Making water fresh with solar energy.

A. Life needs water, but many of our lakes and streams have been contaminated by wastes from industrial plants — add to that the pesticides used in our gardens or by farms and you’ve got a serious problem. While current laws have reduced the amount of contamination going into our waters, there are still lakes and streams that are significantly contaminated. Researchers are looking at ways that nanomaterials can help to clean up our water act.

B. Distillation of salt water to make fresh water simply involves vaporizing the water to separate it from salt. If nano-based solar cells can produce cheap electricity, we might be able to use that electricity to turn salt water into water that can be drunk and used for agriculture in deserts. This could be useful in places like Los Angeles that now consume water gathered from watersheds hundreds of miles away. Countries with hot, dry climates that don’t have enough water to irrigate much of their land (Egypt, for example) could also benefit. With enough cheap electricity, distillation could become economically feasible.

C. One of our global problems is the increasing amount of carbon dioxide in the air. Instead of waiting around for cheap solar power to eliminate those hydrocarbon-burning power plants at some distant point in the future, we could try to clean up what’s coming out of those smokestacks right now. Nanotechnology may be able to provide methods for doing this that are more effective and less expensive than methods we use now.

Exercise 2. Read the text. Define positive and negative effects of nanotechnology to the environment. Fill in the table.

Nanotechnology sounds great! Are there any environmental implications?

Nanotechnology is a revolutionary science and engineering approach that will no doubt affect the existing infrastructure of consumer goods, manufacturing methods, and materials usage. It has the potential to have major consequences - positive and negative - on the environment. Nanotechnology can be of benefit to environmental protection in applications such as reducing use of raw and manufactured materials, minimizing or eliminating the generation of wastes and effluents, and reducing toxics. The environment is also protected in applications that more effectively treat waste streams and remediate existing polluted sites. At the same time, potentially harmful effects of nanotechnology may exist. These effects might relate to the nature of nanoparticles themselves, the characteristics of the products made from them, or the aspects of the manufacturing process involved.

It is also possible that nanotechnology and its products could lead to societal changes that influence transportation, urban development, information management, and other activities of our society that directly or indirectly affect the quality of the environment. Because nanotechnology is an emerging area, however, it is still very much possible to anticipate both the potential positive and negative impacts it might have on the environment and then act to enhance what is beneficial and prevent or minimize what is harmful.

Exercise 3.Write an annotation to the text.

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a nanocrystal that might just do the trick. When carbon dioxide lands on a nanocrystal composed of cadmium, selenium, and indium, the nanocrystal donates an electron to the carbon dioxide. This extra electron allows the carbon dioxide to react with other molecules in the smokestack — and become harmless. In effect, the nanocrystal acts as a catalyst. If filters containing these nanocrystals can be made cheaply enough, putting them in smokestacks can significantly reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.

Another nasty emission that researchers are hoping nanocrystals can help us deal with is mercury vapor. Mercury vapor is emitted by coal-fired power plants. One mercury-containment method being investigated uses titanium oxide nanocrystals under UV light — which turns the mercury vapor into mercury oxide, a solid. However, placing a UV light source in the smokestack poses a possible maintenance issue. Instead, we might use nanocrystals of iron oxide (essentially high-tech rust), which require heat rather than UV light to make the reaction work.

Then there are the diesel engines that emit nitrogen oxides, which you’ve probably breathed if you’ve been stuck in traffic with big rigs and buses. Biofriendly Corporation has been working on it; they’ve developed a nanocatalyst that, when added to diesel fuel, causes it to burn up more completely. That means fewer nitrogen oxides are emitted. Biofriendly has received two grants from the State of Texas to demonstate this nanocatalyst. (The second grant is just to help them work through the Enviromental Protection Agency verification process, which may prove harder than solving the original technical problem.)

Don’t think that “clean” manufacturing industries — those industries that aren’t typically thought of as polluting the enviroment with waste materials or toxic emissions, such as computer chip manufacturing — are worry-free. It turns out that many of these industries use organic chemicals in their manufacturing processes. Organic chemical vapors can themselves be harmful. Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Lab, among others, are investigating nanomaterials that we could use in filters to trap organic chemical vapors escaping from such factories.

Speaking and discussion

Exercise 1.Think about the worst problem of the World whereNanotechnology implementation is necessary. Choose 3 worst problems the world faces today from the list below (or add your own ideas to the list) and speak on the ways Nanotechnology could help. 

