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I want to build a billion tiny factories, models of each other, which are manufacturing simultaneously. . . The principles of physics, as far as I can see, do not speak against the possibility of maneuvering things atom by atom. It is not an attempt to violate any laws; it is something, in principle, that can be done; but in practice, it has not been done because we are too big. — Rich-

ard Feynman, Nobel Prize winner in physics

Nanotechnology is very diverse, ranging from extensions of conventional device physics to completely new approaches based upon molecular selfassembly, from developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale to investigating whether we can directly control matter on the atomic scale.

When K. Eric Drexler popularized the word 'nanotechnology' in the 1980's, he was talking about building machines on the scale of molecules, a few nanometers wide — motors, robot arms, and even whole computers, far smaller than a cell. Drexler spent the next ten years describing and analyzing these incredible devices, and responding to accusations of science fiction. Meanwhile, mundane technology was developing the ability to build simple structures on a molecular scale. As nanotechnology became an accepted concept, the meaning of the word shifted to encompass the simpler kinds of nanometer-scale technology. The U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative was created to fund this kind of nanotech: their definition includes anything smaller than 100 nanometers with novel properties.

There has been much debate on the future implications of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology may be able to create many new materials and devices with a vast range of applications, such as in medicine, electronics, biomaterials and energy production. On the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as with any introduction of new technology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials, and their potential effects on global economics, as well as speculation about various doomsday scenarios. Some people are afraid that it will result in a manufacturing revolu-

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tion and have other serious economic, social, environmental, and military implications.

2.Based on the information from the text, decide if the sentences below are true (T) or false (F).

a. Nanotechnology works with objects sized less than 100 nanometers. _____

b. anotechnology as a science began its development in the 1950-s. _____

c. The term 'nanotechnology' was popularized by Nobel Prize winner, Richard Feynman. ______

d. The future implications of nanotechnology are quite restricted. _____

e. Many people are apprehensive of the impact of nanomaterials. _____

3.Answer the following questions on the text.

1)How can nanotechnology be defined?

2)What did this term originally refer to?

3)What issues does modern nanotechnology deal with?

4)Who and popularized the term “nanotechnology”? When?

5)What concepts does modern nanotechnology encompass?

6)What are the major concerns about the future of nanotechnology?

4. Complete the definitions below (1-8) with the italicized words from the text.

1)An _________________ is a possible future effect or result of an action, event, or decision.

2)To imagine something that you think might happen in the future, especially something that you think will be good, means to ______________ something.

3)When things are very different from each other, they are _____________.

4)When something is ordinary and boring, it is called __________________.

5)Products/ cars/ tyres that are able to go faster, do more work, etc. than normal ones are ____________________ products/ cars/ tyres.

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6)To ______________ means to include a wide range of ideas, subjects, etc:

7)____________________ means too strange to be believed.

8)An ____________________ is a statement saying that someone is guilty of a crime or of doing something wrong.

5. Below, some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) on nanotechnology are listed. Choose one of them and prepare a short report on it. Discuss your findings and ideas with the class.

1)Is molecular manufacturing really possible?

2)How does 'mechanosynthesis' work?

3)How soon will molecular manufacturing be developed?

4)Will nanotech be good or bad for peace and security?

5)Will nanotech be good or bad for the environment?

6)Aren't free-floating assemblers dangerous? What is “grey goo”?

7)Will nanotech be good or bad for the economy?

8)Shouldn't we concentrate on current problems like poverty, pollution, or solving international conflicts, instead of putting effort into far future technologies?

9)How can I participate in or influence the nanotech revolution?

10)How is nanotech different from biotech?

Text B. “Large Hadron Collider”

1. Read and translate the text.

Large Hadron Collider

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a gigantic scientific instrument near Geneva, where it spans the border between Switzerland and France about 100 m underground. It is a particle accelerator used by physicists to study the smallest known particles – the fundamental building blocks of all things. It will revolu-

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tionise our understanding, from the minuscule world deep within atoms to the vastness of the Universe.

