signals are turned on and off not by computers but by ____ _
in throughout the system.
11. ___________ are located along the tracks and are
triggered by the _________ train. There is no room for
12. What was the cause of the accident in August 1991?
13. If the motorman fails to slow at a switch, the train _______ _
14. The history ofthe New York subway:
a) Date of the first part of the subway: ___ ~_---.,. ___ _
b) The subway was completed by ----' ________ _
c) The number of passengers that rode the subway on opening day:
15. The number of people that ride the subway every year: _____ _
16.
17.
18.
19.
20 .
There are stations. --------The subway joins the ____ --~-~ofManhatlan,Queens
. and The Bronx.
make sure the trains run on time.
The riders can buy ____ ---- cards at stations and stores. A
_______ and you're in the system. · simple
The _"--_______ of New York above the ground is directly
. tied to the transportation system below.
The NY Telephone .System
1. - Why didn't the telephone system fait during NY's blackout?
2 . . Give details of the NY blackout on July 13,1977.
107
3. ________ phone lines serve ________ people.
4. How far underground are the cables? _....,-....,-_________ _
5. What do the. workers do before descending into a manhole?
6. How many connections can a dime-size fiber optic cable handle at one
time? ________ -'---____ _
7. Before fiber optics, a worker would spend eight hours _____ _
the copper trunk cables to ________ or repair phone lines.
8. . Is it easy for the workers to find the cables underground? Explain.
9. Describe the largest cable vault in New York City .
. 10. Write notes on the Empire State Building.
108
'METRO MAKE OVER Some dramatic changes behind the scenes
Upgrades $311-million plan
will see transit technology updated BRENDA BRANSWELL
1.. Most Montrealers will never catch a glimpse of a dramatic transformation taking place in the city's metro system.
But you should notice a market improvement in service in the not too distant future if things pan out as the Montreal Transit Corp. expects. 2. Imagine shorter interruptions in service. when a breakdown occurs and helpful explanations that actually tell you when service will resume.
Or how about electronic display boards in stations that tell you the. waiting time until the next train slides into the platform? 3. The promise of these improvement lies in a new state-ofthe-art control room - the metro's nerve centre - being built for the 66-kilometre network.
It is part of the MTC's ambitious three-phase Reno-Systemes plan to essentially rebuild' the . aging metro network. ' .
A large portion of the $311-million Phase 1 renovations involve telecommunications equipment, including replacing the control room, the telephone system and radios.
.4. "We're replacing them because . they are the heart of the metro. You
should change that first," said ' Carl DesrosierS, the head of the ' MTC metro network.
The new control room will replace the existing one, where a computer system monitors key functions ' like communications and the ' flow of trains. Among other things, the staff at the centre watch and regulate train operations. (For security reasons, the MTC does not want either" location made public.) .
. THE GAZETTE, SEPT. 11, 2005
5. With its orange metal cabinets, hulking cOmputer terminals, and original central telephone system from 1966. the current control room harks back to another technological - and decor -era.
"Totally obsolete" is how Robert Delage characterizes the equipment. the computing power of the computer room downstairs "is probably less than what I have in my cellphone today,"said Delage, a transport customer director at Alstom, which is providing the
. overall software for the new control room. 6. In fact, MTC officials say they wouldn't have been able to extend metro service to the new stations being built in Laval with their current technology.
The nerve centre slated to open late next year will enable staff to react more quickly, Delage said. It will make the MTC ~'even better equipped" to rapidly respond toa terrorist attack, he said. . At present, staff in the control room have to rely on people telling them what is happening in a station, Delage said. "The control centre today. is basically blind in terms of looking at pretty much what is going on in the networl<." 7. By year's end, 1,200 'security cameras are scheduled to be installed in the metro as part of a closed-circuit television system. Delage said they will ' provide the control room with the information it needs to assess a situation and keep commuters informed.
There aren't a lot of cameras linked to the current control room in real time, Desrosiers said. "With the new (control room), it will be one of
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.the best system in the world. We'll be able to IQok at 50 very high quality images at the same time. 8. "So we're going ~ not from the Stone Age - but from the 1960s, '70s, to probably the most integrated control room in the world."