Overpopulation            Nuclear Weapons         Environmental Pollution Destruction of Natural Resources      Drug Abuse       Crime    Cancer

Exercise 2. Discuss safety issues of nanotechnology in the given directions with your groupmates.

1. Air, water and ground pollutants are a big problem for the environment. Some, like car exhaust fumes, accidental chemical spillages or the by-products of industrial processes can have huge impacts on the environment and human health. One of the exciting areas of nanotechnology is how it may help with the clean up of these pollutants.

2. Nano is making an impact already in reducing the emissions from car fuels by the creation of products which increase the efficiency of the combustion and breaking down the gases into less harmful compounds. New nano-enabled products can also take the heat from things like cars and convert them to energy.

3. Stronger and lighter materials created by nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes may also have an important positive environmental impact by making lighter weight cars and airplanes and by making things last longer to reduce the amount of material in landfills and recycling. However there is also concern about how some of these new materials behave in disposal, recycling and landfills, which needs to be addressed by research.

Exercise 3. Discuss the following statements with your group. Do you agree or disagree with them?

1. We are approaching the limit of the number of people the earth can support.

2. Humans have the right to modify the natural environment to suit their needs.

3. The balance of nature is strong enough to cope with the impacts of modern industrial nations.

4. Despite our special abilities, humans are still subject to the laws of nature.

5. The so-called “ecological crisis” facing humankind has been greatly exaggerated.

6. The earth is like a spaceship with very limited room and resources.

7. Humans will eventually learn enough about how nature works to be able to control it.

LESSON VII

Pre-text exercise 1.These words you should know.

emphasis – акцент                                precise - точный; определённый

shrank (от shrink) - уменьшать, сокращать              

to gobble up – поглащать в больших количествах

alignment - выравнивание

Pre-text exercise 2.These notions you should learn by heart.

stain-repellent fabrics - краско-отталкивающая ткань

nano-manipulation – нано манипуляции               

fiber-optic - оптоволоконный

Pre-text exercise 3.Check your memory; try to guess the meanings of the following words and expressions: corporate world, semiconductor industry, medical testing, treatment devices, fiber-optic connections

READ AND TRANSLATE THE TEXT

Industries Going Small

Although the big nano emphasis (so to speak) in today’s corporate world is in the semiconductor industry — where the reality of making electronics smaller is close at hand — other industries are exploring nanotechnology as well. These include companies making materials such as cloth and rubber stronger as well as those bioengineering companies exploring the uses of nanotechnology in making medical testing and treatment devices more precise.

One of the most obvious applications of nanotechnology is in making computer chips (and other components) tinier and tinier in order to produce smaller electronic devices. Why? Well, people just seem to love small. Just think about portable phones which shrank from the size of a loaf of bread to the size of a candy bar over the last few decades; people have gobbled up these small electronic devices like — well, candy. The companies are cooperating in moving the technology forward — because every company will benefit from the research and be able to release new products in their own lines.

Many companies are using nanotechnology to make better materials from the rubber used for tires to stain-repellent fabrics for clothing. Nano-based materials are used even in the sports arena, for example, tennis rackets, golf and soccer balls. Plenty of companies are making equipment for testing and manipulation of nano-size materials. For example, Zyvex (company) builds a nano-manipulator system that mounts on a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to assist in the testing of items such as nanotubes. Another version of their manipulator is designed for use in the Life Sciences as a tool for characterizing biological materials.

Improving the alignment of fiber-optic connections is one of many ways to apply nanotechnology to telecommunications. By improving the medium via nano-manipulation we will improve efficiency of transmission.

Among other things, the Palo Alto–based Nanosys (company) develops nanotechnology-enabled fuel cells used in portable electronics. These fuel cells could power laptop computers, cellphones, or cameras, for example.

Nanosys doesn’t stop with energy products. The company holds about 300 patents in nanotechnology, and has partnered with companies such as Intel and Dupont to develop products in optical electronics, communications, and defense.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS: 1. What is one of the most obvious applications of Nanotechnology? How do industrial companies use Nanotechnology? 3. Give examples of nano-materials applications. 4. Look through the text and ask you gropumates 3 questions about it. 5. What would you do if you were the president of one of these companies?

Grammar exercises

Exercise 1.Rewrite the quoted sentences using indirect speech.

Example:
‘Will passengers in a rocket suffer from the low temperature?’, asked my son.
My son asked if passengers in a rocket would suffer from the low temperature.

