English_for_Transportation_Technology

3)The activities of the transport industry release several million tons of gases each year into the atmosphere. There is an ongoing debate to what extent these emissions may be linked to climate change and the role of anthropogenic factors.

4)Fuel, chemical and other hazardous particulates discarded from aircraft, cars, trucks and trains or from port and airport terminal operations, such as de-icing, can contaminate rivers, lakes, wetlands and oceans.

5)The environmental impact of transportation on soil consists of soil erosion and soil contamination.

6)Major transport facilities can affect the quality of urban life by creating physical barriers, increasing noise levels, generating odors, reducing urban aesthetic and affecting the built heritage.

Vocabulary

Exercise 1. Some words are often used together. Fill in the gaps in sentences 1-8 with a word from the list that goes with the word in bold.

a) material	b) impact	c) sector	d) pollution
e) surface	f) change	g) fuel	h) locomotive

1)Climate __________is a long-term change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods that range from decades to millions of years.

2)Coal can have a heavy impact on the environment. In the same instance, cotton is the raw_________ we use the most.

3)The conclusion of the report pinpoints that up until now there has been no significant negative___________ of this technology on the environment.

4)In common dialogue, the term fossil____________ also includes hydrocarbon-containing natural resources that are not derived from animal or plant sources.

5)A diesel___________is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine.

6)The satellite maps are the pictures of the Earth____________, taken with the aid of the artificial Earth satellite.

7)That meeting is part of the continuing work of the Department on 22 sectors of economic activity, of which the transport__________ is one.

8)Air_____

9)_______ occurs when the concentrations of certain substances become high enough to cause the atmospheric environment to become toxic.

Exercise 2. Match a word in A with a definition in B.

	A		B
1	Greenhouse gases	a	A greenhouse gas and by-product of any carbon combustion process
			(mostly involving fossil fuels) as well as being exhaled by every living
			organism.
2	Directemissions	b	Emissions related directly to the onboard combustion of diesel or use of
			electricity.
3	Carbon dioxide (CO2)	c	Many gases have a global warming potential, and are known as
			greenhouse gases. The Kyoto Protocol specifies six greenhouse gases:
			CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, and SF6
4	Noiseexposure	d	Presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance which has
			harmful or poisonous effects
5	Sustainability	e	The exposure to human ears of any noise source.

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6	Pollution	f	The potential for long-term maintenance of well being, which has
			environmental, economic, and social dimensions.
7	Impact	g	situated in the interior of a country rather than on the coast
8	Fossil fuel	h	a marked effect or influence
9	Inland	i	particle pollution such as a complex mixture of extremely small particles
			and liquid droplets
10	Particulate matter	j	any naturally occurring carbon or hydrocarbon fuel, such as coal,
			petroleum, peat, and natural gas, formed by the decomposition of
			prehistoric organisms

Reading and translation

Exercise 1. Look at the tables below and decide what the article would be.

Table 1 – Carbon dioxide (1 person, 1000 km)

Mode of transport	Kg CO2
Automobile	98
Train	26
Plain	85

Note: Plane emissions include travel to and from the airport; they are not increased to take account of the effect of emissions at high altitude.

Table 2 – Carbon dioxide (100 tons cargo, 1000 km)

Mode of transport	Tons CO2
Lorry	4,7
Train	0,6
Inland waterway	2,4

Table 3 – Atmospheric emission from railway transport services and plants (Russia)

Rail transport services and plants	Atmospheric emission, %
Locomotive depot	27,3
Train depot	10,8
Railway carriage repair works	13,4
Rubble and sleeper impregnation plant	1,6

Did you know?

A depot or a round house in the UK is called a shed in the USA. A railway and a wagon in Britain are known as a railroad and a car in America.

Exercise 2. Translate the following passage into Russian. Use a dictionary. Then compare your translation with a partner’s to improve.

Demand for transport services is expected to grow considerably as economic growth occurs in developing countries, incomes rise, the trend toward urbanization continues and as the process of globalization moves forward with expected increases in world trade. Between now and 2020, demand is forecasted to grow by 3,6 percent per year in developing countries and by 1.5 percent per year in industrialized countries. According to the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) and the International Union of Railways (UIC), in EU in 2008 more than 90 % of total domestic transport emissions are due to road transport.

http://www.un.org/esa/gite/csd/gorham.pdf

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Exercise 3. Study the clichés given below. Think about their Russian equivalents.