In June, half the metro system was shut down for six hours after an old cable caught fire at the Sherbrooke station and spread to other ones. 9. In such ' incidents, it isn't easy to figure out where the fire started when .you arrive at the ' scene, Desrosiers said. At the moment, to glean more information from the security cameras in the metro, they would have· to fetCh the VHS tape from the station and bring it back to the control room - something they don't have time to do when an event is unfolding, he said. 10. But with the instant playback capability in the new control room, they could immediately check the images to see where the smoke
. started and alert people. Desrosiers said. He contends the new technology will shorten the time the metro is shut ' down when a breakdown occurs. Service interruptions that are now 40 to 50 minutes will often shrink to five to 10 minutes,he said. 11. As for anxious commuters wanting to know when the next train is coming down the tracks, Delage said that with the nfilw technology, metro staff will be able to pass on real-time information.
"Right now. if YOll have a (service) disruption, at best they will tell you something," Delage said. "At worst you'll .be kept in the dark" about when service will resume. bbranswell@the gazette.canwest:com
Report card: How does Montreal measure up?
Metro lines: 4
Average age of fleet: About 32 years old
----------... - .. ------~------------..;,
Number of stations: 65
Wheelchair accessible stations: 0
Kilometres of track: 66 . (underground)
Hours of operation: Service starts at 5:30 a.m.; the last departure varies between 12:15 a.m. and 1 :30 a.m., depending on the metro line and whether ifs a weekday or weekend.
Train Frequency: Peak time: During part of rush hour, trains run at three - and four - minutes intervals; otherwise, every five to seven minutes. Off-peak train frequency varies between six and 12 minutes.
Reliability: In 2004, there were 862 service disruptions of ·five minutes and more, down from 882 in 2003. (The disruptions stemmed from different factors like ~rimeslillnesses, problems with rolling stock and train operation.)
Worst accident: In December 1971, a train driver dies when his train rams into a stationary one and catches fire in a switching area north of the Henri Bourassa station. Fire destroys 27 cars and a metro garage. The damages total $7 million. Safety improvements are later made, including the introduction of an .automatic train control system.
Maintenance spending: in 2004, the MTC spent $71,256,737 on metro maintenance. (That includes $35.3 million on rolling stock; $30.8 million on fixed equipment like signalling.)
Fares: Monthly pass for adults, $61 .
Who pays for the public transit system? Fares. cover about 45 per Cent of the annual operating budget; 35 per cent . comes from the city of Montreal, about 10 per cent from the Metropolitan Transit Agency and another 10 per cent from the Quebec . government.
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TORONTO
Subway lines: 3 --:_----------_ .. ---------------Average age offleet: About 14 years old
--~----.--------,---------.. ---Number of stations: 69
----------------------------
Wheelchair accessible stations: 22 --------.... _ .. _-.----:-.. _---------.. -.. _-Kilometres of track: 68.3 (above a·nd below ground)
---... -----.~-.. -.. ----------....... -.. -.. --.. -Hours of operation: Approximately 6 a.m. to 1 :30 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays; about 9 a.m. to 1 :30 a.m. on Sundays.
---------.. ---.. -.. -.. -----~ ...... ---.. -... Train frequenc:y: Every two to threEl minutes during rush hour on the Bloor-Danforth and Yonge-UniversilySpadina subway lines. At all other times,trains on those lines run every four or five
" minutes. Trains on the Sheppard subway line run five to six minutes apart throughout the day.
Reliability: The TIC calculates delays of three
, minutes or more. Service interruptions because of breakdowns of TIC eqUipment or operatorcaused delays total about .
" 8;000 minutes a year.
Worst accident: In 1995, three people were killed and 36 injured after a train driver ran three red signals, then rammed into a train hi a " SUbway tunnel. The trip arm that was supposed to brake the train failed to trigger the train's trip valve. "It was a wake-up call," said the TIC's Rick Cornacchia. "We did a lot of things to get the operation in a much safer state."
Maintenance spending:
Not avai!able.
Fares: Monthly pass for adult, $98.75.
" Who pays for the public transit system? Fares cover 80 per cent; the other 20 per· cent comes from government subsidies.