1. My teacher told me, ‘You should get a space school diploma in order to become an astronaut.’

2. My friend said, ‘I hope to work for NASA when I graduate.’

3. Our science teacher told us, ‘We will have the chance to see the neighbouring planets by the year 2050.’

4. The children said, ‘We want to stop the violence between people and nations in the near future.’

5. I told my brother, ‘You’re getting out of touch with reality while you’re making predictions about the future.’

6. Futurologists predicted, ‘Water shortages could be the cause of war among nations if we don’t take some measures now.’

7. My father told me, ‘Big companies will prefer nanorobots as they don’t go on strike.’

8. The scientist warned, ‘Global warming is threatening our planet.’

9. The authorities predict, ‘By 2070, lots of big cities will have become uninhabited due to air pollution.’

Exercise 2. Rewrite the predictions using the modals given.

1. It isn’t possible for us to use electric cars in the future unless the cost is decreased. (can’t)

2. It is possible that people will live longer in the future because of anti-aging pills. (may)

3. I don’t think the next generation of computers will understand spoken instructions. (might not)

4. Thanks to computer technology, scientists are able to map genes. (can)

5. A soya-based fuel will have replaced petrol in the future. (could)

Exercise 3. Use a suitable future tense.

1. Nanotechnology____ (have) the greatest effect on people’s lives in the next fifty years. 2. What do you think are the most important changes that ___ (take place) in thirty years’ time? 3. Nanocomputers _____(able / understand) our oral commands so we _____(not need) to use a keyboard. 4. As technology has been developing very rapidly, I believe such devices as DNA and Quantum computers _____ (take over) our lives. 5. When scientists find a way of transmitting our thoughts to other people, we____ (able / communicate) without talking to each other.

Exercise 4. Translate from English into Russian paying attention to Conditional sentences.

1. If you extrapolate into the future you find that, in the coming decades, we'll have to build molecular computers to keep the computer hardware revolution on track. 2. If you have a lower cost manufacturing technology, which can build a wide range of products less expensively, it can build, among other things, better medical products. 3. Lighter computers and lighter sensors would let you have more function in a given weight, which is very important if you are launching things into space, and you have to pay by the pound to put things there. 4. If we can reduce the cost and improve the quality of medical technology through advances in nanotechnology, then we can more widely address the medical conditions that are prevalent and reduce the level of human suffering. 5. If we had a shatterproof variant of diamond, we would have a remarkably light and strong material from which to make all of the products in the world around us. 6. If you have a distributed manufacturing technology, one of the great advantages is that it should let us have a much lower cost infrastructure. 7. If you want to build, for example, a computer chip, you need a giant semiconductor fabrication facility. But if you look at nature, nature can grow complex molecular machines using nothing more than a plant. 8. If nanotechnology someday can restore sight to the blind through devices implanted in the brain, it just as easily can create mind-controlled weapons.

Exercise 5. Mae up your own conditional sentences.

Vocabulary exercises

Exercise 1. Read the sentences and fill in the gaps with the given words.

Shortages / population / process / pollution / import / tremendous / impact

1. There has been a ____ achievement in stopping the over-population in China.

2. The government is in the _____of finding new energy resources.

3. The environmental ______ of increased pollution threatens our planet.

4. Most of the world’s ______is suffering from poverty.

5. Drought causes water ______ during summer.

6. To reduce air ______, we should encourage public transportation more.

7. The government eventually banned the ________of electricity when they started to use other resources.

Exercise 2. Match the adjectives with their synonyms.

Exercise 3. Read short abstarcts. Choose the title for each. 

Nanotechnology in Use

1.Natural nano 2. Nano in your gadgets 3. Sunscreens 4. Stronger, lighter materials 5. Stain-resistant fabrics 6. Cars 7. Sensing for damage 8. Anti-bacterial Nano.

A. Nanotechnologies are increasingly used in mobile phones, computers and other high technology equipment. The nano bit will not fundamentally change how your computer, your mobile phone, gaming console or your MP3 player operate, but it will make them faster, cheaper and with more memory

B. Conventional concrete is partly made up of silica. But if you use nano-scale particles of silica in the concrete mix, you can make the structure of the concrete denser. This means it is better at blocking water and as a result is more durable. Use of carbon nanotubes or nano clays can also help make new lighter, stronger materials which last longer and are easier to work with and more able to resist shocks such as earthquakes.