Two beams of subatomic particles called 'hadrons' – either protons or lead ions – will travel in opposite directions inside the circular accelerator, gaining energy with every lap. Physicists will use the LHC to recreate the conditions just after the Big Bang, by colliding the two beams head-on at very high energy. Teams of physicists from around the world will analyse the particles created in the collisions using special detectors in a number of experiments dedicated to the LHC.

The LHC is exactly what its name suggests - a large collider of hadrons. Strictly, LHC refers to the collider; a machine that deserves to be labelled ‘large’, it not only weighs more than 38,000 tons, but runs for 27km in a circular tunnel 100 metres beneath the Swiss/French border at Geneva.

However, the collider is only one of three essential parts of the LHC project. The other two are:

1)the detectors, which sit in 4 huge chambers at points around the LHC tunnel

2)the GRID, which is a global network of computers and software essential to processing the data recorded by LHC’s detectors

There are many theories as to what will result from these collisions, but

what's for sure is that a brave new world of physics will emerge from the new accelerator, as knowledge in particle physics goes on to describe the workings of the Universe. For decades, the Standard Model of particle physics has served physicists well as a means of understanding the fundamental laws of Nature, but it does not tell the whole story. Only experimental data using the higher energies reached by the LHC can push knowledge forward, challenging those who seek confirmation of established knowledge, and those who dare to dream beyond the paradigm.

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2. Answer the following questions on the text.

1)Where is the Large Hadron Collider located?

2)How large is it?

3)What is the purpose of the LHC?

4)What does the LHC project include, besides the collider itself?

5)What results do scientists hope to get from collisions of particles inside the collider?

3.Using a dictionary find the English definitions and the translations of the following words from the text. Make up 5 sentences of your own with any of these words.

To span, to challenge, to seek, to emerge, to process, head-on, to be labelled, minuscule, vastness, a beam, a lead ion, a lap, a collision.

4.Complete each sentence with the correct ending A-E from the box below.

1) The Large Hadron Collider is used ….

2) The conditions just after the Big Bang will…

3) The LHC is built…

4) The LHC project also includes…

5) Scientists hope that,…

A.a global network of computers and software to process the obtained data.

B.to study the smallest particles known by the science.

C.with the help of the LHC, they will be able to understand the laws of the Universe.

D.be recreated through colliding the two beams head-on at very high energy. E.100 metres under the surface of the Earth.

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5. Complete the text by putting one word from the box in each space. Check the meaning of any new words in your dictionary.

dwarfing	are conducted	prevent
concede	experts	established
outweighs	destructive	outcome
destroy	border	alter

“Citizens Against The Large Hadron Collider” is a non-profit organization (1)_____________ for the purpose of using legal action to

(2)____________the operation of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) until further safety tests (3)________________.

The LHC is a particle accelerator located on the France/Switzerland

(4)____________; it has been dubbed the largest, most expensive, most powerful experiment ever attempted, certainly (5)______________all particle colliders ever built before, both in terms of size and power.

Some (6)______________fear that the risk of operating the LHC disproportionately (7)_______________ anything science might gain from this experiment. It is not possible to know what the (8)______________ of the experiment will be, but even CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) scientists (9)____________ that there is a real possibility of creating (10)_______________ theoretical anomalies such as miniature black holes. These events have the potential to fundamentally (11)___________ matter and (12)_______________ our planet.

What do you think about the possible implications of the LHC? Find arguments for and against its application.

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Text C. “Futurology”

1. Read and translate the text.

Futurology

If you could see your future, would you try to make it better? It’s safe to assume that we would all say “yes” to this question. Our only excuse in letting old patterns reoccur is a claim that we can't see the future with any degree of certainty, but is this claim true? Sometimes looking at terrible events we just want to exclaim, “How could they have not seen the future when it was so evident? What good is history if we cannot learn from its mistakes and plot a better course for the future?” These are some of the questions that futurology attempts to illuminate.

Futures is an interdisciplinary field, studying yesterday's and today's changes, and aggregating and analyzing both lay and professional strategies, and opinions with respect to tomorrow. It includes analyzing the sources, patterns, and causes of change and stability in the attempt to develop foresight and to map possible futures. Around the world the field is variously referred to as futures studies, strategic foresight, futurology, futuristics, futures thinking, futuring, etc. Futures studies (and one of its subdisciplines, strategic foresight) are the academic field's most commonly used terms in the English-speaking world.