BOSTON
Subway lines: 5 (Subway system includes trolley car and
" rapid transit bus system.)
Average age of fleet: 22 (The subway system is the oldest in the United States.)
Number of stations: 60 (A handful are shared facilities.)
Wheelchair accessible stations: 73 of the 80 key subway and commuter rail stations.·
Kilometres of track: 103 " (including 31.3 underground)
Hours of operation: 5 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Train frequency: During weekday rush hour, it varies from four to eight minutes, depending on the subway line; off~peak train intervals range from six to 15 minutes.
Reliability: Records of service disruptions are not available.
Worst accident: Not available.
Maintenance spending: In fiscal year 2005, the MBTA spent $43.7 million on maintenance, including labour, materials and services. If station cleaning and vehicle cleaning is added in, the amount rises by $10 million.
Fares: Monthly subway pass $44 U.S. a combo pass, which includes tranafers to buses, is $71 U.S.
" Who pays for the public transit system? Fares cover about one-third of operating budget; MBTA a"lro receives
" funding from state and local governments.
" *The MBTA also has an Elevator Update Line. Commuters can call the number to find out Which elevator and escalators are out of service at its stations.
Sources: Montreal Transit Corp., Toronto Transit Commission, Massachusetts By Transportation Authority
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, ALPHABETICAL LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS INFINITIVE PAST TENSE PAST PART. INFINITIVE ' PAST TENSE PAST PART.
arise arose arisen hide' hid hidden awake awoke awoken hit hit hit be was been hold held held bear bore borne hurt hurt hurt beat beat beat~n keep kept kept become became become kneel knelt knelt begin' began begun know knew known bend bent bent lay laid laid bet bet bet { lead led led blind bound bound leave left left bite bit bitten lend lent ' lent bleed bled bled let let let blow blew blown lie lay lain break broke broken light lit ' lit breed bred bred lose lost lost bring brought brought make made , ' made broadcast broadcast broadcast ' mean meant meant build built built meet met met , burst burst , burst mistake mistook mistaken buy bought bought mow mowed mown cast cast cast pay paid paid catch caught caught put put put choose chose chosen ride rode ridden cling clung clung ring rang rung come came -come rise rose risen cost cost cost run ran run creep crept crept say said said cut cut cut see saw seen deal dealt dealt 'seek sought sought dig dug dug sell sold sold do did done . send sent sent draw drew drawn set set set drink drank drunk shake shook shaken drive ·drove driven shine shone shone eat ate eaten shoot shot shot fall fell , fallen steal stole stolen feed fed fed stick stuck stuck feel felt felt sting stung stung fight fbught fought ' string strung strung find found found swear swore sworn flee fled fled sweep swept swept fly flew flown , swim swam swum forbid forbade forbidden swing swung swung forecast forecast forecast take took taken -forget forgot forgotten teach taught taught forgive forgave forgiven f tear tore torn Jreeze froze frozen tell told told get got got think thought thought give gave given throw threw thrown go went gone ' wear wore worn grind ground ground weave wove woven grow grew grown win won won hang hung hung wind wound wound have had had write wrote written hear heard heard
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INFORMATION ABOUT ORAL PRESENTATIONS
1. Purpose: Why should students give oral presentation in English? The purpose of the oral presentations is to give students ~ chance to gain confidence in giving information and explaining ideas to a group of people. This is an activity that engineers do regularly in their professional life.
2. Activity: What is the presentation activity?
Students prepare their presentation carefully and practice at home. In class, students sit . in groups of four and one student speaks while the others listen and take notes about the important details. The speaker talks without interruption for about 10-12 minutes. (The longer, the better!). After the speaker finishes, students in the group may ask questions or make comments. This is the time for discussion of any ideas related to each presentation.
Speakers can use notes, but they cannot read a presentation. Students should not try to memorize their talk. .
On the day of the presentation, th.e students hand in a written, typed summary in paragraph form (125 words approximately). The presentation must have a clear structure:
1 . a short introduction 2. a logical development of ideas 3. a short conclusion
3. Evaluation: How will the presentation be evaluated?
Students will remove the evaluation feedback sheets from the workbook and the instructor will fill in the evaluation as the students speak. The instructor will move from
. speaker to speaker and listen briefly to each one. The purpose of the evaluation is to give students general, global feedback, not to find small errors in grammar. The evaluation feedback sheets are returned in the following class.
