4. Nanotechnology

Read the text and then choose the alternative to fill in the gaps:

Scientists all over the world are ___________________ nanotechnology with a great deal of interest. This is the _________________ of building small machines – and when we say small, we mean very small. To give you an idea of the size _________________ are talking about, these machines would be about a million billion times smaller _______________ the smallest bit of dust.

Nanotechnology is based on a simple theory. Everything in the world is _____________of atoms, which are rather ___________ a child’s building bricks. If you can make a machine that can move atoms around, then you can create almost_____________. You could even take the atoms from potatoes, earth and water and ______________ them into a spaceship. This may sound like something from a _____________, but in fact this kind of thing happens in nature all the time.

According to Sarah Freeman, a nanotechnology expert, we have already _______________ a great deal of progress in the development of this new technology. “Just ____________the way computers have changed”, - she says. “In the 1950s they were _______________ machines that took up whole rooms; now you can get far _________________ machines on a tiny chip. We can be sure that this process is bound to _____________________.

Nanotechnology will bring about enormous______________. Doctors, for example, will be able to cure any illness. The environment will improve because it will be _______________ to take the __________________ air we breathe and make it clean again. But perhaps the most exciting thought of all this is that we won’t have to ________________ a thousand years for nanotechnology – many people _________________ there’s a good chance it will come in our lifetime.

Line 1

A. looking at B. looking for C. looking into D. looking after

Line 2

A. science B. scientific C. scientist D. study

Line 3

A. science B. science men C. scientifians D. scientists

Line 4

A. then B. than C. as D. like

Line 5

A. done B. created C. made up D. build

Line 6

A. like B. as C. look D. similar

Line 7

A. something B. anything C. possible D. all

Line 8

A. bring B. put C. turn D. build

Line 9

A. story B. tale C. novel D. fairy-tale

Line 10

A. done B. doing C. made D. making

Line 11

A. think B. think about C. think of D. think with

Line 12

A. small B. not very big C. quite big D. huge

Line 13

A. powerful B. more powerful C. most powerful D. much powerful

Line 14

A. carry on B. carry out C. carry by D. carry with

Line 15

A. change B. changing C. changes D. changement

Line 16

A. possible B. impossible C. probable D. improbable

Line 17

A. polluting B. polluted C. pollution D. dirty

Line 18

A. wait B. expect C. stay D. look forward to

Line 19

A. sure B. desire C. believe D. trust

Read the text again and choose the appropriate heading A or B for each paragraph:

1. A. Modern forms of transport.

B. The future of invention.

2. A. Builders and scientists.

B. Miniature machines.

3. A. What nanotechnology is.

B. Making toys for children

4. A. Being an expert is very important.

B. Bigger doesn’t mean more efficient.

5. A. A healthier life for everyone.

B. A better environment in the distant future.

Find the synonyms for the italicized words:

a) illness; b) people / humans; c) send / transport; d) thanks to; e) modern; f) gain; g) work out; h) automobile; i) nature; j) complicated; k) design; l) clever; m) simple / trivial; n) absolutely; o) reach; p) provide; q) extremely; r) progress; s) mixture; t) apparatus; u) register; v) scientist / explorer