C. Sensors created using nanotechnologies can be embedded into building materials to sense when the material is damaged or stressed, or to monitor temperature changes and their effect on the building.

D. It's long been known that titanium dioxide and zinc oxide block the harmful effects of ultraviolet light - the stronger the sunblock the whiter the lotion, with total sunblocks becoming a thick white paste. But when you break down these substances to nano-sized particles, they become transparent. So you get the beneficial effect without the 'face pack' look.

E. Nano particles are also found in nature. Milk is in fact an example of a nanotechnology in which incredibly small particles of protein are suspended in water. Ricotta Cheese is another example of nanotechnology which is made by creating the conditions for nanoparticles of protein to stick together to form gels which give it that special texture.

F.Use of silver nanoparticles as anti-bacterial agents in food packaging is increasing. It is usually coated on plastic packs to prevent food going off and also incorporated into food storage boxes you would use at home.

G. If you spill something, even something as drastic as red wine, down the front of your nano-enhanced shirt or suit, all you have to do is wipe it off with a dry cloth and it looks like new. This is often called The Lotus Effect

H. An interesting application is the use of nanoparticles which are added to diesel fuel for vehicles. The nanoparticles help the fuel burn better in the engine and the result is that you get more miles per gallon, and, because the fuel is burning more efficiently, there is less effluent coming out of the exhaust pipe. In addition the engine does not need servicing as often because the engine stays cleaner.

Exercise 4. Pass the quiz to learn your Nano IQ.

1. The prefix "nano" comes from a

a) French word meaning billion; b) Greek word meaning dwarf;

c) Spanish word meaning particle; d) Latin word meaning invisible.

2. Who first used the term nanotechnology and when?

a) Richard Feynman, 1959; b) Norio Taniguchi, 1974;

b) Eric Drexler, 1986; d) Sumio Iijima, 1991

3. What is a buckyball?

a) A carbon molecule (C60) ; b) Nickname for Mercedes-Benz's futuristic concept car (C111); c) Plastic explosives nanoparticle (C4); d) Concrete nanoparticle with a compressive strength of 20 nanonewtons (C20)

4. Which one of these statements is NOT true?

a) Gold at the nanoscale is red; b) Copper at the nanoscale is transparent

c) Silicon at the nanoscale is an insulator; d) Aluminum at the nanoscale is highly combustible

5. If you were to shrink yourself down until you were only a nanometer tall, how thick would a sheet of paper appear to you?

a) 170 meters; b)      1.7 kilometers (a bit more than a mile);

c) 17 kilometers; d) 170 kilometers

6. Nanorobots (nanobots)...

a) Do not exist yet; b) Exist in experimental form in laboratories; c) Are already used in nanomedicine to remove plaque from the walls of arteries ; d) Will be used by NASA in the next unmanned mission to Mars.

7. What is the term used in the field of nanotechnology to describe an as-yet theoretical device that "will be able to bond atoms together in virtually any stable pattern?"

a) Replicator; b) Assembler; c) Constructor; d) Stacker

8. What is the general name for the class of structures made of rolled up carbon lattices?

a) Nanotubes; b) Nanosheets, c) Nanorods, d) Fullerrods

9. Which of these historical works of art contain nanotechnology?

a) medieval paint; b)medieval stained glass windows in churches;

c) marble statues; d) medieval ink

Exercise 5. Write an annotation to the text.

What does the future hold?

It is difficult to predict the precise timescale at which different nanotechnologies will become a reality. In the short term, nanotechnologies could yield smaller, faster computers and sharper, more efficient electronic displays. Putting nanoparticles into paints could reduce their weight. Used on aircraft, this would reduce the overall weight and lower fuel consumption. Nanoparticles could also help to keep the environment clean. Researchers are studying the ability of nanoparticles to transform hazardous chemicals found in soil and groundwater into harmless compounds.

They could also be used to construct lightweight, long-lasting implants, such as heart valves and hip replacements. We may see the development of intelligent clothing that can monitor the wearers blood pressure and heart rate, and detect dangerous chemicals in the environment.

Other potential longer-term applications include nano-engineered membranes to create more energy-efficient water purification processes, longer-lasting lubricants and higher performance engines.

Nanotubes can be 100 times stronger than steel but 6 times lighter and they can conduct electricity. They will prove useful for making electronic displays and sensors, and lightweight construction nanomaterials.

Nanotubes occur in a variety of structures, lengths and diameters and sometimes form messy spaghetti-like tangles, but researchers would like to be able to make orderly tubes with specified dimensions and properties.