Foresight may be the oldest term for the field. In a 1932 BBC broadcast the visionary author H.G. Wells called for the establishment of "Departments and Professors of Foresight," presaging the development of modern academic futures studies by approximately 40 years. Futurology is a term common in encyclopedias, though it used almost exclusively by nonpractitioners today, at least in the English-speaking world. Futurology is defined as the "study of the future." The term was coined by German professor Ossip K. Flechtheim in the mid1940s, who proposed it as a new branch of knowledge that would include a new science of probability. This term may have fallen from favor in recent decades because modern practitioners stress the importance of alternative and plural fu-

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tures, rather than one monolithic future, and the limitations of prediction and probability, versus the creation of possible and preferable futures.

Futures studies does not generally focus on short term predictions such as interest rates over the next business cycle. Most strategic planning, which develops operational plans for preferred futures with time horizons of one to three years, is also not considered futures. But plans and strategies with longer time horizons that specifically attempt to anticipate possible future events are part of a major subdiscipline of futures studies called strategic foresight.

The futures field also excludes those who make future predictions through professed supernatural means. At the same time, it does seek to understand the models such groups use and the interpretations they give to these models.

Futurists use a diverse range of forecasting methods including causal layered analysis (CLA), environmental scanning, scenario method, future history, monitoring, backcasting (eco-history), back-view mirror analysis, cross-impact analysis, futures workshops, futures biographies, simulation and modelling, social network analysis, systems engineering, trend analysis, and some others.

Ready or not, here it comes. In the next 20 years, nano-technology will touch the life of nearly every person on the planet. The potential benefits are mind boggling and brain enhancing. But like many of the great advancements in earth's history, it is not without risk.

2.Answer the questions on the text.

•What kind of science is futurology? How is it defined?

•What other names of this science are mentioned in the text? Which one appeals to you?

•Who coined the term “futurology”? When?

•Why is it less popular nowadays?

•What does futurology mainly focus on?

•What is its attitude towards supernatural means of prediction?

•What methods are used by futurists today?

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3. Match the italicized words from the text (see the box) with the meanings (1-10) below.

to plot	professed	to call for	foresight	evident
to fall from favor	to presage	lay	with respect to	to anticipate

• not trained or not knowing much about a particular profession or subject:

• to ask publicly for something to be done;

• easy to see, notice, or understand;

• to be a sign that something is going to happen, especially something bad;

• used to describe a feeling or attitude that someone says they have, but which may not be true;

• to draw marks or a line to represent facts, numbers etc.;

• to stop being liked by people in authority;

• he ability to imagine what is likely to happen and to consider this when planning for the future;

• concerning or in relation to something;

• to expect that something will happen and be ready for it.

4. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English using the vocabulary from the text.

• Инженер начертил кривую роста производства в прошлом году.

• Мы предвидим немало проблем в связи с открытием новой фабрики.

• Подобная работа требует много терпения.

• Он дальновидно вложил деньги в прибыльный бизнес.

• Было очевидно, что завод испытывает финансовые трудности.

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5. Read the following predictions made by futurists. Which of the predictions would you like or not like to come true? Why?

•The technology already exists, so very soon all of us are going to use our voices to give instructions to computers.

•In the next few years, we will be communicating with our friends around the world using life-sized video images on large screens in our living rooms.

•By the year 2020, computers will already have become more efficient and powerful than the human brain both in terms of intelligence and the amount of information they can store.

•By the year 2030, genetic engineering and nanotechnology will enable us to live for at least 150 years. Using nanotechnology, tiny, insect-like robots may be sent around our bodies to carry out repairs and keep us healthy.

•By the middle of the century, computers, millions of times smarter than us, will have been developed. By this time, we will be linking our brains with 'ultra-smart' computers. A new species might have developed – 'Homo Cyberneticus'.

•Bу the end of the century, we will have colonised our solar system and will be looking for ways to colonise deep space.

6. Work in pairs. Make predictions about each other in twenty years’ time. Say what you think about your partner’s predictions.

Example. A: I think that in 20 years’ time you’ll be working as a chief engineer of a huge industrial enterprise.

B: I certainly hope so!

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