1)The article is about / the author of the article speaks about …

2)The paper is devoted to …

3)The paper deals with …

4)The purpose of the research is to prove (test, develop, summarize, find) ….

5)Special attention is paid (given) to ….

6)I’d like to call your attention to …

7)One should mention that …

8)The author refers to …

9)It’s interesting to point out that …

10)The author gives a review of ….

11)It is reported (known, demonstrated) that ….

12)There are several solutions of the problem ….

13)There is some interesting information in the paper ….

14)It is necessary to introduce ….

15)It should be remembered (noted, mentioned) ….

16)So / besides / moreover / that is why …

17)On the one hand / on the other hand …

18)Considering all the facts …

19)In conclusion, I can say that …

Exercise 4. Read the passage, title it and render in English. Use the clichés from

Exercise 3. Then compare your rendering with a partner’s to improve.

Изменение ситуации на транспортном рынке Европы показывает, что железные дороги смогли переломить негативные тенденции современности. Наглядным примером являются результаты референдума, проведенного в Швейцарии. Одобрено выделение капитальных вложений в размере 30 млрд евро на увеличение пропускной способности железных дорог страны и существенное ускорение транзитных перевозок. Это позволит переключить большую часть трансальпийских перевозок на экологически чистый железнодорожный транспорт, а также дать европейской экономике удобный маршрут международных сообщений. Подобные инициативы будут иметь место в других странах Европы, испытывающих перегрузку путей сообщения и интенсивное загрязнение окружающей среды.

При разработке бюджетной и инвестиционной политики также важно понимание стоимости разных видов транспорта с учетом таких факторов, как безопасность, экология, нагрузка на территорию. Тогда будут очевидны все преимущества железнодорожного транспорта.

Железные дороги мира, № 4, 2009.

Speaking

Exercise 1. Look at the visuals that Larry West, a professional writer and editor who has written many articles about environmental issues, uses to support his ideas. Can you name them? What other visuals do you know?

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A	The Rising Environmental Cost of Driving Alone (U.S.)
Carbon dioxide emissions of transportation		30 %
Carbon dioxide savings/public transportation		1,5 milliontons
Gasoline savings/public transportation		1,4 billiongallons
Trips are made by car		88 %

B

C

Exercise 2. Read the interview with Larry West. Find clichés to describe visuals.

Reproduce the dialogue with a partner.

Interviewer: Many scientists advise us to get out of our cars if we want to help reduce global warming. Could you explain us the situation in the U.S.?

Larry West: Take a look at this table. Here you can see the rising environmental cost of driving alone in the U.S. The first line shows that transportation accounts for more than 30 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. The next two lines give us figures according to the American Public Transportation Association. As you can see, public transportation saves approximately 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline and about 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. And the last line explains that 88 percent of all trips in the United States are made by car – and many of those cars carry only one person! I'd like you to focus your attention to the fact that only 14 million Americans use public transportation daily. I think the conclusion to be drawn from this table is clear to us.

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Interviewer: And how can public transportation help us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Larry West: Please look at this chart. It represents some benefits of public transportation. I’d

like to point out some interesting details. If one in ten Americans used public transportation daily, U.S. reliance on foreign oil would decrease 40 %. Riding a train is 79 times safer than riding in an automobile. People who use public transportation regularly tend to be 50 % healthier than people who don’t. And finally, families that use public transportation can reduce their household expenses by $6,200 annually.

Interviewer: That’s interesting. But which mode of transport is most efficient?

Larry West: Have a look at this slide. This picture gives us some information about public transportation system in the U.S. Train systems are the most efficient in many ways, typically emitting less carbon and using less fuel per passenger than buses, but they are often more expensive to implement. Also, the traditional advantages of trains can be mitigated to a large extent by using hybrids or buses that run on natural gas. Another promising alternative is bus rapid transit, which runs extralong buses in dedicated lanes.

I'm sure the results of my presentation are obvious. If you live in an area with good public transportation, do something good for the planet today. Park your car, and take the subway or the bus.