4 . Topics: What are the subjects of the presentations? Oral Presentation 1: Description of a Technical. Object using the worksheet in the workbook. . Oral Presentation 2: (to be announced in class)
PEER EVALUATION SHEET After each speaker finishes presenting, the group will use this checklist to give feedback.
PEER EVALUATION FOR ORAL PRESENTATION I The student prepared well for the presentation. The student had an appropriate introduction. The presentation was organized logically. The visuals were effectively integrated into the presentation. The student established a connection with the listeners. The presentation was pleasant to listen to. The presentation was interesting. The group learned something new. The speaker spoke clearly.
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GIVING A PRESENT AllON
A good presentation consists of three main parts - an introduction, a body and a . conclusion. Here are some tips on how to organize the introduction and the conclusion.
I.· INTRODUCTION
Use these beginnings to help you build a typical correct introduction.
1. · Greet the group and introduce yourself if necessary: Hello, my name is ________ .......,.. ______ _
2. Explain your purpose: Today I would like to describe, explain, show, teach, etc. ______ -:--_
3. Explain the main idea: . My main point is _____________________ _
4. Present the subdivisions of your talk: . In the first part of my talk, I will _____ --,-____ ~ _____ _ After that, I will ----, ____ -,--~ ___ _...,_---------__,_-Finally, I will show ____________________ _
Here is an example of an introduction: .
Good Morning, I'm Carla Smith from CAN Electronics. This morning I'm going to . describe sales forecasts for the European computer market over the next five years.
Our data shows that the market will continue to grow in Southern Europe but may level off in Northern Europe. I'll start by looking at overall figures and then look at the four areas of Europe in turn. Finally, I'll make recommendations for our marketing
. strategy based on these figures. At the end of the presentation there will be time for any questions. .
II. CONCLUSION
Use these beginnings to help you build a typical conclusion.
1. In summary, I've talked about ______ _
2. I've also shown that _________ ~_
3. My main point was ___________ _
4. Thank you for your attention. Are there any questions?
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TIPS FOR DELIVERING ORAL REPORTS '
BEFORE YOU SPEAK
1. Prepare thoroughly. 2. Rehearse repeatedly. 3. Time yourself .. 4. . Request a lectern. 5. Check the room. 6. . Practice stress reduction.
DURING YOUR PRESENTATION
1. Begin with a pause. 2. Present your first sentence from memory. ·3. Maintain eye contact. 4. Control your voice and vocabulary .
. 5. Put the brakes on. 6. Move naturally. 7. Use visuals effectively. 8. Avoid digressions .. 9. Summarize you main points.
AFTER YOUR PRESENTATION
1. Distribute handouts 2. Encourage questions. 3.. Repeat questions. 4. - An'swer questions directly. 5. Keep control.
. 6. End gracefully.
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ORAL PRESENTATION READING PROJECT
NAME ________________ ~ __ _
GRADE _____________ _
This project is your last practice in class in explaining a topic to a group of people in a situation that is not a dialog. You have practiced speaking every week. As you speak, try to focus, as usual, on communicating your ideas clearly .. Focus on speaking without hesitation. Use your notes to help you.
SUGGESTION: While you are presenting the information, look at the people in your group. Make sure that they understand the information you are trying to explain. Use the following expressions:
- Are you following? ~ Is that clear? - Do you have any questions?
**FOCUS ON YOUR MESSAGE!!**
GRADE PRONUNCIATION FLUENCY
VERY GOOD slight accent does natural speed, good not affect . use of vocabulary, communication good preparation
ACCEPTABLE some effort needed average fluency; to understand; some hesitation but typical errors effective
communication
NEEDS WORK difficulty in lots of hesitation, communicating repetition, use of because of serious French words, pronunciation asking for help;. not problems - get enough preparation tapes!
Comments
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ACCURACY
very few grammar errors; good control of verb tense, structure
average number of mistakes, good self-corre9tion
lots of errors which block communication; focus on grammar improvement!
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