Exercise 6. Look through the text and answer the question: Are nanotechnologies safe?

Most current and future nantotechnologies, such computer chips and catalysts, pose no new health or safety risks. This is because the nanomaterial is fixed or etched onto a larger object and unable to stray into the environment.

But we should think about the possible impacts of manufactured nanoparticles and nanotubes that are free to move around rather than being fixed or embedded into a bulk material. There is some evidence that their small size may increase any potential toxicity. Certainly, the toxicity of a material in larger form doesn’t tell us what its toxicity will be when it is nanosized.

The worry is that free nanoparticles could be inhaled, ingested or enter the body via the skin, and then cause damage to cells. Nanotubes, for example, are structurally similar to asbestos fibres, which can cause respiratory problems when inhaled in large amounts over long periods.

It is thought that the nanoparticles in sunscreens and cosmetics cannot penetrate the skin, but further studies are needed to confirm this.

At present, almost nothing is known about the potential effects of free nanoparticles and nanotubes on the environment. But it’s possible that they could enter the food chain, and affect plants and animals.

Some are concerned about grey goo, a fictitious notion in which self-replicating, man-made, nano-robots devour the Earth and turn it into a grey goo. But there is no evidence to suggest that nanobots like this could be made.

Exercise 7. Translate using the words of this lesson.

1. Большой объем знаний позволяет создавать более эффективные машины.Чем больше вы знаете, тем лучшие продукты вы можете создать: до изобретения двигателя внутреннего сгорания не было самолетов. 2. Применение более эффективных инструментов способствует созданию еще более эффективных инструментов в большем количестве, также как изобретение компьютеров и CAD позволило многократно ускорить и упростить разработку новых машин. 3. Чем быстрее компьютеры и чем их больше, тем быстрее делаются открытия и разрабатываются более эффективные машины. 4. Автоматизация и роботизация позволяет производить более эффективные продукты быстрее, дешевле и в большем количестве. 5. Развитие производства нанотрубок и нанокомпозитов сделает возможным строительство многоэтажных дорог и километровых небоскребов. 6. Самоочищающиеся материалы сделают любой город чище, а тонкопленочные солнечные батареи сократят расходы на электроэнергию. 7. Дома из наноматериалов будут неуязвимы для пожаров. 8. Кондиционеры и стиральные машины уже сегодня убивают бактерии при помощи наночастиц. 9. Наносенсоры позволят посудомоечным машинам анализировать состояние посуды. 10. Микроволновая печь сможет по запаху определить готовность пищи. 11. Светильники станут беспроводными и с регулируемым спектром.

Speaking and Discussion.

Exercise 1.Answer the questions: What predictions can you make about Nanotech future? Do you think it will be better than today? 

Exercise 2. Work with a partner and write your own predictions which are likely to happen in 50 years’ time. Then report what your partner has predicted as in the example using Indirect Speech.

Example: Student A: I believe Nanotechnology will turn over the world.

Student B: My partner said that he believed Nanotechnology would turn over the world.

Exercise 3.Ask your groupmate aboutinventions/discoveries that have changed the world, for good or for bad. Make one list for the group and discuss positive and negative aspects of each one. Do you believe that Nanotechnology is less or more harmful than any of these inventions.

For example:Engine, antibiotics, vaccination, glasses, printing, computer, radio, X-rays, explosives, TV, automobile, cell phone, Internet, video camera, microwave oven, nuclear bomb etc.

Exercise 4. Sum up all information about Nanotechnology you have learnt. Make your own oral report about it.

Exercise 5. Make your own research on prospects of Nanotechnology in Ukraine.

1. Is Nanotechnology studied? Where? (Cities/Universities/Scientific Labs)

2. Are there any scientific nano inventions?

3. Do you know any prominent Ukrainian nanoscientists?

4. Have you ever thought about taking part in nanoscientific researches? If Yes, in what field? Give a report to the group.

БИБЛИОГРАФИЧЕСКИЙ СПИСОК

1. Brooker R. Nanotechnology / R. Brooker. – Canada: Wiley Publishing, 2005. – 387с.

2. Русско-английский визуальный словарь / Сост. Корбей Ж.- К. – М.: РИПОЛ классик, 2007. – 602с.

3. English vocabulary in use by Stuart Redman, Cambridge Univercity Press, 1997, - 270 p.

4. www.encarta.com

5. www.howstuffworks.com

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