Exercise 3. Study the typical phrases to describe visuals given below. Divide them into three categories according to a presenter’s actions:

a)a presenter notes which parts of the visuals are important and explains why he/she uses them;

b)a presenter introduces the visuals;

c)a presenter checks understanding of the results.

			Have a look at this chart (British). / Take a look at this diagram
			(American).
	1	Introduction	I'd like you to look at this drawing.
			Here we can see …..
			The graph represents ….
			The picture shows/gives information about…
			I'd like us to look at this part of the graph in more detail.
			I'd like you to focus your attention to the significance of this
			figure here.
	2	Marking out and comments	I'd like to point out one or two interesting details.
			As you can see ……
			I'd also like to draw your attention to ……..
			If you look at it more closely, you'll notice …….
		Checking understanding and	I'm sure the results of this…. are obvious.
	3		I think the conclusions to be drawn from this…. are clear to all of
		interpretations
			us.

Exercise 4. The bar chart below shows the comparison of capacities in an urban setting. What can you see from the bar chart? Discuss with a partner.

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Capacity* of urban transport modes per metre of infrastructure width

*Vocabulary notes: capacity – пропускная способность

The following phrases may help.

As can be seen from the bar chart,…

The capacity from rail is … times higher than a bus.

The bar chart shows that the capacity is much higher for … than …

…has the highest capacity when comparing throughput per hour and infrastructure width.

…is more efficient, and … is over twice as efficient as …

Compared with …, rail would be around … times more efficient.

Writing

Guide to Writing an Essay

Exercise 1. Study the pieces of advice given below. Tell your partner what you remember about the basic outline format of an essay.

An essay can have many purposes, but the basic structure is the same no matter what. These simple steps will guide you through the essay writing process:

1.Decide on your topic.

2.Prepare an outline of your ideas:

a)write your thesis statement,

b)write the body,

c)write the main points,

d)write the subpoints,

e)elaborate on the subpoints,

f)write the introduction,

g)write the conclusion.

3.Add the finishing touches.

Think about the type of paper you are expected to produce. Should it be a general overview, or a specific analysis of the topic? If it should be an overview, then you are probably ready to

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move to the next step. If it should be a specific analysis, make sure your topic is fairly specific. If it is too general, you must choose a narrower subtopic to discuss.

The purpose of an outline is to put your ideas about the topic on paper, in a moderately organized format. Begin your outline by writing your topic at the top of the page.Then say what you want to do … do it … say what you have done.

Following this Basic Outline:

A.Introduction and thesis statement (Say what you want to do)

1)Before writing you must have a thesis statement. This is one sentence announcing the central idea of the paper. It must be specific. This statement should sum up the basic meaning of the paper and signal to the reader what to expect.

2)The first sentence is the most important one because it gets the reader’s attention.

3)The first paragraph is very important. It should make the reader want to continue reading.

B.The body of the paper (Do it)

1)Each paragraph should deal with one central idea. This idea is introduced early in a topic sentence, telling the reader what to expect in the paragraph.

2)It is not enough to simply state ideas, you must support them. By giving evidence, you convince readers of the truth and accuracy of your ideas. If you successfully prove your statements, the reader should agree with your conclusion.

3)As a writer, you must structure the sequence of ideas carefully and logically. Transitions between paragraphs link them together logically.

C.Conclusion (Say what you have done)

1)Restates the thesis and main points supporting it. In the conclusion, the writer should give some new ideas or information to challenge the reader to think further.

Nothing can substitute for revision of your work. By reviewing what you have done, you can improve weak points that otherwise would be missed. Read and reread your paper. These questions could help:

Does it make logical sense?

Do the sentences flow smoothly from one another? Have you run a spell checker or a grammar checker?

Adapted from the authors’ materials, Novosibirsk State University

Exercise 2. Choose one of the following topics. Write your own essay (200–250 words). See Appendix 1.

1)Transport and Environmental Policy in global scale.

2)Environmentally Sustainable Transport.

3)Taking Climate Change into Account. Transportation projects of future.

Exercise 3. Work with a partner. Exchange your essays and check the format and language.

Key words
affect	влиять
Carbon dioxide	углекислый газ
combustion technology	технология сгорания
congestion	затор (уличного движения), пробка
diesel locomotive	тепловоз
domestic transport	внутренний транспорт

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	emissions	выбросы
	environmental degradation	ухудшение экологии
	environmentally sustainable	экологически рациональный
	exhaust after-treatment	выхлопные газы
	fossil fuel	ископаемое топливо (нефть, газ, уголь)
	global scale	мировой масштаб
	greenhouse gas	парниковый газ
	impact (positive, negative)	воздействие/влияние (положительное,
		отрицательное)
	inland water transport	речной транспорт
	locomotive depot (shed)	локомотивное депо
	mode of transport	вид транспорта
	noise exposure	шумовое воздействие
	particulate matter	твёрдые частицы (в воздухе), взвесь
	pollutant	загрязняющее вещество
	pollution	загрязнение
	railway carriage repair works (брит.);	вагоноремонтный завод
	railroad car repair plant (амер.)
	rubble and sleeper impregnation plant	щебеночные и шпалопропиточные заводы

Checklist

Assess your progress in this unit. Say which statements are true about you.

1)I can use comparatives and superlatives in my speech.

2)I can compare information to describe graphs.

3)My listening and reading are good enough to understand most of each text in this unit.

4)I can use key words to discuss the environmental impacts of transportation with my colleagues.

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UNIT 3. GLOBALISATION

Start up

Exercise 1. Look at the pictures. What is globalisation for all these people?

A B

C D

E F

Exercise 2. Is globalisation a positive or negative phenomenon? Make a list of positive and negative effects of globalisation. Discuss in the class.

Vocabulary

Exercise 1. Fill in the gaps using the word below.

a) globalisation	b) market	c) technological advances	d) inequality
e) stagnates	f) competition	g) poverty	h) integrate

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1)Most of the innovations from the __________ have very important effects on the lives of peoples of the world.

2)_________ is a process of global economic, political and cultural integration.

3)It is a difficult task for poor countries to reduce ___________ without rich countries' supports.

4)The result of globalisation is a new commercial reality – the emergence of global

____________ for standardized consumer products.

5)Nations are going to have a major problem if economic growth ___________.

6)____________is the most serious problem facing the world.

7)Countries that __________globally without first strengthening domestic institutions run the risk of hurting the rest of the country.

8)Many people work well under __________. Others find it stressful and even debilitating.

Exercise 2. Match a word in A with a definition in B.

	A		B
1	globalisation	a	unfriendliness or opposition
2	trade	b	cease developing; become inactive
3	hostility	c	resulting in good
4	inequality	d	high technologies
5	stagnate	e	difference in size, degree, circumstances, etc.; lack of equality
6	technological	f	the tendency for the world econоmу to work as оnе unit, led by large
	advances		international companies doing business all оvеr the world
7	exchange	g	combine one thing with another to form a whole
8	beneficial	h	the action of buying and selling goods and services
9	integrate	i	the activity of striving to win something by establishing superiority over others
10	competition	j	give something and receive something of the same kind in return

Exercise 3. Read the passage about transportation and globalisation. Translate it into Russian. Work with a dictionary.

Transportation technologies also improved with the start of the 20th Century when transatlantic ships became safer and faster and airplanes were produced. First propeller driven passenger plane began service in 1919 between London and Paris. Jet plane and television of

1950’s were also important steps toward greater globalizations. The first reliable transatlantic telephone cable TAT-1 was laid in 1956. 1957 marked the most important step in the history of globalization when USSR launched its Sputnik as the first man-made satellite. Satellites made it possible to build a fully reliable global network, compensating the radio networks’ ionosphere fading problem. However global networks still required stronger global networks with solid connections. The first transatlantic fibre cable TAT-8 was laid in 1988 for faster and reliable networks.

Globalisation through Technology. Free online research papers. http://www.freeonlineresearchpapers.com/globalization-through-technology

Exercise 4. Read the following passage. Render it in English. Follow the instruction in Appendix 2. Work with a dictionary.

Термином «глобализация» характеризуется новейший процесс в развитии современной экономики, в основе которого лежит растущая интернационализация производства и укрупнения транснациональных корпораций. Глобализация транспорта охватывает сферу услуг и является составной частью преобразований, происходящих в ходе непрекращающегося научно-технического прогресса, начавшегося после окончания

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